THIS IS A FAN TRANSLATION, THOUGH THE WEBSITE NAME…HAS MTL IN IT…
Epilogue: [Side Touko]
“Was the Christmas party fun, Touko?”
So asked my father as I rode inside the car on our way back from the Hotel Bay Tokyo International.
“Eh? What made you think that, papa?”
“I can tell just by looking at you. I mean, for you to be smiling so happily by yourself is something which we seldom see, Touko.”
Was I so upbeat when I came out? It made me feel somewhat embarrassed.
“Yes. Many things happened, but in the end, there was something very gladdening…”
Remembering the look of Isshiki-kun from back when we were in the hotel room, there was once again a soft giggle in my speech.
“I’m glad for you. These last few months, it had seemed as if you were constantly thinking about something, Touko. But now, it feels as if you finally managed to move past it.”
“Is that so…?”
I looked straight ahead.
I watched as each of the orange streetlights of the Bayshore Route passed from being in front of us to being behind us.
That sight reminded me of the revolving lanterns.
All of the events which had transpired during these last 2 months came back to life in the back of my mind.
The moment when I saw Isshiki-kun’s very first call on my phone.
The moment when I knew beyond any doubt that Tetsuya was cheating on me.
The moment when the two of us swore to get our revenge on our lovers who cheated on us.
The days that we spent together the two of us after that as we cooperated.
The date that I had with him when we went to Minamibousou.
And lastly, all of tonight.
He had told me that I was the reason why he had been able to come this far.
However, the same could be said for me.
It was precisely because I had Isshiki-kun with me that I had been able to face the reality of who Tetsuya was and why I had been able to accept my own feelings.
If he hadn’t been there with me… I might’ve forced myself to swallow my emotions and pretend that everything was fine as I continued my relationship with him.
Even if I knew that I would end up regretting it in the future.
I looked at the smartphone which I held in my hand.
I opened the folder which had the photographs of when we went to Minamibousou.
… Touko-senpai, the way that you act like the natural you makes you the cutest girl. And the way you express your unadulterated emotions as they come to you is incredibly charming, Touko-senpai…
You have no idea just how happy those words made me. Just how much strength they gave me.
Seeing these photographs made my memories from that time come back to life and filled me with a warm feeling.
…
Isshiki-kun, thank you. And also, I’m sorry.
I could clearly tell inside of my heart just how much of an important person you’ve been becoming to me.
You have something in you that other men don’t have, and you gave me something that all other men would never give me.
I believe that at some point unbeknownst to me, I ended up attracted to you too.
However, I felt that if I gave my everything to you tonight, it would have meant lying to everything that I have done until now and betraying the me with whom you had fallen in love.
I don’t want this as the reason behind our first night together.
If someday we are able to face each other naturally, then at that time…
…
“… You may be right.”
I whispered as I stared at the passing streetlamps in a daydream.
That’s right. And now, starting from this moment on, we will be writing a new page in the story of us.
