Part-3 Final Chapter Ep-05

(Maki's POV)

"...Even though I texted back saying I'd come over." 

I hurried all the way here, only to find Mari already waiting for me outside her house.

For some reason, she was wearing an unmistakable pout. When I asked what was wrong, the words that came back were exactly what she'd just said.

"Oh, I didn't see your reply," I answered casually, keeping my tone light and breezy.

It wasn't a lie.

I'd simply chosen not to look at it on purpose.

The current time was a little past 9:30 PM.

We were now standing face-to-face right in front of Mari's house.

The freezing night air stabbed into my lungs with every breath.

The white puffs escaping my mouth drifted lightly through the darkness before dissolving into nothing.

My face was cold, my feet were cold, and even the air entering my lungs was cold. The chill was steadily seeping into me from the inside out.

Ugh, it's freezing.

Maybe this had been a little reckless after all, I thought, feeling a faint sense of regret now that I'd actually made it here.

It was the night before my exams. If my parents found out I was doing something like this, I'd probably get scolded later.

I'm really glad I snuck out.

"Girls shouldn't be wandering around outside at night, even if it's just around the neighborhood," Mari said.

"But I came as fast as I could."

When I explained that I hadn't checked my phone because I'd been in such a hurry and apologized, Mari let out an exaggerated sigh.

It was the kind of sigh that clearly conveyed that arguing any further would be completely pointless.

"Anyway, I have exams tomorrow, so I wanted to clear up anything that's been bothering me beforehand."

It was already late, so we didn't have much time to take things slowly.

I got straight to the point.

"Really? What's bothering you?"

As Mari tilted her head in confusion, I beckoned her over with a little "come here, come here" gesture.

Mari took a few steps toward me.

I gestured again.

"Closer."

"Um, uh..."

Mari hesitated, but she took another small step, then another.

I continued urging her forward.

"Even closer."

Our bulky down jackets and coats finally brushed against each other with a soft pon.

"We're basically glued together now... and this is right in front of my house..."

Mari kept darting nervous glances toward the front door as she spoke. She seemed worried that one of her family members might come outside.

Looking toward the entrance myself, I could see warm light spilling from inside. It wouldn't have been surprising at all if her parents stepped out at any moment.

Ignoring Mari's anxious behavior, I said, "It's fine," then took a step forward myself and pulled her into my arms.

"Wait...!"

She resisted a little, so I tightened my embrace even further to make it clear that I had absolutely no intention of letting go.

"H-Hey, Maki, what are you doing?!"

"Shh, just be quiet and let me hold you."

"Isn't that phrasing a little too misleading?!"

Even so, after a while she seemed to give up and relaxed in my arms.

I gently stroked her head as I felt the tension gradually drain from her body.

Two high school girls hugging each other in the middle of the street at night. If the neighbors saw us, they might get a little concerned.

"So? Why do you think the world is going to end?"

"Eh... We're really talking about this now? Isn't this the kind of thing you shouldn't bring up the night before exams? Wait, is this the actual reason you came?"

Mari looked utterly bewildered.

"That's right," I answered plainly.

"Uwaa... Seriously?" she muttered quietly near my ear.

She was probably making a troubled face right now.

I couldn't see it because I was hugging her.

"I just couldn't stop thinking about it," I said.

"About why you think the world might end, and why it makes you so anxious. I got so worried that I thought I wouldn't be able to focus on tomorrow's exam."

"What the heck."

Mari laughed.

I could feel the vibration of my precious person's laughter through my arms.

Ah, I'm so happy.

That's exactly why I want to eliminate anything that might threaten this happiness as quickly as possible.

"It's okay. The world won't end after graduation, and we'll stay together forever."

"...You don't know that."

"......"

"Well, of course you wouldn't understand, Maki."

My attempt to reassure her was met with a surprisingly firm rebuttal from Mari.

Oh, this might be tougher than I thought, I reflected, straightening my posture.

Her words made me realize just how serious she was.

It seemed that half-hearted answers wouldn't be enough.

I wondered if she was imagining something like a meteor crashing into Earth, the sun suddenly drawing closer and causing catastrophic climate disasters, or an unknown virus turning everyone into zombies.

That would definitely be frightening.

No, absolutely terrifying. Even I'd be scared out of my mind if something like that happened.

"By the way, what kind of 'end of the world' are we talking about...?" I asked.

"I don't know exactly since it's just my imagination, but... like when save data in a game suddenly gets deleted. Everything just vanishes in an instant."

"Like in a game?"

"Yeah."

I resisted the urge to ask which movie she'd seen that in and took a moment to think instead.

So it wasn't abnormal weather or a spreading virus, but rather everything quietly disappearing all at once.

If that was the case...

"That doesn't sound too scary."

The thought slipped out before I could stop myself.

When she heard it, Mari sighed and pressed her head against my shoulder.

"...Maki really is strong. I hate it."

Her arms tightened around me as she hugged me back.

At the same time, I sensed a faint trace of resignation in her voice.

She was probably thinking Maki just doesn't get it after all.

"I don't want to be separated," Mari said.

As I stroked her head, I thought to myself:

I don't want to be separated either.

But.

"But you'll be by my side when that time comes, right?"

I needed to confirm things one step at a time.

"Y-Yeah. Probably."

I corrected her immediately.

"Not probably. Let's be together."

"Then after the graduation ceremony ends, let's stay together the entire day without separating. We'll welcome the next morning side by side."

Wouldn't that make the fear feel half as overwhelming? I asked.

The Mari in my arms murmured, "Maybe..."

"We could even skip the graduation ceremony and just go on a date."

"Are you serious?"

"Pretty serious."

"...Let's not. I want to say goodbye to everyone in class, and my parents are coming too."

Ah, right.

I nodded, and the plan to skip the ceremony was immediately abandoned.

The image of Mom's angry face flashed through my mind, making me shudder.

"Then once my exams are over, let's start planning what we'll do after the graduation ceremony. We could change clothes and head straight out on a graduation trip, or since the ceremony ends around noon, we could go somewhere for a day trip. Let's fill that day with everything we've ever wanted to do and make it an unforgettable day."

"Yeah..."

Mari's voice still sounded a little subdued.

Maybe I should've simply told her not to worry about something so ridiculous that would never happen.

But she didn't seem to be joking or teasing me, so I had no choice but to steel myself and say this.

After all, I'd fallen in love with this eccentric childhood friend.

I had the resolve to meet her where she stood.

"...And if you're still anxious after that," I continued.

"Yeah," Mari replied.

"Let's hold hands when the world disappears."

I felt Mari catch her breath in my arms.

"Let's hold hands and disappear together. That way it won't be scary, right?"

I whispered in the gentlest voice I could manage.

There are many things I treasure besides Mari. My family, my friends, the teachers who've helped me, and all the people I've met along the way.

But the most important one is the girl standing right in front of me.

I hugged her more tightly, hoping my feelings and sincerity would somehow reach her.

"Thank you for believing in me."

Mari rubbed her cheek against the side of my neck as she spoke.

I continued stroking her head and replied,

"Let's stay together. I'll protect you, Mari. And even if I can't, I'll stay with you until the very end."

It felt as though I was saying those words both to the Mari before me and to the younger version of myself who had cried beside her hospital bed when she wouldn't wake up.

If I can't protect her, then at the very least, I'll remain by her side until the final moment.

So it'll be okay.

I was sniffling from the cold when Mari laughed and said, "If I'm with you, Maki, nothing is scary anymore."

That made me unbelievably happy.