Midway through my summer vacation, I was heading back home after spending the entire day playing in the park with my friends. I was in kindergarten back then, so my whole world revolved around just one thing. Playing. Still, even that had to end eventually, especially with the sky starting to darken.
After saying goodbye, I began walking home, quietly humming an anime song I liked.
On the way, I passed a vending machine I always stopped by. I never bought anything from it, but I liked watching people press the buttons and wait for a drink to fall. I used to wonder what it would feel like to try it myself.
Still thinking about that, I noticed someone standing near the machine.
A girl, about my age.
She was crouched low, looking around the ground, her shoulders shaking. Every now and then, she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Seeing that made my steps slow without me meaning to.
I walked closer.
"Hey," I said, keeping my voice small. "Are you looking for something?"
She looked up. Her eyes were red, and her lips trembled before she spoke.
"I… yeah."
For some reason, my face felt warm. I didn't know why, so I tried not to think about it.
"What did you lose?" I asked.
"My hairpin," she said, her voice thin. "My mom gave it to me for my birthday. I think it fell somewhere here…"
She clenched her hands as she spoke, like she was scared it was already gone.
"I'll help you," I said.
She blinked. "You will?"
"Yeah," I replied. "We can find it."
Her shoulders relaxed a little. "Thank you…"
We searched everywhere we could think of. Under the vending machine. Near the bushes. Along the sidewalk. The sky kept getting darker, and her sniffles turned into quiet sobs.
Then—
"I got it!" I shouted.
She spun around. "You did?"
I held up a small hairpin I'd pulled from beneath a bush. "Here."
She took it carefully, gripping it tight in her palm.
"…Thank you," she said. "I was really scared."
"It's okay," I replied.
After a moment, I glanced at the sky. "It's late. Do you live far?"
She shook her head. "Block 2-C. House number fourteen. We just moved today, so I don't really know the way…"
I paused. "That's next to my house."
Her eyes widened. "Really?"
"Yeah. Let's go."
We walked side by side.
"What's your name?" I asked.
"Saki," she said. "Yours?"
"Haruto."
"Haruto," she repeated softly, like she was practicing it.
I smiled.
As we walked, she told me her dad had moved for work and that she had to leave her old friends behind. I didn't know what to say, so I just nodded.
By the time we reached our houses, the streetlights were already on. Two houses stood next to each other at the end of the quiet road.
"This one's mine," she said.
"And that's mine," I replied.
She held her hairpin again, squeezing it gently.
"…Thanks. For today."
"It was nothing," I said, scratching my head. "See you tomorrow?"
She hesitated for a second, then nodded. "Yeah. Tomorrow."
She went inside and waved once before closing the door. I waved back until it disappeared.
That night, my mom asked why I was late. I told her I helped someone on the way home.
Later, lying in bed, I stared at the ceiling. My thoughts kept drifting back to the girl by the vending machine.
Her voice.
Her smile.
The way she said my name.
I didn't understand why, but that ordinary summer day felt different. Like something had quietly started without me noticing.
With that thought, I drifted to sleep, the hum of the vending machine and the promise of "tomorrow" staying with me.