Episode 108: Where the Stars Look Beautiful

Seated at the counter table by the window, I gazed out at the spring sky tinged with crimson sunset hues through the high-rise building’s window.

“Kanata, sorry to keep you waiting.”

Turning at the gentle voice, Yui-san smiled as she handed me a warm mug and sat down on the chair beside me.

“Thank you.”

I took a sip from the mug. The faint sweetness of the café latte seemed to melt away the tension I’d felt just moments before.

The holding company’s headquarters building had a café space. It appeared to be used for breaks and meetings; the room was filled with the pleasant aroma of coffee.
Being late afternoon, it was sparsely populated. The view from here was wonderfully clear, refreshingly so, and felt pleasant.
What a lovely office, I thought.

“Yui-san, you worked here for a year after graduating university, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I was in the Corporate Planning Department for a year. The manager back then was a really good person. He taught me so much with such enthusiasm; I was truly grateful. It makes me realise again that I’ve only come this far because so many people helped me.”

“You must have worked incredibly hard.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Kanata. If I hadn’t met you, I’d never have thought to live freely. I’d probably have just married Shinji as expected, had children… and died while lying to myself.”

I couldn’t even begin to imagine a world where I hadn’t met Yui.

Our meeting might have been chance. But the way we were drawn to each other? That wasn’t chance. Falling in love was fate.

　Yui-san squeezed my hand, which I’d placed on the counter.

“I’m so glad Dad understood properly. With Kanata by my side, I feel like I can do anything.”

“…From now on, we’ll always be together, won’t we?”

“…Yes.”

The crimson sunset reflected and shimmered in those eyes, black as the night sea. Eyes gazing at me with such tenderness.
Ah, I love her. Truly, I never grow accustomed to this person’s beauty.
Whenever, however, they seize my heart and never let go. Ever since we met, always.

“…Still, did you see Shinji’s face? It was hilarious.”

Yui-san, apparently recalling the earlier incident, said this while stifling a laugh.

“Yukiyasu-san, that was quite something. Kitakami-san wouldn’t budge an inch, so I was worried how it would turn out…”

“Quite. I never imagined hiring a detective.”

According to what Yukiyasu-san told me afterwards — after I consulted him, he immediately hired a detective to stake out Kitakami-san and steadily gathered evidence.
And that wasn’t all. He’d even investigated Kitakami-san’s father as a contingency plan if he refused to back down. Astonishing.

　For Kitakami-san, it must have been a bolt from the blue, a stab from an unexpected direction.

“One thing I’m curious about though… that photo of us two, did Kitakami-san really take it himself? At Christmas, going out of his way… following us…”

As she said that, Yui-san burst out laughing. I nearly laughed along with her, but managed to stifle it, gently nudging her shoulder to admonish her.

“Oh, Yui. It’s rude to laugh.”

“But, you know… imagining it just made me laugh. It was snowing that day, and freezing cold too. And don’t you think Yuki was a bit harsh? The way he put it… He really went out of his way to crush Shinji’s pride, didn’t he?”

“It’s for Yui-san’s sake. For gentle Yukiyasu-san to go that far…”

“Well, yes, but I suppose I felt a bit sorry for him…”

“Yui-san, are you being sincere?”

“Of course I am. I mean it from the bottom of my heart.”

Though she said that, Yui-san’s eyes were laughing. Pity? — I could tell she didn’t feel it even a millimetre. We met eyes and couldn’t help but laugh.

I’d been tormented by Kitakami-san myself, and to be honest, it felt a little satisfying.

He was relentless, like a snake. But I sincerely hope this teaches him a lesson, and that Kitakami-san learns to live his own life.
　Patience and endurance are important at times, but we only get one life. There’s no need to live sacrificing yourself for someone else.
I hope that one day, he too will know the joy of living close to his beloved.

“I’m sure someone wonderful will come along for Shinji too.”
“…Yes. Life is long, after all.”

I had thought I was born into a free era.

　I lived without ever truly grasping how many people in this society endure profound difficulties in living.
I thought I understood that unspoken suffering, but until I experienced it myself, I hadn’t understood at all.

But we are free now.

Unbound by anything, we’ve come this far to fulfil our wish: to simply live with the person we love.

　Gazing at the sunset, we held hands tightly, savouring our happiness as if chewing on it — forever strong.

＊＊＊

Shortly after, the double bed from Yui’s room and the single bed from the room I used during my student days were collected. In exchange, our long-awaited king-size bed arrived.

“Hey, Yui! Getting the big bed was definitely the right choice, wasn’t it!”

I dived headfirst onto the spacious, large mattress.
It was something we’d use every day, so I’d been particular about the bedding and chosen the mattress carefully.
I was overjoyed, but Yui, looking down at me, pouted her lips, looking just a little bit dissatisfied.

“…Isn’t it a bit too big, after all?”

“Bigger is better, isn’t it? You get loads of space!”

“I don’t need loads of space! I want to sleep snuggled up close to Kanata…”

Even when we were choosing the bed at the furniture shop, Yui-san had grumbled about wanting a smaller one, but I’d ignored her completely and decided on this one myself.

“Yui-san, don’t say that. Just try sleeping together. Come on, over here.”

I beckoned her over with a little wave. Yui-san looked unconvinced, but she plonked herself down on the bed.
As if I’d been waiting for it, I threw my arms around her and rubbed my face against her chest. She smelled lovely, just the way I liked.
For a split second, I wished this bed would quickly take on Yui-san’s scent too… but since we’d be sleeping together every night from now on, there was no need to worry about that. After all, she’d be here with me always.

“…Well, if we’re cuddled like this, isn’t it pretty much the same as before?”

“Hmm, true… But, Kanata, won’t you roll over and push us apart?”

“Then, every time that happens, Yui-san just has to give me a big squeeze.”

“…If it happens too often, I’ll buy a new one. A single bed.”

“A single bed!? No way! We went to all that trouble to get a big bed!”

Well, Yui did buy it for us. But let’s leave that aside.

“Because we sleep much better when we snuggle up together!”

“That’s true for me too, but…”

After that, we squeezed in visits to interior shops between busy work schedules, gradually gathering new furniture piece by piece.
　The living room curtains changed from charcoal grey to ivory, and a houseplant found its place in the corner.
We even took the plunge and replaced the dining table, though at Yui-san’s insistence, the black leather sofa in the living room remained untouched.

That sofa was where we’d spent the most time together in this house. It held countless memories, and it felt too sentimental to replace it.
So I agreed with her on that point.

　Yui-san’s room became our shared bedroom, and in its place, the room I had been using is now intended to serve as Yui-san’s study.
After our relationship was acknowledged, Yui-san immediately brought over the belongings she had stored in her work flat, saying she wouldn’t need them there anymore.
Fortunately, her minimalist nature meant it amounted to only a few boxes. For now, these cardboard boxes are temporarily crammed into my room.

　Soon after, I gave up my flat too, resolutely decluttering and leaving home with only the essentials.
Clothes crammed into a suitcase, a few cardboard boxes, and Shachi-kun, Seal-kun, and Whale Shark-kun all moved with me.

The day I gained a ‘night where I never had to leave to go home’ again.
　When I stepped into the living room, Yui-san embraced me tightly, without a word.
As I held her back, her face pressed tenderly against my neck, I felt her tears running down my skin.
The moment I realised it, my own tears began to flow naturally.

It had been long, painful, and bitter. Days like walking through endless darkness, relying on a single light.

　—But I had come home to this house.

Without wiping the tears from her cheeks, Yui smiled at me.

“…Welcome home, Kanata.”
“…I’m home, Yui.”

We exchanged those words, “I’m home” and “Welcome home” — words we would surely repeat tens of thousands of times from now on — savouring them as if chewing them over.

　This new living room was filled with a tangible happiness.

Then, time flew by in the blink of an eye——.

Having fulfilled her promise to deliver results within three years, Yui-san was formally stepping down as president and returning to the management planning department of the holding company.

Seeing her smile, embracing a large bouquet and many gifts at the grand farewell party, I felt truly proud.

　Yukiyasu-san, having reconciled with his father, is apparently considering having his company join the group umbrella.
However, regarding taking over the company, Yukiyasu-san seems to have no such intention, maintaining a stance of solely “supporting Yui-san”.
They occasionally arrange private meals for the three of them as a family, and their relationship appears to be good.

　As for Kitakami-san, having had his pride utterly crushed, he appears to have completely moved on. He volunteered to head the newly established overseas business division and left Japan.
I hear he now leads an energetic life, travelling extensively across various countries, primarily within the Asian region.

As for me — it turns out my transfer to the holding company was decided around the same time as Yui-san’s, and by some twist of fate, I ended up assigned to the ‘Secretarial Office’ that Kitakami-san had previously approached me about. My days have been hectic ever since.
But to support Yui-san when she becomes president someday — I’d gladly seek out the hardships myself.

It’s not like before, where we could be together all the time.
　Even so, knowing Yui-san would be waiting at home brought a profound calm to my heart.
Whenever I found time off, we’d go on dates, and our living room corkboard was soon crammed with photos of us together.
With both our roles changing, we were too busy to take extended leave. As we kept missing the chance to go on our promised trip, the seasons raced past in the blink of an eye — and before I knew it, winter was approaching.

“It’s gotten quite cold, hasn’t it?”

Gazing out the car window on the way home, I saw the outside world already dark, the sun long set.

“Yes, it has. It all seems to have gone by in a flash.”

“Oh, right, Kanata, did you get approval for that long holiday?”

Hearing that, I turned to look at Yui-san as if suddenly remembering.

“Ah! Did you perhaps put in a good word for me?　I applied for ten days and it was approved without them even asking why, so I thought it was a bit odd.”

“Actually, I told my dad beforehand that I wanted to go on holiday with Kanata, so could I have the time off.”

“That’s just like you, Yui-san, leaving no stone unturned.”

“It’s taken a while, but we can finally go on holiday. I’m really looking forward to it.”

“Yes, I am. So, where are you planning to go?　You mentioned before there was somewhere you wanted to go together.”

When everything was sorted and we promised to take a holiday and travel, Yui-san, unusually, said, “There’s somewhere I want to go.”
Yui-san always gives way to me, so when she occasionally says something like this, it makes me incredibly happy.

“…Kanata, do you remember? We promised to go together a long time ago.”

“A long time ago? When we were students?”

“Yes. When we were students, at Christmas.”

It struck me. That one Christmas night we spent together during my first year at university.
That promise we made casually when we went to see the planetarium.

“…Somewhere you can see the stars beautifully. Let’s go together.”

There was no way I could forget. I, too, had remembered it all this time.

Someday… I truly dreamed that day would come when that promise would be fulfilled.