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After that, we ate breakfast, finished getting ready, and headed to the station.
We bought two reserved seats on the Shinkansen.
“I’m glad we were able to buy tickets without any trouble.”
“It’s still a little early to go home. In a little while, it will be so crowded that you won’t even be able to find a seat in the non-reserved section.”
The station just after Christmas didn’t yet have the atmosphere of the end of the year.
Part of the reason I wanted to relax at my parents’ house was because I simply didn’t want to get tired from traveling by train, so I decided to go home early.
Right now, I can still go home with plenty of time to spare.
“Two and a half hours by Shinkansen…I see, this will be a time to calm my mind…”
Towa san still looked tense, her face pale. She looked like a prisoner waiting for execution.
Incidentally, Towa san was not wearing her usual maid outfit. She insisted that her maid uniform was her formal attire, but she seemed so flustered that I managed to convince her to wear a more appropriate, subdued winter outfit.
“Towa san?”
Her palm grew warm as she gripped mine tightly.
“Please hold my hand the whole time.”
“Of course. If it helps ease your anxiety even a little, I’ll hold it as long as you need.”
Holding hands like lovers, we boarded the Shinkansen.
And as planned, two and a half hours later—.
“Wow, it’s cold.”
The moment they stepped off the bullet train, the cold air, completely different from that of the city, hit their skin.
“It’s snowing.”
Towa san pointed outside the station.
“Really? It doesn’t usually snow much here. It usually starts accumulating after New Year’s.”
“It was a white Christmas, wasn’t it?”
“That might be a bit enviable.”
We casually chatted as we exited the ticket gate.
“What should we do?”
It wasn’t that far to walk home, but with this snowy landscape, taking a taxi was also an option.
“I want to walk. I like snow.”
“Okay, let’s go then.”
“Yes.”
We had come prepared with proper cold weather gear, anticipating the cold weather during our stay.
“Wow.”
As she left footprints in the freshly fallen snow, Towa san smiled happily.
“The crunching sound is fun, isn’t it?”
“Ahaha, yeah.”
For me, snow was something familiar, but as I grew up, it became nothing more than a nuisance.
However, my girlfriend’s excitement over the snow was still adorable. I love snow.
“Did you think I was being childish just now?”
“No, I just thought you were cute.”
“People who grew up in snowy regions probably don’t understand this feeling. The gratitude for this silver world.”
Saying that, Towa san looked sulky, but the next moment, she pressed her body close to mine.
“…We should get closer.”
The sweet scent of my lover wafted through the air.
Even through our thick coats, I could feel the warmth of each other’s bodies. It was so hot it felt like it might burn.
“Isn’t it hard to walk? You’ll fall.”
“I’ll show you the beauty of walking together on the snowy path, warming each other’s bodies.”
“Well…….”
For the first time in a long while, memories of the past flashed through my mind.
Right, this is my hometown.
This is where all my past began, before I met Towa san, and where it all sleeps.
Of course, my relationship with the woman I parted ways with also began here.
Now, and from here on out, Towa san is here.
“…Please teach me.”
“Alright, I’ll show you. But if you start to fall, help me right away, okay?”
“If that happens, I’ll probably fall with you.”
On the snowy path, it’s hard to keep your footing. If Towa san, who is close to me, falls, I’ll just follow her.
“…That might not be so bad either.”
If that time comes, I’ll at least try to be the one she falls on top of.
We walked slowly for about 20 minutes, staying close to avoid slipping on the snowy path, and arrived at her parents’ house.
“This is Itsuki san’s…?”
“Yes. Sorry it’s so run-down.”
My parents’ house wasn’t particularly large, so it wasn’t a well-built single-family home.
“No, I think it’s a very charming, nice house.”
“It’s all in how you say it.”
“There’s no reason to speak ill of a place you might live in the future.”
Towa san smiled mischievously.
Maybe I can do this after all…
“Shall we go in?”
“Wait a minute!”
“Towa sanm?”
“Hufff.”
Towa san stopped in her tracks, spread her arms wide, and took a deep breath.
“…Are you ready?”
After waiting for a while, I asked her.
“Huff.”
“You went for the second time?”
“Huff.”
The third time. The fourth time. The fifth time.
Towa san’s tension was beyond imagination. It was clear that she had been putting on a brave front until just a moment ago.
“Towa san.”
I took a step closer to her and embraced her slender body.
“It’s okay. I told you, I’m here with you.”
I exchanged a warm embrace, trying to melt her stiffened body.
Towa san’s trembling body gradually calmed down.
“…I’m no good, am I?”
“That’s not true.”
In fact, I’m happy.
I’m happy that she wants to walk into the future with me so much that she loses her composure.
“…Do you remember when we went to the orphanage?”
“Yes.”
“You were so cool back then.”
“No, I was so caught up in the moment…I don’t even remember what I said…”
At that time, I acted on the impulse that I couldn’t just leave Towa san’s past as it was. I didn’t really think about the meaning of having Shizuru san be a witness, and I feel like I just did everything on impulse. It just happened to work out in a good direction.
On the other hand, Towa san is thinking, looking at herself objectively, struggling, suffering, and still trying to muster the courage to take a step forward.
She’s an adult, so she can do that, unlike me.
“I need to be stronger too.”
she said, slowly releasing my embrace.
Then she looked at me and nodded.
“Let’s go.”
Her eyes no longer held a trace of hesitation,
“I came here to be with you.”
Her silver hair shimmered in the falling snow, more beautiful than anything else in this silver world.
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