Intro 7 (Part 2): Arata to Ayaka

[At the Night of TS]

Inside a fully booked Izakaya Restaurant a block away from White Star Entertainment's main building, hundreds of people from various departments gathered to celebrate the last day of Beta Test phase of their newest project.

At one of the table for Game Programming Department, Arata quietly sipped his glass of beer, while his fellow coworkers conversed among themselves. People were discussing about how their project will go once it goes online, some were drunk and venting their emotion over how much job still waiting for them tomorrow.

Well, of course they still have some job to do before the release. It's only a Beta Test that has ended. They still need to went over the reports, fixing any known bugs, polishing the game here and there, and many things before the game can be actually released next month.

Arata glanced from the corner of his eyes to the VIP tables where all department heads and higher-ups of the White Star Entertainment seated.

There, Mana was definitely one of the youngest among the veterans in the industry, but the way she carried herself and conversed with them with ease made it a bit hard for Arata to connect her with the herself from 6 years ago.

A newbie who years ago was under his care now had became his superior. While he himself.... 

Heh, Arata wanted to laugh over himself.

While thinking about that and gulped down his beer, Arata finally realized that Mana was also stealing a glance at him.

Mana mouthed the word 'I. See You' at Arata and winked, before she went back to the heated discussion with other department heads.

•

•

It's almost midnight by the time the party ended, in front of the restaurant as people began to disperse to go their own way home, Mana was helping one of her drunk female employee walked out of the restaurant.

"Are you okay going home by yourself, Arata? I can give you a lift, you know?"

Mana stopped on her track and looked over Arata behind her. 

Arata looked at the drunk and sleepy female employee supported by Mana's shoulder, and immediately shook his head.

"No need. I can still use the train to go home."

"Is that so... Umm, I still need to send this girl home, so I'll be going first then. See you tomorrow at work, Arata."

And just like that, Mana, along with that drunk female employee, walked off and left the Izakaya. Only after she was gone that Arata started walking away, to the opposite way from Mana had gone to.

---

★

---

11:58 PM, I walked alone at the side street from the Izayaka's place to the train station.

By definition it's totally a midnight, the prime time where people should've been in their home and sleep. But I guess that's just not cut it for everyone. People who worked in night bars or restaurants or any night settlements, office workers that worked overtime in their companies, people who partied until late at night, etc.

So although I said I walked alone, there's still so much 'life' all around. 

Not like an adult in their 40s like me would feel scared walking home alone anyway.

I stopped at crosswalk line of the street intersection, waiting for the crossing light to turn green, just like any good citizen should be, even though there was no sign of any vehicle coming.

While waiting, I looked up to the sky, which was unusually very clear without any obstruction, even though this is in the middle of the city.

I had went home late at night so many times this years alone, but I think this is the first time I really took my time to stop and gaze at the night sky.

There's no cloud in sight, just a black canvas adorned with countless sparkling dots, and one big shining round giant ball reflecting lights.

I was never an artistic person to understand it's charm, but I know someone who would be gushing about this scenery alone for hours. She was pretty obsessed with everything that was related with star after all. She would look up at this night sky, with starry eyes that wouldn't lose with the sparkling lights in space.

If she was here, she would surely said something along these lines.

"The stars, they are—"

"— beautiful, aren't they, Arata?"

'Thump!'

Suddenly I feel my heart dropped, my body freezed, my mind in chaos. 

I don't know since when, but I'm no longer alone standing at this crosswalk line.

'Tap... tap... tap...'

Without waiting for me to calm down, she walked ahead, crossing the street as if it's the most natural thing in the world.

Her black hair that reached down to her waist swaying with each steps, the clicking sounds of her heels reverberated loud in my ears. The back of her figure is the very same back I had seen countless times in the past, wearing a white one piece dress that seemed too ethereal for this scene.

Something is wrong. 

There's something uncanny with this whole picture.

I can't quite put my word on it, but I had this unsettling feeling for a while.

When my body finally able to move, my head by instinct scanned the area around me, and that's when I finally realized the weirdness of this situation.

One minute ago, although there's not much, but this street definitely had 'life' in it.

High-rise building with lights still on in several floors, night shops operating and filled with sounds of people in it, even the street had at least two or three pedestrians other than me.

But now,...

Everything is gone.

The lights on the building are turned off, the shops are closed, and I can't see anyone I had seen before. It's as if I had slipped in another dimension.

Am I hallucinating? 

Did I drink too much at that party?

Because if it's not that, then I don't know anything else that can be the answer of the situation I'm in now.

"What's wrong, Arata?"

Right in the middle of the street, she stopped walking. With hands clasped behind her back, she turned around facing me.

I had seen that face countless times.

I had heard that voice countless times.

She would appear in the mirror without any warning.

Reminding me of the harsh reality.

Berating me of my failure as a husband.

But this is the first time I truly see her in front of me.

....

....

Wait...

There's no mirror...

She's not in the mirror?!

"Ayaka....?"

When was it, the last time I said her name with this mouth? 

4 years ago? 

6 years? 

Even now that I had said it, I feel this sudden discomfort, like something is telling me that I'm not worthy to even call her name.

"Hehe..."

But she laughed, raising both of her hands to make double peace sign on each side of her head.

"Yes, it's me! The one and only, the real deal, Ayaka desu yo~"

She replied, a very cheerful one at that. Her aura is also completely different with the 'Ayaka' I had encountered in the mirror.

There is so many questions swirled in my minds, so many things I want to say, but before I can open my mouth, she crossed her fingers to 'x' shape in front of her body with troubled expression.

"I know you have so many question, but I don't have much time to waste here. So I'll go ahead and wait for you, Arata."

As if her words were the cue, the world suddenly glitched like a broken program. 

My hand and feet by instinct moved forward as if to chase after her image, but the glitchs intensified. 

As her figure disappeared in front of my eyes, the world itself just 'blink' for a second and everything went back to normal.

"Excuse me, Ojii-san."

"Wha—!!"

'VROOOOMMM!'

My mind couldn't catch up with how fast things happened. 

After the glitch was gone, I felt a strong tug from a hand holding the back of my collar and then throwing me to the ground behind. Then in instant after that, a big truck passed by the road in high speed.

One minute passed before my brain could fully comprehend what had just happened. 

After Ayaka disappeared, everything that had become weird the moment she's in the picture returned to how it's should be. The shops were opened, the lights in the operating builds were on.

It was apparently, when I tried to chase after her, my body passed the crosswalk line, right in the trajectory of the passing truck. I surely would be in ambulance or straight up talking with shinigami by now if someone didn't drag me back by the neck.

"If you're trying to reincarnate to isekai, then I'm sorry I took that chance away from you. Can you get up, Ojii-san? Did you get hurt? Did I use too much force when I yanked you back? Any broken bones? Of there is, please don't sue me. I'm strapped for cash this month. Seriously."

I saw the outstretched hand in front of me and looked up to see the person who saved me. He's a man, probably a college student by the bag on his back, blue hair and golden eyes, a headphone around his neck. He's quite the chatter, but definitely a good person from the first glance.

"No, you saved me there. Thank you."

I shook my head and took his hand in which he helped me back on my feet. It's not like I wasn't hurt. I heard a little 'crack' sound effect of my old body when he threw me to the concrete ground, but it's at least hundred time better than dying or be hospitalized and worrying my children. For that I'm truly grateful to him.

When I stood up and patting off the dust on my clothes, I noticed he's looking at me up and down with curiosity, so I asked him; "Is something wrong?"

With finger on his chin, he gave me one more look up and down before asking.

"Ojii-san, are you perhaps—"

["Pirorin~ you get a call, Onii-chan."]

His question got cut off by umm, a peculiar ringtone, from his phone. He took out his phone from his pants pocket and accepted the call and bring the phone to his ear.

["I repeat, you got a call—"]

'Click!'

"Moshi-moshi, what's up, Beni-sen—"

["DON'T 'WHAT'S UP' WITH ME! FOR FUCK SAKE, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, SHION!? QUICKLY GET YOUR ASS HERE!"]

Both me and the blue haired guy were startled by the shouting coming the other end of the call. He pulled his head and phone away from each other in recoil from how loud that shouting was.

He then took a few steps distancing himself from me and continue talking with the caller. I don't know what happened in the other end, but even from this distance, I could hear slight noises like explosion and scream.

"I get it. Please hold it for another 5 minutes, I'm on my way."

'Click.'

It seems the conversation is over now. He put his phone back to his pocket and looked my way with an awkward smile.

"My friends were calling me, so I'll be going first. Be careful on your way home, Ojii-san!"

He waved to me before running away hurriedly. He left me wondering one of thing.

Who is that guy?

His phone wasn't in speaker mode back then, but even then, I could still slightly hear something like scream and roars from it. 

And there was also that thing he wanted to ask me before he was interrupted by the call.

Being an employee in a game division for more than a decade, I naturally knew and read the trending pop cultures. I feel kind of familiar with this kind of plot.

By the progression of the clues I got from our brief encounter, it will then turned out that he was from secret organization that battle with supernatural entities or something. An organization that was protecting the world peace from behind the shadow.

And him, in particular, was the main character or at least one of the important casts. His unasked question from earlier would be the link to involve me to the plot where I will learn about the past I didn't even know exist.

.....

.....

Yeah, no shot. 

Like hell it could happen. This is real life. Not some manga or light novel. I'm way past the age where I could indulge in those chuunibyou fantasy. It's probably just his senior from college calling him to ask for help to rein the others drunken antics in the background. 

Besides, why would I even need to think about a stranger's problem. I have a more important thing to address, namely about Ayaka.

Was it another one of my hallucinations?

But it's totally different from the usual where she always appeared replacing my reflection. This time she came out to the real world, and even affecting everything in the vicinity. Everything about it screaming supernatural phenomenon.

Either that, or maybe I was just too drunk from that party.

Personally, I don't think I'm drunk. I feel clear headed, especially after that near-death accident. But then again a drunk people don't realize they are drunk, so there's still possibility.

Whatever it is, I start crossing the road and running toward the train station after the crossing light turned green. 

I'll think about it thoroughly on the way home, but I need to catch the train first. This will be the last operating train after all. If I miss it I won't be able to go home.

---

★

---

When Arata arrived home, every light already turned off, everyone must have fallen asleep already. So he directly went to his room, opened the door, walked inside and closed the door.

He sighed while looking at the floor in tired voice.

"Sigh, I'm tired."

"Welcome home, Arata."

"!?!?"

Arata instantly raised his head. All the tiredness in him replaced with a great shock when saw the the figure sitting at the bedside, looking at the opened photo album that's placed on her lap.

Wearing the unblemished white one piece dress, there sat Ayaka. The one he saw at that streets intersection from before.

"I'm so happy the kids still remember my house rule that 'at least one photo from each of you must be added to this album every year.' With this I can see how much everyone has grown."

Ayaka flipped the album pages, her red eyes full of tender gaze to each photo in that page.

"Although I'm a little bummed that there's barely any full family photo in it."

She flipped one more page.

"Oh, this photo of Ren-kun with a cute girl, is she his girlfriend? Ship! I'm shipping this! Oh my, they look so cute together! Maybe I'm going to be a grandma soon?..... huh, Arata? What are you—"

'PLAKK!'

Arata flopped down to the floor on his knees after he, without any warning, just slapped his own cheek with full force, leaving a scorching red mark there.

Ayaka put the album away then hurriedly approached him in panic.

"Arata, what are you doing suddenly hurting yourse— Kyaaa!"

When she was within his range, Arata swiftly grabbed Ayaka's hand that wanted to check his condition, pulling her to him and hugged her in his tight embrace with both arms.

There's a small lag in Ayaka's brain before she realized their position.

"Wha-Wait, Arata, this is so sudden, I'm still—"

"....'re real."

"Huh?"

"My cheek hurts so much. So this is not a dream."

"...Arata...?"

"I can touch you. I can feel your warmth. You're not an illusion."

"......"

"You're real."

"......"

"Ayaka... please... tell me you're real..."

"......"

For Arata, this moment either could be the salvation of his heart, or the last push to drive him to insanity. 

Throughout the repeated encounters with 'Ayaka in the mirror', little by little the guilt and self-loath filled his essence of self. 

He's a failure of a husband. He couldn't protect his wife.

He's a failure of a father. He's estranged from his children just because being in the same space with them kept reminding him of Ayaka, and the fact that she was gone.

The fact he's still alive until now was just because some sort sense of responsibility to provide for the 'treasures' she left behind. That, although it's kind of shameless to say it himself, he's still their father. 

However, even those reason slowly crumbled before his eyes, when everyone, one by one grew up to be independent. 

Yuuichi, Ren, Haruka, and Shizu. 

He didn't remember when it started, that they stopped from asking anything from him. Was it the moment they all started doing part-time job maybe?

He still gave them their monthly allowances, but they all never asked anything more from him. Even the money to buy daily necessities like food ingredients, toiletries, electric bills, etc. sometimes came from their own pocket money and job pay from their part-time when he forgot to prepare them beforehand.

When he tried to pay it back, they all gently refused and said "it didn't cost much" or something. Even when he tried to raise their allowances, they only took the usual amount.

They are not exactly a high-end family, after all. He's just a regular employee in a game company with regular salary. A single father that must provide for 6 lives in his hands.

For them, they might had done that with good intention to help lessened his burdens. But for Arata, them being independent meant his purposes in life was being taken out one by one.

Yuuki and Nao still depended on him though. They still asked for many things from him, within reasonable ranges, like asking for some little extra allowance or asked him to buy something on his way back home. 

But Arata didn't know how long they will stay depending on him. Yuuki and Nao eventually will grow up like the rests and left him to be independent. 

How long he could still be useful to this family?

Be bluntly honest, he's on the verge of breaking. Dreading the future where his children would be no longer needing him, where he would be utterly useless to them. Amplified with the guilt he had for being unable to protect his wife, and the occasional whisper of 'Ayaka in the mirror', he felt he only needed one more push to tip the scale and everything's over.

If, by any chance, that this Ayaka was also the same with all the previous 'Ayaka', it might be the time for him to just seal the deal, once and for all.

Ayaka fell silent. She could feel the desperation in his trembling voice, in his tightening hug, in his accelerating heartbeat. She knew how broken he had become in her absence. Reassuring him now would be the right choice.

It should be the right choice. 

But Ayaka didn't want to lie to the man she loves. 

Calming him with a white lie now, just for him to realize it tomorrow, she couldn't imagine how far it would push him over the edge of that 'cliff'.

"Please... tell me I'm not crazy... Ayaka...."

The hug once again got tighter. Ayaka could feel it, through this rough but yet gentle embrace, Arata's feeling for her that still burn bright even after she was gone for years. His yearning for her. His fears that she could be gone if he—even for a second—loosening his grip on her.

'What a foolish man,' Ayaka thought with resignation. 

However, even with that comment in her head, her arms moved to Arata's back to return the hug.

'Well, I'm not any better for falling hard for this foolish man.'

"No, you're not crazy, Arata. This time, it's really me. Mizuno Ayaka. Your Ayaka."

"Ayaka.... Ayaka! Ayaka!"

Like a dam had broken loose, tears streaming down Arata eyes as he kept calling out Ayaka's name.

Ayaka, like she's soothing a crying child, caressed the back of Arata's hair with one hand, and patting his back with the other.

"Good grief, you're already in your forties, but you cry like a toddler."

"Whose fault do you think it is?"

"Uhh,.... mine...?"

"If you understand that, then shut up and let me hug you."

"Alright, alright, you big baby. Hug me to your heart content. But can we at least get to bed? My legs are really uncomfortable in this positi— Whoaah!"

Without letting Ayaka finished her words, Arata loosen the hug for a bit, just to suddenly stand up and scoop her into bridal carry, made Ayaka shrieked in surprise.

Arata didn't say anything, with very serious expression like man with important mission, he walked to the queen-sized bed in the room. He then gently put her on the bed, while she was still buffering for suddenly being carried like a princess.

When Ayaka's mind finally connected, she saw Arata took off his jacket, and loosening his tie. Her face went red as her mind instantly steered to the adult stuff.

"Wait, wait, WAIT! I know you're pent up, to be fair, me too. But we can't! This body is—"

"Get your mind out of the gutter. But I guess that's one way to confirm that you're really Ayaka."

Ayaka crawled back to the middle of the bed, put her hands in front of her, chattering in panic with blushing face, while Arata cut her babbling with a hint of mocking in his last sentence, while his hand didn't stop in removing his tie.

Ayaka eyebrows twitched, catching the implication of Arata's words.

"Arata, did you just call me pervert?"

"....aren't you?"

Ayaka face flushed, but this time for annoyance. 

"You—"

Before Ayaka could shout out her irritation, Arata got on the bed, and with swift motion, grabbed Ayaka again into his laying embrace, continuing the previous hug that get interrupted by Ayaka's plea. 

This time, with both them laying on their side on the soft queen-sized bed, with Ayaka's head pressed against his chest, Arata used his everything to once again confirm that his wife in his arms is real.

And Ayaka let him be. 

Her annoyance for him calling her a pervert just dissipated the moment she once again be in her husband desperate arms.

"....."

"....."

Second became minute.

Minutes passed, but no one said anything.

At least until Ayaka couldn't stand the silence for much longer.

"You.... You're not going to ask me anything?"

Her question was quiet, almost in inaudible. Her hand cluthed the front side of Arata's shirt.

"Even if I ask, can you really answer it?"

When Arata asked back, her shoulder shook, her grip on his shirt got tighter, that's all Arata's need for the answer. 

It would be a lie if Arata said that he's not curious. There's actually a mountain of questions inside his mind right now, such as:

'Where have you been all this time?'

'Why only now you come back to me?'

'Who and what are you, exactly?'

And many more.

However, far deeper than his curiosity, Arata, to some extent, knew his wife. 

Whatever the real reason was, the fact that Ayaka hesitated was an answer on it's own that the situation was very complicated, even in her own standard.

So Arata wouldn't pry further. 

He's just going to savor the feeling of her return to his fill. Only god knew how much he was longing for this warmth.

Ayaka snuggled deeper into his hug.

"...I'm sorry."

"I understand."

Just like Arata knew her, Ayaka, naturally, also knew her husband very well. They could communicate even without words to a certain extent. Ayaka knew he wouldn't ask her again out of his consideration for her, so she could only apologize.

"I can guess most of your questions, but I'm sorry. The situation is a bit.... complicated, to say the least."

"Yeah, I figured as much."

"....."

"..... How long this can last?"

His wife, who has been dead for 8 years, suddenly showing up in front of him, alive and kicking, even Arata knew this was too good to be true. So naturally, he knew, her return wasn't permanent. It was indicated by by her hesitation when he asked her to tell him that she's real from earlier.

"...When you wake up in the morning, I will be long gone."

"Then I'll just not sleep at all."

"So childish."

"I learned it from you."

"Haha, I can't refute that."

"....."

"....."

"The kids, they miss you."

Arata shifted the topic to Ayaka's soft spot, the children. Ayaka giggled and replied:

"I miss them too."

"Will you meet them? If you want, I can go and wake everyone up right now."

"Oh, I want to..."

"Then I'll—"

"...But I can't."

"Why?"

"Those kids still need to grow up some more. Before then, I can't show myself to them. It is not allowed. At least not yet."

"Not allowed, by who?"

"....."

Ayaka shook her head, indicating that she couldn't say more than that. 

Arata have so many things he wanted to say to Ayaka, but just when the time came, he didn't know where to start. So once again, the conversation met a dead silence.

The couple just savoring the warmth of each other in this brief reunion, doing their best to satisfy the unquenchable yearning inside their heart.

10 minutes later, they both still stay in that position.

"Hey, it's almost one in the morning. You're seriously not going to sleep?"

Ayaka still in Arata's embrace asked in exasperated tone.

"....."

"Don't give me that silent treatment now."

"But... you will be gone if I sleep."

"That's.... we both know it can't be helped."

"Then as I said, I won't sleep."

"You're being unreasonable."

"....."

Ayaka let out a very long sigh at her husband stubbornness. Her face expressed a hint of sadness.

"You really don't give me choice, Arata. ■■■■■■■"

Ayaka put her hand over Arata's chest, and mumbling something incomprehensible to his ears.

"Ayaka?"

"Listen, my time is almost up. So I need you to sleep before I can do what I came for."

"What you came for? What is—"

'Thump.... Thump.... Thump'

His words were cut when he suddenly felt pain on his heart, then his heart rate slowly became slower.

"Guh,.... what is.... this?"

Very slowly, he felt his eyes became heavy. He felt the moment his consciousness slipping away, even when he tried his best to stay awake. He even tried biting his tongue with all the energy he had left, to feel a pain that could keep him awake, but to no avail.

"Ayaka...."

"I'm sorry, Arata. As much as I want to stay with you, and with the kids, I must leave for now."

"No.... please.... don't...."

Even with everything he had left, Arata could only beg her in broken voice. His consciousness were hanging on a thin thread. 

In his very last moment, he felt Ayaka snuggled to him.

"This is not the end. I promise you, we will meet again."

"Aya.... ka...."

"I will wait for you at the end of this journey. I love you, Arata. "

The 'thread' snapped and Arata finally asleep, or to be more precise, he passed out.

---

★★★

---

[23 Years Ago]

Arata still remember the day he confessed to Ayaka at the day of her graduation.

He was waiting nervously for her at the bench on flower garden behind the school backyard. Until she showed up, holding a big bouquet of various flower in her arms.

"Sorry for the wait! Many people were asking me for a photo, so it took a while until they let me go."

She was half running on her way, so her straight black hair swaying along with the wind.

Her blonde hair became black hair around a year ago, around the early part of the first semester. 

After being absent from the school for a month after the new semester started, she came back and shocked everyone with her new look. Her beautiful blonde hair turned into smooth silky black hair. 

When people asked her about it, she simply said she just returned it to it's original color. That became another shock on it's own for everyone since they were pretty used to Ayaka with blonde hair and thought that was her real color.

"Hello~ earth to Arata-kun? Anyone in there?"

Ayaka stopped in front of Arata, waving her hands in front of his face while slightly bending her body to be on the same eye level with the sitting Arata.

Due to his nervousness, Arata zoned out for a bit, but when he came to, seeing Ayaka so close with him got him startled as he stood up and made some distance between them.

"A-Ayaka-senpai, too close!"

"Ahahaha, your reaction is cute as usual. Anyway, what is it? You asking to meet alone at this time, could it be about 'that'? A confession?"

Ayaka, as usual, spoke in lighthearted and half-jokingly manner.

"....."

Arata didn't reply, his face blushed from nervousness. Only then Ayaka realized she hit something with her question. "Eh, seriously?"

Arata took a deep breath, trying to calm down his crazy beating heart, put a serious face while still slightly blushing. Then...

"Ayaka-senpai, I like you. Please go out with me!"

"Sure, with pleasure."

"As expected, there's no way someone like Ayaka-senpai will ever consider.... Hmm? Wait! Ayaka-senpai, what did you say?"

Arata confessed, fully expecting to be rejected, only for Ayaka's short answer threw him out of balance. Meanwhile Ayaka just chuckled, totally enjoying Arata's reaction.

Hearing Ayaka gleeful laughter, Arata mood dampened, thinking she was just messing with him. 

Seeing Arata's mood went down, Ayaka stopped laughing, walked toward him and put both of her hands to cup both side of his cheeks.

"Why are you down again? Come on, give me a smile. You just got yourself a super high class girlfriend."

She played with his cheeks, cupping it upwards, forcing him to smile. He blinked several times, didn't believe what he just heard.

"Girlfriend.... Eh, you accepted?!"

"Yeah, I said 'with pleasure', didn't I?"

"That one is serious?"

"Yup, can't you tell? We already know each other for two years, Arata-kun."

"No I can't! Your serious and playful side are basically the same, damn it."

"Ahahaha, that's true. So~ want to back out now? I can still pretend this never happened if you want."

Faced with that question, Arata expression became serious again. He grabbed her hands that was still playing with his face. Their eyes met, and he said with full conviction. 

"Be my girlfriend, Ayaka-senpai. I promise I'll make you happy."

"Hehe, that sounds more like a proposal than just a confession."

Even though she laughed, the way she looked straight at him and smiled was overflowing with affection. She freed her hands from his clutches, and stepped back.

"Just to make sure you won't regret it, I'll give you warning in advance."

She turned her back on him, walked a few steps ahead while looking at the flower garden around her.

"I'm a woman with tons of secret. You might like this version of me you know in this two years. But do you really prepared to spend your life with me? Just so you know, once you pick me, there's no backsies. I'm quite a possessive woman at my core, after all. Even with all of that.... will you still going to choose me, Arata-kun?"

What started as just a normal confession has become something quite serious.

Arata was taken back a little when Ayaka started speaking. But looking at that small back of the girl he loves when she asked him that question, he noticed something. 

Even though she spoke in her her usual lighthearted way of speaking, at that last question, she hesitated. 

She was unsure and afraid of his answer.

It's only now, on her last day of high school, that he realized this.

His love was never an unrequited one.

The feeling was mutual. Or maybe, hers was stronger in some sense.

Arata couldn't see her face because she had her back on him, but screw him if he the girl of his dream be in that state for longer.

"Ayaka-senpai."

"Hmm?"

"I won't regret this. Never. So please, go out with me with the intention of marriage. I promise I will make you happy."

"Pfft, hahahaha! I don't expect you actually propose right of the bat! Ahahaha!"

Ayaka laughed at Arata's sudden proposal. But this time, he waited, not jumping to the conclusion like before.

Her laughter fading. With her back still on him, she said:

"No backsies. I'll hold you on that promise. Do you understand?"

"Ayaka-senpai, so you really...."

Although he knew the meaning of those words, he still couldn't help but asked. This could be said as one the most important point of time in his life.

Ayaka hugged the bouquet to her chest and looked at Arata over her shoulder. A gust of wind hit her, blowing her black hair with gentle movement. She smiled and said those words that Arata wanted to hear the most.

"I'll be in your care from now on, my soon-to-be husband, Arata."

---

★★★

---

[Present]

Arata woke up, and the first thing he did was looking at his arms.

There is no one.

His memory was a bit jumbled after waking up. He remembered he dreamed about happy memories in his sleep, but before that, he remembered feeling extremely happy about something. Like he's with someone last night before he slept.

Arata sighed and get up from the bed to go to the bathroom.

'I must have sleep very late. I'm still sleepy, but I have work today.'

While still half-asleep, he went to the sink to wash his face. 

But when he looked up to the mirror, he saw 'Ayaka'.

This time it was the 'Ayaka' from the high school, the one where her hair still blonde.

It was a rare sight even for him. Because all the hallucinations before this always used Ayaka's appearance with black hair.

Nevertheless, encountering this hallucination first thing in the morning really dampened his mood for the day. So he would just ignore her, and moved on with his daily routine.

As he went and brushed his teeth, he noticed something amiss.

This hallucination didn't talk.

'She' just followed everything he did, just like a reflection....

"Huh?!"

Arata let out a loud shriek, dropped his brush to the floor, took a step back in shock. And 'she' did the same.

Arata finally fully awake. 

He looked down to his hand, who had become smaller like a woman's hand. His shirt felt loose, but at the same time, felt 'full'. When he looked ahead again, he finally clearly see 'her' in the mirror.

A blonde haired Ayaka, wearing a white shirt that was a little bit bigger than her stature. She who looked shocked just as much as him.

No...

That's not quite right...

Arata took a deep breath, walked forward to the sink, and stood there for a while, examining the situation with cool head.

He raised his left hand to touch his own face, while the right hand extended forward to touch the mirror surface. And 'Ayaka' in the mirror did the same.

Conclusion was reached.

The 'Ayaka' in the mirror wasn't a hallucination.

As crazy as it's sound, he had become a woman. 

He had become Ayaka.

"What the, huh?!"

She touched her neck at the place of her vocal cords. Even her voice sound exactly the same as Ayaka. 

Her heartbeats accelerated, she was having a panic attack because of the ridiculousness of the situation, but her mind replayed the events last night on it's own as she remembered everything.

From the moment Ayaka's appeared in front of him in that intersection, then met her again in their bedroom where she was looking through the photo album. They laid together on the bed, until some unknown force forced him to sleep. Before he lost consciousness, Ayaka said she came back to do something.

That was not a dream.

Ayaka came back, and she did something to him.

Something bizarre that was outside of human comprehension.

Arata reminded once again that Ayaka was never a normal woman. 

But this everything that had happened, pushed that definition of 'not normal' even further.

'Who.... No. What exactly is Ayaka?'

.....

"No, stop it."

After thinking it through, Arata became clearheaded, her heart rate returned to normal.

No matter whoever or whatever she is, Ayaka is his wife. 

There might be things Arata didn't know about her wife, but one thing she was sure of, was that she's a woman who always do things for a clear reason.

Once that thought rooted in her mind, Arata wiped her face with dry towel and get out of the bathroom.

She returned to their bedroom, where she saw the album Ayaka had seen last night on the nightstand. On top of that album, there's a white envelope with "To Arata" written on it.

Arata took the envelope and sat on the bedside, examining the letter. Seeing nothing weird with envelope, she opened it and took out a piece of paper with Ayaka's handwriting on it.

---

Good morning, my dear! How are you feeling? You're reading this letter means you already done freaking out in the bathroom, right? Or maybe you don't even panic and calmly assessed the situation like usual?

I'm sorry I changed you into that state without your permission, I had to. I can't really explain the reason, but it's for the greater good.

You might wonder what you should do now that you have my body from high school, but don't worry. You don't have to do anything in particular. I just need you to live in that body for while.

Anyway, I see your relationship with the kids now are strained, so I want you fix that. Don't you dare thinking it is troublesome. I will seriously be angry if you don't fix it.

So get up and talk to those kids. They are all sweet childen, they will surely understand. They all love you, though not as much as they love me, after all you are their father.

—With love, Ayaka.

•

PS: When I return for real next time, let's go on picnic with everyone and take a lot family pictures together.

PPS: You might want to check on the kids now. You will be in for a hell of surprise.

PPPS: Don't tell them about my return though. I want to personally tell them myself> It's more fun that way. If they ask you about your appearance, I believe you know what to do.

PPPPS: Love you ^_^

---

Arata facepalmed and let out a long exasperated sigh.

'There she goes again, always doing thing as she pleases.'

Arata looked over the letter once again, focused on the first PS.

"'For real next time'... so it's not just one time thing, and she really has a way to return from the death? Hmmmm.... my brain gave up. At this point I can only say 'that's so Ayaka-like'."

Changing someone appearance and gender, then said something like returning from the death as if it's something normal, all in all everything felt like a fantasy novel plot, with Ayaka as super duper OP godlike character. 

Arata didn't know anymore if this was really a real world or alternative reality.

In the end, Arata folded the letter and put it back inside the envelope and stored it in the nightstand drawer. She stood from the bed and headed downstairs to the kitchen.

Ayaka told her to fix her relationship with the children, so she thought she should start it with having breakfast together with them.

"But she also write something about 'a hell of surprise', I wonder what it is about?" she murmured on her way down the stairs.