Chapter 98 - Have To Take A Trip Down Memory Lane
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Monologue [Arisa]
To be honest, I’ve never thought I’ll get this far… My only prediction of the future was a stable job with a great income… I never really tried to think about it seriously.
If anything, I think my life started changing back in middle school thanks to Kotone. I remember a small conversation I had back in high school, sure… a considerable amount of years have passed since then, but it left me thinking.
“So what should I do?” The girl in question was a classmate, I don’t remember her name nor what she looked like… I just knew she existed.
She was asking me for love advice, I still don’t know why but that’s not important right now. I gave her my opinion on the matter, I reasoned with her and eventually… helped her find an answer.
I never saw it as a solution… just as an answer.
“You know, you’re pretty easy to talk to, Arisa!” The girl complimented me.
“Is that so?”
“Hm. You were kind of a cold beauty for the class, you didn’t talk with anyone aside from them… and even with them, your expressions didn’t change much.” The girl said.
For me, not showing my expressions was normal. After all, it showed weaknesses, and that was something I never wanted to show others. A weak girl could be the target of bullying, after all.
And yet… He… Kei Ichinose managed to pull out many expressions even I never thought I could make. Contrary to my princess persona back then, even my soft smile seemed genuine at the time.
I was really having the time of my life back then…and I still am. After all, I can wake up in the arms of the man I love every day, and I can be the one he sees when he wakes up and when he goes to sleep.
Now, all these feelings I’ve been bottling up are ready to burst… I want to treat Kei as my other half… as if… neglecting him was the same as neglecting myself…
My pride as a woman would fall if he ever were to cry…
That, I’m sure of.
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Kei’s POV~
“Are you almost done?” I raised my voice from the living room. Soon enough, she emerged through the door frame and with a smile she affirmed. “I’m ready, Kei. What do you think?” (Arisa
As she cutely turned around, I admired each and every angle she showed me. She was wearing a turtleneck under her coat, with some comfortable pants to complement. I don’t know why… but it heavily reminded me of our first Christmas date back in high school.
“Beautiful.” I said.
“Thanks.” She replied with a soft smile.
“Then, shall we go already?” I said as I put on my own coat, Arisa nodded and held my hand. We left our apartment and headed towards the entrance.
The big day has come.
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The date was December 23rd, a day before Christmas. Arisa and I left our apartments for a date. However, from my perspective it wasn’t only a date, but also the day I would pop the big question.
“Where are we going first?” Arisa asked as she walked beside me.
“It’s two in the afternoon, so how about we grab lunch first?” There was this place we’ve both been wanting to go to, it was a simple cafe that opened not too long ago. I initially heard of it from my Kotone since she and Ichirou live quite close to us.
“Sounds good, escort me then.” She said with a small laugh. I tightened my grip slightly and smiled. As we walked we looked at our surroundings which were more crowded than usual.
“The streets look so pretty, don’t they?” (Arisa)
All the surrounding trees were decorated with lights, although most of them were covered in snow. The atmosphere also looked pretty cozy with multiple couples like us holding hands and looking pretty laid back as they smiled at each other.
“It is a really nice change of pace, isn’t it?” (Kei)
“Agreed. Times like this lets us unwind after working hard all year. It is something to be looking forward to.” (Arisa)
“I still remember back then when I couldn’t beat you at video games that easily. Now, we stand back to back, don’t we?” (Kei)
“I miss those times when I actually looked like the older one.” Arisa chuckled. “You still look like the older one. I mean, it seems like it even amplified due to how similar your personality shifted towards your mother’s.” (Kei)
“Am I really that similar to my mother?” She asked.
“Definitely. Keep this a secret, but when I first went to meet your parents, I was actually more scared of Ms. Akina…” I said with a wry smile.
“Is that so? Huh, the more you know~” (Arisa)
As the two of us walked with little to no distance between, we soon enough reached the spot as we could see the cafe from where we stood. “Oh, we’ve been wanting to come here, haven't we?” (Arisa)
“Since we had the opportunity, I thought it would be a good idea for us to go ahead and take a look.” (Kei)
Opening the door for Arisa, a chime rang and I followed as she entered. The inside of the place was dimly lit, there was a sweet aroma of hot chocolate floating through the place and at the end of our gazes, a little fireplace was lit as the classical music drowned the place in tranquility.
“Welcome, table for two?” At the waiter’s words, both of us nodded and we were guided to a small table at one of the corners of the cafe. We both placed our orders, we decided to go with the theme and order something warm to drink and a meal..
“This really seems like a nice place to come and read a book.” I couldn’t help but chuckle when I heard that. “What’s with the laugh?” Arisa asked.
“No, I only thought that such a thing was very proper of you,” I answered. “As expected of the bookworm I fell in love with.” (Kei)
“What are you implying?” Arisa frowned, however, contrary to her sharp gaze, I could tell from her cheeks that she actually looked pleased at my words.
A little while later, the two of us received our meals. They weren’t anything fancy, however we could clearly see the dedication behind their menu. “Then, cheers?” I extended the glass to Arisa.
“Cheers!” She smiled back.
“I have to say, this place really feels nice, really romantic if you think about it.” (Arisa)
“It sure is, our tastes haven’t changed since then, haven’t they?” I laughed. High class restaurants were never our thing, we tried going once in the past, and we left with a really uncomfortable feeling.
Since then, we usually go to cafes around the city, or we cook together at our house and eat while watching a movie. Well, I guess that’s just who we are.
“We should really consider going somewhere different…” Arisa amused. “Since we’re having lunch right now, how about we go to one of those places where we can grill our own dinner at noon?” I asked.
Arisa nodded, and even though her face remained stoic, I could see that she was brimming with excitement. “Sure, let’s go.” (Arisa)
“Arisa, if you are excited just say so, it’s no good to be dishonest with ourselves.” I scolded. Arisa’s shoulders jumped as if she was a child that just got caught.
“:..no comment.” She muttered while taking a mouthful of food. I never really went to those kinds of restaurants before. Well, back then I actually preferred to just cook at home.
Maybe this will serve as an unforgettable experience.
(A/N)
Alright, it started. I'm against the clock here jaja. Well, I'll try to post Chapter 99 & 100 tomorrow. And the epilogues the 31st along with the final afterword!
Coming Next: Chapter 99 - Vows For Eternity ⑤
