After School, at a Family Restaurant at Night, With That Girl From My Class

Chapter 49

The escape that has continued since eternity reaches its end.

Translated by Dawn

The escape that has continued since eternity reaches its end.

“It’s finally over.”

Sitting alone at a table in a family restaurant, Kazemiya Kuon had a smile on her face. The words that came out were as small as squeezed droplets of water, and a tranquil warmth washed over her entire body, leaving her feeling relaxed.

The only thing she could hear through the earphones she was wearing was the pathetic soliloquy of her own mother. That woman had no clue about the existence of the eavesdropping device planted in her house.

“…Truly a miserable person.”

Their mother, abandoned by both of her daughters. From Kuon’s perspective, it was just what she deserved. She was reaping what she had sown. In fact, they even considered Kohaku’s words lukewarm.

“It’s not just Kohaku-chan. You didn’t even see me. You didn’t see me as a ‘family’ or a ‘daughter,’ but merely as an avatar to start your life anew. If you had made an effort to see Kohaku-chan or me even a little, by now…”

She didn’t vocalize the rest of the “what if” scenario. Kuon felt a slight surprise at her own inclination to utter such meaningless “what if” statements. Perhaps it was because her heart was finally relaxed after completing the long, arduous plan. The faint sense of loneliness clinging to her chest would soon be wiped away.

“Um, excuse me. Are you Kuon-san?”

A soft voice, as if trying to be considerate of their surroundings, reached her ears.

“Mm. You got it right.”

“Well, um, we’re fans… of yours.”

“Since it’s your private time, we thought maybe we shouldn’t approach you, but…”

The ones who approached her were a group of girls who seemed to be around the same age as Kohaku. They were obviously excited to have coincidentally encountered their admired ‘Kuon,’ and their words were hesitant.

“Can I have your autograph…?”

“…Sure.”

She had originally intended to leave this place immediately. She had planned to avoid encountering Kohaku any longer. However, there was no urgent need to rush. Kohaku wouldn’t come here. She would either go to the house she had prepared or return to Narumi Kouta’s house.

She signed autographs and handshakes with the three girls. Although this was something she was accustomed to, it took a bit longer than expected because the three of them eagerly shared their thoughts and admiration for Kuon’s songs.

“Thank you so much.”

“We’ve been supporting you all along.”

“Please keep doing your best.”

“Yeah. Thanks. Take care on your way home.”

It left an impression on her that the girls were considerate enough to speak softly and not draw attention from those around them. When fans approached her during their private time and asked for autographs, it often led to their voices getting louder and other fans noticing, creating a chain reaction.

Although they had approached her during her private time, these three girls made an effort to be considerate until the end, ensuring that no one else would notice. At least in Kuon’s mind, they left a positive impression.

“…I should probably go home soon.”

As she spoke the words, an involuntary self-deprecating smile crossed her face.

Go home. Even though there was no home left for her anymore.

“Well, that’s a problem. There are still things I want to talk to you about.”

“――――――――”

Her entire body stiffened upon hearing that voice.

A momentary disturbance in the vast ocean. A tremor as small as a grain of sand falling in the desert. She quickly suppressed it in an instant.

“…Why are you here, Narumi Kouta-kun?”

Narumi Kouta was there, standing in front of Kazemiya Kuon.

“I came to stop you.”

“Stop me, huh… Well, I didn’t rule out that possibility. But, you figured it out pretty well. That I would be here.”

The family restaurant, “Flowers.”

The place where Kazemiya Kohaku and Narumi Kouta had spent time together.

“I had a feeling from the beginning. When Kazemiya cut ties with her mother, you would be there, watching over her.”

“Just because of that doesn’t mean you have to be in this restaurant, right? There are plenty of other places nearby.”

“…I thought you would go to a place where you could see the scenery Kazemiya was looking like before you disappeared from her sight. That’s what I thought.”

He was right. The reason Kuon chose this restaurant was exactly as Narumi Kouta described.

The scenery that Kohaku had seen while running away from home. The scenery of the place where Kohaku was able to change.

In the end, Kuon wanted to engrave that image in her eyes.

(We really do resemble each other, don’t we? You and I.)

And he took advantage of that.

“Hey… Those girls who asked for my autograph earlier, were they part of your plan too?”

“It wouldn’t make sense if I found your whereabouts but couldn’t detain you before you disappeared. I needed to delay you before you left this restaurant. Luckily, I had a reliable and well-connected childhood friend I could rely on.”

“Ah… I see. Natsuki Inumaki, right?”

“So, you knew about him after all.”

“I have a pretty good grasp of Kohaku-chan’s surroundings… But I see. You knew that I had known Inumaki-kun’s face, so you used one of his friends instead of him. I didn’t have a full understanding of his circle of friends. You got me.”

A laugh escaped her lips. Despite her experience in the entertainment industry, Kuon had never been beaten to this extent before.

It was difficult to deal with someone so similar to herself.

She became convinced. She had no choice but to acknowledge it. The human named Narumi Kouta was the only natural enemy of Kazemiya Kuon.

“You’ve got a good pawn.”

“It’s not a pawn. It’s my best friend.”

“I don’t care. So, you’re alone? Did you leave Kohaku-chan behind? I guess so. She just cut ties with her mother and she’s feeling unstable.”

It was easy to predict. The scene easily came to her mind.

Kazemiya Kohaku, feeling lonely without her mother. Feeling sad for breaking her family with her own hands. Feeling the pain of pushing her mother away. Overwhelmed with guilt as she thought about her mother being left alone from now on, her heart choked with tears. That was the image that came to mind.

“Poor Kohaku-chan. By now, she’s crying all alone, sobbing. Isn’t her boyfriend’s job to comfort her?”

“Do you think so?”

“Well, Kohaku-chan is weak.”

Kazemiya Kohaku was weak. She was just a weak younger sister who couldn’t stand up against her older sister, Kazemiya Kuon, with her overwhelming talent and abilities.

“Even her weaknesses are so adorable, my precious angel. That’s why I entrusted her to you. But what are you doing right now?”

Kuon tore apart the mask of a smile in front of the man who left his crying sister behind.

“Hurry up and go back to Kohaku-chan. I’ll crush you.”

It was not a superficial threat. If Narumi Kouta wasn’t useful, Kuon would resort to other means.

“I’m not going back. …Actually, you’ve got it all wrong.”

“What?”

“I’m just buying time as well.”

“――――…!”

“I’m not the one stopping you.”

Gasping for breath, the person who entered the restaurant was…

“It’s Kazemiya Kohaku.”

***

Kazemiya Kuon looked at her sister as if she were seeing something unbelievable.

“I made it in time, it seems… Sorry for being late. It took me a little while to calm down.”

“I wasn’t really waiting, so don’t worry about it.”

Kazemiya Kuon disappeared. The timing of her disappearance was predictable.

The general location was also predictable. The problem was the timing. I felt that there was a high chance of Kazemiya Kuon disappearing at the moment Kazemiya cut ties with her mother.

Even if I had been confident in the location from the beginning and went straight there, there was a possibility of not making it in time. Above all, Kazemiya would be facing her immediately after cutting ties with her mother. I believed that Kazemiya needed time to mentally settle down.

That’s why I needed to buy time.

I asked for Natsuki’s cooperation, believing that Kazemiya would recover and calm down on her own, and I ran to this place as quickly as possible――――And Kazemiya Kohaku made it in time, defying Kazemiya Kuon’s prediction.

“…”

“It’s kind of… nice. To be able to see that expression on your face, big sister.”

“…Yeah, honestly, I was surprised. I didn’t think there was a reason for Kohaku-chan to come here, aside from Narumi Kouta-kun.”

“…Why?”

“Well, since you’re here, there’s nothing we can do about it, right? Anyway, congratulations. Your Big sister is happy too.”

Without answering her sister’s question, she plastered on a mask of a smile instead.

“I understand. It’s difficult. It’s painful. Even though she’s like that, she’s still our mother. It must have taken a lot of courage for Kohaku-chan to cut ties with her on your own. I didn’t want to put Kohaku-chan through such a painful experience… but it was necessary. It was for Kohaku-chan’s happiness.”

“For my happiness… it was necessary… to push Mom to that extent?”

“Breaking our mother like that was just a means to an end. It was certainly one of the objectives, but what I really aimed for was to give Kohaku-chan a sense of accomplishment.”

Kazemiya Kuon traced her finger over the empty glass in front of her.

“Kohaku-chan, you have always been inferior to me since we were children. You were always losing. Every day, you were branded with the label of failure. That’s why Kohaku-chan, you lack self-confidence. That’s why you were suppressed by our mother. What you needed was a taste of success. Not just ordinary success. You needed to cut off the root cause that has tormented your life――――to discard unnecessary things for your own happiness. You needed that ultimate experience of success.”

It had been some time since she finished her drink. The ice inside had melted, turning into clear water.

“By once cutting off something important on your own, you will gain the ability to make the same choices in the future. It will give you the power to mercilessly discard things that torment you in your life from now on. The fragile angel Kohaku-chan will be reborn as a strong being. Making you discard our mother was a ritual for that purpose.”

Kazemiya Kuon’s face trembled with joy. She was soaked in ecstasy.

“All that’s left is for me to disappear, and I can erase everything that taints your life, Kohaku-chan. I can give you a brand new life, pure and untainted, freed from the curse of family. You understand, don’t you? This is… the only thing I can do as your sister, for your sake, Kohaku-chan…”

“Don’t decide things on your own.”

In the midst of the bustling noise of the family restaurant, Kazemiya’s voice sounded strangely resolute.

Kazemiya Kuon, who had been pouring out her obsession and speaking passionately just moments ago, came to a halt.

“Don’t decide on your own that Sister and Mom are unnecessary in my life. Don’t decide on your own that you two disappearance is my happiness.”

“I’m not deciding on my own. I just understand.”

“No, you don’t. Big sister, you don’t understand at all. Both you and Mom are more than just sources of pain for me.”

“That can’t be true.”

In response to her sister’s plea, Kazemiya Kuon could only let out a self-deprecating smile.

“I know. I know how much Kohaku-chan has suffered because of the talent called ‘Kazemiya Kuon.’ How much you have been hurt and hurt by those around you. But above all, I couldn’t forgive myself.”

“…Why?”

“Because it’s true, isn’t it? Kohaku-chan gave me the ‘song.’ And yet… I, ‘Kazemiya Kuon’… No matter how hard I struggled, I could only give Kohaku-chan wounds and pain…!”

We understood it now. We understood how important ‘song’ was to Kazemiya Kuon. And this person had witnessed how Kazemiya Kohaku had been hurt by the overwhelming talent of ‘Kazemiya Kuon.’ She had also been crushed by guilt for seeing her sister in such pain.

“I wanted to die. I wanted to disappear from this world forever. But I wanted to sing. I was most afraid of not being able to sing if I died. I am tainted. I am a mass of ego. Even though the angel who gave me the song is hurting, I still want to sing. That’s why I…!”

“You still don’t understand anything, big sister.”

I saw Kazemiya Kuon in such an emotional state for the first time.

Kazemiya probably felt the same way. But she still faced her sister calmly, right in front of her.

“I certainly have been hurt by your talent, big sister. I’ve felt jealousy and despair. But more than that… I admired you. I was proud of you, even more than I was hurt myself.”

“—No… that’s a lie.”

“It’s not a lie.”

“I can’t believe it.”

“Believe me.”

It was strange. In terms of the situation, Kazemiya Kuon had the advantage. She had managed to drag down their mother, separate herself from Kazemiya, and her plan had mostly been achieved. If she wanted, she could abruptly end the conversation and disappear at any moment.

And yet, it was Kazemiya Kuon who seems cornered.

“Actually, it would be inconvenient if you just disappeared on your own. I mean, I plan to live with you from now on, big sister.”

“What… Why…?”

“Why? Well, I can’t go back to that house where Mom is for a while. You prepared a house for me, but it’s too big to live in alone. Besides, you can’t just unilaterally tell me to live on my own and expect me to agree, right? What? Did you think I would be ecstatic about it?”

“……………………”

It seemed that was what she thought. Kazemiya Kuon was completely bewildered by Kazemiya’s choice. She, who could predict and understand their mother’s words and actions perfectly, couldn’t understand this.

“So, big sister, you also have those moments when you’re clueless. It’s somehow reassuring.”

While Kazemiya Kuon was perplexed, Kazemiya appeared to be calm and composed.

“Kuon-san, you and I are similar. But being similar doesn’t mean we’re the same.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“You underestimate Kazemiya too much.”

An impression that I felt in Kazemiya Kuon’s words and actions.

She loved her sister, but at the same time, she underestimated her sister’s strength.

In the eyes of the older sister, the younger sister remained a fragile angel.

“I don’t know how things were in the past, but at least the current Kazemiya is not as weak as you think. Look at the current Kazemiya properly.”

“What are you talking about… I am looking. I am looking, right?”

“No, you’re not. You’re just running away. From Kazemiya… from the family.”

This person, too, was just like me.

Just a human who ran away from the family, escaping from it all.

“Hey, big sister. We’ve been running away enough. I’m okay now. So… let’s start anew. As a family.”

“But… my presence might hurt you again, Kohaku-chan.”

“I’m sure it will hurt. It will be painful and difficult. But you know, at that time, I can run away again and rest. And now… I have a boyfriend who will run away with me.”

We held hands under the table. The warmth of our entwined fingers never let go.

“Running away, resting, and starting to walk again… Maybe that’s what life is about. Though I’m not sure because I’m just a kid.”

“A kid… In fact, I’m surprised to see that you’ve become so mature without me noticing.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. Kohaku-chan is already… much more mature than me.”

That was probably Kazemiya Kuon’s declaration of defeat—and maybe, it was the moment when Kazemiya Kohaku was finally able to win against her sister.