NOVEL NEXT Chapter 26
I arrived at Kyoto Station at 5:20 PM.
Our meeting place was near the station’s clock tower, easily reachable from the platform. After getting off the train, I ran towards the tower.
Was Adachi-san already there? As the clock tower came into view, so did she, standing uncertainly, clutching her bag.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Adachi-san.”
She awkwardly smiled as she saw me.
“Endo… You came… I wasn’t waiting long.”
We stood next to each other, unsure of what to say.
With only 30 minutes left before curfew, I knew silence wasn’t an option. I hadn’t even paid Ninomiya-san her consulting fee.
Adachi-san broke the silence first.
“Shall we sit? We can take a taxi back.”
“Okay.”
We walked to a nearby taxi stand and sat down.
“Thanks for coming,” she said.
“It’s fine, I promised, didn’t I?” Though it wasn’t exactly a promise.
“Yeah. Were you with Ninomiya today?” She seemed to know.
“Yes, I let her know I’d be meeting you.”
“Okay.”
Our conversation was awkward.
“Endo…”
“Yeah?”
She hesitated, playing with her bag’s handle before speaking.
“I’m really sorry about everything. I apologize.”
“Ah, no! It’s okay. You’ve apologized enough.”
What I wanted to ask wasn’t about the apologies.
“Did you pity me for the false confession?”
“Eh?”
I asked, and she looked shocked.
“I’ve been thinking since the day of Kondo-kun’s match. You might have been considerate because you knew it was a fake confession. Maybe you even went to his match to subtly show you weren’t interested in me.”
“That’s not it! I…”
I cut her off, wanting to share my thoughts first.
“But then, Kondo-kun told me you rejected him. It confused me. I thought you were suffering because of me… I didn’t understand.”
I began to cry as I spoke.
“I was really happy… on our date too… I felt happy being with you. That’s why I wanted to know.”
I wondered if I got my feelings across, crying and muffled.
“I was so stupid,” she said with a forced smile, her eyes shaking.
“Yeah?”
“I’ve always liked you, Endo. But I was selfish. On our date, I planned to see Kondo’s match, thinking it’d be fine even if you found out. But when I talked to Shiori, I got mad and couldn’t deny it. I didn’t think about you at all. So, I got my punishment…”
She said the words “I couldn’t deny it” were true.
“I’m such a fool. I always hurt you, yet I couldn’t forget you. I wanted to apologize for so long, not just to clear a misunderstanding… to you and your sister.”
“Okay.”
“I’m sorry I’m late. Sorry for lying. I couldn’t say it, I’m really sorry…”
Before she could finish, I hugged her.
“Eh…?”
“It’s okay. You’ve been suffering too, right? Just like me. Thank you for telling me.”
I thanked her for liking someone like me.
She hugged me back, her arms around my back.
“We should get back,” I noted. It was 5:52 PM.
“Yeah, sorry.”
Seeing her apologetic habit, I couldn’t help but smile.
“Why are you laughing?”
She seemed embarrassed but didn’t hide it.
“Nothing.”
As we stood up, she grabbed my arm.
“Endo… I still love you. Even when we were apart, I loved you. I did something irreversible, but I couldn’t let go of these feelings.”
“Okay.”
“Please… give me one more chance. Will you go out with me again?” she asked, tears streaming down her face.
I hesitated.
“Sorry…”
“Right. I understand. Sorry for saying something weird again.”
She seemed resigned, but I hadn’t finished.
“No, not like that!”
“Eh?”
“It’s not that I dislike you…! But I’m scared of dating again. Yet, I don’t want to be away from you… So…”
My feelings were jumbled, but I had to express them.
“Take it slow, okay?”
Relief washed over me as she said that.
“So… will you start over with me as friends?”
“Delighted to.”
We smiled through our tears.
And so, a new chapter began for us.