haku stared into the clear window of the travelling vehicle, his face aloof while his mind is devoid of thoughts.
he was on the way to meet with his two best friends, haku and ashitaka.
years have passed by since that eventful month, and haku no longer remember what happened. yet, fragments of dreams would appear inside his head from time to time, making him question what are those. he merely disregarded such visions.
the greenet stepped out of the train once he have arrived on his station. he hummed and starting walking. a glimpse of [name] hair took his attention.
he squinted his eyes. the girl disappeared as soon as she appeared. he looked around, trying to find the mysterious female once again. though, the one that stuck to him was the feeling of familiarity after he has seen the girl. he shook his head and went to his destination.
haku sighed pleasantly and placed the warm cup of green tea on the white, ceramic saucer.
ashitaka smiled at the two, holding a cup of coffee on his right hand. "the weather is quite pleasant today, don't you think?" he asked.
howl nodded in agreement, "yeah. it has been a long while since the sun came out."
"did you see that sunshine girl from the internet? the one that was said that can make the weather clear?"
"oh, that? i have. what about you, haku?"
the two looked at him, "haku?" ashitaka called out. haku snapped out of his daze and turned to his friends with his full attention, "yes?"
"are you alright? you've been spacing out since we've got here."
haku chuckled and shook his head. "i'm fine," he answered. that is clearly a lie, his friends could tell.
haku's phone lit up on top of the table.
line:
you have a new message.
"ever since the day where i wake up in the middle of nowhere,"
rin huffed and stood up straight, "where were you three? we've been waiting for you!"
howl and ashitaka approached their significant others, intertwining their hands to each other and definitely rubbing off to haku that he's the only one single.
"a strange feeling of emptiness has stuck to me."
haku rolled his eyes at his two friends. "oi, rin. why didn't you bring your boyfriend here too? we could have a triple date." howl snickered and sent a teasing grin at haku.
rin immediately caught on to his shenanigans, "it's unfortunate that he got work today."
san facepalmed at the two. "sure, keep emphasizing it to haku." she rolled her eyes turned to haku, "still though, why aren't you looking for a relationship?"
haku squeezed his eyes in annoyance, "i told you already, didn't i? and stop this already, let's go."
"alright, alright, no need to get your panties in a twist"
everyone had gone home, and haku is left with san. san walked besides her childhood friend and conversed with him.
"come on. my brothers misses you. you're the only male they like."
"ashitaka is your fiancé, why don't you ask him to come over."
san rolled her eyes. "my brothers treat you as a brother too. and you barely visit us anymore."
"figures." haku sighed.
the two passed by a billboard. they stared at it as they walked together.
8 years since the comet disaster.
"we went to itomori once, didn't we?" san asked, taking her eyes off the screen. "we were still in high school, so it was..."
"5 years ago." haku answered.
"that long?" she chuckled a bit, "seems like i've forgotten a lot."
"i, too, no longer remember much from back then. maybe we had a disagreement; the other two returned to tokyo without me."
"i spent the night alone on some mountain. that's all i remember."
"but at one point, i was inexplicably drawn to the events surrounding that comet."
"half of the comet destroyed a town in that disaster. but most of the town's residents were miraculously unhurt."
"the entire town happened to be holding an emergency drill and most of its residents were outside the blast zone."
"the sheer luck and coincidence sparked various rumors. i intently read those articles back then."
"what had caught my interest so much is now a mystery to me."
"i don't even know anybody in that town."
"thanks for today. this is far enough." san smiled at him. she waved at him while walking away, her engagement ring glistening under the artificial light from a nearby streetlamp. "you'd be happy someday too."
haku nodded and lifted his right hand to stare at his palm.
"i feel like i'm always searching for something, for someone."
the male took a refuge in a café once the sky darkened once again. he took a sip out of his coffee and scrolled through his phone aimlessly.
"i want to go to another bridal fair."
"they're all the same."
haku listened at the two voices discreetly, wondering why they sound quite familiar to himself.
"shinto-style is nice too."
"you wanted a wedding in a chapel."
"oh, and giyū."
haku stopped midway from the name.
"cut your hair before the wedding. i'll lose 3 kg."
"you're eating a cake..."
"i'll start tomorrow~"
he turned to look at the backs of the leaving couple, his stare lingered.
haku walked under the cold weather. snow fluttered around him, falling into the cold floor below. he puffed, a visible mist formed from his mouth.
he passed by a female using a dark colored umbrella that hid her face. he stopped swiftly and looked at back of the female. shaking his head, he waved the forming thought off and continued walking.
unbeknownst to him, the female stopped walking once he resumed his trip and glanced at him. a small smile formed at her lips, "haku..." she whispered longingly.
haku stopped by in a library, taking a book that held some history of a certain town and flipped through the pages.
itomori, the town that vanished.
he scanned the page that held a picture of a torii.
ogino shrine.
his shamrock eyes held conflicted emotions as he continued to scan the printed scenery.
"why does the scenery of a town that no longer exists wring my heart so?"