There are some memories that refuse to stay buried.
No matter how many years pass...
...they always find their way back.
Zwwop!
Two slices of golden toast leapt out of the toaster.
The rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee drifted through the small countryside home, blending with the crisp scent of fried eggs sizzling in a pan. Morning sunlight streamed through the kitchen window, painting the wooden table in warm hues.
Everything was perfectly prepared.
For two people.
Sitting at the table was a girl with long black hair that reached almost to the middle of her back. She tapped her fingers impatiently against the table before glancing at the wall clock.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Three.
A vein twitched on her forehead.
"..."
Taking a deep breath, she cupped her hands around her mouth.
"RENNNNNNNN!!"
THUD!
Upstairs, a sleeping boy jolted upright in pure panic.
"...Huh?!"
Before he could even process what happened, he rolled straight off the bed.
"...Ow."
---
Five minutes later...
A sleepy-looking teenager lazily dragged himself into the kitchen, still rubbing one eye while fixing his messy black hair.
He plopped into his chair with an exaggerated sigh.
"You know..." Ren muttered while reaching for a slice of toast, "it's a holiday."
"I know."
"So why'd you wake me up like the house was on fire?"
His sister crossed her arms.
"Because if I didn't, you'd sleep until lunchtime."
"I fail to see the problem."
"The problem," she replied with a smile far too sweet to be genuine, "is that I made breakfast."
Ren stared at her.
"...Fair point."
The two quietly began eating.
The silence didn't last.
"So..."
Mellow glanced sideways.
"Who's carrying the boxes today?"
Ren nearly choked on his coffee.
"Absolutely not me."
"Really?"
"You carried one cardboard box yesterday and called it 'heavy labor.'"
"It was heavy."
"It had pillows inside."
"They were emotionally heavy."
"..."
"..."
Ren sighed.
"I can't believe we're related."
Mellow flashed a victorious grin.
"I can."
---
Once breakfast was over, the siblings carried their empty plates to the sink before walking toward a small wooden shelf in the living room.
Resting on it was a framed photograph.
A gentle old man smiled warmly from behind the glass.
Ren and Mellow instinctively straightened.
"Morning, Grandpa."
Neither spoke another word.
They didn't have to.
Renji had adopted them when they were little, becoming the only family they had ever truly known. A year ago, complications from severe organ failure had taken him away.
Yet even now, wishing him good morning had become a habit neither sibling could bring themselves to stop.
---
Their old countryside home in Miyama had become far too quiet.
Ren had recently graduated from high school and was preparing to begin university in Tokyo.
Mellow was already a university student and would soon begin searching for work.
A small apartment in Tokyo had already been rented.
Over the past few days, nearly everything from the house had been packed away and transported.
Everything...
Except one room.
Renji's room.
Even after a year, it still looked as though its owner had simply stepped outside for a walk.
The neatly folded blanket.
The polished desk.
The old bookshelf.
Even the faint scent of tea still lingered.
Neither sibling had found the heart to disturb it.
Until today.
---
Nearly three hours later...
The room was empty.
Cardboard boxes lined the hallway.
Only an old rug beneath the bed remained.
Ren bent down and rolled it aside.
"...Huh?"
A single wooden floorboard looked slightly different from the others.
He crouched, pressing a finger against its edge.
It shifted.
"Mellow."
She poked her head through the doorway.
"What?"
"Did Grandpa ever mention this?"
She frowned.
"...No?"
Ren carefully lifted the loose plank.
Both siblings froze.
Hidden beneath it was a small wooden compartment.
Inside...
Several old leather-bound diaries rested silently, untouched by time.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Mellow smiled.
"...Looks like Grandpa left us one last story."
---
They carried the diaries into the garden.
The willow tree swayed gently in the evening breeze as they settled beneath its shade.
Each picked up a different diary.
Minutes turned into an hour.
Laughter echoed through the quiet garden.
"So you were the one who broke Grandpa's fishing rod?" Mellow laughed.
"I was 8!"
"You blamed grandpa's friend who borrowed it!"
"His face looked guilty!"
The pages were filled with tiny moments.
Burnt dinners.
School festivals.
Arguments.
Birthdays.
Bad jokes.
The ordinary memories that somehow became priceless after someone was gone.
Eventually, Mellow closed her diary, wiping the corner of one eye.
Ren reached for another.
Unlike the others, this diary had no date written on its cover.
He opened it.
The first sentence made both siblings freeze.
Ren... Mellow...
If you're reading this... then I'm either gone... or somewhere I can no longer return from.
The smiles vanished.
Ren slowly continued reading.
The diary described the day Renji first met them.
It had been a cold, rainy evening.
Renji had just finished work and was making his way home when he decided to take a shortcut past the old shrine. A close friend had asked to meet at his place, and with no reason to rush, he welcomed the quiet walk.
The rhythmic sound of rain filled the empty streets.
Then...
A baby's cry.
At first, he paid it little attention.
Someone else would surely find the child.
Yet after only a few steps, his feet slowed.
The cries lingered in his ears.
Something felt... wrong.
With a quiet sigh, he turned around and followed the sound.
Beneath the shrine's roof sat an old wicker basket.
Inside were two children.
A little girl, no older than three, sat silently with tears staining her cheeks as she gently tried to comfort the infant beside her.
The baby boy cried without pause, his tiny fists clenched tightly.
Renji carefully knelt beside them.
"...Where are your parents?"
The little girl only looked at him with frightened eyes.
No answer came.
When Renji lifted the baby into his arms...
The crying stopped almost instantly.
The infant stared at him with wide eyes before quietly falling asleep against his chest.
Renji couldn't explain why...
But for a brief moment, it felt strangely natural.
As though he had held the child countless times before.
Shaking the thought away, he carried both children to the nearest police station.
For the next two days, the police searched tirelessly.
Missing person reports were checked.
Nearby towns were contacted.
No one came.
No relatives.
No guardians.
Nothing.
It was as if the children had appeared out of nowhere.
On the morning of the third day, Renji received another call from the station.
"...Could you come over?"
The officer sounded exhausted.
"They won't stop crying."
When Renji arrived, the scene was exactly as described.
The baby cried until his face turned red.
The little girl silently held back her own tears, trying to comfort him despite being a child herself.
The moment Renji stepped closer...
Both children looked toward him.
He gently picked up the baby.
Silence.
The crying ceased immediately.
The little girl hesitated only a second before wrapping her tiny hands around his leg.
Renji froze.
A strange warmth spread through his chest.
It wasn't pity.
Nor obligation.
It was familiarity.
A feeling of peace he couldn't explain.
As though somewhere, somehow...
They had always been family.
That afternoon, he made his decision.
"I'm adopting them."
Even the officers were surprised.
"You've only known them for two days."
Renji smiled softly as he looked down at the sleeping boy in his arms and the little girl refusing to let go of his hand.
"...Maybe."
"But I think they've been waiting for me much longer than that."
---
Mellow chuckled softly through watery eyes.
"I guess we really were troublesome."
Ren smiled.
"...Yeah."
As he turned another page, something caught his attention.
His smile slowly faded.
There was something strange about the boy...
A pendant was found around his neck.
Whenever it was nearby, he would cry endlessly.
I could never understand why...
In the end... I buried it beneath the willow tree.
Both siblings looked up.
Slowly...
Their eyes drifted toward the old willow standing quietly in the fading light.
"..."
"..."
Without saying a word, Ren stood.
Moments later, he returned carrying a shovel.
"So..." Mellow asked.
"We're actually doing this?"
Ren simply nodded.
The soil was soft.
Each shovelful carried years of forgotten time with it.
Five minutes passed.
Then...
Clang.
Metal.
His heartbeat quickened.
Ren brushed away the remaining dirt and pulled free a small iron box, stained by rust but still intact.
Neither sibling spoke.
He carefully opened it.
Inside...
Rested a silver pendant wrapped in faded cloth covered with strange, unfamiliar symbols.
Ren lifted it into his hand.
The metal felt unexpectedly cold.
He slowly opened the pendant.
Inside...
Was a faded photograph.
A man.
A woman.
Neither of them recognized the faces.
Beneath the photograph...
A symbol unlike anything either sibling had ever seen was engraved into the silver.
As Ren's thumb brushed across it...
The symbol gave off the faintest glimmer.
Almost...
As if it reacted.