Memories of April 8th

The day after the cherry blossom viewing, the sky was covered in thin clouds, and the blue expanse of yesterday had dimmed slightly. As if the balmy weather that had made us sweat was nothing but a fleeting dream, a biting wind stole the warmth from our skin. Most of the cherry blossoms had fallen, and even from a distance, the color of the branches and leaves stood out. Knowing that this is the cycle of the seasons and the fate of passing time, I still cannot shake a sense of loneliness, and it is not just because the landscape has lost its color.
"Maybe the reason endings are so sad... is because we were looking forward to the beginning so much."
Aruto looks downcast, staring blankly out the window. It is rare for him to be so listless, not because he is feeling unwell, but simply lacking his usual energy.
"That's true. But if things stayed the same forever, we might get bored—"
Yu is looking at the same scenery from the same window, but she is not as disheartened as Aruto. While she feels a sense of pity for the fleeting life of the flowers, her heart is turned toward the future. That is why.
"—because there are goodbyes, we can look forward to the next reunion."
I add that the flowers will bloom again next year.
"I suppose you're right."
With a deep sigh, Aruto seems to have shifted his mood. I wouldn't go so far as to say it was unlike him, but a bright expression definitely suits him better.
"If blooming and falling are the fate of flowers, then it's not really for us to say anything about it."
"Right. It's no use thinking about it in terms of our own convenience. Besides—"
"Besides?"
"—we have properly saved the truly precious moments."
"Saved... oh, you mean my diary?"
"Yeah. And this, too."
Yu takes out a notebook and opens it to show me. Inside is Yu's own diary, a record of her days. Watching Aruto write his, she wanted to try it herself and started one. In truth, both of them have only just begun, but if you put them both together, it adds up to a fair amount.
"It's a diary because it's written, but I'd like to think of it as an 'album of memories'."
"Collecting your favorite moments, that's not bad at all."
"Even as the seasons pass and the times change, memories never fade."
Just imagining that the things I want to cherish will keep increasing makes every day a little more fun. Things I hadn't been interested in before, and small changes I had simply overlooked, are surely waiting to be found somewhere.

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