Afterward

Chapter 28: Blessings

Can I indulge in this happiness?

“Ren-kun”

“Ren”

Time passed as I was hugged, Arika from the left and Nee-san from the right. After that, Nee-san came closer, as if to compete with Arika who had hugged me. Naturally, I couldn’t escape as my arms were firmly held… Not that I intended to run away.

Looking to the left, I met Arika’s eyes, and to the right, Nee-san’s. Both of them blushed shyly but smiled happily. Seeing them like this made me feel embarrassed as well.

“…I’m happy.”

Just having these two by my side makes me realize how happy I am. I whispered softly about my happiness, feeling truly blissful at this moment.

“I am too.”

“Me too.”

It seems they heard my murmur, as almost simultaneously, both uttered those words. I felt their gazes piercing me from both sides, staring intently. Smiling at the joy of being so cherished, I glanced at the clock.

“…It’s 06:30.”

Winter was near, and it was dark outside with a cold wind blowing. I wondered if it was alright for Arika not to go home. To her parents, Arika is still their beloved high school daughter… If it gets too late, they might start worrying.

“Arika, I understand how you feel, but isn’t it about time you headed home?”

“…Yes, you’re right. But… I don’t want to. I want to stay by Ren-kun’s side longer.”

Arika initially nodded at Nee-san’s words but quickly shook her head and hugged me even tighter. Nee-san laughed in a troubled manner at this scene. Although I too didn’t want to part, we couldn’t inconvenience her parents.

“Arika, really—”

I was about to say I’d take her home when the sound of the front door opening interrupted me. Nii-san’s voice echoed, announcing his return. I thought he would be surprised to see us, but after a quick glance at Arika and Nee-san, he smiled wryly at me, nodding as if to say, ‘Well done.’

“Well, I saw this coming. Look, I brought sushi. Arika, staying overnight is too sudden, but you should at least have dinner. Can you let your parents know?”

“Ah, yes! I’ll do it right away!”

Arika sprang up as if enlightened, quickly pulling out her phone. She was probably calling her parents, her fingers moving swiftly. Nee-san chuckled beside me, her shoulders shaking.

“Fufu, wanting to stay together a little longer, I see. Well then, let’s get ready.”

Nee-san moved away from me to start preparing dinner. Though with Nii-san bringing sushi, there wasn’t much to prepare.

“Hello, sorry for calling so late. I’ll have dinner here and then come back… Yeah… Yeah, ehehe… You can tell? I might be a bit late, but I’ll definitely return today—”

“Arika, I’ll give you a ride home, so don’t worry.”

“Really? Thanks. His brother will take me home. So, it’s all good.”

He… huh? I’m really feeling the reality of us being in a relationship now. I thought as I stepped away from Arika, who was still on the phone, and Nii-san came over, gently patting my back.

“Looks like things went well. I wasn’t worried… but I’m glad.”

“Thank you. It’s partly thanks to Nii-san’s push yesterday.”

“Haha, is that so? That’s great to hear.”

Unlike Nee-san, who would gently stroke my head, Nii-san’s touch was firmer, but I think I must have been smiling genuinely at that moment. As I was being patted, my eyes met Arika’s, who had just finished her phone call. She looked first at Nii-san’s hand on my head and then at his face before her expression slightly hardened.

“Don’t tell me, Ryo… You too—”

“Don’t make such chilling assumptions!?”

I knew what Arika was implying, but sorry, Nii-san… I felt a chill too. After that, with Nee-san’s dinner preparations complete, we all sat down for dinner.

“By the way, about that phone call earlier, it seems like your mom figured out a lot?”

“Yes. She sounded worried when I said I’d be late, but she guessed from my tone.”

I had a feeling that was the kind of conversation they were having, and it might mean I’ll meet her soon. I’m a bit nervous but also looking forward to it. Eventually, we’ll have to talk about our relationship, but we can’t run away from it.

As I ate the sushi and sipped the miso soup Nee-san had made, albeit simple, I enjoyed the perfect warmth and flavor. It was at that moment that Arika started to speak up.

“Asami-san, I’m going home after this today, but no sneaking around, okay?”

“Oh, what are you talking about?”

“You can’t do ‘sex’ with Ren-kun yet, okay!?”

“Pfft—!?”

Arika’s sudden comment almost made me spit out my miso soup… I coughed violently, but Nii-san rubbing my back helped me recover. What a thing to suddenly say… But Arika looked serious, and Nee-san was provocatively smiling.

“Unlike you, I live under the same roof as Ren. If Ren gets restless and can’t hold back, as his girlfriend, it’s my duty to respond.”

“…Mumumu!!”

…The tuna is delicious, and the squid and octopus are excellent too.

Nii-san and I continued eating our sushi without joining in their conversation, enjoying the hot tea… Ah, so good.

“Then, I’m going to live here from today too!!”

“No, that’s not happening.”

Arika, thwarted by Nee-san’s calm retort, crushed her chopsticks in frustration.

“It’s noisier than usual today.”

“Yeah. But I don’t mind the noise.”

“Indeed.”

“Ah.”

A scene like this was unimaginable just a short while ago. The dinner table was livelier with more conversations, all because Arika joined. Although Arika looked genuinely frustrated in her argument with Nee-san, there was a sense of enjoyment in the air. And Nee-san, with her gentle gaze while teasing Arika, shared the same sentiment.

The noisy evening continued, and we finished off the sushi Nii-san had bought, bringing the lively dinner to a close.

“Then, see you tomorrow, Ren-kun.”

“Wait… Arika.”

“What… Ah!”

I gently embraced Arika, who was about to leave. She let out a surprised sound but soon wrapped her arms around my back.

“I’ll miss you too. Even though we’ll meet again tomorrow.”

“Fufu, yes. But it’s okay, tomorrow will come quickly.”

That’s right, just close your eyes for a bit, sleep, and tomorrow will be here. It’s a usual day at school, but it’s our first as a couple. Nothing dramatic will change, but I’m genuinely looking forward to it.

“Arika, can I kiss you?”

“Yes. I want to kiss you too, Ren-kun.”

Before, it was a kiss on the cheek, but this time, we shared a kiss on the lips. It was a sweet and slightly sour sensation, enveloping us in a strange feeling of wanting to stay like this forever. We parted our lips.

“Hey, you two, haven’t you forgotten we’re here?”

“Ren’s first kiss… then I—”

Arika, breaking away from me, giggled shyly. I was probably blushing too, but if I kept holding Arika, time would just keep slipping away. It’s true, whether falling in love or being in a relationship, there’s this desire not to part even for a moment. I felt that deeply just now.

“See you, Ren-kun. Goodnight, Asami-san.”

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

With that, Arika left with Nii-san. The moment the door closed… I was suddenly pulled into a strong embrace by Nee-san… And then.

“…?”

“Mmm… Slurp…”

Nee-san kissed me… It was so sudden that I couldn’t prevent her tongue from entering my mouth.

“Today was a day filled with happiness.”

“Haha, I can tell just by looking at your expression. Keep taking good care of Ren.”

“Yes, of course!”

Today became an incredibly precious moment for Arika. Not only could she share her feelings with Ren, whom she loved deeply, but also hearing his resolution afresh made her truly glad to have fallen in love with him. His struggle and pain in finding an answer were heart-wrenching, but the fact that he found it brought immense joy to Arika.

On the car ride home, Arika had lively conversations with Ryo. During the talk, Ryo suddenly brought up something.

“It doesn’t seem like it will turn out like that time, huh?”

“Indeed. Akito-kun is different this time, so while I’ll be cautious, I think it’ll be okay. I’ve somewhat figured out what led to that cause.”

“Oh?”

Ryo was referring to a time in a past world where Ren had an accident. This world is different, and the path leading up to that event is naturally different as well. But since nothing is ever certain, Ryo was curious and asked Arika.

“Akito-kun doesn’t have the courage to go that far. So, I thought maybe someone influenced him, and it’s probably Shinjo-san. Thinking about it, in the previous world, it made sense for Shinjo-san to dislike me.”

“Did you do something to this Shinjo guy?”

“I didn’t personally do anything. But, considering Shinjo-san’s position, it’s understandable if she resents me.”

Arika had come to a certain conclusion about the dream Yuka had shared with her, specifically why the Yuka in the dream had looked at Arika with hatred. Arika shared her thoughts on the probable reason.

“In this world, Shinjo-san and Saito-kun are a couple and friends with Ren-kun. However, in the previous world, they weren’t dating… You see, Saito-kun had confessed to me.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. But I had already liked Ren-kun at that time, so I turned him down. However, the next day, there was a rumor that Saito-kun had called me out and assaulted me.”

“What… You denied it, right?”

Arika nodded.

“Of course. I told everyone nothing happened to me, and my friends who were there at the time also saw everything. So, it was quickly dismissed as a baseless rumor. But some people, enjoying the drama, added their own twists to the story…”

“There are always troublesome people around.”

Once a rumor starts, even if it’s a lie, it can become a sharp, dangerous weapon fueled by people’s malice. While Arika’s and Sogo’s classmates didn’t pay it any mind, knowing it was a lie, students from other classes were different. Some people looked at her as if the rumor might be true, even if they didn’t mean to.

“Since then, I haven’t spoken to Saito-kun. I think that’s probably the main reason. Well, in this world, I don’t have to worry about that, but now that I know everything, I think I should have taken some action.”

What’s past is past, especially since it’s from a previous world, so there’s no use dwelling on it. However, there’s one thing that still bothers her: who started that rumor?

“The confession from Saito-kun happened after school, and only my friends were around. So, only they knew about it… But they’re not the kind of people to do something like that.”

There might be some bias since they’re her friends, but Arika is certain they wouldn’t do something so cruel. After all, they were the ones who helped her protect Sogo from the rumors.

“So, we still don’t know who it was.”

“Yes. That’s why I’m not letting my guard down… Ahaha, no matter what happens, I feel like I can handle it. Right now, I feel incredibly strong.”

“Haha, is that so?”

Seeing Arika more powerful than usual, now that she’s Ren’s girlfriend, Ryo laughed. He felt reassured by her strength, though a bit worried she might go overboard for Ren’s sake. Ryo himself couldn’t help but smile wryly at the thought.

“But you, you’re really proactive. Are you seriously planning to stay over on the weekend?”

“Of course! I want to spend as much time as possible with Ren-kun!!”

“Just try not to go too wild, okay?”

“I’m always calm, you know?”

“…Is that so?”

Realizing that nothing he said would make a difference, Ryo just shook his head at Arika.

TLN:
12 more chapters to go for the side stories.