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

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Chapter 5 | Her and His Poetry | Remake our Life! ◄◄


Part 4

I returned to the parlor and opened the sliding door.

"Tsurayuki—"

There was a slightly surprised look on my father's face.

"...Dad, this is my answer."

I walked into the room with a big cardboard box in my arms.

"I see, this is easy to understand."

Dad nodded.

"You can't win in a discussion, are going to run away again. Just as I expected."

If I were shown all this, I might indeed think so.

Smiling wryly inwardly, I shook my head in denial,

"No, you're wrong. I want... you to see it."

I opened the cardboard box and spread out what was inside onto the desk.

"This is..."

What was spread out was a bundle of all kinds of paper.

There was a wide variety: manuscript paper, printed out paper, notepaper, turned over printouts handed out at school.

"It's what I've been writing all my life. I have so many of them, from handwritten to printed, that I don't know how many there are."

I carefully explained each one of them. 

"This was the first novel I ever set out to write. I couldn't write it halfway through, but later I became able to write it, and it took me three years to finish it. This one was an entry for a novel award. It took me a very long time to finish this one, too."

I remember every single one of them, even the idea memos and the short sentences. I remember what I was thinking at the time, and how it came to be written.

Eventually, I finished explaining the last one, and I gently closed the box. 

"That's all."

My dad remained silent and listened to my explanation.

"...So what are you trying to say by showing me this?"

I nodded and,

"All the novels, all the stories here, not one of them — was ever stopped halfway through. No matter how small or insignificant, I always finished them."

"All of them ... huh?"

For a moment, my father's voice sounded surprised.

"Yeah. Once I started making something, I wanted to be sure to give it shape. Only then did I realize that I was making something."

I looked up at the ceiling and mumbled a few words.

"Since high school, I never once stopped writing. Even if I had nothing to write about, I wrote. If I had something, I wrote many times more. Novels, short stories, poems, writing them was the only thing that kept me alive as a person."

And I quietly sat upright in front of my dad.

I made a firm decision that I would never run away.

"Indeed, I tried to give up creating. I thought it would be easier. But it was only a momentary hesitation. Once I lost what made me who I was, there was nothing left but an empty vessel."

I said, and I looked into the distance.

"I finally figured it out. Thanks to those meddlesome guys, who, in their own horribly elaborate way, had me beat off the side of my head."

I faced my dad again.

"I am very grateful to you for raising me this far. I was blessed to live in an environment that allowed me to do without any inconvenience. But now I am choosing to live a life that may be inconvenient."

I knew that my father's words were out of concern for my future.

"I know you have no filial piety. But..."

I gulp.

"Dad, this is who I am. If I stop, I'm going to die."

I finally understood who I am.

With both hands on the tatami mats,

"Please let me go."

I rubbed my head on the floor in front of my dad.

"Tsurayuki..."

My dad called my name, and then he was speechless.

For the first time in my life, I heard - my father agitated. 

Once again, there was no sound from the place. Everything was silent except for the far-off sound of the deer stalks and the faint sounds of each other's breathing. 



September 6



"Hmm..."

It was morning. It seems that I had fallen asleep before I knew it.

Finally, I raised myself up and looked around. I knew that the sky had cleared up because the sound of the rain, which had been so intense, had stopped.

I sat up and straightened my back. The young body did not make a cracking sound, but I could hear a faint creaking sound.

I face the screen. And then, I get an early head start.

"As expected, it can't be connected..."

I just couldn't come up with an idea for the beginning of the second video. 

If we include a text, it becomes redundant, and if we don't, it becomes meaningless.

I want to strike just the right balance and make an impact on top of that.

I know it as an element, but the material doesn't come out.

It was frustrating. I realized that I really couldn't do anything on my own.

"That's why."

From behind me, I unexpectedly heard a voice.

It's around my shoulder.

"This would be a waste of foreshadowing, so put something in between these scenes."

I laugh faintly.

"What should I put in there?"

Fuu, he snorted.

"A line. Don't put a text in there, okay? Just sound is enough. It's just enough to make them think something's going on, to draw them in. Sounds fun, right?"

I nodded.

"The next scene too... This is weak. Just adding the lines from the previous video makes it firm and interesting."

"It's true."

"So, the next is... Oi, this is it, the scene doesn't make any sense at all."

"That's rude. What do you mean it doesn't make sense?"

"Don't get mad. Because this would be more interesting if you put it in after this?"

"Eh? Ah... It connected properly."

I turned around.

"Look at that. Every scene, every line, every story has a meaning. That's how the protagonist's past comes to life..."

I thought there was a pillar. Because the morning light was backlit and I couldn't see his face clearly. 

"...... Put it where it's supposed to be, okay."

I thought there must be a bashful smile in the shadows.

"Kyouya, this is not interesting."

"...... Yes, because there is no one left to write the story."

"I see. My bad. I've been gone too long."

The pillar laughed. It's the same old laugh, the same old laugh like a certain someone.

"I read the material I received. I read it till it had holes in it. I watched the videos that were uploaded, and I think I played them over 500 times."

"Nice song, right?"

"Yeah, it was so good that I couldn't believe it was made by that Yankee Nee-chan."

Together, we giggle.

"The lyrics worked."

A quiet voice. I heard the sound of sobbing tears.

After a moment of silence with each other, I opened my mouth.

"Uhm, I have a favor to ask."

I raised my body. I stood up and stood directly in front of the pillar.

"I just want you to make the boring story here the most interesting it can be."

Gather a bunch of paper and give it out against a pillar.

The silhouette of the hand stretches out and receives the bundle.

"...It's difficult. But there's one guy who can."

A grin broke out from the pillar.

"Yeah, I know."

We got embarrassed and laughed at each other. 

The sunlight from outside was a little weak, perhaps hidden by the clouds.

Then, an embarrassed expression came out of the pillar in front of me.

"Sorry I'm late, Kyouya."

"No, welcome back, Tsurayuki."

Seeing his nostalgic face, a surge of excitement almost overflowed me.

But I held back. Now is not the time. Because we are finally back to normal. We have to start from here.

"Have you talked with him... properly?"

Tsurayuki nodded heavily.

"My father... My dad is going to pay for my tuition."

"Awesome, to go that far... You got to talk to him properly."

"Well, he told me never to come back!"

Saying cheerfully, Tsurayuki grinned.

"Now I'm a real one."

I tried to say thank you but stopped.

It's probably too early to say that.

We are all going to face a much larger work, much further down the road.

Until then, I have to keep it with my tears.

"Yes, Kyouya, let me deny you one thing you said."

"What...?"

Tsurayuki lightly bumped his fist on my chest with a thump.

"You said. You said it wasn't as friends or as companions. But unfortunately that's not true."

A little shyly, turning sideways,

"You are my best friend. I don't care what you say, I've made up my mind. That's why I'm here today, half because of my decision and half for you, my best friend... It's half."

When he turned around, Tsurayuki's face was already completely ...... blown away. 

"I'll entrust my life to you. Please, my best friend."

A hand was held out in front of me for a handshake.

"...Got it, Tsurayuki."

I took his hand and held it tightly, firm.

"We're not going to hell. Let's go to the heaven we made."

Tsurayuki said so and burst into laughter as if his possession had fallen.

"Now let's talk about the next project. I have so much to say!"

Tsurayuki hugged my shoulder stiffly.

"I've been waiting for that."

Through talking and creating work, I and Tsurayuki will be able to regain our former selves.

It's our remake.