"Beep… beep…" My alarm buzzed relentlessly, forcing into consciousness. My hand groggily reached for my phone—7 AM. My eyes flickered to the calendar. April 8th. A day off. Finally.
I sank deeper into my blanket, letting out a satisfied sigh. No plans, no responsibilities, just—
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Hey, lazy girl! Don’t pretend you don’t hear !" Junpei’s voice pierced through my door. "I could kick you out anyti!"
Damn it, Junpei.
I groaned, reluctantly dragging myself out of bed and stumbling toward the door. My eyelids were still heavy as I cracked it open, peering at him through half-lidded eyes. "What is it now?" I muttered.
Junpei stood there with his arms folded, looking like a disapproving landlord. "Today’s your day off, right?"
"Yeah…"
"Then let ask—when are you leaving my place?"
…Crap.
I had gotten too comfortable. Too settled. It had already been two months since I started working at Manna’s Kitchen, since I had beco Ryuko. Ti moved too fast.
"Hey! Don’t leave hanging! Answer !" Junpei snapped his fingers in front of my face.
I blinked, shaking off my daze. "Oh. Right. I’ll look for a place today."
"Good," Junpei said, satisfied. "I’ll be waiting for good news, then. Bye." He grabbed his bag and was out the door before I could even protest.
I sighed. Guess I really had no choice but to go.
---
By the ti I stepped outside, it was already 10 AM. The weather was perfect—sunlight filtering through the sky, casting a warm glow on the cherry blossoms that lined the streets. The pink petals drifted through the air like soft whispers of spring.
A sudden pang of nostalgia hit .
A mory, almost dreamlike, surfaced in my mind.
I rembered a ti, years ago, when Rin was only two. Keiko and I had taken her for a picnic beneath the cherry blossoms. It was a small public park, nothing extravagant, but in that mont, it had felt like magic.
I reached into my wallet and gently pulled out a photo, my chest tightened—it was a picture of my little happy family, smiling together during a picnic beneath the soft cascade of petals. My fingers traced the faded edges before my eyes landed on the date printed in the corner.
8 April 2011.
Exactly fourteen years ago today.
---
-8 April 2011-
"Rin, look! The petals are falling!" I had pointed at the sky, watching Rin’s tiny hands reach out to grab the drifting blossoms.
She had giggled, the kind of innocent laughter only children have, pure and bright. Keiko had been sitting beside , watching us with a rare, gentle smile on her face.
"Do you know why cherry blossoms fall so quickly?" Keiko had asked suddenly, her voice soft.
I had tilted my head. "Why?"
She had plucked a petal from her lap and held it between her fingers. "Because they bloom so beautifully, they have to leave just as quickly. That’s what makes them special."
I had watched her, srized—not just by her words but by the way the sunlight made her features glow, the way her eyes reflected the pink sky above.
"That’s kinda sad," I had murmured.
Keiko had just chuckled. "Not really. It just ans we have to appreciate them while they’re here."
…Had she been talking about the flowers? Or about us?
I snapped back to the present.
The streets were different now. The cherry blossoms were still beautiful, still fleeting. But sothing felt different in .
Had I really moved on from those days? Or had I just buried them beneath everything else?
I shook the thoughts away and focused on my task.
---
For hours, I walked the city, searching for a place. Every listing I visited had sothing off about it—too expensive, too run-down, too far. My feet ached, my patience wore thin.
But finally, after what felt like a lifeti, I found it.
A small apartnt. Nothing fancy, just a modest space. It was smaller than my old place with Keiko, but it was enough.
I call Junpei imdiately for the good news and ask him to help signed the papers, sealing the deal later. In two weeks, I’d have a ho again.
---
By the ti I finished, night had fallen.
As I walked back, I passed the sa park from my mory—the place where we had that picnic all those years ago. It was empty now, silent except for the faint rustling of leaves. The cherry blossoms glowed softly under the streetlights, their petals drifting down like quiet confessions.
I sighed, sitting on one of the benches. The cool breeze carried the scent of spring. I let my eyes drift shut, just for a mont.
I closed my eyes, letting the cool night breeze brush against my skin as the delicate scent of cherry blossoms filled the air. The quiet rustling of petals drifting to the ground created a serene lody, wrapping in a mont of peace.
But then—
"Ryuko?"
A familiar voice broke through the stillness.
My eyes fluttered open, and my breath hitched.
Standing before , bathed in the soft glow of the streetlights and falling petals, was Keiko.
What was she doing here?
She looked just as surprised as I was. "What are you doing here?"
I hesitated. "Just… resting for a bit. What about you?"
Keiko glanced away, as if she wasn’t sure how to answer. "I was just… passing by."
A lie.
The route from Manna’s Kitchen to her ho didn’t pass through here. She had gone out of her way.
The petals swirled around Keiko, framing her against the night sky. It was just like before—her standing under the cherry blossoms, looking at with that unreadable expression.
The wind picked up, sending another flurry of petals into the air.
I sighed, leaning back on the bench.
So things had changed.
So things hadn’t.
And maybe, just maybe—so things were waiting to bloom again.
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