Seishun Buta Yarou Series - Volume 8 - Chapter 4.4

4

A plane flying across a clear blue sky.

The sky over the ocean.

Over the horizon.

From here, the plane’s flight seemed devoid of sound.

On the beach at Shichirigahama, Sakuta could only hear the wind and the surf.

“Makinohara should be in Okinawa by now.”

Yesterday at the restaurant, Shouko had said her flight was at ten. He didn’t have a watch with him, so he wasn’t sure what time it was, but judging by the rumbling in his belly, it was probably nearly one.

Today, Sakuta had come to the Minegahara graduation ceremony—which started at the same time her flight left. It was the remaining students’ job to see the third-years out.

The ceremony had gone smoothly and wrapped up on schedule—just before noon.

There’d been a lengthy milling-about phase before they got the go-ahead to leave; when a teacher finally told them to disperse, it was half past twelve.

Sakuta had left school, but rather than head home, he’d come down to the beach.

Not basking in the sentimentality of the ceremony or anything—he still had a whole year of high school ahead of him. And didn’t have enough attachment to school to have any feels in the first place. Not yet, anyway.

Mai had graduated, but that didn’t seem like a big deal. At best, he’d woken up going, “Last day to see her in uniform!”

No, he’d come down to the beach because, on the train to school, Mai had said they should meet here once it was over.

And Mai wasn’t here yet.

As he waited, the plane grew smaller. Carrying someone off to the other side of the sky.

Shouko wasn’t on this plane, but he watched it go until the vapor trails faded.

When those were gone, he took a long scan of the sea, from right to left.

This was where he’d met Shouko.

She’d been the older version then.

A few more years, and “Makinohara” would be the age “Shouko” had been. He just had to wait, and he could see her again.

The idea struck him as funny, and he started laughing.

Laughter and good times. Warm feelings.

He felt like they’d look back on everything they’d been through and laugh about how crazy it had all been. That was a future worth looking forward to.

Even as that thought crossed his mind, he heard footsteps on the sand behind him.

He hoped it was Mai, but the steps were too light, the distance between them too short. He was still frowning about that when the corner of his eye caught a tiny figure.

A little girl with a red leather backpack, slipping past him. Red scarf trailing behind.

She went down to the surf, standing just beyond the wave’s reach.

Beautiful, perfectly straight, shoulder-length black hair. The backpack looked brand-new, with not a scratch or stain on it.

She was probably six or seven years old.

Sakuta didn’t know her.

But he’d caught a glimpse of her face in profile, and it looked just like Mai had as a child actress.

And that realization felt very wrong. A strong sense of déjà vu.

This exact thing had happened to him before.

Or rather, he’d dreamed about it.

But this was no dream.

It was real.

So what was this?

His head filled with questions.

And hoping for answers, he called out, “Mai?”

The girl turned, hair swaying.

A defensive look in her eyes. She looked right at Sakuta.

“Who are you, mister?” she asked, her tone bright and childlike.

The same thing she’d said in the dream.