Three Days of Happiness

120
were quite a few passengers, but I kept talking to Miyagi about my
memories of Himeno regardless.
We changed buses and got off at a viewing platform, a famous date
spot in the town. There were about ten couples holding each other
and sneaking kisses, but I kept talking to Miyagi anyway.
Strangely, I didn’t feel too many eyes on me. Everyone was too busy
with themselves.
“Himeno was there the first time I came here. The railing near the
top of that spiral staircase is just the right height for a kid to want to
get on top of. So Himeno tried to climb up, but I noticed a gap in the
railing just as Himeno nearly fell all the way to the ground. If I
hadn’t happened to be there to stop her, she just might have. She
acts intellectual, but she can be a real goof too. It’s like, you just
can’t leave her alone. I got a scratch in all the hurry reaching for
her, but for that one day, she got unusually nice -”
Miyagi was giving me a concerned look as I was getting more
talkative, as if brushing off her uneasiness.
She knew more than I did at that point. She had yet to tell me
something crucial.
The viewing platform would have been an appropriate place to
explain it, but she didn’t speak of it.
Maybe she thought she’d let me keep dreaming as long as I could.
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The day came at last. It was a rainy afternoon, and the station was