To End Credits

The next morning.

I woke up as usual and headed to the sink to wash my face.

Fuyuko-san and Dad had already left for work, leaving only Yukine and me in the house. But I hadn’t seen Yukine since I woke up.

Actually, I hadn’t had a chance to talk to her since yesterday, and she didn’t come out to the living room during dinner either.

After yesterday’s honest exchange of words, our first real argument, it made sense that Yukine would retreat to her room.

Still, seeing Yukine withdraw like this reminded me of when we first met, and it felt like all the effort and time we had spent together had been in vain.

I wanted to believe otherwise, but I couldn’t muster the mindset to face Yukine.

I had opened up to Fuyuko-san about my true feelings, and she had given me comforting words. But even before that, Yukine’s words made me realize that I was in the wrong.

“(Despite saying I’d face them, in the end, I realized I hadn’t really grasped the feeling of liking beyond the surface.)”

I turned on the faucet, letting cold water run and splashing it on my face.

After refreshing my face a few times, I grabbed a towel and dried it.

Then, lifting my face, I looked at my reflection in the mirror.

“Liking, huh?”

The feeling of liking is something common in the world.

Like liking a particular dish, a color, enjoying sleeping or exercising.

Among these, the feeling of romantic liking, which can be said to be the most persistent, exists in abundance, yet I couldn’t quite grasp it.

I’m not someone so pure as to say I haven’t experienced first love yet, and of course, I’ve liked someone before… probably back when I was in elementary school.

In other words, embarrassingly enough, I haven’t liked anyone since I grew up.

Just realized it now, but am I seriously messed up or what…?

“I just don’t get it!”

Despite drying my face with a towel, I splashed water on my face again.

Even though it wouldn’t wash away anything, I kept washing my face over and over.

In the end, I didn’t understand anything.

With a heavy heart burdened by melancholy, I headed towards school.

Thinking back, there were matters to consider beyond just home, including Imari’s situation.

Imari’s actions yesterday were quite definitive, and within me, that hypothesis had almost become a certainty.

Given Imari’s nature, unless something significant happened, her way of interacting with me would likely remain unchanged, and it wasn’t something for me to intervene in.

I’m not a person who can just easily accept things as straightforwardly as that.

“(Seriously, yesterday was too much… Was it really just one day?)”

In terms of intensity, it felt like half a year’s worth of dense events packed into one day.

Even after waking up, my mind was occupied with thoughts, and despite having slept to recover physically, my head only felt more fatigued.

Sighing with weariness, I continued walking, and then felt a tap on my shoulder from behind.

“Morning, Miyoshi-kun.”

“Wha—, I-Imari!?”

How timely…

“Why are you so surprised? And hey, your face looks kinda red?”

“N-no! It’s nothing! Seriously, it’s nothing!”

I desperately tried to gloss over it. 

With yesterday’s events in mind, I’m too conscious of Imari, and I can’t have a natural conversation because I’m too tense.

Seeing my awkwardness, Imari bursted into laughter.

“You’re too nervous, Miyoshi-kun. Could it be—did you happen to remember yesterday’s events?”

“Wha—!?”

I didn’t expect her to bring up yesterday’s topic herself, and I was left speechless.

“I-I mean, th-that’s not it! Besides, Imari told me to forget about it, and to be honest, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Hehe, Miyoshi-kun, you’re really bad at lying.”

“S-shut up!”

Seeing Imari’s small smile, I secretly breathe a sigh of relief. As expected, Imari was still her usual self.

Even if she acts uncharacteristically one day, by the next day, she’s back to being her perfect self. 

That’s the Imari I know.

“(So, I guess I don’t have to worry about Imari for now.)”

There doesn’t seem to be any problem with Imari at the moment.

And about my confidence in my prediction, well, it’s just a guess after all. Seeing Imari now, I can’t help but wonder if I’ve been a bit too full of myself!

Anyway, that’s one less thing to worry about.

Now, I need to focus on my stepsister, who’s the closest and most immediate concern.

I was glad to see Imari, that’s what I was thinking at the time.

Indeed, I truly was.

The disturbance was palpable near the school.

At first, I sensed a familiarity with this unease within myself.

Still, I avoided the possibility and walked to school alongside Imari.

However, the moment we stepped into the classroom, that ominous premonition turned into certainty.

“Good morning, everyo—everyone?”

Imari’s cheerful greeting faltered as she noticed the unusual attention directed towards us from our classmates.

Then, with a smirk, Narahashi approached us, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

He casually placed his hands on both Imari’s and my shoulders and said, 

“So, you two finally did it, huh?”

“Finally,  you two are finally together!” 

Narahashi’s words were accompanied by a surge of congratulatory applause.

But I saw it clearly.

The sadness in Imari’s expression.

This was far from a celebration.

It was applause for the end credits.

――――Afterword――――

Thank you for reading this far!

I can only thank everyone who reads this.

Heavy developments continue. As I’m sure you’ve all noticed…this work is running towards the climax.

Each chapter will be a parade of developments that will keep your eyes peeled to see what choices Kouta Miyoshi will make, so please look forward to the daily updates!

Well, thank you for your continued support in the last spurt! ! !