[Naoki Aiba POV]
Even after sending my final reply to Mikage, I couldn't bring myself to put my phone down for a while.
Tomorrow at 10:00 AM, meeting in front of the station.
With a specific time and place added to the promise we made in front of the mall this morning, the reality that the two of us were truly going out together tomorrow finally began to sink in.
Going to eat crepes with Mikage had already been settled earlier today. Even so, since we had agreed to set the date only after making sure I got through the day without any issues, I couldn't message her right away when I got home.
After reflecting on how my day went—confirming I had neither a fever nor a cough, and that my right shoulder was in the same condition as this morning—I finally asked about her availability for tomorrow.
In truth, quite a bit of time passed between typing out the message and actually hitting send.
Since I had already told her this morning that I was going to invite her, I didn't think she would turn me down. Even so, when it came to specifying tomorrow as the day, a completely different kind of nervousness gripped me.
During the few minutes it took for Mikage's reply to arrive, I glanced down at the screen over and over again. The moment I saw her words saying she wanted to go too, all the tension built up inside my chest vanished at once.
Hearing that she was looking forward to tomorrow made me genuinely happy, too.
Until now, we had never set a specific time and place to meet. But tomorrow, I would head to the station to see Mikage, and Mikage-san would come to see me, too.
Thinking about that, even when I tried to turn off the screen, I inevitably ended up rereading our exchange one more time.
No matter how many times I read it, the words wouldn't change, yet every time I saw what she wrote, the corners of my mouth threatened to curl into a smile. Each time, I tightened my expression in the empty room where no one was watching.
Right then, there was a light knock on my bedroom door.
"Onii-chan, are you awake?"
"Yeah."
When I answered, Koharu peeked her head through the gap in the door, holding a thermometer in her hand.
"Mom said you should take your temperature one more time before going to bed."
"Got it. Thanks for bringing it up."
"I was just about to head upstairs anyway."
Stepping into the room, Koharu held out the thermometer while casting a quick glance at the phone in my hand.
Although she looked away immediately, it was obvious she wanted to ask something.
"What is it?"
"Oh, nothing really. Just thought you looked kind of happy, that's all."
"...Did I look like that?"
"Yeah. Pretty considerably, for you."
Told that, I reflexively touched my mouth. I had thought my face was the same as always, but Koharu was smiling faintly.
"You were texting Mikage-senpai, weren't you?"
"...Well, yeah."
"Did you decide on something?"
"We're going out tomorrow."
"Really? Where to?"
"To the crepe shop in front of the station."
"Just the two of you?"
"...Just the two of us."
Koharu's eyes went wide for a second, but she quickly broke into a delighted smile.
"I see. That's great, Onii-chan."
"Yeah....Thanks."
Taking the thermometer, I tucked it under my left arm.
Treatment for the burn on my right shoulder was still ongoing. To avoid missing any signs of infection, Mom had been checking my temperature morning and night ever since I was discharged, and she had become even more vigilant after I ran a fever the day before yesterday.
Instead of leaving the room right away, Koharu stood by the desk, waiting for the measurement to finish. Before long, an electronic beep sounded. Checking the display, it was my normal temperature, completely unchanged from this morning.
"No problem."
"Really?"
"Look for yourself if you don't believe me."
Checking the thermometer I held out, Koharu's expression softened in relief.
"So, what are you wearing tomorrow?"
"Huh?"
"Your outfit when you meet Mikage-senpai, Onii-chan."
"...I have something picked out, more or less."
Opening the closet, I took out a button-down shirt that wouldn't put any strain on my right shoulder, along with the pants I intended to pair with it.
Koharu crossed one arm over her chest, rested her other hand against her chin, and looked between the shirt and pants as if appraising them. After pretending to think for a moment, she nodded with deliberate gravity.
"Mm-hmm. This should do."
"Who do you think you are?"
"I mean, you're going out with Mikage-senpai, so you have to dress properly. Besides, you've got good natural features, Onii-chan, so make sure you style your hair nicely too."
"I'm planning to fix my hair with some wax in the morning."
"You've really thought this through, haven't you?"
"Well, yeah. I don't intend to just be careless about it."
Without teasing me any further, Koharu gave a happy smile.
Naturally, I had no intention of telling my little sister, but I wanted to look as good as possible in Mikage's eyes tomorrow.
"I see. Looks like you'll really be fine, then."
"What were you worried about?"
When Koharu opened the door, she ran right into Mom, who was walking down the hallway.
"How was Naoki's temperature?"
"Completely normal."
I walked over to the doorway as well.
Mom took the thermometer from Koharu, checked the display herself, and then turned to me. Apparently, our conversation had carried out into the hall.
"So you've finalized your plans for tomorrow."
"Yeah. We're meeting in front of the station at 10:00 AM."
"I see. Get some rest early tonight so you're ready for tomorrow."
"Will do."
Mom nodded, then glanced at the shirt and pants left out in front of the closet. A warm, amused look entered her eyes as she turned back to me.
"I thought so when I met her the other day, too, but Serina-san really is such a beautiful, wonderful girl."
"I know..."
The reply slipped out before I could even think, and Mom simply offered a knowing, gentle smile without pressing further.
"Have fun tomorrow."
"...Yeah."
Mom nodded, and just as she switched off the thermometer, she looked up as if remembering something.
"Oh, right. Hina-chan and her mother said they'd like to visit on Sunday."
"Got it."
"Then I have to clean up my room tomorrow!"
Koharu's voice grew lively.
"You scramble around every single time right before Hina comes over."
"It's fine as long as I finish in time!"
We had been close with Asahi Yumesaki-san and her daughter, Hina, a sixth-grader, as family friends ever since we were little.
Back when Hina was very young, they lived nearby, and she often came over to our house with Asahi-san. Though they lived a bit further away now, we stayed in touch, and the two of them came over to hang out on weekends about once a month.
"Asahi-san contacted me just a little while ago. She said if Naoki isn't feeling unwell, they'd like to visit as planned."
"My cold is completely gone, and the burn has settled down too. Sticking to the plan is totally fine."
"All right. I'll reply and let her know we're good to go. I'm sure Hina-chan will feel relieved once she sees your face on Sunday, too."
I remembered Hina visiting me in my hospital room.
Usually, Hina would start talking the moment she opened the door, but on that day, she just stood beside Asahi-san without saying a word for a long time.
Her short hair and her face tanned from track-and-field practice were no different from the Hina I remembered. Even so, her eyes, fixed on my bandage-wrapped right shoulder, wavered as if she were on the verge of tears at any moment.
'Naoki-nii, are you really okay?'
Even when I told her I was fine, Hina wasn't easily convinced.
Without asking about the fire in detail or talking about how worried she had been, she just stood by the bed, occasionally checking my face and my right shoulder.
That might have been the first time Hina had ever been so quiet during a visit.
Right before leaving, she said that if I wasn't back on my feet by the next time we met, she'd be mad at me. But that was probably just Hina's way of putting on a brave front to hide how worried she was.
"I'll have to show her I'm doing well on Sunday."
"Yes. That would be best."
"We could barely talk at the hospital, so I'll need to keep her company this time. Can't have her sulking again."
"Hina-chan is already in sixth grade, you know. She might get mad if you say things like that."
"Even if she's in sixth grade, to me, she hasn't really changed from how she was back then."
Perhaps because I had known her since before she started elementary school, even now that she had grown taller and dedicated herself to track and field, I couldn't shake the feeling that she was still the little girl who had always come over to play at our house.
"Why don't you try saying that to her face?"
Koharu looked over at me, seeming slightly amused.
"She'll definitely give you a cold stare, though."
"As if I'd say that. I value my life."
Koharu let out a soft laugh, and Mom's eyes softened gently as she listened to our banter. The two of them then headed toward the stairs.
Just as I was about to go back into my room, Koharu, halfway down the steps, turned back toward me.
"Onii-chan."
"Hm?"
"Have fun tomorrow, okay?"
"...Yeah."
Though there was a slight pause, I answered without dodging the sentiment.
Without saying anything more, Koharu walked down the stairs together with Mom.
Returning to my room and closing the door, the phone sitting on the desk caught my eye.
I had looked up information about the crepe shop in front of the station several times while I was still in the hospital. Back then, I hadn't known when I'd be able to fulfill the promise, but I had already checked everything from the shop's location and the route from the station to the kinds of crepes they offered. Even so, now that the meeting time was set, I couldn't bring myself to sleep without double-checking, so I sat down in the chair and opened the map once more.
It wasn't very far from the station to the shop.
Taking the main street would be a slight detour, but the sidewalk was wide, leaving plenty of room when passing by other pedestrians. The path on the opposite side was shorter, but the sidewalk narrowed along the way, and the crowd would likely pick up on a weekend.
A medical exam had confirmed there were no issues with Mikage's right foot. Still, rather than navigating a narrow path while dodging people, choosing a wide road where we could talk comfortably seemed much better.
I also checked the shop's peak hours and seating availability. Tomorrow was a weekend, so it might get crowded as noon approached, but if we met at 10:00 AM, we probably wouldn't have to wait in line for long.
After confirming the route, I opened the shop's menu page.
I had browsed through it before, but looking at it now as something I would actually order tomorrow made it feel completely different.
From classics like chocolate banana to varieties loaded with strawberries, caramel, and whipped cream, photos of colorful crepes filled the screen. While I didn't dislike sweet things, I rarely had the chance to buy crepes for myself, so in the end, I couldn't decide what to pick.
"...Man, this is tough."
Muttering aloud to myself, I compared the photos once more.
It didn't seem like a bad idea to ask what Mikage was having at the shop tomorrow and get the same thing.
However, if I picked the exact same thing, I started to worry she might think I was just copying her.
If we chose different items, we could share our impressions, but if we chose the same, we could talk about the shared flavor. Just as I began seriously agonizing over which was better, I realized how ridiculous it was to fret over something so trivial, and closed the screen.
Something like what to order could easily be decided on the spot.
Even so, thinking about going out with Mikage tomorrow, just the two of us, made me want to ensure everything went as smoothly and enjoyably as possible.
I wanted the time spent fulfilling the promise made on the day of the fire to become a peaceful memory for Mikage this time.
I still didn't entirely know what I should do to make that happen. If I tried too hard to do something special, it might only make her nervous, and if I was overly tense, Mikage would surely pick up on it.
Tomorrow, we would walk side by side to the shop. We'd pick our favorite crepes, eat them together, and this time, talk leisurely in a place free of smoke and flames.
The name I couldn't tell her on that day—I would say it from my own lips this time.
For now, I felt that was more than enough.
After closing the shop guide, I checked the weather forecast as well. There was no chance of rain, and the temperature wouldn't be much different from today.
Checking the contents of my wallet, I plugged my phone into the charger. That should have been all the preparation needed for going out.
Even so, there was still one thing left that I wanted to do.
Leaving the room, I walked down the stairs and headed toward the Japanese-style room at the far end of the first-floor hallway. Sliding open the fusuma door and turning on the light, I saw the Buddhist altar situated at the back of the room, alongside the framed portrait of my father displayed next to it.
Sitting down before the altar, I lit an incense stick and placed it into the censer. A thin trail of smoke rose slowly in front of the portrait.
Telling Dad about something like this was a first.
When Dad passed away, I was still in elementary school; I had never imagined that one day I would go out with a girl, pick out clothes to wear the day before, and even worry about my hairstyle.
If Dad were still around today, what would he have said to me?
Just like Mom and Koharu, he might have noticed just by looking at my face before asking anything. Even if he didn't scrutinize my clothes like Koharu, I felt like he would have rattled off all sorts of fatherly advice—telling me not to keep the girl waiting, or not to dominate the conversation.
Looking at Dad smiling in the portrait, words naturally spilled from my lips.
"Dad. Tomorrow, I'm going out with Mikage-san."
Only the thin smoke rose quietly between me and the portrait. Putting it into words for Dad made tomorrow's meetup feel even more real, and I found myself wanting him to hear about everything that had led up to it.
Mikage was someone I met in that fire. On that day, the person I desperately wished to return home safely had, this time, walked alongside me all the way to the place I returned home to.
"Tomorrow, the two of us are going to eat crepes. It's a promise that's remained ever since that day."
Once I returned home tomorrow, there would be one more thing I'd want to tell Dad. The moment that thought crossed my mind, a slightly different kind of loneliness settled deep in my chest.
Yet, I didn't sink into that sadness. I wanted Dad to know about the me right now, looking forward to tomorrow.
Once more, I looked at Dad in the portrait.
"When I get back, listen to me talk about it again, okay?"
Pressing my hands together and quietly bowing my head, I stood up from the altar. Sliding the fusuma closed and returning upstairs, the screen of the phone connected to the charger was dark.
Talking to Dad had settled the feelings inside me a bit. Even so, I still wasn't in the mood to sleep, and ended up opening our messages once more.
Mikage was waiting for tomorrow, just like me.
Her smile when I invited her in front of the mall this morning, her voice right beside me on the way to school—they all came rushing back to my heart one after another.
Tomorrow wasn't about coincidentally crossing paths. Both Mikage and I would be heading to the station specifically to see each other.
Thinking about that, I couldn't hide the joy welling up deep within my chest after all.
Reading Mikage's words one last time, I finally placed the phone face down.
Right now, I was simply looking forward to spending tomorrow together with Mikage.