Hmm…
Should I forfeit?
I thought briefly as I picked up the note.
Well, I figured it might be better not to choose that option at all, since whatever I write will eventually be seen by others. Especially the ones who put this note in the box; they’ll know which choices didn’t come in.
But…
Um.
Honestly, I don’t even know who has such bad taste to write this.
If only it was something clear-cut like ‘the closest boy in class’ or ‘my first friend,’ it would be easier. Then I wouldn’t need to think of excuses.
I looked up when I heard someone call my name.
The people I saw were my friends and family. And naturally, they were all included in the note I was holding.
Yeah, I get it.
Things you could quickly grab or people who would be too easy to choose wouldn’t be fun for an event like this.
“…The most precious person.”
I murmured as I read the note.
Still, isn’t this a bit much?
If my mom and dad are there, I’d have to worry about who to take, and if I had a girlfriend, I’d have to decide between a close friend and my girlfriend.
Sure, there’s a way not to choose anyone, but that would lead to everyone being disappointed. I want to avoid that.
But picking a ton of people to cross the finish line together is… Hmm.
Sasaki wouldn’t think like that either.
Already, the other kids were running off in different directions. Each had different notes, so they’d all manage to pick someone without a hitch.
Some took family members who looked like them, others picked friends, while others grabbed siblings.
Time’s running out. I don’t particularly feel the urge to win, but losing feels a bit off. Kagami wasn’t cheering for me to win.
…Alright.
I decided quickly.
No matter who I pick, someone will be let down, so I’ll choose based on who would be hurt the most if I didn’t pick them.
Steeling myself, I hurried toward my friends and family.
And then I grabbed Kagami’s hand.
“Koto Ne?”
Kagami made a sound that was almost like a call for me.
“Quickly.”
Wobbling slightly while wearing a headband, Kagami followed and ran after me.
I heard cheers rising towards us.
“Uh? Uh?”
Not expecting to be chosen, Kagami continued to make confused sounds until—
We crossed the finish line together in third place.
It seems I couldn’t outpace those who took off first in a straight run. Well, at least I didn’t finish last, so that’s lucky.
“Koto Ne?”
Kagami called my name again.
This time, her voice was filled with curiosity.
She asked what was written on that note that made me pull her along.
I hesitated for a moment, then simply handed over the note.
With a puzzled expression, Kagami took the note, stared at it blankly for a moment, then her face turned beet red.
Um.
She had never looked like that in front of Harumi’s dad.
Ah, but that was right; it didn’t seem she held any romantic feelings. Actually, it seemed Harumi’s dad still had feelings for her; he was watching us from a distance.
“Ah, haha.”
Kagami awkwardly smiled and, seeming a bit shy, said, “Haha, our daughter sure is something, huh?” as she patted my back.
And then suddenly, she pulled me in for a hug.
“…”
Feeling embarrassed as I held her tightly, I made a small grumbling sound.
“…I thought Mom would want to run too.”
Yeah. That was part of it.
The biggest reason might be that Kagami is the only one who might sulk for not being chosen. The other kids might act upset but would just brush it off, but Kagami might truly get hurt. There’s already a history there.
And Kagami… maybe today would be the last proper sports day for her to enjoy.
Even if she can’t participate as a student, running together as a mom wouldn’t be bad. After all, the other kids had been running all day.
“…Okay.”
Kagami’s voice had calmed down a bit.
Silently, without saying a word, Kagami pulled me in tighter.
And gently stroking my back, she said, “Thank you, really.”
“…”
Strangely, I felt even more shy from her casual tone, and I couldn’t say anything further.
For reference, the prize was chocolate wrapped in a bronze medal.
Hmmm~
“Why?”
Yuka made a snorting sound while looking at me, and I reacted a bit sensitively.
Maybe finding my reaction amusing, Yuka shook her head and said, “Nah, just thought you made a good choice.”
“…”
I narrowed my eyes and looked at Yuka, raising an eyebrow.
“Jealous?”
“That’s not it.”
Yuka answered like that.
Then she briefly focused on Kagami, who was earnestly cheering for Koko.
“I just really think you made a good choice. Now you have someone who truly cares about you.”
Of course, Yuka’s family might still find Kagami a bit questionable. This change was far too bizarre for those who knew the previous Kagami.
But what can we do? Kagami is genuinely like this now.
The weight pressing down on her shoulders, the only family who disregarded her, the god threatening the world, the guilt about her daughter… She hasn’t fully discarded all of that, but Kagami has at least let go of some of it.
Maybe this is Kagami’s ‘true self.’
After all, the essence of a person is a terribly ambiguous term.
That person is bright but is dark now because life is tough, or that person is dark but is forcing a cheerful act—that kind of talk means nothing.
People can change their appearances depending on who they’re with, and their basic nature might change over time as well.
You could say that the current version of Kagami is not her restrained self, but rather a result of time and the connections we’ve formed.
I’ve changed too.
I’ve changed a lot. When I think back to when I first arrived here, the difference is striking.
Still, I’m sometimes curious. What was the original Kurosawa Koto Ne like? How did she live a life without meeting Mako, without getting close to Shii, or without saying a word to Yuka?
And what did Kagami feel while observing that Kurosawa Koto Ne?
In the end, I’m sure she met a miserable end.
Ever since Kagami realized that Koko and I were people, she slowly accepted this fact, and when I died, she nearly broke down.
To the original protagonists, I was just another stranger. Maybe, in fact, Kurosawa Koto Ne wasn’t even mentioned as a ‘character’ in the original story.
She might have just been a backdrop who lived a terrible life away from the public eye, just briefly showing up as that monster at the end.
At any rate, I’ll never find out. Here, this story is simply reality.
But because of that…
“…That’s right.”
I said,
“I’m truly grateful.”
“Uh?”
I’m thankful.
To Koko, who was friendly to me from the start because of the teacher’s words.
To Shii, who quickly dropped her suspicions and treated me kindly.
…And to Yuka, who asked me which way led to our school in front of the school.
All those little encounters have helped me find a happy ending, not just as a background setup.
“I’ll probably be grateful for life.”
“…”
My voice was probably too soft; it likely wouldn’t even reach Kagami, who was happily cheering. Maybe Yuka, who was quietly talking with me, could barely hear it.
To be honest, saying this to anyone other than Yuka felt too embarrassing. It feels far more reasonable to thank my parents for giving me life.
The only reason I can say this to Yuka is that she knows my backstory so well.
Yuka remained silent for a moment.
Very cautiously choosing her words, she was quiet until she finally spoke up after seeing Koko come in first.
“Thank you too.”
Yuka smiled slightly at me as she said, “I still think it’s good that I talked to you that day. In front of the school and even at the store.”
“…”
She remembered.
Yeah, my appearance was probably too eye-catching.
There wasn’t much more to say. In fact, there was no need to continue.
At this point, we already knew enough.
Koto Ne and I stood up as everyone around us did.
And together we cheered, yelling, “Woo———ah!” in a spirited round of applause for Koko.
The ending. One ending.
But life isn’t just made up of that one ending.
So, moving forward, there will be many new episodes unfolding.
Endings become sequels, and sequels present more endings. Not all those endings will be happy, but, well, who cares?
In that case, I’ll just keep walking that path, aiming for a happy ending.
Without giving up.
At least in this life, that was my intention.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.