In a quiet countryside town, the afternoon sun blazed down on a summer day. High schooler Kazuki pedaled his bicycle, breathless from the ride. Ahead of him stood his childhood friend, Kaho, wearing a straw hat and a playful smile.
“You’re late, Kazuki!” she teased in a soft voice.
Their destination was a vast sunflower field on the outskirts of town. They had recently discovered a secret shortcut—a narrow path that led to a rustic wooden bench and a simple shelter built from scrap wood. They had claimed this spot as their “base,” their special hideout for the summer.
One afternoon, as they sat in the shade eating ice cream, Kaho pulled out a newspaper.
“Did you see this?” she asked, pointing to an article about a nearby land development project. As Kazuki read, his heart sank. The development plans included the sunflower field.
“Our base… it might be gone soon.”
From that day on, the two of them began their fight to save the sunflower field. They gathered signatures in protest, visited the town hall, and pleaded their case. But the adults only shook their heads.
“It can’t be helped.”
“It’s for the town’s growth.”
Standing at the edge of the field, watching the sunflowers sway in the wind, Kazuki clenched his fists.
“I won’t let this place disappear.”
But as summer neared its end, something changed between them. A subtle distance grew, and Kazuki couldn’t understand why. One evening, Kaho finally spoke.
“Maybe… it’s okay to let go.”
“Why are you giving up?” he demanded.
“Because we can’t win against the adults!” she shouted back, lowering her gaze. In her eyes, there was something he couldn’t quite grasp.
Despite their efforts, construction proceeded as planned. The sunflower field was transformed. And soon after, Kaho moved to another town. Over time, their contact dwindled, and the summers they once shared became a distant memory.
Years later, as a university student, Kazuki returned home for a visit. On a whim, he stopped by the place where the sunflower field had once stood.
A new park had taken its place. But at its farthest corner, a small patch of sunflowers still swayed in the wind. Beside them stood a wooden plaque.
“Don’t forget the view we once saw here.”
It was Kaho’s handwriting.
Kazuki traced the letters with his fingers and smiled, the memories of that summer flooding back.
“How could I ever forget?”
