The next morning, Hana woke to an empty bed. A pang of unease settled in her chest as she glanced at the clock. Yakumo was gone. She grabbed her phone and called him, the line ringing longer than usual before he picked up.
"Hello?" His voice was heavy, strained, as if he had been exerting himself.
Hana frowned. "Is everything okay? Your breathing sounds… heavy."
There was a pause, and then Yakumo stammered, "The… the walk was long. To the place I was trying to get to."
Hana's concern didn't fade. She hesitated, her voice softening. "Okay… just don't tire yourself out."
She put the phone down and tried to push the worry aside, moving through her morning routine. Breakfast felt heavier than usual, and she decided to go to the park alone. Watching the clouds had always been their quiet ritual, but today it served another purpose: she needed time to think.
As she sat on the familiar bench, Hana's mind drifted to Yakumo's behavior the night before. He had come home late, more distracted than usual. She noticed him clutching his phone tightly, keeping it just out of her reach a sharp contrast to before, when it was always left within easy reach. She remembered how he had rejected her invitation to watch the clouds, his favorite activity. A small knot of worry tightened in her chest.
Returning home, she found Yakumo on the couch, flicking through the TV channels with a distant expression. Her heart sank slightly.
"Where did you go, honey?" she asked, trying to keep her voice light.
Yakumo froze for a moment, panic flashing in his eyes. "I… I went to get some food, and then to see if I could buy some stuff, though I couldn't find anything," he said quickly, almost too quickly.
Hana caught the subtle hesitation, the tension in his tone. She didn't press. Instead, she went to the kitchen to prepare lunch, her mind spinning quietly with questions.
Dinner came and went, and all the while Yakumo kept his phone clutched in his hands, scrolling incessantly. Finally, Hana couldn't hold back.
"Honey… what's wrong? You've been checking your phone all afternoon," she asked, trying to mask the growing edge in her voice.
Yakumo's eyes darted toward her, defensive. "I'm not checking! I'm just… trying to see if I have work. Leave me alone."
Hana froze. His words were sharp, unlike anything he had ever said to her. He had always answered her questions, always shared. This defensiveness, this sudden distance it cut deeper than she expected.
She sat back quietly, the hum of the apartment filling the silence, and let the moment linger. Somewhere in her chest, a small seed of worry had taken root. Something was off. Something Yakumo wasn't telling her.
Outside, the clouds drifted slowly across the sky. They were beautiful, but Hana couldn't help noticing how even the most peaceful things could start to feel… uncertain.