(Naoki Aiba POV)
When I opened the front door, the scent of dinner and the sound of the TV from the living room drifted toward me.
Before I could even take off my shoes, hurried footsteps came pattering down the hall.
"I'm home."
"Bro! How did it go?!"
Bursting into view at full speed, Koharu braked sharply right in front of me, slightly stumbling in the process.
"Careful. You're going to slip and fall."
"I didn't fall."
Talking back as if nothing had happened, Koharu regained her balance and circled around to my left side, making sure to avoid my right shoulder. She grabbed my left arm with both hands and tried to drag me toward the living room.
"Come on, hurry up and get inside. Tell me everything!"
"Alright, alright, stop pulling. I haven't even taken my shoes off yet."
Peeking out from the living room a moment later, Mom called out a gentle "Welcome home" to me before speaking to Koharu.
"Koharu, take it easy. Naoki's shoulder still hasn't fully healed."
"S-Sorry."
Koharu immediately let go of my arm, looking down awkwardly. Reaching out with my left hand, I gave her head a light pat.
"I'll tell you all about it. Come on, let's head to the living room."
As Koharu lifted her head, Mom's expression softened.
Taking off my shoes, I stepped up into the hallway and followed Mom into the living room. When I sat down on the sofa, Koharu immediately took the spot right next to me.
"Koharu's been like that all day, you know."
"A-All day?"
"Checking the clock, checking her phone, and checking the clock again. I lost count of how many times she asked if you weren't back yet."
"You're worrying too much..."
"Of course I'm curious! I mean, you've been looking forward to today forever, bro."
Looking back at Koharu as she gazed up at me indignantly, my lips naturally relaxed into a smile.
"I know. Thanks for worrying about me."
After blinking in surprise, Koharu looked away, seemingly a bit embarrassed. Even so, a small smile played upon her lips.
Her bashfulness didn't last long, though, and she quickly leaned forward again.
"So, did you get to eat the crepes? Did you tell her your name properly? Did you fulfill all the promises from back then?"
"You're asking too many things at once."
Chuckling wryly at the barrage of questions, I considered which one to answer first.
Leaning slightly forward, Koharu waited eagerly for my reply.
"Yeah. I fulfilled every single promise we made back then."
When I answered, Koharu let out a slow, deep breath, as if releasing a weight she had been carrying.
Before diving into the details, I wanted to thank Serina-san for today and let her know I had made it home safely.
I took my smartphone out of my bag beside the sofa and unlocked the screen.
"Sorry. Before I continue, let me just message Serina-san to let her know I'm home."
"...Huh? Serina-san?"
Koharu's lively voice came to an abrupt halt.
Stopping my fingers mid-text, I looked up to see Koharu blinking, tilting her head slightly.
"I mean Mikage-san."
"I know that. But you've always called her Mikage-san, so why are you suddenly calling her Serina-san?"
"Uh, well. We decided to start doing that today."
"Decided...? Does Mikage-senpai call you by your first name too, bro?"
"Yeah. We decided to call each other by our first names at school, too."
"A-At school too?!"
Koharu's eyes widened in shock, and she leaned in to peer intently at my face, searching for confirmation.
"If you're calling each other by first names at school, won't people start thinking you two are dating? Everyone knows Mikage-san doesn't like boys, right? Plus, if you're the only guy she calls by his first name, it's definitely going to stand out, for better or worse!"
"Yeah, I know. Serina-san said the same thing."
"And you're fine with that, bro?"
"Well, I've never cared that much about how people see me."
"What about Mikage-senpai?"
"Serina-san said she didn't mind either."
"I see..."
"And I told her I wouldn't mind even if people thought that."
Koharu froze in place.
"...You told that to Mikage-senpai herself?"
"Well, I was talking to her, so yeah."
"No, I get that, but... you can just say that so casually, bro?"
Koharu looked like she still had plenty to say, but Mom chimed in with a wry, helpless smile.
"Koharu, why don't you let Naoki send his message first? He hasn't been able to type a single word yet."
"Ah... Right. Sorry."
With Koharu finally pausing her interrogation, I returned my gaze to my phone.
'Thanks for today. I just got home, too.'
After giving it a quick read-through, I sent it and set my phone down on top of my bag.
Looking up, I saw Koharu leaning in toward me again, ready to hear the rest of the story at last.
"Just like we promised, I had crepes with Serina-san. After that, we went to a variety goods store and a bookstore, and then we grabbed lunch at a cafe in the station building. We checked out a few more shops after that, too."
"You stayed together the whole time, even after finishing the crepes?"
"We didn't plan it that way from the start. But while we were brainstorming where to go next, before we knew it, it was almost six o'clock."
When I headed to the meeting spot this morning, I hadn't thought about what we would do after having crepes.
Even so, our conversation never faltered, and without either of us suggesting it was time to head home, I spent the entire afternoon with Serina-san until evening.
"And then we talked about going somewhere together again next time. We haven't decided on a date or destination yet, though."
"I see. So even though you fulfilled all the promises from back then, you still get to see Serina-san again."
Koharu's face lit up with a happy smile.
I had fulfilled every single promise made on the day of the fire today.
Yet it didn't feel like my time with Serina-san had come to an end, and I found myself looking forward to our next outing together as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
I couldn't quite put into words what that feeling meant for me yet.
For now, though, it felt like there was no need to force a label onto it.
"Sounds like you had a wonderful day."
At Mom's words, I reflected on the day once more.
Debating over which crepes to get together, Serina-san picking out a mug at the variety goods store, talking about the kinds of books we each read at the bookstore—every moment came rushing back instantly.
"Yeah. It was really fun."
I answered without hesitation.
Mom didn't probe any further, simply nodding with a warm smile.
"That's wonderful to hear. Dinner's almost ready, so go get changed first."
"Got it. Koharu, can I tell you the rest over dinner?"
"Yeah. But I still have more questions, okay?"
"There's more?"
"A whole, whole lot!"
Koharu answered with deliberate emphasis, spreading her arms wide with an excited grin.
Overwhelmed by her enthusiasm, I stood up, while Mom let out a quiet chuckle.
◇◇◇
By the time I finished changing and returned to the living room, dinner was set on the table.
As the three of us gathered for the meal, a barrage of questions flew from Koharu, just as she had warned.
Which crepe did I pick? Who suggested going to the next shop? What did we eat for lunch? What were we doing at the park?
Naturally, I didn't intend to share every little detail, but I answered them one by one as best as I could. Koharu grew far more absorbed in my stories than in her food, reacting with nods of understanding or gasps of surprise at every turn.
As we continued eating through our back-and-forth, Mom cast a glance at my right shoulder.
"You were out for a long time today. Was your shoulder alright? Did the pain flare up along the way?"
"It barely hurt at all. I didn't make any big movements with my right arm, and it feels fine right now, too."
"I see. Even if it feels fine now, the pain might catch up with you once the fatigue sets in, so take it easy tonight and tomorrow morning."
"Yeah. If it starts hurting, I'll let you know."
Only after hearing my reassurance did Mom finally look back down at her meal.
I hadn't pushed myself too hard, or so I thought. But remembering that Serina-san had also asked about my shoulder on the way home, I wondered if I had caused them both concern without realizing it.
After a while, Mom set her chopsticks down.
"Come to think of it, Naoki. Serina-san's family would like to come over and visit us properly next Saturday afternoon. Do you have any plans?"
"I'm free."
"What about you, Koharu?"
"I'm free too. Serina-senpai is coming along, right?"
"Hm? Serina... senpai?"
"Yep. If you're calling her Serina-san, bro, then I figured I should call her Serina-senpai."
"Is that how it works?"
"That's how it works."
Koharu nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Her ability to switch gears was so swift that you never would have guessed she was shocked by my use of "Serina-san" just moments ago.
"Serina-san will be coming with her parents, too."
"Then I get to see Serina-senpai next Saturday, too!"
"In that case, I'll let them know the date works for us."
Mom had mentioned before that Serina-san's parents wished to thank me directly.
However, I hadn't met either of them yet.
Next Saturday would be the first time we spoke face-to-face.
"Her family has wanted to express their gratitude properly for a long time now. Make sure you keep that in mind, Naoki."
"I know."
When I nodded, Mom returned to her meal with a look of relief.
I would see Serina-san at school once the weekend was over.
Even so, next Saturday, when our families met properly, was bound to be something entirely different from our time at school or our outing today.
◇◇◇
Returning to my room after dinner, I found a message from Serina-san waiting for me.
Following an apology for the late reply, she wrote that she'd had a great time today.
Reading those words, Serina-san's smile when we parted ways in front of her house flashed in my mind, naturally bringing a grin to my face.
I replied that I'd had just as much fun, adding that I was glad we stopped by the park.
The reply that arrived soon after said she was also glad we looked at the stars together, and that she was looking forward to our next outing.
I replied that I was looking forward to it as well, suggesting we decide on where to go together again.
Neither the destination nor the date was set yet.
Even so, just from the brief words lined up on the screen, it was abundantly clear that we were both looking forward to the next time.
Before I realized it, the hour had grown quite late.
Having been out since morning, I sent a message suggesting we should both get some rest soon.
Serina-san replied, telling me to get plenty of rest as well.
'Yeah. You get some good rest too, Serina-san. Good night, Serina-san.'
A short while after sending it, a new message arrived.
'Yeah. Good night, Naoki-kun.'
I stared at my own name on the screen for a moment.
The name I had heard from Serina-san herself for the first time today was now sent to me in text.
It was such a simple thing, yet it made me surprisingly happy.
Setting my smartphone on the desk, I stood up from my chair to prepare a change of clothes.
At that moment, a drawing displayed in my room caught my eye. It was a picture of stars I had drawn as a child.
Gazing at the numerous stars scattered across the paper, the sky Serina-san and I had looked up at from the park on the way home came rushing back.
Vega, which we found first.
Then Altair and Deneb, which we searched for together.
Drawing close to confirm the positions of the stars, our shoulders had brushed against each other before we knew it.
Even after realizing how close we were, neither of us pulled away, simply continuing to gaze up at the sky.
The three stars my father had taught me about when I was little—I had searched for them with Serina-san today.
The memories that had resurfaced while looking up at the sky in the park still lingered warmly in my chest.
Glancing at the bookshelf near my desk, I scanned the spines of the books in order.
On the far side of the bottom shelf, sandwiched between other volumes, I found it.
It was the constellation guide I had bought with Dad and Koharu back in elementary school.
Pulling it from the shelf, I traced my fingers over the cover. While there were no noticeable stains or tears, the color on the spine was slightly more faded than I remembered.
Since Dad passed away, I had never opened this book once.
It wasn't that I was intentionally avoiding it. It was just that once I stopped looking up at the sky with Dad and checking the names of unfamiliar stars, I naturally stopped picking it up.
Carrying the guide to my desk, I sat down in the chair.
Opening to the first page, I saw explanations on how to find constellations and descriptions of the seasonal skies, complete with photos and diagrams.
There were no notes or dog-eared pages inside. Even so, as I turned the pages, the day I went to buy it with Dad came back to me, bit by bit, in vivid detail.
It was the day after returning from a family trip.
Dad took me and Koharu to the bookstore, and the three of us picked out a constellation guide.
Koharu, who had fallen asleep halfway through on our trip, was so interested in the stars that she carried the book all the way home in her own little arms.
Arriving home, we spread the brand-new guide out on the living room table.
Dad and I leaned in side by side to look at the pages, while Koharu leaned in from across the table, bouncing lightly on her chair with shining eyes fixed on the open book.
Spotting the page featuring the summer constellations, I searched for the same shape I had seen on our trip and pressed my finger against the paper.
"Dad, I found it! The one we saw on the trip!"
"Which one? Show your old man."
Dad was looking into the book right next to me, so he must have seen where I was pointing.
Yet he wore a clueless expression, patiently waiting for my explanation.
"This is Vega, and this one's Altair. And then..."
The name of the third star just wouldn't come out.
Even though Dad had taught it to me on that night during our trip, not even the first syllable came to mind.
Frustrated by the thought of just reading the text in the book, I kept thinking while covering the name with my hand.
"Dad, don't tell me. I'll remember it myself."
"I haven't said anything yet."
"You were about to."
"You caught me. Was it written all over my face?"
"I know because you always want to give away the answer right away, Dad."
As Dad laughed out loud, Koharu giggled cheerfully from across the table.
"Koharu got sleepy halfway through and went back to the inn with Mom, so you don't know the names of the stars, do you?"
"I wasn't sleeping! I saw them too!"
"You got carried back by Mom midway through, remember?"
"Um... I was just closing my eyes."
"That's called sleeping."
Listening to our bickering, Dad stroked Koharu's head.
"You saw the stars too, didn't you, Koharu?"
"Yeah! I saw lots and lots of them!"
Koharu said, raising both hands high above her head.
"Then what were the stars called?"
"Um... Twinkle stars!"
At Koharu's answer after a moment of deep thought, Dad gave a hearty nod.
"Spot on!"
"...Dad, you're way too soft on Koharu. Everything's a twinkle star to her."
Dad couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Well, technically she's not wrong."
"Even though you told me to name all three of them!"
When I voiced my complaint, Mom chimed in from the kitchen while preparing dinner.
"Dear, it's nothing new that you spoil Koharu, but don't laugh so much right next to Naoki while he's trying his hardest to think."
"I might be laughing, but I'm rooting for him, honest."
"No matter how you look at it, you're just enjoying yourself."
"I can't help it when Naoki looks so cute trying so hard."
Seeing Dad answer without a hint of remorse made me even more stubborn, and I buried my face closer to the book.
Even so, the name of the third star stubbornly refused to surface.
Vega and Altair. And right after that, there was one more name Dad had taught me.
Tracing back through the memories of that night on our trip over and over in my head, the name finally clicked.
"Deneb!"
"Spot on! You remembered it well."
Dad placed his large hand on my head.
Thrilled by his praise, I moved my finger across the page again in order: Vega, Altair, Deneb.
"Next time we look at the stars, I'm gonna find all three of them before you do, Dad!"
"I'll look forward to that. Guess I'd better make sure I don't lose."
"I'm gonna do it too!"
"Koharu, you'll have to make sure you don't fall asleep halfway through this time."
"I won't! I'm gonna find them first too!"
"Alright, so it's a three-way race next time."
When Dad said that, Mom's voice flew over from the kitchen.
"Three? Are you planning on leaving me behind?"
"No, of course you're included, Mom. Next time, let's make it a race between all four of us."
"You clearly just tacked that on at the end, didn't you?"
"Not at all. I meant all four of us from the start."
"Dad, you just said three a second ago!"
"I heard it too!"
"Hey, you two only take Mom's side at times like this, huh?"
Dad gave a sheepish chuckle, and Mom laughed with mild exasperation.
Koharu pulled the guide toward herself, declaring she was going to memorize them too, while I tried to tug it back, saying I hadn't finished reading it yet.
Dad placed the guide back between us, saying we could look at it together, while Mom's laughter drifted over from the kitchen.
In that living room right after returning from our trip, we had talked about the next time we'd look at the stars as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"..."
Moving my fingers that had stopped without me noticing, I returned my gaze to the open guide.
Drawn on the page was the same Summer Triangle from that day.
With the tips of my fingers, I traced Vega, Altair, and Deneb in sequence.
The three stars Dad had taught me about—today, I had shared them with Serina-san.
It felt as though something left behind in the past had connected to the present.
That made me genuinely happy.
I turned another page.
Spanning the two-page spread were countless stars and the faint, glowing expanse of the Milky Way.
Gazing at that photograph, I found myself wanting to see the night sky I had looked up at with Dad once more with my own eyes.
At the same time, the image of Serina-san beside me in the park today surfaced in my mind.
It hadn't been a starry sky quite like the one I saw with Dad that night.
Yet when all three stars came together, Serina-san had smiled so brightly.
If we were to look at a sky full of stars like that together...
I wondered what kind of expression Serina-san would make.
We hadn't even decided on our next destination yet, and here I was thinking about things so far down the road.
Even so, I hoped that future would come true someday.