Scene 1: The Path That Shouldn’t Exist

When Hikari told me she had “the perfect place” for our next adventure, I didn’t expect to end up here—standing at the edge of an unfinished bridge that stretched into the air like a skeleton.

The structure loomed above the river, massive concrete pillars holding up a road that simply… stopped in the middle of nowhere. The far end jutted into the sky, rusted steel rods sticking out like broken veins.

“This is trespassing,” I said, staring at the faded KEEP OUT sign.

“Haruki,” Hikari said, already tugging my sleeve, “every good adventure begins with trespassing.”

I sighed. But the truth was, my feet followed hers before my brain could stop me.

We climbed the cracked staircase to the top, stepping over weeds that had grown through the concrete. The air was hot, heavy, and smelled faintly of rust.

Scene 2: Between “What Was” and “What Could Have Been”

The view from the bridge was breathtaking. The entire town stretched below us, roofs glittering faintly in the afternoon sun, the river winding like a silver ribbon. The horizon was hazy, blurring into the sky.

Hikari walked ahead fearlessly, arms out like she was balancing on a tightrope. Her hair caught the wind, fluttering around her like ink spilled across the pale sky.

“Look at this!” she called back, spinning once, dangerously close to the edge.

My stomach lurched. “Don’t do that!”

She only laughed.

Then she stopped in the middle of the bridge, staring out at the point where it just… ended.

“It’s strange, isn’t it?” she murmured. “They started something here but never finished. Like the world forgot.”

I stepped up beside her. “It feels sad.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “It feels honest. Not everything gets to be finished. Some things just… stay in-between.”

Scene 3: Her List

She sat down cross-legged on the concrete, pulling a folded piece of paper from her pocket. It was creased and slightly torn at the corners, but she held it carefully, as if it were something fragile.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“My list,” she said. “Things I want to do before…”

She trailed off. Her lips pressed together like she’d almost let something slip.

I leaned closer, reading the messy handwriting.

Find the Hidden Lake ✅

Watch fireworks by the river ✅

Eat shaved ice until my tongue turns blue  

Touch the ocean

Climb a mountain and shout at the stars

Watch the sunrise without falling asleep

“…It really is a bucket list,” I said softly.

She shot me a mock glare, but her eyes softened quickly. “It’s not that dramatic. It’s just… a map. For me.”

“Why write it down?”

“Because if I don’t,” she whispered, “I’m scared I’ll forget what I wanted.”

There was a silence then—the kind that felt heavier than words.

Scene 4: The Wind

We stayed up there longer than we should have, watching the sky slowly shift colors. Birds wheeled far below us. The unfinished road ahead looked almost like a portal to another world.

When we finally started to descend, Hikari went ahead of me, humming some song under her breath.

But halfway down, she stumbled. Her hand shot out to grab the railing, knuckles white.

“Hikari!”

She forced a smile, though her face had gone pale. “I’m fine. Just… dizzy. The wind surprised me.”

I didn’t believe her, not really. But I didn’t push.

She straightened, waved her hand like it was nothing, and kept walking.

Still, the image of her gripping that railing burned itself into my mind, a quiet warning I couldn’t shake.

Scene 5: The Unspoken

At the bottom, she pulled out her sketchbook and sat down on the last step. She began sketching the bridge—the jagged edge, the pillars, the stretch of unfinished road disappearing into the horizon.

“What are you drawing it for?” I asked.

“To remember it,” she said simply. “Even broken places deserve to be remembered.”

When she finished, she closed the book, looked up at me, and smiled.

“Next time, let’s go somewhere even higher.”

Her words were light, but there was a quiet urgency beneath them. Like she was racing against something invisible.

And though I still didn’t understand it, a knot had already formed in my chest.

[To Be Continued in Chapter 7]