Chapter 40 To Fulfill the Dream Once Abandoned
#21MotoKanojoTo Fulfill the Dream Once Abandoned
“Yuuta—! Grab that one!”
“Got it!”
On Sunday, we started by helping Kinoshita-senpai move her belongings into Sasaki-senpai’s apartment.
The large furniture was being sent back to her family home by professional movers, leaving only the bare essentials for us to handle.
That’s why, aside from the items being handled by the movers, we decided to take care of the rest ourselves.
By the way, neither Hatsune nor I changed our resident registrations for this move.
Well, mine has always been registered at my family home, anyway.
As for Hatsune… her registration is still listed at her family home’s address from before the incident.
But that can’t be helped. Back then, Hatsune was relentlessly stalked by that sc🬀🬀🬀ag.
Still, someday… I want us to share the same address on our registrations.
Because now, Hatsune has me by her side.
“Hatsune-chan, thank you so much!”
“N-No! If anything, you’re the one moving for our sake, so we should be thanking you!”
“Hatsune-chan… I’ve been meaning to say this, but we’re the same age, and unlike Yuuta-kun, you’re not my junior at university. You don’t have to be so formal, okay?”
Kinoshita-senpai said this to Hatsune, her expression slightly stern.
“Nfufu—since you’re Yuuta’s important senpai, I can’t do that. I’ll respectfully call you Kinoshita-senpai.”
“Eh!? Did I mess up somehow!?”
Haha, Hatsune looked rather pleased with herself.
“Haha! Hatsune-chan, you’ve started showing some great expressions lately!”
“Senpai… Yes!”
Watching this playful exchange between Kinoshita-senpai and Hatsune, Sasaki-senpai and I couldn’t help but smile.
And then—
“Kinoshita-senpai, Hatsune-senpai, I’m here to help!”
“Mikoto!”
Unexpectedly, Mushakoji-san showed up to lend a hand.
To be honest, I couldn’t quite picture her, an Oujou-sama, helping with a move.
“…You seem to have something to say.”
“N-No, not at all!”
Mushakoji-san shot me a sharp glare, and I quickly busied myself carrying some boxes.
As always—or rather, ever since I started dating Hatsune—it feels like she’s been especially hostile toward me…
And then—
“Alright! That’s the last of the boxes!”
With all of Kinoshita-senpai’s belongings moved out, her room was now completely empty—almost eerily so.
“Okay, let’s unload Kasumi’s stuff into my place, then move Yuuta and Hatsune-chan’s things into the apartment!”
“Understood.”
Sasaki-senpai and I climbed into the small truck loaded with boxes.
“Yuuta, I’ll wait for you at the apartment!”
“Alright.”
Seeing us off, Hatsune and the others waved as we headed toward Sasaki-senpai’s place.
“Alright, let’s meet in front of the station at seven tonight!”
“Okay! Thank you so much!”
After all the moving was finished, Sasaki-senpai and Kinoshita-senpai returned the truck, while Mushakoji-san headed home for the time being.
“Alright, let’s unpack as much as we can before it’s time.”
“Yeah!”
Hatsune and I started opening boxes one after another, organizing the belongings.
“Nfufu—this sink is so spacious! I can’t wait to put my cooking skills to the test here!”
Hatsune beamed with joy as she admired the large kitchen sink.
“Hey, hey, with this setup, we could even cook together, don’t you think?”
“R-Really?”
Ugh… I’m awful at cooking, though…
“Ahaha, don’t worry! I’ll guide you step by step! So, next time… let’s cook together, okay?”
“Y-Yeah!”
How could I possibly refuse when she’s looking up at me like that?
Before I realized it, I was nodding with a broad smile.
“But… let’s still visit the old apartment occasionally, okay?”
“Huh? I thought you wouldn’t want to go near it, given all the trouble that sc🬀🬀🬀ag caused you there…”
“Ahaha… but that apartment is also where I met you, Yuuta, so it’s special to me…”
“Oh, I see.”
Yeah… because Hatsune moved in next door to me, we’re able to be together like this now…
“Still, from now on, this will be the place we live together…”
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
When I glanced at Hatsune, she looked back at me, her expression curious.
Yeah… this is a fresh start, so I should say it now…
“Um… there’s actually something I want to propose…”
“Propose?”
“Yeah… this.”
I pulled two documents out of my bag, and Hatsune’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Th-This is…!”
“Yeah… it’s a brochure for enrollment in the year after next and a scholarship application form.”
Two days ago, I went to the university’s general affairs and financial aid offices to pick these up.
“Ah, um… you know, I dropped out of high school, so…”
“But if you pass the high school equivalency exam, you can apply to universities. And since you attended all the classes in high school, you’ll probably be exempt from the exam itself.”
“B-But the money…”
“That’s what the scholarship is for, and I’ll handle the living expenses.”
“B-But! There’s no way I could pass now…”
“It’s okay; you have a whole year to prepare. And you’ve already passed once before.”
Hatsune kept listing reasons why she couldn’t go to university, but I countered all of them.
I want Hatsune to pursue her dreams again.
That’s why—
“Come on, let’s give it another try. I’ll support you no matter what it takes.”
“Y-Yuuta…!”
Hatsune, with her face all scrunched up, threw herself into my arms.
“I… I can still aim for it again, right? I don’t have to give up on my dream, right?”
“Of course. You have every right to chase your dreams, Hatsune. Let’s go to university together.”
“Yeah… yeah…!”
As I dreamed of spending university life with Hatsune, I gently stroked her back while she sobbed uncontrollably.