Late afternoon sunlight filtered through a tunnel of cherry-blossom boughs, petals drifting down like soft pink snowflakes, carpeting the path in fleeting color.
Kai walked slowly with Komaru the tanuki at her side. The tanuki nosed at a fallen petal and let out a gentle snuffle.
“It’s so pretty,” Kai sighed, brushing a single petal between her fingers, “but it won’t stay.”
Komaru tipped his head, whiskers twitching. He led Kai to a low wooden bench beneath the largest cherry tree. They sat in quiet until Yuki the fox padded up, a single blossom caught behind her ear. She dropped it gently into Kai’s hand.
“Why keep something that’s going to fade?” Kai whispered.
Yuki curled her tail around her paws, “Maybe because it shows us how special each moment is,” she said softly, “if the petals never fell, we’d never notice their beauty.”
Kai closed her eyes and pictured the tree in full bloom…clouds of pink, sunlight weaving through every branch. When she opened them again, a breeze stirred, and more petals floated down.
“It’s like the world is giving us tiny gifts, one at a time,” Kai said.
Komaru let out a small chuckle, puffing out his cheeks, “And each gift only lasts a moment.”
Kai watched the falling petals as though she could catch each one in her heart. Then she looked at her friends.
“Let’s make a promise,” she said, “to treasure every petal, every day…even when it’s gone.”
Yuki and Komaru nodded. As the sun dipped lower, they stayed beneath the cherry tree, listening to the soft whisper of petals and feeling the gentle ache of beauty passing by.
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