Chapter 207 Ugaki

Ugaki

I’m on my way home after dropping Ichijo-san off.

Too much has happened today. A movie date and a visit to Ai-san’s mother’s grave. Little by little, we are getting closer to each other.

That made me happy, and I really appreciated the fact that she told me something she never wanted to say. And I know the depth of her despair. That alone makes my heart ache. Maybe even more despair than I experienced.

The accidental death of her mother. The guilt over her mother’s death to protect her. And the constant bullying that takes advantage of her mother’s death. The separation from her father.

Just thinking about it is enough to break my heart.

“She is truly amazing.”

Despite carrying so much weight, she never stopped trying.

She took the entrance exam from a private junior high school in Tokyo to our high school and passed at the top of her class. Even after entering the school, she has continued to maintain her grades and is considered an all-around athlete. How much effort did she put into…

She never stopped moving forward, no matter how hard things got.

Because she worked too hard, she was in tatters that day on the rooftop.

And yet…

“She tried so hard to help me.”

She reached out to me when I was in the depths of my own despair.

She gave me more than I could ever give back, even if it took a lifetime.

I will not let go of her hand.

I will not let go.

I sit on a park bench near my house. To calm my emotions.

Then I do some research about the accident. I found some news articles on the Internet.

The accident that happened two years ago was even worse than I remembered.

The death toll was much higher than I thought. And then the miraculous survival of a junior high school student. The names of the victims were written in the newspaper, and Ugaki Hitomi’s name was there. It depressed me to think that she had been bullied because of it. There were no names I recognized in the columns of the other victims. The cause of the accident was aging tunnels. Problems with infrastructure development are concentrated in the second half of the article.

“As I expected.”

After clearing my head, I walk home.

It’s getting late. It’s time for the last orders at Kitchen Aono.

“I’m home.”

I open the door of the restaurant and greet the customers.

Unusually, the only customers are the Izumi family, who are regulars.

“Ah, it’s Eiji-oniichan.”

The Izumi family had been regular customers since my father’s generation, and it seemed that they had brought their granddaughter with them.

“Mai-chan, long time no see. Is it your birthday today?”

“Yes! I wanted to have Okosama (children’s) lunch, so my grandfathers brought me here.”

It seems that the Izumi family came to our house with their family for a birthday party.

“Eiji-kun, you’ve grown up so much. I heard you got an award for helping people the other day. Obasan is happy for you, too.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

They’re such down-to-earth regulars, so I’m happy to meet them too.

I used to come here when I was little, and the regulars took care of me like I was one of their children or grandchildren.

Mom pokes her head out of the back and asks teasingly.

“Welcome back; did you enjoy your date with Ai-chan?”

“Yeah. It was fun.”

It was hot, so I got some water from a pitcher and sipped it.

“Then, yokatta. I was afraid you wouldn’t come home today.”

“Gah…”

I almost spit water out of my mouth.

If Izumi-san and the others heard…

I turned around, but it seemed like everyone was so engrossed in the cake that they didn’t hear her.

“Just kidding. But you have to take good care of Ai-chan. She’s such a good girl. It’s rare to find a girl as good as her.”

“Yes, I know.”

Mom laughs happily when I say that. Then she turns to go back to the kitchen.

“Mom, can I ask you something?”

Mom looks back at me with a curious look on her face and laughs.

“Uncle Ugaki hasn’t been coming to the restaurant lately, has he?”