The sun was beginning to set through the trees of the thick Nagasora forest. Leaves rustled softly under Takeru Arashi's feet as he walked back down the trail, a small wicker basket dangling from his arm, filled with freshly caught fish. I didn't manage to catch any land animals that afternoon, but the river made up for it with an abundance of silver trout still glistening in the evening light.
When he reached the residential neighborhood where Mei lived, he stopped in front of a house of modern design with traditional details. He arranged the unruly hair that the wind had ruffled, took a deep breath and knocked gently on the door.
A few seconds later, the door clicked open and Raiden Mei appeared with his school uniform still on, though already disheveled from hours of playing and reading. He was seven years old just turned seven, but his serene expression and straight posture gave the feeling that he carried more years on his shoulders.
-Takeru," he said with a soft, barely visible smile, "Did you come?
-Of course, I promised I'd teach you how to cook fish today," he replied, lifting the basket proudly. I didn't find any deer or rabbits, but the river was generous.
She moved and opened the door wider.
-Come in. Dad's not here, but he left word that we could use the kitchen if we wanted.
The interior of the house was warm, adorned with soft tones and discreet family mementos. Though large and elegant, there was something melancholy in its silence, as if it had long been waiting to be filled with laughter and company.
In the kitchen, Takeru began preparing ingredients with expert movements. His small seven-year-old body seemed at odds with the precision and fluency with which he handled the knife and seasonings. Mei, for her part, watched curiously, trying to imitate him clumsily but enthusiastically.
-Don't push the rice so hard, Mei. It has to be fluffy, not like a snowball.
-I'm trying! -she protested with a giggle, though she was clearly enjoying the moment.
As she awkwardly peeled a carrot, Takeru glanced sideways at her, his mind filled with fuzzy memories and confused feelings. That strange feeling, that lingering deja vu from the first day he saw her....
"It was two years ago... I was five when I met her. I was still getting used to this world, this new life.... But when I saw her for the first time, her face, her name... I recognized her in memories that shouldn't exist. In a future that has not yet arrived.
I had no reason to approach her. She was just one girl among many. But something pushed me. Something beyond logic or memory. And the more I got to know her I reached a point where she became irreplaceable to me."
-Takeru... -Mei's voice brought him out of his thoughts- -Are you okay?
- Huh? Yeah, yeah. I was just recording something," he replied with a faint smile.
-Something important?
He hesitated for a second, then shook his head.
-Just... the taste of roast fish from my childhood.
-Then let's make it the best roast fish in the world.
She beeps, this time for real. Her cheeks lit up with a sweetness that could not be faked. And though she was still clumsy, she struggled to follow every instruction.
The aroma of fish began to fill the kitchen, mingling with the soft crunch of skin roasting in the pan and the sizzle of oil heated with ginger. Mei, sitting in a high chair, slowly stirred a wooden spoon into a small bowl of soy sauce, garlic and scallion, following Takeru's instructions to the letter.
-Ready, you can sprinkle it on top," he said.
Mei carefully stood up and poured the contents with childlike precision, trying hard not to spill a drop out of the dish. Her fingers were stained with flour and a bit of rice stuck to her left cheek.
Takeru laughed softly.
-You have rice on your face.
-Huh? Where?
-Here," he said, and with his thumb he gently wiped the white spot, his eyes meeting hers for a moment.
A brief silence settled between the two of them. Not uncomfortable, but calm, as if in that instant the world was reduced to that kitchen, that aroma, that moment.
-Takeru... are you always alone when you go to the forest? -Mei asked as they sat down in front of the finished plate, both with smaller plates.
He nodded slowly.
-Yes. I like the quiet. Although, well... sometimes I'd like company. But not just anyone," he added, shooting her a fleeting glance. Someone special.
Mei averted her gaze and pretended to be too busy blowing her hot fish, though she couldn't hide the slight blush that crept up her cheeks.
-I'm alone a lot, too," she whispered. Dad says he's working to give me a good future. But sometimes I wonder if to have it, I have to be always alone in the present....
The words echoed in Takeru's chest. He didn't know how to explain it, but he understood that loneliness. He had felt it before... in another life?
-You are not alone now," he said firmly. He put his chopsticks aside. I'm here, aren't I?
She looked up, surprised by the sincere tone of his voice.
-Do you promise you'll keep coming back?
Takeru thought about all the things he didn't understand: the memories that shouldn't be there, why he's different from others for his age, and above all, why Raiden Mei was at the center of so much chaos inside him.
But, for the first time, a promise seemed easy for him to make.
-I promise.
The clock on the wall read 7:11 pm, and the dim sunlight filtered through the curtains gilded their faces. Outside, fireflies were beginning to glow among the trees in the garden.