"The Promise That Became a Star" - Silent Tide, Participation in Persi's Project

The two of us were walking side by side on the autumn beach.
You didn't say a word, just staring at the distant horizon
amidst the scent of the tide.
Before long, you turned your back to the wind and opened your heavy lips.

“I’ve decided. I’m going to volunteer for the army. I can’t just watch anymore.
I have to protect this country--”

I had been dreading this moment for so long.

“What!! Why now? We just got engaged. We haven’t even had the wedding yet.”
“Let’s get married when I return from the front. That is the greatest promise I can make.”

Our words remained uncrossed, swallowed up by the sound of the crashing waves.
Only time flowed on, empty and quiet.

It hadn't even been half a year since our engagement.
Our trip to Italy was our only sweet memory together.
We talked about the future over and over.
We would build a small house by the lake and have three children.
You would work as an engineer, and I would live as a teacher.
If we could afford it, we’d get a small dog.
Our dreams bubbled up like a spring, never-ending.
But the war abruptly snatched away the realization of those dreams.

On an October morning, the sky was impossibly high and the clouds were white.
You enlisted in the Navy.
On the morning of your enlistment, I clung to you and cried, not caring who was watching.
I cast aside all shame and appearances, melting into tears as I wept.
You wiped my tears with your rough fingers and whispered into my ear over and over.

“I will definitely come back alive. I will never die. Let’s get married when I return. I will absolutely come back.”

Before long, you became a crew member on an old small destroyer.
On the day of departure, I went to the port to see you off.
Wearing your blue maintenance uniform, you were waving from the deck.
Though your voice was drowned out by the cheers of the people seeing everyone off, I knew from the movement of your lips.
——“I will definitely come back.”
I threw my handkerchief with all my might, but it was carried away by the wind and fell into the sea.

The war situation reached a stalemate, and only the days passed by.
The number of casualties only grew, and the TV reported nothing but “victories” every day.
But there was only one thing I wanted to know.
Whether your ship was safe—that was all.

On a morning when the snow kept falling, there was a sudden special news bulletin.
The news that the destroyer you were on had sunk.
The ship, which had departed at night with its lights off, hit a floating torpedo laid by the enemy.
They said the small hull split in three without even having time to send a distress signal, and it sank to the bottom of the sea in an instant.

I lost all strength in my body and slumped down in front of the TV.
The news didn't mention the crew members who were rescued.
Even when I asked the Navy Department repeatedly, I only received the standard reply: “We are still investigating.”

An afternoon about a week later.
The doorbell rang.
When I opened the door, a man in a military uniform was standing there holding a white envelope.
The moment I saw him salute, a small bell of hope shattered deep inside my chest.

“We regret to inform you. It was a noble end.”
Those cold words of comfort pierced my heart like needles.
Once again, I slumped down on the spot and wept silently.

A little over a month since you passed away.
I was standing on the same beach as that day.
Dusk was already approaching, and the sea breeze gently stroked my cheeks.
It felt as if the sea breeze was gently wiping away my flowing tears.
The sound of the waves was louder than that day, echoing as if you were speaking to me.
When I close my eyes, the “short and happy days” I spent with you come back like a revolving lantern.
My sighs vanish into the sea foam.

“You didn't keep your promise, did you?
You said you would definitely come back.
I even had a wedding dress made.
I even made the wedding invitations.
So—please come back soon...
You aren't a liar, are you?”

Stars began to twinkle in the night sky.

“Please... even if you become a star, come back!!
You know, I think I have your baby in my belly.
I want this child to live in an era without war.”

At that moment, the light of the stars shone even more brightly.

☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡
I participated in Persi's project. Persi, thank you for having me. This became a long piece. If the theme is not appropriate, please reject it.

#Novel #NigiyakashiObi #Jellyfish #Persi #SilentTide #KenTateyama #War