Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093093152263860/episodes/16818622170980762551
Saying that, I held out my hand to Asahina.
“Let’s go home, Asahina, to our usual room.”
“Okay…”
Asahina nodded slightly and took my hand. Her fingertips were a little cold, but my heart felt warm.
I took Asahina’s hand and slowly walked out of the station.
The air outside was cooler than I had expected, and the heat inside the station seemed like a lie. The shadows of nearby buildings stretched out long, and somehow my sense of time became vague.
Unconsciously, I tightened my grip on her hand a little, and Asahina gently squeezed back. In that brief moment of response, I felt that we understood each other beyond words.
“…Are you really okay with this?”
“What?”
“About the entertainment industry.”
After a brief silence, Asahina’s clear voice came back immediately.
“I never intended to go back in the first place.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I was planning to tell my mom about it beforehand, but then all this commotion happened…”
“I see…”
“I’m just not good at being in the spotlight…”
“Who are you to say that?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. This must be the real Asahina.
She had been pushing herself to meet everyone’s expectations, running blindly without pause… As a result, she found herself in an unimaginable place—if that was what her mother meant by “talent,” then she was undoubtedly a genius.
“Ryo-kun, carry me… I can’t put any weight on my legs…”
“No, my knees…”
“…Oh, I’m sorry.”
Damn it! I said something unnecessary and made Asahina feel bad.
“Okay.”
I bent down and showed Asahina my back.
“But Ryo-kun, your injury…”
“It’s not so bad that I can’t carry the girl I like.”
I was anxious, but I wanted to look cool. Asahina cautiously leaned her body against me.
“Don’t push yourself too hard.”
“No problem, no problem.”
Asahina’s body was lighter than I expected.
Alright. If it’s like this, even if my knees hurt a little, I can stand up like this…
(Huh?)
The pain… was gone. It was strange that I didn’t feel anything after running so much.
“…I can’t worry about old injuries anymore.”
“Ryo-kun?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
I slowly started walking with Asahina on my back.
“I’m sorry. I might have said something pretty rude to Asahina’s mom.”
“It’s okay… My mom is always like that.”
The voice from behind me sounded somehow reassuring.
“I was happy that you got really angry, Ryo-kun. It was a little scary, though.”
“I’m sorry about that.”
“So you can get angry like that too, Ryo-kun.”
“I’m surprised myself.”
The weight on my back increased just a little.
“Today, Ryo-kun looked like a hero to me…”
“That’s an exaggeration.”
“I once played the role of a captive princess, but I thought that’s how it must feel to be the real thing…”
“What a carefree thing to say when I’m struggling so hard!”
“Because I was so happy I could die!”
“Don’t just die on your own.”
“Ryo-kun, said you would die too!”
The usual conversation slowly healed the frayed heart. From now on, I’ll just say what I want to say when I feel like it, without worrying about timing. I made a mistake this time.
“…I have something I want to tell Asahina.”
“Hey, can I stop by the convenience store over there?”
“At this timing?!?”
“There’s someone who wants something.”
Saying that, Asahina got off my back and went to the convenience store.
It’s typical of Asahina, or something…
Please, just let me say it normally… Well, I guess it’s inevitable since I fell in love with Asahina like this.
With an unresolved feeling, I waited outside, and soon Asahina returned from the convenience store, taking out a piece of colored paper and a marker pen from the plastic bag.
“Ah, it doesn’t have to be now.”
“I want to write it now.”
“Is that so?”
Asahina skillfully drew with the marker on the colored paper. Once she finished, she handed it to me with both hands.
“This is the final autograph of the celebrity ‘Asahina Toka.’ Will you accept it?”
“…Thank you. Hearing you say that makes me feel a little sad.”
“It’s a signature just for you, Ryo-kun.”
Retiring from the entertainment industry—it was Asahina’s decision, so I want to respect it, and to be honest, I’m quite relieved. But at the same time, I feel a sense of sadness that I won’t be able to see her in that glittering world anymore. This is just my selfishness, I suppose. That’s how much I loved both sides of Asahina.
I looked down at the autograph with a heavy heart. On the paper was Asahina’s autograph, written in beautiful handwriting that was unimaginable in her everyday life.
And then…
“Asahina, this…”
“Well, it’s my feelings…”
Asahina averted her gaze and tucked her hair behind her ear, as if to hide her embarrassment. Above Asahina’s signature, in cute handwriting, was written:
[I like you. I want to be by your side forever.]
The moment I saw those words, my feelings overflowed, and before I knew it, I was hugging her.
“I like you too, Asahina…! I like everything about you, past and present, Asahina Toka.”
“Are you sure I’m okay?”
“You’re not just okay. I can’t live without you.”
“Yeah… yeah…”
Asahina’s arms wrapped around my shoulders.
“I love you too, Ryo-kun… I’ll never let you go.”
We held each other tightly, our voices choked with emotion.
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