Translated: Sei, MTL-sensei-tachi
Edited: Sei, Grammarly no Danna

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Epilogue | "From Now On" | Remake our Life!

    

    Thus, I came back to 2007.


    In the end, I never did figure out the reason why I flew to the world of 2018. The boundary with this world remained so vague that I wondered if it had been a long, long dream. After the conversation with Tsurayuki, and lying at the entrance of the share house, I couldn't help but recall the moments in between.

    But I guess it wasn't a dream after all. Because the world of 2018 has taught me so much. I've been slapped on the butt, head, and many other places, and encouraged to be strong.

    I don't think there is such a thing as a convenient dream, and if there was, I think the god who showed me that dream must be very kind or caring.


    The day after I came back, I was immediately confused by the world of ten years ago.

    I suddenly felt like crying when I listened to Nanako's song, and whenever I made eye contact with Shinoaki, my face started to flush. There was no way I could forget about them 10 years from now, but it seemed easier to live with partial forgetfulness in my life.

    But I decided to bite the bullet and live with it. There existed a world where things that should have been taken for granted had disappeared so cleanly. It seemed to me that I was ready to live my life feeling grateful for that.


    After the Golden Week, I started to attend the university.

    "Gahahahaha, what's wrong, Hashiba? You've suddenly lost your energy. Is it the summer heat?"

    He was still the same, which made me strangely happy.

    "No, I'm fine. No problem."

    "Oh, I see! Whenever you're tired of living, let me know and I'll pick up a game recommendation that works so well that you'll feel silly for worrying about it!"

    It seems that Hikawa has been selected as the deputy director of the ninja club, and he is devoting himself even more to his training. If his on-stage antics improve, he'll be ready to take the lead in no time. ...... was a remark from a senpai I met recently.

    Other than that, there were no significant changes as the grade level changed from 1 to 2.

    The circle was still the same place with a peaceful atmosphere. Kakihara-san was dancing in front of the club room, saying that it was before the test, and Sugimoto-san was singing an opera with a voice that could reach the other side of the mountain.

    Ah, if there was one thing, it would be that a certain senior who used to treat me like a new student to an excessive degree suddenly stopped treating me like that, like he had turned his attitude.

    "Hassy is like this, why are you suddenly getting old?"

    "I don't mean to be."

    "I understand! I understand, but this is the kind of thing you notice when someone tells you, and you don't know it yourself, right, Hiyama-chan."

    "You're the one who's aged like crazy in the last two months, though."

    A certain senior hurriedly began to check his gray hair in the mirror.


    "Hashiba, didn't you take the philosophy next?"

    And here is one woman who confuses me.

    "Ah, y-yeah, I took it, I took it."

    Seeing her face, I couldn't help but act suspicious,

    "What's with all the panic? If you've picked it, let's go. It's first come, first served."

    She said in astonishment and walked briskly away.

    Kawasegawa was the same as usual Kawasegawa. Of course, the woman who had given me courage was not there.

    Here is that strong, stubborn Kawasegawa Eiko, who is still in the middle of fighting for all directions.

    Nevertheless, there is no doubt that she is a she, and I can't help but remember the incident at the airport and can't help to ask Kawasegawa.

    "Ne~e, Kawasegawa, I have a little question."

    "What"

    "You know, ...... if I'm in a lot of trouble and I ask you to help me, will you drop everything and ...... help me?"

    Kawasegawa looked at me with the most suspicious eyes she could muster,

    "... Hashiba, don't you think you should go to the hospital for a checkup?"

    "Ah, yes... I'm sorry."

    The 10 years later Kawasegawa, wasn't she a little adapted to the memories of the past?


    Rokuonji Tsurayuki disappeared from the university quickly.

    Just after the vacation, Kanou, the teacher in charge of the grade, made an announcement in the general class. My classmates did not react with any surprises. It wasn't that they were all cold-hearted, it was just that it wasn't that uncommon for people to drop out of art school because of its high dropout rate.

    "He said it was a family matter, but Hashiba, did he tell you anything else?"

    During the break, sensei suddenly asked me about that.

    "No, I don't really..."

    I couldn't tell her the truth, as I should have.

    "I see... Even though now that the tuition matter is settled, that's too bad."

    "Yes, but it's his choice."

    Sensei was a little surprised, and then, with a strangely gentle face, said.

    "...I see, that's right."

    With a few short words, she brought the talk to a close.

    If he is still Kawagoe Kyoichi. And if I can live my future in a different way. I believe that we will meet somewhere.


    And.

    There was a gradual change in the girls.


    "Kyouya, this is about the other day... what do you think?"

    Nanako asked me while biting into a piece of curry bread in the school cafeteria.

    "I wonder what it was about, the e-mail from that ardent male fan? But didn't Nanako reply to it in a very casual way."

    "N-Not about that! Well, I wanted to talk to Kyouya about that too!"

    Nanako replied with a bright red face.

    "So, what? Is this about a request to create a personal website?"

    "Uu... I'd really like to talk to you about that too, but that's another thing, etto!"

    Shaking her head, she took a breath,

    "It's about the request! I got an e-mail from some doujin game circle, ano."

    She said as if to gather her strength.

    "You're talking about writing and singing the theme song, right? I think you can try it."

    "Hmm... I see"

    She sang the theme song for a doujin game, and through her reputation on the Internet, she began to receive requests to work around music.

    "It's kind of... scary to accept a request from someone you don't know."

    Even though she had even broadcasted her work to the world, Nanako was still a scaredy-cat.

    "Go ahead, take the plunge. Like the last time we uploaded a song."

    "But that was done by Kyouya..."

    Then she glanced at me to see how I looked.

    Here, it was easy to answer that I'll give Nanako a helping hand and then take care of uploading and negotiating with people who request it.

    But I wondered if it would really be good for her. I couldn't tell, and it wasn't something that could be easily answered.

    "Yes, good luck and try to do it alone!"

    "Uwaan, Kyouya is mean!"

    I was tapped on the head, but I didn't bend my will.


    By herself. Do it herself.

    It's important that she's willing to do that on her own, even if it seems a bit of a pushover.

    If she asks me for something after that ...... then we can do it together.

    Not because I want to do something with her, but because I want to run at full speed with her.

    ―― If I do so, I believe that I will meet N@NA.


    The change in Shinoaki was much more apparent than in Nanako.

    "Kyouya-kun, you're not going to make another game?"

    On the way home from college, she unexpectedly asked me such a question.

    "Eh, no... I don't really have any plans at the moment."

    I replied,

    "I see......"

    A little disappointed, Shinoaki replied.


    After our doujin games were successfully distributed, people started to expect our "next work" which we had never thought of before.

    However, I was estranged from the people of Hallucigenia Soft as if we had never made a game together, and I can only vaguely remember how we were working on the game at that time.

    (I wonder if it's because the production schedule was ridiculously tight...)

    It was such a dense production that when I look back on it now, I am impressed with how well it was completed.

    However, Tsurayuki is no longer with us, and the connection with Hallucigenia is weak.

    It was a high hurdle for me to make my so-called next work.

    "I don't feel like drawing."

    While eating the ramen with insufficient hot water, she tilted her head.

    While watching the flock of crows from the veranda on the second floor of the share house.

    She was snoozing on the futon she had hung out to dry.

    Shinoaki said that in a laid-back tone as usual.

    She was just sort of saying it, but I was not so sure.

    (Perhaps Shinoaki will stop drawing at this point)

    I hadn't asked her exactly when she quit drawing, it could have been tomorrow, it could have been today.

    "Why don't you feel like drawing?"

    I took a chance and asked Shinoaki.

    "Hmm..."

    Shinoaki thought about it, and,

    "I've run out of inspiration."

    Shinoaki was looking for a reason to draw.

    Originally, she had shown her existence by drawing. But when she met friends at the share house, she found another reason to exist.

    "Maybe it's burnout, of a sort"

    When I talked to Kawasegawa on the phone about the situation, she gave me such an answer.

    Perhaps the fact that she drew so many pictures within the limitations of the game production stage caused her to suddenly awaken after she finished.

    When I was told, the answer was believable.

    "Assuming that's the case, what should I do..."

    The most obvious way was to create a game.

    However, I don't have a clear goal and reason as I did last time. I don't think anyone, including Shinoaki herself, would agree with the idea of making a game to keep her motivated.

    Besides, if I took care of her too carefully, it would be no different from what I did before. I need to bring her something that will motivate her, while still valuing her independence.

    Then what would be a good reason?

    " ―― Let's think, there must be something."

    I was remembering Kawasegawa's words again. There is no such thing as futility in this world. If that's the case, then there must be a reason why I flew to the future, experienced many things, and came back here.

    There is one thing that is certain.

    Shinoaki has always loved drawing. It was because she loved it that she quit drawing when there was nothing left to draw, and it was because she wanted to draw that she picked up a paintbrush at that moment.

    If I can ignite the fire inside her, that's all that matters.

    If only I could push her back just a little bit.


    The next day. I had to come to school for a required class.

    I was going down a long slope alone in the slightly sweaty air.

    While folding my arms, look up or down.

    What I was thinking about was, as usual, about Shinoaki.

    I was impatient. I'd been thinking about it for the past few days since I'd returned, wanting to take some action before the enthusiasm that had been revived by 2018 wore off.

    But the answer was not so easy to find. No matter how I looked at the sky or the clouds, there was no model answer marked anywhere.

    "Hmm..."

    It was a Saturday, so there were few people on the street. So I let my guard down and started walking.

    Then, a girl came running towards me in an unusually hurried manner while facing down,

    "Waa!"

    "Kyaa!"

    We had a collision, something you don't see very often nowadays.

    "Ouch ~ ……"

    I was hit with a thrust full force in the stomach area, and I couldn't breathe for a moment.

    When I looked at her, I saw that the girl was also holding her head in her hands and groaning.

    "Sorry, did you hurt?"

    It must have been overwhelmingly painful for me because I was on my stomach and she was on her head, but since she was a girl, I called out to her.

    Her hair was long and black, and she wore large glasses. Her clothes were plain, or rather, they were generally fluffy.

    "Ah, aah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's okay."

    While saying that, the girl was trying to pick up things that were scattered around.

    "Ah, I'll help you."

    I will pick up the things scattered around me for the time being.

    A student ID card, a DVD case, and a sketchbook.

    First, I picked up the sketchbook.

    (...She's skilled, this girl)

    The page that was just turned out had an illustration of a girl on it.

    The designs were realistic, and although they weren't what you would call a successful line, I could see the atmosphere of having studied from a drawing.

    Then I pick up the DVD case.

    (I wonder if she's going to watch some movies)

    With that in mind, I casually picked it up, turned to the front, and,

    "Eh?!"

    I was so surprised that I dropped the case.

    "Ah!"

    The girl was also surprised and snatched the case and quickly hid it in their bag.

    "That's..."

    "N-Nothing, it's nothing!"

    Her face turned bright red and she emphasized that nothing had happened.

    Still, I couldn't forget what I had seen once.

    Because that DVD package.

    (It was the package of "Haru Sora" ...)

    It was a package for that doujin game we had made.

    "Ah, the student ID card..."

    She remains stiff with embarrassment, but I pick up the last one and hand it to her.

    The student number, 07, indicating the first year of study, was written in the grade entry field.

    I see, she just enrolled in university...?

    "......"

    And that was the end of the story.

    Ah, I was supposed to end the conversation by saying, "Oh, so there are some first-year students who play the games we made".


    Student ID card.

    I looked and froze. This time it was me.

    No way. No, but surely,


    "Aaaa, I-I am sorry!"

    She reached out with all her might and snatched it, just like she did with the case, and took the student ID card.


    "I-I'm really sorry, I'm late for class, please excuse me!"

    She said, half running, and left.

    I watched in a daze as she hurriedly walked up the slope, still in the same position I had been in when I picked up her student ID.

    "Haha... hahaha..."

    Seen from the surroundings, I must have been quite a strange fellow.

    After bumping into a girl, I stiffened up and just laughed.

    "I see... That's what it was"

    I was in the most exhilarated mood ever.

    I've seen the future, and I know what I need to do next. Of course, I didn't know how or in what way I would do it, but I felt as if the pieces of a puzzle were fitting together in the most perfect way.

    When I thought about the future, I was anxious, but I was much more excited about what was to come.

    "...Alright"

    I stood up. My heart was pounding, and my body was trembling heavily. The top of the hill I looked up at seemed to be filled with glimmering light.

 

Special Booklet Newly Written Short Story

    Shinoaki often does a lot of thinking. It's not something she does when she's alone in her room, but she always does it outside her room.

    One of the most common is to cover the futon mattresses that are drying and think. She would put her whole body on her own futon out of the futons lined up on the balcony, as if they were being hung out to dry together. She didn't know why she was doing it, but apparently it made her think more calmly.

    "I've become addicted to it."

    Again today, Shinoaki answered as she put herself on the futon.

    "When I stare at the sky in this fluffy, puffy state, a good composition naturally comes to mind ~"

    If you say so, there is no reason for me to stop you from my position.

    Besides, I personally enjoy watching this kind of Shinoaki. I'd like to make a video of this little animal, who is humming and making small flapping motions with her feet, and save it forever.

    "Fufufuunfun, fufufuufu, fÅ«fufufuufun ~♪"

    I wonder what the song is about. It's a melody I've never heard before.

    "What song is that?"

    "A song about Niwaka Okaki. It's on a commercial. Sometimes it came out in a fight, but you've never heard of it, right."

    Was it Kyushu local? It's natural that I don't know it.

    "After all, Shinoaki like the place where you were born, don't you?"

    "Hmm"

    Shinoaki stopped moving her feet, tilted her head and seemed to be thinking.

    "I like it. It's relaxing, there's the sea and the mountains, I want to go back there someday ~"

    In a fluffy way, Shinoaki gave me such an answer.

    "Someday Kyoya-kun should try coming too ~"

    I wonder what kind of place gave birth to such a calm and gentle girl.

    From what I've read on the internet, Fukuoka looks a bit scary, but from what I saw in Shinoaki, it looks like there are many sides to the city. A city is like that, it can be a good place or a bad place depending on how you look at it. I would like to see it with my own eyes someday.

    Then I opened my mouth to speak.

    "So, Shinoaki... I thought it would be tough if you didn't give me a composition."

    "Uu... I-I understand, I'll bring it out. Just give me a second..."

    The heartwarming atmosphere was torn apart by few sad words.

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