Novel "The Forgotten Stars"
The Forgotten Stars
Chapter 1: Blank
When the woman opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a white ceiling.
The smell of disinfectant.
The rhythmic sound of a machine.
The sound of birds chirping outside the window.
However, she did not know who she was.
Not her name.
Not her age.
Not her family.
She could not remember a single thing.
It was as if her life itself had been cut away.
"Are you alright?"
The nurse asked gently.
The woman opened her mouth.
But she could not even answer her own name.
It seemed it had been an accident.
On a rainy night, she was found collapsed on the side of the road.
She had no wallet or identification.
Even after the police investigated, her identity remained unknown.
The woman looked at her face in the mirror.
A face that still held a hint of youth.
Yet, she did not even recognize that face.
"Who are you?"
Even when she asked herself in the mirror, no answer came back.
After being discharged from the hospital, she came to live in a small welfare facility.
The facility director was a gentle old man.
"You need a name."
He said that as he looked up at the night sky.
That day, the stars were unusually beautiful.
"How about Mitsuki?"
And so, she was given a temporary name.
Mitsuki Hoshino.
It was not her real name.
Even so, it was the first place she had been given in her blank existence.
Chapter 2: Maru
There was an old dog in the backyard of the facility.
Its fur was a mix of brown and white.
It was a little thin.
It walked while dragging one of its legs.
His name was Maru.
He was a dog who had lost his owner and had nowhere to go.
The first day.
Mitsuki was sitting on a bench.
She didn't know what to do.
Then, Maru approached her.
He sat down next to her without saying a word.
That was all.
She was afraid of talking to people.
She didn't know how they saw her.
A woman with amnesia.
A pitiful person.
A troublesome person.
She felt that was how they thought of her.
But Maru was different.
It didn't matter whether she had memories or not.
He was just there by her side.
That was all.
Mitsuki began to take Maru for walks every day.
Little by little, her smiles increased.
Chapter 3: A Kind Person
One day, a young volunteer came to the facility.
His name was Yuto.
He was tall and had a somewhat unreliable air about him.
However, he was a good listener.
He didn't rush others.
He didn't force encouragement on anyone.
He simply listened quietly.
"I hope your memory returns," he said.
Every time he said that, Mitsuki felt pained.
She knew everyone said it out of good intentions.
She understood that.
But as someone who had lost her memory, she didn't even know if those memories had been happy ones.
Then Yuto said,
"Isn't it fine if they don't return?"
Mitsuki was surprised.
"You're the first person to say that to me."
Yuto smiled slightly.
"Because people aren't made up of only their past."
Those words remained deeply in Mitsuki's heart.
Chapter 4: People Who Search for Stars
Yuto participated in stargazing events on weekends.
One day, he invited Mitsuki as well.
On top of the mountain.
The night breeze was cold.
Countless stars were shining in the sky.
There were all sorts of people there.
A middle-aged man who had lost his place at work.
A high school student who was isolated at school.
A woman who had lost her husband.
Everyone was carrying something.
But under the starry sky, titles and positions didn't matter.
They were just people looking up at the same sky.
Mitsuki thought to herself.
Perhaps people look at the stars because they are lonely.
Perhaps they are projecting themselves onto the distant light.
Chapter 5: The Past Found
Six months later.
A call came from the police.
The identity had been confirmed.
Her real name was different.
She had a family, too.
She had a fiancé, too.
She had a job, too.
The life she had lost had returned.
However, as she listened to the story, Mitsuki felt a strange sensation.
That woman did not look happy.
The expectations of her family.
The expectations of her fiancé.
The expectations of her workplace.
She was always playing someone else's ideal.
She kept hiding her true feelings.
"She was a kind person."
Everyone said so.
But was that true kindness?
Was it not just kindness to avoid being disliked?
Chapter 6: Maru's End
It was spring.
Maru suddenly became unable to stand.
The veterinarian quietly shook his head.
It was old age.
Mitsuki was by his side every day.
Yuto came to visit as well.
Everyone at the facility watched over him too.
Maru seemed to be in pain.
Even so, he never held a grudge against anyone.
One night.
Maru rested his head on Mitsuki's lap.
Just like the day they first met.
Quietly.
Peacefully.
And then, he passed away as if falling asleep.
Mitsuki cried.
She cried out loud.
It was the first time since she had lost her memories.
Final Chapter: The Forgotten Stars
A summer night.
Mitsuki climbed the mountain alone.
It was the place they had visited for the stargazing event.
Countless stars filled the night sky.
Some distant stars no longer exist.
Yet, only their light reaches us.
Mitsuki thought.
Perhaps people are the same.
The past fades away.
Memories are lost as well.
Even loved ones disappear.
Even so.
Only kindness remains.
The warmth Maru gave me.
The words Yuto gave me.
The place the people at the facility gave me.
Those were lights that asked for nothing in return.
That is why they were precious.
Mitsuki looks up at the sky.
Loneliness does not disappear.
People cannot fully understand one another.
That is fine, too.
I can become a small light that illuminates someone.
Like the stars shining in the night sky.
Even if we cannot get close.
We can still warm each other.
And Mitsuki smiled quietly.
She decided to stop chasing only who she used to be.
Because more than reclaiming the past.
It is more important who she will live with from now on.
The wind blowing under the starry sky was gentle.
It was as if Maru, who had become invisible, was walking right beside her.