185 - Resolving Myself

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Bathed in the glow of a beautiful sunset, Haruto walked hand in hand with Ayaka through the residential streets.

"Today’s sunset is really beautiful too."

"Yeah, it is."

Walking beside Haruto, Ayaka looked up at the sky with a happy expression, squeezing his hand tightly.

"Doesn’t it feel like the sun’s been setting a little earlier lately?"

"Maybe so."

"That means autumn is coming."

"Yeah."

"Autumn has so many delicious foods."

"Mm."

Ayaka chatted away cheerfully.

But Haruto, tense beyond measure, could only manage short replies.

The words Ayaka had said to him.

Words that were practically a proposal.

He had to properly convey his own will, his own feelings, in return.

With that thought, Haruto found himself more nervous than he had ever been in his life.

His legs felt so unsteady, it was as though he might mistake the sensation for walking on clouds.

Ayaka, glowing with happiness just to be taking a walk while holding hands with the person she loved.

And Haruto, stiff with overwhelming tension.

The two walked slowly through the quiet neighborhood.

"…Ayaka, what do you want to eat once autumn comes?"

His voice quivered slightly, but Haruto somehow managed to speak casually.

"Hmm, hard to choose. But if it’s autumn… I guess sweet potatoes?"

"So, like sweet potato pie or something?"

"Sweet potato pie! I want to eat that!"

Seeing Ayaka’s face light up so brightly made even the nervous Haruto smile in return.

"And chestnuts are autumn too, right? It might be fun to learn how to make Mont Blanc from Kazu-senpai."

"That sounds amazing! I really want to make sweets together with everyone again!"

The sparkle in her eyes and her hopeful expression eased the tension building inside Haruto.

That smile was so dear, so precious, that just looking at it filled him with happiness.

He wanted to keep seeing it forever, right by her side.

He wanted to be the one to make her smile.

He wanted to make her happy—because that would also be his own happiness.

Haruto gazed at Ayaka’s radiant smile and gently squeezed her hand.

He wanted to become family with her.

The feelings that had blossomed through their time together as lovers had turned into a clear wish after his grandmother’s collapse.

He wanted to convey those feelings with his own words.

And then, he spotted the park.

A park near the Tōjō family’s home. The very place where Haruto had once confessed his feelings to Ayaka, and where they had become a couple.

"…Ayaka, want to stop by the park for a bit?"

"Yeah, sure."

Ayaka let herself be led by his hand, and together they headed toward the park.

At dusk, there were no children playing. The streetlights nearby were beginning to flicker on, signaling the coming of night.

"Coming back to a park after growing up… it feels a lot smaller, doesn’t it?"

Ayaka said with an innocent expression, brushing her hand lightly along the railing of the slide.

"Yeah. Back then it felt so big and exciting, like it was a whole world."

"Right? Even the sandbox seemed much bigger in my memory."

"Were you more of a sandbox type?"

As Haruto asked, he glanced toward the sandbox.

There, a large mound of sand with a tunnel dug through it still remained untouched.

"Yeah. But once I met Saki, I think I started playing more on the swings and seesaw."

"Oh, that’s right. Didn’t Aizawa-san use to live near your house?"

"She did. I played with Saki every day back then."

Ayaka’s eyes drifted into the distance, filled with nostalgia, and Haruto smiled softly.

"You two really are close."

"Didn’t you used to play with Akagi a lot too?"

"Well, yeah. Actually, even now, the person I hang out with most is Tomoya."

Haruto wasn’t the type to have lots of friends. Not that he was bad at making them, but he wasn’t very proactive about it either. So the friends he hung out with were mostly Tomoya, Ishikura, and Shizuku.

"Do you still play in the park with Akagi-kun these days?"

"Not anymore, obviously."

Ayaka teased him a little, and Haruto answered with a wry smile.

"Oh, but the other day, we did just hang around at night in a park for no reason, talking endlessly."

"Eh, what? I’m so jealous!"

"Jealous?"

"Yeah! I want to talk with you in a park at night too!"

"But whenever I stay over at your house, we always talk, don’t we?"

"That’s different. It’s the park at night part that’s nice. It feels so youthful, you know?"

Haruto tilted his head. "Really?"

"Sometimes, I get a little jealous of Akagi-kun," Ayaka admitted.

"Of Tomoya?"

"Mm. When you’re with him, you just seem so natural, so relaxed, so open."

Ayaka slowly stepped in front of Haruto.

"And he’s just as open with you. That kind of closeness, without any walls between you, feels so special to me."

"…I’m already completely open with you, Ayaka."

Haruto met her gaze head-on as he spoke.

"Huh?"

"You’re the one irreplaceable person in my life."

"! T-that’s… really? Hehe… I’m so happy."

Ayaka couldn’t contain her joy, her expression softening, cheeks pink with shyness.

Haruto took a step closer.

"Ayaka, there’s something I want to tell you."

"Y-yes…?"

His sudden serious gaze made her widen her eyes in surprise.

"With everything that happened with Grandma, I was saved by you, Ayaka."

"Mm…"

"And it made me realize something again. You’re an incredibly important person to me."

Haruto paused.

The tension that had eased during their talk returned stronger than ever, drying his throat.

But he pushed on, determined to voice the feelings inside him.

"My only family is Grandma. The thought of losing her, of being left alone… it terrified me. But the words you said then saved me."

"…Th-that was, um…"

Ayaka instantly realized what words he meant. Her cheeks flushed red, and she averted her eyes briefly in embarrassment. But only briefly. She quickly straightened her expression and met his gaze firmly.

"Those words were my true feelings. What I felt then hasn’t changed now."

Haruto, looking back with equal determination, nodded slightly.

"Thank you. And I’m sorry. Back then, I was so caught up in myself that I couldn’t respond properly to your feelings."

At this point, Ayaka seemed to realize where his words were heading. Her expression wavered with a mix of anticipation and nervousness.

"…"

"When you said you’d be by my side as family, I was saved. And now, I’ve realized something."

Haruto swallowed hard, his heart pounding as he spoke.

"I want to become family with you too, Ayaka."

"!?"

Ayaka’s breath caught, her eyes widening.

"As family, I want to stay by your side from now on. Just like you supported me, I want to be your support when sadness or fear threatens you. I want to share every joy with you. I want to be the one closest to your smile. I want to make you happy, so I can see that smile as much as possible."

He spoke all in one go, then took a deep breath to steady himself.

"Always, forever. That’s how I truly feel. So… will you become family with me?"

Ayaka closed her eyes, letting his words sink in. After a short silence, she opened them again and nodded deeply.

"Yes. I’ll become family with you. I want to become family with you, Haruto!"

The instant he heard her answer, joy welled up inside Haruto’s heart, and the heavy weight of his nervousness finally lifted.

"Haa…" He exhaled deeply.

"Thank goodness… If you’d rejected me, I probably would’ve collapsed."

"Hehe, as if I’d say no."

Ayaka’s smile radiated with happiness.

"But of course I was nervous! This is about the rest of our lives."

"Yeah. It decides our whole future."

They exchanged words, then gazed into each other’s eyes in silence.

"…"

"…"

After a while, Haruto hesitantly spoke again.

"So… this means we’re going to get married, right?"

"Y-yeah… I guess so."

"But we’re still in high school. We can’t exactly register it or hold a ceremony yet…"

"True, we can’t file a marriage certificate now."

"Right. So… I guess this means we’ll be dating with marriage in mind."

"So, like an engagement?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

They were still just high school students.

Even if their feelings to become family had reached each other, marriage itself still felt abstract and distant.

Then Haruto realized something important.

"We’ll need to tell Shuichi-san and Ikue-san."

"Oh, right… We need to talk to Mom and Dad properly."

"And of course, eventually, we’ll need both the Otsuki and Tōjō families to agree."

"And Grandma too. But it’s already late, so maybe we should start by telling Shuichi-san and Ikue-san."

"Yeah. I wonder what Mom and Dad will say? They really like you, Haruto, so I don’t think they’ll oppose it… but still."

"We are still in high school…"

"Mm…"

Shuichi sometimes joked about Haruto and Ayaka getting married. But Haruto believed those were just jokes, never serious.

Ikue also teased them often, but when it came to actual marriage, she might very well oppose it because of their age.

"…Well, if it comes to that, I’ll do my best to convince them. Because this isn’t a feeling I could ever give up on. I want to become family with you, Ayaka."

"Haruto…"

Ayaka looked up at him with tearful, emotional eyes.

"I’ll convince them with you! Because I absolutely want to become family with you too!"

"Thank you."

Feeling reassured by her words, Haruto squeezed her hand.

"Then, let’s go."

"Yeah."

Carrying the same resolve in their hearts, the two began walking toward the Tōjō family home—to tell Shuichi and Ikue of their decision.