“Here’s the ruler,”

she said, reaching out her arm near my head.

“W-what?”

I asked, confused.

A moment later, she stood up and picked it up.

“Didn’t you see it had fallen near you?” she asked, surprised by my reaction. 

“Y-yes, of course.”

I got back on my feet as quickly as I could. My face was completely red. 

“Let’s clean up this mess.”

She picked up the box, and I nodded in agreement.

We started putting things back in order. As I worked, my mind was completely elsewhere.

Why? Because I thought she wouldn’t mind?

The blush wouldn’t go away.

I kept stealing quick glances at her; I couldn’t shake that feeling, that racing heartbeat. 

“Is that your father in the photo?”

She showed me an old family photo; I didn’t even remember putting it in the box.

I leaned in to look at it, and, as if by magic, my thoughts returned to my father.

The warmth on my cheeks vanished instantly, replaced by a strange flutter in my stomach. 

“Yes… It’s a photo from when I was 6 or 7; we’d just arrived at the beach…”

I looked at it with a mixture of melancholy and happiness.

“I didn’t see your father when we arrived. Is he at work, too?”

That question shook me more than I expected. I thought I was ready to talk about it by now, but the reality was different…

“Well… No, my father isn’t at work…”

Akari looked at me, troubled; her serene expression quickly faded—perhaps

she’d already sensed it…

“He passed away… a few months ago.”

She didn’t say anything in response; at the time, the only ones who knew were Haru and a few teachers like Kenji.

Akari parted her lips, as if to say something, but held back. 

A flash of genuine sorrow crossed her eyes. I forced a smile and took the box from her hands.

“Do you want to go join the others now?” I asked her, before putting it away for good on top of the closet.

“Okay…”

She clenched her teeth slightly. 

Back with Haru and Shiori, we resumed brainstorming ideas for the maze. 

By the time we finished, it was already evening. 

“Done! That was really hard work,”

said Haru, stretching his arms into the air. 

“Now, all we have to do is turn in the assignment,”

added Shiori as she gathered her things. 

“I think we might even win.”

I remarked excitedly. 

“I think so, too.”

Haruto agreed with me. 

“Those kids are way too confident, don’t you think?”

Shiori looked at Akari, who seemed distracted.

“Akari?”

She called out to her. 

“Oh, right! Sorry, what were you saying?”

As they talked, I couldn’t help but worry about her. 

We spent a few more hours together.

“I think we should head home.”

Haru stood up, glancing at the time. 

“Yeah, guys, you shouldn’t stay out too late.”

I checked my watch, too.

“It was… fun,”

Shiori remarked reluctantly.

Haruto and I exchanged an amused glance. 

“Stop it, you two! Every single time!”

she scolded us.

After Shiori’s scolding,

I walked all three of us to the entrance; by then, the sun had almost completely set.

“Well, guys, I’m heading out. Thanks for having me, Sora.”

Haru raised his hand to wave goodbye. 

“Wait… I’m coming with you, too.”

Shiori said with a huff. 

“Fine… But did you really have to sigh like that?”

“Never mind…”

Shiori turned to me. 

“Thanks to you, too. Say hi to your mom for me when you see her.”

She gave a small, polite bow. 

“I will.”

I gave her a thumbs-up.

Akari and I said goodbye one last time, and finally, we were alone again.

“Karin’s coming to pick you up, right?”

“Yeah, I texted her; she should be here any minute now…”

She checked her phone; she still seemed distracted to me.

“Sora…”

Her tone changed, though I couldn’t quite put my finger on how.

“I’m sorry, really… I didn’t know… I shouldn’t have asked you about that photo.”

She kept her head down. 

“I knew you were still thinking about it…”

She seemed surprised by my insight.

“You don’t have to apologize. It’s been six months, and anyway, sooner or later someone else would have asked me about it.”

I smiled at her. 

“My father was an amazing man; I respect him with all my heart, so I’m glad I told you about him.”

My heart is racing.

“Although, now that I think about it, I didn’t say much.”

I scratched my head. 

I stopped myself from rambling; Akari’s eyes suddenly filled with tears.

“I’m sorry… don’t worry about it.”

She looked at me, then wiped her eyes.

“It’s just that I’m sorry… I’m really, really sorry for what happened to you.”

She was crying; she’d noticed… I wasn’t doing well at all.

“Sora, I’ll say it again…” Her voice broke into a small sob.

“I’m really, really sorry.”

She squeezed my hands.

I couldn’t hold back; I started tear up.