I caught a fleeting glimpse of that from above.

Then I kept climbing.

Higher and higher.

The wind grew stronger.

Until finally, my head cleared the edge of the roof.

A gust of wind immediately swept across my face.

Fresh.

And quite strong.

Summer in the village really was different from the city.

The heat was there. But the wind felt alive.

_

I hoisted myself fully onto the roof.

A vast expanse of roof tiles spread out beneath my feet.

In the distance, I could see the roofs of other houses. Trees. Orchards. And

further out—

A sprawling expanse of rice fields.

A long stretch of green.

I slowly stood up at the very peak of the roof.

Keeping my balance.

Because the wind up here felt stronger than I had imagined.

_

My feet stepped carefully along the surface of the tiles.

Down below, Father grabbed a long wooden pole.

A fruit-picking hook.

A long bamboo rod.

Then he walked into the house.

Yuna trailed right behind him.

I walked toward the middle of the roof.

Stopped.

And waited.

_

A few seconds later—

Thump.

A roof tile lifted slightly from below.

Poked by the pole.

I immediately moved to that vertical line of tiles.

"So it’s here."

I crouched down.

My hands began removing the topmost tile.

Slide.

Lift.

Set it aside.

The wooden batten underneath was exposed.

I grabbed the safety line.

Tied it around my waist. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Then I hooked the carabiner onto the batten.

Only then did I step forward.

Stepping onto the batten.

Removing the second tile.

Then the third.

Continuing downward, slowly.

With every row I descended, I moved the hook down to the next wooden beam.

_

"Papa!! Be careful!!"

Yuna’s voice called out from below.

I took a quick glance.

She was standing near Father. Her face looked utterly serious.

"Yeah!!"

I went back to work.

But a few seconds later, I realized something—

Yuna was standing directly beneath the path where I was removing the tiles.

"Yuna!" I looked down.

"Don’t stand right under me!" "You’ll get dust in your eyes!"

Father immediately grabbed Yuna’s hand.

Pulling her back and away.

"Over here."

Yuna obeyed.

"Which one, Dad?" I asked again.

"Two more rows down."

I removed two more layers of tiles.

And then, I finally saw it.

A tile with a fairly large crack on its bottom edge.

The batten underneath was still in good condition.

_

Father grabbed the long pole again.

This time, there was a small bag hanging from the end.

He hoisted it up toward me.

"Here."

"Got it."

I took the bag.

Inside was a new roof tile.

I pulled out the replacement tile. Then put the broken one into the bag.

The bag was lowered.

After that, I immediately slotted the new tile into place.

A perfect fit.

I started putting all the tiles back in order, slowly climbing my way up.

"That’s one done."

_

Thump.

The second signal from below.

I opened up another path of tiles.

This time—

"Hm..."

The batten was damaged.

Not broken.

But it was starting to rot.

The bag from below came up again.

Inside was a new tile and a short piece of batten.

I took both of them.

I swapped the broken tile into the bag.

The bag was lowered.

_

I inspected the old batten more closely.

Tapped it lightly.

Still solid on the inside.

"Still usable..."

I placed the new piece of wood directly over the rotting section.

Grabbed a nail.

And my hammer.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

The sound of the hammer echoed faintly across the roof.

Down below, Yuna kept watching.

Her face tense.

_

"Papa! Be careful!!"

"Yeah, yeah!"

The reinforcement wood was secured.

I replaced the tile.

Then put everything back in place.

"Tile number two, done."

Thump.

The final signal.

"Yep." I took a breath. "Last one."

I started moving again.

Suddenly—

Whoosh.

A heavy gust of wind swept through, strong and sudden.

My body instinctively dropped low.

Crouching down fast.

My heartbeat spiked.

My vision swayed for a moment.

"Haa..."

My hands clamped onto the wooden batten.

"I really hate heights..."

I stayed still for a few seconds.

Waiting for the wind to die down.

Then I started moving again.

A few minutes later—

Done.

_

All the roof tiles were tightly sealed once again.

I walked back up to the peak of the roof.

Looked down.

Father and Yuna were already standing there, holding the ladder.

Waiting.

I began my descent slowly.

Creak...

The bamboo ladder groaned once again.

One step.

Two steps.

Until finally, my feet touched the ground.

Safe.

_

I took a deep breath.

And exhaled slowly.

"Haa..."

"Good job, Itsuki," Father said casually.

Yuna immediately came closer.

"Papa is amazing..."

I didn’t answer her.

I just averted my gaze.

This wasn’t amazing.

It was terrifying.

_

"Take a break," Father said, patting my shoulder once. "Do you want coffee or

something cold? I’ll ask your mother to make it."

"Just coffee."

"Hm."

Father walked into the house.

I stood still for a moment in the side yard.

The summer breeze blew softly.

My t-shirt was slightly damp with sweat.

And only now did I really feel it—my palms were aching from gripping the roof

tiles and wooden battens for so long.

_

"Is Papa afraid of heights?"

Yuna’s voice came from my side.

I glanced at her.

"Huh? Me?"

Yuna stared at me for a long moment.

"I’m a little scared," she said quietly. "If you fall..."

Fall.

That word made my mind wander for a second.

The impact.

The body losing its footing.

Emptiness.

Truthfully... it wasn’t just about falling.

Even just standing somewhere high up was enough to make my chest feel tight.

The wind felt different.

The ground felt far away.

And the body seemed acutely aware—that one wrong step could end it all.

_

The sound of footsteps approached.

Father came out of the garage carrying a long hose.

"Yuna," he called out. "Please turn on the tap."

"Okay, Grandpa!"

Yuna immediately sprang into action.

She followed the line of the hose stretching across the yard.

"We’ll test it right now," Father said with a small smirk.

"Haha, obviously."

"If it still leaks, that means you’re going back up," Father said casually.

"What if the tile you gave me was defective?" I shot back.

"Then it’s my fault." "And if you didn’t install it tight enough?" he added.

I glanced at him. "Yeah... then that’s my fault."

_

Shortly after—

Water began flowing through the hose.

Yuna jogged back over to us.

"I turned it on!"

"Alright."

Father held the end of the hose.

He placed his thumb over part of the nozzle.

Instantly, the water sprayed out with much greater force.

High into the air.

And directly struck the roof.

Splashhh.

The sound of the water hitting the tiles was quite loud.

"Now go check inside, Itsuki."

"Yeah."

_

I walked into the house.

The wooden floor felt slightly cold against the soles of my feet.

I reached the living room.

Looked up.

The sound of water kept battering the roof above.

Splashhh.

Splashhh.

Yuna followed me inside.

She tipped her head back, looking utterly serious.

Her eyes darted back and forth.

"No leaks."

"Yeah," I said, leaning against a wooden pillar. "That’s how it should be."

"Go tell Grandpa," I said. "Tell him it’s clear."

Yuna immediately nodded.

As if accepting a crucial mission.

"Okay."

She dashed right back outside.

Fast.

I could hear her voice from the yard. Muffled, but clear.

_

"Grandpa!! No leaks!!"

Father’s voice answered, even more muffled.

"Now for the bedroom."

Not long after—

Yuna reappeared.

"Papa." Her breathing was a bit fast. "Grandpa says check your old room now."

"Yeah."

We walked.

Into my old room.

The sound of water could be heard overhead again.

I looked up.

Waited.

No drips.

No seeping moisture.

"No leaks," Yuna said again, sounding satisfied.

"Yeah."

This time, without being told, she immediately ran back outside.

I smiled faintly. This kid was way too excited.

I stepped out of the room. But I didn’t head out to the yard.

I went to the kitchen.

_

When I got there—

Mother was making coffee.

The rich aroma of hot coffee grounds immediately filled the room.

The sound of water streaming off the roof could still be heard faintly.

Then—

Pat-pat-pat.

Small, quick footsteps approached.

"Papa, Grandpa says—"

Yuna stopped herself mid-sentence.

Looked up at the kitchen roof.

Listened.

For a few seconds.

"No leaks," she said quickly. Then she instantly dashed out again.

Mother chuckled at the sight.

"Itsuki, look at that daughter of yours," she said, sliding a cup forward.

"Here, your coffee is ready."

"Yeah, I know."

I walked over to Mother.

Took the cup.

Hot.

I carried it to the low table.

Sat down.

The sound of water above finally stopped.

The test was over.

_

I poured a little coffee into the saucer.

Sip.

"Haa..."

Bitter.

Warm.

Just right.

A few moments later—

Yuna appeared again.

She was panting slightly.

Her cheeks were a bit flushed from constantly running back and forth.

She walked over to Mother.

"Grandma..." she said, raising her hands a little. "Can I have some water,

please?"

Her arms were too short to reach the glasses on the top shelf.

Mother immediately poured her some water.

"Here you go."

Yuna accepted it with both hands.

Then gulped it down quickly.

Finished it in one go.

She placed the glass back on the counter.

After that, she walked over to me.

And without saying a word—

Flop.

She lay down beside me.

Resting her head on my thigh.

_

"Why were you running around like that?" I asked, looking down at her.

"There was no need for that."

"I know, Papa..." she mumbled, closing her eyes.

~~ ♦ ~~