I don't know if they were worried about my health or tired of drinking.
I don't know if it was out of concern for my health, or whether it was out of concern for the two of us, but there was no after-party. Tsuru said with a big smile, "Take care of Alina," and pushed her roughly. I broke all her ribs, but it was no problem. Wow, her ribs are breaking through the skin. By all means, use less force from now on.
After that, the others dispersed, and I ended up taking care of Alina, who was not feeling well.

'U~......'

Alina moaning in my ear.
She had apparently vomited in the store bathroom. I wonder how much money I would have made if I had been able to record that miserable vomiting scene, the result of drinking without knowing her own limits. A special kind of person who gets off on the sight of beautiful girls vomiting would have paid a fortune for it. It is hard to understand, but there are such people. The world is as full of freaks as I am of tomato addicts.
I walk through the dark night with my staggered legs and her arm around my shoulder as I think of these crazy things. She grunts occasionally and complains that she is not feeling well, but I force her to walk. If I let her go, she will definitely fall asleep.

'Come on, try your best to walk. It's better than my rehab, but it's pathetic.
'Don't talk to me. You're creeping me out.'

Her heel caught in the gutter at an inopportune moment. She lost her balance and almost fell over, but I caught her just in time and held her hand.

If you're going to get so drenched, don't wear heels. Don't make it harder for yourself to get home. But you're lucky to have a professional homecoming crew. No one beats you when it comes to getting home. So I could wake up and go home. The best homecomers, that's foreshadowing. I won't die.
'Don't say that. I wanted to get dressed up too.
Hey, don't look like you're going to throw up.
Ugh. Oh, I'm gonna get it, I'm gonna get it.'
'Don't be glamorous.'

With a chuckle, she squeezed my right hand back. I awkwardly tried to let go, but she pulled me back and gave me a miffed look of protest.

'This right hand. I couldn't hold it once while you were sleeping.
'What the hell was that all of a sudden?
'You know how they say that in the movies? You're in a hospital room and your loved one is in bandages, unconscious, head in a whirl. You hold his hand and put it on your forehead and pray. Do you understand?
'I see, you mean Alina's vision is going round and round now.
'I couldn't do it. I was afraid that if I was cold--'

The atmosphere was somber and only the sound of her heels echoed softly.
I realized that I had made her feel this way for three years, and I impulsively wanted to hug her. To say a pure 'I'm sorry'. She seemed to sense it and gently leaned closer to me.
But I didn't have the courage to hug her, and she felt embarrassed, so we both ended up awkwardly looking away from each other. We walked in silence for a while.





I asked her, "Do you remember me?
''Hm?''
'That I've been waiting for.'
'Oh, ...... I remember.'

Suddenly Alina stopped and backed away from me.
Heartbreaking, fragile, determined, wishing. Her face was filled with these thoughts.

I have to answer.

I have to answer her as she puts her hand on her chest and stares at me with her beautiful eyes.

The answer to her is already at my throat.
But I just can't take the last step. After three years of making her wait, am I going to make her wait again? Why does it make my heart ache so much to just say it out loud?
Is this my punishment for joking around so much? Has my mouth become incapable of expressing my true feelings?
Alina gave a small smile. But it was an empty, heart-wrenching smile.
It made me very uneasy. I was afraid she would go away. I wondered if she would disappear without a trace, so far away that I could not follow her.
Immediately I opened my mouth.

Alina.
"What is it?
'Let's go to the aquarium sometime. That aquarium.
'That's the aquarium from when we surveilled the couple that's now gone.'
'That's right. But this time it's just you and me. Me and Alina. Can we go alone?
'...... I'm so happy. I'm looking forward to it.

A flushed Alina moved closer to me again, hiding her expression well with her bangs. Our fingers twitched in this exquisite distance where our shoulders almost touched but did not. We were attracted to each other regardless of our consciousness, and our fingers brushed against each other's instep. Slowly and timidly, we cross our hands and check each other with five fingers.
I intertwine my fingers with hers, holding her hand, and I think.

She is everything. I don't need anything else.

What are you laughing at? You're embarrassing me!
'No, no. I just think my sister is always right.
'Don't talk about other women.'
'She's my own sister.
'No. I won't allow it.'


Love is heavy!
'Hey, ah, love, you idiot!
'Just pass it off as normal there. ......'
'I'm a girl, too, and I'm weak in that area.'
'I wish I had been like that in high school. Back then all you cared about was reading.'
'Stop it. I feel like I'm being humiliated.

We reached the cab stand and decided to part ways here.
I could walk home from here, but in the case of her parents' house, which is a little further away, a cab was the only option at the present time when the trains and buses had run out.

I'll wait for your call.
Oh. Be careful on your way home. Make sure you go to college.
'Don't worry, it's summer vacation. You take care.

The doors closed and the train started slowly. I followed it with my eyes until I couldn't see it anymore.
Her scent still lingered in the air. The lingering scent of her scent still lingered in the air, rippling through my mind, drowning out all the lights and sounds of the city. When I closed my eyes, I saw her beautiful and resolute figure.
I told her just how I felt.
It's okay, I can tell.
It's okay.