Final Episode: The Day of Departure
Beep beep beep beep, beep beep beep beep.
I woke up to the alarm. Five in the morning.
Washed my face, double-checked my carry-on and suitcase contents just to be safe. Passport, ticket, charger, laptop. Good, all there.
There’d be an in-flight meal, so a light breakfast would do.
Instant coffee and toast. Quick and simple, then a light touch-up of makeup.
Slipped on my trench coat, put on my heels.
Out the door and onto the sidewalk.
The rumble of my carry-on wheels and the click of my heels rang out through the quiet morning. Spring mornings have this clean, crisp air to them. Nice.
New days are about to start. Thinking that, my heart raced a little.
Rocking along on the airport bus through the morning mist, Hanamori’s face floated up in my mind, out of nowhere.
Wonder if she’s still asleep right now.
Bedhead hair. Lips slightly parted. Long eyelashes. An unguarded sleeping face, like a child’s.
I want to see her. I want to talk to her.
Once I’m back, where should we go together?
Arrived at the airport.
Maybe because it was an early weekend flight, the place was sparse. An hour until boarding. Good thing I got here early.
Heading toward the gate. Rows of empty waiting seats.
There, a familiar-looking back.
Ah—
That person turned around.
It was Hanamori. A cap pulled down low, a jacket worn loosely over her shoulders.
The moment our eyes met, my face muscles went slack on their own.
“…Eh, you actually came.”
“I mean, kind of.”
“‘Kind of’?”
Hanamori answered, faintly sulky, curt. Probably covering embarrassment.
Business as usual, I thought, giving a wry laugh despite myself.
I bought a can coffee and Hanamori’s favorite café latte from the vending machine, and we sat side by side in the waiting seats.
The corners of Hanamori’s mouth were turned down. The cap cast a shadow over her face, hard to read her expression clearly.
I sipped my can coffee, keeping composed on the surface, but inside, my heart was pounding hard.
Can I hold her hand?
Yesterday, that meant… it means something, right?
Should be fine now, right?
Okay.
With a trembling hand, I gently took hold of Hanamori’s. Thin, pale, a smallish hand. I laced our fingers together.
Hanamori flinched, startled, for just a second.
But then, she narrowed her eyes and smiled softly, resting her head on my shoulder.
A sweet scent of shampoo drifted up.
“Asami-san.”
Hanamori said it quietly, head still resting on my shoulder, eyes down.
“Hm?”
“…You’d better message me on LIME every single day, okay?”
What is that. Cute.
“I know.”
“Morning and night, minimum twice a day.”
“Eh, that much?”
“Obviously. And a photo every day too.”
“A photo?”
“I’m your ‘girlfriend,’ aren’t I?”
Caught off guard, my heart gave a hard thud.
“Y-yeah…”
I nodded and answered, and Hanamori smiled, satisfied. Then continued.
“Then, video calls too.”
“Eh, video calls too?”
“Obviously.”
Hanamori tilted her head, glaring up at me.
“If you get all lovey-dovey with some cute girl over there, I’m gonna lose it.”
“Huh!? I won’t.”
“Can’t trust you. You’re Asami-san, after all.”
“Eh? I won’t even have that kind of time or room to breathe.”
I took a sip of coffee, giving a wry laugh.
After a while, Hanamori’s grip on my hand tightened, just slightly.
“…I wish we’d done this sooner.”
“Hm?”
“I wish we’d been like this sooner.”
“…Yeah. You’re right.”
Hanamori’s voice trembled slightly.
She sniffled and wiped away a tear.
“Is long-distance really gonna work out…?”
“‘Long-distance,’ that’s a bit much.”
“What do you mean, a bit much. There’s a seventeen-hour time difference…”
Hanamori’s voice kept sinking lower.
At this rate, I’d end up leaving on an awkward note. Need to change the subject.
Something bright. Something bright.
“Ah, right. Next month, once I’m back from the trip—”
“…Yes.”
“Let’s go to the aquarium. Where the penguins fly.”
“…………..Yes.”
“…………..Hm?”
“Eh?”
After a stretch of silence, Hanamori lifted her face and stared straight at me.
Tilting her head, brow furrowing.
“Asami-san, what did you just say?”
“Let’s go to the aquarium?”
“No, before that.”
“Next month, once I’m back from the trip?”
“Next month? Trip?”
“Yeah.”
“………..Huh. You’re coming back next month?”
“Yeah. It’s a two-week trip to America.”
“Eh?”
“Eh?”
We stared at each other’s faces for a while.
Hanamori blinked. Twice, three times, four times.
Hanamori’s face froze. Like time had stopped.
And then—right before my eyes, her face turned bright red. Red all the way to her ears.
“…Eh, wait, Hanamori-san, did you maybe have this whole thing mixed up?”
“Huh? N-no I didn’t.”
“So that’s why you were crying yesterday too. Because you’d miss me? Was that the drinking party too?”
“I said that’s not it. It’s because you talk in such a confusing way, Asami-san.”
“That’s because you weren’t listening, Hanamori-san. I mean, wait, this is way too cute.”
“Shut up. You’re being way too full of yourself, Asami-san.”
“So cute.”
“Ugh, seriously, so annoying. Just go already, come on.”
Grinning, teasing her, and Hanamori started thumping me with her fists. Actually kind of hurt.
Still red all the way to her ears. And that, again, unbearably cute.
“Now boarding for San Jose, from Gate 3—”
The boarding announcement for the flight to Silicon Valley echoed through the airport.
Time to go.
I slowly let go of our joined hands.
“Well then, I’m off.”
I said.
“…Have a safe flight.”
Hanamori answered, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly. Her eyes a little glossy.
“Asami-san.”
“Hm?”
“…Two weeks really is a long time, huh.”
“It’ll be fine, it’ll fly by.”
I gave a small laugh and lightly patted Hanamori’s head.
Then turned my back and started walking toward the gate.
Click, click, click. My heels rang out as I walked forward.
But still, hard to leave.
A few steps in, I turned back, on impulse.
—Looking at the spot where Hanamori had just been.
—There—
—no one was there anymore.
“…Eh. That fast?”
I nearly stumbled from the momentum of turning around.
A small laugh slipped out, unable to help myself.
Seriously, that woman switches gears way too fast. Could’ve lingered a little longer.
But, well, that’s exactly so Hanamori, I thought.
My chest warmed, slowly, and I headed toward the gate.
A few dozen minutes later.
The plane carrying Asami-san disappeared into the sky.
Alone, still sitting in the waiting seat, I stared blankly at where it had vanished.
Then covered my face with both hands.
“…So embarrassing.”
The murmur slipped out, too quiet for anyone to hear.
A complete misunderstanding. A total jump to conclusions. I’d been dead certain it was an overseas transfer, that we’d never see each other again.
And it turns out she’s back in just two weeks.
But even those two weeks feel long.
In two weeks, once Asami-san’s back.
We’ll go to the aquarium, watch the flying penguins. And then—
I pulled out my phone to check the calendar.
My lock screen was that photo — from that day, the business trip.
The one we took together in front of the illuminations.
I’m doing a perfect little upward glance, looking cute. Asami-san completely missed the shutter timing, eyes half-closed. Practically rolled back.
That’s so exactly like Asami-san, and I love it so much.
That’s why I love this photo.
I gave a small laugh and put my phone away in my bag.
I stood up and left the airport.
—Both of us stubborn, clumsy, oblivious, and a little dense.
With the worst timing, failing over and over, almost comically so.
Crossing paths and missing each other again and again, before our feelings finally connected.
At last. We finally made it here.
I think this is just the shape of us.
—Our path together will keep going, from here on.
Surely, we’ll keep missing each other sometimes, even still.
But even so, we’ll take each other’s hand again.
Over and over, with a kiss to make up.
*
I Was Kissed by the Junior Coworker I Hate — End