Shiratori Haruto

The stars were twinkling in the night sky. In the middle of the little twinkling stars was the dazzling figure of the crescent moon shining brightly in the middle of the aesthetic sky. In between the dark narrow street filled with bricked narrow houses on both the sides, there was a house in the middle with a little lawn surrounding it. The house was wide and one story. Its windows were lighted up bright yellow.

Inside the bright white lighted kitchen, food was sizzling on top of the pan. The pan was moving a little to and fro by a womanly hand in front of a white apron. It was my mother who stood in the middle of the shelf in front of the gas burner, with the pan in her hands. She was spreading butter or oil or some other ingredient all over the dish on top of the pan, and hence, she was moving the pan’s handle to the top or bottom, right or left, in order to spread it.

CREEEAK!

The voice of the door opening reached her ears. She turned back. “Haruto! Why’re you so late, dear?” She asked me across the home.

I, who stood in front of the closed door, moving my back up with shoes in my hands, turned to the shoe-rack on my right, and replied, “I had some work to do after school!”

“At least inform me beforehand.”

“It just popped up,” I replied as I turned my head down, stuffing both my feet inside my slippers. I then walked inside the drawing room, on whose back right corner I stood changing shoes, and turned to the sliding door at the center of the wall across the entrance. I went through the open door and entered the bright dazzling kitchen. I walked across the narrow kitchen area some steps forward and stood beside her as she cooked the meal.

“The dinner will be ready in some time, dear. Go change your clothes and bathe until then.”

I glared at the pan, looking at the shining shades of dark brown filled with a slice of meat and oils all throughout it. “This is hamburger, right?”

“Yeah,” She smiled as she replied.

“Why does it feel like I’ve had years since I’ve last eaten it?” I asked.

“You ate it just a couple of days ago, if you remember correctly.”

“Yeah,” I smiled too, still glaring at the steak. I then turned back and started to walk away.

“And listen, dear.”

I stopped, my back facing her back as she continued to sizzle food on top of that pan.

“I… I know you’re sad because you can’t get your memories back, but, you see, dear, sometimes… some things are… just not in our control. There are always some factors outside our control that determine some situations. And, those factors… don’t always play in our favor. It’s just one of those situations.”

“Mm…” I nodded, turning my head down a little, still faking a smile on my face.

“But, I don’t want to see you sad like that over your lost memories.”

The voice in my head replied, “I’ve already got my memories, mom.”

“You just… got to accept the fact that it’s an indefinite process.”

“Yeah…”

“And it might take an eternity to get them back.”

“No, mom.”

“You never know when they’ll come back, so it’s better to forget them for now, and think about them only once they return.”

“Yeah, I agree. That’s what I should’ve done.”

“And… just stop. Stop thinking about it all. Stop giving a damn about your classmates or how they behave with you.”

“Yeah, I should’ve never cared about what some strangers feel about me.”

My mom then turned her head to the top at the ceiling, tears compressed in her eyes. “You see, when… when everyone else had their memories lost, except me, everyone thought I was mad, making stuff up. I was even hospitalized because of my medical conditions. But, that’s what I’ve learned from the experience… It’s better to stop caring about what others think, because if you truly feel you’re the right one, everyone will eventually know. Everyone will eventually follow upon. Therefore, keep on doing your thing and living your life happily with people who care for you. Be happy for them to see you and feel happy.”

My lips opened. “Y-Yeah, mom…”

“I still don’t know why… just why I didn’t tell her about me regaining my memories. Was it fear? No, it certainly wasn’t. But, why… then…? I decided that I’d tell everyone that I’d got my memories back, and that I’ll not be available from tomorrow. Why… then… was it so hard to tell my mom about it? Was it… because she didn’t want me to regain those memories of Itsuki and me?”

***

“So, are you ready to isekai back to Dansamia?”

“Y-Yeah, Assistant…” I replied, standing on top of the edge of the wide circular well, looking down inside the dark hole.