The next morning, everything felt… a little brighter.

The sky was clearer, the birds louder, even the cracked sidewalk seemed less depressing than usual. I knew it wasn’t because anything had changed outside—but because something had shifted inside me.

For the first time in as long as I could remember, I was looking forward to something.

To someone.

I arrived at school early. Sat in my usual seat. Ten minutes later, the classroom door slid open—and in walked Hikari, humming the same soft tune from the day before.

She waved at me, completely ignoring the curious stares from the others.

“Morning, Amano-kun.”

“…Morning.”

“Ready for another adventure?”

My heart skipped. “Already?”

She grinned, slipping into the seat beside me. “Life’s too short to waste on normal days.”

Scene 2: A Map of Whispers

At lunch, Hikari pulled a folded sheet of paper from her bag and smoothed it out across our desks.

It was a hand-drawn map. Sloppy, but oddly charming—filled with dotted lines, arrows, little cartoon trees, and phrases like "Here Be Cats" and "Beware the Old Shrine with No Name."

“What is this?” I asked.

“A map of local legends,” she said proudly. “Stuff people say doesn’t exist, or forgot long ago. I’ve been collecting rumors since I moved here.”

I scanned the map. My eyes stopped at a tiny blue shape near the corner.

“Is that… the lake?”

“Mhm. The Hidden Lake. You helped me mark it.”

“Are we adding today’s adventure?”

“Of course.”

She pulled out a blue pen and drew a red line from the lake to a small “X” labeled: Moonlight Shrine.

“I heard about this place from a really old lady who sells taiyaki near the station. She said people used to go there to leave letters for the stars.”

“…Letters?”

“She said if you wrote a wish on a piece of paper and left it there overnight, the stars would read it and decide your fate.”

I raised an eyebrow. “That sounds fake.”

She shrugged. “Most beautiful things are.”

Scene 3: The Shrine in the Forest

After school, we set out again.

The path was longer this time, winding through deeper parts of the forest. Birds chirped above us, and the air smelled sweet—like new leaves and distant rain.

We passed an old torii gate, half-eaten by moss. Beyond it, we found what had once been a shrine—but was now mostly ruin. The roof had collapsed in places. The bell rope was frayed and silent.

Still… it had a kind of quiet dignity.

Hikari stepped onto the worn stones like she was entering a sacred world. She walked slowly, reverently, as if afraid her presence might break something ancient.

Then she pulled a small piece of paper from her pocket and held it out to me.

“Write something,” she said.

“Like… a wish?”

She nodded.

I hesitated. I’d never wished for anything. Not really. Not in a long time. I didn’t believe in miracles or destiny or fate. The world didn’t work like that—not for people like me.

But Hikari was watching, waiting patiently.

So, I took the paper.

After a moment, I wrote:

"I hope she doesn’t disappear."

I didn’t even know what I meant at first.

But maybe I did.

Hikari didn’t ask what I wrote. She just took the slip of paper, folded it neatly, and placed it into a small wooden box resting beneath the collapsed roof.

Then she smiled. “Now the stars will know.”

Scene 4: A Moment of Stillness

As we sat beneath a tree near the shrine, Hikari opened her sketchbook again.

She didn’t say anything. Just sketched. Her pencil moved with ease, like it was breathing instead of drawing.

Curious, I leaned over.

She was sketching me again—sitting on the edge of the shrine, looking up at the sky.

I looked awkward in the picture, but somehow… peaceful.

“Why do you keep drawing me?”

She stopped her pencil and looked at me.

“Because I don’t want to forget.”

“Forget… what?”

“This,” she said, softly. “You. The look on your face when you see something beautiful for the first time. The way you walk like the world’s trying not to notice you, but you're still carrying all of it on your back.”

I felt heat rise in my face. I looked away.

“I’m not that interesting.”

“That’s not true,” she said, without hesitation.

Her voice was quiet but certain, like a prayer someone whispered in a temple.

“You just haven’t met anyone who looked close enough.”

Scene 5: The Promise Under the Stars

We stayed until the sky turned deep violet.

The stars emerged, one by one, poking holes in the fabric of night.

We sat side by side, staring upward.

Then Hikari reached out her pinky again.

“Let’s add to the promise.”

“Add what?”

“Let’s promise to find every forgotten place in this town together. One by one. Until there’s nothing left to uncover.”

“…Sounds like a lot of walking.”

“Totally worth it.”

I looked at her pinky, then at the stars above.

And I nodded.

Our fingers linked once more.

And in that moment, something fragile and beautiful took root in my chest.

I didn’t have words for it then.

But maybe it was the beginning of something like love.

Scene 6: Ephemeral Light

As we walked back through the forest, Hikari slowed her steps.

She looked tired. Her breath a little uneven.

“You okay?” I asked.

She smiled. “Just a little sleepy. That’s all.”

“You should rest.”

“I will,” she said, but didn’t stop walking.

And then she whispered something I barely heard.

“…There’s still so much I want to see.”

“What did you say?”

She looked up and grinned.

“Nothing! Race you to the gate!”

And once again, she ran ahead, laughter trailing behind her like wind through cherry blossoms.

[To be continued]