As the sun was setting, I walked beside Alyssa along the street lit by the streetlights. It’s a residential area a little off the main street, so there’s hardly any people around. It’s so quiet that I can’t believe we’re in the city.
[Geez, I’m much stronger than you, and I’m even always carrying an extrely powerful stun gun for self-defense and other legally dangerous weapons, so you don’t have to send ho or anything like that.]
[I have many things I’d like to throw a tsukkomi at but…… Well, I think I still should send you ho just in case.]
Already back to her usual self, Alyssa relaxedly spoke with a smile on her face.
[By the way, Kaito-san, don’t you feel thirsty? Coz I am.]
[……Speaking of which, I still haven’t repaid you for the delicious dinner huh.]
[As expected of Kaito-san! You know what I have in mind~~]
Alyssa indirectly asked to buy her a drink, but that was a cheap price to pay for the al…… or rather, in a sense, this was just a standard flow between us.
Whenever Alyssa ca to my ho and helped us with dinner, I would see her ho. On the way, Alyssa would say she was thirsty, so we would buy a drink from a vending machine and chat at a nearby park.
Buying a café au lait for Alyssa and a can of low-sugar coffee for myself from the vending machine as usual, we moved to a small park with a bench and a slide.
Sitting side by side on an old wooden bench, we looked at the night sky together.
The skies above a city, where no stars could be seen…… Looking at this familiar, yet slightly lonely scene, I felt the cool night breeze gently caress my face as I sipped at the warm can of coffee.
The bustle of the main street could only be heard faintly in the distance, but other than that, the silent atmosphere was great. At that mont, Alyssa whispered.
[……This is kind of great, isn’t it?]
[Unnn?]
[No, I was just thinking…… that every day is fun. Talking about unimportant things for a long ti, getting angry about trivial things, so little events happening, but we are still surrounded by our good friends…… I think this kind of thing is happiness.]
[……I guess so?]
Indeed, as Alyssa said, every day is really fulfilling. Going to school while talking about trivial stuff with Alyssa, clamorously chatting with everyone in the lab…… even when we’re just planning for the fun events we could have, I think these are really happy days.
[……Next year, Riri-senpai and Liddy-senpai will be looking for jobs, and even us won’t be college students forever either. Our environnt will surely change, and our paths may diverge. You never know what the future holds…… It would be great though…… if happy days like this will continue in the future.]
[……You’re going to be a journalist, right, Alyssa?]
[Whoa there, you just left out the super. I’m going to be a Super Journalist. Well, becoming a journalist really is a dream of mine, and I’ve been preparing to fulfill that dream. However, I don’t know why. But lately, I’ve been having a different dream.]
[……A different dream?]
Hearing what Alyssa calmly said, I tilted my head. Thereupon, looked at and shyly smiled, before looking back at the night sky and spoke.
[……When I look at Akari-san, I sotis think that being a housewife isn’t so bad. Well, you see, I’m a transcendental cutie who can cook perfectly, so I can cook delicious food while waiting for my husband to co ho. On his days off, I would make us bento and go on a date with my beloved husband, a date filled with smiles…… I’ve recently co to think that such a thing would be wonderful.]
[……I see.]
[Well, let’s get going.]
Looking at Alyssa’s smile as she stood up from the bench and threw the empty can into the trash can, I couldn’t help but admire her. How should I say this…… I’m feeling strangely embarrassed…… or rather, I’m feeling quite conscious of Alyssa.
Following Alyssa’s lead, I threw my empty can in the trash can and headed for the exit of the park…… when I suddenly felt a soft shock behind my back.
[……Kaito-san, please listen to without looking back.]
[……………….]
My heart jumped as I heard Alyssa’s words as she held unto my clothes and her face buried in my back.
[……I’m not in a hurry for an answer. Or rather, I don’t have the courage to ask for an answer right now, so I’d appreciate it if you could give your answer later.]
[……Alyssa?]
[Well, just think of it as applying for work. I’m not going to rush you, nor am I setting so sort of deadline…… It’s just, soday, ummm, if Kaito-san…… is willing to give a “permanent job offer”…… Please tell . At that ti…… I’ll choose that career path.]
It was a quiet murmur, but her words clearly reached my ears. Of course, I also know what those words ant……
[……I’m really happy to have t you, Kaito-san.]
[Alyssa……]
[A- Ahaha, I said sothing strange. My bad. Now, now, let’s go!]
[Ahh, oi!]
[Co on already~~ I’m leaving you behind~~]
Ending the conversation sowhat hurriedly, Alyssa’s tension was unnecessarily raised as she started walking fast in front of . As I looked at her small back, what ca to my mind…… was an inexplicable sadness.
I wonder why? The words she said…… was supposed to make happy……but why do I feel like crying instead?
When Alyssa said earlier that “she wished days like this could go on forever”, I couldn’t agree more. However, the words “I feel the sa way” wouldn’t co out of my mouth.
I felt as if the other within my heart was shouting “No”.
However, what is this? Sohow…… I have this sad certainty within my heart…… that the future with her…… “the future where Alyssa’s new dream cos true” will never co. That thought makes inexplicably sad.
Suddenly, as if my eyes were being led by sothing, I looked behind . Of course, I found no one there…… but I felt like there had always been soone, always there behind my back.
Helping in troubling tis, laughing with in fun tis…… There should have been…… soone important…… over there……
I felt an inexplicable amount of anxiousness, as if there’s sothing really out of place. Shaking these thoughts off my mind, I followed Alyssa as she walked in front of .
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