[Short Story] 'In That Place, Close to the Sky' #MySoulmateAndI

Everything in my field of vision was sky.

The drifting clouds were hiding the sun, so I could keep looking at the white and blue.

The concrete ground beneath my back felt cold.

Since there was no windbreak, my hair, which I had grown to my shoulders, was swaying and getting tangled.

My uniform and the bag I was using as a pillow were probably getting dirty.

But that's fine. Because today is the last day.

After watching the sky for a while, a voice came over the microphone from the gymnasium.

The graduation ceremony must have started.

I, who should have been there, ended up here instead.

If someone finds me, I'll go to the ceremony.

If the rooftop door is locked, I'll go to the ceremony.

This impulsive bet, which I had no intention of winning, somehow worked out easily.

And so, I sent an email saying I would be absent.

'Due to feeling unwell'

On the very last day, my first time playing hooky.

I, who had always been seen as a 'serious student,' had noticed a sense of discomfort somewhere in my heart.

That my own will was invisible.

That I had been walking down the path deemed correct without ever seeing it.

Finally, today, I broke that.
I ended up breaking it.

And yet.

“How boring...”

The whispered voice vanished into the wind.

Even though I had broken the rules and told a lie, my heart remained calm.

It was starting to get a little cold.

The pleasant breeze was just cold when standing still.

Maybe I should have just attended the ceremony like everyone else...

The graduation song drifted out from the gymnasium.

—I had practiced so hard for it, too.

I began to sing along by myself, carried by the melody.

While looking up at the sky.

My whispering voice gradually grew louder,

reaching a volume I hadn't used during practice.

I was filled with a strange sense of determination.

I finished the first chorus and entered the interlude.

I heard someone laugh, a soft 'ha-ha'.

It wasn't from far away.

Somewhere on the rooftop.

“...Who's there?”

I sat up and turned my face toward the direction of the voice.

A moment later, a boy in a school uniform appeared.

He walks toward me languidly, his hands tucked into his pockets.

His messy, bright hair falls over his eyes. His uniform is worn loosely. Despite his lithe, slender build, even from a distance, you can tell he has a masculine frame.

I recognized him.

Sasahara-kun from the next class over.

A classmate I have never had a real conversation with.

I stand up, feeling guarded.

He said as he walked.

"You're good, at singing."

"...Where were you?"

"Over by the fence on the other side."

He replied without a moment's hesitation.

"Today is graduation, aren't you going?"

I found myself blurting out the obvious.

"That goes for both of us, doesn't it?"

He was smiling again.

……True enough.

The next thing I want to know is the reason.

"──Why?"

Our voices overlapped.

A moment of silence.

I gesture for him to go ahead.
You go first.

"I came here because I wanted to play guitar. Then I got interrupted by your singing."

It was a blunt way of putting it.

But he didn't seem angry; if anything, he looked amused.

You... and what do you mean, interrupted?

"It's Kuraki from your class, not 'you.' You're Sasahara-kun, right? Though it seems like you didn't come to school much."

"Huh? Am I that famous?"

He shrugged theatrically.

My guard had lowered a little.

He didn't seem like an enemy. Even if he was unpleasant.

"I just... came here because it was open. That's all."

With a skeptical look, he said,

"That's not all, is it? I don't think the class representative of 3-C would skip her own graduation ceremony for a reason like that."

...This guy, he knew who I was.

"What are you going to do with that information? Planning to tell on me?"

"Who knows?"

He tilted his head mockingly.

It annoyed me a little.

—Whatever, it's the end anyway.

"I've been serious my whole life, so it's my business if I want to do something different for once, right? And I'm the one who was interrupted!"

Perhaps he caught my momentum, as his expression changed.

He put on a face that showed he was really listening.

'Yeah. I get it. I'm sorry.'

I was taken aback by his sudden withdrawal.

'Then, as an apology, how about you listen to me play the guitar?'

Is he messing around again?

'How is that an apology?'

'That way, we'll be even.'

I took a breath and answered, 'Yeah.'

...Well, fine.
Honestly, I was bored anyway.

As soon as I replied,

'I'll go get it.'

He said that and ran off. It was as if a switch had been flipped.

I sat there and waited.

When he returned, he was carrying a dark brown guitar. If I recall correctly, this is a classical guitar. The strings were sticking out like cat whiskers.

'Alright, let's do this.'

He seemed to have no hesitation.

While still seated, I gave a light gesture with my hand.
'Go ahead.'

'So, what should I play? 'March 9th', the song you were singing earlier?'

'Anything is fine, even a song I don't know.'

'...Hmm?'
'Hmm... what do you mean?'

We both frowned at each other.

'No, I mean, I can't sing a song I don't know, right?'

'Huh?'

'Sing it.'

'Why should I?'

'You interrupted my guitar time, didn't you?'

This guy...

'No way! If I had known someone was here, I wouldn't have been singing either!'

'Come on, it's the last time, anyway. Ready, three, two, one.'

I had no intention of going along with his sudden countdown.

I stuck to my 'no way!'

'Man, and I thought I could finally do this with vocals for once.'

He said this sounding sulky, and started playing the song, looking like he didn't know what to do with his hands.

That melody suddenly caught my ear.

It felt somewhat nostalgic.

'...I know that song.'

The sound grew a little stronger.

'The Pillows?'

While playing, he gave a slight nod.

You know it well. That was an Elle cover, though.

My hands stopped abruptly.

The sound stopped, too.

You can sing it, right?

There was no lightness in those eyes like there had been a moment ago.

This felt like the last time I would be asked to do something so reckless.

I had that feeling.

...Alright, I get it.

I stood up, having no other choice.

Immediately, the sound of fingers tapping against the guitar body: tap, tap, tap.

The moment the intro played, I remembered how to start singing.

A song I had listened to many times in my father's car long ago.

The Pillows' 'Funny Bunny'.

I knew my heart rate was rising.

♪ Defying the king's voice --

My voice was thin as I started to sing.

The voice beside me gently took the lead.

As if being pulled along, my voice came forward.

Before I knew it, I was singing on my own.

♪ The moment your dream comes true --

Even after finishing the chorus, the performance didn't stop.

Isn't it supposed to end after one chorus?

When I appealed with my eyes, he shook his head.

It wasn't a prank.

He had a look that said, 'Let's do it to the end.'

--Shall I respond?

♪ Let's go to a place we love, you can do that --

I sang it to the end.

Before I knew it, we were singing together.

The guitar melody stopped.

We met each other's eyes and laughed at the same time.

As if everything we had been holding back was suddenly released.

After the laughter died down, I spoke up.

'Hey.'

We were sitting side by side.

'Sasahara-kun, are you going to high school?'

After a brief pause.

'Yeah, I'm going.'

'Huh. That's surprising. I thought you were the type to go overseas or something.'

'...Huh?'

He looks at me with a surprised expression.

'How did you know? Did I tell you?'

'Know? What?'

'That I was planning to go abroad instead of going to high school.'

'Wow, you were serious. I just said it because I had a feeling...'

Sasahara made a bitter face.

He continued as if he had resigned himself to it.

'I thought classes were pointless. I skipped middle school all the time, too. High school costs money, right? I didn't want to owe my parents anything.'

I nodded silently.

'There are people who go abroad after middle school, you know. If you have the motivation, you can figure out English. I wanted to play music with all sorts of people while I had the chance.'

'...I think that's good.'
'Right?'

After a short pause, he continued.

'But my grandpa stopped me. Even though he always told me to do whatever I wanted, he insisted I at least go to high school. That's awful, isn't it?'

He lightly lifted the guitar he was holding.
Looking closely, I saw it had scratches and the color had faded.

'Even though he's the one who gave me this.'

He continued, changing his tone slightly.

'High school isn't just a place for studying. You'll make friends, get a girlfriend. There will be people you hate, too. Fight and laugh. There's still time to enter society after that.'

I couldn't help but chuckle.

For some reason, his grandfather's face came to mind.

'So, what are you going to do?'

'Even so, I still didn't feel like going.'

I let out a sigh.

'My grandpa passed away six months ago.'

'...'

'He kept telling me to go to high school until the very end, so I said okay. I promised him.'

'...I see. So that's why you chose to go to high school, Sasahara-kun.'

'I keep my promises. That's just who I am.'

Sasahara stood up and scratched his head messily.

'Man, I hadn't told anyone about this. As expected of the class representative. You're a good listener.'

He said it with a hint of irony, without looking at me.

'I'm surprised you'd say that after talking so much on your own.'

But, he continued.

'Having a reason or a promise is better than nothing. I have nothing. No dreams, no idea of who I want to be. Even for you, class rep, you just didn't want the hassle of refusing, and any high school would have done as long as I got in. That's why I chose Nishi High just because it was close to home.'

When I finished speaking, I felt a little breathless.

Sasahara opened his mouth. '...Does that mean...'

Still looking up at the sky.

'Does that mean you don't feel like you're really living?'

'Huh?'

'No, I don't mean to complain. It's just, that's what I thought.'

A sharp pain pricked deep in my chest.

'...Is it wrong to be alive if you don't feel like you're really living?'

There was no reply.

Only the sound of the wind could be heard.

What ended it was the commotion coming from the direction of the gymnasium.

It was over.
The graduation ceremony.

Sasahara and I looked at each other and headed toward the fence on the gymnasium side.

The students were coming out.

What should I do? I hadn't thought about this.

'...I'll go out first. I'll check the situation.'

What about me? I looked at Sasahara's face.

'Kuraki, you come down after a little while.'

It was a selfish instruction, but I nodded.

He shouldered his guitar and started walking away quickly.

I opened the rooftop door and looked back.

'Hey.'

There was a moment of silence.

'You looked alive. When you were singing, Kuraki.'

My heart gave a thud.

'And, you know, I'm going to Kita High School.'

──Huh?

'When that happens, let's—'

I started to say something, but the voices from below were getting closer.

'Ugh, seriously!'

They spat out, and ran down.

'North High... again?'

──Come down after a little while.

That's what Sasahara had said.

Without knowing how long that 'little while' was, I headed to the stairs at my usual pace, just as I had when I arrived.

I went down the stairs.

As I descended from the fourth floor to the third, the voices of the students grew louder.

The first floor was noisy, with current students and graduates saying their goodbyes, and parents gathered around.

I kept my pace steady and headed toward the entrance.

When I reached the shoe lockers, a voice called out to me.

'Ah! Rino!'

At my friend's words, a few people gathered around.

'You've been feeling sick, are you okay?'

'I'm so glad I could see you.'

'We were just about to go visit you.'

Amidst the overlapping voices of concern, I could only repeat 'I'm sorry' and 'Thank you.'

Just then, my homeroom teacher appeared, holding my diploma.

Kuraki, shouldn't you be taking a break? Good grief, you're such a serious person until the very end.

Here, they said, handing it to me.

Congratulations on your graduation. Thank you for your hard work as class representative.

At that moment, I realized I was crying. I don't know when I started.

--The sick leave was a lie.

--I was skipping class on the roof.

Everyone was so kind that it didn't matter whether I said it or not.

I left the school building and walked to the school gate with a few friends.

In the corner of my vision, there was a small crowd of people.

You're like this until the very end!

There was a boy being tapped on the head with a diploma tube.

It was Sasahara.

Why did you go as far as breaking the lock to get to the roof!

Amidst the teacher's lecture and the laughter of those around, those words reached my ears.

The lock?
You broke it?

--So that's why it was open.

My friend's voice called out to me as I stopped walking.

Rino?

I shook my head, saying, No, and started walking again.

It was just a whim, my first and last rule violation.

It led to an unexpected encounter.

Even though it was less than an hour, it was far more intense and heart-pounding than my empty days.

'Huh? Rino, isn't your back a bit dirty?'

'Eh? ...I wonder why?'

Because it's over today, I got it dirty. I couldn't say that.

Only now, it's starting to sink in.

It's too late, isn't it?

But—.

I looked back at the school gate.

Sasahara is still surrounded.

With his arms crossed behind his back, he is bowing his head slightly. He was doing a pose of reflection.

The palms of his crossed hands were moving.

He is slowly folding his spread fingers.

Three,

Two,

One.

'You looked alive, Kuraki, when you were singing.'

Tears were welling up again.

The stairs leading to the rooftop are always locked.

Knowing that, I climbed them anyway.

The door, which shouldn't have been open, was open.

As if it were accepting my choice.

I wonder if it will begin again someday.

In that place, close to the sky.

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