{Creating Memories Together 1}

That day, we spent a leisurely time at the shopping mall.

We enjoyed gelato at a café, casually browsed through several stores, ordered our favorite meals at the food court, and stopped by a bookstore where we each bought a book we liked.

It might seem ordinary as a summer vacation memory, but honestly, anything was fun as long as I was with Miyu. We exchanged bites of gelato and food, stood side by side reading, and just chatted about recent happenings while strolling around.

After finishing our shopping for dinner, we were about to head home when she brought it up.

“On the way back, there’s somewhere I’d like to stop. Is that okay?”

“Of course! Where?”

When I asked her back, Miyu continued somewhat hesitantly.

“It’s a park… but it’s going to be a bit of a detour.”

“A park? Are we going for a twilight stroll or something?”

Today had been enjoyable, but maybe she thought it was too plain to count as a summer vacation memory. Going for a leisurely walk in a big park would make for a nice conclusion to our day. I was sure Miyu thought the same.

But my assumption was slightly off.

“Well, it’s not that big of a place.”

Miyu waved her hands in a flustered manner and said, “It’s a children’s park, I guess? The place we went to before.”

“A children’s park…?”

Those parks are scattered throughout the city. Unlike the “park” I had imagined, it was a small playground with swings, a slide, and some monkey bars.

It’s not a problem, but I wondered why she wanted to go there.

While I was puzzled, she added with a giggle, “Remember, we went there before your graduation ceremony? I wanted to visit that place again.”

With those words, nostalgic memories came flooding back.

It was February during our third year of high school. I had just finished the first round of my university entrance exams and had been called out by her with “I have something to talk about.”

We met up at the station, and we ended up wandering, finally heading to a nearby empty children’s park. When she said she had something to talk about, I was a little—no, quite hopeful. It was right before graduation, and I had received chocolate on Valentine’s Day, plus I had conveyed my feelings to her long ago. With my expectations soaring, we arrived at the park, searching for a quiet place without interruptions.

At that time, we weren’t even dating yet.

“Wow, it hasn’t changed at all…”

After two and a half years, Miyu exclaimed as we visited the children’s park again.

We took a bus from the shopping mall and didn’t get off at our usual stop, instead going all the way to the station. The park is just a few minutes’ walk from there. Perhaps because it’s located in a residential area, it was a surprisingly quiet place, as if the bustle around the station was a lie.

It was just around the time when the sun began to set, and, like that day, there was no one around. The playground equipment hadn’t changed at all either. The only difference from that day was the absence of snow; instead, it was filled with the heat left behind by the summer sun.

Without saying anything, we headed to the swings, but we could only chuckle at the warmth of the chains.

“This is how summer parks are, huh?”

“No wonder there’s no one around.”

At this rate, during the day, kids wouldn’t be able to play in the park. Yet, even at dusk, it wasn’t cool enough to avoid the sweat as we sat on the swings.

We sat next to each other, just like that day.

Cicadas were buzzing in the nearby trees, their noise intensifying the mugginess. Still, we didn’t want to go home, slowly swinging on the swings while reminiscing.

“Feels nostalgic…”

“Yeah… I haven’t come here at all since that day.”

This park wasn’t close to either my house or Miyu’s. The small playground with old swings, an elephant-shaped slide, and a sandbox wasn’t a place we would come to for a date once we started dating. Because of that, we hadn’t had the chance to come here until now.

Also, there might be a bit of embarrassment associated with the memories from here.

“Why did you want to come here today?”

I asked Miyu, who was swinging next to me.

“Maybe because it’s a memory.”

Her voice mixed with the creaking sound of the old swing chains.

“I have so many memories with you, Atsushi-kun, but I remember that day particularly well. I was really nervous and excited.”

It might be the first time I heard her speak about that day.

If she had told me that beforehand, I wouldn’t have misinterpreted things.

“I thought you were rejecting me.”

“Why? I clearly said, ‘I like you.’”

Miyu giggled at my words.

But that way of saying it was misleading. Well, maybe it could be understood if looked at calmly, but I certainly wasn’t calm back then. It was understandable that I misinterpreted things.

“I was really surprised since you had never raised your voice like that before.”

Miyu continued laughing.

“Atsushi-kun looked really cool back then.”

“Where? I thought I showed a pathetic side of myself.”

“No, you were wonderful. Maybe it was good to mislead me.”

“Oh, that’s cruel.”

I pouted, but because Miyu was grinning happily, I ended up smiling too.

Though it’s an embarrassing memory, it’s not a bad one at all. I don’t want to forget it. That’s why we came here together today.