Chapter 5: I Knew Her By
I kept walking, but my legs felt heavy.
Not from the weight of my bag, or the heat of the afternoon —
but from the memory I couldn't shake.
What just happened...?
It played on a loop in my head, again and again.
That moment — her face so close, her breath trembling —
and then...
No.
That couldn't have been real.
And yet, my lips still tingled.
I reached the school gate, still dazed, when a voice called out behind me.
> "Wait—Naji-kun! Wait for me!"
I turned.
It was her.
She was running toward me, her breath uneven, her eyes soft and a little panicked.
> "Shizuka…" I said without thinking.
She leaned forward, catching her breath.
> "Gosh... you're fast. You didn't even wait."
I blinked.
> "Sorry, miss… I don't know you. Who are you?"
It slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it.
She stared at me.
Hurt flashed in her eyes for just a second —
and then, a half-smile.
> "Seriously? It's me, Shizuka. From yesterday. And... from before."
I wanted to say I remembered.
But I didn't. Not clearly. Not yet.
She walked beside me anyway.
And I let her.
---
The road home was quiet. The sakura petals had started falling again.
The same as always — or so I thought.
She looked at me, tilting her head.
> "You're being weird. What's going on in that head of yours?"
> "Nothing," I lied. "Just… some things felt familiar today."
> "You say the strangest things, Naji-kun."
She pouted for a moment, then giggled.
> "You're really hard to understand, you know that?"
> "You're the only one who says that."
> "Exactly. I must be special."
We didn't say much after that.
But her steps matched mine.
And for once, I didn't mind the silence.
When we reached the corner, she turned to me with a soft smile.
> "See you tomorrow, Naji-kun. And hey—don't forget again, okay?"
> "I'll try, Miss Shizuka."
She blushed a little.
Like I'd called her something too formal, too fond.
> "Dummy," she whispered.
---
I watched her walk off down the lane.
And only when she was gone did I feel the weight again.
Something was bothering me.
The kiss.
That moment in the classroom.
The way her face looked so familiar when she was flustered.
And just now—
Right before she ran to me, I'd remembered something. A scene.
A voice shouting.
A girl coming toward me — fast.
Sunlight breaking across her face—
Then gone.
I stood at my door before I realized I'd even reached home.
What was it?
Who was she?
And why…
why did my heart feel like it already knew her name?
---
[To Be Continued]
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