Chapter 25: Epilogue… Tachibana Ayane (1)
Epilogue… Tachibana Ayane (1)
“Ryou-chan… I’m sorry for being someone like this.”
After that beautiful woman told me that I was just his childhood friend and that she was his girlfriend, I watched them walk away. Even now, as I stare at the same unchanging scenery with tears streaming down my face, I can’t stop thinking. If I had rejected that other childhood friend and asked him for help instead, maybe it would have been me, Tachibana Ayane, walking beside him right now.
I once had a childhood friend I was very close to. He was kind and always by my side, such a big presence in my life. But because of one small thing, everything went wrong. I must have made a mistake back then.
Yes, that tiny moment was what caused my fun, happy everyday life to start shifting off course.
One afternoon on the way home from school, I was walking with my childhood friends Ryou-chan and Minato-kun. The three of us were chatting excitedly, complaining about the strict guidance teacher, when Ryou-chan invited us to visit a new café he had found. Since neither Minato-kun nor I had any plans, we nodded and went along instead of going straight home.
I didn’t know what “Comfortable” meant, but when we stepped into the café tucked away in a quiet residential area, a man with graying hair behind the counter welcomed us with a warm smile.
Without hesitation, Ryou-chan walked in first and sat by the window as if it were his usual seat. The staff said nothing and just smiled, so my heart raced as I followed and sat facing Ryou-chan and Minato-kun.
Since Ryou-chan and I liked the same things, we both ordered café au lait. Minato-kun, who had been undecided until the last second, ordered a hot coffee, trying to act mature.
“Ryouta, when did you find this place?”
“Hmm, I just happened to stumble upon it the other day while wandering around.”
“Oh really? That’s rare for you.”
“You think so? But it’s even rarer to see Minato drinking coffee, right? Don’t you think so too, Ayane-chan?”
“Yeah, I think so too. Minato-kun, what happened to you? Did you hit your head or something?”
“Hey, Ayane-chan, you too? Is it really that weird for me to drink coffee?”
Laughing, Ryou-chan and I told him we were only joking as we teased him. We were having such a fun time after school when suddenly Minato-kun’s expression turned serious. He said he had an important announcement, and Ryou-chan and I exchanged glances before falling silent.
“…”
“…”
But since Minato-kun stayed quiet, Ryou-chan couldn’t take it anymore and spoke first.
“What’s with that look all of a sudden? Don’t tell me you failed a bunch of tests and now have to take make-up classes during break?”
“I’m not that dumb. Actually, you see…”
“Yeah?”
“Guess what? I got a girlfriend!”
“…”
“Hey, where’s the reaction?”
“No way, Minato got a girlfriend? That can’t be right.”
“Minato-kun, who is she? Someone from our class?”
“Whoa, calm down, you two. You really wanna know that badly?”
Minato-kun looked at our shocked faces, then grinned that same slightly creepy grin of his, pulled out his phone, and showed us a picture on the table.
“It’s Seta Honami-chan from Class E. I confessed to her after school the other day, and she said yes.”
“That’s amazing! I’m so happy for you, Minato-kun!”
“Thanks, Ayane-chan.”
“Seriously? Damn it, Minato beat me to it. I want a girlfriend too.”
I could hear Minato-kun sounding proud like a winner and Ryou-chan sounding down like a loser. I sent Ryou-chan a look that said, “I’m right here,” and he glanced back at me for a moment.
“Ayane-chan, do you have someone you like?”
“Me? Umm… no, I don’t.”
Since Ryou-chan asked only out of curiosity, I felt sad, thinking that meant he didn’t like me. So I lied, even though the truth was that I loved him.
I was feeling down that day at the café, but after hearing that Minato-kun had a girlfriend, the three of us stopped hanging out as much. Still, I was secretly happy, because it meant I could spend more time alone with Ryou-chan.
I was in the tennis club, and Ryou-chan wasn’t in any club, so we couldn’t always go home together. But on days when my club was off, I was overjoyed that we could walk home side by side. One day, as we walked, Ryou-chan invited me to visit the old park we used to play at when we were kids, and I agreed right away.
“Umm… let’s see… Tachibana Ayane-san!”
“Y-yes!”
It had been a long time since someone called me by my full name, so I ended up replying loudly, like a student being called by a teacher.
“I like you! Please go out with me!”
“Wha, eh!?”
Without warning, my beloved Ryou-chan confessed to me. Flustered, I let out a strange, unladylike sound and panicked from the embarrassment and surprise. I ended up gripping his outstretched right hand tightly.
“Ah, Ayane-chan?”
“Ah! No, I mean… yes, please!”
“Really?”
“Yes! From now on, let’s be together, okay? Ryou-chan!”
“Thank you, Ayane-chan!”
“Eep!”
The moment my childhood friend Ryou-chan became my boyfriend Ryou-chan, he hugged me tightly. The mix of embarrassment and happiness I felt was beyond words compared to how I am now.
After we both calmed down, we sat shoulder to shoulder on the bench, talking about whether we should keep it a secret from Minato-kun. We decided that if he found out later, he might get upset, so we agreed to tell him together at school the next day.