subha_san

He forgets the little things. But she never forgot him.

Yutsume Naji is an average high school student — quiet, a little forgetful, and always hiding behind his headphones.

Until one spring morning, a girl from his past transfers into his class.

Shizuka, his childhood friend, remembers every promise he’s forgotten.

And soon, another girl — Akari, the silent bookworm — starts falling for him too.

A soft, slow romance begins to bloom... between two heartbeats.

(A light novel about love, memory, and the moments that stay with us forever.)

Between two heartbeats

After Akari-san left, I stood there for a while.

She was gone… and somehow, I still didn't know what to feel.

I've never been the kind of person who makes friends easily, and yet… she slipped into my life like a memory I was supposed to remember.

That name drifted back to me like cherry blossom petals in the wind—soft, sudden, and from someplace far away.

I guess… that's where everything started.

[FLASHBACK – YEARS AGO]

The usual kind of day, except for the noise in the hallway. A few boys surrounded some kid and tossed his lunchbox around.

I didn't say anything. I never did. I just waited for it to end like usual.

When it was finally quiet, I sat alone on the edge of the field, picking at what little lunch I had left. I wasn't sad. Just used to it.

That's when someone walked up to me.

> "Why are you so quiet? Are you sick or something?" she asked, hands on her hips.

I looked up, startled. No one really talked to me.

Especially not a girl like her—braided hair, oversized uniform sleeves, and a spark in her eyes like she already knew me.

> "I… I don't know," I muttered. "I guess I just… forget things. Even what people tell me. Even my own thoughts."

She blinked, then gave the kind of smile that didn't feel forced.

> "That's okay! Then I'll just have to remember everything for you. Let's be friends! I'm Nishimiya Shizuka."

I stared at her, unsure how to answer. I wasn't used to people saying things like that.

> "I'm… Yutsume Naji," I said slowly. "Nice to meet you, I guess… Miss Shizuka?"

> "Don't call me Miss! That sounds weird!"

Then, without warning, she grabbed my hand.

> "Come on! I'll show you my favorite place!"

And just like that, she pulled me up and dragged me toward the open field behind the school.

The sunlight hit the grass in just the right way, and in that moment, I felt something I hadn't in a long time—warmth.

We ate together every day after that.

Shizuka-chan would talk and talk, and I'd listen… or at least try.

Sometimes I'd forget what she said the very next day.

She'd just smile, place her hand over mine, and repeat the same words with the same warmth as if it was the first time.

And slowly—without even realizing it—she became my best friend.

Maybe for her, it became something more.

> "You know, one day… I'll probably forget you too."

I thought she'd finally give up on me.

> "It's okay, Naji-kun," she whispered.

"If you forget me, I'll just remind you again… and again. As many times as it takes."

I didn't understand what that meant back then.

But her voice—her promise—stayed with me like an echo I couldn't place.

[BACK TO PRESENT]

That's why, when she showed up again in front of me this spring, smiling like nothing had changed—

part of me remembered something warm.

Even if I didn't remember her name right away—

This chapter represents the emotional root of Naji's story. His memory isn't just a flaw—it's the reason his heart forgets and rediscovers the people who matter most. Shizuka's quiet love, her promise to always remind him, contrasts beautifully with Akari's more sudden, chaotic reentry into his life. This is the heartbeat of the story—what was forgotten, what still lingers, and what might yet return.

Chapter 7: The one who called me by name!