The sky looked the same as yesterday.
That was the first thought Sakura had when she stepped outside.
Not because she remembered yesterday.
But because nothing about today felt like it had begun properly.
As if time had simply… continued without asking her.
The air was soft.
Subtle.
Almost too gentle for something that felt so uncertain inside her chest.
She walked without a clear destination again.
It was becoming familiar in a way she didn't like.
Not lost.
Not found.
Just… existing between both.
Her fingers occasionally tightened around the strap of her bag.
A small habit forming without permission.
As if her body was trying to compensate for something her mind refused to explain.
"…Haruto…"
The name appeared again.
Quietly.
Like it had been waiting behind her thoughts all morning.
Sakura stopped walking.
"…why do I keep thinking that?"
No answer came.
The world didn't react.
It never did.
---
She ended up near a small street lined with shops.
Familiar in structure.
Unfamiliar in meaning.
Her feet slowed automatically as she passed a café.
The smell of coffee drifted out into the street.
Warm.
Ordinary.
Safe.
For a moment, she considered going in.
Then didn't.
Instead, she stood outside for a few seconds longer than necessary.
Watching people inside laugh.
Talk.
Live.
It felt distant.
Like she was observing a life she had missed the invitation to.
"…I used to do this, didn't I?" she murmured.
Her voice didn't sound certain.
---
A bell chimed behind her.
Sakura turned slightly.
A boy stepped out of the café.
About her age.
Messy hair.
Casual clothes.
Nothing remarkable.
He glanced at her briefly—then paused.
Like something about her caught his attention without permission.
"…sorry," he said lightly.
"I think you're standing in the way."
Sakura blinked.
Then stepped aside quickly.
"…oh. Sorry."
The boy shrugged.
"It's fine."
He adjusted his sleeve, then looked at her again.
Not staring.
Just observing.
"…you look like you're thinking too hard."
Sakura hesitated.
"…is that obvious?"
"Kind of," he said.
A small smile forming.
"People usually don't stand outside cafés like they're trying to remember something painful."
The words landed strangely.
Not harsh.
But accurate in a way she didn't like.
Sakura looked away slightly.
"…I'm not trying to remember anything."
A lie.
But she didn't know why she said it.
The boy didn't call it out.
Instead, he nodded once.
"Fair enough."
A pause followed.
Not uncomfortable.
Just open.
Then—
"You waiting for someone?" he asked casually.
Sakura froze slightly.
"…no."
The answer came too fast.
Too automatic.
As if something inside her rejected the question before she could think about it.
The boy noticed.
But didn't comment.
Instead, he glanced toward the street.
"…you seem like someone who is."
That sentence shouldn't have meant anything.
But it did.
Sakura's chest tightened faintly.
"…I don't have anyone to wait for," she said.
This time slower.
More certain.
But the certainty felt borrowed.
Not owned.
The boy nodded again.
"Yeah," he said softly.
"Sometimes people feel that way even when it's not true."
Sakura looked at him.
Really looked.
For the first time.
"…do you believe that?"
He shrugged.
"I think feelings don't always ask for permission to exist."
A strange answer.
But not an incorrect one.
Sakura didn't respond immediately.
Instead, she felt that name again.
Haruto.
But this time—
it didn't feel like it came from inside her.
It felt like it came from somewhere just outside her memory.
Like something standing too close to a locked door.
"…do you know someone named Haruto?" she asked suddenly.
The question slipped out before she could stop it.
The boy blinked.
Once.
Then smiled faintly.
"…Haruto?"
Sakura nodded slightly.
The boy tilted his head.
"I think that's a pretty common name."
Pause.
Then—
"Why?"
Sakura opened her mouth.
Then stopped.
Because she didn't have an answer.
Not a real one.
"…I don't know," she admitted quietly.
The boy studied her for a moment longer.
Then looked away.
"Memory's a weird thing," he said casually.
"You don't always get to decide what sticks."
Something about that sentence…
hurt in a way she couldn't explain.
Sakura lowered her gaze.
"…yeah."
---
A breeze passed through the street.
Soft.
Unassuming.
The boy stretched slightly, then looked at her once more.
"…you alright?"
It was a simple question.
But it felt heavier than it should have.
Sakura hesitated.
Then nodded.
"…I think so."
Another lie.
But less certain this time.
The boy gave a small wave.
"Take care then."
And just like that—
he left.
Disappearing into the flow of people without looking back.
Sakura watched for a moment longer than necessary.
Then turned away.
---
The street felt quieter now.
Not physically.
But inside her.
Like something had shifted slightly out of place.
She walked again.
Slowly.
And the name returned.
Haruto.
But now it didn't feel like just a thought.
It felt like a missing piece of something she was never told she lost.
Sakura pressed a hand lightly against her chest.
"…why does it feel like I'm forgetting something I never knew?"
The wind didn't answer.
The world didn't either.
But somewhere—
deep beneath the surface of everything she could perceive—
something remained still.
Listening.
Waiting.
Like a memory refusing to accept it had already been erased.