“Yes,” he replied and looked over at the center table. “That day, we had arranged to meet here, but I couldn’t make it because of work. Back then, none of us had mobile phones, so she waited until closing time. Then, when she was walking home, she got caught up in a mugging that took place in the neighborhood.”

When he finished talking, he adjusted his hunting cap so that it fitted snugly on his head.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I must have sounded rude before...” said Nagare, bowing his head low. He now felt bad for questioning Kiyoshi’s need to go back to the past just to deliver a gift.

Of course, he wasn’t to know that Kiyoshi’s wife was dead, so it couldn’t be helped. But still, he was chastising himself for acting so rashly.

I jumped to conclusions when I should have listened to the full explanation.

“Oh, no, no. On the contrary, I should have explained from the beginning. I’m sorry for the confusion,” Kiyoshi said hurriedly, bowing his head.

“For these thirty years, I have lived with a constant regret. If only I had kept my promise, my wife would not have died, and everything would have been different. But...”

He paused, and slowly turned his gaze to Kazu.

“No matter how much I regret it, it won’t bring back the dead.”

Moved by Kiyoshi’s words, Nagare’s eyes widened. He looked at Kazu.

He seemed to want to say something, but he couldn’t find his voice. Kazu was staring into the distance in the direction of the woman in the dress. Kiyoshi looked down lovingly at the box that contained the necklace.

“And so, I want to give this to my wife while she was alive,” he said quietly.

Dong... Dong... Dong...

The clock on the wall struck eight times, and the sound reverberated through the café.

Kiyoshi stood up.

“Please allow me to return to that day when my wife was still alive thirty years ago, her last birthday,” he said, bowing his head deeply.

But Nagare’s expression remained dark.

“Er, Kiyoshi, there is something you should know...” he began. It was obviously something he found difficult to say, and he was struggling with how to word it. “Um...you see...well, it’s like this...”

Kiyoshi cocked his head to one side, looking at Nagare. It was Kazu who spoke next, with her regular cool expression. “Well, due to certain circumstances, it is no longer possible to return to the past under my pouring,” she stated.

While Nagare clearly found the situation awkward, Kazu spoke matter-of-factly as if announcing that the lunch menu had finished.

“Oh...” Kiyoshi appeared to be stunned by the news. “Well, if that’s the case,” he muttered and slowly closed his eyes.

“Kiyoshi...”

He turned to Nagare, who was beginning to say something.