15 Jan 2009 – Kyoto, Japan
Haruto woke up with half-open eyes, rubbing them, yawning, and stretching his arms. He glanced at the clock."Hmm… I woke up early… never imagined the day would come so soon. Still, I've had enough sleep. I feel refreshed… Oh God, it feels like I can do anything. I'm excited, full of energy… Let's goooo…"
With that excited mood, he started singing. Wrapping his blanket, he cleaned the bed, picked up his brush and clothes, and went straight to the bathroom. After a shower, he headed to the kitchen, where his sister was cooking. Quietly, he walked towards her with silent steps and then,
"Bhooo!"
He startled her. Sasha, who was focused on cooking, got scared. Instinctively, she smacked him with a wooden spoon. The spoon, still hot from the steam, hit his right hand and burned him.
"Ouch! Ouch!… Sister, why… it hurts, you know."
She replied angrily, "Oh, it hurts? Then why on earth did you do that? You know I'm cooking! Imagine if the hot soup spilled on either of us,you'd be burned badly. It's dangerous. And now you're complaining about a little burn… you fool!"
Haruto instantly felt guilty. He only wanted to surprise her, but now he'd gotten himself a scar for life.
"I'm sorry… I just wanted to…"
While he was speaking, she grabbed his hand and applied ointment. He stayed silent. After she finished, she went back to cooking. Haruto looked at her hands, the same hands that once fed him when he was a child, hands that used to be soft and gentle, now rough and blistered. Those gentle touches had been worn down on the road of responsibility.
He remembered when the head of their orphanage had collapsed. At that time, she was a top student at Kyoto's best high school. She was called a prodigy, but after that incident, she took on the responsibility of raising us. Her dreams were swept away, and now she stood as a shelter, protecting her loved ones from the storms of life.
In a low voice, he said, "Sister… there's something I want to tell you. I got a bonus at work, so I was thinking maybe we could go to a restaurant together. Don't worry about money—I've saved enough."
Sasha stopped stirring and looked at him. "Why do we need to go to a restaurant when I can make the same food at home? Besides, those places are expensive. We don't have that kind of money. I've told you many times—save as much as possible. But you spend money on your siblings like crazy. If I don't stop you, all your savings will vanish into thin air. So stop talking about this and pack your lunch for school."
He stood still. "I know… but it's been almost five years since we went anywhere together. And… I lied. I didn't get a bonus, it's a gift from Uncle Kaito. He wished we could enjoy ourselves a little. You're already working so hard. What's going to happen if you take a day off? It's not like the world will end."
She slammed the spoon on the table in frustration. "Fine, you win, you stubborn brat. Now tell me where and what time, so I can come home, get dressed, and prepare the children. And make sure you thank Aunt Haritha for taking care of them while we're out. You'd better buy something for her. Also, don't act all innocent in front of me—you already had this planned and just convinced me with that sly little speech of yours."
Haruto smiled. "Hehehe… okay. At 7 p.m., I'll be waiting at Uncle Kaito's shop."
He packed his lunch, said goodbye, and headed to school. Crossing the bridge, he saw Ayana and Takumi walking together. He caught up to them.
Takumi looked surprised. "Hi Haruto… what am I seeing? Did you get kicked out of your job?"
"You baka… why would Uncle Kaito fire me? You know I'm the best among the staff," Haruto replied with a grin.
Ayana cut in, "Okay, okay, that's not important. Have you heard the news from yesterday? The asteroid—they're transferring it from Okayama to Tokyo for advanced research."
Curious, Haruto asked, "What asteroid? Which one? When? What happened?"
Takumi burst out laughing, wiping away tears. "Hahaha… Ayana, you forgot something—this guy doesn't even read the newspaper. You expect him to watch the news? How laughable!"
Ayana regretted not telling him earlier. Now he was a laughingstock. She took a deep breath. "So… you know nothing, right?"
Haruto shook his head.
"Alright. About six weeks ago, an asteroid fell near the mountains of Okayama. The strange thing is, not even the best satellites detected it—NASA's tech failed too. Thankfully, it was small and didn't hurt anyone. Now, NASA wants it for research and offered gold worth five billion U.S. dollars, but our space agency refused. So they're transferring it to Tokyo. You can actually see it tonight after 9 p.m. when it passes through Kyoto. Want to come with us?"
Haruto scratched his head. "Heh… sorry Ayana, I'm busy tonight. Maybe I'll see it when they put it in a museum."
Takumi shrugged. "Asteroid this, asteroid that… what's the point of talking about something even NASA couldn't detect? Let's drop it. Look, our school's here."
They went inside, attended classes, and eventually the final bell rang. As they walked out, Haruto noticed something. "Hey… why didn't anyone come to pick you up? Don't you usually come by car?"
Ayana glanced at Takumi before replying, "We stopped that at the start of this year. As you know, we've been together since kindergarten. This is our last year, so Takumi and I decided to enjoy school like normal students, not as nobles. We know your situation, and we want to spend more time together."
The three of them got emotional. Memories flooded back. Takumi then lowered his voice. "Haruto, do you remember when my father last visited your orphanage? He mentioned a deal. He told me to get your answer as soon as possible. I'm sorry, but… this deal benefits both sides, so think it over."
Haruto's steps grew heavy. He remembered that day, late October, when Takumi's father came to their home. The deal was tempting: they'd adopt all the orphanage kids, including Haruto, give them loving families, and the best education in the country. But there was a condition, it would be used as a marketing stunt for their company. Sasha was furious, telling them to leave, saying she'd raise the children herself rather than let them be treated like products. Takumi's father said the offer would stay open until next year.
Deep down, Haruto knew it was the best choice, but he couldn't accept it. He slapped his own cheek. "Sorry guys… I've got to go to work." He ran off, not letting them see how much it hurt.
For Haruto, every child in the orphanage was family, even without blood ties. They were his world.
Haruto reached Uncle Kaito's shop. He shook his head, clearing away his heavy thoughts, and stepped inside. Uncle Kaito was cleaning the place. Haruto picked up a cloth and started wiping the windows. With just one glance, Kaito could tell something had happened.
He stopped his work, went into the kitchen, and returned with two cups of coffee."Haruto… come here. Take a cup—it's your favorite brand."
Haruto sat down, quietly sipping it. Kaito broke the silence."Child, I'm not going to ask what happened, but I'll say this, forget the past, embrace the future, and enjoy the present. Didn't I tell you to enjoy today? Why are you here instead?"
Haruto smirked. "Because of you. Yesterday, you didn't even tell me when you were leaving."
Kaito dropped a sugar cube into his coffee. "Ah… I forgot. I guess it's my age catching up with me. My youth was fun, but now my body feels the toll. We're moving next week. Six days left, so I'm cleaning this place before we go. Anyway, are you going out somewhere with your family?"
Haruto laughed. "Must be your age. Yes, we're going to a restaurant, and I'm thinking of taking them shopping, whether my sister likes it or not. I'll wait here for them, but until they come, I'm helping you, and you have no right to refuse."
Kaito chuckled, and the two of them worked together, passing the time.
At 7 p.m., his family arrived. Saying goodbye to Kaito, Haruto joined them and headed to Kyoto's biggest market. It had been years since they came together as a family—back then, there were only four of them. Now, there were seven.
He walked through the lively streets, watching all kinds of goods being sold. At one corner, a crowd had gathered. Pushing through, Haruto saw they were advertising a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S730 camera. Intrigued by its features, he asked the price. The seller explained it was on sale—3,000 yen off, plus three Memory Stick Duo cards, and a free photo album of up to 50 pictures if brought in within 24 hours.
Haruto hesitated. It was still 13,000 yen… but without thinking too much more, he bought it. Just then, Sasha appeared and scolded him for buying such an expensive item. Haruto, with his usual charm, managed to convince her.
They continued wandering, buying sugar candy here, takoyaki there. Haruto bought clothes, toys, and even a large teddy bear for the youngest. Along the way, he captured their joyful moments with his new camera. Slowly, even Sasha started to relax and enjoy herself.
Time passed quickly. The younger siblings began to tire, so they went to a restaurant. Haruto ordered their favorite dishes. He fed the youngest by hand—seeing this, the others asked to be fed the same way. Sasha took pictures of every moment.
By the time they finished, it was already past 9 p.m. Sasha suggested they head home. Haruto then remembered something and asked them to go ahead without him. He patted each sibling's head.
"Your brother's going somewhere, but I'll be back soon. Follow Sister, go to bed, and sleep well. When you wake up, I'll have a surprise for you. Okay? Bye."
It would be the last farewell he ever gave them. Even the moon slipped behind the clouds, as if it knew the family's fate.
Haruto headed straight to the camera shop, handed over his memory stick, and asked them to print the album. He also made a special request, which they accepted without charging extra. After a short wait, they returned the memory stick along with a box, asking for his address so they could deliver the album in two days.
He put the box in his bag, hung the camera around his neck, and walked home, lost in thought. The weight of so many decisions pressed on him. Crossing the road, he accidentally bumped into a man. Haruto immediately apologized and tried to move on, but the man called out,
"Hey, young one… advice from an adult: never lose hope. Believe in yourself, and never forget these words."
Before Haruto could reply, the man had vanished into the crowd. Confused, Haruto looked around, but there was no trace of him.
He wandered to a park and sat on a bench, gazing up at the stars. Pulling his diary from his bag, he began to write, taking longer than usual. When he finished, he took out the camera, looked through the photos, and smiled.
Then… his vision began to blur. His body felt heavy, and his surroundings seemed to narrow. An uneasy sensation washed over him.
And then, he vanished.