Gogaku Ryuugaku ni Kita Hazu no Kizoku Reijou, Naze ka Hanayome Shugyou Bakari Shite iru Epilogue

Epilogue

 

“Lily, how was the sports festival today?”

On the way home after the sports festival, I asked Lily that question.

“It was really fun.”

Lily replied cheerfully, as if she was in a good mood. Even though it was an event she had just experienced for the first time, it seemed like she enjoyed it.

“But, the heat was…”

“Ah, yeah, true…”

“And besides that, I feel a little mentally exhausted.”

Mentally exhausted?

Does that mean she’s worn out?

“But still, I’m glad I came to Japan.”

“I’m glad to hear that. …There are still plenty of other fun things coming up, you know.”

“I’ll look forward to them.”

Lily nodded as she said that. Then, with a shy expression, she slowly reached out her hand…

“Hm?”

She grabbed my hand. And leaned closer to me.

I was flustered, unable to let go of her hand.

“Summer is coming soon, isn’t it?”

“Ah, yeah.”

“Do you still remember, when I invited you to the beach?”

“Ah, yeah… of course.”

I recalled it now. Right before I returned to Japan, just before summer break. Lily had invited me to go to the beach.

I had no choice but to turn her down because of my tight schedule and the fact that I was about to return to Japan…

That was also the reason we ended up arguing.

“This year, please go with me, okay?”

“Ah, sure… as in, to make up for it, right. Going to a beach in Japan is fine too, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Or even a pool would be fine.”

A beach or a pool, huh. I’d have to think about which place would suit a noble lady’s taste.

“Then next time, let’s go pick out swimsuits together.”

“...Swimsuits?”

“You can’t swim without one, right?”

Well, that’s true… But with me?

“Souta, you’ll choose mine, okay?”

“I-I have to choose?”

“I like your taste,” she said, her cheeks turning red.

Ah… I see. Even if it feels a bit strange.

“O-Okay, understood…”

So in England, even friends choose swimsuits for each other…? Feeling that bit of doubt, I walked under the setting sun, hand in hand with my best friend Lily.

 

※※※

 

[Misato’s POV]

 

“Hey, Misato.”

On the first day back at school after the sports festival, I, Kasai Misato, was called by my younger twin brother, Souta.

“What is it?”

“...There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

Souta said that while glancing around, then finally checked near the classroom door. When Lily-chan isn’t around, Souta usually acts like this when he wants to talk about something Lily mustn’t hear.

“Did you get into a fight with Lily-chan?”

“No, no, not a fight… Actually, it’s the opposite.”

Hmm. …The opposite?

“Misato, imagine if you had a really close male friend.”

“Yeah.”

“Would you hold hands with him?”

“...I don’t know. I don’t have a male friend that close.”

From the way he put it, I could guess that Souta and Lily had held hands. …Aren’t they progressing really slowly, though?

“Then… what if you went swimsuit shopping together?”

“...Swimsuit shopping?”

“Yeah.”

“...”

That’s basically the same as a love confession already. She’s clearly showing her feelings. Normally, a girl who has no interest wouldn’t ask a boy to choose a swimsuit for her.

“Hmm, let’s see…”

Maybe if it were someone I liked, I’d be happy if he chose one for me. But I held back from saying that to Souta. Because that’s something Lily-chan herself should say.

“Suppose Lily-chan actually liked you, Souta. What would you do? Would you date her?”

“No, I’d turn her down.”

Souta answered immediately.

Yeah, that’s exactly what Souta would do. It’s the same for me, too. I don’t want to end up like our parents. They used to be close, but after marrying, they fought often and grew distant. Even though we were born from that.

I don’t want to follow their path. But I do want to support Lily-chan’s love… because she’s just so sweet!

Alright, I should steer this conversation elsewhere.

“But still, it’s natural to feel uneasy about swimsuit shopping alone, right? Especially since she’s not that fluent in the language yet.”

“Ah, true… In that case, how about you go with her?”

“I’m not close enough with her yet. She’s not really open to me.”

“Ah, that’s true.”

“Or maybe… she really does have special feelings. Even if you don’t know yet whether it’s love or not.”

That’s as far as I could say. The rest depends on Lily-chan’s own efforts.

“...Well, she did say she liked me.”

“Eh?”

“But after that, she said she wanted us to go back to being friends like before.”

“I-I see.”

I couldn’t say anything as I looked at Souta, who wore a bitter smile. Lily… did she already know she’d be rejected when she confessed?

That whole ‘wife training’ thing—was it really just a way to preserve the status quo?

If so, then she’s quite the strategist. Or maybe just a lucky fool.

I don’t know. Lily’s smart, but her nature leans more toward the foolish side. Souta’s the same—smart but foolish. That’s why the two of them really do make a perfect pair.

Still, I can’t help but wonder—will they really be okay…?