Root Of Tomorrow
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The next day, I woke up to the sound of my alarm. It was already bright outside and I could hear birds chirping in the distance. The sun had risen a few hours ago but it still hadn’t reached its peak yet; there were only faint traces of light on the horizon as if it would take another hour or two for the sun to rise fully.
I sat up from bed with a yawn and stretched out my arms before looking around the room. My eyes fell upon the window which was open just enough so that I wouldn’t suffocate while sleeping. There wasn’t much sunlight coming through since it was blocked by the trees lining our street. But even then, I could see how clear the sky looked compared to yesterday’s cloudy weather.
“Good morning,” said a voice behind me.
I turned around to find Aya standing at the door wearing her usual outfit: black shorts and an orange shirt. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail again today too. She must have come over last night after she finished cleaning the house because she didn’t look like she’d slept at all.
She smiled when she saw me watching her. “Morning.”
“You’re awake early today, huh?” I asked.
Aya nodded. “Yeah… I couldn’t sleep well last night. So I decided to get up earlier than usual…”
“Oh? What happened?”
“Nothing really. Just thinking about what we’ll do today.”
We both stood up and walked towards the kitchen where I made us some breakfast. We ate together silently until I felt compelled to ask something.
“So… you can talk now, right?” I asked.
Aya paused for a moment before nodding. “… Yeah. I’m sorry I kept quiet for so long. You don’t need to thank me.”
“No, no! Don’t worry about it!” I replied quickly. “It’s not your fault. And besides, I’ve been talking to myself this whole time anyway.”
“Really?!”
I laughed awkwardly. “Well, yeah. So… why did you keep silent for so long?”
“Because I wanted to make sure that I could speak properly first. That’s all.”
“Huh… Okay, I guess…”
I wondered if Aya was worried about messing up her words or making a mistake. Maybe she thought she might say something embarrassing if she spoke aloud. Or maybe she simply didn’t want to bother me with unnecessary chatter. Either way, her silence bothered me quite a bit.
But seeing her smile brightly at me now reassured me that everything was okay. I knew she was trying her best and I appreciated her effort.
After finishing our meal, we went upstairs to change into our swimsuits. As soon as we stepped outside, I noticed how warm the air felt against my skin. It was probably around 20 degrees Celsius here in Japan but the temperature seemed higher due to the humidity.
“Wow, it feels hot today,” I commented.
“Yeah, it is pretty humid,” agreed Aya. “Let’s go swimming later.”
“Okay,” I responded.
We headed down the road and passed by several houses along the way. Some of them were occupied while others weren’t. Most of the people who lived here worked somewhere else during the weekdays so they spent their weekends relaxing at home.
As we continued walking, I spotted a familiar figure sitting on the porch of one particular house. He was leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees, staring blankly at nothing in particular. When he caught sight of us, he straightened himself up and waved.
“Hey, Kousaka-san!” called Aya.
Kousaka jumped off the porch and ran towards us. His face lit up when he saw Aya. “Ah, Aya! Good morning~”
“Hi, Kousaka-kun,” greeted Aya.
He bowed politely. “Hello, Miss Aya. Morning, Mr. Kazuhiro.”
“Good morning,” I replied.
“How are you doing today?” asked Kousaka.
“Not bad,” answered Aya. “What about yourself?”
“I’m good too.”
“Are you going to come with us to the beach later?” asked Aya.
“Yes, I am,” replied Kousaka.
“Great! Then let’s head there now.”
“Yay!” cheered Kousaka.
“All right, follow me,” said Aya.
Kousaka followed closely behind us as we headed towards the beach. The sun was shining directly overhead but the wind blowing across the water cooled us down. It was such a nice day that I wished we had more days like this.
When we arrived at the beach, we found a spot near the shoreline where we could sit comfortably. After taking off our shoes and putting them aside, we laid ourselves flat on the sand and relaxed.
The waves gently lapped against the sandy shores as they reached the shore. They were small enough that we didn’t feel any danger of being swept away. Once the tide came in, it would wash all traces of footprints away from the beach. But for now, we enjoyed the view.
“This is so peaceful,” remarked Aya.
“Yeah, it is,” I agreed.
“Do you think we should stay here longer?”
“Sure, why not?” I replied.
“Thank you,” said Aya. She then turned to Kousaka and gave him a big hug. “Thanks for coming with us today, Kousaka-kun.”
“Of course!” exclaimed Kousaka. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
“You’re welcome,” I added.
“So, what shall we do now?” asked Aya.
“Hmm… Let’s play some games!” suggested Kousaka.
“That sounds fun,” I replied.
“Okay, let’s start with rock-paper-scissors!” declared Kousaka.
“Sounds good to me!” I chimed in.
We each took turns throwing three rocks, two paper planes, and one scissors at a time. Each round lasted for five minutes and after ten rounds, we had a winner.
“Rock beats paper!” announced Kousaka.
“Paper beats rock!” I countered.
“Scissors beat both of them!” shouted Aya.
“Oh no, I lost again!” groaned Kousaka.
“Don’t worry, Kousaka-kun,” comforted Aya. “Next time will be your turn.”
“Yeah, thanks,” said Kousaka.
We played another game of rock-paper-scissors before moving on to a different activity. We decided to build a sandcastle together using the sand that had been washed ashore.
“Who wants to help me make the walls first?” asked Aya.
“Me!” cried out Kousaka.
“No problem,” I replied.
Together, we built the base of the castle which consisted of four rectangular pillars. These were placed at regular intervals along the length of the wall. Next, we used the remaining sand to form a roof over the top of the structure. This was done by forming an arch shape with the sand and filling in gaps between the columns. Lastly, we added decorative features to the front of the building.
After finishing construction, we sat back and admired our work. It looked just like a real castle.
“Wow, look how pretty it looks!” exclaimed Aya.
“It really does,” I agreed.
“Let’s go inside,” proposed Kousaka.
“Okay,” I replied.
Aya and I went into the castle first. There was only room for one person to fit through the doorway at a time so we waited outside until Kousaka finished entering. When he did, we closed the door behind him.
“There’s plenty of space for everyone,” observed Aya.
“Yep, it’s great,” I concurred.
“Can I have my own room?” asked Kousaka.
“Sure,” I replied.
“Then mine can be next to yours,” said Kousaka.
“Works for me,” I replied.
“Cool!” exclaimed Kousaka. He then walked over to his bed and lay down on it.
“What about you, Aya?” I asked her.
“I’ll sleep in the living area,” she answered.
“Good idea,” I agreed.
“And I’ll take the other bedroom,” said Kousaka.
“Alright, that works for me,” I stated.
“Same goes for me,” added Aya.
“Perfect,” I replied.
“Hey, Kousaka-kun?” called out Aya.
“Yeah?”
“Would you mind if I slept in your room tonight? I don’t want to bother anyone else.”
“Not at all,” replied Kousaka. “But are you sure you won’t get cold?”
“Nah, I’m fine,” assured Aya.
“Are you sure?” repeated Kousaka.
“Yes, I am,” responded Aya.
Kousaka smiled. “Okay, then I guess I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
“See ya later,” I replied.
“Bye!” said Aya.
The three of us waved as Kousaka left the room. Once he was gone, Aya and I got ready for bed. We changed into pajamas and climbed under the covers. Then we snuggled up close to each other and fell asleep.
The End