70: Wondering Note

— Epilogue —

They say memory is like a dream—
clear one moment, gone the next.
But the park… the park had always been there, just the way it was.
Until that day.

And still, everyday life had been there too—quietly waiting.
Perhaps it marked the beginning of a brand new chapter.
After all, it came at the end of a long, long journey.

***

“Shall we go home, Rena? Together?”

“…Together? With me?”

Pulling her shoes from the locker and slipping them on, Rena looked up at Tom with surprise.

He turned away awkwardly, scratching at the back of his head.

“Well, um… Nice weather today, huh?
No umbrella needed—wait, is that rain!?” His eyes widened in disbelief.

“It’s just a sunshower.
I brought an umbrella, so it doesn’t really matter to me.”

“Oh… I see. I didn’t bring one… ha ha.”

“…Wanna share mine?
You’ll get half-soaked, but if that’s okay with you.”

Without waiting for a reply, Rena opened her folding umbrella and walked on ahead.

“Eh? Really? Then… I’ll gladly take you up on that.”

Tom hunched slightly to fit under her umbrella, matching his stride to hers as they passed through the front gates of their familiar school.

“…So, what’s with the sudden change?
I can’t even remember the last time you talked to me like this,” Rena said, glancing sideways at him.

“Huh? Oh… was it that long ago?
I just felt like walking home with you today. Is that… not okay?”

“‘Not okay’…? You’re already walking with me.
What kind of tone is that?
You’re like a whole different person.”

“What? Rena, aren’t you being kind of cold too?”

“Excuse me?
After ignoring me for so long, you’re gonna act like that?”

With a huff, Rena shoved the umbrella into Tom’s hands.

“Wait, you’ll get wet!”

“It’s fine. The rain’s already stopped.” She looked away, just slightly flustered.

Tom, not noticing, brushed droplets off his damp shoulder and carefully folded the light-blue umbrella shut.

***

“Looks like it didn’t rain here at all.
Not a drop on the ground,” Rena said, her voice still flat.

“Y-Yeah. That’s good, though.
It’s been a while since we came to this park.
Wanna sit on that bench?”

“So? What do you want from me?
What are you plotting?” She frowned, clearly unsettled by Tom’s strange demeanor.

“Plotting? No, nothing like that.
I just… really wanted to talk to you again.”

“Talk? About what?
It’s been so long, we barely even have anything in common anymore.”

“That’s something we can fix.
One step at a time!”

“‘Fix it’? What are you even saying?
Did you hit your head or something?”

“…Maybe. My memory’s been a bit fuzzy lately.”

“…Seriously? You should’ve led with that!
That explains a lot.”

Rena peered at him, worried.
Convinced he wasn’t lying, she sat beside him on the bench and asked quietly:

“You wanted to tell me about it, right?
So, where did you hit your head? Fell down the stairs at home?”

“No, I didn’t hit it. I was just… writing a novel.
But somehow, things got blurry.
Even I don’t understand it.”

“A novel? I thought you used to draw manga.
So… what, you got lost in your imagination and now your brain’s fried?”

“Well, it might sound hard to believe, but… I want you to see this.”

Tom opened his bag and pulled out a well-worn notebook, handing it to Rena.

Scribbled across the cover were the words:

“‘Wandering Note’…?
Where are you planning to go with this?”

“Wait, isn’t that supposed to mean ‘wonder’?
Like mysterious? Did I misspell it?”

“Yeah, you did. This ‘a’ should be an ‘o’.
Your English still hasn’t improved, huh?”

She took a pen from her bag and calmly corrected the spelling.

“As expected of the ever-wise Lady Rena.”

“Who are you supposed to be, exactly? Don’t tease me.
And this musical note on the cover—just decoration?”

“Huh? No special meaning, really.”

‘Wondering Note♪’

“Hmm… ‘note.’ It could mean memo pad, or a musical note. I guess either works.
So, what about it?” she asked, mildly intrigued.

“Okay. Everything’s ready.
Rena, I need you to brace yourself for what’s about to happen.
You’re the only one I can ask.
Please—help me.”

“Why are you being so dramatic all of a sudden?
Now I feel pressured. What is it?”

“This notebook… I didn’t write it.
It writes itself.
Just… just look.”

“You mean it writes itself?
Don’t joke around like—huh!?”

Rena blinked in disbelief.
The moment Tom flipped it open, glowing symbols swirled onto the page like a living current.
The shapes soon aligned into letters, softly falling onto the paper one by one.

“What…!?
These letters… they’re forming in midair… and writing themselves!?
It’s like a hologram!
How does this even work!?”

“Rena… can you accept this strange phenomenon?
Can you believe it?”

“Do I have a choice!?
I saw it with my own eyes—how can I not believe it now!?”

“Thank you.
Now… can you read what’s written there, out loud?”

‘Believe without a shadow of doubt.’

“Let’s see… ‘Believe without a shadow of doubt’?”

The moment she spoke the words aloud, a brilliant light burst from the notebook and enveloped them both.
Melodies of memory spun through the air, soaking into their hearts, rewriting what had once been lost.

Tom felt a sense of peace—the story had been reset.
He was finally free from the burden of “Bookmark,” the power that had bound his past.

He gently took Rena’s hand and looked into her dazed eyes.

“How about now, Rena…?
Does anything come back?
Do you know where we are?”

“…We used to always play together, but then you started acting cold…
I thought… maybe you hated me.”

“…Huh?”

“That strange world…
Maybe we needed some space—some blank pages between us—so I could remember all those memories again.
That’s why you distanced yourself, right?
To make room for everything?”

Rena softly wrapped her fingers around his, as if to confirm he was real.

“Rena… I thought this was the best way—for both of us.
Things won’t be exactly the same, but maybe… even parallel worlds can eventually become one.
Let’s take it slow, and keep believing… okay?”

“Hey, Tom…”

“Yeah?”

“Everyone’s staring at us. Like we’re in our own little couple-world.”

“I don’t care about anyone else. Right now, nothing can come betwe—”

“Aah! Big bro is holding Rena’s hand!!”

“Wha—!? Emma!?
What are you doing here!?”

“Well, well! So my big brother’s finally getting serious, huh?
As your cute little sister, it’s my sacred duty to quietly root for this slow-burning romance.
Kyaa~ this is the best!!”

The girl in her school uniform ran up to Tom with a teasing grin on her face.

As she giggled, Rena glanced at her curiously.

“You’re always full of energy, huh, Emma?
Now that you mention it… that name… ‘Emma’…
Why does it sound so nostalgic…?”

New worlds continue to be born.

In the peaceful park where everything began, their story lives on—

etched into the notebook of their hearts,

dancing to the tune of a gentle breeze.

—The End.

* * *

Thank you for reading to the end!

If you’d like to explore more behind the scenes—or see what happens next—
I’ve shared extra content, a trailer for the sequel, and more at:

→ Anime-style site: https://wanderingnote.site
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