Chapter 124: Date (Part 5)
『I want to go to school.』
Alicia said that on the train ride home.
Of course, I had no reason to say no.
Once we got back to the station closest to home, we headed toward the school. Partway there, the route turned into the usual path we’d take to commute.
Alicia and I had gone to school together for about six months, but so much had happened in that short time. As we chatted, reminiscing about everything, we arrived at the school in no time.
I stopped in front of the school gate and looked around.
『Wow...!』
Alicia's voice of awe reached my ears, and I felt a quiet satisfaction—this was exactly the reaction I had hoped for.
The schoolyard was dressed in its finest, as it was once a year—the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, proudly displaying their petals.
Taking a slightly longer route, I walked beneath the cherry trees toward the school building. Students were practicing on the field, and their energetic shouts echoed across the grounds.
『So these are cherry blossoms...』
When I looked up, my entire vision was filled with pink.
The trees closest to us were lit by the setting sun, glowing a fiery red. Farther back, the blossoms stood stark white against the sky, which still held a trace of blue—forming a natural mosaic of color.
I stopped walking, taken in by the sight.
"They’re beautiful, aren’t they?"
『…Yes, truly.』
It was Alicia’s first time seeing cherry blossoms.
『I thought I knew what they were like from anime and videos, but seeing them in person is completely different. Looking up at them from underneath like this... it feels like they’re going to pull you in. It’s almost a little scary.』
"They’re in full bloom today. Last week, they barely budded, and by next week, they’ll probably be almost gone."
『I’m lucky, then—I got to experience something new again. Still, it’s a little sad that something so beautiful disappears so quickly.』
"Yeah. But after the blossoms fall, the trees immediately fill up with lush green leaves. That’s a different kind of beauty—vibrant, full of life and strength."
『Now that you mention it, when I first visited this place during summer vacation, it was covered in green, wasn’t it? So the cherry trees grow leaves in summer, turn red in autumn, shed them in winter... and bloom again in spring.』
Alicia added, 『I think I understand now, at least a little, why people in this country are so emotionally attached to cherry blossoms.』
We walked slowly under the trees.
『〜♪』
All of a sudden, Alicia started humming.
It was a melody I recognized.
"…?"
I murmured the name of the song, and Alicia paused her humming.
『So that’s what it’s called. I heard it at the graduation ceremony the other day and thought it was a lovely song.』
It was a standard tune, but for Alicia, it was the first time hearing it. I’d grown so used to having her around, I’d forgotten to think about these little things.
『There’s a line I don’t quite understand—can I ask you about it?』
"Of course."
She asked about the phrase ikunensei—the meaning of “many years.”
Once I explained the kanji, Alicia seemed to understand right away.
『There’s another one. After the line “when I think back,” there’s something that sounds like ito-toshi...? I thought maybe I misheard itoshii, like “beloved”?』
『It’s not itoshii, but ito-toshi, written as “exceedingly swift”—it means that, looking back, the time we spent at school passed by so quickly.』
『I see… I really understand that feeling.』
Alicia murmured the words to herself, slowly, as if turning them over in her heart. 『Itoshitoshi』—how swiftly time flies.
Before I realized it, we had reached the front of the school building.
“So, where do you want to go, Alicia? The classroom? The gym? Or maybe the clubroom?”
I suggested places full of memories for the two of us.
But the place she asked for wasn’t any of them.
『Um… would it be alright if we went to the rooftop?』
“The rooftop? …Sure, yeah.”
I couldn’t recall going up there much—just once, back before Christmas, when I got jumped by some delinquents. Even the time I talked with Suzuka, that was on the old school building’s rooftop…
Oh well. No reason to say no.
At the school entrance, I slipped out of my shoes and into indoor slippers.
Wearing a sailor-style dress with school slippers felt a little silly, but walking barefoot was still too painful for Alicia, so this was the best option. Besides, no one was around to see us.
The halls were quiet—it was spring break, after all.
The sunset poured in through the windows, painting everything in warm amber light.
With each step, our footsteps echoed louder than usual in the empty corridor.
As we reached the stairs, Alicia began singing Aogeba Tōtoshi again—but this time, with the lyrics.
『Aogeba tōtoshi, waga shi no on…』
We climbed the stairs, her voice drifting behind us.
『Oshie no niwa ni mo, haya ikutose…』
The stairway leading up from the third floor to the rooftop was pitch dark. I pulled out my phone and lit the steps ahead of us.
『Omoi eba itoshitoshi, kono toshitsuki…』
At the top, I pushed open the heavy iron door.
Sunlight burst through the gap, so strong it made me squint. I stopped in place, briefly blinded.
『Ima koso wakareme, iza saraba…』
Just as Alicia finished the last line, I stepped out onto the rooftop, now glowing deep red in the evening light.
『…Thank you, Ikuto-san.』
The sun, framed behind a building and half-dipped behind its edge, glared with the last of its strength, casting long shadows.
The sky was a blend of crimson and blue, streaked with scattered clouds dyed in sunset hues—a breathtaking scene, too beautiful to look away from.
We walked forward, drawn into the moment.
The gentle warmth of the day had faded, replaced by a chill wind. Her light spring dress fluttered as she shivered slightly beside me.
I stopped near the center of the rooftop.
There wasn’t a soul around—just the fading light of twilight.
From far below, we could hear the faint sounds of the brass band practicing, along with the shouts of students still absorbed in their club activities.
And then, Alicia turned toward me and said:
『Well then… I’d like to begin my graduation ceremony now.』
—The beginning of the end.
Author's Note
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