You Came with the First Spring Breeze... - Episode 4 : Final Episode

Final Episode

— The following year. Spring —

“Alright, alright, alright… Okay! That’s it!”

The large moving truck perfectly fit into the small parking lot at just the right angle.

A white plastered wall, an orange roof. A 30-year-old, small 2LDK one-story house. This is our new home.

It has a small terrace and a garden about one tsubo in size.

In the garden, a tall Nioi Shuroran tree is planted, giving off an exotic, tropical resort vibe. We’ll plant morning glories in a small flower bed next to it.

I can easily imagine Akiko, in a yukata, running around excitedly setting off fireworks there when summer comes.

We both loved the house so much that we couldn’t imagine choosing anything else.

Three workers skillfully moved our belongings inside.

The first spring wind was blowing outside, and it was still a bit chilly.

Every time a worker passed in front of us, Akiko would clutch my arm tightly.

More than half a year had passed since that day, but Akiko still carried the deep wounds in her heart that hadn’t healed.

That day, five police officers arrived at the scene and saw Sanda writhing in pain, bleeding from his groin, while I stood holding a knife, alternating glances between the two. They shouted:

“Ambulance—! Ambulance—!”

At that moment, I slumped down to the ground.

“I did it.”

I said those words and threw the knife onto the floor as if to show my guilt.

Akiko, traumatized, had lost her voice.

Her eyes were swollen, half-closed, and blood dripped from her mouth. I could barely walk straight as the police led me away, while Akiko trembled in the background.

The sound of her crying, like air escaping, still echoes in my ears.

During the questioning, it worked to my advantage that I confessed to stabbing Sanda in the groin, making it easier for the charges against me to be dismissed.

Sanda himself had lost his memory due to the shock of being injured and couldn’t remember if it was me or Akiko who did it. Because of this, the charge of assault against me was dropped, but the main issue remained—Akiko’s rape, assault, threats, and coercion. I was determined not to let that slide.

Sanda’s lawyer came several times to propose a settlement, but Akiko never agreed.

She didn’t want any money. She wrote strongly in her notebook: “I want the heaviest punishment.”

That same lawyer later approached Nao, asking her to testify as a character witness, but Nao rejected the request. She visited Sanda once in prison, handed him a written dismissal, and never saw him again.

As for me, I had fractures in my skull, orbital bone, and nasal bone, as well as two cracked ribs—enough to justify self-defense.

It worked out just as planned!!

Sanda had threatened, “I’ll kill you both first when I get out of prison,” and I had recorded his words as evidence.

Thanks to that, the investigation also reached the adult video production company Joule, and not only the videos Akiko had appeared in but the entire company went under.

The affiliated Yakuza group was arrested for drug possession, illegal website operations, and more, making it a major news story for some time.

I don’t know what happened to Sanda’s company, but after the police raid, Sanda was dismissed as the CEO during a shareholders meeting, and a new president was likely appointed, according to Yoshii.

The company’s name was reportedly changed as well.

I hope they rebuild it into a cleaner company for the employees’ sake.

Following the incident, I switched to a pharmaceutical company where I could work remotely from home.

Akiko has developed a tendency to panic over small triggers, so she needs someone with her at all times to avoid accidents or injury. I’m the only one who can fulfill that role.

Because of my failure, I caused Akiko so much pain.

About 30 minutes later, all the furniture had been moved inside, and our room was filled with cardboard boxes.

On top of a box catching the sunlight, Haru was napping comfortably.

“Now, the real work begins,” I said, and as Akiko clung to me without letting go, I gently touched my forehead to hers.

She smiled happily without a sound, then handed me an envelope.

The envelope was neatly labeled in right-slanting handwriting: “To Tomoya.”

I opened it, not sealed, and took out the contents.

“You wrote me a letter. Thank you.”

I thought she must have a lot to say, and my eyes began to well up with tears. Psychogenic aphonia is an endless battle.

“Can I read it now?”

I asked, and she nodded with a slight bob of her head.

To Tomoya,

Do you remember? Exactly one year ago today, we first met. I wrote this letter for such a memorable day.

Back then, I had never been loved by anyone, and I couldn’t even take care of myself, let alone love myself.

This year, a lot has happened, and maybe there are wounds I wouldn’t have had if I had never met you.

But, you know, I even cherish those wounds.

Because, through it all, you have lovingly embraced and cared for me.

Even if I hadn’t met you, and had a life without any scars—

Even if I was able to smile and chat normally—I wouldn’t want that.

Even if I were torn apart and broken, even if a part of me no longer worked, I want a life with you in it!

So, I have a request for you.

Please, don’t ever say “I’m sorry” again.

Whenever you blame yourself, saying “If only I had done this or that,” it hurts me.

I can’t say it out loud, but I’m always saying “thank you” to you in my heart.

I only feel gratitude and love.

So, please, don’t blame yourself.

We were both in the hospital and missed the fireworks on the day of the festival, but that wasn’t your fault.

The bad people have been taken care of by you, and I am now living in peace.

This year, I’ll wear that yukata, so take me to the fireworks display.

I promise, promise, you’ll do that, right?

I will always, always love you.

Thank you for meeting me.

Every moment spent with you is precious and a part of me.

Akiko

Tears flowed uncontrollably, and I turned my body toward the terrace to hide my face.

The leaves of the Nioi Shuroran tree swayed gently in the spring breeze.

The tears on my cheeks mixed with the saltiness of the warmth in my mouth.

I tightly gripped Akiko’s hand, which was resting on my waist, her body pressed against mine.

I whispered in my heart so she wouldn’t hear:

“Thank you. I love you too.”

The End

…

Afterword

Author’s Note: 

Thank you very much for sticking with me until the end.

For now, this story comes to a close.

I plan to brush it up and turn it into a 100,000-word novel.

I’m still undecided whether to publish the complete version on Kakuyomu, submit it to a contest, or release it as an eBook, but for now, I intend to keep this version publicly available.

This story was started after being encouraged by the words of my senior, Kanae Kinoshita: “The first draft is just a doodle.” Thanks to those words, I was able to finish writing it while enjoying the process.

Did you enjoy it?

I certainly did! ^^

Originally, this work, “You, with the Spring Breeze…”, was a short romance story of about 5,000 words with a bad ending.

The characters didn’t even have names, and it was structured around “I”, “She”, “My Ex-Girlfriend”, and “My Friend Who Calls Me His Best Friend”.

The story depicted a man who, after living with his ex-girlfriend for three years, is jaded from being cheated on, meets a former sex worker at a mixer, spends one night with her, and is later troubled by her words: “I wanted love, not just sex.” It was a piece that might have sparked some controversy.

On a whim, I decided to remake and expand it, and eventually managed to turn it into a novella.

There were painful and hard-to-hear comments, and there were times when I felt like giving up, but I believe everything became fuel for growth.

Now that I’ve written this much, I’m just a little bit away from 100,000 words.

I want to further enhance it as a full-length novel and refine it into a work that I can proudly release to the world.

Thank you again for your continued support.

If you enjoyed this story, please consider following me as an author.

Kaguraya Natsuki

Translator’s Note:

Thank you for reading “You, with the Spring Breeze…”. It was a pleasure to bring this beautiful story to you, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. A special thanks to the author, Kaguraya Natsuki, for their incredible work. 

If you liked the novel or are interested in supporting more exciting translations, you can show your support by purchasing chapters or by buying me Ko-fi. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Thank you once again!

With Love, Senna!