Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330656338883634/episodes/16817330659049515756
The next day.
After transferring trains several times and walking some distance, I arrived at the orphanage.
“This is where Towa san…”
Where she spent her childhood.
It was a small, dilapidated building that could hardly be called luxurious.
However, inside the building and in the small garden, I could hear the cheerful voices of children.
“Are we really going?”
“You’re not going to turn back now, are you?”
“But…”
Even after coming this far, Towa san still looked reluctant. I took her hand and forced her to move forward.
Then the children playing in the garden came over curiously.
“Who are you guys?”
“Visitors !? That’s rare !”
The curious children spoke one after another.
“Um, is the teacher here?”
“Yes, she’s here !”
“This way, this way !”
“Hurry, hurry !”
Led by the children, we headed toward the entrance of the small orphanage.
“Sensei ! There are visitors !”
As one of them shouted, a figure that appeared to be the teacher slowly emerged from the back.
It was an elderly woman with a hunched back.
“Oh. Oh dear.”
Looking at us, the old woman narrowed her already narrow eyes even further. Her wrinkled voice gradually grew louder.
Towa san, who had been hiding behind my back, peeked out just a little.
The old woman, who had clearly seen her face, smiled deeply.
“Welcome back, Towa chan.”
“Ah, ah…”
At those words, Towa san shed a single tear.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you.”
Shirayuki Shizuru, the teacher at Shirayuki-in, smiled gently and served us tea.
She had an aura that made it clear at a glance that she was a kind person.
However, Towa san was still fidgeting uncomfortably. It was a scene that was unimaginable for the usual Towa san.
“You’ve become a fine maid, haven’t you?”
Shizuru san spoke to Towa san without hesitation.
Incidentally, Towa san was fully dressed as a maid today.
“It’s all thanks to you, Sensei…”
“You’re welcome. But it’s the result of your own efforts. Hold your head up high.”
“Yes…”
Towa san lowered her head, but her body swayed slightly, as if she were happy.
Ah, I kind of understand.
Shizuru san’s smile is full of kindness, like that of a mentor or even a family member. It’s understandable that even Towa san would shrink back when told such a thing by someone like that.
I decided to keep my feelings about how cute Towa san is to myself for now.
“By the way, what about that gentleman?”
“Ah, um…”
Finally turning her attention to me, Towa san blushed and stumbled over her words.
“My name is Kusuhara Itsuki. I’m Towa san’s boyfriend. I love Towa san.”
Instead, I straightened my back, gathered my courage, and replied.
“Hey, Itsuki san. What are you suddenly saying…”
“It’s the truth. I have to say it properly.”
“But…..”
“Did you dislike it?”
“No, I didn’t. Absolutely not. ……But it’s embarrassing…”
Towa san turned bright red up to her ears and shrunk even smaller.
Her appearance was refreshing, and I found myself feeling a little amused. My affection for her grew.
“Fufu.”
Seeing our expressions, Shizuru san smiled.
“You’ve met a good person.”
“Sensei… Yes. Thanks to you.”
“I’m glad.”
Shizuru san said that with a sigh of relief, then reached out her wrinkled hand to Towa san’s head, to her beautiful silver hair.
“Those who strive to uphold what is right will always be met with a happy future. No matter how difficult the process may be, happiness will never elude you. You seemed to belittle your own way of life, but there is nothing wrong with dedicating yourself to others. Even if there are feelings of guilt or regret involved.”
Gently, gently, the old palm stroked Towa san’s hair.
“Towa chan. I am proud of you.”
That was the limit.
Towa san suddenly embraced Shizuru san. And like a child, she cried, releasing everything she had been holding back for years. With swollen eyes, she wept.
It was truly a mother and daughter. That’s what it looked like.
“That’s right, Towa chan.”
After Towa san stopped crying, Shizuru san smiled and stood up.
“Please wait here for a moment.”
Saying that, she disappeared into the back room.
Wondering what was going on, Towa san waited for Shizuru san while making eye contact with her.
A few minutes later, she returned with a leisurely gait, holding something in both hands.
“This is for you.”
It was an aluminum can. It looked like it contained some kind of high-end candy.
“Can I open it?”
“Of course.”
Towa san opened the lid.
“What is this…?”
Inside, there were numerous envelopes packed tightly together.
Towa san tilted her head in confusion.
“They’re letters.”
“Letters…?”
“From your friends.”
“Friends…?”
Towa san took one of the letters with trembling fingers.
“Could this be from Kanata chan?”
That was written in the sender’s name.
“Who is that?”
“She’s the girl whom I helped.”
“Oh…”
She was the leader of the group when Towa san was at the orphanage.
Towa san hesitated for a moment, but then opened the envelope.
“Can I read it too?”
“Yes. Please read it with me. I don’t have the courage to read it alone.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
The contents of the letter were, in a sense, shocking.
First, it was filled with apologies to Towa san.
The rest was filled with words of concern and worry about Towa san’s future.
Where are you now?
The letter earnestly pleaded for another chance to meet.
“This…”
Towa san shook her head in confusion.
In response, Shizuru san spoke.
“The children who have grown up come here because they want to see you.”
“Eh…?”
“And when they find out that you’re nowhere to be found, they write letters. This has been going on repeatedly, and now the box is full.”
“No way…”
Towa san clutched the letters and backed away from the reality she couldn’t accept.
I couldn’t help but support her back.
“Why…? Everyone was always so cold, and they hated me…”
“That’s not true at all.”
“Eh…?”
“The children here are all from families in similar circumstances. It’s true that the young boys may have been mean to you because you were so cute. The girls may have envied your beautiful hair. But even so, everyone cared about you.”
“That can’t be…..”
“Well, if I had to say one thing, it’s that those children wanted to object to your way of life. They couldn’t forgive you for trying to do more than necessary for your family, even though you were family. Towa chan, you’re allowed to live for yourself. You’re allowed to be happy. I think that’s what they really wanted to say.”
“No, no one ever said that…”
“So, they say, ‘I’m sorry.’ As adults, they realize their mistakes. People aren’t always honest or right. They make mistakes and keep moving forward. I’m not saying don’t blame them. But I want you to understand.”
“Ugh, ugh…I don’t get it. I don’t get it. If you don’t tell me, I…!”
Towa san clutched the letter to her chest and cried uncontrollably.
“You’ve already found your own happiness, haven’t you?”
“Yes…yes.”
I couldn’t say anything, so I just stroked her small back. That back, burdened with so many thoughts.
“This is from Kageki kun. This is from Ayaka chan. Rumi chan. I remember everyone. Everyone wrote me a letter…”
Towa san stopped crying and slowly read the letters.
“That’s good.”
“…Yes. Thank you, Itsuki san.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“That’s not true. If Itsuki san hadn’t dragged me here, I would never have come here in my lifetime.”
Saying that, Towa san smiled through her tears.
Just seeing that face made me realize that my impulsive action was not a mistake.
“Onee chan ! Come over here ! Let’s play together !”
“Eh? M-me?”
“Yeah ! I want to play with you !”
The children call out from the garden.
“But…”
“It’s fine. They’re asking for you. Go on.”
“Y-yes…”
Towa san looks confused, but she shakes her silver hair and runs toward the children in her maid outfit.
“Hey, why is your hair color different from everyone else’s?”
A young girl asks with an innocent smile.
Towa san bends her knees with a calm smile and meets the girl’s gaze.
“That’s because I’m a maid. Maid and silver hair have been a set since ancient times.”
“Oh, really? Your hair is so beautiful ! Your clothes are cute too !”
“Fufu, thank you.”
For a moment, I felt a chill, but Towa san is an adult. There’s no need for me to intervene.
Without me doing anything, she overcomes her past. That strength is what she has now.
“Are you worried?”
Shizuru san asks from beside me.
“No, not at all.”
I answered confidently.
Then, as I joined in the fun and spent time with them, dusk approached in the blink of an eye.
It was time to go home.
Finally, I turned to Shizuru san.
“Um…”
“What is it?”
“We’re getting married soon.”
“Is that so? That’s wonderful.”
Shizuru san smiled gently as usual.
Seeing that, I made up my mind.
“Would you be our witness?”
“Eh?”
Towa san was the first to speak.
“Towa san, do you have the marriage registration form?”
“Oh, yes. I have it. I always keep it with me…”
I thought she would.
I took it and handed it to Shizuru san.
“As Towa san’s only mother, would you be our witness?”
Looking at the paper, Shizuru san’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment. But she quickly narrowed them and smiled.
“Yes. I’d be happy to.”
Shizuru san said that and immediately put pen to paper.
And so, one of the witness columns was filled in, perfectly.
“Ah, there’s no day happier than this.”
Shizuru san murmurs as she gazes at the sunset.
“But now, I have one more thing left to do in this world.”
“One more thing?”
“Yes.”
Shizuru san looks at me and Towa san with eyes full of compassion.
“I must live until the wedding.”
At that moment, I didn’t miss the way Towa san’s eyes flashed.
–
–
If you enjoy our content, feel free to donate, Thank you in advance !