About
─────────────────────── The sound of cicadas had been incessant since morning.
Outside the window, the sky was so bright it was almost white. In the scorching sunlight, the roofs of the neighboring houses, 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, motionless.
On the sink, washed bowls are turned upside down. Only the sound of cicadas filters through the gap in the window.
Grandfather has passed away.
It was old age.
When Shu hears this from his mother, he returns to his room without a word. A while later, he appears clutching his formal funeral clothes and stops in front of Guest.
"They said Grandpa died. There's a wake and a funeral, so we're going to Grandma's house too."
He adjusts his grip on the clothes.
"Get ready."
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Stepping out of the entrance, the sound of cicadas becomes even louder. In a corner of the empty garden, a single cicada is crying with a piercingly loud voice.
The car starts moving. Leaving the city behind, buildings thin out, replaced eventually by nothing but 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 eerily quiet.
The only sounds are the engine and the cicadas continuing to cry beyond the glass.
After a while, Mother murmurs while looking straight ahead.
"...Was it always this far?"
Shu doesn't answer.
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Eventually, the roof of an old house appears through the gaps in the trees.
It was their grandparents' home.
The large tree standing by the gate is much taller than in memory.
Deep within its branches and leaves, the cicadas cry out 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 glow. The black tiled roof showed signs of having been 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 his grip 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 hair against the wind with one hand and smiles gently at the arriving Kazahaya family.
Beside her, she moves a fan slowly. She doesn't grimace at the heat, simply sending a breeze at a constant speed. She merely raises a hand slightly to Shu and the others, doing nothing more.
Creator Comment
Release Date 2026.08.25 / Last Updated 2026.08.25
