You Were Stolen from Me, so I Will Live for Myself - Chapter 19 Extra

Childhood Friend’s Job

It’s been a while since I got back together with Yuki.

She started coming over to my house more of often and taking care of me…well, actually, I have already fully recovered from the surgery.

“The laundry’s all done. All that’s left is to hang it up.”

“Sorry for troubling you all the time.”

“It’s fine. You should rest for now, Yuto.”

Saying so, Yuki continues to prepare dinner in the kitchen. A small pot is boiling away and the exhaust fan is humming softly. It’s usual to see Yuki doing housework in my place like this in the past.

However, our relationship is no longer the same as before. Are we just trying to forcibly restore something that have once been broken? Or is this the start of something new? I still don’t know the answer.

As I’m thinking about this, something suddenly catches my eye.

Glasses.

I suddenly notice that Yuki is wearing glasses.

“Yuki, you wear glasses from time to time, don’t you?”

When I say so, Yuki stops what she’s doing for a moment.

“…hmm?”

“They suit you.”

“T-Thanks.”

She seems a little surprised. Being complimented isn’t unusual for her. But for some reason, her reaction feels awkward.

…she’s hiding something.

I didn’t spend over twenty years with Yuki for nothing. I know this kind of reaction, this is how Yuki acts when she is trying to hide something.

“You didn’t wear glasses before, did you?”

“Y-Yeah. Well, a lot happened, you know…”

A vague answer.

…yeah, there’s definitely something going on.

I unconsciously frown. For some reason, I have a feeling that I shouldn’t pry any further.

However, something inside me tells me that I should ask.

How much do I really know about her?

—no, how much do I not know about the Yuki now.

We decided to start over. And yet, I don’t even know what she is doing with her life lately.

Am I even fit to be her boyfriend? I’m such a horrible person.

Thinking about that, I suddenly feel anxious.

“Hey, what are you up to lately?”

I ask Yuki so causally. But hearing my words, Yuki freezes.

“Eh?”

She turns to face me, her expression is a mix of surprise and confusion, as if she is wondering why I would even ask something like that.

Is it weird for me to ask something like that?

But still, I really want to know. We’ve been spending more time together. The wounds of the past are slowly healing.

But yet, I know almost nothing about the Yuki now.

What is she thinking about? What kind of life is she living? How does she spend her days? What does she hold dear?

“…did I ask something I shouldn’t have?”

At my question, Yuki lowers her gaze for a moment. After a short pause, she hesitantly murmurs.

“…lawyer.”

“…eh?”

“…a lawyer.”

“A lawyer?”

“…yeah.”

I freeze. The word echoes in my mind over and over again.

A lawyer?

“A-A lawyer!? You’re a lawyer!? You passed the bar exam!?”

“Yeah…well, a lot happened.”

Yuki laughs as if trying to hide something.

“You don’t just become a lawyer because ‘a lot happened’…”

I mutter in disbelief. This is the second most shocking thing I’ve ever found out in my life after Yuki’s affair.

A lawyer? Seriously? Are you kidding?

No matter how I think about it, I’ve never imagined that Yuki would become a lawyer.

“Now that I think about it, you were in the law faculty, weren’t you? But I never heard you talk about this before.”

Looking back, I can’t remember a single time Yuki mentioned about wanting to become a lawyer when we were in college. If anything, she has always been the laid-back type. To be honest, I never thought being a lawyer would suit her.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but…you weren’t exactly a genius, were you?”

I said it bluntly. I can say it without hesitation because we’ve known each other for so long. The old Yuki would’ve puffed out her cheeks and said, ‘That’s so mean!’

However, the Yuki standing before me now—

“Yeah…I decided that after we broke up.”

…after we broke up?

Yuki continues.

“I had never even considered it before.”

She looks into the distance as she says so.

“But I needed to. Because that was the only thing I could do.”

“You ‘needed to’…?”

“Yes.”

An indescribable sense of unease spread through my chest.

Why did Yuki become a lawyer? What does she mean by ‘needed to’?

“…tell me everything.”

I say so gently.

Yuki looks at me, slightly surprised. Then, after a brief pause, she says.

“…it’s a long story, you know?”

She lets out a small laugh. Her smile seems lonely.

“It’s fine. Tell me everything.”

Yuki lets out a sigh quietly.

As if she has been preparing for this moment all along, she slowly lifts her gaze and looks straight at me.

For a brief second, I think I saw a faint shadow deep in her eyes.

—then, the truth is revealed.

She has been fighting all this time, without me knowing.