5 cm Per Second

That night, for the first time, Sakura and I kissed. The moment our lips touched, I came to
understand where my heart and soul were tucked away all these years. My heart beat rapidly
as I recall the fifteen years we spent together. But I was fully aware that after this moment,
sadness would follow. I did not know what I could do with her warmth and affection or how I
should treat it. I did not know the correct answer. All I knew was that we could not be
together again after this. We still had a long unforeseeable life ahead of us spread out within
the vastness of time. But before long, that anxiety that welled up inside of me faded away and
only the warmth of Sakura’s lips remained and imprinted into my soul. She was everything to
me. Nothing in the world was comparable to the warmth and softness of her lips. This was a
special kiss. As I recall these fond memories, no other kiss that occurred later in my life could
compare to the happiness, appreciation, and purity I felt throughout this one special kiss.

Amidst the heavy snowstorm, we took refuge at a local motel. We stood stationary in the
centre of the compact room for a while. The silence was killing me, we changed our
drenched clothes dressed into cleans ones and wrapped ourselves together in bed. In that brief
moment, we were no longer our lonely selves, but two lovers filled with happiness and joy.
As we spoke underneath the blankets, facing in opposite directions as our backs leaned
against each other, I would occasionally feel her long, silky hair brush onto my necks and
cheeks. Every time that happened, the smell of her sweet aroma aroused my senses to a
fevered pitch. As Sakura spoke, her words would gently make the front of my hair sway
while my voice would sway hers too. The heavy snow outside was growing light and
occasionally, the room would be filled with the light from the moon that made it all feel like
an illusion. We continued to talk into the long night and before we knew it, we had fallen
asleep. It was six o’ clock when we woke up and the snow had stopped. We drank some
matcha tea that was still slightly warm when we first entered the room and departed to the
train station. The sky was sapphire blue, and the sunlight avalanched over the ridge of the
mountains, making the snow-covered fields sparkle like a diamond in its light. It was a
dazzling world.
On that Saturday morning Sakura was the only passenger on the platform. A train painted in
white and blue shining underneath the morning sun on the Yamanote line had arrived. The
doors slowly opened and as she entered the carriage, she turned around facing the platform.
There stood fifteen-year-old Yanagi wearing a broad but pained smile. Yes, I had already
realised. From that moment forward, we had to be alone again and return to face our reality.
Even though we spent the whole night talking to each other, even though we had been so
close to each other we suddenly had to be split up again. I remained silent as I watched the
train doors close slowly, not knowing what to say. Sakura spoke up first. “Hey, Yanagi-kun.”
“Yanagi-kun…” she cried my name once more. The rising sun showered onto the snow fields
behind her shined like the ocean horizon and Sakura looked exceptionally beautiful as she
stood against the scenery. “Yanagi-kun, I’m sure you will be alright! I know you will be!”
“Thanks…” I responded right before the train doors closed. I couldn’t leave it like this so I
shouted with all my strength so my voice would reach her through the closed doors. “You
take care too, Sakura! I’ll write to you and call you!” As the train began to move, our right
hands touched the same spot on the train’s windows. Our hands were separated almost
immediately as the train moved. But just for a moment, I was sure they touched the same
spot.