Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330656338883634/episodes/16817330658684019747
“So this is the university where Itsuki san goes…this campus.”
After playing around for a while, it was getting late in the afternoon, so at Towa san’s suggestion, we came to my campus.
“Last time, you only went as far as the school gate, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
It was right after I met Towa san. She came to pick me up in her maid outfit, and it caused quite a commotion.
“You seem to be quite familiar with the place today.”
“Is that so? Do I look like a college student?”
“Towa san, you look great.”
“Well, that’s good then…..”
Towa san, dressed in her casual clothes, smiled softly and took my hand.
“Even though it’s a weekend, there are quite a lot of students here today, aren’t there?”
“That’s true.”
Students could be seen everywhere.
I don’t know because I rarely come here on weekends, but is it always like this?
As I was thinking about that, a familiar face passed by.
“Hey, Sakamaki.”
“Eh, Kusuhara?”
I waved to him, and Sakamaki noticed me and came over.
“What’s up? This is rare—hey, i-is that, the maid from that time? Shirayuki Towa san !?”
“Yes, I am Shirayuki Towa, Itsuki san’s girlfriend. It has been a while, Sakamaki san.”
“Oh, you remember me…! Thank you ! ! Thank you ! ! Thank you ! !”
As usual, the overly dramatic Sakamaki bowed his head repeatedly.
Then he glared at me resentfully.
“Ugh…what the hell? A date? Don’t come showing off at campus, you happy couple !”
“Sorry, sorry. I didn’t expect you to be here.”
“Say it with more sincerity ! I’ve been single for as long as I know !”
“I’m sorry.”
‘You’re so damn happy ! ! ! !”
I’m really sorry, but I feel so superior.
I tried to change my expression as much as possible and calmed Sakamaki down.
Towa san watched the scene calmly.
“By the way, Sakamaki, what are you doing here on weekend?”
“Huh? Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? Preparing for the school festival.”
“School festival?”
Come to think of it, there was something like that in autumn.
I didn’t really participate in club activities, so I only showed up during my first year, but after that, I didn’t really think about it much.
“Sakamaki, are you participating?”
“Yeah. I’m checking out various clubs right now. I’m gonna show them I can be relied on and get my own main heroine. Hehehe.”
“I see. Good luck.”
“You’re not taking it seriously !”
“No, I’m serious. I’m rooting for you. Really.”
I patted his shoulder to show I was serious.
“Is there anything I can help with?”
“No way. Stay away from me. I’ll catch your germs.”
“Why not? It’s good to catch it.”
“Shut up ! Just stay away from me ! You should just focus on your precious girlfriend ! Why don’t you just come to the festival to mock us !? If you come near me, I’ll kill you ! !”
“Oh, okay…”
Sakamaki, who had been shouting, seemed to be quite busy with preparations, and ran off.
“You really have a wonderful friend.”
“Really? He yelled at me a lot.”
” Even though you know it.”
“…Well, yeah.”
Then we slowly toured the campus.
Towa san looked at the campus with interest, but at the same time, she looked a little lonely.
“Let’s take a break.”
The two of us sat side by side on a bench in the park just outside the campus.
The sun was about to set.
It had been a short day.
Towa san seemed to have enjoyed herself, so I guess you could say the first date was a success.
I didn’t want it to end, so I decided to enjoy a little more small talk.
“Towa san, did you go to college?”
“After graduating from middle school, I started working as a maid right away.”
“Middle school !? That’s amazing.”
“It’s nothing special. It was the only thing I could do. That’s all.”
Towa san smiled a little wistfully.
“May I tell you a little about my background?”
“Eh…is it okay if I hear it?”
“I want Itsuki san to know.”
“If that’s how Towa san feels, then please do.”
Towa san’s past.
I had always thought it was taboo to pry into the decades of her life that I didn’t know about.
I had convinced myself that it didn’t matter if I didn’t know her past, as long as there was a present and a future.
But if I had to choose between wanting to know and not wanting to know, of course I wanted to know.
“I want to know more about Towa san.”
“Then I’ll tell you.”
Towa san gazed at the setting sun and began to speak slowly, searching for the right words.
“I am an orphan.”
“….You are?”
“When I was a child, my parents abandoned me. I don’t remember anything about my parents.”
“That’s…”
The words slipped out unconsciously.
Towa san gently held my hand and continued her story.
“I was taken in by an orphanage and raised there. At that time, I was, in a word, ‘nothing.’ Having been abandoned by my parents and never loved, I couldn’t find any meaning in my own life. I had nothing to affirm myself with, only elements to deny.”
From her calm tone of voice, I couldn’t sense any definite emotions.
But even just imagining it made my chest tighten. No, perhaps someone like me, who has a proper family, cannot truly imagine such a thing.
“There were a few other children at the orphanage who were in similar circumstances to me. However, I couldn’t fit in with them and was always alone. I was shy back then. I couldn’t smile properly, and I was clumsy and creepy. On top of that, there was my hair.”
“Eh…?”
Her beautiful silver hair flowed in the wind.
“One of my parents must have had foreign blood. This silver hair wasn’t accepted in the children’s society. Every day, they would pull my hair or throw stones at me for fun.”
“……….”
Her clenched fists trembled.
She was holding back her anger from erupting.
Why?
Towa san’s hair is so beautiful.
I can’t even direct my anger at the children’s actions, which I’m sure were not even malicious.
“The teacher at the orphanage was the only one who was kind to me. That might have been the only thing that supported me emotionally back then.”
Hearing that, her heart relaxed slightly.
The corners of her mouth turned up a little as she spoke of the teacher.
“And then a turning point came. One day, the leader of the children lost her shoes. Was it hidden by someone, the work of an animal, or perhaps her own carelessness as a child? The truth remains unknown. However, for the impoverished orphanage, shoes were a valuable item. If she admitted losing them, it would trouble the teacher. So she kept searching, searching, searching. Seeing her anxious, lonely little back, did I relate it to myself? Before I knew it, I was helping her search. After hours of searching, searching, searching, I finally found the shoes. When I told her, she took my hand and said with a smile, ‘Thank you.’ It was the first kind word I had ever heard from her, who was usually so harsh. At that moment, I felt for the first time in my life that I had been of use to someone. It was the moment I understood the meaning of life.”
Can I call that a good memory? I can’t judge that for myself, but I understood that it was the source of her way of life.
“From then on, I started helping others whenever I could. Working as requested made me feel alive. Naturally, I was bullied less often. But there were still many difficult times, and everyone was still cold toward me, and I cried a lot. But through that, I learned to live by clinging to others, depending on them, as they needed me. So, it was okay.”
Towa san continues.
“However, as time passed, everyone who seemed to have finally warmed up to me was taken in by foster families one after another. Each of them began walking toward their own happiness. But I was left behind, and eventually, there was no one I knew left, and I was alone again. At that time, the teacher introduced me to an elderly maid who was a friend of hers. Unfortunately, she passed away soon after, but in the short time we had together, I learned the skills of being a maid from her. And I decided to leave the orphanage and live as a maid.”
That’s why Towa san became a maid.
For her, who could live for others, the profession of a maid was a perfect fit.
“After various twists and turns, I was fired from the house I had served for a long time, and just when I thought it was over, I met Itsuki san.”
Towa san smiles brightly.
“That’s my background. What do you think?”
“….I was surprised by a lot of things, I guess.”
Compared to her, the fact that someone like me, who could live a normal life, was once rejected by a lover is a trivial matter.
“…Right. I’m sorry for telling you such a dark story. It’s such a nice date.”
“No, no ! ! I was surprised, but at the same time, I was happy !”
I shout from the bottom of my heart.
“I was so happy to learn about Towa san ! And—”
I hugged Towa san. I held her slender body, which seemed to carry such a heavy burden, tightly.
“I realized I really love you. I decided I’ll definitely make you happy.”
“Itsuki san…”
“I’ll definitely make you happy.”
“….Yes. I’ll make you happy too.”
We kept hugging each other until the sun completely set.
“By the way…..”
On the way home, I casually brought up the topic.
“What is it?”
“Have you visited the orphanage since then?”
“No, not once.”
“Why not !?”
“Even if you ask me why…there’s no one left who knows me, and besides, I’m practically a missing person, so I don’t have the face to show up now…”
“What about the orphanage teacher?”
“That person is quite elderly. Even if they’re still alive, I don’t know if they’re still at the orphanage…”
Towa san once said she had no family or friends. She probably truly believes that.
But if there were anyone who fit that description, it would be…
“Let’s go.”
“Eh, Itsuki san…what are you…”
“We’re going to visit Towa san’s family and friends.”
No matter what Towa san says, I’ve decided to do this.
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