Chapter 17 [End]

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Chapter 17:

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Ami-san seemed to have seriously thought about moving, but after a month or two, there was no sign of Yuka showing up, so she didn't end up moving.

The season was spring.

Riko was now a sophomore in high school, and nothing much had changed for me.

As usual, Riko and I continued to date, and as usual, our relationship was platonic. It was a promise I made to Ami-san, and I didn't feel the need to rush into a relationship. However, I wondered if it would be okay to at least kiss her.

While I was thinking about this, the season had shifted to summer.

My heart seemed to have healed completely (I guess time had taken care of that), but Riko didn't want to talk about her mother at all. So, I didn't dare to talk about Yuka either, and I was very careful not to mention her name at a moment's notice.

-June 26th.

Riko's birthday happened to fall on a holiday, so we went to a fancy Italian restaurant that I had booked in advance, where I gave her the necklace I had bought her as a birthday present.

"Wow … it’s so beautiful."

Riko muttered with a look of love on her face.

“Thank you very much, Kazuma-san.”

"Yes, you're welcome.”

"Next year…"

Saying that Riko stared at the back of her left hand.

“I want a ring.”

She said in a tone that was neither serious nor joking.

“You're not ready for a ring yet.”

"Fufu. I guess so."

It was probably a joke, and she chuckled elegantly.

After we finished eating, we walked together through the night. I thought we were wandering aimlessly, but I found myself at the park where I met Riko for the first time.

"Oh, this is…"

"Yes, this was the park where we met, wasn't it?"

I tugged on Riko's hand to lead the way.

“Let's stop by.”

“Okay.”

We walked into the park.

If she hadn't been picked up by the delinquents, I wouldn't have been able to help her, and if I hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to talk to her. Just as dots connect to form a line, a number of coincidental elements connect to form a path, and the present moment in which I am dating Riko exists.

My fateful encounter with Riko was created by a number of coincidences.

…The thought about it suggests that I'm a bit of a romantic. It’s embarrassing for a grown man like me who will turn 34 this year.

I should be grateful to those delinquent boys who gave me the opportunity to get to know Riko. I don't want to see them again, though.

Fortunately, the park was empty. A cool breeze was blowing gently.

This was the bench, the place where it all began, still stood quietly.

Yes, I was sitting here drinking a beer on my way home from work when I happened to see a high school girl. It was Riko.

“Shall we sit?”

“Yes."

As I sat down on the bench, I saw a fountain in the distance. The fountain was not lit up, of course, and it was spewing muddy, dirty water weakly. It was not a good location.

"Hey, Riko. When do you want to get married?"

I asked the question that had been bothering me for a while.

"Eh? Yes,... that’s right”

Riko stared at the fountain.

“Ideally, I'd like to get married right now, but I know that's not possible…”

Then she stares at me and tilts her head in a cute way.

“So, can't we get married as soon as I graduate from high school?”

"No, it's not that, but …are you sure you want to get married so soon?”

“If we get married after my graduation from college, we'll have to wait almost six more years.”

As if to protest, Riko said with a pouting face.

“You're right, six years is a long time…Hmmm…”

By the time we get married, I'll be forty years old.

But - even if we love each other now, we don't know what it will be like in two or three years. It's much more likely that Riko will hate an uncle like me.

If we get divorced right after marriage, I would be around in my late 30’s, but Riko would still be considered a young woman and might be looked at strangely by the people around her.

To be honest, I was hesitant to get married at the same time she graduated from high school.

"Hey, Kazuma-san.”

Riko looked up at me and peered into my face.

Riko seems to understand what I'm thinking.

“I love you, Kazuma-san. Now and forever.”

Riko's white, thin hand stroked my hair and stopped at my cheek.

“I love you, Kazuma-san. I will continue to love only Kazuma-san for the rest of my life. So…"

Riko's soft l.ips gently touched mine.

It is a kiss for that vow.

Riko moved her face away from mine just a little bit, and asked me.

"Will you swear to love me and only me for the rest of your life, Kazuma-san?”

"Yes. Of course I will.”

I hugged Riko and kissed her softly.

-The End

(T/N: Kyaaa…)

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A/N: 

Thank you very much for reading this story.

This is a short story, and my original plan was to finish it in about 10,000 to 20,000 words, but it turned out to be unexpectedly long, and I ended up with more than 30,000 words. If I wanted to continue, I could have gone on, but the story became redundant, so I decided to finish it here…

I'm also working on other short and long stories, so I hope you'll read those as well.

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Actually, I thought about ending this novel last year, but I … I got a fever + cold + headache (...id +ve) !!

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