Chapter 28: Those Dreams Changed Recently

Hooked, pulled, hooked, pulled, stitched.

Heisuke was concentrating on the crochet piece he was currently doing. Because his palms were big, the piece and other completed ones appeared so petite in his hands.

"Son, should we have potato pancakes for dinner? I don't feel like eating so much tonight," asked Mrs. Saeki who had just returned from picking the vegetables downstairs.

Today, Mrs. Saeki and several other staff were allowed to clock out early. Usually, she would only arrive home at half-past five. Right now, the clock had just struck four o'clock.

"En," Heisuke's hum was barely audible. He replied more clearly, "It's fine with me. Just leave the ingredients in the kitchen, Mom."

"Nah, I can do it. It's just pancakes," Mrs. Saeki rejected her son's offer. She began to busy away in the kitchen to prepare early dinner.

"Oh, how about your late-night meal? Do you want fried rice?"

"I'll make some egg fried rice for myself. Don't do anything, Mom."

"Bring the pancakes too. You work so hard ah. Need to eat a lot!"

Heisuke only needed to clock in later for a midnight shift. He had been staying at home doing any chores he needed before he started to crochet. There were no other part-time jobs for him today.

Soon, the sound of a knife hitting the wooden board echoed in the apartment. Mrs. Saeki was skillfully cutting the carrots, scallions and onions into thin slices.

With one glance to her back, the image of her son diligently crocheting entered her gaze. It seemed like he had been sitting cross-legged for quite some time already. The completed crochet pieces and balls of yarn were scattered on the low table opposite him.

"I think they would look the same," said Mrs. Saeki as she continued slicing the vegetables.

Heisuke's attention was disrupted. He stared at his mother's back, "Huh?"

"The flowers you're making," Mrs. Saeki explained without looking at her son, "Your yellow flowers should look like the daffodils Hisaki has been planting."

Heisuke was stunned. His gaze fell on the crochet pieces that he had been making.

Various flowers of different sizes fell in his line of sight. All of them were in yellow color.

"En... I think they should look similar," answered Heisuke under his breath.

After the festival at the inn a week ago, there were some changes on the right side of the apartment yard. Hisaki had been building a flower bed with the help of a handyman that worked for Shuuya. Her attention was mostly directed to the bed.

When Heisuke walked with Hisaki to work a few days ago, he brought up the question.

"What kind of flowers are you planting?"

Then, with the same radiant smile and twinkling eyes, she cheerfully answered him, "Daffodils! Don't you think they are pretty?"

It seemed like she really adored the dainty yellow flowers. Although Heisuke could only let the thoughts echoing in his mind, unable to say them out loud, his brain often conjured Hisaki's image standing in the sea of those yellow flowers.

Little by little, the blurry face of the woman in his dreams was replaced by Hisaki's smiling countenance.

Now, he really didn't know what should he do. This was really an otherworldly experience for him.

Was there anyone who dreamed of the same dreams, who kept listening to the same melody in those dreams?

And... those dreams changed recently.

Heisuke exhaled softly. He put down the hooks and unfinished crochet flower on the table.

"Mom."

Mrs. Saeki replied with her attention still on the chopping board, "Do you want something else?"

"No, not that. I have a question."

Her son's words attracted Mrs. Saeki's mind. The sharp edge of the knife moved away from the half-sliced carrots. She properly looked at Heisuke this time.

It was rare to see fluctuations in her son's expression. Heisuke was generally calm. Even when something was funny, he didn't laugh out loud. Mostly, he would just smile.

Now, her motherly eyes saw lines of concern lying beneath his dark eyes.

"Is there something troubling you?"

This son of hers had always been trying to bear everything. How much weight did those shoulders currently bear?

"...what would you think, if you keep having dreams about the same person?"

Mrs. Saeki was stunned. She didn't expect to hear that kind of question.

His mother's blank expression made Heisuke feel embarrassed. She must have thought about what kind of silly question he was trying to ask.

Heat spread from his cheeks to his ears. If not for his swarthy complexion, it would be easy for his mother to see him blushing.

"...never mind. Just forget that I asked that."

Heisuke abruptly got up from the floor. He went inside his mother's bedroom to get his shirt. Some of his clothes were stored inside while the others were put inside a storage box in the living room.

"Mom, I'm going out for a run," said Heisuke while grabbing a pair of worn-out shoes.

"Hey! Why are you in a hurry?"

Before Mrs. Saeki could stop him, Heisuke had already rushed downstairs. The sound of his shoes hitting the stairs echoed in the air. Soon, his tall and lanky figure disappeared from sight.

"What's wrong with that child?" murmured Mrs. Saeki in disbelief.

While his mother was worried about him, Heisuke had already been one with the wind. He ran and ran and ran, letting the breeze billow all over him. The sweats plastered his hair to his forehead as he kept breathing in and out of his mouth.

"Haa... haa... haa..."

Heisuke didn't know how long he had run. When he finally slowed down, he found that he had reached the beach. Blood rapidly rushed to his heart. Out of breath, he panted heavily.

'What a stupid question to ask.'

Heisuke stopped running. He began to take a walk alongside the beach. A few groups of children and adults were playing all over the area. Happy and startled shrieks came from the ones swimming in the water.

Summer break would officially end this week. The school-age children needed to return to their daily life as students thus, most of the local children made full use of their time right now.

Heisuke strayed away from the crowds. He quietly headed to the pine forest of the beach. He often sat alone there whenever he needed to cool down his thoughts. The back of his shirt had been drenched by sweats.

Heisuke kept on walking. His footsteps created marks on the smooth white sand. Once he reached his usual spot, he kicked off the shoes and lay on his back, ignoring the sand that might cling to his wet shirt.

As the dappled sunlight fell on his face through the swaying leaves, Heisuke silently recalled the fragments of his dreams.

Those dreams had started changing. It happened shortly after he listened to her humming to the melody. As the change occurred, the questions that he didn't dare to let out kept accumulating inside him.

Was he really experiencing something magical?

'If what I dreamed last night is the future... when would it happen?'

Instead of hearing the melody and seeing Hisaki among the dancing yellow petals under the bright sunlight, Heisuke found he was in a living room of a house. From his view, it was a house that he had never seen before but, his heart was telling him otherwise.

A set of beige couches sat in the middle of the living room. The two-seater couch faced the glass sliding door with a low wooden table in between. The long white curtains swayed gently as the door was opened.

A folded crochet throw blanket was neatly placed on the table. The cream-colored base of the blanket enunciated the bright yellow daffodils and red roses patterns.

While Heisuke was immersed in the contrasting emotions between bewilderedness and nostalgia, his body could feel it when the breeze from the outside made its way inside the house.

Then, he heard a female voice calling for him from behind.

"Darling? You said you wanna help me. Come quickly ah!"

It was her voice, Miss Chisaka's voice. Even though Heisuke wanted to ignore it, the affection in her tone was as clear as a flowing stream in spring.

In the next second, he felt his own body move. Despite Heisuke internally telling himself to stop, his body slowly turned around until he faced the owner of the lovable voice.

It was really Miss Chisaka.

But, the one standing opposite him appeared older than the one he knew.

Her low ponytail draped in front of her right shoulder. Despite the faint lines appearing on her gaunt face, her gentle smile struck his soul.

To his surprise, he felt his lips moving into a smile before words flowed out of his mouth.

"Has my sweet pea waiting for long?"

His body moved on its own again. He held one hand out to her.

In the next moment, he saw her reaching out her own before their hands gently enclasped together. The simple rings on their left ring fingers gleamed softly under the sunlight.

Little did Heisuke know, instead of seeing his future, the dream was of his previous life.

"Haaa..."

Heisuke harshly rubbed his face a few times. With the recent changes of the stupid dreams, he felt too embarrassed to face his new neighbor right now.

If she knew, wouldn't she think of him as a creep?

Why did he dream of them getting married all of a sudden?

Did he really, suddenly have feelings for her?