CHAPTER 9: AOZORA NO SHITA
"The song that you taught me will always remind me of you. I can let go of you but I will not forget you."
Sitting on a bench, Reiko was loosing her composure after waiting for Naomi for about two and a half hours at their meeting place. She held her knees with hands trembling in anger, and looked at the little children playing with her eyes smoldering.
"I can't believe she's letting me wait this long," she grumbled to suppress the anger.
With her patience reaching its limit, she couldn't wait any longer, so she stood and grabbed her bag.
She was about to leave when a familiar voice from behind halted her. "You're leaving?"
Reiko slowly turned to the person who just spoke. It was her, dressed simply in her hazel-colored short-hair ponytail—Takahashi Naomi, Reiko's former best friend. Naomi sat down on the bench, and Reiko looked at her silently.
"You should sit down as well," Naomi said without looking at her. Reiko took her seat, and they were sitting side by side with a meter-long space between them.
Naomi looked up at the sky and started, "Thanks for the friendly intention but—no thanks. It's been three years and I guess I feel much lighter this way." Reiko didn't dare to talk yet. "And besides, you've got lots of 'people' now, right? I'm not needed. Everything's at ease, schoolmate. "
"Yuki must have bothered you a lot since you agreed to come. I think I've asked too much about you," Reiko replied in a rather insolent way. Naomi didn't reply. "Who are you referring to as 'people'? I should be the one telling you that statement. I'm happy for you since you are feeling lighter now, but I pity myself for not being able to. I pity myself since I'm still unhappy, carrying that burden."
Naomi just kept her mouth shut, knowing that her former best friend still had something to say.
There was a minute's silence before Reiko started to talk again. "Nee-san said to let go of the balloon. Unfortunately, I still can't. I'm sorry."
"I still believe that you can let go. Time can help you."
"It's hard to let go of something beautiful—something that had given you joy, don't you think so?"
"True," Naomi affirmed. "I think I've already said what I feel in that letter and you're finished talking to me now, so I might as well leave." Naomi stood, prepared to leave.
"You two shouldn't have considered me as a best friend," Reiko said in a low voice as if talking to herself.
Naomi definitely heard this, but she pretended not to, and didn't turn around. "By the way, happy birthday. I didn't buy you any gifts because I didn't have enough money. See you around at school." Naomi left.
Reiko watched her walk farther and farther away until she was out of sight, then burst into tears. "I can't hold my tears any longer! Dammit! Some birthday this is…! " She wiped her tears away but her lacrimal glands wouldn't stop producing more, so she stopped and looked up at the blue sky instead.
"Mae wo muitereba mata aemusu ka?" Reiko whispered.
Everything happened beneath the blue sky. The wind blew hard, cooling off the heat, and some leaves flew. It was 11:30 in the morning.