Interlude 3

When I was little, I was always slow to act. I was often left behind.

Naturally, I was a slow runner too. No matter how hard I tried to hurry, I could never catch up. By the time I finally reached everyone, the conversation had already moved on without me. It was a lonely feeling.

But after I met Yuria, that stopped happening.

“Heeeey, Miharu! Over here!”

She was always waiting for me.

Yuria was the complete opposite of me; she was always quick to act. She looked so cool when she ran, and with her blunt, straightforward personality, she wasn't intimidated by boys at all. She was incredibly popular among the girls.

“I’m sorry, Yuria. I’m such a slowpoke... you don't have to wait for me.”

I remember saying that once, feeling guilty for always making her wait.

“Huh? You aren't slow at all, Miharu. You were one of the last ones standing during the shuttle run the other day. I thought it was amazing how long you could keep going.”

“That’s just because I’m so slow that I had plenty of energy left over...”

“That’s still great! I’m good at short sprints, but I’m terrible at long distances!”

Those words from Yuria were my salvation. From then on, I started focusing on pacing myself and running for long periods. Before I knew it, I had become a long-distance specialist.

After that, I decided I wanted to chase after Yuria.

The precious childhood friend who was always by my side, who would proudly and unhesitatingly declare herself my best friend.

I wanted us to go to the same high school, so we studied together, teaching each other our weak subjects. Though, Yuria’s only strong subject was P.E., so I was the one doing most of the teaching.

Our wish came true, and we were finally able to attend school in matching uniforms. Then, one day—

“Miharu, didn't some guy hand you something at the school gate earlier? Was it a love letter?”

“No. It was a club recruitment flyer.”

“Huh. The Astronomy Club? I didn't even know we had one. It's already June—are they still looking for members?”

“Apparently, the third-years are retiring after the first term, and there’s only one first-year member left. If they don't get more people, the club will be abolished. They need two more members to save it, so they’re still recruiting.”

I repeated the circumstances I’d heard from the first-year Astronomy Club member when he gave me the flyer.

“Hmm, sounds tough. But we’ve already joined the track club...”

“Oh, apparently dual-membership is okay.”

“Don't tell me... do you want to join?”

“Yeah. I’d be really happy if you joined with me, Yuria. If the two of us join, the club won't be abolished. Of course, I’ll make sure it doesn't interfere with track and field.”

I couldn't get the desperate face of that boy handing out flyers out of my head.

Actually, today wasn't the first time I’d noticed him. When I was running laps on the track for practice, I’d seen him on the roof many times, standing there with his telescope.

He’s already outside, so why is he just standing in one spot looking at the night sky? What could possibly be interesting about that? I had always wondered.

He’s from a world I don’t understand, I’d thought.

"What exactly is so interesting about stargazing?"

When I took the flyer from him, I’d asked him the question that had been bugging me.

He then began a long, passionate explanation about the mysteries of the universe and the achievements of "comet hunters" who spend their lives searching for undiscovered comets. The details were difficult and I didn't really understand much of it, but his passion came through loud and clear.

"My dream is to discover a new celestial body someday and name it. When I think about how that star will remain in the universe even after I die... doesn't that feel romantic?"

I’d never had a dream I could talk about like that. So, I wanted to help him.

That was how we joined the Astronomy Club and met Shibukawa Ryuuichi-kun.

I had always relied on Yuria whenever I was in trouble.

When I started to think I might have feelings for Shibukawa-kun—an ambiguous emotion I couldn't even call love yet—the first person I consulted was Yuria. And it was Yuria who pushed me forward, saying, “Just confess to him before you overthink it.”

In the past and in the future, Yuria would always be by my side. For me, her existence was as natural and essential as the air I breathed or the ground I walked on.

That’s why I believed that in my second life, Yuria would be my best friend again.

But that was just my own arrogance. Once I became "Sayuki", Yuria began to distance herself from me. To use her own words, I had become "someone above the clouds."

My best friend, who was always by my side, is now standing beside the current "Miharu".

The bright smile she always directed at me no longer shines my way.

I only wanted to make this second life better than the first.

But that meant drifting further and further away from my life as 'Miharu'—it meant losing everything I had as 'Miharu'. Even the name 'Miharu' hasn't belonged to me for a long time now.

There is only one person left who can heal this loneliness and sorrow.

“...Ryuuichi-kun.”