Bucket list

The sky was a gentle shade of grey that Saturday morning, the kind that felt like the world was holding its breath. Kazuki stared blankly at the ceiling from his bed, his alarm long forgotten, his thoughts tangled in a web of sorrow and helplessness. He hadn't slept much. Not since Hikari told Natsumi everything. Not since he saw the pain in her eyes become real—more real than it had ever been before.

Then his phone buzzed.

**Hikari:** *"Meet me at the train station by 10. Don't be late. Dress warm, we're going somewhere."*

No emoji. Just the text. Simple, direct, but it made Kazuki sit up instantly.

He didn't need to ask where or why. He just knew—this was her way of living again.

---

By the time Kazuki arrived at the station, she was already there. Hikari stood by a vending machine sipping warm cocoa, her red scarf fluttering a little in the wind. She wore a beautiful blue sun dress.

"You're late," she said, offering him a can of cocoa.

Kazuki blinked. "It's 9:58."

"Exactly. Two minutes late." But there was a tiny smile playing at her lips.

He took the cocoa without a word and followed her into the train.

---

They didn't say much during the ride. She stared out the window, watching the town blur into countryside. The soft hum of the train filled the silence between them.

"Today," she said after a while, "I want to cross off some things. Things I want to do before I die."

Kazuki felt his stomach knot at the word. *Die.* It was too real now. Too close. But he nodded.

"Okay. Lead the way."

---

They stopped at a bustling street market in a town two stations away. It wasn't touristy or famous—it just had a charm to it. Stalls selling roasted sweet potatoes, candied apples, yakitori. Hikari tried them all.

She grabbed his hand and dragged him from one spot to the next, laughing more than she had in weeks. Kazuki couldn't stop watching her—every laugh, every bite, every moment etched into his memory like it could be the last.

"You're not eating anything," she said, holding out a bite of her dango.

"I'm fine," he said.

She frowned. "You promised you wouldn't be sad today."

He looked away. "I'm not. Just… full."

She rolled her eyes and shoved the dango into his mouth anyway. "Liar."

---

That evening, they met up with Natsumi at the beach.

The sky was soft pink, the sea glittering with orange and violet reflections. The three of them walked along the shore, kicking at the sand, letting the wind whip their hair.

Hikari and Natsumi chased each other into the shallow waves, screaming and laughing like kids again. Kazuki watched them from a distance, hands in his pockets, heart aching.

Eventually, Hikari jogged up to him, soaking wet, her smile wide. "Get in here, you loner."

He shook his head. "Pass."

She narrowed her eyes. "Get in here *or else*."

When he didn't move, she ran at him and shoved him into the water.

Kazuki sputtered, soaked from the waist down. "You're insane."

"Yeah," she said, standing beside him, catching her breath. "But I'm *living*, Kazuki."

---

Monday came too fast.

Hikari was unusually quiet that morning, her eyes distant. During break, she pulled Kazuki aside.

"Hey, let's ditch class today."

"What?"

"One of the things on my list is to skip class at least once. Properly. Like rebels."

He stared at her. "You're a terrible influence."

"You coming or not?"

"…Yeah. I'm coming."

They snuck out through the back gate, laughing like criminals. Natsumi saw them from the classroom window. She smiled at first, but the smile faded. Her shoulders trembled as she lowered her head onto her arms. Silent tears soaked into her sleeves. She counted the days: *53 days left.*

---

Three more days passed. Hikari had 50 days left.

On Thursday, they sat on the rooftop again, the breeze teasing her hair.

"You feeling sick or anything today?" Kazuki asked.

"Nope. I feel fine."

She looked up at the sky, swinging her legs.

"I wonder how I'm going to die."

Kazuki froze.

"Sorry," she said quickly. "Bad joke."

He didn't respond.

"Kazuki… thank you. For everything."

He turned toward her. "I should be the one thanking you."

She smiled softly. "Let's make these days count, okay?"

And he nodded, because that was all he could do.

The days were slipping, like sand through his fingers.

But she was smiling again.

And for now, that was enough.