episode_0019

Furuya Takeo

“A letter? Who on earth… Kyotarou?”

The envelope, which reached me when I was fed up with so many things, had a nostalgic name written on the front. The moment I opened the envelope and unfolded the reply postcard, the corners of my mouth involuntarily lifted.

“…Haha, seriously, those two. Seriously… I see, I see…”

My desolate feelings transformed into something gentle all at once.

A wedding invitation. The name written alongside Kyotarou’s was Yako Tomoe.

They said they really wanted to contact me, but knowing that Takeo-kun was also busy, they sent the envelope to my office. There was no need to worry about that. For you two, anything is always okay.

But, those two getting married… What was that “goodbye” while crying all about?

…But, the fact that this arrived means they’re okay with me, right?

“Oh, it’s rare for Take-chan to be crying, isn’t it?”

“Boss… Even I get moved sometimes, you know?”

I ended up boasting grandly to everyone at the dojo. Saying I was invited to my best friends’ wedding. I headlocked a buddy who said a wedding was just an expense, and then threw him.

“Do you guys even understand the value of this invitation?! This, you see, is an invitation I wanted so badly, wished for endlessly, and finally received! An expense?! Hell yeah, I’ll spend as much as it takes! Tens of millions wouldn’t even be enough!”

I heard later that I was apparently crying and laughing at the same time then. They said it was super scary. But it couldn’t be helped, could it? After all, I was finally able to reconcile with my childhood friends, who I’d spent twenty years with.

And the paparazzi and weekly magazines trying to force a connection between Tomoe and me will surely foam at the mouth and have to replace their articles. Serves them right; I was able to overturn all my recent frustrations.

However, there was only one thing that bothered me.

Watashima Chihana. After we parted ways at the hospital, she contacted me only once.

I remember the content being something like Kyotarou had forced a breakup and she was troubled. She relied on me, someone she barely knew, regarding her relationship with Kyotarou. Although I perceived her as desperate, I replied then that there was nothing I could do. And then I blocked her calls. Six years have passed since then, so I want to believe Chihana has changed.

After that, I released a statement to the press, saying there was no relationship between Tomoe and me. What flowed in addition to that was an engagement announcement via FAX from Yako Music Agency.

“I, Yako Tomoe, have this time with a civilian—”

Apparently, it was a huge uproar, like a stirred-up beehive. Later, I was told by photographers and reporters that if I knew, I should have said something. But of course, I wouldn’t say anything like that. I would never betray my best friend.

It’s a bond I finally obtained; I don’t want to lose it now.

Information was also on TV, the internet, and summary sites, but the speed at which modern people change their minds is abnormal. In just three days, they’ll focus on news about some idiot doing something somewhere. They used to say rumors lasted seventy-five days, but now it’s three.

And a month after the statement was released.

“Congratulations, Kyotarou.”

“Thank you, Takeo… I’m sorry, I really should have met you and explained, shouldn’t I?”

I chatted with Kyotarou, dressed in a pure white tuxedo, in the hotel corridor.

It was the wedding of the genius pianist in a wheelchair, Yako Tomoe, so it probably should have been held on a much grander scale. But Tomoe apparently said she wanted to do it with only acquaintances, so the venue itself was a common one… though it could accommodate hundreds of people, it was a wedding at the hotel chapel.

“It’s fine. More importantly, I’ll have you tell me all sorts of stories, alright? About what happened after that hospital visit, and how you and Tomoe finally got married. Oh, and I’ll apologize to your wife in advance; today won’t end with just the after-party and the second after-party.”

“Wife… Somehow, that makes me blush.”

“Idiot, why are *you* blushing? Tomoe still needs time, right? Still, is the groom busy?”

“Yeah, I need to have a meeting with the emcee… It’s quite tight.”

“…But you look happy.”

“I am happy, yes, the happiest I’ve ever been. But there’s just one thing that worries me. I can’t get in touch with Chihana… I wanted to talk to her properly before the wedding, but I don’t have her address. I haven’t been able to send an invitation either.”

Kyotarou was worried about Chihana, his brows furrowed slightly in a troubled expression.

“It’ll be fine, I’ll get in touch with her for you.” When I said that, Kyotarou said thank you.

He started looking much better. When he was a high school student, he always seemed a step reserved.

Kyotarou’s charm is probably something I could never possess.

Because he is weak, he can always be considerate of others.

For the sake of others’ happiness, he can abandon himself.

It was because he was such a Kyotarou that Tomoe fell for him and persevered in her feelings.

There was probably never any room for me in the first place.

Some time after parting ways with Kyotarou, the venue filled with guests.

Somehow, celebrities gathered, and crowds formed everywhere.

Of course, I was one of those celebrities. And perhaps because I was rumored to be Tomoe’s lover, I felt like I received more questions than others. I shrugged off each one with a smile, asking, “You were fooled, weren’t you?”

While all this was happening, the wedding began. Tomoe, in her wheelchair, slowly made her way down the aisle, pushed by her father, towards the groom, Kyotarou.

Tomoe in pure white was more beautiful and lovely than any Tomoe I had ever known.

Tears overflowed from both my eyes, and I couldn’t properly see.

The vow kiss, then the couple’s cake cutting, and letters to their parents.

I also gave a speech as the representative of their best friends. I cried more than their parents, I couldn’t tell what was what.

But seeing me like that, both Kyotarou and Tomoe laughed a lot.

It was so enjoyable, the best time of all.

…Until that woman appeared.

No one noticed the woman entering.

I was the first to notice the woman approaching Kyotarou and Tomoe in silence.

“Chihana… That woman!”

Chihana was clad in a black dress like mourning attire. As everyone who noticed the anomaly began to stir, she revealed the blade she had hidden in her bag. And then she screamed, loud enough for everyone to hear, loud enough for Kyotarou to hear.

“I will never forgive you for abandoning me!”

The murderous blade attacked the two; the world froze for an instant, then transformed into screams the next.

Fresh blood danced in the air, staining the carpet crimson.

The happy space abruptly transformed into a hellish scene of screams and shouts.

“…Wh-why, why are *you*…”

Seeing the thing stuck in my chest, Chihana’s face turned pale.

Because I’m their Brother, I have to protect them both.

Next: Those Who Sink into the Sea of Regret, and Those Who Pull Them Out.