UPDATE TERBARU

Epilogue

From the break of dawn that day, it started to rain.

It’s a lie; truthfully, I don’t remember when it started raining. It’s just that I happened to notice the rainfall in the morning. I was hugging my knees in the living room, listening to the sound of the rain. I couldn't hear anything other than the sound of the rain.

When I raised my head, I could see Kaguya in the kitchen wielding a ladle like a conductor's baton.

“Yabai, I have a feeling today will be a masterpiece too ♪”

On the sofa, there was Kaguya singing while strumming an acoustic guitar randomly.

“Hey, listen. Kaguya tried making a song too. The ‘I Cut My Bangs Too Short’ song!”

In the hallway, Kaguya is dancing a mysterious dance noisily dotabata.

“Look look, this is the one popular on SNS right now. I worked hard and learned to dance it, but looking at it now the choreography is completely different. Hilarious.”

Entering the streaming room, Kaguya’s voice while watching idol videos and swinging a penlight echoed in my ears.

“Uhe—, this girl is cuuuute~~. Good at dancing—! If I joined here, would I be the one in charge of gold?”

I stood up and went around touching, one by one, the remnants of Kaguya left here and there in the mansion. Taking my time to confirm Kaguya’s memories, I tidied everything away.

I cannot live in this mansion any longer. Financial reasons are of course part of it, but also because I cannot move forward while carrying so many Kaguyas with me.

From the bathroom, I hear Kaguya’s voice begging to take a bath together. From the toilet, Kaguya, who locked herself in with a tablet, won't come out for a long time. At the entrance, Kaguya, who ran in response to the intercom sound, is talking endlessly with the delivery person.

Facing such Kaguyas one by one and remembering various things, after the sun rose several times and set the same number of times, I finally arrived at the living room where no one was.

The walls here were this color, huh.

I hugged my knees in the corner of the strangely distant room, and after acclimating my body to the new air, I took a shower and slept for a full day.

Even when I woke up, I couldn't hear Kaguya’s voice anymore. There were no places left to tidy up. The time to look forward must have come.

The next morning, I changed into my uniform and thrust my feet into loafers.

“I’m off.”

My voice passed straight through the empty hallway.

※

“Ah, it’s Sakayori-san. Are you cured of Corona already?”

“Huh, weren't you studying abroad?”

“Thank goodness—! I didn't believe you got married!”

Apparently, while I was absent from school without notice for several days, all kinds of rumors were flying around. Since I can't go around denying them one by one, I stuck to a uniform “Good morning” and headed straight to the staff room. Then, first thing, I bowed my head to Mr. Tachibana and submitted the career preference survey I hadn't been able to submit for a long time.

“……As I thought, Law Faculty huh.”

The teacher gazed at my face for a moment and took the survey form.

“I’m sorry, a lot of things happened.”

“Sakayori has been too perfect until now, so I’m actually a little relieved.”

“But, I’m okay now. I’ll aim for the Law Faculty; can I consult you about exam preparation next time?”

“Of course.”

Saying that, Mr. Tachibana floated a smile like an old goat again; in the end, he never blamed me a single word for the unauthorized absence.

Leaving the staff room, I waited in the hallway for Roka and Mami to arrive at school,

“Sorry for not returning your messages!”

I went straight to bow my head.

“Really sorry! Seriously sorry! Umm, how should I say, uh…… really, sorry!”

Since I couldn't make a single excuse, I apologized profusely in the hallway.

“Ignoring us is mean—”

“I thought about storming your house.”

The two sulked jokingly.

“Sorry! Sorry!”

When I bowed my head even deeper,

“……For us, you know.”

“It’s fine as long as Iroha is alive.”

Mami and Roka said with mixed bitter smiles.

“Thank you, sorry.”

“Even so, what a terrible face. You haven't been eating, have you? Wah, your skin is rough too.”

Mami touched my cheek and stroked it sadly.

Certainly, I might have only drunk water for the past few days.

“Alright! Then, let’s go eat to celebrate Iroha’s resurrection! We’ll watch over you until you eat properly.”

“Nice—. immediately today…… is impossible for Mami huh. Then, tomorrow’s dinner. At the cafe we went to before, it’s Iroha’s treat.”

Roka, tapping her smartphone screen at a speed the eye couldn't follow, immediately sublimated Mami’s proposal into a schedule. As expected of their combination.

“More importantly, what about that? The Pumpkin Fair at BAMBOOcafe! I want to go to that.”

“No, that’s where Iroha works. You’d hate it, right Iroha?”

“No, I don’t mind particularly but.”

Just as I started to reply, the chime rang. Harmonizing their voices saying “Yabai”, the two started running, and I started running with them…… wait.

My feet stopped. A snag in my mind made my feet stop.

Why do the two of them know about the Pumpkin Fair?

The BAMBOOcafe Pumpkin Fair that started triggered by Mio-chan’s erroneous order. Due to the concept of a hideaway cafe in a residential area, the shop has neither SNS nor a homepage. The existence of the fair shouldn't be known unless one visits the shop.

“Iroha, what are you doing!”

“We’ll be late. We haven't even put down our bags yet.”

Mami and Roka, stomping their feet impatiently in front of the stairs.

Don’t tell me, did they come, to BAMBOOcafe. Worried about me.

No, it can’t be just that. It’s impossible to come all the way and stop only at my workplace. Surely they must have visited the mansion first. My mansion has an auto-lock; they can’t enter unless I respond. Did the intercom ring……? It might have rung. But, I didn't answer. So, the two who were turned away went to BAMBOOcafe helplessly.

“Iroha, we’re going ahead!”

I started running faster than those words. I started running, and,

“Kyaa!”

“What?”

I hugged the bodies of the two.

“Sorry.”

“Eh, Iroha?”

“I’m…… sorry.”

“What’s wrong?”

Now, I finally realized. How selfish I was. How arrogant I was.

“I’m sorry.”

How empty it must have been, to be turned away by a silent intercom. How painful it must have been, to receive a refusal at the gate from a friend. How sad it must have been, to be informed that their feelings were one-way.

“Wait Iroha, we’re seriously going to be late.”

And yet the two smiled for me. Without blaming me, they turned it into a funny story saying “I thought about storming your house”.

“Really…… I’m sorry.”

Now, I finally understood. How much the two had been thinking of me until now. When they took me to the cafe, when they invited me to the sea, when they told me to go to the fireworks.

“Iroha. It’s fine already.”

“Don’t cry. We love you.”

I intended to live alone. Coming to Tokyo, I intended to live by my own power. Stupid me, realizing only now how much I was supported by the two.

“Thank you…… Roka, Mami.”

Tears overflowed like an idiot. The three of us hugged and cried in the hallway. In my life ahead, I will continue to convey how much I cherish the two of you.

Stay my friends forever, okay.

……Iroha.

Behind my eyelids, I felt like I saw Kaguya’s smile.

My Kaguya. Thank you. I still don't know why you appeared to me, but you saved me. You changed me.

It’s strange, isn't it. Many things happened with Kaguya, I got angry a lot, got frustrated a lot, was troubled a lot, but even so, I feel like I liked you the whole time, from the beginning. How about Kaguya?

Kaguya behind my eyelids is laughing without answering anything.

I won’t forget Kaguya. Even if years pass, even if decades pass. Even if someday this smile disappears from behind my eyelids, I will absolutely never forget.

I will move forward, holding the memories with Kaguya in my heart.

The days with Kaguya, like a fairy tale, ended, and daily life returned to Iroha.

This is the story of Iroha and Princess Kaguya.

And they lived happily ever after.