Novel Nest

  Afterword Thank you for picking up That Summer, So Our Love Won’t Fade and for staying with it to the end.  While I’ve popped up here and there in single-volume releases, it’s been two years and nine months since my last publication with Starts Publishing Bunko. I’m still happy to be involved with the Starts Bunko I’ve long admired.  This time, it’s a story about a fictional rare illness where “you take the lifespan of someone you love.” Runa, afflicted by the illness, shows no symptoms herself, while Towa bears its effects. Actually, in terms of rare illness stories, I also dealt with one in The Snow That Never Stops Falling Resembles Your Heart. There, the illness gave the hero an ice-cold body temperature, preventing the heroine from touching him. It seems I like stories where not just the one with the illness, but their partner, is affected too.  I wrestled with how to save Runa, burdened by such a heavy fate, through trial and error, but I think Towa really st...

  Epilogue The boarding house is, as ever, bustling with chaos today. Before I knew it, the seasons had turned, and the air now carries the full scent of winter.  “Yay! First one out!”  Shoji-kun swings his black scarf energetically as he puts on his shoes. He says there’s no morning practice today, which is rare.  “Hey, I’ve been meaning to say this, but could you stop showing off the scarf I made to everyone?”  With a sigh, Kaho follows behind.  “What—no way! A handmade scarf from Kaho-chan is my pride!”  “Don’t say it even if it’s your pride.”  They’re not lovers. It’s just dependable Kaho looking after Shoji-kun, apparently, but I secretly think they’re compatible and hold hopes for their future.  “Yawn…”  Coming to the entrance last with a big yawn is Towa. As always, he’s cutting it close on time, his bedhead so bad I wonder how he sleeps.  “Seriously, really…”  “All that ‘really really’—are you a cow?”  “You don’t h...

VI. Shining Beside You Recess at school bursts into noise, as if sweeping away the quiet of class. With the chime, I leave my seat and sit at the podium.  “Runaー. What’re you folding?”  As my hands move with practiced ease, Miyo-chan comes over.  “It’s origami called a lucky star.”  “Oh—show me?”  “Sure, okay.”  Miyo-chan picks up a tiny star, praising it with, “Cute!”  “Runa’s really a star maniac, huh? I mean, isn’t that a constellation too?”  She points at the phone strap poking from my skirt pocket—silver Orion, a gift from Towa.  “T-This came with tea…”  “Your ponytail scrunchie’s starry too, right?”  “Oh, you noticed? It’s got planets hidden in it.”  “Yeah, yeah. Runa looks cute in anything.”  For some reason, Miyo-chan pats my head once.  My interest in stars probably stems from Towa. Keeping star stuff close kept loneliness at bay. Even now, I calm my heart with stars.  “By the way, you gave your number t...

 V. The Morning Star at Dawn “—I like you.”  Those words shot straight through the center of my chest.  My heart raced with joy. But more than that, it hurt so much that tears came.  “I don’t like Towa.”  I crushed my emotions and gave that reply. Those words weren’t meant for you. All I could do was tell myself over and over that I don’t like Towa.  Before I knew it, the cicadas’ song marked the season. A week into summer break, I left my room with a star-patterned backpack. By chance, I ran into Kaho, who also had a large bag slung over her shoulder.  “Hey, where’d that camera come from?”  Kaho had a compact digital camera hanging around her neck.  “I bought it myself about two years ago. I figured since we’re here, I’d like to take lots of pictures.”  “I see. Take lots of me too!”  “Hehe, yeah. That’s the plan.”  We put on comfy sneakers and stepped outside, where the boys were already fully prepared.  “Hey!”  Shoj...