Chapter 1: How to Trace a Bitter Memory

It happened on an ordinary, sweltering summer day.

During P.E. class, just before our final middle school sports tournament.

"Yoo-hoo, Yosuke!"

As I stood in the shade at the edge of the field, sitting out the lesson, a boy with a still-childish face came up and spoke to me.

It was my familiar best friend—Hikari Mikoto.

"...What's up? You're in the middle of soccer practice, aren't you?"

Our P.E. teacher also doubled as our homeroom teacher, and he was infamous both in and outside the class as a real hard-ass.

He’d hand out penalties like candy for the smallest tardiness, and absolutely wouldn’t tolerate any backtalk.

On top of that, maybe because of his personality or his job, he was more fired up about the class tournament than anyone else.

He grouped together only those with prior experience in each sport and made them train like their lives depended on it.

There’s no way anyone would just slack off openly during a class like that.

As I tilted my head in confusion at the sudden appearance of my best friend, he pointed in a certain direction.

I followed his finger—and there was our P.E. teacher, deep in conversation with the vice principal.

"A few minutes ago, the vice-principal suddenly showed up. Said he had something important to talk about, so we’re on self-study for a bit. And well, even though I got picked as a player, I don't really feel like playing soccer, so I came over here since I was bored."

"Something important?"

"Yeah. He didn’t say what exactly. ...But hey, stuff like this kinda gets your heart racing, doesn’t it?"

His eyes sparkled with excitement, barely containing his curiosity.

According to him, maybe terrorists were coming to target students with special abilities.

Or there was a robot hidden underground, fighting off aliens.

The sheer absurdity of his imagination made me sigh.

"Why would people like that show up in a countryside town like this? If anything’s coming, it’d be a hungry monkey. Don’t you remember back in elementary school? Just one monkey came down from the mountains and everyone lost their minds."

"Jeez, Yosuke, you’ve got no sense of wonder."

"No, it’s just that those aren’t the kind of daydreams a ninth grader should be having. It’s your reaction that’s weird, Hikari. Well, I guess you’ve always been a perpetual elementary school boy in spirit."

"...You know, I feel like you just insulted me more thoroughly than ever before!?"

Anyway.

As we carried on our usual pointless chatter, it seemed like the “important talk” had wrapped up.

Before we realized it, the P.E. teacher had already started heading our way.

His lips were pressed in a tight line, and the moment I caught sight of them, my body stiffened.

...Had we really been chatting for that long?

"By the way, I’ve been totally hooked lately on that manga you lent me, Yosuke. The one where they turn into elves and dwarves in another world—those kinds of stories are pure romance, right?"

Even so, Hikari didn’t seem to notice a thing and just kept rambling on.

"...H-Hey. Hikari."

—Behind you. Behind you.

The classic comedy line never made it out of my mouth.

Because before I could say anything, the P.E. teacher spoke.

"Hey."

That voice was low, heavy—enough to make you want to curl up and disappear.

Apparently, it scared Hikari so much that—

"Eeek!"

—with a yelp, he darted behind me like a startled cat.

"I-I-It’s not what it looks like, sir! I wasn’t slacking off or anything! Nitta-kun was the one who called me over!"

"You traitor!"

Th-This guy just threw me under the bus.

No, to be fair, the teacher might be strict, but he was also known for being completely fair and honest. He could see through lies in an instant.

So I’m sure Hikari only said that out of desperation.

Still, I couldn’t risk getting wrongly accused, so I hurried to open my mouth to explain—

—and realized the teacher wasn’t even looking at me.

"Hikari."

"Y-Yes?"

What he said to my childhood friend, who was now sweating bullets, wasn’t a punishment.

"Go home. Right now. ...Your parents were apparently involved in a traffic accident."

"...Huh?"

—A piece of ominous news, so surreal it sounded like a cruel joke.


I didn’t get to see my friend again until after school.

Honestly, I wanted to go straight to the hospital with him...

But no matter how close we were as childhood friends, I was still just another person.

I wasn’t allowed to skip class.

"...I heard from the teacher."

"...Yeah."

We were in the park near our houses—a place filled with childhood memories, where we used to play all the time.

Beneath a cloudy sky that looked like it could start raining any second, we sat side by side on a bench surrounded by faded playground equipment, not even making eye contact as we spoke.

"...So it’s really true, huh."

"...Yeah."

"Your dad... and your mom too..."

After that, I had gone back and forth to the faculty room several times, pressing for details about the accident.

The crash had happened at a busy intersection in the neighboring town.

Apparently, a large truck—its driver distracted—had slammed into the car Hikari’s parents were in, without even hitting the brakes.

The result had been devastating.

Considering the extent of the injuries, the fact that they were even alive for a short while was practically a miracle.

But despite the paramedics’ efforts, by the time they reached the hospital—

"..."

The truth settled in my chest like a weight, and I found myself looking down.

I had to say something.

I wanted to—needed to—but the words wouldn’t come together. I just sat there in silence.

All the way here, I’d kept telling myself I had to find a way to comfort my childhood friend.

But now that I was sitting face-to-face with him, all my thoughts scattered, and I couldn’t even open my mouth.

In the end, it was Hikari who broke the silence.

He let out a breath as he looked up at the sky, then slowly began to speak.

"...I met a lot of people at the hospital. The police, people from city hall... and also, my dad’s younger brother."

"...Your uncle?"

"Yeah. I guess the hospital contacted his side too... It’s kind of ironic, right? They were completely estranged, and now this is the first time we meet."

Because our families were close, I’d heard bits and pieces of the story before.

Hikari’s father came from an old, prestigious family, known for being obsessively concerned with appearances.

His mother, on the other hand, had no living relatives and grew up in an orphanage.

No matter how many times they tried to get permission, the marriage was never approved—and in the end, they’d run away together to this town, like something out of a romance drama.

"He told me this: ‘At this rate, our family will have to take you in. Running away from home and dying on us—what a damn inconvenience.’"

—Even if that were true, who says something like that?

I clenched my fist unconsciously, my nails digging into my palm.

"Don’t make that scary face, Yosuke."

"...Sorry. But still—"

I apologized, but the anger wouldn't settle.

I just couldn’t force myself to soften my expression.

Seeing me like that, Hikari gave a dry little laugh.

"...To be honest, none of this feels real. It’s like... I keep thinking they’ll just come back any minute. Like no matter what anyone says, I can’t even get mad. I mean, they took me to the hospital, pointed at two people I’ve never seen, and said ‘these are your parents.’ How am I supposed to believe that? It feels like some kind of prank."

"Hikari..."

That was the first time our eyes met—and in that moment, I finally understood.

The reason Hikari hadn’t broken down in tears, even in a situation like this...

Was because he hadn’t fully accepted it yet.

You could call it staying strong.

Or you could call it denial.

By convincing himself it was all just fiction, he was barely holding his heart together.

...But if that were the case, what would happen when time passed, and denial was no longer an option?

What if, when that moment came, the world around him didn’t reach out to protect him?

The future I imagined—it sent a chill down my spine.

And once I saw that image clearly, I already knew what I had to do.

"...I’m tired. Sorry, Yosuke. It’s starting to rain, so I think I’ll just go home for today."

Hikari stood up from the bench with just that, but I called out to him once.

"Hey, Hikari. I’ve got something to suggest..."

"...What is it?"

"...No, I’ll tell you tomorrow."

But I couldn’t say it yet.

Because it wasn’t something I could decide on my own.

If I brought it up without having everything figured out, and it ended up falling through...

Then I’d only end up hurting him even more.

"...Okay. Got it."

So, for now—we agreed to talk again tomorrow.

And that day, we left the park behind us.


That night.

Over dinner, I made a request to my parents.

"...Do you think we could take Hikari in? Let him live here?"

Of course, I didn’t believe that alone would heal my friend’s heart.

I knew it could even bring more pain.

But still.

It had to be better than living with relatives who treated him like a burden.

At least, that’s what I believed.

"...You’re right. The two of them were always kind to us. If Hikari-kun is okay with it, then I don’t see any problem," said my mom.

"Since I run a trading business, I’m away from home pretty often... But if I clear out that storage room I’ve been using for leftover stock, he could use that. Should be enough space," added my dad.

Thankfully, my parents agreed without hesitation.

To them, Hikari had always been like family—someone they’d watched grow up alongside me.

They were heartbroken too by what had happened to him.

...Everything was ready.

The next morning.

I tried to contact him.

"...?"

But the call wouldn’t go through.

Only a cold, robotic voice responded: "The phone is either turned off or out of range."

Even when I tried calling his home directly, just in case it was a dead battery, I got no answer.

...Well, his place was practically around the corner.

So I decided to just go over to his apartment myself.

That’s when I realized the door wasn’t locked.

—Was he asleep? That’s way too careless...

A cold shiver crept down my spine.

A gnawing anxiety gripped my chest.

I pushed it all aside, opened the door, and searched every room.

...But Hikari was nowhere to be found.

No matter how long I waited, he never came home—

And after that day...

He was never seen again.

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