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It was already evening yet in my room, I was still basking in the post-beach trip afterglow. Since it was only seven o'clock and I couldn't sleep, I decided to take a stroll around town to pass the time. And like a typical bar at night, Raimon from outside was noisy with all of its inebriated customers. I wanted to check inside and see if Tatsu-nii was there, but held back on the thought of him wanting me to join in. It would be worse if Tappei-san was there; I might have to be carried home if that was the case.

When I passed by the shopping arcade, most of the shops were already closed. There were barely any people there save for some old-timers who were playing shogi outside the liquor store, and the sound of the evening wind filled the area. I still found the quietness a little strange, but I was slowly getting used to it, liking it even. There were few areas in the city where one could sit down and immerse oneself in one's thoughts save for the temples and shrines, or the library. Here, I could just pick a place and sit there to my heart's content. And the place I chose was the old elementary school. An odd choice, yes, but something in my mind was bugging me about that place, like I had some business left undone.

When I arrived at the gates, I saw Botan-sensei on the other side, presumably on guard duty. Aside from a few wrinkles near his eyes, his appearance hasn't changed that much. Though I do recall his gut being a bit smaller. And his black hair and copper fur already had streaks of gray here and there. One thing that remained constant though was his clothing: glasses, white dress shirt, orange tie, and gray slacks. Even with all these, I could say that he aged well. Playing rugby back in his younger days did his body a lot of good. And his strength was no joke either. He was the nicest teacher we ever met, but get him angry and one would feel his punch for days.

After some introductions and a bit of chit-chat, I managed to have the old boar let me in, in exchange for a favor at a latter date. Once inside the school grounds, I circled the entire area and behind the school building, settled on what we considered one of the school's mysteries: a cherry blossom tree that never bloomed. It was said to be planted by one of the kids that studied there. Why it never bloomed though, no one could explain. Even Botan-sensei was at a loss when er asked about it one time.

Not thinking about it much, I lied down under it and rested my back on its trunk, letting myself be immersed in the quietness of the place. Sure, we had our share of spooks last night here, but knowing that it was all Kounosuke's doing assured me that the place was safe. And with the cool wind blowing, I slowly drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up, I looked at my watch and saw that I had been asleep for about half an hour. But what was puzzling was the pile of pink petals that were on my belly. I looked up and what I saw surprised me: the cherry blossom tree was blooming! In the middle of Summer! It was amazing and at the same time puzzling. Cherry blossom trees don't bloom until after Winter and the start of Spring. While I was asking myself questions about why this had happened, someone was walking towards me. It was a little wolf-boy who, strangely, almost looked like Shun-kun, though looking a little older.

"Beautiful isn't it, Hiroyuki?" the boy said. "These out-of season flowers."

I nodded, feeling slightly uneasy. "Who are you? And how did you know my name?"

The boy chuckled. "Didn't you already ask me this last time? Though, I expected that you would forget."

"Huh?"

"First, let me explain the flowers. You've heard of the Seven Wonders of Minasato School, right?"

"Yes, I have. But what does this have to do with it?"

"Well." The boy winked and gestured. "You could consider this as the Eighth Wonder. The Lone Cherry Tree that Blooms at Night."

"Wait a minute! If there is an Eighth Wonder, how come no one's heard of it?"

"Only one reason actually. The petals come and go only when the Seventh Wonder presents itself near it."

That was when I felt a chill run down my spine. "S-S-Seventh W-Wonder?"

"Pleased to meet you for the third time, Hiroyuki. I am the school's Seventh Wonder. Call me Nanafuse, or Nana-kun like how you did back then."

"Back then?"

Despite the feeling of fear I had, I tried to recall if I ever had any memory of him. Then, one came back: our first meeting. The first time me and Nana-kun met was when Shun-kun noticed a kid crying in one corner of the playground. When I asked who he was, the only name he gave was Nana, and that was why we called him Nana-kun. That memory, along with several others, played in my head like rapid picture slideshow up to the point where I caught a glimpse of him at the shrine and the one where I saw him at the school walls last night.

"But why? Why am I only remembering all of this now? And how did I forget them?"

Nana-kun caught a petal with his hand and looked at it. "Like these cherry blossoms, anyone's memories of me will come and go only when I appear. The moment I fade away again, you'll forget ever seeing me. It's for the best. The only thing everyone could remember me by without me appearing is through Kounosuke's notes."

"Kounosuke? Were you the one who told him about the Seventh Wonder?"

Nana-kun nodded. "As for the other Six Wonders, they're all pretty much made up."

I hung my head. "Damn. Why make them up then?"

He looked up. "It wasn't me who made them. At first, it was only me. Then somewhere along the way, the other six got added. And before my story, there was no wonder. Only the story of someone that used to be me. Or at least, that's what I could remember. That one also planted this cherry blossom tree."

"Someone who used to be you? So, are you really a ghost?"

He nodded. "The one who used to be me was an ill kid who spent most of his days at the clinic. His favorite spot was the bed near the window. He was a big fan of cherry blossoms, but the school had no trees of it back then."

I rested my head on my hands, leaning closer. "What happened then."

"He asked if one could be planted around the spot where the window was and the principal had no problems about it. But when winter came, the boy fell to his sickness and passed on. When Spring arrived, the tree didn't bloom. At least, that was what I heard from the elders when I first appeared."

"How did you know then that it would only bloom at night when you're around?"

Nana-kun smiled. "By appearing in front of it, of course. I was so thrilled when I saw it for the first time. But when morning came I saw that the petals were gone. I assumed it only bloomed at night and when I'm around."

"Hold on. Wouldn't that mean that the Seventh Wonder should be the tree?"

"Yeah. But everyone focused more on the kid than the tree since no one ever saw it bloom. Well, no one until now."

"And the memories thing?"

He took a deep breath. "I tried making friends with the kids that studied here. Took on many forms. Saw many of them stay together, many of them grow apart. I hated the fact that they would forget me when I faded away, but I accepted it as part of my existence."

I tried patting him on the shoulder. Surprisingly, his form was tangible. "Sorry that I- we forgot you many times then. But, why reveal yourself to me? And why now?"

Nana-kun gave a melancholic smile. "The most fun I've ever had was hanging out with you and your friends. Maybe it was out of an absurd desire to not be forgotten anymore. When I saw Torahiko here contemplating on whether or not to send you a letter, I thought to myself, 'If he comes, he's the one I'll reveal myself to.' Kounosuke was the first one I did reveal a part of myself to, but you know how he is."

Both of us laughed at it. "So, does this mean you're gonna make me write a memoir about you?"

"Well, kinda like that. But nothing too long. If only you had a notebook right now, we could've started it already."

"Then next time I'll bri- Oh. Right. I'll forget you by the time you're gone."

"How about I write it on the ground and you take a picture then?"

I nodded, and the boy started writing on the ground with a stray branch. It read: Next week. Seven in the evening. At the cherry tree near the clinic's window. See you there. Nana. When it was done, I took a picture of it and kept the phone active in case I forget.

"I guess this is goodbye for now then," Nana-kun said as he slowly faded away.

"Bye then!"

My vision went white for a bit. When it came back, I was standing under the cherry blossom tree, holding my phone out for some reason. I couldn't even recall why I was standing there. All I remembered was I took a nap under the tree, then I found myself suddenly like this. When I noticed something was on my phone, I looked at it and saw a picture of something scribbled on the ground. It read:

"Next week. Seven in the evening. At the cherry tree near the clinic's window. See you there. Nana."

Who this Nana was, I couldn't recall. But if it had something to do with what happened while I was here, then it wouldn't hurt to do what was said. Making a mental note of it, I put the phone back in my pocket and exited the school grounds, heading back home upon finding out that it was already 8:30 PM.