The romantic cherry blossoms scattered in the sky.
Every spring presents such beautiful sceneries.
But beauty and sorrow coexist; everything ultimately enters the cycle, with each bloom accompanied by a fall.
Uesugi Sakura stands under the sakura tree, his aged face gazing up at the dancing pink petals above.
He’s reminiscing, reminiscing about the past...that somewhat blurred memory.
Sometimes he wonders, what exactly is memory.
Is it the mourning of beauty’s passing or the helplessness of never returning to the past...
He doesn’t know the answer, nor is he clear about his feelings.
A gust of wind blows by, and the sky instantly takes on a myriad of cherry hues, filling the air with swirling petals.
Uesugi Sakura comes back to his senses, staring ahead.
Noisy tourists, all smiling, stop to capture the thrilling moments.
Every year features such scenes...
Uesugi Sakura lowers his head, leaning on his cane, taking slow steps, and begins to walk along the cherry blossom-covered riverbank.
One by one, tourists walk past him, their faces filled with laughter and smiles.
"Old man, the ticket is 1000 yen." The staff in the service window says to Uesugi Sakura, who is leaning on his cane outside.
"Has the price gone up...?" Uesugi Sakura asks with a feeble voice, trembling as he takes out a bill.
"It’s been this price for three years now."
The staff places a small receipt in his wrinkled hand, simultaneously noticing the silver dial on his wrist.
Looks quite expensive...
The staff withdraws his attention from the watch, sighs, and says:
"Sigh, we do earn more money now, but everything’s price has risen along, making life less comfortable than before. Old man, did you come alone to view the flowers today?"
"What about your family?"
"You’re not married?"
"My wife passed away a long time ago."
The staff, observing him putting away the receipt with his old hand, is slightly moved and apologetically says: "Sorry... please accept my condolences."
"It’s okay, I’m used to it."
"May I ask boldly...did you...ever remarry?"
"No..." Uesugi Sakura folds the ticket and puts it in his chest pocket.
Watching his slow movements, the staff feels quite sorry:
"Old man...I think it’s better for you to find a companion...in the building opposite mine, an old man wasn’t discovered for months...he was found only after neighbors smelled something bad..."
"Thank you for the suggestion, but, no need..."
Uesugi Sakura leans on his cane and turns to continue walking into the Shinjuku Imperial Garden.
The staff watches as his lonely back slowly fades into the distance, and sighs again.
Walking amidst the crowd and swirling flowers, Uesugi Sakura looks at the scenery in front of him, both familiar and strange, his heart is filled with mixed emotions.
Perhaps walking too much, his body feels some pain. He finds a bench by the road to sit and rest.
Originally, there was a young girl taking selfies on the bench. Seeing him sit down, she moves her gaze from the phone and glances at him deliberately.
Although she says nothing, the young girl decisively stands up and leaves.
Uesugi Sakura follows the direction the girl leaves, seeing her young back, he understands she’s disgusted by him.
He looks at his wrinkled hands resting on the cane.
No words said. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on Nov3lFɪre.ɴet
Just accustomed to this feeling...
In the silence, Uesugi Sakura rests the cane on the ground, his forehead against his hands.
His eyes are fixed on the ground, occasionally seeing falling petals linger there.
Cherry blossoms overlap one another, yet are quickly blown away by the wind. In a daze, he seems to return to over a decade ago when he sat here reading. Back then, he was young and handsome, immersed in his book, when suddenly a young girl stood under this sakura tree, softly calling his name...
As if thinking of her appearance in distant, blurred memories, his long-numb heart suddenly feels a touch.
Uesugi Sakura’s cloudy eyes tremble slightly.
His life is nearing its end...he came back just to take a look...just to see her vanished smile once more.
Though his body is old now...though more than ten years have passed...
The desire to see her again has never disappeared, never disappeared...
For fifteen years, he’s been thinking.
Uesugi Sakura watches as the beautiful cherry blossoms at his feet are blown away by the wind, closing his eyes amidst the bursts of floral fragrance.
As his consciousness gradually fades, he seems to see Hanabi in his dreams, smiling at him...her face warm and sweet...holding her child...with eyes full of love...
For fifteen years...how are Aei and them now...has his sister grown up...?
He stays lost in past memories, yet the images seem covered by an unraveling mist, making recollection feel like a mere dream.
Time passes just , slowly drifting away.
Uesugi Sakura’s consciousness nearly drowned by sleep, March’s cold wind still somewhat chilly. He wore too little, just feeling body heat gradually slipping away, like a flickering candle at life’s end.
It seems a girl is calling him.
Uesugi Sakura opens his eyes; five seconds later, he hears that voice countless times heard in dreams: "Grandpa...why did you fall asleep here...?"
Uesugi Sakura’s heart suddenly trembles violently, his moved eyes fixed tightly on the ground.
The same gentle tone...the same voice...
Uesugi Sakura’s eyes instantly blur, how many days and nights have passed since she left...?