[Shiho Mikage (Serina's Mother) POV]
Though my husband turned the TV volume back up from where he had lowered it earlier, his gaze never returned to the screen.
Eventually, the sound of a door closing upstairs echoed down, and he reached for the remote, this time muting the TV entirely.
In the sudden quiet of the living room, neither of us could find the words to speak right away.
What Serina had told us still weighed heavily on our hearts.
A boy had carried Serina—who had hurt her leg in that fire and couldn't move—all the way outside on his back.
We thought we could never thank him enough just for that.
Yet we hadn't known the full truth.
We didn't know that Aiba-kun had done far more than simply carry her out.
Even as the flames closed in, upon hearing Serina voice her fear of being touched by men, he hadn't tried to force her.
He wouldn't touch her without permission.
Yet he would never leave her behind.
Two contradictory principles—ones that a mere high school boy had strived to uphold in that desperate, extreme situation.
"...To think Aiba-kun did so much for her."
When I finally gave voice to the thought, heat rushed to my eyes once again.
My husband kept his head bowed, hands clasped tightly together.
"He shouldn't have had the leeway to do that."
"Yes."
"The fire and smoke must have been right on top of them. Even so, Aiba-kun waited until Serina reached out her own hand. Even if he could have saved her by grabbing her against her will, he worried it might leave another scar on her heart... He considered her feelings to that extent."
"After all, we know just how frightened Serina was of men."
"...Yeah."
Ever since Serina grew terrified of men, we wished countlessly that we could take that fear away for her.
Yet whenever we tried to rush closer, it only ended up cornering her instead.
Even as her parents, there were times when all we could do was watch over her from a distance.
Aiba-kun surely didn't know the details of Serina's past.
Even so, rather than getting angry at being rejected, and without pressing her for a reason, he respected Serina's will right then and there.
And the hands Serina reached out to grasp of her own accord were the only things he never let go of until the very end.
"Because Aiba-kun turned his back to her, Serina was able to hold on herself."
"She said he made sure to speak to her before making contact, too."
"I'm sure he did it so she wouldn't be frightened. He didn't cast Serina's feelings aside just because he was trying to save her."
As we spoke, I recalled the day Serina returned home.
Hearing she had survived the fire and seeing her at the hospital, my heart was overwhelmed simply by the fact that my daughter was alive.
At the time, though, I had no idea how terribly wounded a boy had gotten just to bring Serina back to us.
When the ceiling collapsed, Aiba-kun shielded Serina and suffered a horrific injury to his right shoulder. To carry a wound like that and still keep Serina on his back to the very end—there was no way it didn't hurt.
Yet Aiba-kun kept telling her he was fine, just to keep her at ease.
"...He's still just a child, though."
My husband's murmur dropped into the quiet living room.
"He could have lost his own life just like that. He was hurt, and he must have felt pain and terror. Even in the middle of all that, he never gave up... on protecting Serina."
My husband's voice trembled faintly.
"He wanted Serina to feel safe... He prioritized Serina's heart over his own pain and fear. That's not something even an adult could easily do."
"...Yes."
"Just what... can I possibly say to thank that boy?"
My husband raised his head.
His eyes were slightly bloodshot.
"'Thank you for saving my daughter.' Those words alone wouldn't convey even half of what he did for her."
"Even so, we have to start with those words."
"...You're right."
"If saying it once isn't enough, we'll tell him as many times as it takes. Until he truly understands that we will never forget what he did."
My husband fell silent for a moment before giving a deep, solemn nod.
"We thought Aiba-kun saved Serina's life."
"Yes."
"But that wasn't all he saved."
My husband echoed the words he had spoken to Serina earlier.
"Not just Serina's body, but her frightened heart and her hope for the future—he brought all of them back with him from that place."
Surrounded by fire and smoke, when Serina was on the verge of giving up and believing it was hopeless, Aiba-kun spoke to her about what they would do once they made it outside.
He asked for her favorite food, taking the wish Serina voiced and turning it into a promise he would surely fulfill.
Going to eat crepes together.
It was a promise meant to offer a future once again to Serina, who was losing sight of tomorrow.
"That's why Serina couldn't forget that promise."
"Those words tethered her back to life. There's no way she could ever forget."
"The fact that Serina was able to gradually look forward after the fire might have been thanks to that promise as well."
"Yeah. Even after carrying her out of that place, Aiba-kun must have continued supporting Serina's heart all this time."
My husband gave a quiet reply and glanced toward the stairs leading up to the second floor.
"To Serina, Aiba-kun is probably no longer just her savior."
"Yes. I'm sure that's been true for a long time."
I remembered Serina's expression when she realized she had received a message from Aiba-kun.
Neither her smile of pure relief nor the cheeks that flushed bright red the moment she read his invitation for tomorrow could be hidden from her mother.
There was no need to ask how deeply Serina cared for him.
"...Are you worried?"
When I asked, my husband's brow furrowed slightly.
"I wouldn't call it worried. I haven't spoken to him directly yet, so as a father, I'm just a little curious. That's all."
Pausing, he slowly unclenched his hands.
"I can't claim to know everything about what kind of boy he is. But in that fire, he listened to Serina's words, honored her wishes, and never broke his promise even when he was injured. Knowing that, I can't and won't doubt him lightly."
"That's true."
"Above all, he's the person Serina is so thrilled to meet tomorrow."
My husband's expression softened faintly.
"If he's someone special to Serina, then to us, he can no longer be a stranger either."
A warm glow spread through my chest.
"Aiba-kun has become someone special to us as well, hasn't he?"
"Yeah. Because he's the one who brought our precious daughter back."
My husband picked up the remote again, though he made no move to unmute the TV.
"Once Aiba-kun's condition settles down, let's arrange a date. I want to meet him in person as soon as possible."
"Me too."
"...When we meet him, what should we say first?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
Wiping away the lingering tears from my eyes, I offered my husband a smile.
"'Thank you for bringing Serina home to us.'"
"...No, that alone won't be enough."
"Yes. That's why we'll keep telling him after that, too."
From the second floor, the faint rustle of things being moved reached our ears.
Serina had surely begun picking out the clothes she would wear tomorrow.
Perhaps arriving at the same thought, my husband kept his eyes on the staircase, the corners of his mouth softening into a faint smile.
Tomorrow, Serina would go to fulfill the promise she made with Aiba-kun amidst the smoke.
The day when we could meet Aiba-kun in person and convey our gratitude was still a little further off.
Even so, when that day came, we would definitely express it in our own words.
For saving our daughter's life.
For refusing to ignore her fear, waiting patiently until she could reach out of her own free will.
For never letting go of her hand until the very end, even while bearing his own injuries.
And, amidst the blinding smoke, for giving our daughter a reason to believe in the future once again.
No matter how many words we piled upon one another, they might never be enough to convey the depth of our gratitude.
Even so, I wanted to tell him.
Just as Aiba-kun's voice had reached Serina in the dark that day, reminding her that she had a home waiting for her.
This time, it would come from us.
For finding our daughter that day.
For refusing to leave her alone, staying by her side until the very end.
And above all, for bringing Serina safely back to our arms.
I want to properly convey my gratitude for all of it to Aiba-kun himself.
—With a heartfelt "thank you."