"Beep… beep…" My arm buzzed relentlessly, forcing me into consciousness. My hand groggily reached for my phone—7 AM. My eyes flickered to the calendar. April 8th. A day off. Finally.

  I sank deeper into my bnket, letting out a satisfied sigh. No pns, no responsibilities, just—

  Knock! Knock! Knock!

  "Hey, zy girl! Don’t pretend you don’t hear me!" Junpei’s voice pierced through my door. "I could kick you out anytime!"

  Damn it, Junpei.

  I groaned, reluctantly dragging myself out of bed and stumbling toward the door. My eyelids were still heavy as I cracked it open, peering at him through half-lidded eyes. "What is it now?" I muttered.

  Junpei stood there with his arms folded, looking like a disapproving ndlord. "Today’s your day off, right?"

  "Yeah…"

  "Then let me ask—when are you leaving my pce?"

  …Crap.

  I had gotten too comfortable. Too settled. It had already been two months since I started working at Manna’s Kitchen, since I had become Ryuko. Time moved too fast.

  "Hey! Don’t leave me hanging! Answer me!" Junpei snapped his fingers in front of my face.

  I blinked, shaking off my daze. "Oh. Right. I’ll look for a pce today."

  "Good," Junpei said, satisfied. "I’ll be waiting for good news, then. Bye." He grabbed his bag and was out the door before I could even protest.

  I sighed. Guess I really had no choice but to go.

  ---

  By the time I stepped outside, it was already 10 AM. The weather was perfect—sunlight filtering through the sky, casting a warm glow on the cherry blossoms that lined the streets. The pink petals drifted through the air like soft whispers of spring.

  A sudden pang of nostalgia hit me.

  A memory, almost dreamlike, surfaced in my mind.

  I remembered a time, years ago, when Rin was only two. Keiko and I had taken her for a picnic beneath the cherry blossoms. It was a small public park, nothing extravagant, but in that moment, it had felt like magic.

  I reached into my wallet and gently pulled out a photo, my chest tightened—it was a picture of my little happy family, smiling together during a picnic beneath the soft cascade of petals. My fingers traced the faded edges before my eyes nded on the date printed in the corner.

  8 April 2011.

  Exactly fourteen years ago today.

  ---

  -8 April 2011-

  "Rin, look! The petals are falling!" I had pointed at the sky, watching Rin’s tiny hands reach out to grab the drifting blossoms.

  She had giggled, the kind of innocent ughter only children have, pure and bright. Keiko had been sitting beside me, watching us with a rare, gentle smile on her face.

  "Do you know why cherry blossoms fall so quickly?" Keiko had asked suddenly, her voice soft.

  I had tilted my head. "Why?"

  She had plucked a petal from her p and held it between her fingers. "Because they bloom so beautifully, they have to leave just as quickly. That’s what makes them special."

  I had watched her, mesmerized—not just by her words but by the way the sunlight made her features glow, the way her eyes reflected the pink sky above.

  "That’s kinda sad," I had murmured.

  Keiko had just chuckled. "Not really. It just means we have to appreciate them while they’re here."

  …Had she been talking about the flowers? Or about us?

  I snapped back to the present.

  The streets were different now. The cherry blossoms were still beautiful, still fleeting. But something felt different in me.

  Had I really moved on from those days? Or had I just buried them beneath everything else?

  I shook the thoughts away and focused on my task.

  ---

  For hours, I walked the city, searching for a pce. Every listing I visited had something off about it—too expensive, too run-down, too far. My feet ached, my patience wore thin.

  But finally, after what felt like a lifetime, I found it.

  A small apartment. Nothing fancy, just a modest space. It was smaller than my old pce with Keiko, but it was enough.

  I call Junpei immediately for the good news and ask him to help me signed the papers, sealing the deal ter. In two weeks, I’d have a home again.

  ---

  By the time I finished, night had fallen.

  As I walked back, I passed the same park from my memory—the pce where we had that picnic all those years ago. It was empty now, silent except for the faint rustling of leaves. The cherry blossoms glowed softly under the streetlights, their petals drifting down like quiet confessions.

  I sighed, sitting on one of the benches. The cool breeze carried the scent of spring. I let my eyes drift shut, just for a moment.

  I closed my eyes, letting the cool night breeze brush against my skin as the delicate scent of cherry blossoms filled the air. The quiet rustling of petals drifting to the ground created a serene melody, wrapping me in a moment of peace.

  But then—

  "Ryuko?"

  A familiar voice broke through the stillness.

  My eyes fluttered open, and my breath hitched.

  Standing before me, bathed in the soft glow of the streetlights and falling petals, was Keiko.

  What was she doing here?

  She looked just as surprised as I was. "What are you doing here?"

  I hesitated. "Just… resting for a bit. What about you?"

  Keiko gnced away, as if she wasn’t sure how to answer. "I was just… passing by."

  A lie.

  The route from Manna’s Kitchen to her home didn’t pass through here. She had gone out of her way.

  The petals swirled around Keiko, framing her against the night sky. It was just like before—her standing under the cherry blossoms, looking at me with that unreadable expression.

  The wind picked up, sending another flurry of petals into the air.

  I sighed, leaning back on the bench.

  Some things had changed.

  Some things hadn’t.

  And maybe, just maybe—some things were waiting to bloom again.