The mind can forget... but the heart never!

Chapter 10

Amy noticed that she was getting nervous. She smoothed out her new dress and took one last look in the mirror. Just half an hour left until her first date. Thoughtfully, she took her favorite book from the shelf and retrieved the small letter from within it.

"It is possible that things will happen where the connection is missing. Please try to accept these things as best as you can."

She read the lines over and over again. "I hope none of this has anything to do with Taiki," she thought, folding the paper and slipping it into her purse. Then she headed out. They had arranged to meet at a small café next to the library.

From a distance, Amy recognized Taiki standing there, waiting for her, which unconsciously brought a smile to her face. They greeted each other and sat outside in the sun. At the beginning, neither of them knew quite what to say. They sat there, both blushing slightly, and remained silent.

"Do you have a new dress? It looks very good on you," Taiki broke the silence. But this compliment made Amy curious.

"How does he know it's a new dress? We only met yesterday," she wondered without responding to him.

"Amy? Is everything okay?" Taiki asked with concern, noticing Amy's thoughtful expression.

"May I ask you something?" Amy looked into his eyes, hoping for answers. She hated the feeling of not knowing that gnawed at her.

Taiki raised an eyebrow in surprise. "What would you like to know?"

Amy had prepared several questions, but she didn't know where to start. Her emotions were on a rollercoaster, and her mind was trying to weigh where to begin.

"Taiki, the question may sound strange to you, but how long have we known each other?"

Taiki hadn't expected this question and started calculating with a puzzled expression.

"I would say almost a year, why do you ask something like that?" Now he was also becoming alert. It was evident that something had happened, but what could it be?

Amy tensed as his words reached her ears. Did he just say a year? That was impossible. Amy shook her head in embarrassment.

"For me, it's as if yesterday was our first meeting. I'm sorry, but I have no idea who you are or how we know each other."

Taiki started to understand; so Minako's memory might be affected as well. She hadn't pretended not to recognize him because she was angry; she genuinely didn't remember him. Taiki took in the information and quickly formed a theory that he urgently needed to check.

Slowly, he took out his wallet from his pocket and opened it. Then he showed her a picture. Amy was speechless as she ran her finger over the image; it showed her and Taiki together, both smiling happily.

"When... when was this taken?" she stammered.

Taiki laughed affectionately at her reaction. "About half a year ago, at the spring festival."

Amy felt herself blushing; she remembered the spring festival well. She had gone there with her friends, but why did she have almost no memory of him? Her gut feeling told her that now was the right time to seek answers.

With trembling hands, she took out the note from her purse, placed it on the table, and smoothed it out.

"Maybe you can help me with this. This message is from me, to myself, but I can't remember when or why I wrote it. But I can't shake the feeling that everything is connected."

Taiki skimmed the note and looked at the puzzle thoughtfully.

"I think you're right. Have you already solved the riddle?"

Amy shook her head. "No, I've checked two or three theories, but they all led to dead ends."

"Amy, I need to know exactly what you still remember." He held her hand and squeezed it gently. "We will figure out what happened. I promise you."

Amy could effortlessly recount almost everything that had happened, except for the moments they spent together. Taiki rubbed his temples and looked back at the note, making notes on it. "What about my brothers? Do you remember who they are?"

"You have brothers?"

"Yes, two. One is named Seiya, and the other is Yaten... but you'll meet them soon enough." It couldn't be; they seemed to have been erased from her memory... and yet, it appeared to be the case. A theory started forming in Taiki's mind, one that he urgently needed to verify.

"I have one more important question," Taiki paused thoughtfully. This question would decide a lot, and yet his instincts told him not to reveal too much, so he opted for a cautious approach. "What comes to your mind when I say 'Merkur'?"

Amy was utterly confused. What did a planet have to do with her problem?

"It's the smallest planet in the solar system, it belongs to the rocky planets and has the closest orbit to the Sun. Its diameter is 4,880 km, and its average surface temperature is 167°C. But what does that have to do with our problem?"

Taiki let out a heavy breath. "Unfortunately, quite a lot. I hope you'll forgive me, but I have to go quickly before my brothers do something stupid. I'll contact you later." On impulse, he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before getting up and disappearing. Amy's hand moved up to her cheek, to the spot that had just been touched by his lips. But what had she said that made him suddenly rush off? She was sure that the information about Mercury was correct. Why was he in such a hurry to leave?

Taiki ran home as fast as he could. He knew Yaten had plans to meet Minako today. If his suspicion was correct, this would end in disaster. Gasping for breath, he swung open the apartment door. Seiya was lying on the sofa, listening to loud music. "Seiya! Where is Yaten?" he yelled over the music.

Seiya stopped the music and saw that his brother was beside himself. "What's going on?"

"I asked where Yaten is?!"

"He just left for his date, you just missed him. He seemed pretty nervous."

"Come on, get up. We have to find him!" Taiki yelled.

"Wait a moment, calm down. What happened?"

"The girls, I just met with Amy. All her memories are gone; she doesn't know who we are. Minako wasn't pretending!" he explained briefly.

Seiya's eyes widened. Now he also understood the gravity of the situation, and both brothers ran off.