I ended up living together with the school's number one beauty who rejected me even though I hadn't confessed to her, but why are her beautiful sisters aiming to steal my virginity?

Chapter 28 : Welcome Home!

The long, long night gave way to dawn, and the sun rose slowly. Akane Hiiragi and I walked side by side, gazing up at the crimson sky.

“To tell you the truth, I’m adopted,” Akane Hiiragi said casually.

“…Is that so?”

“Fufu~, what’s with that reaction? It’s not like I want you to say anything. I just thought you should know.”

“…I see.”

Akane Hiiragi, whose last name I just knew wasn’t Hiiragi, said just that.

“By the way, have you opened the present yet?”

Thinking it best not to ask unnecessary questions, I changed the subject.

“Present? What are you talking about? I didn’t receive anything.”

“Huh? So you haven’t given it to Midori-nee yet… Or could it be that you two are still fighting?”

“…You’re so nosy. Don’t worry, everything’s fine now. We’ve made up. So, what about the present? Why are you giving me one, and what’s inside?”

“It’s a secret. Ask Midori-nee when you get home. I’m sure she’ll give it to you then.”

“Ugh, just tell me. It’s bothering me.”

“I won’t tell you. I worked hard at my part-time job to buy it, so look forward to it.”

Saying that, I smiled lightly. Akane Hiiragi also smiled happily.

Akane Hiiragi, who had cried until the sun rose, casually said, ‘Let’s go home.’ So, I was a bit excited, wondering if we would fly again. However, after the sun rose, it seemed like she didn’t want to use magic lightly, and we continued walking together from that hill.

“…..”

Honestly, there are still lingering questions.

The most important was about magical girls. How did she know about my predicament last night? Why did she rescue me?

And what does she think of me?

Time has passed so much since those days when everything changed. We finally fulfilled our promise, but that doesn’t mean we need to run away together anymore.

Surely, Akane Hiiragi was my first love. But if asked whether I still like her the way I did back then, I would be a bit puzzled. And surely, she must feel the same way.

What does Akane Hiiragi think of me? She never voiced it until the end. So, I didn’t feel the need to express my feelings either.

“…Alright, this is as far as I go.”

Reaching a crossroads, I stopped and looked straight at Akane Hiiragi.

“What? Is something wrong?”

Akane Hiiragi tilted her head lightly and peered into my face.

“Thanks for helping me and waiting for me all this time. I was happy. So from now on—”

“No, no, no. What’s this all of a sudden? Saying something like that in a place like this.”

“No, it’s just that the station is that way, right?”

“…Huh? Why the station? Do you have something to do?”

“…No, I need to go home, so I have to take the train, right? I can’t go back to Suou-san’s house anymore.”

Upon hearing my words, Akane Hiiragi opened her eyes wide, as if surprised, and shook her head vigorously.

“Wait, are you planning to return to that cabin-like house?… Won’t you come to my place?”

“No, because we made a promise, right? I won’t go to that house anymore.”

“…Ah.”

Akane Hiiragi remembered and spoke.

“You know, I’ve always thought that you hated me. That’s why you desperately tried to drive me away like that… But that wasn’t the case. The reason you tried so hard to push me away was because of the magical girl thing, right? I won’t ask for details, but it’s something you can’t let others know about, isn’t it?”

“That is…”

“Even if you don’t say it, I’ll be fine. I’m really okay now. Finally, I won’t endure it alone anymore. So… See you again.”

Saying that, I started walking toward the station. But soon, a hand grabbed the hem of my clothes.

“Wait…”

I stopped and turned around and Akane Hiiragi was looking at me with an angry expression.

“Is there something else? Oh. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about the magical girl thing—”

“It’s not that! It’s not… You’re such a horrible person, making me wait alone for so many years.”

Akane Hiiragi blushed and tugged at the hem of my clothes strongly.

“…Could it be, you’re angry?”

“No! It’s not that… It’s just that you’re a horrible person for breaking your promise again. But… Well, it’s fine! So, come to my place. No, you have to come, please. Is that okay?”

“Is it really okay?”

The sky, which had turned blue unnoticed, showered us with warm sunlight. Though colorless, weightless, and formless, it certainly illuminated us. From a distant place, the sun continued to shine upon this world.

Akane Hiiragi smiled like the sun and said, “I’m okay now too. Because you found me properly. So… let’s go home together?”

My heart raced at Akane Hiiragi’s dazzling smile.

“…Yeah.”

So, I smiled as best as I could and replied.

“No, I’ll go back to the house over there. I need to pick up my stuff.”

“…Seriously, you’re rejecting me here?”

Akane Hiiragi looked at me as if she were resentful.

“I’ve been teased by you many times, so this is payback.”

“…What’s that?”

With an exasperated sigh, Akane Hiiragi laughed softly.

“But when I think about it, I’ve done some terrible things too… But I promise I won’t do such things anymore. I promise. Even if you steal my underwear, I won’t complain. So… I’ll be waiting, okay?”

Saying that, Akane Hiiragi laughed.

“Yeah. I’ll be right there.”

So, I also laughed as well.

◇◇◇◇◇◇

Life is an unyielding winter. That phrase has bound me for so long, but at the same time, it has been a support for my heart.

“…It’s hot.”

Wiping the sweat from my cheeks while carrying a large bag, I walked slowly, having returned home once after parting ways with Akane Hiiragi. I had completed various preparations and was walking leisurely, just like on that day.

“Why is it so hot today?”

Complaining like that, I continued to walk.

The final manuscript left by ‘Sensei.’ It has already been torn apart and is no longer in this world. …But even now, I don’t feel like blaming Akane for it.

Because just a while ago, she apologized to me and even went out of her way to carry my luggage to my house. And once again, she invited me to come over.

She said she didn’t need me to draw anymore; she just wanted me by her side.

But I politely declined. Because, in my current state…

“…Ah, I forgot.”

I stopped by the convenience store on the way and bought manuscript paper. Even though that manuscript paper is no longer available, I can still complete ‘Sensei’s’ poem.

“Loneliness is life. Solitude is destiny. Loneliness makes you think of an endless winter. Loneliness silently accumulates. Snow is cold no matter how much it gathers. And…”

What lies beyond this “And”? Even without that manuscript paper, I can think about it.

“I should have bought ice cream too.”

Muttering such things, I resumed walking.

Life is an endless winter. I thought I would suffer until I died, continuing to endure suffering. That’s what I believed… No, I’ve convinced myself of that for a long time.

But…

“I can see it.”

Finding a large house I haven’t seen in a long time, my walking speed increases. For some reason, my cheeks naturally relaxed. Maybe returning home is meant to be like this.

Life is an endless winter.

I’ve been freezing in a long, long winter all this time… But yesterday, I realized it. Thanks to Akane Hiiragi, I was able to notice.

So…

“Loneliness is life. Solitude is destiny. Loneliness makes you think of an endless winter. Loneliness silently accumulates. Snow is cold no matter how much it gathers. And…”

And, when embraced gently, it melts and disappears.

“Shall we go?”

Smiling lightly, I opened the front door.

The winter that was supposed to be endless has ended, and spring has come. As if to celebrate my spring, six girls welcome me with flower-like smiles.

“Welcome back!”

“I’m home.”

☆☆☆☆☆☆

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TL : Zenon#4120