episode_0024

My daughter, Echika, was running around the garden, tumbling and rolling on the lawn. I chased her and played with her too, but a child’s stamina truly seems to be endless, just as the rumors say. In the end, I was exhausted and couldn’t even respond to my daughter calling me “Dad,” so I sank down next to my wife, Tomoe.

“Dad, you did well.”

“Maybe I’m out of shape, I can’t run anymore. Or maybe it’s my age.”

“What are you talking about? You’re only thirty-three. They say a man shines brightest in his thirties, don’t they?”

I forced a wry smile at my wife’s words. I don’t know if I’m shining brightest, but I’m certainly the happiest I’ve ever been. We’re blessed with a lovely daughter, and Tomoe is pregnant with another child, a boy. I told Tomoe before that it’s “First a princess, then two sons [proverb: wishing for a daughter first, then sons, as daughters are said to be easier to raise and bring good fortune, while sons carry on the family name],” but she told me not to say it like it’s an obligation.

Three years after our wedding, Takeo continued to search for the missing Chihana, and he contacted me to say that he finally found her in a distant part of Kyushu. His voice was as cheerful as it had been when he was a teenager. After searching for so many years and continuously thinking of her, Takeo’s feelings seemed to have changed.

“I can’t believe they ended up living together.”

“Seriously, Chihana-san said she doesn’t want to see us until her heart settles down. We’re adults now, so she shouldn’t have to worry about it.”

Tomoe said she wanted to meet them, but it was declined through Takeo, along with the message that she still needed a little more time.

I spent my days believing I had all the time in the world.

Yet, before I knew it, five more years had passed since Takeo’s call.

My daughter, who is now running towards us, is already five years old. As a senior in kindergarten, she’s grown bigger and is full of energy. After smiling at me, she spoke to Tomoe’s belly, saying, “Come out quickly and play with me!”

This is what happiness must feel like, I thought from the bottom of my heart.

Many things happened, but once they passed, they were all beautified as part of the process.

If even one thing had been missing, this current happiness surely wouldn’t exist.

When I told her that, Tomoe nodded, saying, “Yes, you’re right.”

“Section Chief Hikagami, a call from the guard.”

That call came when I was looking through some documents. Someone wanted to meet me personally. Normally, I wouldn’t allow it during business hours, but considering their appearance, I invoked my section chief authority. I would meet them immediately.

I put away the documents and asked the team leader sitting next to me to handle the remaining work, then headed to the meeting room. My steps naturally quickened, and I almost bumped into another employee at a corner. It wouldn’t make sense for me, who establishes near-miss and safety months, to break discipline, I thought, but my pace only accelerated.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

What met my eyes as I opened the door was a toned physique and sun-tanned skin. From a distance, he could almost be mistaken for some delinquent middle-aged man, but his expression was very smiling. It was the face of a man reminiscing about reuniting with an old friend.

And then, I shifted my gaze to the woman sitting next to him.

In contrast to the man’s smile, she remained looking down, not even glancing my way. But that was fine. For her, simply being here now was the greatest proof of her courage.

Her hairstyle had changed to a short bob, and she was wearing a comfortable tunic style with a long skirt, suitable for early spring. Even so, I recognized her at a glance.

“Takeo, Chihana, it’s been a while.”

As I spoke and took my seat, Chihana looked at me for a moment, then lowered her gaze again. Gently stroking Chihana’s head, Takeo bowed.

“It’s been five years, hasn’t it? For Chihana, it’s been eight years? She seems to have finally settled down… She said she wanted to apologize. But now that you’re right in front of her, it seems a bit difficult. My apologies.”

“It’s fine, I wouldn’t blame her for that. …Chihana.”

She reacted slightly to my voice and looked up. She looked quite drawn, and despite it being spring, her skin was tanned a healthy bronze. Drawn… or rather, more toned, I suppose?

“What are you doing now?”

“…Farming.”

Pleased that she spoke, even softly, I continued to talk to her.

Her way of speaking was incomparably quieter than the Chihana who screamed in the detention center, yet for some reason, I felt this was the true Chihana. The Chihana of that time, who lied and broke herself to create a place to belong, must have been forcing herself.

“Farming, huh? Doesn’t sound like I’d be much help. But it suits Takeo perfectly, doesn’t it?”

“You’re right, my trained body hasn’t gone to waste. Though it’s mostly machines now. Fortunately, I had earnings from my fighter days, so I managed somehow. More importantly, you’ve really been promoted to section chief, Kyotarou.”

“Thanks. Old manga used to say anyone could become a section chief if they worked hard, but I never thought that ‘working hard’ would be this difficult. I had to get qualifications and earn my boss’s trust too, you know. I’m leaving at quitting time today, you have time, right?”

When I said that, Takeo smiled.

He said there was no point in coming if we went home without seeing Tomoe.

Fortunately, it was a no-overtime day, so as soon as quitting time arrived, I shut down my computer and quickly headed to our meeting spot. We met up with the two of them, dressed in the same clothes as earlier, and I drove them towards the house where my beloved wife and daughter were waiting.

On the way, Chihana-san was trembling. She was scared to meet the person she had caused the most trouble. She said the memory of Tomoe glaring at her in the hospital room still haunted her.

“Don’t worry, Tomoe isn’t angry with you anymore, Chihana-san.”

Takeo and I spoke to her gently, but Chihana-san kept a handkerchief to her eyes.

As soon as we arrived home, Tomoe opened the entrance and came to our side in her wheelchair.

“…I’m sorry… Um, all of it…”

Chihana-san apologized to Tomoe in a voice like a bird’s chirp. Tomoe reached out to Chihana-san, gently embraced her as she approached, and simply said, “Welcome home.”

We had a twisted relationship.

To fix it, we had to destroy everything first.

It took a very long time, but we finally became one.

I haven’t even lived half my life. It’s still just beginning.

Everyone has the right to be happy.

Even we, who made so many mistakes, found happiness.

Don’t give up. You can start over as many times as you need to.

“What’s wrong, Kyotarou?”

“Hm? Oh, I was just steeling myself a bit.”

“What’s that…? Hey, Kyotarou, Chihana-san apparently made some vegetables. Shall we make pot-au-feu with them today?”

“Um, those are quite popular locally… I’m sure they’re delicious.”

“Chihana and Takeo made them, didn’t they? Of course they’ll be delicious.”

“Don’t say that, you’re just Kyotarou. Well, it’s got mine and Chihana’s love in it, so.”

“What’s that supposed to mean…? Oh, let me introduce my daughter. It’s not good to stay outside forever, is it?”

That night, laughter never ceased in my home. Chihana-san also spoke to the baby in Tomoe’s belly, and Takeo said, “We too.” It was a fun day.

I will protect this happiness forever.

The biggest cause of our failures was a lack of communication.

Let’s talk it out. If we don’t put it into words, it won’t get through, and nothing will begin.

I called my daughter, Echika, and hugged her without saying anything.

If conversation is impossible, then expressing it physically is fine too.

Because surely, infinite possibilities lie within that.

End

First and foremost, thank you very much for reading my humble work, “That’s Why We Quit Being Childhood Friends,” to the very end. I am truly delighted that I was able to post it to completion.

Now, I wish I had a personal announcement to make, but… Unfortunately, there seems to be a confidentiality issue, so I must refrain from making any announcements here. What a pity.

Since it would be lonely to say nothing, I would like to offer some thoughts on the story from the author’s perspective, to the extent that it doesn’t bore you.

Regarding Kyotarou-kun, I believe he achieved growth as a man throughout this story. During his student days, he felt a sort of inferiority about himself, having nothing special, yet spending time alongside Tomoe and Takeo, who were like school stars, and feeling somewhat out of place.

That’s why he was so reserved, why he held back knowing his own worth, and Chihana’s lie was likely out of consideration for the happiness of the two childhood friends.

After many twists and turns, he reunited with Tomoe and became engaged, but what made me feel he grew the most was his decision to send wedding invitations to both Takeo and Chihana.

Of course, he understood that his separation from Chihana was not completely over. After all, he had ended things unilaterally, maintaining his prior evasive stance. However, he knew that if things continued as they were, as he himself had said, it would become an even worse barrier and eventually cause them suffering. He probably sent the invitations to Takeo and Chihana with the resolve that he was now the one to protect Tomoe.

As for Tomoe, perhaps she was the biggest victim in this story. She wanted to express her feelings but couldn’t. She was stubborn and hardworking, yet also lonely. Her slight vanity also got in the way, leading to distortion. She only became honest after losing everything.

As Chihana said partway through the story, I think that’s exactly right. Even I thought, “Why didn’t she just confess right away instead of making things complicated?” But she wasn’t clever enough to do that. She probably lacked the courage too.

I felt that her proposal, “Why don’t we get married?”, was probably something that slipped out on impulse. She denied it immediately afterward, and for her, who had always lacked courage, this was an enormous step. Originally, she probably didn’t intend to say words with such deep meaning, but what came out was her true desire.

Fortunately, it was accepted, and she learned that Kyotarou shared the exact same thoughts… From there, I don’t think there’s any need to elaborate further.

As for Takeo, he was a rather peculiar character too. In his student days, he was overconfident, and probably only had agreeable people around him. Even with the cheers from those around him, he never doubted that Tomoe would eventually become his girlfriend.

On the last day of high school, when he had completely lost everything, his suffering began. His feelings for the person he loved never reached her, and he still had only agreeable people around him. He wanted someone he could speak frankly with. He probably couldn’t talk about such things with his dojo master either, so I think he remained lonely throughout college and even as an adult.

However, he never stopped working hard, concentrating on one thing. That was what he learned throughout his life. And then he started to notice one woman. Watashima Chihana. From the moment he noticed Chihana, who was similar to him, Takeo’s heart wavered.

He probably should have pursued her as fiercely as he did in his student days, but having failed once, Takeo’s movements were sluggish, and he gave up just because he couldn’t get in touch… but in the end, he abandoned everything and sought Chihana. That action felt similar to Tomoe’s past behavior, but what did you, the readers, think?

Finally, Chihana. I’ve come to think that she, who has been present from the first chapter, was actually the story’s most significant key person.

A girl who couldn’t even join a circle. Although not explicitly stated, she lived by repeatedly failing. Words can cause misfortune, but without exchanging words, one cannot connect. She was clumsy, bad at conversation. She couldn’t stand silence. She wanted any topic, and such topics born from nothing were usually slander. “Kyotarou-kun was in the way.” Her actions that stemmed from that were, I believe, because of everything that came before.

She repeatedly fled during middle and high school, and despite fleeing to a distant place, she reunited with her former classmate Kyotarou, and out of joy from being spoken to, she casually started a relationship. From another perspective, she’s easily won over, but considering her life, the reasons for her becoming that way are clearly evident. She loves being spoken to, and she loves being relied upon. She must have been very happy.

And then the separation, as hinted in the subtitle. The separation from Kyotarou, the person with whom her heart had finally connected, was unbearable for Chihana. He was the person whose wish finally came true after eighteen years of living. It would have been fine if it was ordinary, fine if it was normal. Yet, that was destroyed. Chihana’s despair at that time must have been endless.

And that’s what led to that tragedy…

As an aside, the ordinariness and normalcy Chihana desired are surprisingly difficult to achieve.

“Normal” is a high bar. Even I feel like I’m just barely normal after living life with all my might.

Now, to change the subject, this is a “what if” scenario.

If there’s an opportunity for a book publication or something similar, there are definitely scenes I would add.

That is, the scene where Tomoe rushes out of her house towards Kyotarou. At that time, Tomoe delayed her departure to Kyotarou by one day. Only Takeo knew about it, but what was Tomoe doing that day? I absolutely assert that I would write that part. Why she was a day late, why she was wearing summer clothes.

Beyond that, I could add as much as I wanted.

Scenes of Tomoe and Takeo’s school trip during high school.

Scenes of a sweet life with Chihana during college.

Dating scenes of Tomoe and Kyotarou after they started working.

Also, scenes like Takagi-san and Tomoe’s first meeting.

Personally, I love board games, so I actually wanted to write scenes where they play them… but I suppose that would be if my wish comes true. Like Tomoe and Chihana playing Carcassonne; I want to write such romantic comedies, but perhaps they aren’t what readers want from me.

Web novels rely on rhythm. For this work, I cut out all content that might lead to a slump. That’s probably why it received such high praise. Hmm.

Now, for announcements regarding my next work.

Unfortunately, I’ve been solely focused on Kyotarou-kun for the past two weeks, so I haven’t written anything ahead. I have several new project ideas in mind, so I believe I’ll be able to present something new again in the not-too-distant future. At that time, I would be grateful for your continued support.

Well then, let’s close the curtain for now.

Once again, thank you very much for reading this humble work, “That’s Why We Quit Being Childhood Friends.” I look forward to meeting you all again next time, and with that, I bid you farewell.

Thank you truly.

July 18, 2021 Shoho Sou

Update: December 1, 2023

I noticed that the PVs for “Childhood Friends” have exploded recently due to its comic adaptation.

Thank you very much.

Thinking it would be the best presentation for the readers right now, I’d like to take this opportunity to promote my new work.

New Work: *I Am Chained to a Delinquent Girl.* https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330666469627556

Hinokami Nonon, a girl who was born into a near-death state, delivered in a toilet, and lost the “parent lottery.” Unable to help herself as a child, she falls into delinquency. Using only her feminine wiles, she wanders the night streets alone, yet is corrupted and violated by adults. Her life was far from what one would call a “normal life,” but then a single spider’s thread descended from heaven. The Youth Protection Project is a national initiative to protect delinquent girls, exemplified by the Tōyoko Kids, and return them to a “normal life” by having them live with boys their age. Kurosaki Keima, a boy who was slightly above average in normalcy, was selected as a youth protection officer. A boy who lived a normal life at the same age, and a girl who couldn’t. Will the path they take truly lead to a “normal life”? I sincerely hope to provide readers with a heartwarming story.

This concludes my promotion. Thank you very much for your time.