V2Ch1: Fate Part 2

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Translator: Soafp

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“Ahh, that was delicious. This place really does have the best pasta!”

From the moment they met up to entering the restaurant and finishing their meal, it all went by quickly.
Hikaru never wasted time choosing from the menu.

She wasn't the type of girl to say things like, “Hmm, what should I get? I can't decide… everything looks good!” the way other women her age often did.

She would glance at the words or pictures and, purely on instinct, choose whatever looked the most delicious.
According to her, “Waffling is a sign of indecisiveness. Even in love, indecisive people let the person they really care about slip away.”

“You really are quick when it comes to choosing. Don't you ever think, after you've started eating, that you wanted something else?”

That night, Hikaru had decided what to order even faster than Sho.

“Sometimes I do. But then I just order it next time. It's not like I'm going to get banned from this place forever.”

“Well, I guess that's true.”

“If I feel like eating something else, that just means I want to come back here again. That's something to be grateful for—the fact that it's a good enough place to want to return. Spending time regretting what you ordered is a waste.”

That straightforward attitude was exactly what Sho liked.
It meant he could relax around her, without pretense or effort.

“I like that about you.”

“Eh… w-well, I've been your childhood friend for a long time, after all.”

Hikaru's words stumbled for a moment, but then she quickly returned to her usual self. Sho didn't notice that tiny shift in her tone.

“Hey, Sho-chan.”

“Hm?”

“Do you still… dream about Saki-san?”

“Yeah… sometimes.”

Saki was Sho's older sister. Back when she was alive, Hikaru had also called her “onee-chan.” But once Sho and Hikaru entered high school, she abruptly stopped.

The reason why was something only she knew.

“It must still be painful, right?”

“Yeah. It's different from losing someone to illness or an accident. Her life was stolen because of someone's selfish cruelty. It's painful, but more than that, it's impossible to accept. And no matter if the culprit is arrested and sentenced to death, I still hate him.”

Sho showed a face he rarely revealed. Only Hikaru and his parents knew this expression.

A face strained by dark, suffocating emotions, barely held back.

“…Tonight, I'll treat you.”

Hikaru swiftly grabbed the bill and walked toward the register.

“Hey, I was going to—”

“It's fine. You're always the one treating me.”

“That's only because I'm the one inviting you—”

“No arguing. Sometimes you just have to listen to your older sister figure.”

Half-forcefully, Hikaru paid the bill.

“Uh… thank you for the meal.”

“Good. That's the right answer.”

She flashed him a bright smile, even as Sho looked guilty, and said nothing else until they were both in his car.

(I ruined the mood, didn't I…? It was supposed to be a fun dinner…)

As he started the engine, Sho regretted his own behavior. Hikaru must have wanted to enjoy their time together.

But he had spoiled it.

“Hey, Sho-chan…”

Her voice carried a hint of displeasure. Sho immediately decided to apologize.

“Sorry. I just… I don't know what to say.”

“Huh? Sorry for what?”

“…Eh?”

For some reason, their conversation wasn't lining up tonight. Wasn't she upset? Sho was confused.

“You thought dinner was boring, didn't you? Even though you were looking forward to this place…”

“What? I had fun.”

“Huh?”

They hadn't exactly talked about cheerful things. Sho himself hadn't smiled once. Yet Hikaru said she enjoyed it.

“I'm not angry, Sho-chan. I was just thinking. I should be the one apologizing.”

“Thinking…?”

Hikaru stared at the restaurant wall lit up by the car's headlights as she spoke.

“Ten years, twenty years… no matter how much time passes, the wound in your heart won't disappear. I think I have the same kind of wound, and it won't fade either. But that's because… Saki-san was such a wonderful person.”

She didn't turn to him, keeping her gaze straight ahead.

“So… why don't we just carry these wounds with us, for the rest of our lives?”

“What…?”

A wound buried deep within. And yet Hikaru said there was no need to heal it.

“Saki-san's smile, her kind voice, her warm hands… there's no way we'll ever forget them. We'll carry them with us, always. We don't need to force ourselves to forget the incident, either. People like us exist—and because of that, maybe someday it will matter. That's why…”

Her voice trembled slightly, as though she was holding back tears. But when she finally turned to Sho, she was smiling.

“Let's keep moving forward, carrying our wounds together. When it's painful or sad, let's be honest and share it. I think… that's what's best for us.”

“Hikaru…”

Her words carried her true feelings.