— — — — — —
The alarm went off early. After getting up, Oikawa sat on the edge of the bed with his head lowered for quite a while before he finally woke up properly.
Wash up. Get dressed.
After sending Utaha a simple message—"I'm heading out."—he picked up his suitcase and left his room.
"I'm off," he shouted as he left the house, and as always, only silence answered him.
...
..
The sky was gloomy today, looking as if rain might start falling at any moment.
Luckily, Chiba wasn't far from Tokyo.
The previous times Oikawa had gone, he'd taken the Shinkansen, but honestly, the local trains weren't much slower.
He boarded the Sobu Rapid Line before. And it only took about thirty minutes to get straight into Tokyo. The Keiyo Line was about the same.
Rushing the entire way, Oikawa finally made it onto the train just as it was about to leave the platform.
The morning carriage was completely empty.
Taking out his phone, he opened LINE.
["Senpai, where are you now? Are you traveling? Why haven't you replied?"]
[(Message deleted)]
["You missed a very exciting picture, Senpai. The kind you've always wanted me to send~"]
Oikawa smiled calmly and replied, "Just got on the train. Besides, most of the time you only send those when I'm asleep or not checking my messages. And it's not like I was looking forward to it. You'd never actually dare send it anyway. Utaha-kouhai is a coward."
Silence.
Under Utaha's name, the words Typing... appeared for a long time before disappearing again.
A teasing grin spread across Oikawa's face.
He was already immune to her tricks. A coward through and through.
Then another LINE notification popped up.
A photo.
A bikini photo.
A purple bikini barely managed to contain Utaha's ample figure.
Her skin was so fair it was almost dazzling.
Dangerous. Very dangerous.
Oikawa felt his heart jump.
He was just about to zoom in and, ahem, study the photography techniques when the picture suddenly vanished.
[(Message deleted)]
Oikawa was furious.
What the hell was this? Was she seriously playing a stop-right-before-the-finish game with him?
"??? You sent it and then recalled it? That's… that's not fair. Send it back!"
Utaha replied almost instantly, "Tch. That's what you get for not taking a screenshot."
Inside a luxury apartment.
Utaha had spread clothes all over her bed, trying on one outfit after another.
But none of them felt right.
Some were too flashy. Some were too plain. Some were too old.
Some simply weren't pretty enough.
When she'd bought them, every single piece had been one of her favorites.
Yet now, none of them seemed good enough.
The clothes themselves weren't the problem. What she lacked was confidence.
When you're about to meet someone you like, you can't help wanting every detail to be perfect. You want to show them the very best version of yourself.
But the truth is: Someone who likes you likes you. Even if you're wearing the oldest, most worn-out clothes imaginable, they'll still like you.
And someone who doesn't like you? Even if you're dressed like an angel from heaven, they won't spare you a second glance.
Finally, Utaha decided to try something new. She returned to the mirror. Looking at the blue hoodie she was wearing, she suddenly found it pleasing.
She turned left and right in front of the mirror. Then, smiling, she nodded in satisfaction.
She packed the second volume of Love Metronome and a gift box into her backpack before quietly sneaking out of her room.
The sky remained dark and overcast. But the happiness in her heart was bright enough to pierce through all of it.
Only a few dozen kilometers separated them. Yet Tokyo and Chiba felt like entirely different worlds.
Life in Chiba moved at a gentler pace, allowing people to appreciate the small joys of everyday living. The people on the streets always seemed energetic and warm.
Tokyo was different. Pedestrians hurried forward as if they wanted to crush the pavement beneath their feet.
Oikawa stood outside a café, waiting for Utaha to arrive.
After some time, when the gloomy sky finally began to brighten, the girl appeared together with the sunlight.
Utaha spotted Oikawa in the distance. She had planned to stay composed, to greet him calmly.
But her body refused to listen.
Through the crowd, she saw the smile on his face. A faint blush spread across her cheeks.
She had spent so long preparing the perfect opening line, "Senpai, it's been a long time."
Yet when the words finally left her mouth, they became, "Senpai... I've missed you."
"Yeah. I've missed you too."
Holding her in his arms, Oikawa gently stroked her silky hair.
Every moment of waiting suddenly felt worthwhile.
The girl in his embrace trembled slightly, probably from happiness.
"Yeah, I've missed you," Utaha repeated it once more.
"Mm." Oikawa could smell the faint fragrance clinging to her. There had once been a time when she felt as distant as a galaxy away. Now, the person he'd thought about day and night was right here in his arms.
The feeling filled him with contentment.
Of course, his pure and noble thoughts lasted all of fifteen seconds.
Then he became acutely aware of how soft she was.
'Yeah… I'm definitely a scumbag. Will this count as cheating to Kawasaki? No, wait—previously, would it have counted as cheating to Utaha? Ugh, I really can't let either of them go.'
Oikawa silently judged himself once again.
He found himself conflicted.
...
..
Inside the café, Oikawa and Utaha sat across from each other.
"Are you sure you don't want to go do something? I thought we'd have lunch together, go to an arcade, try the claw machines, wander around town, explore Tokyo together..."
He glanced around the café, "...but we've just been sitting here the whole time."
Utaha seemed perfectly content to stay exactly where she was.
Oikawa found it a little surprising.
"This is enough. I don't really care about those other things. Sitting here with you, reading books and drinking coffee..." She smiled softly. "...it makes me so happy I could laugh out loud."
Utaha pulled a copy of Love Metronome Volume 2 from her bag and handed it to him.
Oikawa smiled. Then he took out the prepared second volume of Your Lie in April and slid it across the table.
"I couldn't give you the first volume of Clannad, but there's no problem with giving you the second volume of Your Lie in April. At least now you've got the complete signed set."
"I love it."
Utaha eagerly accepted the book and immediately opened it to the title page.
Written there were the words, "With you, every day is sunshine."
The smile on her face grew even brighter. Her heart felt sweeter than if she'd eaten a whole box of candy.
"This is the first volume of Clannad. Other than the editor at Full-Drive Bunko, you're the first reader to see it."
Oikawa produced a Kindle and placed it in her hands.
The manuscript of Clannad Volume 1 had already been loaded onto it.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Instead, they lowered their heads and began reading the books the other had given them.
That didn't last long. Because at some point, Oikawa picked up a pen and started writing notes directly into her manuscript.
And judging by the serious expression on his face, they weren't casual comments.
Utaha immediately grew nervous. It felt exactly like watching a teacher mark up an essay with a red pen.
After hesitating for a moment, she got up and moved to sit beside him.
Then she looked at the places he'd marked.
"Pacing is too slow. The plot drags here. Consider speeding things up."
"The relationship between the male and female leads develops too quickly. Add one or two scenes in between."
Comments like that.
Utaha puffed out her cheeks.
At first, she felt a little annoyed. But seeing how seriously Oikawa was taking it, the irritation quickly faded.
The two of them began discussing the story together.
Most of the time, Oikawa talked while Utaha listened.
As she watched the confident, passionate boy beside her, a thought quietly surfaced in her heart. 'Yes, it's him.'
Admiration and love.
Sometimes people mistake one for the other. But Utaha knew the difference.
What she felt for Oikawa was love. Not just admiration.
"Why are you spacing out? ...Utaha?"
Without warning, Utaha leaned forward, slipped her arms around Oikawa's neck, and kissed him.
The last time had been born from panic. This time, it was simply because she liked him.
Ever since she was little, Utaha had understood one thing: If you want something, you have to fight for it yourself. And Oikawa was the treasure she cherished right now.
There weren't many people in the café, only a scattered handful of customers, but that didn't stop everyone from noticing.
The moment the kiss ended, Utaha's face turned bright red.
She grabbed Oikawa's hand and practically fled the café, dragging him along as they disappeared from everyone's sight.
Tokyo's weather really was unpredictable.
At eight in the morning, the sky had been gray and threatening rain. By nine, it had transformed into a brilliant blue.
The sun shone generously overhead, bringing a little warmth to the November air.
Hand in hand, Oikawa and Utaha wandered through Tokyo's streets and back alleys.
In front of Oikawa, Utaha made no effort to hide her childish side. She balanced along the curb with her arms spread, swaying from side to side.
The smile on her face was dazzling.
The kind of smile that made anyone who saw it feel happier too.
Some people's happiness was just that contagious.
"Senpai."
"Hm?"
"Will you come to Tokyo for university?" She looked at him with a gentle smile. "If you don't, I could always go to university in Chiba instead."
"I plan to come to Tokyo," Oikawa answered without hesitation. "The University of Tokyo."
Utaha's eyes curved into happy crescents.
Chiba wasn't actually far from Tokyo. Only about sixty kilometers. But to Utaha, it had always felt unimaginably distant.
...
They continued walking until they reached a park.
There, they stopped and sat on a pair of swings.
Suddenly, Utaha stared directly into Oikawa's eyes.
"Oikawa-senpai. Is Clannad really an uplifting healing novel? I don't know why, but I just can't shake the feeling that someone as mean as you wouldn't write something genuinely heartwarming."
Despite the abrupt question, Oikawa remained perfectly calm, "Clannad is absolutely a healing novel. This is the second time you've asked me that. I'm not lying to you."
"Just like I said on Twitter, Your Lie in April brought readers so much pain that I reflected deeply on my actions and decided to write a story that could warm people's hearts instead. And that's how Clannad came into existence."
His answer was flawless.
His expression. His tone. His pacing. Everything was impeccable.
After all, he'd rehearsed this exact conversation in his head countless times.
Besides... Lying was a mandatory skill for a scumbag, wasn't it?
Why had Makoto Itou gotten himself stabbed? Because he never learned the art of lying and keeping multiple girls happy.
"Really?" Utaha still looked skeptical.
"Really."
Oikawa nodded with complete sincerity, his face unchanged and his heartbeat steady.
"Fine. I'll believe you one more time." Utaha grabbed the swing's chains and stood up.
A moment later, she launched herself into the air, "Senpai! Come play too! It's really fun!"
Oikawa laughed and began swinging as well.
He could barely remember the last time he'd been on a swing.
Ten years ago? Fifteen?
The memory felt ancient, so distant that he couldn't recall it at all.
The two of them spent the next while trying every piece of playground equipment they could find.
Like a pair of elementary school kids.
They had the time of their lives. But happiness never seemed to last long enough.
A ringtone suddenly broke the moment.
Oikawa's alarm. The one he'd set for himself.
It meant it was time to leave.
The smile on Utaha's face froze instantly.
They looked at each other. Then they stepped forward and embraced.
"I'm not sad. A temporary goodbye is only so we can have an even better reunion next time. I'm really looking forward to seeing you again."
Oikawa said nothing. He simply held her tighter.
She said she wasn't sad. But the front of his shirt was already soaked.
Tears streamed from Utaha's eyes like overflowing springs. The water had long since risen past the brim.
And somehow...
The weather seemed to be growing gloomy again.
.
.
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