Couple (Part 2) / 二人、その2

While we went on our Christmas date, everyone else celebrated in their own ways. My parents, knowing in advance we were going out, decided to do the same themselves. Our friends met up at Kimura’s place and had their own share of fun there too.

Following our ultra-romantic moment, we took a taxi and set course for that same house.

Yokoyama welcomed us in. When we stepped inside, our eyes caught sight of a displeased Sakurai Kimura on the couch and two unexpected familiar faces. Natsuko spoke first.

“Hello.”

“Good evening!”, the oldest adult in the room greeted the guests, excited to catch up with them.

“Took you long enough,” the athlete remarked.

“Come on, Sakurai, have some respect. Didn’t they go out on a date?”, her big sister commented, disapproving of her attitude.

“Yes,” she acknowledged reluctantly.

“Couples need privacy. You’ll understand that when you get a partner yourself.”

“But I wanted them to wear these Santa costumes! I even had spare ones just for them!”

“You truthfully never change, do you,” she laughed, “Who knows, maybe you’ll still have the opportunity to later.”

Akari approached us.

“You both look stunning. Especially you, Ishida.”

“Y-Yes, thank you,” I blushed.

“Sakurai told me all about it,” she grinned in spite of my harsh reality, “I’m glad you’ve found your happiness.”

She noticed the rings on our middle fingers.

“And I’m delighted, you two found happiness together, Natsuko.”

Sakurai reminded her sister.

“Big sis, aren’t you forgetting something?”

“Ah, right,” she faced my partner, “There is someone who wants to see you.”

She nodded to her girlfriend. Konome pronounced the necessary words, signaling for her entrance.

“You may come out now.”

Suddenly, a blonde-haired woman emerged from behind the wall and entered the living room.

“Hi, Akira.”

Unable to believe what her eyes saw, she ran and hugged her tightly.

“Yuu!!!”

“Calling me by my first name… you’re still as bold as ever,” she giggled.

“Always,” she noted, infected by her friend’s cheery giggle, “I’m so glad to see you again.”

“Likewise.”

She stopped hugging her friend.

“As I'm certain you're already acquainted with everyone here, I'd like to introduce you to someone you haven't met yet.”

She placed her hand on my shoulder.

“This gorgeous woman next to me is Yuki Ishida, my girlfriend.”

“Nice to meet you,” I shook hands.

“Yuu Nakano, Akira’s best friend. Pleased to meet you.”

She took notice of the ring I had on my finger, preferring to stay quiet about it and tease her friend later. She instead turned to her friend.

“Congratulations, Akira.”

“Hmm?”

“On getting a proper girlfriend.”

“Yes, yes. Thank you.”

She directed her speech to me.

“You better treat her well, or I’ll punch you .”

What’s with people all of a sudden wanting to punch me if I cheat on my girlfriend?

“Yuu, cut it out! She’s a kind and loving woman! Trust me, silly!”

“Alright, I’m sorry.”

“Apologize to her, not me.”

“My apologies. It won’t happen again.”

I dismissed it as nothing to fuss over.

“It’s fine.”

Natsuko addressed something that piqued her curiosity.

“Something’s been bothering me. How'd you exactly get here?”

“Those two,” she briefly turned to Kimura and her Yoko-chan, “asked for a teacher's assistance to contact me. I was a bit hesitant initially. However, they proved to me they weren't lying.”

“Thanks, both of you.”

“You’re welcome,” Yokoyama answered, adding, “You should be thanking the guy over there though, he was the one who had the idea.”

“Ah, I see. But don’t go thinking you two are escaping.”

She took a brief pause and expressed her heartfelt gratitude.

“Thank you. To all three of you.”

What followed was nothing short of pure fun. Ueno and Nakano discussed best friend things. Akari and Konome talked with us about romance and couples things. And Sakurai got our permission to make us wear those ridiculous female Santa costumes. I honestly don’t remember staying up as late as I did that night.

The visitors from Kyoto and Nagasaki left on the twenty-eighth.

A couple more days passed.

On the thirty-first’s night, after finishing our bowl of toshikoshi udon, we rushed outside in our yukata to see the yearly fireworks show and welcome the new year alongside everyone else on the plaza—and most importantly, hold hands with my girlfriend as the pyrotechnic spectacle lit up the sky. Once it ended, we took a stroll down the streets and returned home.

January second, morning. Thanks to Kimura’s persistence with the staff, I managed to secure a small part-time job at a shrine. She joined in on the effort too so I wouldn’t be alone.

As neither of my friends had done their New Year’s shrine visit yet, she notified them of the situation in advance, so they could witness first-hand how hard we worked. No ulterior motives whatsoever.

Yokoyama spotted me and Kimura behind a counter, seemingly sorting out the change.

“There they are!”

She accelerated her pace, with the other two trailing right behind.

“Oh, you came,” I said with a delighted voice as I noticed familiar faces in front of me.

“Of course we did,” Yokoyama remarked with a joyful demeanor.

“I was told I'd get a rare opportunity to see Shrine Maiden Yuki, so I had to come here,” my girlfriend noted with a half-natural half-playful tone.

The cheerful athlete intervened, turning around to find her friends on the opposing side of the counter.

“Oooohhh, Yoko-chan!!! Happy New Year!”

“Happy New Year, Kimura,” she returned the favor, “and Happy New Year to you too, Ishida.”

“Happy New Year, Yokoyama.”

The dark-blue-haired girl wasted no time and went straight to the point.

“Do you want to try your luck at a fortune?”

“Yes!”, the shoujo manga expert readily answered.

“Ishida, get the fortunes wooden box.”

I picked it up and gave it to her, “Here you go.”

She shook it and pulled a thin tube to see what was written on its tip.

“Number one.”

Kimura opened a shelf, grabbed a folded piece of paper, and handed it to her.

“Oh, a blessing! Do you want to give it a try too?”, she questioned Natsuko and Naoto.

They nodded. She handed them the box and each repeated what she did.

“Number six for me.”

“Number three here,” Naoto stated.

Kimura repeated her actions.

“Here!”

Ecstatic to know what they drew, she inquired them as they unfolded their fortunes.

“What did you get?”

“A small blessing. I guess this is going to be another normal year for me,” he recognized, scratching his head.

“Huh? A great blessing? Weird, I never get these…,” Natsuko commented, mildly puzzled.

“What’d you get last year?”, I asked.

“A m-misfortune…,” she replied, attempting to hide her anger.

“A-Ah… this is quite the difference.”

“What’d you draw, Kimura?”, Yokoyama wondered.

“Same as you.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes!”

Yokoyama turned to me afterward.

“What about you, Ishida?”

“I’d rather not say it…,” I responded, trying to look away.

“Ah,” she bore the face of someone who had figured it out, “Nothing you can do about it. Misfortunes are just like that.”

I drew a great blessing. Beyond strange, given my fate. Well, it doesn’t really matter. Perhaps the gods were drunk.

That was one of the last times they saw me in shape. In the coming days, my body started weakening until I was eventually hospitalized a week later on the ninth.

Wednesday. Specifically, January fifteenth.

Natsuko was next to me, holding my hand.

“The nurses yesterday told me it’s impressive you’re still conscious.”

“Ah, I see,” I acknowledged with a weak voice, “That means I’m putting up a good fight, right?”

“Yes.”

“How’s the weather outside?”

“Surprisingly sunny. It’s freezing, however.”

“The usual wintry cold then,” I chuckled, coughing a bit.

She opened the lunchbox she brought.

“Want some?”

“I can’t eat it.”

“I know, silly, was just teasing you,” she giggled.

I coughed, “Are you going to eat it in front of me?”

“Of course not, I’m not allowed to do it here.”

“Figured as much.”

She closed the lunchbox and placed it atop a table. I stared at the wall in front of me.

“What time is it?”

“Can’t you see the clock?”

“Mhm. But I want you to be the one to tell me.”

“7:21 PM. It's evening. The Sun has already set.”

“Ah, then you’ll soon be able to spot the night stars. Tell me all about it tomorrow.”

“I will.”

I grabbed her other hand.

“Akira, I’m running out of time. I can feel my strength waning more and more. Soon I'll be—”

“Don't say it,” she cried, “Please.”

I nodded and smiled.

“I was delighted to have you by my side this whole time. These last couple of weeks were beyond amazing, crazier than my wildest dreams. Thank you. Thank you for being the best girlfriend I could ever ask for.”

“Hey, don't throw too many compliments at me all at once,” she remarked, still crying, trying to wipe her tears, “You're going to make me blush insanely hard!”

“That was the purpose,” I coughed again.

“Even now, you're still the same as ever. Silly me to believe otherwise.”

“Yeah. I'm really grateful for these last weeks of my life. Miserable as I am right now, it doesn't matter to me. Because I had the time of my life with you, with all of you guys. I chose to die not as a sad man but as a happy woman. I… don't regret anything. However, I have one last wish. Please, promise me. Promise me that when you think of me, you'll remember all the fun we had together and not the sad moments,” I placed my hand on her cheek, “Don’t cry for what you lost but instead smile for what you've gained. My last wish… is for you to remember me fondly. I… will do the same.”

After a brief pause, she answered, still unable to hold her tears.

“I promise.”

“I’m glad…”

I began losing consciousness, struggling to keep my eyes open, eventually falling into a sleep-like state.

“Yuki? Yuki??? Nurses, get here!”

They rushed to my aid.

“Everyone, get back! We're taking her to the operating room!”

While Natsuko and my parents panicked, realizing my time might have arrived, I gently fell into an endless sea of blue, lit up by the fading evening colors. A mysterious figure—the same from that day nine months ago—reached out an arm to me. However, this time, I managed to grab her hand.

As the colors faded into an oceanic blue, I was finally able to see her in full. Her naked body. That golden brown hair. Her gentle touch. I recognized her faster than I could utter a sound with my mouth.

We both smiled.

Ah, I get it now. It was always you.

Akira.