[Naoki Aiba POV]
The constellation guide I had opened the night before was still resting at the edge of my desk when morning arrived.
After remembering the day Dad, Koharu, and I had gone to buy it together, I simply hadn't felt like returning it to the bookshelf. I had picked it up several times throughout the morning, even flipping through pages I hadn't looked at yesterday. After finishing lunch, I went back upstairs and was gazing at the starry sky stretching across the two-page spread when the doorbell chimed from below.
I glanced at the desk clock. It was right on time.
Leaving the guide open, I got up from my chair and left the room. By the time I reached the bottom of the stairs, Mom was just heading toward the front door.
"I'll get it."
"Oh? Well, thank you, then."
Stepping in for Mom, I walked down the hall and opened the front door.
Bathed in the summer sunlight, Hina—tanned from track club—looked up at me, her short hair bouncing. The moment her eyes found mine, a brilliant smile spread across her face.
"Naoki-nii, I'm home!...I mean, excuse me!"
Behind Hina, who had corrected herself in a lively voice, stood Asahi-san. Holding a paper bag in one hand, her lips curled into a fond, exasperated smile at her daughter's greeting.
"Well, there's no need to stand on ceremony after all this time. Come on in, both of you."
"See? Naoki-nii says either is fine!"
"Don't go taking advantage of Naoki-kun's kindness. You're supposed to greet people properly when visiting another household, remember?"
"I fixed it right away, didn't I?"
Trading words with her mother as she stepped inside, Hina started to reach both arms out toward me, only to stop halfway. Her eyes drifted from my face down to my right shoulder, lingering on the area concealed beneath my button-down shirt.
"Naoki-nii, are you really okay now? Your color is better than when you were in the hospital, but does your shoulder still hurt?"
"As long as I go about things normally, it hardly hurts at all. If I swing my right arm around too much, it pulls a little, though."
"You're not pushing yourself and pretending to be fine, are you?"
"I'm really not. It's getting better day by day, and I've just been taking it easy at home today."
Though Hina looked back up at my face, she still seemed to have something on her mind.
Back in my hospital room, she had left with a parting threat that she'd be furious if I wasn't all better by the next time we met. As I waited, recalling those words, she finally gave a small nod.
"All right. You pass for now."
"What do you mean, 'for now'?"
"You're not fully healed yet, so I can't let my guard down. Even when you say you're fine, you still overdo it sometimes, Naoki-nii."
"...Even you're saying that, Hina?"
"Of course I am! I was terrified when I saw you at the hospital!"
Lowering her voice only for those last words, Hina began untying her shoes.
Beside her, Asahi-san slipped off her shoes as well, lifting the paper bag in her hand.
"I picked up some baked treats by the station. I chose a whole assortment so we could all have some together."
"You really didn't need to do that."
"I wanted to eat them too, so don't worry about it. More importantly, sorry for subjecting you to Hina's medical examination right at the door."
"It wasn't an exam! I was just checking!"
"It was quite a thorough check, though."
Pouting slightly at Asahi-san's teasing, Hina puffed out her cheeks. Just then, Koharu appeared from the living room.
"Hina, Asahi-san, welcome!"
"Koharu-nee, long time no see!"
"We just saw each other last month, didn't we?"
"A whole month makes a big difference! Don't you think I've gotten taller again?"
"I feel like you say that every single month, but..."
Stepping up in front of Koharu, Hina stood straight and lined up beside her. Koharu turned her gaze toward Hina, comparing the crowns of their heads.
Every time the two stood side by side like this, I noticed the height gap between them had narrowed. Even though we saw them once a month, it was always moments like these that made me realize Hina was right in the middle of a growth spurt.
"I'm definitely taller than the last time we measured!"
"Then want to check after this? The marks I made back then are still there, too."
"Yes, let's! I want to see if I'm taller than when you were in sixth grade, Koharu-nee!"
"Why did this turn into a competition with me...?"
"Because you're the one I want to compare myself to!"
Hina said cheerfully, heading into the living room alongside Koharu.
Exchanging a smile with Asahi-san, we followed behind them. As we entered the living room, Mom welcomed Asahi-san and took the offered bag.
"Welcome, Asahi-san. It must have been dreadful out there, wasn't it?"
"Walking from the station was a bit warm, certainly. Though keeping up with Hina as she forged ahead was the real challenge."
"That's because I wanted to see Naoki-nii as soon as possible..."
"If that's the case, I wish you hadn't tried to leave me in the dust."
"I didn't leave you behind! I looked back plenty of times!"
"You only looked back; you didn't actually wait for me, though."
Mom chuckled softly. Just as she turned toward the kitchen with the bag in hand, Asahi-san spoke up.
"Kaori-san, may I pay my respects first?"
"Of course. I'll get some tea ready."
As Asahi-san headed toward the altar, Hina followed behind her. I stopped a few paces back and looked toward Dad's photograph.
Asahi-san bowed her head quietly before the portrait and pressed her palms together. Beside her, Hina joined her hands as well, closing her eyes. From the kitchen came the faint clatter of teacups, but the two of them remained motionless for a long moment.
Eventually, Hina looked up and spoke softly to the picture.
"I'm back again, Uncle."
Asahi-san slowly lowered her hands as well, gazing at Dad's photograph side by side with her daughter. I waited in silence, and when the two of them turned around, I gestured toward the sofa.
"Have a seat. Mom's getting tea ready right now."
As I sat down on the sofa, Hina walked around to my left and claimed the spot right next to me. Koharu took the seat across the table, and Asahi-san sat down in the remaining chair.
A moment later, Mom returned with drinks and the baked pastries. When the sweets were laid out on a plate from the box, Hina looked back and forth between the round and square ones, her hand hovering in midair.
"Hina, wasn't the whole point of coming here to check on Naoki-kun? You're already completely mesmerized by the snacks."
"Even if I'm worried, I can still pick a treat! Besides, Naoki-nii looks fine."
"Weren't you saying just a minute ago that you couldn't let your guard down?"
"I am still worried! But compared to the hospital, he feels much more like his usual self."
Selecting a round pastry, Hina finally opened the wrapper.
When she had visited the hospital, Hina had been too overwhelmed to speak much, but today she was firing off retorts at both me and Asahi-san without missing a beat. Just listening to her voice brought a deep sense of relief.
After watching Hina for a moment, Asahi-san turned to me.
"I saw you while you were admitted, but sitting here talking like this in your own home really makes it sink in that you're back."
"Sorry for making you worry."
"There's no need to apologize. Seeing you looking so healthy today is more than enough."
Asahi-san picked up her cup, took a sip, and set it back on the table. Once Mom had joined us, Asahi-san lowered her voice slightly to continue.
"Kaori-san told me you went back into the fire to rescue someone trapped inside. Is that person doing well now?"
"Yeah. She's already back at school and doing fine."
Asahi-san gave a relieved nod. Sitting beside me, Hina paused with the pastry in hand and looked up.
"School?"
"Yeah. She's a classmate of mine."
When I answered, Koharu, sitting across from us, shot me a knowing grin.
"Yesterday, when the topic turned to Serina-senpai, Onii-chan looked so ha—"
"Hey, Koharu."
Koharu quickly popped a piece of pastry into her mouth, silencing herself. But Hina looked back and forth between us, slowly setting her treat down on the plate.
"Serina? Naoki-nii, are you two close?"
"...Yeah. We get along well."
"Hmm. Then why did you cut Koharu-nee off? That just makes me even more curious!"
Leaving me entirely without a comeback, Hina turned her full attention to Koharu.
"Koharu-nee, what kind of person is she?"
"Well, even among the first-years, she's famous for being breathtakingly pretty! When I saw her up close, I was completely captivated. I honestly think she might be the prettiest girl in the whole school, and she's really sweet when you talk to her."
"Whoa... Pretty enough to leave Koharu-nee staring, huh, Naoki-nii?"
"Why are you tossing that back to me?"
"Because I want to hear what you think, Naoki-nii."
Hina asked as if it were only natural, leaning in close from beside me to search my face.
"Do you think so too, Naoki-nii?"
"Yeah, I do think she's beautiful."
Having no reason to deny it, I answered honestly, prompting Hina to exchange a strangely delighted look with Koharu. Feeling too awkward to jump in between them, I lifted my cup from the table.
"I'd love to meet her sometime, this girl."
"If the chance comes up."
Hina nodded and picked up her treat again, but didn't take a bite right away. Her eyes drifted toward my right shoulder, and the playful smile vanished from her face.
"...Did you get hurt when you went back to save her?"
"Y-Yeah. While I was helping her outside, I got burned."
"Were you already outside before that, Naoki-nii?"
"...Hina, this isn't really a pleasant story."
"I don't care. I just want to know what happened to you, Naoki-nii."
Hina looked straight at me, waiting for an answer. But worried that hearing about the fire might frighten her, I glanced over at Asahi-san.
"...Is it okay to tell her?"
"Yes. Just as much as what Kaori-san shared with me. You don't have to go into the gruesome details."
Nodding at Asahi-san's response, I turned back to Hina. Sitting beside me, she had her hands clenched tightly in her lap.
"I was outside once. But when I realized Serina-san was still trapped in there, I went back in."
"...All by yourself?"
"Yeah. Though honestly, I really should have left it to the firefighters."
Hina's gaze shifted from my face back to my right shoulder. After staring at the cuff of my shirt for a long moment, she slowly lifted her head.
"Weren't you scared?"
"I was terrified. But at that moment, I just couldn't stand by and wait."
Hina didn't say anything right away. Lowering her eyes, she tightened her grip on her clasped hands.
"...You idiot, Naoki-nii."
Her quiet, muttered words left me completely at a loss for a reply.
"I'm glad she was saved, of course I am. But what if you hadn't come back, Naoki-nii?!"
"...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
"I was terrified the whole time until I saw you at the hospital! And when I finally got there, your shoulder was covered in all those bandages..."
Hina looked away from my shoulder. Even knowing I was well now couldn't simply erase the terror she had felt back then. As I searched for the right words, Hina looked up slightly, glancing toward Asahi-san.
"I know that Uncle saved me when I was little, too."
Asahi-san let go of her cup and gave a quiet, solemn nod.
"Mom has told me about it so many times. I barely remember anything from back then, but... I feel like I still remember his voice, a little."
Hina returned her gaze to her lap, her words coming out slowly.
"When I was crying and scared, Uncle told me, 'It's all right.' Over and over, he kept saying that to me."
Hearing Hina's words brought Dad's voice vividly to mind. And alongside that voice, a sudden memory of a certain childhood night surged to the surface.
—Standing before the window of our house, I was looking outside.
The sound of rain lashing against the glass echoed with eerie clarity in my ears. The relentless deluge ran down the panes in heavy rivulets, distorting the world outside.
Perhaps because I was looking up from so low to the ground back then, the window had felt impossibly massive. I suddenly recalled how freezing the glass had felt beneath the palm I pressed against it.
Beyond the rain, a red light flashed.
Bleeding through the wet glass, the glow faintly painted the walls of the room before disappearing. Before my eyes could readjust to the dark, it flared red once more. Thinking I might see better each time it lit up, I pressed my face close to the pane, but all that greeted me were streaks of rain and shapeless smears of light.
I could hear sirens.
Just when I thought one was drawing near, another overlapped from a different direction. A distant wail muffled by the storm, and a piercing shriek that sounded right on top of us. Unable to tell them apart, I strained my eyes against the glass, searching desperately for something.
When the red light faded, I drew even closer to the window. Staring past the raindrops, I waited for the next pulse of light.
And then, a low, heavy roar tore through the air, drowning out the storm completely.
The vibration shook the core of my chest, stealing the breath from my lungs. It didn't stop with a single crash; within that heavy resonance, multiple shuddering impacts followed in violent succession. The tremor traveled straight through the palm I had pressed to the glass, rattling the window frame.
I yanked my hand back on instinct, but I couldn't pull myself away from the glass. Even as I strained my eyes through the downpour, all that remained was the blurred, bleeding red light. I couldn't see a thing.
Even when the deafening noise finally ceased, I stood there frozen, unable to lower my trembling hand. The rain and sirens still raged on. Holding my breath, I could only stare into the window as it was painted red again and again.
"—ki... Naoki-nii?"
A voice snapped me back to reality. I looked up to find Hina peering into my face from beside me. My hands were resting in my lap, and my half-finished tea sat cold on the table.
"...Sorry. It's nothing."
"Are you okay?"
"...Yeah."
Even as I answered, the memory of that red light bleeding through the rain clung to my mind.
Reaching for my cup, I took a sip of the lukewarm tea. After slowly swallowing it down, I turned back to Hina. She lifted her eyes from my right shoulder and spoke softly.
"Isn't that girl worried about your injuries too, Naoki-nii?"
"Yeah. She was worrying over me yesterday, too."
"...I knew it. Just because someone saved you doesn't mean you want them to get hurt."
Releasing her clenched hands from her lap, Hina reached out and pinched the fabric of my left sleeve.
"You have to come back safe too, Naoki-nii. Even if you're saving someone, I'd hate it if you didn't make it home."
Looking down at her small fingers, I brought my eyes back to her face.
It was true that on the day of the fire, I had fully intended for both Serina-san and me to make it out alive. Even so, there was no denying that I had put myself second when shielding her from the flames.
I had no way of knowing what had happened while I was unconscious. How terrified Mom and Koharu had been was something I only realized after I opened my eyes.
And among those who had been waiting for me to come back, Hina had been there too.
Looking at her face right beside me, I reached out with my left hand and gently rested it on her head.
"I understand. I'll make sure to look after myself, too."
"Promise?"
"Yeah. Because I want to be able to open the door and welcome you and Asahi-san, just like today."
Hina stared at me in silence for a moment. Eventually, her fingers let go of my sleeve, and she gave a small nod.
"Then it's a promise. Next time, make sure you're the one who answers the door too, Naoki-nii."
"Will do. I'll be there to let you in anytime."
"...Okay."
A smile finally returned to her lips.
When I took my hand off her head, my eyes met Asahi-san's. She gave a warm, gentle nod, while Mom quietly let out a breath and nudged the plate of sweets closer so everyone could reach.
When Koharu offered a different pastry, Hina noticed the half-eaten one she had left on her plate and giggled. After finishing it off, she took the new package and split it down the middle with Koharu.
Drawn in by the two of them debating over which one was tastier, I reached for the remaining sweets as well. With Mom and Asahi-san joining in, the living room steadily reclaimed its usual warmth and lively chatter.
From then on, we talked about Hina's track practice and everything happening at school. As Hina used dramatic hand gestures to explain how she had beaten her personal records, Koharu shared stories from her own school, with Asahi-san occasionally chiming in to say she hadn't heard any of this at home.
As the snacks on the plate dwindled and Mom stood up to brew fresh tea, Koharu turned to Hina.
"Come to think of it, weren't we going to measure your height?"
"I totally forgot! Koharu-nee, let's go do it right now!"
"Don't start rushing me the second you remember!"
"Naoki-nii, you be the judge!"
"All right. I'll keep it fair."
Hina sprang up from the sofa and practically sprinted down the hallway.
Koharu grabbed a thin book and a pencil from the living room shelf, and I followed behind them. On the doorframe pillar we had used to measure our height since childhood, numerous pencil lines remained alongside my name and Koharu's.
Among them were lines added whenever Hina came over to play and insisted on being measured too. The dates were scattered, but tracing the names made it easy to follow the history of all three of us growing up.
Hina stood with her back flat against the pillar, bringing her feet together and standing as tall as she could. I looked at the markings beside her, searching for the one from when Koharu had been in sixth grade, just like Hina was now.
"Hina, your heels are off the floor."
"Huh? No they're not!"
"Anyone can see you're clearly tiptoeing! Look, Onii-chan, look at her!"
"Sorry. I wasn't looking."
"She's doing it right now! Look at this gap! Right here!"
When I shifted my gaze from the old marks down to her feet, both of Hina's heels were planted firmly on the floor. She maintained an utterly innocent expression, standing at attention and staring straight ahead.
"...They're touching the ground."
"She just put them down! Right before you looked, Onii-chan!"
"Koharu-nee, you can measure now!"
"Guh..."
Koharu glared at Hina's feet one more time before readjusting her grip on the book. Fighting back a laugh, I kept my eyes glued to Hina's heels this time.
Koharu placed the book flat atop Hina's head and made a small pencil mark along its bottom edge. When Hina stepped away, I compared the new mark with the line just below it from Koharu's sixth-grade year.
"Looks like you're slightly taller than Koharu was in sixth grade."
"Really?!"
"Well, I was measured right at the very start of sixth grade, you know."
"A few months doesn't make that big of a difference!"
"Hina, didn't you just say when you walked in that a whole month changes a lot?"
"Mmph..."
Hina pondered for a second, looking back and forth between the two marks.
"Still, my line is higher! So it's definitely my win!"
"Wait, wasn't I supposed to be the judge?"
When Koharu burst out laughing, Hina giggled along with her. Even so, she had no intention of relinquishing her victory, pointing proudly at the new mark as she turned to me.
"All right, Naoki-nii, write my name here!"
"You want me to do it?"
"Yeah. You wrote it for me before, didn't you?"
"I'll have to use my left hand, so the handwriting might look a little messy."
"As long as I can read it, it's fine!"
Taking the pencil from Koharu, I used my left hand to trace a line across the small mark. Beneath it, I added Hina's name and today's date.
Written with my clumsy hand, the characters were uneven, and the very last stroke dipped down slightly. Hina watched attentively until I finished, and the moment I pulled the pencil away, she leaned in close to the pillar.
"...It's a little crooked."
"I told you it would be."
"Still, you can totally read 'Hina' clear as day," Koharu offered from the side, and Hina nodded in agreement.
She reached her finger toward the writing, stopping just short of touching the fresh graphite, and stepped back to admire it.
"Next time, write it with your right hand, okay? Once your shoulder is all better."
"If you've grown taller by then, sure."
"I will! Next time I come over, we're drawing another line way higher up!"
"Are you planning to grow that much in just one month?"
"You never know! I might hit a huge growth spurt!"
Hina shot back at Koharu, gazing up at the newest line with complete satisfaction.
A little below that, and lower still, Hina's name appeared again and again. Comparing the marks from her early childhood to today's line, the growth that was easy to overlook during monthly visits was preserved in plain sight.
Back then, she would refuse to step away from the pillar, begging for the line to be drawn just a little higher. Now, she was scolding me over my injuries and making me promise to take care of myself.
Perhaps the two of us would look back together on these uneven characters beside today's line someday, too.
As I handed the pencil back to Koharu, Mom called out to us from the living room. Hearing that the tea was poured, Hina was the first to scurry back. The debate over who had truly won at the pillar didn't end even after we rejoined Asahi-san.
As the five of us chatted, the sunlight streaming through the window gradually began to slant.
When Asahi-san checked the time and began gathering her things, Hina looked like she wanted to stay longer, but in the end, she picked up her bag and stood up.
Putting on her shoes in the entryway, she turned back to look at me once more before heading for the door.
"Make sure you're doing even better the next time we meet, okay?"
"Yeah. I'll keep up with my rehab."
"And also... I'd love to meet that girl someday, too."
"You're really curious about her, huh?"
"Yeah. Koharu-nee said she's pretty and sweet. And seeing how happy you looked talking about her, Naoki-nii, I really want to know what kind of person she is."
Beside Hina, Asahi-san finished slipping on her shoes and looked up.
"Just because you want to meet her doesn't mean you should make unreasonable demands of Naoki-kun."
"I know! I just thought it would be nice."
"You might run into her at a school event or something," Koharu suggested.
Hina's face instantly lit up.
"Tell me when that happens, Koharu-nee!"
"Sure. As long as you don't bombard her with questions all at once like you did today."
"...Is it okay if I ask them one by one?"
"So you have no intention of asking fewer questions, then?"
When I couldn't help but jump in, Asahi-san broke into helpless laughter. Hina pouted for a second, but seeing Koharu laughing beside her, a grin broke out on her face as well.
Asahi-san adjusted her bag over her shoulder, thanked Mom for the visit, and turned to me.
"Well then, see you next month. Naoki-kun, Koharu-chan, thank you for today. Naoki-kun, don't push yourself, all right?"
"Yeah. Thanks for coming over."
"Thank you for having us! Naoki-nii, Koharu-nee, see you later!"
"See ya."
"See you, Hina! Asahi-san, have a safe trip home!"
Mom, Koharu, and I saw them out to the gate. Even after stepping out onto the street, Hina turned around and gave us an enthusiastic wave.
I raised a hand in return, and only after their figures vanished around the street corner did I pull the front door shut.
Mom and Koharu headed back toward the living room. As I moved to follow them, my eyes caught on the fresh pencil line on the pillar.
Beneath the slightly crooked mark was Hina's name, written with my left hand. Tracing my eyes from the faded old markings up to today's line, Hina's proud smile from earlier flashed across my mind.
The little girl whom Dad had saved was now telling me that she wanted me to come home safe.
I gently rested my fingers against the new mark.
How much taller would Hina be the next time she came over? What kind of bickering would she and Koharu get into then? I wanted to be right here in this house, watching over it all and laughing along with them.
Next time, I'll use my right hand to draw a slightly straighter line for her.
With that thought in mind, I pulled my hand away from the pillar and walked toward the living room, drawn by the warm voices of Mom and Koharu.