MTL: Dexter, Kael
FTL(Hardest Part): KayL
TLC/Editor: Alisa
Final Editors: Kakarotto (aka G-String)
Note: We are using the Chinese Official Translation and Original Japanese Raw in our translations. Our Editors and Raw Readers (Translators) have done their best to give you the best quality English translation. We hope you enjoy reading Chiramune as much we do!
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9
“Can we take a little detour?”
Yuuko asked as we got off at Hashiba-cho, the closest bus stop to the Higashi Teahouse District.
Nazuna and I nodded, and we began to walk along the riverbank next to the bus stop. The path was paved with cobblestones from this point onwards, exuding a faint sense of nostalgia.
“It feels so nice,” Yuuko said, holding down her hat with one hand as the breeze blew by.
Nazuna, who was walking beside me, agreed.
“It’s still hot, but places like this by the river or in the shade feel cool when the seasons change, don’t they?”
Clank, clank, the cobblestones beneath our feet chattered and clattered as we strolled, and the sunlight filtering through the leaves laughed merrily.
I tilted the Japanese traditional umbrella I was carrying toward Nazuna and spoke.
“…Summer at seventeen, huh?”
I thought to myself that it had already passed us by.
Yuuko, Uchi, Haru, and Chitose.
Everyone must have left behind a moment that they would never forget for the rest of our lives during this summer.
In the park bench to our left, an old lady holding a paperback book was gently nodding off.
Something like that, a knot that we would dream about, someday, in the distant August.
However, I…
“Let’s put an end to this summer,” Yuuko said, her hair ornament swaying, “I want to talk to you two. About everything that’s happened up until now, and what will happen in the future.”
As her figure gradually headed towards the riverbank, all we could do was follow her.
──After we sat down in a comfortable spot, Yuuko slowly began to speak, like following a thread woven into August.
About what happened after she left the classroom bathed in crimson light.
Since the time she spent alone drowning in sorrow.
And the fact that she wasn’t really alone.
Her kind mother.
Her friend, a boy.
Her best friend, a girl.
And that night of the summer festival.
Once she had finished sharing everything, it was as if she had placed a bookmark in her story.
“Nazuna is here to listen to me, and somehow… I felt like I also have to tell you, Yuzuki.”
Ah, so Kaito too…
That was the first thought that came to my mind for some reason.
Perhaps it was because my mind was muddled with too much information, and the only thought that slipped through was – “He must have had an unforgettable summer, too.”
I had already noticed Kaito’s feelings for Yuuko, and how he tried to hide them beneath a playful grin.
So while I was surprised when Kaito punched Chitose, I knew the reason for his anger right away.
Well done, I smiled lightly.
I’d treat him to something after club activities with Haru next time.
When I briefly escaped reality, a faint sobbing sound brought me back to the present.
Sniffling softly, Nazuna spoke up, “…I’m sorry, Yuuko.”
Yuuko, who was sitting in the middle of the three of us, chuckled softly, “Why are you apologizing?”
“Because…” Nazuna continued, her head looking down, “I just thought I was being irresponsible. You know, when I said, ‘wouldn’t it be better to say goodbye after confessing your feelings rather than ending it without doing so?’ That’s why… I’m sorry, it’s all my fault…”
Ah, I see. They had that kind of conversation between them.
“No, it’s not,” Yuuko narrowed her eyes gently and shook her head, “You were the one who gave me the push, but it was my decision to act on it. I have no regrets about this summer, and I have no intention of saying goodbye either.”
With those words, Yuuko gently rubbed Nazuna’s back, “So don’t cry anymore.”
If I let my guard down, my tears would start falling.
Yuuko, Uchi, Chitose… this triangular relationship was so beautiful.
I, who did not touch anyone’s heart, was too miserable.
This girl, as gentle as the setting sun, had been trying to protect our love as well.
“But,” Nazuna timidly spoke up, “Yuuko, can you really accept this?”
“Accept what…?”
“I understand what Uchida said, and I can even understand Chitose-kun’s answer. It’s natural to hesitate and worry, and I think it’s really sincere of him to have taken the time to think about his feelings and put it into words.”
Mmm, Yuuko nodded, letting Nazuna continued.
“But if you look at it from a different perspective, isn’t it just cruel to keep prolonging this? Maybe in the future…”
Nazuna paused briefly, and for a moment, her eyes met mine over Yuuko’s shoulder. She quickly averted her gaze with an uneasy expression.
“S-Sorry…”
A small mutter escaped her lips.
I didn’t need to hear her words to understand the meaning behind her gaze.
“Maybe in the future, Chitose-kun will end up dating Yuzuki.”
She must have swallowed those words.
Of course, it could also be Uchi, Haru, or Nishino-senpai. And there’s naturally a possibility of him dating someone else beside us.
“I’m aware of it,” Yuuko said, her tone very calm, “Saku didn’t ask me to wait for him. And he didn’t want to pretend that his rejection never happened either. So it’s not like I’m being put off until later. My love ended this summer.”
“Let’s put an end to this summer.”
The words she spoke earlier suddenly resurfaced in my mind.
This was Yuuko’s way of ending things, in order to move on to the next season.
There were so many things I wanted to say, like “thank you” or “I’m sorry” or “you did well.” But I couldn’t seem to put them into words just yet.
So for now, I asked my dear friend sitting next to me.
“What are you going to do now?”
Yuuko looked at me and smiled peacefully, as if she’s about to fall asleep.
“…I will keep thinking about him.”
Ah, I see.
Over the summer, Yuuko had become just a bit more mature than me.
I felt frustrated and gazed up at the still-blue sky.
If I were a mirror, and you were a lake at dusk…
Which of us would be more beautiful in the reflection?
Yuuko leaned against me and I softly ran my fingers through her soft hair.
As if tracing, as if relying on, as if folding my hands.
Please, I prayed.
──I prayed that these pure whiteness would not be tainted by my footsteps.
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Plebian Translation 