V3 - Chapter 14

Volume 3 - Me, Her, and a Pair of Wings

Chapter 14

And so, we spent the rest of the day having fun.

As the sun began to set, we decided to take a break before heading to our next destination and went to separate restrooms. Naturally, I finished first and joined the other men waiting for their partners.

However, as the other men came and went, Chinatsu still hadn't come out. Worried, I sent her a message, but it remained unread.

Feeling uneasy, I was about to call her when I saw her emerge from the restroom. Relief washed over me, but her expression made it clear something was wrong. It was also evident that she was unsure whether to tell me.

I also hesitated for a bit. Chinatsu had been looking forward to today, and so had I. Should I pretend not to notice or ask her directly? My hesitation lasted only a moment; since we were both excited about today, if there was something she found hard to bring up, I should be the one to ask instead.

"Chinatsu? Did something happen?"

At my words, Chinatsu looked at me with tear-filled eyes, approached me quietly, and whispered, 

"What should I do?"

I took her hand, knowing the warmth of touch could be comforting. Slowly, I said, 

"It's okay. Don't worry about me or whatever plans we had next. Just tell me what you're feeling and what you found out."

“.....”

Chinatsu threw herself into my arms. Maybe because it was the season for couples, no one paid us any mind.

"Do you want to sit and talk somewhere? Or should we go home? It'll be fine."

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Hajime! It's our first Christmas together, and I..."

Chinatsu trembled, apologizing through her tears. I gently tried to calm her.

“It’s okay."

At those words, Chinatsu seemed to relax a bit, leaning more into me. She pressed her face into my chest and began to speak.

"Just now… I got a message from my female cousin... They knew about my family's situation, of course, but they said there was something I should know."

I silently embraced her, and she continued, clutching my back.

"My grandmother... she's apparently not gonna make it anymore. She was originally hospitalized, but she was discharged this morning... not because she recovered, but to spend her final days at home. They said she called my name in her sleep, so they thought I should know."

"That’s…”

I'd heard of cases where patients were discharged because there was nothing more the hospital could do.

"And, she's my grandmother on my dad’s side... She lives in Nagano Prefecture. I don't see my grandparents on mom's side much because they're in Hokkaido, but I used to spend every summer with my grandmother in Nagano. I love her... But I couldn't visit last year because of exams, and this year, visiting her is not that easy because of the situation..."

"Hm."

I could only nod. It made sense. With her father divorced, it would be hard to visit his side of the family. Even if her relationship with her grandmother was good, Suzuka-san wouldn’t be inclined to go, and Chinatsu wouldn't be able to convince her to take her there either.

"The last time I visited was in my second year of middle school. I was rebellious then, got irritated and argued with grandmother over something stupid. I said some awful things and left it at that... What should I do, Hajime? I don't want to leave it like this. I'm really sorry, but I don't think I can enjoy Christmas like this. I tried to put on a smile in the bathroom, but I just couldn't.”

Chinatsu said, her emotions overflowing as I watched her tears start streaming down her face. 

I glanced at the clock. Although it looked like the sun was about to set, it was only just after 5 PM, and the early winter sunset made it seem later than it was.

"Chinatsu, where exactly in Nagano does your grandmother live?"

I asked her as she cried. I already knew what I needed to do. After all, my girlfriend was in tears.

"...Eh?"

"Let's go see her. If she was discharged this morning, we still have time, right?"

"But we already made a reservation at the hotel... And… we were really looking forward to it. Plus..."

Chinatsu was still hesitant.

"Why don’t we go together and apologize for canceling? Besides… I plan to spend Christmas with you next year and the year after that. How about you, Chinatsu?"

"...Yeah, I want to… spend it with you, too..."

"Then let's go. Today isn't a one-time special day; it's just one of the many days we'll be spending together. Let's prioritize what needs to be done now. I'll take you to your grandmother."

I was quite sure that what I needed to do wasn't to take her to a Christmas dinner or to see the Christmas lights. It was taking this kind girl, who couldn’t bring herself to express her wish for various reasons, to see her grandmother who she longed to see again.

“If I remember correctly, she lives in Matsumoto City, around a place called, uh, Asama Onsen. But this is just so sudden, plus, the money…”

"Don’t worry... we can just take the Azusa limited express directly, and I’ll cover the costs. As for where we’ll stay… well, let’s figure it out later. We should also let Suzuka-san know in case. So yeah, let’s go together, alright?”

With that, I released Chinatsu from my embrace and took her hand. She looked at my hand, then nodded slightly.

———————————————————————

Bonus Chapter (8/10)