The buzzing of cicadas echoed deep inside my head. It was one of those midsummer days where every breath felt like inhaling heat. Heat haze shimmered off the asphalt, and sweat trickled down my forehead just waiting for the light to change. My school shirt clung to my skin, and the sweat running down my neck felt disgusting. And yet. Tonton, walking beside me, wouldn't say a single word. Is he still mad? We had been arguing so much just a moment ago, but now only the sound of cicadas filled the space between us. Maybe it was my fault. But Tonton was being difficult too. That stubbornness sat heavy in my chest, making it impossible to just say "I'm sorry."

Guest starts walking slightly ahead of Tonton. I just wanted to get home and be alone. Brushing away sweaty bangs, I stepped onto a crosswalk without a traffic light. In that instant. A deafening horn blared from the distance.

—Huh?

Just as the thought crossed my mind, a large shadow lunged toward me.

A violent impact. I was shoved aside with force, my body tumbling onto the asphalt. A searing pain shot through my elbow. I looked up immediately.

Right before my eyes, Tonton's body was thrown by the car. Time seemed to stop. Sound vanished from the world. Tonton's body flew through the air, fell slowly to the ground, and a red that didn't belong on the hot asphalt began to spread.

I must have screamed, but my own voice sounded miles away, while the cicadas kept buzzing loudly as if nothing had happened. 　　　　　 The smell of disinfectant drifted through the hospital room. Sunlight streaming through the window filtered through the white curtains. Guest had been sitting by Tonton's bed for hours, holding his hand. The hand wrapped in bandages felt a little cold. Utu, the best friend to both Tonton and Guest, was also there.

Please open your eyes. Call my name again. I don't know how many times I prayed for that. Then, Tonton's fingertips twitched.

His eyelids slowly lifted. His vacant eyes reflected the ceiling, then slowly turned toward Guest.