"I'm sorry for stopping you so suddenly."
Night was closing in, and the families with children had begun to thin out. I was currently sitting across from the girl in a family restaurant where the crowd had dwindled.
"I just really wanted to thank you."
Even though we were in the same prefecture, I never expected to cross paths with her again.
She seemed to feel the same way; as if determined not to let this miracle of a reunion slip away, she had almost forcibly dragged me to this restaurant.
"You don't need to worry about it that much. I was just doing what I had to do."
While I had saved her, I couldn't exactly take pride in it given the circumstances.
Though Masao Shimogaki had goaded me into it, I realized now that there were probably better ways to have handled things. Then again, if someone like me tried to say anything, it would likely just be dismissed as nonsense anyway.
"Even so, you are my benefactor."
Regardless of the process, it was Owari who had saved her life. That was a fact that wouldn't change no matter what I said. Whether there were ulterior motives or not, a good deed was still a good deed.
"Come to think of it, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Sora Kohinata. I'm a second-year in high school."
"I'm Owari Tokoyo. My age is... probably about the same."
"Probably?"
"Ah—well, you see, there are a lot of complicated circumstances..."
Crap. I’d let my tongue slip in the middle of the greeting.
As I worried about how to dig myself out of that hole, I looked at Sora and saw her watching me with eyes full of curiosity. It didn't look like I could get away with saying "it's nothing" at this point.
"Actually..."
The trick to lying is to mix in a little bit of the truth. I told her a version of the facts, though I built the framework out of lies.
I told her I was a victim of Dark Matter several years ago and had lost my memories. I claimed the name I used now was something I’d come up with later, and that I didn't know who I was or where I used to live.
I obviously couldn't tell her the truth, so I dressed it up with a fair amount of embellishment. Since I had no official personal records anyway, there was no way for her to check, so my lies wouldn't be exposed.
"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have asked about something so painful."
"It's fine, really. You don't need to worry about it."
"But..."
"It’s really okay. I don't even think about the fact that I lost my memories."
People grieve because they feel the weight of what they’ve lost. If you don't realize something is gone, you don't feel the sadness of losing it.
In reality, I have no memories, but because I don't know what I'm missing, it doesn't feel real to me.
"So, you don't have to be so formal. We're the same age. You can call me whatever you like."
"...Okay, if you say so, Owari-kun. You can call me whatever you like, too."
"Got it, Kohinata."
"You could have used my first name, you know."
"Kohinata is just easier to say."
"Are you blushing, by any chance?"
"I am not."
It was much more relaxing to speak frankly like this than to have a girl my own age being overly formal with me.
"By the way, is it okay that I stopped you at this hour? Did you have other plans?"
"Ah, about that... there's actually something I wanted to ask."
"What is it?"
"Do you know of any place around here where I could stay? It would help if it's as cheap as possible."
Too much had happened today. Between the events of the day and the sheer exhaustion, everything was piling up and making my feet feel heavy. A hotel, an internet cafe—anything was fine. I just wanted to get some rest in a proper bed, even if only for tonight.
"A place to stay? Did something happen?"
"Ah, well, the place I was living in was destroyed by a Kaijin a little while ago."
I fudged the details regarding the reason, but the fact that I had no bed was true. The fact that I was in trouble was also true.
"...I see. Leave it to me."
After appearing to think for a moment, Sora took out her smartphone and made a call. After a few minutes, she finished the conversation and flashed a smile.
"I found a place, Owari-kun!"
"Really!?"
"Yeah, let's head over right away. I'll show you the way."
After paying for our drink bar orders, we left the restaurant.
As I walked with Sora, excited that I could finally rest, the destination turned out to be much closer than I expected—and a place I never would have guessed.
"We're here."
"You say we're here, but is it this place?"
Where she had led me was neither an internet cafe nor a hotel. It wasn't a guest house, either; standing before Sora and me was a five-story apartment building.
"Hey, don't just stand there, come on. I'll leave you behind, okay?"
"O-Oh, okay."
I followed Sora into the building.
"Ah, wait here for a second."
When we reached the reception desk, Sora left me and spoke to the man sitting there. After a brief exchange, she received something and came back.
"Alright, let's go."
I had no idea what was going on, but I had nowhere else to go. I decided to trust her.
Sora led me to a room on the fifth floor. She used the key she had received at reception to enter, and I followed her inside. The interior was a 1LDK, equipped with a bed, air conditioning, a refrigerator, and the bare minimum of daily necessities.
"Here you go. Use this room however you like. It should have the basic furniture you need."
She handed me the key.
"No, wait, you're saying I can just... use this place?"
"Yeah."
While I had hoped she might point me toward an internet cafe or a hotel, I was suddenly being given an apartment—and a quite new and spacious one at that. Events were unfolding too quickly for me to hide my agitation.
"Even if you say that, I don't have the money to rent a room this nice..."
"Don't worry about the money. This room has just been sitting empty, so I'm actually grateful that you'll be using it."
"Huh...?"
According to Sora, this apartment building was a dormitory built by the organization she belonged to. However, aside from a few people including Sora, the members were all free spirits who chose their own bases of operation. While they had built the apartment, most of the rooms were currently vacant.
"Don't worry about the money, really. Since nobody was planning to use the room anyway, it's more like we're lucky to have someone in it."
It was an incredibly attractive proposal. If what Sora said was true, she was letting me use this room without even paying rent. To my current self, even an internet cafe cubicle was a mansion. I wanted to accept the offer immediately.
"But still, for you to do this much for me..."
"You saved my life. At least let me do this much."
Sora took my hand as I hesitated and gently pressed the key into my palm.
"...Is it really okay? I won't give it back even if you tell me to later."
"Of course. Stay as long as you like."
When I accepted the key, Sora smiled happily. It was a lovely, delicate smile, like a cherry blossom—a sun-like smile that warmed the hearts of those who saw it.
"My room is right next door, so call me anytime if you need anything."
"Thank you, truly. To be honest, this is a huge help."
"The feeling is mutual. Well then, goodnight, Owari-kun."
Sora left the room, leaving me alone.
"..."
I set my belongings on the floor and lay down on the bed.
It was completely different from the thin, flattened futon I had used in that dilapidated apartment. It felt as though it were gently embracing my body.
"...It's huge."
Until today, two of us had shared a cramped, run-down room. Compared to that place, this was heaven and earth. It was a wonderful home, beyond any comparison.
"It ended up exactly like you said, after all."
The form was different, but I really had received the reward Masao Shimogaki had mentioned.
It felt like a dream. But at the same time, I almost wished it was a dream. Right now, loneliness outweighed my joy. Now that things had finally settled down, the reality that I was all alone began to sink in.
"Old man... I'm going to give it my best."
Shimogaki was a bad person, a hopeless scrap of an adult, but to me, he was a hero. We were complete strangers with no blood relation, yet he had looked after me for two years.
So, just for tonight, please allow me to shed these tears.
So that I can live with a smile starting tomorrow.
I pressed my right hand over my eyes and quietly closed them.
In the tears that fell, my sadness began to dissolve.