V3Ch6: Part 2

Reading Settings

Translator: Soafp

---

“Ah, Towa-kun!”

“Eh? Ayana?”

I knew Mom would be late today, so I expected nobody to be home… Why is Ayana here?

“Towa-kun!”

“Ooh.”

I caught Ayana as she hugged me tightly, but my foremost question was still why Ayana was here.

“Can I confirm something?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Did we… perhaps have any plans?”

Did I forget my plans with Ayana? No, that couldn’t be possible for me.

But she was standing here alone at this time of day… It wouldn’t be unreasonable to imagine that I had forgotten some kind of promise.

“Um… Are you misunderstanding something about us having some kind of promise?”

“We…don’t?”

Oh, so it seems like I was wrong after all.

Feeling relieved that my memory wasn’t faulty, I decided to ask her again about what’s going on… Well, it’s going to be a bit of a puzzle.

“Ayana, did you…?”

“Me?”

“…Miss me.”

Blushing a little, but unable to contain herself any longer, Ayana explained to me that she simply wanted to see me.

“There’s no reason not to embrace you tightly.”

“That’s lovely too♪ But it’s quite sudden.”

Even though Mom or Seina-san wouldn’t object, I can imagine them smiling and encouraging us… Certainly, there’s no preparation, and tomorrow is a school day.

Even though it’s a weekday tomorrow, it’s not too late for Ayana to stay over, but well, I’ll just take her home today.

“By the way, did Ayana go home right after that?”

“No, I went to the student council room to talk to Iori-Senpai. I was curious about something.”

“Oh?”

“I told Iori-Senpai how amazing you are!”

“Why!?”

What did she talk about…?

With her satisfied smile, I don’t think she said anything bad, but… It’s a girl thing, so I’m curious, but I’ll leave it be.

(…Haha, this atmosphere is really nice.)

Seeing her smile next to me, I realize once again—I’ll always protect her.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

“That’s a lie! Your face definitely says you were thinking about me!”

“Correct.”

“I knew it! …!”

Despite confidently guessing, she blushes.

As Ayana cuddles my arm, every time our eyes meet, she gazes back at me with a content smile.

“Shall we… head to your home soon?”

“Yeah. Can I call you before bedtime?”

“You don’t need to ask for permission.”

“Got it.”

It’s about time I can see Ayana’s house… This happy time with her is coming to an end.

Even though we can always talk through our phones, being away from her, despite her being right here, is always lonely… But, still, I feel blessed to be with Ayana.

I thought I’d part with her in good spirits like this…

“Ara, Ayana-chan?”

“Eh? Ayana nee-chan.”

Until I heard that voice.

Instead of my heart racing, my gaze shifted towards the voice—It was Shu with his mother, Hatsune-san, and his little sister, Kotone-san.

I never expected to run into them here… Well, considering that Shu’s house is near Ayana’s, it’s not surprising to meet them.

(…No, I just let my guard down.)

But… Then, I suddenly thought.

No matter how much of a history we have and how their words linger in my mind… I thought, how long am I going to be nervous about them? I thought.

“…It’s you.”

“…What are you doing here?”

As soon as Hatsune-san and Kotone-san recognized my presence, their expressions changed.

As expected, or rather, as I predicted, they reacted exactly as I thought they would. I almost smiled involuntarily, but it would be troublesome to imagine what kind of reaction I’d get if I did that here.

“…Long time no see.”

“Don’t talk to me.”

…Seems like they still dislike me. Well, that’s fine by me.

In this chaotic situation, where everyone is at a standstill, Hatsune-san was the first to move.

“I see. So, it’s your fault that Ayana-chan’s been acting distant lately. Shu also seemed down… You really never do anything good, do you?”

Of course, there’s no one else they could be directing these words at but me.

Following Hatsune-san, Kotone-san also opened her mouth, glaring at me.

“Onii-chan seemed depressed… He didn’t tell me what happened, but it’s because of you, right? You kept hanging around Ayana nee-chan!”

It’s uncomfortable to be criticized like this, but I don’t feel any anger.

While they would probably get furious if I said this… But, how should I put it, they seem so pitiful to me, attacking me like this, relying only on their own values and acting as they please.

Exhaling deeply as if to say they’re not worth my time… And just as they were about to bite back at me again…

“Would you two mind keeping quiet?”

Ayana, standing next to me, spoke in a cold voice.

Ayana’s voice contained a commanding presence… She’s just an ordinary girl, but the pressure I felt from her at that moment was overwhelmingly intense.

“Ayana… chan?”

“…”

Hatsune-san and Kotone-san were wide-eyed at Ayana’s demeanor… No, they were scared.

It’s as if they were staring at someone who wasn’t Ayana, as they remained frozen in place, just looking back at her.

Glancing at Shu, he seemed genuinely surprised, his eyes widened.

“Towa-kun.”

“Yeah?”

The atmosphere directed towards them subsided, and Ayana, smiling, looked at me.

“This is a good opportunity, and there are a lot of things I want to say to those people… So, forgive me if I become a bit dark, but I’d be happy if you don’t hate me.”

“Hate Ayana? That will never happen, so it’s okay.”

“Yes♪ I knew you’d say that.”

Saying so, Ayana returned her gaze to Hatsune-san and the others.

While leaving everything to her might seem passive, it was impossible for me to interfere with the aura Ayana was emanating now, even as her partner.

“Hatsune-san, Kotone-chan. There’s something I’ve wanted to say for a long time… It’s just a simple word, and that word is ‘hate’.”

From my position, I couldn’t see Ayana’s face.

Instead, I could see the expressions of Hatsune-san and Kotone… They were even more surprised than before, seemingly not understanding what had been said.

“I’ve always hated you two. You, who kept saying heartless things to someone I love, were truly despicable to me.”

“Wha…”

“Ayana… nee-chan?”

For Hatsune-san and Kotone-san, Ayana was supposed to be someone who was always close to them.

It’s unimaginable that Ayana would think something like this, and it wouldn’t be strange for them to misunderstand and think I forced her to say it.

As evidence, Hatsune-san, who was glaring at me, was about to retort… But then, Ayana’s sharp voice resounded.

“Don’t you dare avert your gaze from me!”

“!?”

Ayana’s voice was so loud that even I had never heard it before.

Hatsune-san, who was forced to remain silent, Kotone-san, who looked at Ayana with fear for the first time, and Shu, who would see this side of her for the first time… Ayana had them all under her control.

“I’ve… always hated you. I’ve always thought about how to make you suffer, how to make you pay for your words… That’s all I’ve ever thought about.”

Ayana then turned her gaze to Shu and slowly continued.

“Hey, Shu-kun… Why were you laughing back then? When Towa-kun was told by the doctor that he couldn’t participate in the soccer tournament, why did you have such a smile on your face?”

“…Ah.”

Asked, Shu quickly averted his gaze.

It seemed Ayana wasn’t expecting an answer, as she didn’t change her expression and returned her gaze to Hatsune-san and the others.

“Why did you say such cruel words, Hatsune-san and Kotone-chan? From my perspective, you looked like monsters wearing human skin. I may not be in a position to say this, but I can’t forgive you for saying such cruel things without considering others’ feelings—I truly despise you.”

After stating her feelings, Ayana took a deep breath to calm herself, then her eyes burned with a fiery flame as she said this.

“I won’t have anything to do with you from now on. I won’t tell you not to come into my sight or anything ridiculous like that. Just don’t approach me—got it?”

It was an order that brooked no argument.

In response to Ayana’s words, Hatsune-san and Kotone-san could only nod silently. However, Hatsune-san, as if resisting at least a little, glared at Ayana… But Ayana interrupted her with a sharp kick to the ground.

“Do you have something you want to say?”

“…No, nothing. Let’s go inside, Kotone.”

“Y-Yeah…!”

Both of them… rushed into the house, clearly afraid of Ayana. It was to the point that I found myself staring at her, wondering why they were so frightened.

Ayana smiled as she looked at me, as always… No, to me, no matter how she appeared, Ayana was always Ayana—my beloved Ayana.

“…Thank you, Towa-kun.”

“Uhm, I didn’t say anything, though?”

“I can tell what you’re thinking just by looking at your eyes.”

“I see… Well, if it’s between us, we can understand each other without saying anything, right?”

“Yes♪”

Sorry, Ayana, but I was genuinely surprised that you could convey that much.

Fortunately, it seemed she hadn’t conveyed that, as her smile remained unchanged… Ayana, still in this place, turned her gaze back to Shu.

“Shu-kun.”

At Ayana’s voice, Shu flinched, but he didn’t flee like Hatsune-san and the others. Instead, he looked back at Ayana.

“Shu-kun, do you know what Hatsune-san and Kotone-chan said to Towa-kun?”

“…………”

At that moment, Ayana glanced at me as if to indicate it was okay.

“They said it was fortunate that Towa-kun was the one that got hurt. Hatsune-san said it directly to Towa-kun.”

“…My mom said that?”

“Yes.”

For Shu, Hatsune-san was someone he saw as a kind mother figure.

Of course, that was true from Shu’s perspective, and whether he believed it or not was up to him… Besides, even if Shu refused to acknowledge Hatsune-san and what Ayana said, it wouldn’t matter to me.

“I was drawn to Towa-kun from the moment we met. The more time we spent together, the stronger that feeling became… I wanted to be by his side no matter what. When I saw Towa-kun being hurt by those cruel words and crying, how could I not feel anything? Who in this world could tolerate hearing bad things about someone they love? I didn’t know what was right or wrong anymore. Towa-kun was the one who helped me… He supported me. I truly love Towa-kun from the bottom of my heart.”

Shu said he couldn’t acknowledge us.

But if Ayana said it directly like this, Shu had no choice but to acknowledge it.

“I… I…”

After that, Shu said nothing more and passed by Ayana, disappearing into the house.

Watching him go, I felt Ayana jump into my arms, and I caught her firmly.

“Good job, Ayana… Thank you.”

“I just wanted to say everything I’ve been feeling.”

“Even so.”

No matter how much hatred she had accumulated over the years, expressing it in words to the other party is an act that requires courage, I believe.

As for Kotone-san, it might be rude to say that I don’t know what she’ll do, but the fact that she easily recognized Ayana, who she had always admired, as an enemy speaks volumes.

“With this, our relationship with those people will surely become the worst. I feel sorry for Shu-kun’s father if he comes back here and gets confused, but he’s a very sensible person.”

Shu’s father, huh… I don’t meet him often, so I haven’t really thought about it, but that might be true.

Given Hatsune-san’s character, it’s easy to imagine a future where she blames me for everything that’s happened, but I don’t think she’ll unilaterally believe that we’re at fault, so I’m relieved about that.

“I’ll let my mom know about what happened today. She’ll probably be troubled about how to handle our future interactions…”

“But she seemed to be enjoying herself, though?”

“Let’s let her worry about it a bit. It’s payback for everything up until now♪”

Man, Ayana can be quite ruthless sometimes…

“But now, I think my feelings have been conveyed to those people. This was necessary for us to move forward… So I’m glad I said it.”

“I wish I could’ve said something too.”

“Let me take the spotlight this time. And… I wanted you to be a backup in case things went south, Towa-kun.”

“I see… It’s a relief that Ayana didn’t lose her temper.”

“Ufufu♪ The dark side of me didn’t come out this time♪”

Don’t say such scary things with such a cute face!

As I sighed at Ayana’s behavior, I didn’t loosen my grip on her, and I was pleasantly surprised by my own actions.

It’s about time to head home. That’s what I thought, and when I loosened my grip, Ayana gave me a dissatisfied look.

“…Haa. At this rate, I just want to live together already.”

“So that means…?”

“That’s what it means.”

After that exchange, Ayana moved away from me.

Looking at Ayana’s refreshed expression as if she had forgotten what happened earlier, I could tell that she had said what she wanted to say and felt relieved.

“Moving forward means… something like this, huh?”

“Yeah. But the future is still long… Let’s steadily remove each obstacle one by one.”

“That’s right. As long as Towa-kun is by my side, no obstacle will be a problem.♪”

Yeah… If we keep moving forward like this, we should be able to overcome any obstacle.

After seeing Ayana off and returning home, a beautiful full moon was floating in the sky.

There were interactions with Shu at school and then with Ayana earlier. Not just today, but recently, each day has been incredibly intense.

It hasn’t even been a month since I fully regained my memories… It’s been such an intense flow of time that it feels like it could be written in manga or novels.

“…I have to hurry home before Mom gets worried.”

By the way, Mom had contacted me asking why I hadn’t returned yet, so I’m a little scared of what she’ll say now.

But when I think about how loved I am, it’s not that scary… at all.

“I’m home—”

“Welcome back, Towa.”

“…Oofu”

The moment I opened the front door, my mom stood there with her hands on her hips.

The way she stared at me with an intense gaze was truly devilish… Wait, I feel like Ayana used that expression recently… Anyway, it’s quite scary.

However, my mom didn’t seem to be angry.

Her serious expression quickly turned into a smile, and she explained her intentions.

“Because I trust everything about Towa. But sometimes, I have to play the role of an overly protective mother!” 

“Don’t need it.” 

“Hey Towa, don’t you dislike when I act all motherly?” 

“I wish you’d drop that act already… huh?” 

While engaging in a comedic exchange with my mother, I suddenly realize something. 

“Mom… did something happen today?” 

“Ara, why do you ask?” 

I asked because my mom seemed unusually cheerful. Of course, she always reassures me with a smile, but today her demeanor seemed even more lively. 

“Well, something did happen. I met an old acquaintance.” 

“Oh really?” 

“We used to be quite close when we were causing mischief back then. We’ve kept in touch over the years, but it’s been a while since we last met in person, so we had a lot to catch up on.” 

“Heh.” 

When she says “causing mischief back then,” does she mean someone from our delinquent days? 

“You’ve met her when you were little, too.” 

“Is that so… hey, Mom.” 

“What is it?” 

“Speaking of that person….. were they the acquaintance from the time when you were referred to as the ‘Yasha Hime’ of either Second or Third Street?”

“That’s right, during those times… Wait a moment. Towa, why do know about that nickname!?” 

Oops… that was a reaction I shouldn’t have provoked. 

I’ve already mentioned that nickname, so there’s no going back now. But still, I didn’t mention Seina-san’s name. 

But she’ll probably figure it out soon enough. I should apologize to Seina-san now in my mind for what’s about to happen.  

Sorry! 

“But ‘Yasha Hime’ sounds kinda cool.” 

“I hate it! What’s with ‘Yasha Hime’!? Sure, I was unbeatable in fights, and I beat up all the thugs who dared to mess with our turf! But I was a delicate girl, you know!?” 

“Well… you don’t sound delicate at all from what I’m hearing.” 

“Ugh!” 

With a groan, my mother kneels down and I can’t help but chuckle. Then, I say, “Mom… today, in a sense, we’ve reached some closure. Me and Ayana… we’re moving forward.” 

Upon hearing this, my mother smiles and reaches out to pat my head. 

“You’ve done well.” 

“…Yeah.” 

I’m grateful for my mother’s kindness and warmth, not pressing further about what happened. Eventually, I’ll talk about it when Ayana and I are together. For now, I just want to bask in this happy moment.