Prologue | The Seed of a Promise

♣♣♣

The middle school graduation ceremony.

It had been a year and a half since I, Natsume Yuu, had started chasing a dream with a girl named Inuzuka Himari as my fated partner.

Winter was over, and spring was once again on its way.

The graduation ceremony was over, homeroom had ended, and we were, in name and in reality, no longer middle school students. Amidst my classmates who were eagerly making final memories, their hearts filled with a mix of joy, loneliness, and, above all, anticipation for the future, I was sneakily getting ready to head home, but…

“Yuu~! Let’s go home~!”

“Whoa!?”

Suddenly, Himari clung to me from behind.

She must have run over to my classroom right after her homeroom ended. I’d been saved by this ultimate social butterfly’s proactive nature as many times as I’d been bewildered by it.

Anyway, I replied to Himari with a wry smile.

“Yeah. I told Saku-neesan that I’d be hanging out with you before coming home, but…”

Just then, I felt a gaze upon me.

It was a feeling I had grown all too used to. Glancing over, I saw my classmates looking our way, as if they wanted to say something.

…After a moment’s thought, I offered a reserved suggestion.

“Himari. It’s the last day, after all. Shouldn’t you go hang out with them?”

“Hmm~?”

Himari looked over too… and then, with her usual cheerful smile, she started ruffling my hair.

“Pffft! Yuu, you’re as serious as ever~!”

“Serious…”

No, I just thought that since I’ve been monopolizing her all this time, she should at least spend the last day with them.

Ah, well. In the end, she’s the one who decides these things. Besides, once she’s like this, she won’t listen to anything I say.

With resentful stares prickling my back, I left the classroom with Himari.

…Not that our destination would change much just because it was graduation day. We’d just go to the AEON mall like always and kill time aimlessly.

First, we went to Himari’s favorite Indian curry place for lunch.

Then, we went to the accessory shop on the second floor to admire the new spring collection.

Of course, we didn’t forget to visit the flower shop on the first floor. While admiring the colorful seasonal flowers, we discussed motifs for our next project.

There were other classmates there too, enjoying the last afternoon of their middle school lives. The graduation ceremony dates were the same for everyone, and there were plenty of students from other schools as well.

Our post-graduation afternoon passed by in a remarkably ordinary way.

As I was casually watching her profile, Himari noticed my gaze and turned around.

“Hm? Yuu, what’s up?”

“Oh… it’s nothing…”

Feeling vaguely awkward, I laughed to brush it off.

…I wonder if Himari isn’t the least bit sad.

I was a little sad.

My middle school life, where I met Himari, was ending. We were set to go to the same high school, but I didn’t know if things would really stay the same.

…Maybe she’ll make friends she likes more than me.

I wonder if I’m the only one thinking I wish middle school could last forever. This pessimistic attitude somehow felt like it disqualified me from being Himari’s fated partner… or so I felt.

♣♣♣

Before we knew it, evening had fallen, and we were on our way home.

As we walked along the road, I asked Himari a question.

“Himari. Are you sure you don’t need Hibari-san to pick you up today?”

It’s about the time Hibari-san gets home from the city hall. It’s a bit of a walk from here, so I think it’d be better to get a ride.

But Himari just smiled and shook her head.

“Nuh-uh. This is our last precious afternoon together as middle schoolers, so I’d rather this moment lasted just a little bit longer~”

She says the most embarrassing things with a straight face, as always.

But her words were the same as what I’d been thinking earlier, which was a small relief.

“W-well, yeah. If that’s what you want…”

Then, taking advantage of my lowered guard, Himari grinned mischievously.

Before I could even think, “Crap!”, she started poking my cheek.

“Ah. Don’t tell me you’re getting flustered, Yuu? Are you? I mean, of course, you are~! The world’s prettiest girl is saying all this sweet stuff to you, so it’s only natural your heart’s pounding, right~? For a gloomy guy like you, this is a once-in-a-lifetime treasure you could never hope to get again, so you’d better cherish this moment for the rest of your…”

“It’s too long! Even for teasing, that’s way too long!”

So much for the sentimental graduation mood!?

Faced with Himari acting so completely normal, I couldn’t help but sigh. Then, as I gazed at the darkening scenery… a thought occurred to me.

…Well, of course. Of course there’s no sentimental mood.

Because Himari is different from me.

For a natural-born social butterfly like her, graduation probably isn’t that special. For example, the classmates in our room today are people I might never see again.

But for Himari, it’s different.

She could see them again just by getting in touch, and since that’s a given for her, graduation is just another ordinary day.

…I’ve been with her for a long time now, and I thought I understood her almost completely. But I guess it’s hard to truly understand someone’s innate disposition.

It was just as I was thinking that.

Himari suddenly took my hand.

“Hey, Yuu.”

“Eh? Ah, what is it?”

I asked, slightly flustered, and Himari answered, looking down.

“Once we’re in high school, I think a new life will be waiting for us, but…”

She was being strangely hesitant.

But, I guess that makes sense. Himari will probably still be popular in high school, and her life should be full of new encounters.

Well, as for me, I can’t even begin to imagine a ‘new life!’. I’m sure I’ll just be spending my days with flowers, same as always. It’s kind of sad to say it out loud, but I’m content with that. I really, truly am.

“You’re right. You might get busy, Himari, and maybe we won’t be able to hang out like this as much…”

“Th-that’s not what I meant!”

Huh? What’s wrong?

She seemed more surprised by her own sudden outburst than I was. Her face immediately turned beet red, and she waved her hands around in a flustered, excuse-like manner.

“Well, it’s not that that’s not it, but! How do I put it? It’s not just me, you might get busy too, right, Yuu? Towards the end of middle school, you were able to talk to other classmates quite a bit. And with the accessories, maybe someone will show up who wants to do it with you, and besides, they say that friendships between guys and girls don’t last long, y’know?”

“Uh, yeah. …Huh?”

What has she been talking about this whole time?

As I stood there, unable to grasp what she was trying to say, Himari mumbled impatiently.

“So, um…”

Then, as if she couldn’t stand it anymore, she raised her voice.

“Let’s stay together, forever and ever and ever!”

As I stared blankly, Himari continued in a rush.

“S-so, even after we start high school, no matter what happens to us, we’ll always be fated partners!”

“…”

Her uncharacteristic desperation left me speechless for a moment.

…Could it be, she was anxious too?

The thought crossed my mind.

We were graduating from the middle school where we met and would soon become high school students.

A new environment wouldn’t necessarily be a plus for our relationship. Of course, I plan on staying with Himari, but there’s always the possibility we might drift apart.

Was she worried about that, too?

Is that why she wanted today to be just another ordinary day?

So we could reaffirm that this was the best relationship for us.

I see. Himari, you really…

The words she had told me, over and over again.

── Fated partners.

Even if we go to high school and have new encounters.

We will never, ever be apart.

To show her that my feelings were true, I squeezed her hand back.

“…!”

As Himari turned to me in surprise, I gave her the biggest smile I could muster.

“It’s okay. Because I’m your fated partner, Himari.”

“…”

Himari’s eyes welled up, and she looked down, slightly embarrassed, before──.

“Pffft! Yuu, you’re really way too into me, y’know~!”

“Ow, ow, ow!? Stop smacking my back all of a sudden!?”

If only she didn’t do this… I thought with a wry smile, but my heart felt light and clear.

The twilight was closing in on the sky.

The streetlights flickered on, stretching our connected shadows.

It was our small promise, from a time when we thought just being together was the only proof of our friendship.