Outside the window, cicadas are crying. Under the relentlessly beating sun, the asphalt seemed to shimmer and waver.

Before I knew it, my feet were heading toward the sea. The sea breeze sways my hair. Only the sound of the waves quietly reaches my ears. While gazing absently at the waves ebbing and flowing, I sat down on the nearby sandy beach. The summer sea should have been lively, but this spot alone was a little quiet. Families, groups of friends, couples—everyone was a little distance away. It felt as if time flowed slowly only here, and strangely, it was comfortable. As I listen to the sound of the waves, the noise in my heart gradually grows distant. This kind of time isn't so bad. Just as I thought that—