Onna Doushi to ka Arienai deshou to Iiharu Onna no ko wo, Hyakunichi kan de Tetteiteki ni Otosu Yuri no Ohanashi - Epilogue

My vision flipped upside down.

[Huh?]

[I can’t do this anymore, Marika. This is driving me crazy… I just want to make a mess out of you.]

[Eh, w-wait, hold on]

I was being pushed down by Aya.

　Aya, breathing on her shoulder, is looking down at me with eyes that are even more burning than usual. This pattern again! She’s using aikido even on the bed, this girl!

No, I mean, wait a second.

[You said that I can do it today]

[But, Marika, you said that I can do you, “Anytime I want.”]

[Well, that… is not what I meant! Hey, give me a break!]

　I was bitten on the neck. It’s as if Aya is reminding me of my place in our relationship, and that alone is enough to shut down my words. Oh no, I can’t resist… it’s not supposed to be like this…

[A-Aya…]

I’m sure I was the one who’s supposed to mess you, is that just the beginning? I don’t understand how I was in control of the situation until just now. Was that a dream..? That’s impossible, I still can smell the scent of Aya.

　But Aya’s eyes looking down at me were so beautiful that I couldn’t say anything.

[Well then, I’m going to enjoy my birthday present. It’s the first time I’ve ever been made to feel so rushed…You can count on me, Marika.]

As Aya licked her lips, my body seemed to be pleased by her as if saying [This is how it’s supposed to be]. Aaaah…

[No, this is wrong-!…]

As I expected, people don’t change right away… But Aya told me it’s important to try to change, so I’m sure I’ll get to do her in a few years… yeah…!

　As a result, what I had done for Aya was returned a hundred million times over, and my body and soul were melted away… It seems that the road to redemption is still very far…　

＊＊＊

“Mmn,” Mom stretched.

　The day after Christmas, December 26th.

　Aya and I visited Mom’s hospital room in the morning. By the way, my dad went straight back to work yesterday. I’m glad to hear that he had a good time, though.

[I’m tired after being in the hospital for a week. It’s especially hard to be restricted from eating and It’s not like I usually eat such good food. Anyway, thank you, Aya-chan.]

[Ah, don’t mind it]

　Aya went back to her house and took all her belongings with her.

　I was sad to see her leaving, but she promised to stay for only a week to begin with.

　More importantly, we were able to get along pretty well, and it seemed like it would be fun to live together in the future.

[It was fun. No, it’s not like I can say that I had fun while dear mother was in the hospital… Well, it was fun.]

[I’m glad to hear that. I’m glad to hear that, but didn’t my Marika bother you? She’s spoiled, lonely, and childish, isn’t she?]

[Hey, hey, let’s stop it there, it’s embarrassing.]

　I, carrying my mother’s bag with a change of clothes, stopped her with half an eye open.

　Aya was giggling elegantly. I can’t believe that the woman who messed me up last night is so innocent.

[Aya-chan, please come visit me again when you have a chance. I want to thank you for this time]

[Yes, by all means.]

　I guess it’s impossible to mess around like that when my mother is around.

　Because we were doing all kinds of things not only in our room but also in the bathroom and living room. Of course, all traces have been erased, so we’re fine. ……

　Just thinking about it makes me blush.

[Then, Marika. here]

[Ah, okay]

　Aya put the duplicate key in my palm and handed it back to me. When I received it, I felt my heart tighten.

　I’m sure it’s because I’m sad that my life with Aya is over.

　When Aya was greeting the guests at the birthday party, she said that there was a time when it was difficult for her to be at home. I wonder if Aya is okay now. I hope she doesn’t go back to her home where it’s hard for her to be.

[Nee, Aya chan]

　As she was leaving the hospital, my mother stopped Aya. When she turned around, her mother smiled at her in her usual casual, joking tone

[Thank you very much for taking care of my Marika. You can just marry her.]

　I had no idea if it was a joke or not, and I was stunned. But I thought that it was not surprising that my mother would have noticed. It was just like when Reina stopped me at the intersection in Shinjuku.

Aya looked at me for a second.

　Then she smiles gently and chuckles.

[Thank you, dear mother, but don’t worry. Marika is my precious friend.] replied Aya.

“My precious friend”, huh.

　I’m sure it was a lie she told to protect me.

　You never once lied to me when you were with me.

[I see], My mother laughed and Aya bowed her head

　Aya turned her back on me and walked away. I was supposed to take a cab home. So I had to say goodbye to Aya here. For some reason, I’m still holding on to the duplicate key that was returned to me.

　Suddenly, I remember. Reina was very thorough. She conveniently lied to her friends at school for the sake of what she loved the most, and it was annoying.

　But if you can’t do everything right, then you have to order things, and sometimes you have to lie things off, and Reina was probably smart enough to know that.

　In the same way, Aya lied for me, the most important person in the world right now. I told her that it was more important to hide her confusion and laugh to maintain the atmosphere than to destroy it.

　Aya is really the same as when she didn’t tell me about her birthday. She thinks she doesn’t care about herself. But I do think about it as my first priority…

My chest is in agony.

[Hey, Mom.]

[Hm~?]

I looked at my mom, who was waiting for a cab with me.

I compare the back of Aya’s face, which is getting smaller and smaller, compared to my mother’s.

　I’m done. I don’t care about school or anything.

　I wonder if she didn’t think that I would think that Aya, who tried to be faithful to her, would end up lying to her.

　I like that clumsy side of you, though.

　I sighed.

　I don’t care if the atmosphere is broken. It doesn’t matter if the house is no longer enjoyable for a while. As long as you can prioritize what’s most important to you…

— There’s no way I’m thinking of something like that.

　That’s Reina’s way of thinking.

I’m different, Aya.

I raised my head high and stared at my mother.

I don’t have to choose one or the other. They are both important. If that’s the case, I’m not going to cut either of them out. I’m going to do them all. As Reina said, it may be a very arrogant and self-satisfied way of thinking.

　But, you know, if I give up from the beginning, it will remain impossible.

That’s why, I opened my mouth.

[Me and Aya, we’re actually dating.]

“Eh?”　I heard my mother’s voice as her mouth dropped open in surprise.

[You know, we’re both girls, but we’re… lovers, and Aya is my…]

I squeezed my palms tightly together.

　No matter how hard it is, I try my best to put it into words.

[‘m sorry for not telling you. But, Aya, said earlier that I’m her “precious friend”. That was just a lie for me. That’s why I didn’t want to leave it as it was.]

My Mom went quiet for a second

　But suddenly, she folds her arms and starts grunting, [Hmmm..]

[Well that, it shocked me]

[I guess, so]

[Do you like girls?]

[No, you’re missing the point. I like Aya]

　A bit of a late wind blew past us.

　The weather was fine, it’s your daily winter day.

My mother’s mood remained soft.

[Um… are you going to get married or something?]

　I tried to face the questions that are asked to me.

[I don’t know yet. But,  I think I want to.]

[It’s tough being a woman, as you may know. It’s not only about public opinion but also about money. If you can’t get married, you can’t get tax deductions, so you have to earn enough money to make ends meet.]

[Yeah, I know]

　Even though we were in the middle of such a serious conversation, Mom yawned.

　No, no, no, wait. Why are you yawning? I was all fired up when I said that. Even my hands were shaking. I didn’t know what was going to happen, I was so scared.

[You haven’t told your father yet, have you?]

[Yeah]

[Well, I don’t think you need to talk about it. I don’t think we have to talk about who you’re dating or anything like that.]

[That so?]

[You’re not doing anything wrong, you know. You like Aya and you’re going out with her, right? You’re a girl at that age, so you’re bound to fall in love or two.]

　She said this as if she was talking to herself.

Then she put her hands on her hips

[I see… Aya-chan. I don’t know what to say as your mother in this situation. My dream of having my daughter in a love affair has come true, but it’s harder than I thought…

[What’s that? You’re an adult, so say something like an adult please.]

[Okay then. Well, just one thing.]

　As expected, I was nervous about what she was going to say, but my mom patted me on the head. Her face was kind.

[If you have any problems, you can always consult me.]

[Yeah]

　We waited for a while. I waited for a while, but my mom didn’t say another word and opened her phone.

[Eh, that’s all?!]

[What? It’s over, I told you that I’d only say one thing]

[I thought you’d say something like, “Why are you going out with a girl?”, or ”What do you do when you’re doing it with a girl?” or  “What’s the point of dating a girl?” or “You’re creepy” or something like that]

[I think you have good taste in choosing Aya-chan]]

[I see~!]

　I’m not sure what to say. Anyway, I’m really happy with how it turns out

[If anything, it’s nice that I don’t have to nag you to use birth control since you’re not dating a boy.]

[Well that…]

[I mean, ]

　The cab arrived. Mom lifted her luggage from the ground and told me with a smile.

[That’s the first thing a mother has to say to her daughter when she gets a boyfriend.]

　In the face of such a completely unchanging attitude, instead of being angry that I had prepared myself and worked so hard, I thought, [Oh well, I guess my mother will always be my mother, carefree as always.]

　But that’s okay. I feel like I’ve been rescued by an overly understanding mother, at least I’m the one who decided to say it.

With this, I’ve successfully moved one step forward. I’m sure of that.

　Later, when I told Aya that I had told my mother, she was so surprised. But when I continued to tell her that the next time she would come to see her, it would be as my lover, not as my precious friend, her face turned bright red. That was just too cute.

[If I could spend the rest of my life with this girl, I would be so happy.] I thought.

TL: Hyou
ED: Grammarly

Yeay, we’re done with V3…. well, that was the plan till I figured out that there’s still a short story after this.

Anyway, as always, thanks for reading Arioto and I’d appreciate any donations if you enjoy my translations. Okay, GN. Imma sleep.

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