[Short Story] 'Intoxicated by Flowers Even After the Cherry Blossoms Pass' - A Story of Haru and Fuyu, Fuyu's Perspective

Late March, a rainy evening.

I was being swayed on a bus.

It was an express bus heading to Sendai City.

The passengers were sparse, and almost everyone was using a two-person seat by themselves. No one complained. I, too, was taking advantage of this, as was everyone else.

The inside of the bus was quiet.

People looking at their smartphones, people sleeping, people reading.

There was nothing but the roaring sound of the bus traveling along the highway.

Before I boarded this bus, I had gotten wet because of the rain that suddenly started to fall.

I took a towel and something even more important out of my backpack.

A film-based SLR camera. --It's okay, it didn't get wet.

I let out a sigh of relief, took off my cap which had become heavy with rainwater, and began to brush the droplets off my hair and clothes.

And then, I looked back.

On the events that happened before I got on the bus.

On the meetings and partings of this day.

Early afternoon. I was sitting on the embankment of the riverbed, looking at the row of cherry trees.

Cherry blossoms while traveling aren't bad either. Beautiful things are beautiful wherever they are.

However.

I had intended to end it today.

I aimed my camera at the scenery.

I framed the cherry blossoms in full bloom and pressed the shutter.

I still had plenty of film left.

But it was already too painful.

Every time I visit the place we promised to meet, my chest aches.

I won't go home until the film is full.

The day I set out a month ago, when I made that decision, felt like a memory from the distant past.

Today, in particular, I feel the absence of him beside me so strongly.

This place was so similar. The scenery, the air.
Just like the row of cherry trees where we spent that day together.

An unbearable feeling welled up inside me, and I couldn't stay seated anymore.

Just then.

Behind me, a sharp screech! of bicycle brakes.

Followed by a thud, the sound of something heavy falling.
My gaze was already fixed in the direction of the sound.

What caught my eye was a plastic bag sliding down the embankment. The contents were on the verge of spilling out.

When it reached my side, I reached out instinctively.

'Excuse me!'

The voice that caught up to me belonged to the person who had dropped it.

At that voice, my heart suddenly skipped a beat.

It was identical.

To 'his' voice.

Caught completely off guard, I put my confused feelings into words.

'Just in time, the snacks have arrived.'

The man in front of me said, 'Huh?', and his face told the same story.

It was a natural reaction. After that, he would tilt his head, take the luggage, and walk away.

That was what I had expected, but,

'Drinking under the cherry blossoms in the middle of the day?'

I said the sarcastic remark he would have likely made, using his own voice.

For a moment, I felt happy and surprised,

'Even without alcohol, one can be intoxicated by flowers.'

I blurted out the line he used to say back when he was on a restricted diet.

And then, I held out my half-finished juice.

It didn't matter if the man in front of me didn't play along.

My impulsive action wasn't a toast,

--it was a libation for 'him'.

Seeing the can I held out, the man in front of me widened his eyes and grinned.

He took a coffee can out of the bag I had helped him with and tapped it against my can.

I'm sorry, stranger.

For suddenly dragging you into my memories.

The man, who looked a little older than my 21-year-old self, then asked me if I was heading somewhere.

I replied that I was chasing the cherry blossoms.

I wasn't lying.

It was a promised journey, and also a cherry blossom front tour that I had planned in advance with the AI, Gemini.

The conversation continued after that.

He said his name was Haruki.

Even our names are similar...

I properly told him my real name was Fuyuka.

Even so, he laughed, doubting me, saying that Haru and Fuyu was too perfect.

Haruki-san told me about this region.

He mentioned that a ramen shop in Ushiku was famous and delicious, and that there was an unusually large Great Buddha. Was that slight accent I was curious about Ibaraki dialect? The ways he differed from him were also good.

In the midst of that, there were no questions that I expected him to ask.

Like 'What is the reason for your trip?' or

'Let's exchange LINE IDs.'

Perhaps that is why I was able to keep talking, or perhaps I was talking until I was asked.

I found myself enjoying it.

The moment I realized that,

I felt a sense of unease.

To myself, who is about to betray him.

To myself, who is smiling and feeling good.

As the sky began to redden, I spoke.

'I should be going now.'

Trying to appear as calm as possible.

To make him think it was just because it was time.

Even though I had nowhere else to go.

Haruki-san didn't try to stop me, but offered to walk me there.

The part of me that knew the dream time was over and the part of me that wanted just today to last, wavered.

'I'll take you up on that offer, thank you.'

I followed my honest feelings.

I told him my destination was the highway bus terminal.

His tone suggested it was 'just right there.'

We walked together along the riverbank at dusk.

This, too, was just like those days we spent together long ago.

I talked about the names of several flowers that 'he' had mentioned, pretending I had learned them from Gemini.

Seeing Haruki-san's face show surprise and laughter, I felt that he must be a pure-hearted person.

Just as our conversation began to trail off.

I asked, "Is there someone you like?"

After a brief pause,

came the reply that there wasn't.

Whether there was, wasn't, or even if he were married, it didn't matter to me.

Because I just wanted to talk about him.

I said, "I had someone."
"He's far away now, and I show him photos from time to time."

Even though I wanted to talk about it, when it came time to speak, I found myself unable to say it clearly.

I didn't say "who" it was,
nor did I say "why."
I immediately regretted that it was a confession far too insufficient to convey to anyone.

But Haruki-san,

said,

"I'm sure he's happy about that."

I suddenly felt like crying and looked at the ground.

The circles appearing one by one on the asphalt were not my tears, but the start of the rain.

──The camera.

I put it into my backpack immediately.

Seeing that, Haruki-san urged me with his eyes to hurry.

I noticed the bus stop at the end of the riverbed immediately. And the fact that there was nothing to shelter us from the rain.

Haruki-san checked the timetable, and I checked the time on my smartphone.

The next bus would arrive in──one minute.

It was immediate.

Too soon. --But, I can say it now.

--I don't intend to go to Sendai.

--The plans have been cancelled.

--A little longer, with you.

'Let's take this bus.'

It wasn't me, but Haruki-san who provided the answer to that frustrating time.

'Yes.'
I replied, as if to brush away the haze.

I knew the bus was approaching.

I was just looking at Haruki-san.

The bus stopped behind us.

The sound of the doors opening followed.

'Haruki-san.'

It was a gentle smile, as if he were relieved.

I called his name... now what?

Raindrops were dripping from Haruki-san's hair.

Without knowing what to do, I took a towel from my backpack and handed it to him. As if pushing my feelings onto him along with it.

That was all I could do.

'I'm sorry I don't have an umbrella.'

That was all I could say.

I boarded the bus.

The doors closed.

Haruki-san, left holding my towel, waved gently.

I followed suit, as if drawn to him.

'Until next time.'

I whispered my farewell.

That was everything that happened today, just a moment ago.

Having finished wiping away the water, I sank deep into my seat.

'I'm so unfair.'

I muttered in a voice no one could hear.

I had handed Haruki-san one of my feelings, transformed into the shape of a towel.

I had left behind a reason for us to meet again.

I let out a single sigh.

The journey that was supposed to end has not ended yet.

'It's a promise, after all.'

His smug face as he said that came to mind.

Even if it's painful, it's a promise.

Until the film is full.

There was one more promise.

A promise he unilaterally gave me before he fell into a deep sleep.

I had abandoned it, thinking it was absolutely impossible.

Now that today is over, I selfishly wonder if at least the 'absolute' part of 'absolutely impossible' has been removed.

The faces of the two of them come to mind.

My journey continues.

Will I ever find the answer?

However.

I don't want to feel pained. I don't want to worry either.

I turned my eyes to the scenery outside the window.

The town I walked through with Haruki-san had long since disappeared from view.

I close my eyes and remember.

Fuyuka.

Even if I am gone.

Make sure to find someone else.

With someone.

Once more.

Will that day come again someday? Or perhaps not.

No matter how much I think about it, surely no one knows.

I looked at the cherry blossoms, thought of you, and met Haruki-san.

That is enough for today, I suppose.

To close off my feelings, I tried to place my damp cap over my face like an eye mask.

Fluttering down, a single cherry blossom petal landed on my knee.

Seeing that, words came to mind.

Beautiful things are beautiful. No matter where they are.

That is about the only thing I am certain of.

For now, I still want to be intoxicated by the flowers before my eyes.

Please enjoy this alongside Haru's perspective👇️