Epilogue | Paradigm

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The last day of the school trip.

After checking our luggage at Haneda Airport, we were spending our free time before boarding. At the register of one of the many souvenir shops lined up, I finished paying.

Enomoto-san immediately approached me.

“Yuu-kun, did you get your souvenirs?”

“Ah, yeah. This is the last of it.”

She swiftly snatched one of the bags that were occupying both of my hands.

“This is in the way.”

“H-Hey…”

Before I could protest, she firmly grabbed my now-free hand. I could hear the sound of tongues clicking from the classmates around us.

Enomoto-san gave a shy “Ehe” smile.

“Now we can hold hands, right?”

“Y-Yeah.”

…Something’s off.

Even though her actions were the same as always, the stares from those around us felt several times more piercing. Is this just my self-consciousness? No, it’s definitely not my imagination. I just heard another tongue click. If I were getting clicked at like this at school, I’d definitely notice.

I want to escape. I want to get out of this place that’s practically burning a hole in my stomach.

“Enomoto-san, what about lunch?”

“…”

Ouch.

The hand I was holding deftly pinched me. When I looked at her, Enomoto-san was puffing out her cheeks, openly showing her dissatisfaction. Cute.

“…Rion. What about lunch?”

Instantly, her face lit up with a bright smile.

And once again, sharp tongue clicks echoed around us. Whispers followed: “Are they together?” “You think so too?” “Didn’t he break up with Himari-san the other day?” “Ugh, I totally thought it’d be a get-back-together ending.” “He’s just like Makishima.” “We’ve gotta put him in the playboy encyclopedia.” …I’ve got nothing to say. Heck, I’ll even help you compile it—just ask me anything, you jerks.

Completely ignoring the voices around us, Enomoto-san said with a cheerful smile:

“I might not need lunch.”

“That’s rare. There seem to be some famous places here, though.”

“If I eat too much, I’ll get airsick…”

“Oh, got it.”

That makes sense, I thought, nodding.

But now I’m in trouble. If we stay here, I’ll just keep getting those tongue clicks. At this rate, they might actually burn a hole through me.

“Yuu-kun, let’s go to the observation deck!”

That’s a great idea. Nice call.

With Enomoto-san pulling me along, I went up the escalator.

The observation deck was crowded with students too.

From here, you could really grasp the vastness of this airport. The runway stretched endlessly from one side of the horizon to the other. It’s several times larger than the airport back home. Well, that makes sense—flights from here go all over Japan… and even overseas.

As I watched the planes through the tall fence, I suddenly felt a gaze from beside me.

When I turned around—there was Himari.

“…!?”

I flinched, my body instinctively tensing.

For some reason, I felt incredibly awkward… No, I get it. I broke up with Himari for the sake of accessories, and yet here I am with Enomoto-san. The culprit is definitely my guilt.

Himari was staring at us intently.

Her expression was unreadable.

Then, with a calm face, Himari said:

“Congrats.”

“Huh? For what?”

“You’re going out with Enocchi now, right?”

It’s that obvious!?

So the murderous vibes from my classmates weren’t my imagination. Apparently, our “we’re dating” aura was leaking out everywhere.

“W-Well…”

“That’s great.”

Her words didn’t seem to have any hidden meaning.

What? Is she genuinely congratulating us?

“Enocchi, that’s great for you too.”

“U-Uh, yeah…”

Even Enomoto-san seemed unnerved by Himari’s demeanor.

Well, yeah. Knowing this drama-loving girl, it wouldn’t be surprising if she caused a scene here.

As we stayed on guard, Himari gave a small smile.

Then, slowly, she bowed her head right there.

“I’m really sorry for everything up until now.”

Her action completely caught us off guard.

Is this some kind of joke…? No, it doesn’t seem like a setup for a prank either.

With her head still bowed, Himari continued:

“I’ve told a lot of lies. I’ve been selfish too. So, I’m sorry.”

“…”

She was serious.

Realizing that, I bowed my head too.

“I’m sorry too. You helped me a ton, Himari, but… I was selfish too.”

When Himari raised her head, she nodded dramatically for some reason.

“I forgive you.”

“Thanks.”

Then, with an almost refreshing air, Himari said:

“I’ve decided to work under Kureha-san.”

“Huh?”

I was shocked, and she puffed out her chest proudly.

I glanced at Enomoto-san, but she shook her head vigorously. Apparently, she hadn’t heard anything about this either.

With determination in her eyes, Himari declared clearly:

“I’m going to become the world’s top model.”

Saying that, she extended her hand toward me.

“So when that time comes, let’s sell accessories together again!”

The wind blowing across the runway swirled up to the observation deck.

It ruffled Himari’s light-colored hair, making her resolute marine-blue eyes sparkle.

“I’m going to walk my own path.”

“Yeah.”

When I gripped her hand, she smiled happily.

“If you get too caught up in love and stop moving forward, I’ll overtake you anytime!”

That was Himari’s declaration of war, her oath toward the future.

That Christmas night.

I might have made a mistake.

Maybe walking the path of love with Himari would have led to happiness… There’s not a day I don’t think about it.

But at the very least, the Himari standing in front of me right now was incredibly beautiful—the same beautiful thing I admired that day at the middle school festival.

I suddenly recalled something Saku-neesan had said before.

Even if our paths never cross again—we should live so we can hold our heads high, knowing our three years together were never a mistake.

From now on, we’ll keep being selfish, willful… but true to what we believe in.