Several days had passed since Haruka brought me back to my senses. Since then, I had slowly begun writing again—this time, about Uguisu-san.
I had returned to Tokyo. Back to the place where she and I had once shared our days.
"Make sure to call me if anything happens, okay?" my mother said with a gentle smile.
"I will, Mom," I replied, hugging her tightly. I looked toward my father and offered him a smile, which he quietly returned.
And just like that, I began my journey again.
But this time… it was only me.
A few hours after I arrived at the apartment, I headed straight into my study—the room where I usually wrote all of my novels.
For a moment, I just stood there in silence, my fingers hovering over the keyboard.
Then, something caught my eye.
A single letter, resting on the edge of the desk—one I didn't remember placing there.
I reached out, picking it up slowly.
On the front, in her handwriting, was a single title:
"The Moon"
This is...
Flashback.
The sterile scent of antiseptic filled the quiet room.
I sat beside Uguisu-san, who was writing something carefully in her notebook.
"You know," she said softly, "Someday I want to read this story aloud, in front of everyone."
"I know you will," I replied, smiling. "You'll do great, Uguisu-san."
"Himeya…" she said, her eyes locking with mine, "Thank you… for always believing in me. And for staying by my side."
The heaviness of the hospital room lifted, just for a moment.
We both smiled—something tender passed between us in that stillness.
PRESENT.
I opened the envelope. Inside was a single folded sheet.
A story.
It was just as I suspected.
Uguisu-san's handwriting filled the page—soft strokes, gentle and neat, just like her.
I began to read it silently. Word by word, the emotions welled up inside me.
And before I knew it… tears streamed down my face.
A few days later.
"Thanks for coming," I said with sincerity.
"Of course," said Kousuke. "Anything for a good friend."
"Don't mention it, Himeya," added Hiro with a grin.
It had been a long time since I last saw them—since Uguisu-san's funeral, in fact.
And just like me, they had changed too.
"So? What did you want to talk to us about?" Kousuke asked, tilting his head.
"I have a request," I said plainly.
Both of them exchanged a curious glance before Kousuke nodded.
"Alright. Let's hear it."
"Thank you. Really," I bowed my head to them.
Then, I explained the plan I had in mind for this coming weekend.
"A gathering of her high school friends, huh?" Kousuke murmured thoughtfully.
"Exactly," I replied. "You're the tech expert, Kousuke. I want you to help promote it through Uguisu-san's alumni group chat. And we'll need a large venue too."
"No worries about that," said Hiro, raising his hand. "You can use my place."
"Thanks, Hiro."
"For anything related to her classmates, just leave it to Yuka," Hiro added.
"Alright. Let's make this happen," I said.
"Yeah!" both of them responded, full of energy.
Just then, a woman approached us.
"Sensei, thank you for replying to my message," said a woman with chestnut brown hair.
She was Hanami Mizuha—my manager and colleague in the publishing world.
"No, I should be the one thanking you... and apologizing, Mizuha-san," I said with a bow.
"Please don't. You've done nothing wrong. It's only natural for anyone to feel how you did. But still, what did you want to meet me for?"
"Let's sit down first," I offered.
Once she sat next to me, I introduced her to Kousuke and Hiro. Then I explained the same plan to her.
"I see… so that's what this is about."
"Well, Mizuha-san?"
She smiled confidently. "I'll take it to my superiors. Leave it to me, Sensei!"
"Thank you. All of you," I said, bowing deeply. I meant it with all my heart.
The weekend came.
We gathered at the restaurant owned by Hiro.
Many of those present were faces from our old school—alumni of Tsukigaoka High.
Among them were familiar faces: my parents, my sister, Uguisu-san's parents, and our friends—Hiro, Kousuke, Yuka, Kei (my cousin), and Sumire.
But… there was one face that was not there.
Touka.
To me, it felt like more than just a memorial.
It was a reunion. One that Uguisu-san had always longed for.
"Come on, don't look so gloomy," my sister nudged me playfully. "It's your turn."
Taking a deep breath, I stepped up to the small stage.
My hands trembled slightly as I gripped the microphone.
"Test, test... Hello?"
All eyes turned to me.
"Good evening, everyone. First of all, thank you for coming to the Tsukigaoka High School Alumni Gathering."
The crowd offered polite applause.
"For those who may not know me, I'm Shin Himeya. The husband of your friend, classmate, and dear companion—Shin Uguisu. Or as many of you knew her… Kanemoto Uguisu."
Just saying her name… made a flood of memories come rushing back.
"Five months ago, many of you received the news of Uguisu-san's passing. She is no longer with us in this world, but I believe with all my heart… she's now in a better place. She always told me she wanted to meet all of you again—with a smile, full of laughter. She wanted to attend a gathering like this, as a normal girl, without worries. But fate… had other plans."
I paused.
"She once said to me… that one day, she wanted to share something important with everyone—something she had written straight from her heart. And so, tonight, I stand here… not as her replacement, but as her voice. I may not read as beautifully as she would have, but I promise, I will read this story with all the love and sincerity I carry within me."
I raised the letter slowly.
"So please… listen."
As I began to read aloud, I could feel Uguisu-san's presence gently lingering by my side.And so, with a deep breath, I began:
["At some point, I found myself always walking while gazing up at the sky."
Reflected in my vacant, hollow eyes were only the ever-shifting colors of the distant heavens. The sky so blue it seemed like I could fall endlessly into it…The sunset, dyed deeper and deeper as it descended…And the night that swallowed every glimmering light, like a curtain drawn across the world. This world, so vibrant and magnificent, breathed with a beauty too sacred for words.
And yet…It was my own weakness that kept me from facing it. I closed my eyes—my thin eyelids acting like a barrier—afraid to take it all in.
I knew.Those who despair over the narrow path ahead do not hang their heads,They look up to the sky. Because even when you're downcast, it means you still have enough hope to fight—To struggle, to cling to something—To find the road your own two feet must take.
That's why those who carry emptiness in their hearts will, in time, come to look toward the farthest point from despair—They look up to the sky.
"Yes… just like I did."
At the peak of that boundless sky, I found... "me." A lonely celestial body bearing eyes like frozen stardust.Perhaps the moon found me too. No… we found each other—Drawn to one another, captivated beyond reason.
The pale light that poured endlessly from the heavens…It looked to me as if it were smiling faintly. Maybe it was because I smiled first.
Before I even realized it, we became "us." As if it were the most natural thing in the world. Two souls sharing a secret meeting at dusk, like girls consumed by the throes of first love—Blinded by the idea that fate had brought them together.]
This story was a novel that traced Uguisu-san's journey of emotional growth. It was her voice—once stifled—now pouring out since learning the truth about herself. A landscape only she could paint, one that could never be replicated without her soul behind it.
You could try to mimic the words… But even the smallest difference in expression would distort the emotion behind them. The strength that pulls readers—and listeners—in… that's what made her writing real.
["And so… we met at last."
Enveloped wholly—body and soul—by a warmth that thawed even the coldest silence. Like spring arriving gently… Like summer calling softly…
The sun.
Its brilliant, blinding white light showed countless expressions.Sometimes unbearably intense—painfully radiant—Other times, as if watching quietly over a child's errand from just beyond the horizon, it stayed with us, never looking away.
Even when peeling away the dusk with an almost apologetic gentleness, it had a certain charm.
And when it rose high into the sky, it always greeted uswith a smile full of confidence and life.
He preserved our meeting—turning it into a story. Even though He had already given me so many words, He still left behind something more—something that would remain in this world.
──And then, I realized, it was I who had been the "moon."
I hadn't been looking up at the sky at all. I had still been staring at the ground, searching—Searching for the path I was meant to walk.
And what I found, standing quietly along that road that led to me, were old, clumsy, childlike emotions I had long since tried to forget.
What guided me to them were the small footprints he left behind that day.
I had just been standing there. Hoping to become someone better, someone admirable—And trying to leave those feelings behind. But even so, they had been waiting for me.
And the sky I looked up at—It hadn't been out of despair or sorrow after all. No... it was just that those feelings had been waiting for me, so purely and innocently. Perhaps… that's what true strength really is.
──The moon swears to keep looking upon the sun.
And I, who was able to change while staying by your unchanging side… I am happy.]
...
...
When I finished reading, applause rose from the audience.It was quiet… yet unending.
"Thank you… very much."
I bowed deeply to the people who had offered such heartfelt applause.
And then I noticed droplets falling to the floor at my feet.I wondered what they were—Until I realized they were my own tears.
At some point, I had begun to cry as I read.
"Uguisu-san… did you hear that…?"
Of course, there was no reply.
But I could feel her presence. Strongly.
Not from outside, but from within me.
The presence of Uguisu-san inside me...
Since the day she disappeared, it had only grown larger.