Haruki sat quietly in the classroom.
His book was open in front of him.
But his eyes weren't reading the words.
They were just… there.
His mind was somewhere else.
That dream.
The blurred garden.
The two children.
And that voice—
"Haruki… promise me."
It echoed faintly in his mind again.
Haruki slightly tightened his grip on the edge of his desk.
"…What was that…?"
He glanced outside the window.
Cherry blossom petals drifted slowly through the air.
The same soft, calm view.
Yet today, it felt different.
Unsettling… in a quiet way.
He couldn't focus on the lecture at all.
The teacher's voice faded into the background.
Then—
Ring.
The school bell broke the silence.
Break time began.
In an instant, the classroom came alive.
Students started talking, laughing, moving around.
Chairs shifted.
Voices overlapped.
But Haruki remained seated.
Quiet.
Still looking outside.
Nearby, a group of students began talking loudly.
"…I'm telling you, the bell rang!"
"On that abandoned shrine?"
"Yeah. No one even goes there anymore."
Another voice joined in.
"My grandmother said that shrine is ancient… something like that hasn't happened in years."
"Years?"
"Yeah… she said there was a time when the bell used to ring every night…"
"…and then suddenly it stopped."
Haruki listened silently.
Something about it…
felt strange.
Familiar.
But before he could think further—
THUD.
Two hands dropped loudly onto his desk.
Haruki looked up.
A boy with messy hair and a wide grin stood in front of him.
"Found you."
Haruki blinked.
"…What?"
The boy pointed at him dramatically.
"The mysterious transfer student."
Then he broke into a grin.
"I'm Daichi Tanaka. Nice to meet you."
Without waiting, he pulled a chair and sat in front of Haruki—backwards.
"Now tell me…"
He leaned forward slightly.
"How's Sakuragawa treating you?"
Haruki answered calmly,
"…It's peaceful."
Daichi stared at him for a second.
Then suddenly burst into laughter.
"Yeah! Peaceful… and boring."
He tilted his head slightly, lowering his voice.
"…Well, not after last night."
Haruki looked at him.
Daichi leaned in like he was sharing a secret.
"You heard about it, right?"
Haruki nodded slightly.
"The bell… the lake… all that weird stuff."
Daichi counted on his fingers.
"Shrine bell ringing… river glowing… petals falling like crazy…"
Then he crossed his arms confidently.
"I think I know what happened."
A few nearby students turned to look.
Daichi paused dramatically.
Then said—
"Ghost."
Silence for a second.
Then he laughed loudly.
Some students laughed with him.
"Sounds cooler, right?" he said with a grin.
Haruki let out a small smile.
It was… unexpected.
But not bad.
Suddenly, Daichi stood up and grabbed Haruki's arm.
"Come on."
Before Haruki could react, he was pulled up.
Daichi pointed at him like he was presenting something important.
"Perfect timing. Everyone—meet Haruki!"
Two classmates looked toward them.
A boy adjusted his glasses.
"Riku Minato."
Calm voice.
"Just ignore Daichi. He's always like this."
Then a cheerful girl stepped forward with a bright smile.
"I'm Mika Sato! Nice to meet you!"
Haruki nodded slightly.
"…Haruki Aizawa."
The group settled into a casual conversation.
Naturally, the topic returned to last night.
Mika spoke first.
"My grandmother said the shrine bell rang exactly at midnight."
Riku shrugged.
"Probably just wind."
Daichi immediately shook his head.
"No way. Wind doesn't ring a giant bell three times."
He leaned in again.
"My grandpa said something like this happened years ago."
Riku raised an eyebrow.
"And you believe him?"
Daichi smirked.
"Not really… but it's interesting."
Haruki listened quietly.
Every word made his thoughts heavier.
That strange feeling again.
Like something just out of reach.
During the conversation, Mika glanced toward the window.
"Oh, Aoi's already studying again."
They all looked.
Aoi Hoshino sat by the window, calm as ever.
Her eyes slowly lifted from her notebook.
For a moment—
they met Haruki's.
She gave a soft, gentle smile.
Then looked back down.
Daichi whispered loudly,
"Whoa… the famous Aoi Hoshino noticed you."
Riku sighed.
"Stop exaggerating."
Haruki frowned slightly.
"…Famous?"
But no one explained.
The group continued talking.
Laughing.
Joking.
For the first time since coming to Sakuragawa…
Haruki didn't feel completely out of place.
---
After school—
They walked together toward the gate.
The sky was softer now, the sunlight warm.
Mika spoke again,
"People are saying the shrine priest looked scared this morning."
Riku shrugged.
"Rumors spread fast."
Haruki spoke quietly,
"…Then we should just ask him."
The others looked at him.
Riku replied,
"He doesn't go to that old shrine anymore."
"He stays at the new one near the town center."
Daichi grinned.
"Then let's go ask that old geezer someday."
Haruki stayed silent.
Listening.
Thinking.
The dream returned again.
"Promise me…"
Just then—
a sakura petal drifted through the air.
It slowly floated down…
and landed on Haruki's hand.
He stopped walking.
For a moment—
everything felt quiet.
Too quiet.
He looked ahead.
Aoi was walking a few steps ahead of them.
Her figure calm… distant.
Then—
the petal slipped away.
Gone.
Like it was never there.
Haruki stood still.
"…What is this…?"
"Hey."
Daichi's voice snapped him back.
"You still alive?"
Haruki blinked.
"…Yeah. I'm fine."
Daichi smiled.
"Good. Don't go disappearing on us already."
They reached the road where their paths separated.
Mika waved.
"See you tomorrow, Haruki!"
Riku nodded.
Daichi grinned.
"Don't skip. We just became friends."
Haruki gave a small nod.
"…Yeah."
They walked away.
Haruki stood there for a moment.
Then slowly started walking home.
The road stretched quietly ahead.
Cherry blossoms drifting in the wind.
The town felt calm again.
But something inside him had changed.
He looked up at the sky.
"…Maybe…"
He paused.
"…this town won't be so bad after all."
And with that thought—
Haruki continued walking through the soft pink evening.