219 – Epilogue: One Last "What a Good Day"

August 27, 2027.

Anna Sakato, a bookkeeper, woke up early in the morning remembering that she took time off work.

"Morning, Mom…"

"Should I get you breakfast?"

"I'll take mine on my own."

"I haven't watered the plants, by the way."

"Oh. I'll get to it, then."

From the already brewed pot, she poured herself a cup of coffee and brought it outside, to which her muscles shivered from her legs and up for a short moment.

"Cold… I should have worn pants last night…"

Regardless, she unfurled a hose attached to a faucet and ran the water as she stood in the middle of their yard watering the abundance of plants around her.

It was soothing, as she would describe it.

It is the end of August, which usually means that it is the wet season with typhoons and the monsoon rains are the most intense and prominent before fall formally starts.

Her heart is light seeing that there hasn't been rain for almost a week and the cloud coverage over Orio is mostly clear, which is why she gets to water the plants at mornings before she goes to work.

"I still wonder where you get all this energy from."

Turning around, Senna joined her outside with a similarly steaming cup of coffee on her hand and raising a curious question.

"Amano and I aren't particularly the vigorous types even when growing up, and it followed to Kei then Gin which had it worse on being listless. Even when you were like two years old, sometimes we couldn't keep up with you," she ended while chuckling.

"Did Yuka and Nii even cry when they were born?"

"No, they had the most deadpan look."

Aware that it was simply a joke, Anna did not respond and silently continued watering the plants with a hum.

"By the way, does your company have any more samples, Anna? I don't think I've seen the same kinds of products in the market that holds up as much as what they make."

"You really liked them a lot, huh…"

While Anna's work is far from being involved in manufacturing as she in a bookkeeping position, she is employed by one of the companies under the Kagurazaka umbrella focusing on a brand or line of products that are aimed towards sustainability after being rebranded from just a normal manufacturer years ago.

Ever since she landed the job, she found out the development department of her work hands out products to most if not all staff for them to be tested in real-world conditions, and it happened that she received a lot of utility products that ranged from kitchenware to gardening supplies.

Since then, the mantra of the company being "all things eco" has seeped into her and eventually began to enjoy, appreciate, and see the future in sustainability.

"If anything, don't I seem chiller now than I used to be?"

"Maybe matured is the better word for it. You were more of a 'tsukkomi' back then, or whatever Gin says."

"That's just because everyone that makes contact with him felt like they somehow turned into some form of a 'boke.'"

"But you always reacted to them funnily."

"Hahh…"

Then suddenly, a contrasting thought crossed Anna's mind.

"I guess after this day, I'll be the only one who's still a Miss in the family, huh?"

"There's no need to rush, okay?"

"I know, Mom."

"Compared to our time back then, this generation feels like they're more aware and wiser on how they plan their future. Options that we never imagined are common now too."

"I wouldn't say I can generalize that statement."

"At least I've never heard of anyone having more than ten kids in recent years."

"Even I think that's an outlier…"

"Anyway, once you're done, help me pick out what I should wear."

"I swear… their wedding is so casual that I can barely believe it. Here I was excited to splurge a bit for a really nice dress, but now I would stick out like a sore thumb if I did that."

"Just save it for when you need to pick a gown."

~ ~ ~

Around ten in the morning.

With no signs of her older brother swinging by their house, she walked a few meters with her ginger cat, Ui, and went through the back gate of Gin's house only to find out that the doors are still locked. Brief sets of knocks that were repeated three times did not lend Anna any response, thus she entered the house by virtue of a spare key and she still could not see any signs of activity elsewhere.

"What is he doing…"

Disappointment was all she could feel after seeing today's groom still tucked in bed with a blanket late in the morning with the two cats in his embrace. While she believes that it was an endearing sight, now was not the time to be all fuzzy about it.

"Geez… not even Haku and Kyupi can be of help, huh…

Hey, Nii-"

"YOU STUPID SISTER, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU STILL ASLEEP FOR?!"

Although the sound was muffled, she could clearly hear the startling and livid words that came out from the voice she identified to be Yuna's coming from outside the window. So, while Ui is busy waking up the other cats, she opened the window and gave a few knocks on the adjacent one until it opened.

The sight she found there was that of a furious Yuna holding her little sister by the collar whose hair is unkempt and eyes are still half-closed.

"Oh, hi, Anna. Morning. Blame your sister-in-law for the loud noise."

"Aren't you also going to be my sister-in-law too, Yuna-nee…?"

Seeing Hiroomi in the background, Anna called, "Yuka… can you go up and help me out here…?"

As it appears, the groom and the bride have slept in on their most special day, of all days. In the midst of their very late and paced breakfast together despite the time running fast, the two of them got grilled for answers.

"Weren't we playing a game last night, Rin?"

"More like watching a movie… those cutscenes were longer than the gameplay. Was a good story, though. Worth staying up until 4."

The two of them then received a bonk in the head each.

"Do you realize there are less than six hours before the ceremony starts?!"

Amidst a spoonful, Rin's phone rang for a video call in which she immediately answered with a familiar voice on the other side of the line.

"Hey, Ringo. We just arrived at the venue and are setting up. No one here knows where you two are at."

"Movning, Shiwo…"

"Oh, wow. Look at your face. You think makeup can still fix that?"

"That's rude…"

"Can you believe it, Shiro-nee? These two woke up just a few minutes ago."

"The hell? So you're telling me you two think this is just an ordinary Friday while we're out here busy with all the setup?" not visible in the frame, Nagi complained.

"Hahh… sorry about that. I'll have these two arrive there as soon as possible.

On that note, I'll have to kidnap your bride and you make sure to get ready too before Akira picks you up. This will be your last time seeing Ringo before it's afternoon so say your bye-byes."

"Mhm… off you go, girl."

"You break a leg, stinky. Go take a bath."

"Like I always say, I'll be breaking no one's legs."

Even when within close proximity, Anna never really realized the little changes in her brother and sister's banter. It was rather informal, and that their exchanges have gotten smoother that even Gin who she thought used to have the edge on the jokes are answering on the back-and-forth.

But with the past two years, or even further back than that, she was well aware that at this point, a wedding ceremony is but a formality with how strong, resilient, and established Gin and Rin's relationship had gotten to be.

~ ~ ~

"No!"

Outside the room where the bride is preparing, Anna stood firm on shutting off his brother who wanted to enter.

"Not even a peep?"

"You'll have to wait for that later when it's time!"

"Sounds like Shiro is enjoying herself, though."

From the inside, the sound of a camera shutter was going off at bursts.

"Hngh… I really wanna see Rin…"

"Like I said, Nii…"

"Why did she have to make it a surprise…? Man," defeated, Gin started walking away leaving his sister a little perplexed.

"Wait, uh, you're not going to insist?"

"No… And I'm hungry so I'll go sneak a bite from the catering. Don't worry, I'll go brush my teeth after~"

The sudden drop of his shoulders suddenly did not feel right on the wedding outfit consisting of a gray suit adorned with a silver brooch and a tie, contrasted with a black undershirt.

On the other hand, while he had seen the dress that Rin would be wearing, he hasn't seen it worn by her as per her small request to Gin. Hence, the eagerness that was immediately shut down by Anna.

"Posture check, Nii! It's only a few times in your life that you'd look this handsome… No, this may even be the last!"

"Thanks for the unnecessary diss. Well, please tell the wifey that I'll be going around doing final checks on things."

With Gin's exit, an exhausted sigh left Anna as she returned to the room and got jumped seeing her sister-in-law, when it was the very same Rin before she left to shoo her brother away.

"This is probably an exaggeration on my part and the bias of me being Nii's sister, but I think he would probably pass out at the door if he saw you just then, Nee-chan."

"What the heck… I didn't change that much, did I?"

"Yeah, but it's like I have a filter in my eyes when I look at you, and probably him too."

"Aww… c'mere, you cute creature."

An invite for an embrace was accepted by Anna warmly while a gentle voice spoke to her ear.

"Only took ten years… I guess we're actually sisters now finally."

"I still remember how bizarre our first time meeting was."

"I don't think you can forget it even if you wanted to.

In my case… it's that day that led to here, don't you think?"

"Ahaha… it really is."

~ ~ ~

Under a pavilion on a calm afternoon, not more than fifty people gathered on each side of the aisle waiting for the bride to arrive. At the end of it, Gin and Amano stood mere moments before Rin appeared with her father.

"You never get used to it, I'm learning now. I stood where you are now once, then I'm now in this place for a second time. Someday… I'll be taking Shuu's place, huh…"

"Well, you can have him tell you his experience, yeah?"

"And you'll be joining us listening to him too."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The music then played with a slow beat of a singular piano followed by choral harmony that was done by one and the same voice—a composition made only for this special occasion conveying glee, sorrow, and hope all at once, dedicated to the two special people of this day.

"You son of a gun, you really knocked it out of the park…

I really wish Gaku could come and sing for us in person."

But more than the already entrancing music, Gin was pulled deeper to what seemed to be a plane of dimension where only he and Rin exist. In the space where it was only the two of them, the long white dress with slender sleeves and a sash on her waist fluttered on her every step, and the mantle over her bosom flew ever so slightly to the direction of the wind. Her hair was made so that its whiteness would harmonize with her outfit over her shoulders, and over her head is a veil from which within her smile would penetrate and be directed at the man who she draws closer, and closer to.

"Long time no see?"

It was as though Rin left their own imaginary space first, as for a few moments, Gin had blanked out in front of her, stupefied until he came to with his eyes slightly moistened.

"Looking great, ma'am."

"Thank you."

At a silent nod, the officiant started with the ceremony proper and told stories about the groom and bride, in which the changes in his expressions he couldn't hide at the words he read and thus let out was something he could not clearly comprehend. While most of the important details were omitted, it has told the blissful and the horrible of the time that the couple had gone through.

Then, the officiant prompted for the exchange of vows, where the groom states his first. As Gin held Rin's hands, he took a deep breath and stared at her for some moments.

"Ah… should I keep it short, Rin? I have no script, and we have to be early since you still have a lot of moving to do."

"Please do."

Just like that, the solemnity has been momentarily cut. However, it was received by the guests well, as it was something they knew he tends to do.

"Well then… I suppose this is my only time to speak about this publicly, but you already know how thankful I am that you stuck with me all these years despite my shortcomings and the excruciating things we have seen and fought together.

At every move you take, I follow as your shadow. I will continue to protect the peace that we now have, and I will still be the same other half of the chopsticks that we are.

If there's anything I missed, I'll tell you later."

"A-And now, for the bride's vows…"

Hang in there, honorable officiant.

"'Separated as two, but always together.' That's how we've always defined us being a pair of chopsticks, which the idea came from Sis. But I guess now… we are one in flesh, which is why the things that you protect are also mine to bear. Come rain and shine, however, I will always be the one to protect you, so that you can in turn protect the peace that we have.

Let it be known that I love you the most in this world."

A resounding applause carried around the pavilion as the juncture moved to the exchange of rings that was brought by Anna to the couple and embraced the two of them.

Looking at each other, Rin took notice of the scars all around Gin's hand that are yet to heal and disappear, as if it was a sign that he is not to forget the wrongs he had done.

As Gin had already seen many times, the calluses on Rin's hand have remained apparent despite the relatively less laborious work that teaching has given her. Marks that lasted were shown as the proof of her relentlessness and perseverance in any and all of her work.

And so, the wedding bands have been exchanged. Hands held anew as they locked their eyes on each other's.

"Very well… It is my greatest pleasure and congratulations—as we all are witnesses to this very special day—where Gin and Ringo Sakato are pronounced as husband and wife."

Memories played like a film in fast forward. And yet, time had felt as though it slowed down as their faces grew closer to each other, until their lips met.

Cheers surrounded the hall. Petals rained all over as the husband and wife walked the aisle one last time as they exited. And so, the ceremonies reached a silence and pause.

The quiet was however short-lived as by sundown, the festivities have moved to the wedding reception not far off from the pavilion where the couple was once again welcomed with cheers and congratulations.

"Congratulations to you two."

At the designated place where the newlyweds are, the Nishina couple greeted the two of them.

"What can I say… the two of you look absolutely great," the doctor thus added.

"I still can't thank you enough for everything you've done to help us… and I should be the one congratulating you, doc."

To those gray eyes, the new husband and wife reciprocated the warm gaze that they received, now that the doctor's long years of research has come to an end with the repair of his vision that has been lost for almost his entire lifetime.

"Does anything still feel weird?"

"Everything does, honestly. There are so many definitions and information that the first days were difficult."

"Looks like you've got a handle of it, though."

"I'd rather we talk about this at another time. This is your day, Mr. and Mrs. Sakato."

"Thank you, doc."

All those times, there was always a very small tinge of awkwardness that, while they have gotten used and adapted to it, has persisted when it comes to contact. Now, however, there was a strange feeling of satisfaction in having perfected a handshake.

After the greetings to the newlyweds passed, the two of them decided to visit each and every table—with Rin holding on to her wedding bouquet and Gin doing most of the talking—to see if the guests are enjoying themselves, provided that most of the services of the reception are courtesy of Rin's previous workplace, Claude, which boasts of exceptional service.

The last table that they visited was joined by the Sakato and Akanami families together, with Gin sitting on the bride's side, while Rin sat with the groom's family.

"Would you rather I call you father-in-law or just dad, Uncle Shuu? That's the last time I'm going to call you that, alright?"

Gin started, but not a word could be comprehended from Shuu's wails as he was kept being calmed down by her wife, overwhelmed by the happiness of more than many things.

On Rin's side, she was embraced by each and every member of the family.

"You know, all of this would probably happen later if you didn't come home that time, Anna."

"Hahh… Nii really has rubbed off on you making hypotheticals, Nee-chan."

"I'm saying that my relationship with your brother would probably drag on, and I probably wouldn't be as close as your family if not because of you."

"It's probably better that it dragged on, honestly."

"In hindsight, it may have been back in our age. But wouldn't you say it still dragged on when it took me ten years to be here?"

"I can agree with that. Love you, Nee-chan."

"Love you too, lil sis."

By the time they returned to their seats, it has become noticeable that the bride was holding significantly less of the bouquet on her hand. Thereafter, she declared unprompted to the entire reception in a playful tone:

"Sorry~! Looks like there's no bouquet toss for anyone~"

The reception fell silent for a moment until a certain white-haired man let out an audible chuckle. Beside him, Yukihime then found a stem of flower in front of her seat, and Kuroko just gave her a smile, seemingly devoid of energy but full of warmth, as she looked at him.

As more of the guests find a flower for themselves, more eyes became directed to the bride and groom, with Gin only giving a shrug and similarly letting out playfully, "Misdirection?"

~ ~ ~

As is with most of the event, the entire ceremony came to its conclusion not even late in the night.

While the guests of the wedding were presumably resting at a late hour in the day, the Sakato household's lights are still up brightly.

"We've only been up for like 12 hours today?"

As though a ceremony never happened a few hours ago, the husband and wife were now so far from the sophisticated attire they had, fitting that as minutes pass by, more boxes piled up inside the house.

"Are we… done?"

Somewhat confused, Rin asked without looking for an answer.

"Only took ten whole years for this to officially become your home, eh?"

All these years, the accented backdrop of the dining table has always been bare apart from its centerpiece being the painting that Eijiro drew. Things have however changed, as the floating shelf has been added beneath the art, and among the many articles on it that contained sentimentality, a picture frame has been added of the two of them when they walked out of the aisle.

"Yep. Aside from the unpacking, it's done."

If felt as if a weight has been removed from Rin's shoulders, or better said: the already light feeling she had had been graced more with relief.

But all of a sudden, her expression turned sour and disappointed.

"Um, Rin-san…?"

"I honestly wished some change would happen magically, but I just can't remove myself from the fact that this was literally our daily life."

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it. We've been teased for an eternity for being married. We just made sure they won't be teasing us about that anymore.

And you've spent so much time in this place, after all. I don't even want to think about the hypothetical of us not being next door neighbors."

"Let's have a celebratory drink, then!"

"You say that as if we never had any at the reception."

"Ehh, I was always sober," without another word, Rin crouched to the opened refrigerator to peruse the inside of it.

"Uwaah… we didn't manage to buy groceries for a while but there's always a can or two in here."

"Are you trying to tell me something?"

"No," taking her eyes off from the cans, her fingertips instead felt the coldness of a glass bottle she then picked up and showed her spouse.

"Well, I was thinking we could pair the beer with fried chicken but it's too late to get delivery.

Let's just order food tomorrow and take it easy."

"We have a lot of shows that we missed."

Glasses filled, Rin raised hers first as she leaned on the kitchen's counter.

"'Til death do us part?"

"I'll make sure that won't happen anytime soon."

Thus, a loud clink sounded across the house.

Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Sakato.

…

Uh, Dad? What's up with this mic?

Chapter Message:

Now no one can tell them "Just get married already!" as a joke when they do anything remotely like a married couple.

The cover for this story has been updated for the very last time, and I always seem to dig my own grave by drawing something I am not used to and realizing too late in the middle of the final sketches of the covers, or even drawings I make outside this story.

Thank you for reading!

Next

220: Time has wings.