Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day ( あの日見た花の名前を僕達はまだ知らない。)

Episode 11 – from 11:06 to 21:15 / From the perspective of Menma

“Welcome home…” My greeting was quieter and my smile was weaker than usual. Jintan looked down on me, he must be wondering
why I was sprawled out on the floor. Tick tock, tick tock, went the clock and each tick dragged him forward.

“Hey, Menma, what’s wrong?! What happened?” I could feel the panic laced in his voice as he crouched down. With a hand on my
shoulder and the other on my elbow, he held my small frame carefully like I was going to fade.. and I was.

“It seems like my wish… has already been granted.” A tiny ‘huh?’ slipped past his lips, his visible worry now slowly replaced with
confusion. “I remembered the promise I made with your mom.”

“With mom?” The slight curl of my lips never turned downwards as I nodded, gaze never leaving his. Among my five childhood friends,
he’s the only one who can see me. I remember telling him to have a wish granted, reasoning that I cannot pass on into the afterlife until
it is fulfilled, yet I don’t remember what that wish was. Now, I do.

He’s pretty, just like his mother. His mom was and looked just as delicate, both in the wooden picture frame sitting on top the cabinet,
and in the hospital where I talked to her.

I told him I vividly remember her peeling the apples for me as I sat down on her hospital bed. The apple slices were adorably shaped
like a bunny, and that’s why I loved eating them. She admitted she noticed Jintan has been holding back and putting on a brave face
ever since she became sick. She looked forward to being reincarnated, but that was her one worry. She wanted him to laugh, to get
angry… and to cry. And so, I promised her I’ll make her son cry. She cried a little that day.

“But I thought about it so much, and I really had no idea what to do. So, I thought I’d ask everyone for help, and I called them up and
told them to meet.” I added while holding my semi-transparent hand. “Ah, it wasn’t like we were all going to bully you and make you cry,
though…” His grasp on my shoulder tightened slightly as I corrected myself.

My eyes fluttered shut, the memories of the time I spent with the Super Peace Busters, our secret base... and my death 5 years ago,
playing in my head like a broken vinyl record. “But it didn’t go as planned. I guess maybe it was a punishment for keeping it a secret
from you.”

“What do you mean ‘punishment’? It had nothing to do with it being a secret.” His reply made my eyes open again, watching his mouth
move and his tears building up. He’s crying. My promise… “I’d always go there, at any time and for any reason.”

I brought my hand up, letting the pad of my thumb wipe his tears away as I mumbled under my breath, “Jintan’s crying again…” A tear
dropped on the apple of my cheek and I caressed his face. So pretty. “But I really like it when you smile.”

Escaping out of his mouth was a gasp as he watched my hand slowly falling back down. Tick Tock, tick tock. I’m fading with each tock
and my vision was gradually turning black. “I guess it’s almost time to say goodbye.”

He caught my wrist and my eyes widened, “Wait! You can’t go yet! Wait!” He shuffled, throwing my arms on his shoulders. “You can’t
only say goodbye to me.” My knees were planted on the ground and my chest was pressed against his back. I was confused.

“I always wanted to see you. To call out your name. To say I was sorry... To tell you I loved you.” His words were so thick and heavy
with hurt and regret that I couldn’t help but call his name, tone hushed and small.

“But everyone feels the same way! They all loved you! They all want to see you! They’re all waiting for us.” I stared at the back of his
head; I can’t see his face but I know he’s crying again. Oh, Jintan..

Suddenly, I was lifted up. “At that.. at our place!” He added, carrying me piggy-back style as he ran out of the house and to our secret
base. The velvety dark of the sky was embellished with stars that seemed to sing. The streets were empty. It was only me, him and his
ragged breathing that broke into the stillness of the night.

Jintan… I love you, Jintan…

I’ve had so much fun. So much that I wish I could be with you like this forever…

Anaru, Yukiatsu, Tsuruko and Poppo were already gathered around the secet base’s table once we arrived, just like in the old days. I
climbed off Jintan’s back, “Ji-“

“Menma? Menma?! Menma?!” His head whipped to all directions as he shouted in desperation. He stooped low to look under the table.
It was like he was searching for me, when I was just right in front of him.

“Jin…tan…” I muttered, standing, unmoving in disbelief. He can’t see me anymore…?

“Menma?! What is it? Where are you? Come out, Menma! Menma? Menma!” Tears blurred my vision as a faint exhale left my lips.
“Hey, Jintan!” Anaru shouted, everyone else was worried.

“Menma!” Jintan’s shout was louder this time and I broke down into my hands.

“I-I’m playing hide and seek…” Just like in the old days. I shakily replied with my palms still covering my sight, small sobs threatening to
escape. I felt Jintan ran past me and out of the secret base, I heard everyone’s exclaims...Then, I felt them all ran past me and I was
left alone in our hideout.

“Not yet. Not yet…” I begged and uncovered my face. Glancing down at my semi-transparent hands, I clenched them into fists and
pressed them against my chest with my eyes shut. “I still have to say a proper goodbye.”

Shouts of my name caused my eyes to snap back open and I move my focus to the diary and pen resting on the table. Determined, I
started to write everyone a letter with a yell, “You haven’t found me yet!”

The strength flowing through my veins gradually evaporated and I had to hold onto my wrist as I moved the pen. “Not yet... Just a little
longer.” I muttered to myself as the faintest hues of gentle gold began to bloom in the horizon. I glanced up to the right above me,
where ‘Super Peace Busters’ was carved into the wood.

“Just a little more.”

Sitting under the shade of the tree, I watched as Anaru and Tsuruko discover my neatly folded farewell letters placed on the grass in
front of me. I watched them picked them up, watched them read, watched them burst into tears.

‘To Tsuroko, I love how gentle you are.’

‘To Yukiatsu, I love how you always work so hard.’

‘To Poppo, I love how funny you are.’

‘To Anaru, I love how you're always level-headed.’

‘I love you. Jintan. It's the "I want to marry you" type of I love you.’

And with a gentle, sad smile, I thought, ‘I managed to say a proper goodbye this time. So now…’

“What is this?” Jintan asked, voice raspy and cheeks wet with tears, and my thoughts were cut off. “What is this, Menma? We’re playing
hide and seek, right? So unless we find you…” He blurted out between sobs. “It’s never going to end!” He cried out, clutching onto my
letter I wrote for him. My Jintan..

“Jintan…”

“Are you there?!” Jintan screamed first, and after the third time, everyone else screamed it along with him. Their screams sounding
more desperate and broken in every second. Tears started to stream down my face once more and I yelled back,

“You found me!”

Everyone’s shouts came to a halt, shocked. They can hear me?

“That was Menma’s voice...”

“Surely, it’s not...”

“Men…ma…”

I heard Anaru gasp and happily exclaimed, “Menma!” as she looked at where I was sitting. No, she looked at me.

The rest of the group moved their attention to where Anaru was gazing. I widened my eyes. They can hear me, they can see me.

“Is it really her?”

“Menma! It’s Menma!”

“I can see her!”

“Menma!”

I couldn’t help but cry once again, the smile on my face returning as Jitan whispered, “Menma…”
“I don’t think it’s just my name you want to say, right?” I questioned while wiping my tears away, my other palm placed on the trunk to
help me stand. “I’m really awful at hide and seek, huh?” I giggled, a sniffle following after. “Say it, okay, Jintan?”

“What…?”

“And then, it’ll be goodbye, okay?” I stood straight with the smile still adorning my features, puffy eyes on my friends, on Super Peace
Busters. I was fading and it won’t be too long ‘til I’m gone from this world and into the afterlife. I don’t want to leave them yet.

“I read your letter, I love you too, Menma!”

“I love you too, Menma!”

“I love you as well!”

“I love you, Menma!”

“Of course, I love you too!”

“Goodbyes aren’t a one-sided affair, you know! Right, Jintan?”

The mentioned male blinked his tears away and stared at me, the corners of his lips forming into a smile. Pretty. I really like it when he
smiles.

“Thank you for granting mom’s wish. I love you, Menma.”

My eyes became glassy, a tint of red mounted on the hills of my cheeks. And suddenly, in my sight, everyone turned back to who they
were five years ago, when we were kids… when the Super Peace Busters were complete.

“Hey, Jinta made Menma cry again!” The young version of Anaru with eyeglasses shrieked out while her finger pointed at me.

“Jintan...” Young Yukiatsu, who was wearing a cool cap, said in a warning tone.

“Hey, Jintan!” The child Tsuroko with pigtails called out. “Huh?” The young Jintan looked back at her, confused.

“Made her cry, made her cry! I’m going to tell the teacher!” Young Poppo taunted while doing a silly dance.

“Poppo, you’re betraying me too?!”

“Geez! You’re the worst, Jintan!”

“Jintan!”

“Shut up, Poppo!”

Slowly, the voices faded out and without me knowing, my cheeks were wet with rolling tears once again and I shut my eyes.

“I want to spend more time with all of you. I want us to play together. So, I’m going to be reincarnated and then I’ll be with you again!
So, now that Jintan’s cried.. and we’ve said goodbye..” I cried out, I can feel myself disappearing as the sun rose and filled the sky with
its pure scattered light. Just like the night, I was fading.. and gone.

“Here goes!” Jintan threw his head back and shouted. With all their might, everyone screamed,

“Found you, Menma!”

“You found…me…”