CHAPTER 505: EXTRA · HORIZON

"I had a dream.

A dream where I was very happy.

I dreamt that Hanabi and I grew up together, studied together, fell in love, and got married.

We were in a golden wheat field, I was busy with the livelihood, and she was in the cabin behind, holding a swaddled child.

The moment I turned back, the wind came, it stung sharply, and I hurriedly raised my hand to shield my face. In a daze, I saw Hanabi’s white skirt flying, her hair lifted by the wind, and the smile she showed me.

I didn’t know what happened, the scene suddenly shifted, the house disappeared, the child disappeared, and Hanabi disappeared too.

I started running in the endless golden waves of wheat, I was tired, very tired, gasping for the thin oxygen, pulling at sore muscles and fragile spirits.

I was running, running with all my might, knowing I was chasing something.

I don’t know how much time passed, I looked up ahead, the sun had vanished, the moon took over half the sky, huge and daunting, the wheat field followed suit from golden... to silver.

The wind blew again, this time it felt bone-chillingly cold, but under the vast moon, it made the rolling wheat fields look like a maiden’s white skirt.

In my daze, I saw the back of Hanabi ahead.

She had her hands behind her back, her head raised, looking at the moon, her white dress appeared so gentle under the moonlight.

I passed through the wheat leaves that stung like knives. By then, I was so exhausted that I couldn’t tell if my heart hurt or my body hurt... but I knew, I wanted to get close to her.

I got closer, I grabbed her wrist, the warmth on her slender arm was indescribable.

Just as I, full of hope and anticipation, pulled her hand hoping she’d turn around.

The dream ended.

The enormous moon occupying the horizon, I only remembered her wearing a white dress, under the neon glow of the moon, the beautiful silhouette blown by the wind.

————"

The desk lamp illuminated the writing desk, the only light in the room at night.

Click, click...

The sharp tip of the pen scratched across the paper relentlessly, ending with an emotion-laden dash.

Uesugi Sakura finished writing these, carefully placing the pen in the middle of the notebook.

It was already late at night, even the ever-busy Tokyo had quieted down quite a bit by then.

He lifted his head, gazing out the window.

Both the window and the sky were moist, the droplets tapping against the glass.

Outside, it was raining.

Uesugi Sakura rose from his chair, walked to the window, and opened it.

The cold wind blew straight in, carrying the small rain, adding a chill to the already serene rainy night.

The good rain knows its time.

This poem means ’A good rain knows when it should fall.’

Uesugi Sakura stood by the window, looking out.

He wondered, if it hadn’t rained that day, would tonight be a little warmer than usual?

The neon lights flickered, painting the towering city buildings with color.

Uesugi Sakura tilted his head, looking out at the bustling night scene outside, lost in thought...

The rain outside was a cold rain.

Uesugi Sakura closed the window, turned off the lamp, and walked towards the room lit only by the bedside lamp. He sat by the bed, took off his glasses, fell onto the bed, and wrapped himself in the covers.

Just as he was about to close his eyes to rest, he habitually looked at the position above the bedside table.

Where the light touched, in the rectangular photo frame, the girl was smiling radiantly at the summer festival.

Uesugi Sakura looked at her, smiled a little, reached out a hand to adjust the frame so that her smiling face faced the warm light.

He extinguished the lamp, withdrew his chilled hand back into the solitary covers.

"Goodnight, Hanabi."

...

I felt myself returning to the dream again.

In the dream, the waves of wheat were like a gleaming ocean, rolling light across the horizon, boundless.

The back of the girl in a white dress was just ahead, dreamlike and illusory, I reached out wanting to hold on, only to grasp a void.

Drip... drip...

Drip....

Uesugi Sakura awoke to the urging sound of the alarm clock, at first glance he saw his hand empty, yet clenched inward.

Drip...

He pressed off the alarm.

Putting on his glasses, he pushed himself up from the bed.

As usual, he tidied the bed, straightened his clothes, and prepared his laptop to take along for the day.

Uesugi Sakura examined himself in the mirror. When he turned away, his gaze lingered on the diary from last night on the desk.

The diary was nearly written out, with only the last two pages remaining.

He held the pen in his hand, picked up the diary from the desk, turned over the thin last two pages of blank space with his right hand, feeling full of reluctance.

The inside cover of the diary read: "A birthday gift for Sakura-kun!"

He stared at those words for a long time, until finally, Uesugi Sakura carefully closed it.

Before leaving the room, his eyes lingered on the bedside table with the framed photos.

"Hanabi, I’m heading out."

"Mm, safe journey."

Uesugi Sakura muttered quietly, and with a click, the door closed.

Outside, it was still raining.

He opened an umbrella big enough for two, walking along the rain-drenched street towards the train station.

The city streets had few pedestrians.

Raindrops tapped on the umbrella top, the cold wind brushed against his face.

Even though it was morning, the overcast clouds made it no different than dusk.

Uesugi Sakura felt a bit cold, glanced to the side, and shifted the umbrella slightly to the right.

Upon reaching the platform, he folded up the umbrella.

He boarded the train alone, put on his headphones, looked out the window, felt the damp air from the rain, closed his eyes, letting his body sway gently with the train.

"Tokyo University Hongo Station, arriving"

Uesugi Sakura heard the announcement, opened his eyes, watched the door slowly open in front of him, and stepped into the crowd.

The ginkgo leaves at Tokyo University were starting to fall.

If it were sunny, the ginkgo would have the beauty of the golden autumn season.

Today was a rainy day; although the ginkgo had lost its splendid golden color, the raindrops suppressed its scent, leaving behind only a moist aroma.

"Let’s go, Uesugi, we still have to go to the countryside today!"

"Did you guys bring food?" Uesugi Sakura asked.

"We did... why?"

"I didn’t eat breakfast."

"Oh, I see, here, the bread I bought this morning." Todaka Keichiro took a yakisoba bread out of his backpack.

"Thanks, how much was it?" Uesugi Sakura asked as he took out his wallet.

"A few hundred yen; it’s nothing, you can have it." Todaka Keichiro waved his hand dismissively.

"Thanks, otherwise I would be starving this morning." Uesugi Sakura tore open the plastic bag on the spot, preparing to finish the bread before boarding the vehicle.

"No need to thank me, but I mean, Uesugi, you should also learn to take care of yourself, you—"

Todaka Keichiro hesitated, opened his mouth, but decided to keep silent:

"Never mind, just pretend I didn’t say anything."