Epilogue 1: I'm No Match for Yuu Amami
A few days after the five of us stayed up talking late into the night, a holiday arrived.
It was exactly 6:00 AM. As expected, it was chilly at this hour, and for the first time in months, I found myself longing for the comfort of my favorite blanket.
I silenced the alarm I'd set and, after lingering in bed for another five minutes, I slowly left my room to prepare breakfast. It was much earlier than my usual weekday routine, but it was also around the time Mom would be getting home from her night shift. Whenever I had to be out early in the morning, I tried to show my appreciation like this.
"I'm home~… Oh, Maki, you're up quite early. Is your outing today?"
"Yeah. It's quite far, so I might be back late… Here, coffee. Thanks for all your hard work."
"Thanks," she said, accepting the cup. "I was planning to crash the moment I got home, but if you went to the trouble of making this, maybe I'll eat something before I sleep."
I handed Mom a steaming cup of black coffee and returned to my own preparations. Splashing my face with cold water to wake myself up, I ran a comb lightly through my hair. A proper appearance could wait until I was out of my pajamas.
"…Yeah. This should be fine."
I put on the clothes I had laid out the night before and gave myself a quick once-over in the full-length mirror in Mom's room.
…As for my impression, I can only call it 'normal,' I thought. Trying too hard would just feel uncool, so I'd chosen an outfit that was as natural as possible.
I wore a long-sleeved cardigan over the stylish T-shirt Nitta-san had bought me for my birthday, paired with a simple pair of jeans. It felt a little plain, so maybe I'd start experimenting with accessories to add some accents. A small sense of adventure when it came to fashion was beginning to sprout within me.
I went back to the washroom, styled my hair with just enough wax to keep it from being too stiff, and then it was finally time to go. I probably could have relaxed for another ten minutes, but I always get strangely restless at times like these, unable to settle down.
"Oh, leaving already? Take care and have fun."
"Yeah. I'll message you before I head back."
"What about dinner?"
"I'll eat before I come home, so don't worry about it."
"I see. Maybe I'll get delivery again today, then. That Pizza Rocket place that's all the rage."
"It's only all the rage with you, Mom… Well, do whatever you want."
Muttering, "I'm off," I left the apartment and started for the station.
I still hated weekday mornings on my way to school, but I liked the unique atmosphere of a holiday morning. The cold night air and silence still lingered as I walked down the middle of the empty asphalt road, gazing up at a clear, cloudless autumn sky.
A lively day was about to begin—no, a day that was sure to be too lively.
As I'd told Mom, I was taking a train to the neighboring prefecture for the first time in a while. That said, the ride itself wasn't that long, so it was just a short trip. Our destination was a certain amusement park bustling with locals.
The plan was to enter as soon as it opened and have as much fun as humanly possible until closing. And, for some reason, we were meeting there.
Personally, I thought it would've been fine to meet at the station and go together, but according to the one who suggested it, "That would lessen the date-like feeling!"
And for that reason, we were all heading there separately.
As you can probably guess from the destination and my appearance, the purpose of this amusement park trip wasn't just for fun. It was a date.
And my date was with Amami-san.
That's right.
That night, when we all finally had a proper talk… I decided to accept Umi's initial proposal.
So, here I was, heading alone to the amusement park where Amami-san was probably waiting.
Since it was a holiday, the early morning trains were empty the whole way. After about an hour and a few transfers, I arrived.
When I got off the train and passed through the ticket gate, a massive Ferris wheel immediately came into view. I'd looked it up beforehand and apparently, one of this scale was a rarity nationwide. The park boasted a considerable number of attractions, more than enough to fill an entire day.
"An amusement park… I wonder how long it's been. I don't even really remember coming to one…"
As I was lost in thought, recalling old photos of my younger self from a family album, my vision was suddenly plunged into darkness.
"Guess who~!" a cheerful voice chirped.
"…Um, excuse me, who is this? If this is a prank, I'm calling the police, you know?"
"Th-That's so mean, Maki-kun~! It's me, it's me! Amami Yuu!"
"Oh, it's just Amami-san."
"Muu~ you knew it was me~!"
When my vision returned, Amami-san was standing before me, cheeks puffed out in a playful pout.
Of course, I knew it was her from the start.
"Good morning, Amami-san. Did I keep you waiting?"
"Yeah. But I came on an earlier train, so really just a little," she explained. "I was so excited I barely slept last night, and I was so fidgety this morning that I just ended up coming early."
"I see. Sounds like we're in the same boat, then."
It was obvious that Amami-san had put a lot of effort into her outfit today. The overall look was coordinated with shades of brown, giving it a chic, autumnal vibe. From the color of the inner sleeves peeking out from her jacket to the hat that perfectly complemented her beautiful golden hair, every detail from head to toe had been carefully chosen.
It was, without a doubt, a complete date outfit.
"Ehehe, so, Maki-kun, what do you think? What do you think of me today?"
"Well, I can tell you put an incredible amount of effort into it."
"That's true, but that's not what I wanted you to say… Muu~ forget it. You're so mean, Maki-kun… Hey, Umi, say something to him too~"
With that, Amami-san called out to the person standing behind me—my best friend, Asanagi Umi.
When I turned around, a cute girl was standing there, looking awkward.
"Morning, Umi. If you were on the same train, you could've said something."
"…That would lessen the date-like feeling, wouldn't it? Not that I'd know."
Today, I had promised to go on a date with Amami-san. But she had also asked one more person to "go on a date"—Umi.
"I want to go on a date with both Umi and Maki-kun, the three of us together."
That was Amami-san's proposed solution 'for the three of us to be able to smile'. Regarding this, Amami-san had explained it like this:
"As Umi wished, Maki-kun and I will go on a date."
"However, I'll have Umi join in too. That way, Maki-kun won't have to feel guilty."
It was a compromise where instead of one side yielding completely, both sides gave a little.
Of course, Nitta-san had voiced her concern, asking, 'Wouldn't meeting halfway just leave them both slightly hurt?'
Umi and I had felt the same way.
But Amami-san's response to that was:
"I'll do something about that!"
…words that were so very much like her.
And so, with a 'then show us what you've got' attitude, we had arrived at today.
"Ehehe~ you're so cute today, Umi! The best! The best in the world!"
"No, you're the one who's the best… You're cute, Yuu."
"Yay, Umi complimented me! I love you, Umi~"
"Ah, geez, stop hugging me so suddenly… Look, more importantly, it's opening time. You're going to treat us to a fun day, right?"
"Ah, that's right! Umi, Maki-kun, let's play a ton today, as much as we possibly can!"
Led by a frantic Amami-san, who was at full throttle right from the start, we entered the park.
With me and Umi on either side of her, the three of us walked closely together.
Amami-san looked like she was having the time of her life, but from an outsider's perspective, we must have been a strange sight.
"…Hey Yuu, are you really sure it's okay for me to be here? Am I not in the way?"
"Geez, Umi, you're talking about that again? I told you, I want to hang out with you too. Just Maki-kun isn't enough. If you're not here, Umi, I won't have any fun."
Being honest about love is important, but my best friend is important too. Since I can't choose one over the other, then I might as well be greedy.
It was a very selfish choice, but since we had forced something similar on Amami-san, it was hard to argue.
I want to stay friends with Amami-san as we've always been, and I want her to be on good terms with me (or Umi).
Last year, what kind of idiotic couple was it that asked that of Amami-san, which she accepted, leading to our reconciliation?
"I thought that as long as the two of you were happy, that was enough. But I realized that was just an excuse, and that I was actually lonely too. It's not fair that only the two of you are having fun, I want to be included too—that's what I always thought in my heart. I wanted to be spoiled by Umi like we used to, and I wanted to get closer to Maki-kun, too… I know that's impossible, though."
However, there's a limit to everything. Umi and I were a couple. And while Amami-san was a precious person to us, she was just a 'friend'.
There's a thick wall there. Amami-san understood that.
…That's why.
Amami-san prefaced her next words with that thought.
"That's why I'm going to enjoy today to the fullest, with all my might. This one-time-only moment with my beloved best friend and the first boy I ever fell in love with. So I won't have any regrets. So when I become an adult, I can look back on this, laugh, and feel a little embarrassed as I think, 'I can't believe that happened, huh'."
"…Amami-san."
"Yuu…"
Staring straight at us with her clear, jewel-like blue eyes, Amami-san seemed to shine with a dazzling light.
When you decide to do something, you do it with all your might.
If Amami-san was coming at us with that much determination, we had no choice but to accept the challenge.
Before I even knew it, she had created an atmosphere where we couldn't refuse. She truly was amazing.
I would probably never be a match for her in that sense.
"Umi."
"Yeah. Yuu, if you're going to say that much, then lead the way. If you can make us think 'that was fun' in just one day, then, at that time,"
"…At that time, is it okay for me to like Maki-kun just a little bit more?"
"That's… um…"
"Fufu, just kidding. You're so cute when you're worried, Umi."
"...…"
"H-Hey Umi, the day's just begun, so hold back for now."
"Gnnn… Yuu, you'd better remember this later."
"Eek~ Umi-chan is so sca~ry!"
And with that, Amami-san once again pulled us along forcefully.
"Ehehe~ a date with the people I love is so much fun!"
Trailing behind her, she smiled as brightly as the autumn sun, not yet seeming to notice that the two of us were gradually starting to smile faintly as well.