Chapter 25: The Third Simulation Ends
"My dear, please forgive me for leaving."
"I can't drag you down anymore."
"I am a burden. I have been since I was a child."
"My parents divorced because of me. My sister kept delaying her schooling because of me. Grandma overworked herself because of me… and she's gone now. And my mother works hard every single day because of me."
"For someone like me to actually want to live a good life when I was little, to even want to make friends... I was truly greedy."
"I am grateful to my family. They tolerated someone as terrible and unfortunate as me, allowing me to take a good look at this world, which is neither gentle nor kind."
"Haha, does the 'me' writing this seem different from the strong and gentle image I showed you? I'm sorry. >_<"
"I'm actually a bit of a bad woman deep down. I'm not as good as I seem on the surface. I've complained about the world, complained about my parents, and complained about many things."
"Please keep my secret, okay?"
"Ah, I said 'I'm sorry' again without realizing it. Scratch that, scratch that."
"I need to write this seriously."
"Haruka, your appearance was truly, truly my light."
"Back then, I had actually already given up. I thought the world was just like that—that even normal people couldn't achieve equality and understanding, that there would always be all kinds of discrimination, let alone for a monster like me. I was just unwilling to accept it in my heart, so I transferred schools holding onto one last shred of hope."
"But then you came, and for the first time, I felt that the world was so beautiful."
"From the moment you applauded... From the moment you explained the atmosphere to me... From the moment you pulled me into the Service Club to make friends... From the moment you went on stage and sang the song that belonged to me, a monster... From the moment you fought for me against my mother... From the moment you worked desperately to earn money for me..."
"Since high school, my world has been entirely you."
"Do you like lovey-dovey talk like this?"
"With your encouragement, I made friends, became a teacher, and found my own voice. Although there are still some regrets—like not being able to sing personally—it is enough."
"I am very happy. Truly, very happy."
"But why? Why hasn't the nightmare that has haunted me my whole life ended? Just when I was full of hope, wishing to join hands with you for a happy future, I was told I would lose my hearing completely."
"I don't know how to tell you about my pain."
"But truly, it hurts so much. ╯﹏╰"
"Fortunately, I still had you by my side. But watching you give up your career, give up your freedom, and give up your future for me..."
"I knew it was time to let go."
"Thinking about it carefully, I seem to have never done anything for you. It has always been you giving to me, considering me, changing for me."
"This isn't right. This only proves that I am a burden. Before, I was immersed in happiness and actually enjoyed your sacrifices with peace of mind. I really am a bad woman."
"So, I don't want to bind you anymore. To love someone means to consider their well-being. If our love continues, it will only be torture for you. If you are not happy, then I am not happy."
"Let me go. I'm going to another world."
"Don't you dare be in a rush to meet me. If you come down too early, I'll bonk you on the head really hard. ( •̀ ᴖ •́ )"
"You must live well. Listen to music, see the world, and experience all kinds of people and things."
"Do it for me, okay?"
"Finally, I wish you peace and wellness."
"Your lover—Shoko Nishimiya."
The letter was long, but it had an end. Haruka read it over and over again.
It felt like it would never end.
Drip, drip...
...
[Shoko is gone.]
[You were unwilling to accept this cruel fact. To you, Shoko was already part of your life. Perhaps many people would think she was a burden, but you always knew who you had walked this far for.]
[Shoko's mother arrived. She screamed curses at you, even wanting to hit you, but she was stopped by Yuzuru. Yuzuru protected you and expressed her gratitude to you.]
[She always believed that meeting you was the luckiest thing in her sister's life.]
[But you could not accept reality.]
[You began to drink heavily.]
[You stayed inside the house every day, unwilling to go out.]
[Many people came to persuade you, but you brushed them all off perfunctorily.]
[The scars on the soul cannot be healed by words.]
[For a full six months, you did not take a single step out of your room. During this time, it was Yuzuru who took care of you.]
[Until one day, six months later.]
[Ai Hayasaka arrived. She hung you up and beat the hell out of you.]
[Yuzuru tried to stop her, but she was completely no match for Hayasaka.]
[Ai Hayasaka was not good with words—or perhaps she just didn't know what to say in front of you—but that didn't affect her actions.]
[As long as you remained in that house, she would come over every day and beat you. Although the behavior was rough and unlike her usual style, you had to admit, it was effective.]
[Especially when Ai Hayasaka held up that jar of paper cranes. Your powerlessness in the face of her attacks suddenly jolted you awake.]
[You began to pull yourself together.]
[You discovered that in six months, you had become haggard beyond recognition.]
[You began your recovery.]
[You started to improve yourself extensively.]
[Exercise, combat training, running, business management, music theory.]
[Age 26: Yuzuru tried to comfort you in her sister's place. You furiously scolded her.]
[Age 28: You became the owner of a mid-sized company.]
[Age 29: Your parents urged you to marry. You refused. You noticed your sister harbored improper intentions toward you. You scolded her sternly.]
[Age 31: You participated in numerous competitions and gained the title of athletic expert.]
[Age 33: You advised Yuzuru and Sora to stop thinking about you. They both mocked you.]
[Age 35: You began to develop in music. Your talent was average, but your fanatical drive shocked even your mentors.]
[Age 38: Your songs gained a small amount of fame.]
[Age 39: Your parents urged you to marry again. You brushed them off. Sora remained unmarried and declared to the family that she would never marry.]
[Age 45: You focused your main energy on public welfare undertakings for hearing-impaired children.]
[Age 52: Capital ran rampant. Your efforts were ultimately limited. Even with Ai Hayasaka's help, you only established a small aid center for deaf children. But you did not give up. You worked hard, day in and day out, for ten years.]
[Age 56: Parents passed away. Sora, still unmarried, moved in with you.]
[Age 58: Ai Hayasaka, also aging, proposed to you. You rejected her.]
[Age 62: You enjoyed a great reputation. People called you a man of great compassion.]
[Age 65: You became ill from worry and grief. Your life was nearing its end.]
In a white hospital room.
Haruka lay weakly on the bed.
Beside him were three women.
Yuzuru, who had always tried to make up for her sister's absence; Sora, who had always harbored improper feelings; and Ai Hayasaka, who had always acted like a tool to be used.
"You guys... are really stupid..."
Haruka spoke softly.
Yuzuru's gaze was calm.
She had always seen how much her brother-in-law had given for her sister. After growing up, she never met another man like him. Perhaps from that moment on, her fate had been sealed.
Sora lowered her eyes and wept.
Ai Hayasaka simply held Haruka's hand tight, tears in her eyes. "You bastard. You treated me like a tool for a whole lifetime. Now that you're leaving, can't you just say you love me?"
Haruka just smiled at her.
Ai Hayasaka understood.
"Heh, you really are a bastard."
After arranging his final affairs.
Haruka calmly closed his eyes.
"Shoko, I'm coming to see you. Don't bonk my head, okay?"
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