Prologue

“On a certain autumn afternoon, on the way home after school, when sparrows become clams.

Himeko was walking absentmindedly along the path between rice fields, with nothing reflected in her eyes.

‘Oh, Himeko-chan. I’m glad your mother is safe!’

‘But you’ll be alone with your brother for a while, right? If you have any troubles, please let me know.’

‘…’

Though people spoke words of concern about her mother, who had been taken to the hospital at the foot of the mountain from the fields, nothing resonated in her heart.

Himeko vaguely averted her gaze and resumed walking as if nothing had happened. All emotion had drained from her face.

This small world always abruptly takes away Himeko’s precious things and hides them somewhere.

Her mother. And Haruki, too.

So, she decided not to see anything. Not wanting to hear any more unpleasant things, feeling that if she spoke, other things might be taken away too, she closed her ears, mouth, and heart along with them. If she desired nothing, she wouldn’t get hurt.

Suddenly, she looked up at the sky.

Framed by mountains on all sides, it spread like a large gaping hole, with wisps of cotton-like clouds drifting aimlessly, wandering about.

She reached her hand toward the clouds.

But she couldn’t grasp anything; they slipped right through Himeko’s fingers.

Where exactly were those clouds going?”

“Would they go beyond those mountains, to somewhere that wasn’t Tsukinose?

Then suddenly, she thought that if she followed those clouds, they might lead her to another world, to the place where her mother and Haruki were.

As if being beckoned, Himeko wandered aimlessly, still looking up at the clouds, the distance, the sky.

Flutter, flutter; float, float.

Slowly, dreamily.

‘Ah, watch out!’

‘…?’

Suddenly, someone timidly pulled her arm.

When she turned around, there was a familiar girl of the same age from her elementary school, one of the few she knew. With a flustered, troubled face, as if trying to hold her back.

Why was this girl grabbing her arm?

She didn’t understand. Himeko silently removed the girl’s hand and once again pursued the clouds.

‘Ah… wait, wait for me!’

‘……’

Wandering, drifting.

Gently, leisurely.

Crossing an unfamiliar bridge, glancing at a large river, passing by unknown buildings.

The clouds simply glided smoothly through the sky.

Two young girls meandered on the ground, following the clouds.

‘…!’

‘A-are you okay!?’

Suddenly losing her footing, Himeko fell down.

Her scraped knee throbbed with pain.

The girl hurried to help her up, but Himeko just stared at the cotton clouds drifting away above.

‘L-look, there’s a bus stop over there! Should we sit on the bench?’

Led to the bench by the flustered girl, Himeko watched the clouds disappearing beyond the mountains with a sense of helplessness.

‘…’

‘…’

She just stood there motionless, head bowed, doing nothing.

Before she knew it, the sun had dyed the western sky crimson, casting shadows on Himeko’s face.

At that moment, a horn blared loudly. Shortly after came the hissing sound of doors opening.

What caught Himeko’s eye as she looked up was the puzzled face of the bus driver.

‘Are you girls getting on?’

She didn’t know where the bus was headed.

Looking at its destination, it was in the direction where the clouds had disappeared.

Instead of answering, Himeko stood up unsteadily, as if being drawn in—

‘No~!’

‘…!?’

And with those strong words of restraint, her hand was firmly grasped.

‘…Sigh, you should go home early, little girls.’

“Watching this scene, the driver let out an exasperated sigh. He closed the doors and drove away.

Himeko was confused.

The feeling of ‘why’ was strong within her.

She turned around with a slight look of discontent, and then her eyes widened.

‘If you go somewhere, I’ll be lonely! I’ll be sad! Your brother too, and me too… waaaaahhh!’

‘……ah’

The tears spilling from the corners of the girl’s eyes and her trembling words struck Himeko’s heart forcefully.

She’d always been left behind, so she knew that pain better than anyone.

The sight of the girl crying out loud overlapped with her former self.

Using the girl’s tears as a catalyst, the emotions that Himeko had kept locked away in her heart overflowed all at once in the form of tears.

‘Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!’

‘Waaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!’

And so the two young girls, still holding hands, cried out until their tears ran dry.

When the western mountains were completely dyed crimson,

Himeko was walking back to the village, holding hands with the girl.

With a slightly awkward expression, she murmured softly.

‘…Um, I’m Himeko. Kirishima Himeko.’

“‘Eh… ah, I-I’m Saki, Murao Saki.’

‘Saki-chan, thank you for today. And, um, I look forward to… from now on…’

‘! E-hehe~, yes! Nice to meet you, Hime-chan!’

The two shadows lined up beside each other and swayed cheerfully.

Just then, a light truck came toward them from ahead. In the driver’s seat was Old Man Gen, and in the back was her brother, waving his hand largely in their direction.

‘I found the Kirishima boy and the Kirishima girl!’

‘Himeko—, hey, Himeko—!’

‘…ah’

Himeko’s body trembled with a start. She recalled her recent behavior.

Even when spoken to, she had given no response, simply withdrawing into her shell.

Worried about such a Himeko, her brother had been taking extra care of her.

Even today, on their way home from school, he had been desperately trying to talk to her, saying he was going to make extravagant hamburgers using vegetables and mushrooms they had received from neighbors.

Himeko’s face contorted with anxiety.

Nevertheless, her brother, with a worried expression, jumped down from the truck bed and rushed toward her.

‘Himeko, where did you go… you’re injured! Are you okay!?’

She gripped the hem of her skirt tightly.

As her brother fired off words rapidly, she became flustered, not knowing what kind of face to make.

But Saki, beside her, smiled at her and gently pushed her back.

‘…!’

In front of her was her brother’s face, deeply colored with fatigue.

He must have searched everywhere, wondering where Himeko, who hadn’t shown herself, could be.

“Desperate to find something to say in response to those feelings, she searched for words.

‘……………Onii’

Unable to call him ‘Oniichan’ as usual, she only managed to squeeze out just that much.

However, upon hearing those words, her brother’s expression quickly crumbled.

‘Welcome back! Let’s go home, Himeko.’

‘…Mm-hmm.’

And she took her brother’s outstretched hand.

Old Man Gen laughed heartily, and Saki giggled.

And perhaps thinking he was being teased, her brother’s ears turned bright red as Himeko chased after his back.

The sky dyed crimson.

Her scraped knee.

Hands connected to hands.

The clouds constantly shift and flow away.

On this day.

Under the sky of a certain autumn turning point.

Himeko and Saki became best friends, and ‘Oniichan’ became ‘Onii.’