The morning light was pale, spilling gently through the curtains and pooling on the floor. Momo sat on the edge of her bed, her small suitcase already closed beside her. The sound of her father calling from the front door echoed faintly through the house.
She had woken before dawn, too nervous to sleep. Today they were leaving Kuoh. Her father's work was taking them to another city, and she had promised her friends she would visit again someday. Still, there was one person she hoped to see before they left.
She looked toward the window. The sky was clear, thin wisps of smoke from last night's fireworks still fading into the pale blue. She smiled a little, remembering the colors, then frowned. Lucas had promised to come by in the morning, to wave goodbye before they left.
He was never late.
She waited by the gate while her father loaded the last of the bags into the car. Her breath came out in white clouds. The street was empty except for a delivery truck passing in the distance.
"Momo, we have to go," her father said gently. "The train won't wait."
She nodded but lingered another moment, eyes fixed on the corner where Lucas usually appeared. He had probably overslept. Maybe he had stayed up too late helping at the orphanage again. She would tease him about it later.
She climbed into the car. The engine started, soft and steady. Her father hummed quietly as they pulled away from the neighborhood.
The streets were quiet. The festival lanterns still hung from the wires above the shops, swaying lightly in the morning breeze. As they drove farther, Momo noticed a group of people gathered near one of the side roads. The faint smell of smoke drifted through the open window.
Her father slowed the car. "What happened?" he asked a man standing nearby.
The man looked tired, his coat dusted with ash. "A fire," he said. "The orphanage on the edge of town. It started sometime after midnight. Stray fireworks, they think. The whole place burned before the fire trucks arrived."
Her father's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "Was anyone hurt?"
The man shook his head slowly. "No one made it out."
The words hung in the air. Momo turned toward the window. In the distance, she could see the faint gray plume rising behind the rooftops. The smell was sharper now, bitter and dry.
Her father murmured something under his breath and drove on. The car rolled past the edge of town, where the hills began to rise.
Momo pressed her forehead against the cold glass. Her reflection blurred with the gray smoke outside. For a long moment she said nothing. Then her eyes filled with tears she hadn't realized were coming.
She whispered softly, her voice barely audible over the hum of the car.
"Goodbye, Lucas."
The town slipped from view behind them. Only the smoke remained, thin against the pale morning sky.