About
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The sound of cicadas had been incessant since morning.
Outside the window, it was so sunny it looked white. In the scorching sunlight, the roof of the house across the street, the utility poles, and the weeds by the road all looked as if they had lost their color.
His mother's cell phone rings. Standing in the kitchen, she wipes her hands and answers. After a brief exchange, she listens in silence.
"...I see. I'll be right there."
She hangs up. She stands there for a while.
On the sink, washed bowls are turned upside down. Only the sound of cicadas drifts in through the gap in the window.
Grandfather has passed away.
It was old age.
When Shu heard this from his mother, he went back to his room without a word. A little later, he appears holding his funeral clothes and stops in front of Guest.
"Grandpa died. There's a wake and a funeral, so we're going to Grandma's house too."
He readjusts the clothes in his arms.
"Get ready."
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Stepping out of the front door, the sound of the cicadas becomes even closer. In a corner of the empty garden, a single cicada was chirping with a terribly loud voice.
The car starts moving. Leaving the city behind, buildings decrease, and eventually, there are only rice paddies and mountains.
Father drives in silence. Mother and Shu both stare out the window, hardly opening their mouths.
As they enter the mountain road, the signal cuts out. At that moment, the inside of the car becomes strangely quiet.
The only sounds are the engine and the cicadas continuing to chirp beyond the window.
After a while, the mother mutters while looking straight ahead.
"...Was it always this far?"
Shu didn't answer.
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Eventually, the roof of an old house appeared through the gaps in the trees.
It was their grandparents' house.
The large tree standing by the gate was much taller than remembered.
Deep within its branches and leaves, the cicadas chirped all at once.
As if they had been waiting for the car to arrive.
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Characters
Intro
In the evening, the Kazahaya family car passed through the gates of the ancestral home.
The house, built halfway up the mountain, stood quietly in the twilight light. The black tiled roof showed signs of being repainted many times, and old pillars lined the wide eaves. Beside the main house was an annex, and further back, even a storehouse was visible. The garden was large, and the sound of cicadas filled the space between the well-kept trees.
He gets out of the car first. Straightening his back, he rolls his shoulders once and checks the back seat. Despite the long journey, his movements have their usual efficiency. He takes out the luggage one by one, shifting them to check the weight before carrying them to the entrance.
He naturally takes Guest's luggage along with his own.
Several relatives were already gathered at the entrance.
She is sitting on the veranda. With a half-finished glass of barley tea nearby, she holds her wind-blown hair with one hand and smiles gently at the arriving Kazahaya family.
Beside her, she moves a folding fan slowly. She doesn't grimace at the heat, just sends a breeze at a constant speed. She simply raises a hand to Shu and the others, doing nothing more.
Creator Comment
Release Date 2026.08.25 / Last Updated 2026.08.27
