Volume 3 - Me, Her, and a Pair of Wings
Chapter 19
After looking around the area, Chinatsu and Hajime bought warm drinks from a vending machine and sat on a bench to warm themselves.
“Speaking of which, I spent most of my time at my grandmother’s house waiting for her to wake up and talking with relatives, but what did you do to pass the time, Hajime?”
Chinatsu asked Hajime about something that had been on her mind. He had never given a specific answer, only saying he found ways to kill time. In response, Hajime looked a bit embarrassed as he pulled something from his pocket. He took Chinatsu’s hand, opened it, and gently placed it there.
“It’s the key case with a bear that we bought together, but I thought it’d be nice to add something matching, so I made this… consider it a Christmas gift from me. Although it might look a bit cheap considering it's my first gift for you.”
What he handed her was a small accessory shaped like a single wing. Though tiny, it was intricately designed and looked like an angel's wing, with a hard texture that appeared to be made of a transparent stone. Under the surrounding light, the wing reflected various shades, making it look even more beautiful.
“Wow, it’s beautiful. Eh? Did you make this, Hajime?”
Hajime nodded.
“I didn’t know about it either, but it’s not stone. It’s called UV resin. The shopkeeper said you could get the materials from a hundred-yen shop. They had a workshop, and one of the molds was for this single-wing accessory.”
As Chinatsu admired the piece, Hajime took out another one just like it and showed it to her as he continued.
“I made one for myself too so that we can match… And, you know, remember when you looked up the game you were playing?”
As Hajime asked, Chinatsu quickly recalled the game.
Hiyoku Renri. [T/N: Refers to the game she played in v3c8. Although it's a bit different. The game is Steins;Gate: My Darling's Embrace or Steins;Gate 比翼恋理のだーりん. The kanji for the game title and the kanji used here has a difference (比翼連理 (this) and 比翼恋理 (game) but they have the same reading which is Hiyoku Renri. The former is more of a saying (literally: marital vows) while the latter is just the title of the game.]
It was the subtitle of the game, and a phrase she had looked up because she didn’t understand its meaning.
The meaning was—.
—A man and a woman pledging their eternal love to each other.
The "Hiyoku no Tori," a bird born with one wing that must always fly as one with its mate, and the "Renri no Eda," branches that had grown together as two and become one.
"Well, it was a bit of a stretch, but I had the shopkeeper help me. I made yours and mine so that when combined, they form a complete pair of wings. It was my first time making something like this, so I messed up a few times. But right before you called, it finally set properly without any chips.”
Hajime felt an overwhelming affection for the person in front of him.
"Haha, 'Hiyoku Renri' sounds heavy, doesn't it? But it seems I ended up putting more weight into it than I thought. Also… there's another reason why I shaped it like a wing. I found out while making it and failing a few times.”
Listening attentively to Hajime’s words, Chinatsu made sure not to miss anything.
"Apparently, wings and feathers symbolize 'living confidently and freely for yourself.’”
—Live confidently and freely,
"So, I thought if we both had matching wings, I could stand confidently beside you, Chinatsu. After all, I'm not confident enough to stand on my own wing alone.”
—together, as Chinatsu and Hajime.
"But if I'm with you, Chinatsu, I feel like I can be that confident person.”
Seeing Hajime smile as he said that, it no longer mattered where they were. Without thinking, Chinatsu leaped into Hajime’s arms for what must have been the hundredth time.
She hugged him with all her might.
“You’re so unfair.”
“Heh, you’ve been saying that a lot lately.”
Hajime caught her in his arms, smiling in an endearing, slightly troubled way.
“You’re unfair.”
“I wasn't able to pull off a surprise gift, after all. I wanted to at least do something special for our first Christmas, you know… something that makes me feel like a proper boyfriend for you, Chinatsu.”
She had given Chinatsu an unimaginable amount of things, and despite actually being capable of anything, he always lacked confidence in a strange way—
“…Idiot.”
“Well, it’s not something fancy that I bought, heck, it's not even a proper accessory, and it might look a bit clumsy.”
—but that was exactly why Chinatsu’s heart swelled with emotion.
"...This is perfect. I don't want anything else."
"Yeah, thanks, Chinatsu.”
Chinatsu's words were strained, but Hajime still thanked her and gently wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. Despite everything, no matter what anyone said, it should have been Chinatsu who was giving thanks.
“…..”
She rubbed her face against his chest, knowing she couldn’t show her current expression.
At that moment, she thought that it was impossible for her to live without this person.
This person, who seemed so mature yet occasionally laughed like a child, who was shy, kind, and irresistibly lovable. He wasn’t as bright as midday or as dark as night, but he lit up her life as gently as the morning mist or the evening twilight.
Living without Hajime seemed impossible for her now.
They might not be able to go anywhere with one wing, but together they could become a pair of wings, like the Hiyoku no Tori bird. [T/N: Actually, Hiyoku no Tori can also mean "happily married couple."]
Ah, it feels heavy. But this weight brings me such joy, Chinatsu thought.
In the cold, wrapped in Hajime’s warmth, Chinatsu found herself deeply, helplessly in love.
———————————————————————
End of Volume 3 - Me, Her, and a Pair of Wings
———————————————————————
(3/21)
