038. Childhood Memories

"No."

Mutsumi Wakaba lowered her head.

"Minami-chan told me to stay home."

She then fell into silence. Nagumo Ugetsu looked at her profile; her fair cheeks caught the morning light, but her eyes remained downcast.

"Minami-chan said there will be very important guests visiting this time."

Mutsumi Wakaba turned to look at him and said, "I don't want to be at home." Her expression was somewhat melancholic.

"It's fine."

Nagumo Ugetsu leaned in closer. He pulled his chair directly in front of Mutsumi Wakaba and said softly, "I'll come find you then."

Mutsumi Wakaba looked puzzled.

"It's okay, just wait for me when the time comes," Nagumo Ugetsu said with a smile.

Mutsumi Wakaba did not know what he was thinking, so she simply lowered her head.

Sakiko Togawa happened to walk into the classroom at that moment and saw the two of them whispering. Although she had been preoccupied with how frequently her father had been working overtime lately, seeing Nagumo Ugetsu and Mutsumi Wakaba so close together piqued her curiosity.

"Eh?"

Sakiko Togawa intended to walk over to hear what they were discussing, but the moment she drew near, the two of them pulled apart.

"?"

Sakiko felt a sense of bewilderment. Were these two hiding something from her?

Nagumo Ugetsu remained composed. "It's about growing cucumbers. I've hit a bit of a writer's block lately; I'm trying to develop a character who loves gardening, something like a druid, so I was asking Mutsumi for some experience to avoid being called out by knowledgeable readers."

"I see."

Though her doubts lingered, Sakiko Togawa nodded with a smile. "Mutsumi, do you have any plans for the weekend?"

She looked at Mutsumi Wakaba. Mutsumi looked up. Sakiko was standing on her left, and Nagumo Ugetsu was seated on her right.

"Possibly... I have to be at home."

"I see. Well, if you have time then, I'll come visit you at home." Sakiko Togawa paused. "Come to think of it, I haven't been to your house to visit since we were little."

Mutsumi Wakaba lowered her head again. "There might be guests coming that day."

Sakiko Togawa thought for a moment. "Don't we have two days for the weekend? I can just pick a time when the guests aren't there."

"Minami-chan didn't say..." Mutsumi Wakaba's voice was barely a whisper.

"Ah?" Sakiko Togawa was surprised. "I see. That's alright."

"There will be other chances; we'll find time to get together later."

Just then, the bell for class was about to ring, and the other students were filing into the classroom. Even those who had arrived early had mostly finished their morning chats. Seeing this, Sakiko Togawa smiled at Mutsumi Wakaba and returned to her own seat.

She took out the textbook for the first period, her mind flooded with memories. The relationship between the Togawa and Wakaba families had always been good, with close personal ties. Consequently, she and Mutsumi Wakaba had known each other since kindergarten, through elementary school, and up to the present.

In Sakiko Togawa's initial impression, Mutsumi had seemed more cheerful than she was now. However, as they grew closer, Mutsumi’s silent and reticent nature became fully apparent.

Sakiko's thoughts drifted until they settled on her mother. She had once planned a performance for her mother's birthday with Mutsumi. Although her piano skills were far inferior to what they were now and Mutsumi had only just started learning the guitar, her mother had still smiled while listening to them play.

It was a pity, though... Times change, and the past is hard to reclaim.

Ever since her mother passed away, her father had also become somewhat reticent, working overtime constantly and returning home very late. The maids in the house always made Sakiko feel strange, though she couldn't quite put her finger on why, and gradually she became reluctant to interact with them beyond the necessities of daily life.

As for her grandfather, Toji Togawa... Sakiko subconsciously dismissed him from her thoughts.

While she was lost in memory, Mutsumi Wakaba, sitting behind her, was watching her. Lately, Mutsumi felt as if her consciousness were fracturing; only when playing the guitar or watering her cucumbers did that feeling begin to fade.

Yesterday, she had been called over by her mother, Minami Mori, and told that guests would be visiting over the weekend.

But... how was she supposed to face guests now?

Before Mutsumi's eyes, the image of Sakiko Togawa merged with her memories. She was transported back to the night she first met Sakiko, a long time ago.

That night, she had followed timidly behind her mother, standing in a brightly lit ballroom. Mutsumi disliked such occasions; the guests' hypocritical smiles, the tedious pleasantries, and even the perfume lingering in the air made her feel dizzy.

She stood quietly, head bowed, waiting for the banquet to end.

Then, a small figure drifted into her view. It was a little girl slightly shorter than her, her soft blue hair swaying as she ran, her face round like a freshly steamed rice cake. She was smiling brightly, filled with a child's characteristic innocence.

But the next second—

"Thump!"

The little girl collided with Mutsumi Wakaba’s mother, Minami Mori.

The chatter in the ballroom fell silent for a moment. Several people nearby couldn't help but look over, and the small blue figure looked up in a panic, apologizing in a milky, childish voice:

"I'm sorry!"

Her eyes were very bright, like sunlight falling into a lake.

Mutsumi Wakaba stared at her, stunned.

At that moment, a beautiful woman in an evening gown walked over, smiling as she placed a hand on the little girl's shoulder and nodded slightly toward Mutsumi’s mother. "I apologize. This child is always so clumsy."

"It's quite alright." Minami Mori simply smiled gently and waved her hand.

While the adults were talking, little Sakiko Togawa peeked at Mutsumi Wakaba, who was standing beside her mother, her eyes full of curiosity. Mutsumi met her gaze and then subconsciously looked away.

After the adults finished talking, it was finally time for the children to be introduced.

"Saki-chan, this is Mutsumi-chan."

"Hello!"

"Mutsumi is a month older than Saki-chan, so you should call her big sister."

Little Sakiko's eyes lit up, and she smiled sweetly, calling out, "Mutsumi-neesan!"

Mutsumi Wakaba heard the word "sister," and after several seconds, she gave a soft, quiet acknowledgement.

That was the first time she had met Sakiko Togawa. They went to kindergarten together, elementary school together, and remained together until now.

...

Mutsumi Wakaba did not know how much time had passed, but when she woke, the classroom seemed to be empty. She lifted her head, her gaze drifting inexplicably toward the window.

Sunlight spilled into the classroom from the window frame, bathing half of the room in a halo of light and shrouding the other half in dark curtains.

A figure from the depths of her memory was looking at her with a smile, like an uninvited guest.