Chapter 48 At the Long-Awaited Reunion

At the Long-Awaited Reunion

After that, I hadn’t heard from Eriko-san, and I was beginning to give up hope of seeing Taichi. In mid-June, while I was helping with a delivery at a liquor store, my smartphone in my jeans pocket rang. When I checked it, it was an incoming call from Eriko-san.

Here it is!

I stepped out of the warehouse where I was working, took a breath, and tapped the call icon.

[Hey, Chika-chan? Sorry to bother you if you’re busy. Are you free now?]

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

[Hey, where are you now? Taichi says he wants to see you. (No, I didn’t say I wanted to—ugh!)]

Taichi’s voice!?

Taichi is right next to Eriko-san!

“I’m at my part-time job now! I can leave work, so if you tell me where to go, I’ll change and go there right away.”

[Then I’ll go to the store now. I’ll be there in about 10 minutes, so please give me some time. (Eh!? Now!? Isn’t that too sudden!?)]

“Well, but I’m in my work clothes, and I look dirty.”

[It’s not dirty at all, so it’s okay the way you are. I’ll be there soon, so wait for me.]

Taichi is coming….

I’m not ready yet.

What should I say?

What words should I use to apologize?

I’ve been thinking about what to apologize for this whole month, but when I heard Taichi’s voice, it flew out of my head.

What should I do?

Anyway, I have to tell the president’s wife!

I told her, “Sakamoto-san has something to ask me, so I’m going out for a while,” and she said, “Don’t worry about it. Take your time. If the conversation takes a long time, you can just go home.”

I looked in the mirror to try to tidy up a bit, but I was covered in dirt from my work and could only manage to run a comb through my hair.

There was one thing I had made up my mind about in the past month.

I would never cry during the apology.

Only victims can cry.

It would be a dishonest act for me, the perpetrator, to cry and try to gain sympathy.

I would never cry in front of Taichi.

No matter how much I was scolded, hit, or kicked, I would take it all.

As I was thinking that, Eriko-san’s car pulled into the parking lot of the store.

I quickly ran out of the store to the car, and Eriko-san and Taichi got out.

Taichi, after two years, has he gained weight?

Somehow… He has a worried look on his face.

It’s nostalgic.

He used to get that look whenever I said something.

I always got Taichi into trouble.

It’s too late to realize that now.

Although I’m very curious about Taichi, I first thanked Eriko-san and said, “I’m so sorry for bothering you! Thank you!”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m sorry for coming so suddenly. Taichi’s teaching practice ended today, so it was either today or tomorrow. Oh, is it okay if I park here? The cake shop is still open, so let’s talk there.”

She said that and started walking quickly.

I followed behind Eriko-san, who was as relaxed as ever, and Taichi followed silently behind me.

We entered the cake shop and sat down at a table in the back. Eriko-san and Taichi sat next to each other, and I sat across from them.

Eriko-san ordered three coffees from the waiter, and as soon as the waiter left the table, I bowed my head to Taichi and said, “I’m so sorry about what happened in high school,” and at the same time, Taichi bowed his head and said, “Thank you for sending me food every month.”

I was so surprised to be thanked instead of scolded that I was speechless. Then Taichi began to speak.

“I did not come here today to hear you apologize. I just wanted to thank you for sending me food every month because it helped me a lot.”

“But, but….”

Taichi isn’t angry?

I betrayed him, didn’t I?

I hurt Taichi so much that he must have been devastated.

“It’s okay now. You don’t have to send me any more food. I wanted to tell you that too.”

“…”

“So, Taichi doesn’t say he’s upset, does he? He found out that you, Chika-chan, have been preparing the food I’ve been sending you every month, and he thought he couldn’t bother you anymore, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. It may not be enough, but I’ll pay you back for everything so far.”

As Taichi said that, he placed an envelope in front of me.

I didn’t check the contents, but I could tell that it was filled with cash.

I was at a loss for words. I had asked Eriko-san to arrange this meeting so that I could apologize, but instead of an apology, I was thanked.

I’m incredibly happy that something I’ve done consistently every month has helped Taichi and that he was grateful for it.

But it was something I did for my own satisfaction, and I never expected him to repay me.

What shocked me the most was that Taichi didn’t want me to apologize at all.

Even though I’m supposed to be the one he hates, the fact that he doesn’t glare at me or ignore me when we meet again but instead wears the same troubled expression as before just feels so strange.

How forgiving can he be?

Or am I so unimportant to him that he doesn’t even hate me?

No.

I don’t have the right to say that.

“Since I did that because I wanted to, you don’t have to thank me or give me money. If Taichi tells me to stop, I’ll stop starting this month.”

“But it’s a pretty big amount, isn’t it? I can’t just say, ’Yes, of course,’ if you say you don’t need it.”

“I really don’t need it. And about what happened in the past, I’m really sorry. I’ve always regretted betraying you.”

“No, that’s not what I mean.”

“Today I came here to apologize. I was prepared to be beaten. But I don’t know what to do with Taichi, who isn’t angry at all.”

“Oh yes, that makes sense. Taichi stopped being angry at you the moment he graduated from high school and left home. So his revenge is already over.”

“Eh….”

“I wouldn’t say I’m not angry, but maybe it’s because I’m having so much fun with my current life and university that I don’t think about high school much anymore.”

“Are you talking about your girlfriend again? Are you trying to show off again? Yesterday you cried on the phone and said, [I miss you, Iroha-san~]”

“Eh!? I wasn’t crying at all!? And why were you eavesdropping on someone else’s conversation!?”

Huh?

Iroha-san?

No, no, no, why are the Sakamoto siblings talking so happily?

I was cheating, you know? I was seeing two people at once.

How can he be so happy in front of a cheater like me?

He’s too relaxed.

I’ve been with Taichi for five years, but I didn’t know he had this side.

Is it more Eriko-san’s influence than Taichi’s?

Or is it the influence of his current girlfriend?

In the end, the conversation about my apology and Taichi’s gratitude ended up being vague, and I decided to stop supporting him. I also managed to refuse his money.

Then, as I returned to the store’s parking lot and watched as the two of them got into Eriko-san’s car and started to drive away, Taichi, sitting in the passenger seat, lowered the power window.

“Don’t overdo it. Chika, do your best.”

“Ah, y-yeah… Thank you.”

After watching the car drive out of the parking lot, and once it was out of sight, I sank to the ground as if my knees had given out.

I couldn’t understand how he could act like that.

Eriko-san was always like that, but why isn’t Taichi angry?

Why is he so concerned about me?

How can he even tell me, “Do your best”?

How forgiving can he be?

Still, I’m glad I met him.

I was happier than anything to see that he was doing well.

And I was so happy that he called my name and cheered me up that I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

After I was alone, I cried out loud in the dark parking lot.