Episode 225: Sara-san’s Future Path

Between the press conference seating, the spotlight, and even an MC appearing, the situation was, honestly, beyond confusing. There was zero explanation, but since the MC started the proceedings, it looked like I was just supposed to give my report.

The only saving grace was that the people in front of me were all familiar faces…

「Well then, we’d like to have the report now…」

The MC seemed to be debating whether to hand the floor to me or Sara-san.

Guess I’ll just go with the flow…

「I’ll speak first.」

I’d already decided I’d be the one to talk anyway, so that was fine, but this whole setup was so unnatural it was throwing me off. I might as well just get the report over with. I’m sure I’ll be grilled with questions later anyway.

「So… starting with the most important part, after our talk the other day, Sara-san’s father has officially acknowledged us. I really feel like everyone here helped us out so much with this. Thank you!」

We hadn’t planned it or anything, but Sara-san bowed her head at almost the exact same time I did. Even though I’m the one talking, knowing she’s right there with me in spirit makes me happy.

「A lot happened and things went in an unexpected direction, but I think we reached the same goal. So, Sara-san and I… well, for now, we’ve officially become fiancés.」

Todo & Tachikawa:「「Kyaaaaa!!!」」

「「「Congrats~!!!」」」

Clap clap clap clap clap clap!!!

Todo-san and the others let out cheers (?), and everyone gave us a massive round of applause.

I was happy, don’t get me wrong, but this completely manufactured environment just didn’t feel right. It was hard to know how to react.

Why did this suddenly turn into a literal press conference?

Sara:「…Eri, is this enough? Kazunari-san is troubled, and even I have a limit to what I’ll tolerate…」

Nishikawa:「Gugh…」

Natsumi:「See, I told you this would happen.」

Hanako:「Cheap tricks are a waste of time. You should just accept your fate quietly.」

Nishikawa-san flinched at Sara-san’s sharp, annoyed tone.

Judging by what Sara-san and Hanako-san said, Nishikawa-san had some kind of intent behind this setup.

I have no idea what that intent was, though.

Nishikawa:「Sigh… Fine, I’ll act normal. Sorry, it’s a bit early, but please switch to the next setup!」

The moment Nishikawa-san called out to nowhere, staff members who must have been hiding somewhere swarmed the room. As I watched, the layout of the room changed in the blink of an eye. A table appeared in the center, and preparations for a meal began immediately. A cooking space was even set up along the wall, and a chef-like figure appeared.

…What is even happening?

Kazunari:「Um…」

Natsumi:「Ahaha, sorry Takanashi-kun. For the sake of Eri’s dignity, please don’t ask why.」

Kazunari:「O-Okay. I guess I get it.」

I didn’t get it at all, but I’ll pretend I did.

The one thing I knew for sure was that Nishikawa-san was the one pulling the strings.

Nishikawa:「Honestly, Natsumi, don’t put it in such a weird way.」

Todo:「But it was actually kind of hard to talk earlier, so this helps…」

Hayato:「Todo-san, don’t say that.」

?

What does that mean?

I was curious, but since I’d promised not to ask, I couldn’t really press the issue.

Nishikawa:「W-well, since it’ll take a little longer for the food to be ready, let’s just have some free talk. Also… please go easy on me…」

We hadn’t even started talking yet, and Nishikawa-san was already acting like she was afraid of something. I was curious again, but was I not allowed to ask this either?

Yuji:「So Kazunari, what did your parents actually say in the end?」

Kazunari:「For now, they’ll give a formal answer when they meet Sara-san’s parents. But my old man said he has no intention of refusing, and my Okan told me not to hesitate.」

Hayato:「Then it sounds like a done deal. Congrats.」

Todo:「Congrats again, Takanashi-kun!」

Following Todo-san’s celebratory words, everyone started offering their congratulations. Now that we could finally talk normally, I was able to offer my thanks more casually too.

Kazunari:「Thanks, everyone. Also, Todo-san, I want to give you a special thank you for what you did with Sachie-san.」

Sara:「I’d like to thank you as well. Thank you so much for calling out to my grandmother.」

Todo:「Eh!? I-if you say it so formally… I was actually worried that I’d done something unnecessary…」

In reality, Sachie-san’s arrival was the turning point that won over Masaomi-san, so I had nothing but gratitude for Todo-san. But since the person herself didn’t realize how much of a help she’d been, she seemed overwhelmed by the thanks.

Nishikawa:「That’s true. Thanks to meeting Sachie-san, I was able to deliver the message from my father too.」

Tachikawa:「Marina was the MVP!」

Todo:「Uuu~ I’m happy, but stop it already~」

Todo-san seemed to have hit her limit of embarrassment from all the praise. She looked around with a bright red face before suddenly hiding behind Hayato.

It was unusual behavior for Todo-san, and I was a bit surprised by the fact that she’d relied on Hayato first in this situation. Naturally, Hayato looked even more shocked, his face a complex mix of joy and surprise.

Hanako:「So, you’re becoming an adopted son-in-law. Did they say anything else?」

Hanako-san seemed intent on changing the subject just as Todo-san wanted. The way she tugged on my sleeve was likely a signal for me to go along with it.

Kazunari:「Other than that… oh, the career path talk. They said I’d need a good academic background if I’m going to enter Saba, so they want me to work hard.」

Hanako:「I see. So, Takanashi-kun, are you going to join Saba?」

Kazunari:「They said that once I enter university, they want me to study while helping out a bit with Masaomi-sa… Sara-san’s father’s work.」

Hanako:「I see…」

Nishikawa:「Is that so…」

Hanako-san and Nishikawa-san both seemed lost in thought. These two seem to be on the same wavelength lately, or at least they seem to respect each other.

Sara:「I’ll be going to the same university as Kazunari-san, so let’s work hard at our studies together.」

Natsumi:「Come to think of it, Sara, didn’t you want to be a nursery teacher?」

Nishikawa:「Oh, right. I think I heard something like that before.」

Nursery teacher?

That was news to me. I’d never heard that from Sara-san, and I only just realized I’d never actually asked her about her future hopes. I’d just assumed from the start that she was planning on university.

…Wait, she didn’t change her path just to match mine, did she?

If Sara-san had another path she wanted to take, I didn’t want her to give it up.

Kazunari:「Sara-san… did you want to be a nursery teacher? If that’s the case…」

Sara:「Please wait. The circumstances are different now. I wasn’t trying to hide it from you, Kazunari-san…」

Sara-san probably expected exactly what I was going to say before I even opened my mouth.

She looked a little troubled, but she still stared straight into my eyes. It looked as if she were pleading with me to believe her.

Sara:「…Before I met Kazunari-san, I didn’t have any dreams or hopes for the future. I was only focused on keeping up appearances, so I didn’t have the room to think about a vision for the future.」

Sara-san spoke with a self-deprecating tone as she looked back on her past. Then again, if my old situation had continued, I wouldn’t have had the room to think about anything else either.

「In that daily life, my only solace was children. Back then, there were kids who often came to play at my grandmother’s shrine. I used to play with them a lot. It was truly cute, a happy time.」

Sara-san spoke in small fragments, as if remembering her past self. Since children don’t have ulterior motives or complicated schemes, I guess Sara-san was able to interact with them honestly.

Sara:「I realized that I didn’t feel any resistance when interacting with children. So, when I thought about my future path, I simply thought it might be good to have a job involving children. That was the reason I considered being a nursery teacher… a daycare worker back then.」

Thinking back, when Sara-san was with Mio-chan, she interacted with her so naturally. She was full of kindness. That’s probably why Mio-chan took to her so quickly, even though it was their first meeting.

She says she only considered it simply, but doesn’t being a nursery teacher actually suit Sara-san? If she wants to do it, she shouldn’t have to give it up. Shouldn’t I be the one encouraging her?

Sara:「However!!」

Sara-san let out a clear, loud voice that cut through my thoughts and the entire flow of the conversation. Her self-deprecating tone vanished, replaced by her usual dignified self.

Sara:「I met Kazunari-san and fell in love. My days with Kazunari-san swept away everything before them, and a new dream was born.」

Everyone, not just me, stared at Sara-san as she spoke with sudden joy. No one interrupted; we were all just listening intently.

Sara:「I’m truly sorry for not telling you about my future path until now. The university I’m going to hasn’t changed, I’m just changing my department, so it’s not like I was forced to change it. If Kazunari-san is aiming for Saba, then for the sake of my own happiness, I simply want to walk the path of supporting him…」

There was zero hesitation in Sara-san’s eyes. I could tell she was speaking from the heart with total confidence.

Besides, if it was something from before she met me, it wasn’t strange at all that her way of thinking would be completely different now. Because the current Sara-san has changed so much from who she used to be.

Todo:「But you still like children, right, Satsukawa-senpai? You were so sweet with Mio-chan. Mio-chan says she wants to see ‘Sara-oneechan’ all the time!」

If you’d seen Sara-san doting on Mio-chan, you’d definitely feel the same way as Todo-san. Anyone who saw that would reach the same conclusion.

Sara:「Fufu… that makes me happy. Please tell Mio-chan that I want to see her too.」

Maybe I should ask Todo-san to bring Mio-chan along next time we hang out.

I’m sure both Sara-san and Mio-chan would be happy.

Natsumi:「Mio-chan? Oh, that little girl we met at the convenience store? That was something else… if Eri-rin had been there, it would’ve been bad.」

Nishikawa:「What do you mean by that?」

Natsumi:「Well, Sara was holding the kid and she and Takanashi-kun were doting on her together… and…」

As she listened to Natsumi-senpai, Nishikawa-san’s expression grew darker and darker as she imagined the scene…

Wait, why is she getting dark?

Nishikawa:「…Those two are already fiancés… meaning marriage… a couple… wait, what about me? Sara is getting further and further ahead… what about me? Have I ever been confessed to by a man… wait, was that piece of trash the only person who ever hit on me?」

She was mumbling to herself, looking as if she were chanting a spell. As I watched, I felt like I could see darkness spreading around Nishikawa-san… no, that must be an illusion. What am I even saying…

Nishikawa:「I’ll probably never find a partner on my own, and I’ll just end up with someone from a marriage meeting eventually… Eh? Wait, am I really going to finish my student days without any romance or youth? Sara found a lover immediately and even got engaged and is enjoying her high school life… even Natsumi and Tachibana-san…」

The Nishikawa-san I saw now was overlapping with that「Dark Nishikawa-san」who appeared at Sara-san’s birthday party.

She’s usually so reliable and high-spec, but her unfortunate habit of breaking down whenever something happens seems to be the same as ever.

Hanako:「Heh… her darkness is deep as always.」

Todo:「Hanako-san, what does that mean?」

Tachikawa:「When I see Satsukawa-senpai with Takanashi-kun, I think the nursery teacher look really suits her. It fits her image perfectly. Besides, you really do like playing with kids, right?」

…Why does the sight of Sara-san with me fit the nursery teacher image perfectly?

Wait, she’s not saying I’m the child, is she?

Sara:「Yes, I love interacting with children. It’s true I saw it as a solace in the past, and that hasn’t changed at all. …However, I don’t need to make it my profession to interact with children eventually…」

As she said that, Sara-san turned a bit red and tugged on my sleeve. I didn’t know what she was trying to say, but she was definitely thinking of something embarrassing.

Sara:「Well, in the past, I never even considered the possibility of getting married myself, so…」

Nishikawa:「W-wait a second, Sara!! You don’t need to say any more!! We get it already!!」

Nishikawa-san looked incredibly panicked as she tried to stop Sara-san. She’d been off in another world, but she seemed to have snapped back.

Hanako:「Ah, I see.」

Nishikawa:「H-Hanako-san, please stop!! That’s enough for now, isn’t it!!」

Hanako:「In other words…」

Nishikawa:「NOOOOOOOOO!!!! I DON’T WANT TO HEAR THE REST!!!!!!!!」

Blocked by Nishikawa-san’s scream, Hanako-san never finished her sentence.

Yuji, Hayato, and I all felt instinctively that saying anything would be like poking a hornet’s nest, so we didn’t meddle. We didn’t know what Sara-san was trying to say. We didn’t.

But the sight of Todo-san and Tachikawa-san turning bright red and looking at each other, and Sara-san looking bashful next to me, might have told the whole story… maybe.