Vol 1 Chapter 13 (2/2)

“Rin-chan……! Enough, enough! You’re saying such cute things……!”

Miku-san, who’s spirits were just as high as during the concert, hugged me tighter.

My tear glands getting more and more stimulated by it, my vision goes blurry.

Then, Megurine-san sounded the horn.

There really is no more time left.

“Hey Rin-chan, what I said in the MC, do you remember?”

“……Yes.”

“There are a lot of meetings and farewells in life, you can’t come to a stop though……

But goodbye isn’t the end, it’s the beginning.”

I believe in those words.

It’s not just me.

Miku-san, and Len-kun as well, feel the same way, I’m certain of that now.

“We’ll meet again, right?”

“Of course! …… Take care of Len-kun, okay?”

She whispered that last part so only I would hear.

Without hesitation, I firmly nodded.

Encore

No matter how much time pa.s.ses, I can’t get used to the takeoff.

Uneasiness and expectations mixed with various other things, I think it’s because my heart is busy.

“How was it, your alma mater after such a long time?”

Sitting beside me, Luka said it while giving me a handkerchief.

While accepting that, I realize that I’m crying.

“It might be impudent, saying something like after all this time……”

I hesitated a little before saying the next words.

It’s probably the same as these tears.

I didn’t realize it myself, but I……

It was a vague relations.h.i.+p, ‘I like you’ and ‘let’s go out’ were never once put into words.

Len-kun telling me that it was his ‘first love’, the answer fell down with a thump.

“I, ended up getting my heart broken.”

(……Huh? I feel sort of, relieved…… maybe?)

With nothing to it, after saying it out loud.

If anything, it feels as if something that was sitting heavy in my chest all along had begun to dissolve.

Oh, I see. I’m alright.

Embracing my beloved memories, I can walk towards the precious future.

“…… By the way Luka, you haven’t given up on Len-kun yet?”

I can see the template of a certain business proposal in the file she has at hand.

It was merely internal materials or something of a rough draft, but I saw Kagami Len’s name messily written on it.

(When Luka gets like this, no one can stop her, huh……)

The next time I come back to j.a.pan, we might become senpai and kouhai at the office.

(That might be a bit nice, yeah right.)

“I’ll be back.”

Announcing my farewell to everyone and to my past self, I took off to a new stage.

“I wonder if that’s the plane Miku-san is on.”

In the AV room after school, Len-kun and I are standing side by side and gazing out the window.

The cultural festival ending, we third-years were all caught up in the entrance exam mood.

Even during that, Len-kun worked diligently during club activities, same as always.

However, that’s––– a special time, only allowed now.

“Len-kun, I…… handed in the application.”

After the plane disappeared from view, I turned towards Len-kun.

For the sake of conveying my important decision.

“Next spring, let’s go to Tokyo together.”

“Rin!? That’s––……”

“I’m going to master the way of sweets. And, beside Len-kun, I want to keep listening to Len-kun’s songs the whole time.”

Len-kun’s widened eyes wavered, afterwards he suddenly cast them down.

As my heartbeat was painfully ringing, a smile floated to Len-kun’s lips.

I understand that I, we, overcame it.

“I believed that if it’s Rin, she’ll come.”

“…… Thank you for believing in me.”

In the club room dyed with the sunset, our shadows overlapped.

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