Would you like a cup of tea? || Shigeo Kageyama

No Longer Parallel - Final Chapter

Mob stood in front of a grave with a bouquet of lavender. "Do you remember when you brewed this into a tea, Hotaru?" He asked towards the tombstone. As he placed them on the grave, he sat down comfortably, pouring himself a cup of rooibos tea. He then put down a cup of tea for her too.

"..." There was nothing but absolute silence.

He smiled sadly before continuing. "I finally became the person I wanted to be. Are you proud of me?" Still, there was no sound - there was no voice, her voice. "It's only been a couple of months, but I actually became the vice president of the Body Improvement Club!"

Again, nothing.

He stared at her grave with misty eyes. He stared down at his cup as tears began to gather at the corner of his eye. He really didn't want to cry. He swore to himself before coming here that he would not cry in front of her and that he would give her a big bright smile.

But why was it...?

Droplets of tears trickled down his cheeks. There was no way for him to hide how he felt.

In the end, he had to face the truth.

The truth of how much he missed her...

Because he truly did miss her dearly...

In fact, he missed her every weekend. But no matter how many times Dimple told him to forget about her, he could never do that.

He would never do that.

He wipes his eyes furiously with his arm sleeve. When he looked up again, he paused, wondering if he was hallucinating - which was something that he rarely assumed of himself.

"...Ho...taru...?"

There she stood in front of him with that welcoming smile of hers.

"Shigeo." Her smile widened as her expression brightened. Somehow, she looked so free and content, much more than before. "Congratulations for becoming the person that you wanted to be. I'm really proud of you!"

It was her voice.

He wasn't imagining things.

He stood up so suddenly before realizing that she was hugging him. "You're here." He embraced her tightly as if overwhelmed by his own emotions for a moment. "You're actually here with me, Hotaru."

She let out a bright crystal-clear laugh. "Yes, I am here, Shigeo!" She patted him on the back before releasing him. "...It seems like now I can really leave in peace."

The moment she said that, panic flickered in his eyes. "W-wait!" He grabbed at her hand. "Th-thank you for all of the delicious tea that you made for me! And thank you for encouraging me all this time!" She smiled warmly at him in response.

That was when there were a few moments of comfortable silence between them, while the two gazed into each other's eyes as if reminiscing their memories together.

She took a step towards him and placed her lips on his cheek. He blinked in surprise. She whispered to him quietly. "Your bright light will last longer than a hotaru (firefly), and I realized over time that you're actually perfect the way you are. Do you know why?"

"Why...?" He asked quietly, his cheeks flushing pink.

She then took a step back with an affectionate smile towards him. "Because you're my hope - the hope that shines on those around you. Because you are Shigeo Kageyama, the person who I..." Her smile flickered of sadness before melting back into affection. "The person who I cherish the most! Never forget that, okay?!"

He nodded at her with a dazed expression as he held his cheek with his hand.

"Now then... this time, it's a real bye-bye, Shigeo." She put her hands behind her back. "Perhaps, one day, we can meet again under your favorite sky?"

Pain flickered in his eyes. He stayed quiet for a moment before nodding minutely. "Yes, we will meet again, but when that time comes, I want to see huge rainbows with fluffy clouds floating around under a bright blue sky instead!"

Her eyes widened in recognition. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she gave him a big bright smile. "You're right! We'll meet under that kind of sky then."

"Hotaru..." He could feel the back of his eyes burning.

She rubbed her eyes, wiping away the tears. "Well then... It's time for me to go now, Shigeo."

He bit his bottom lip. "...Okay." His hands curled into fists before releasing them slowly.

"Then I'll be heading off now! Goodbye, Shigeo!" She smiled at him brightly and welcomingly, waving at him energetically - just like before.

"Goodbye, Hotaru!" Despite saying those words, tears finally streamed down his face and he took a step towards her, his hand reaching out. But by the time he barely touched her, she faded away, leaving behind the scent of rooibos tea and the grave that stood in front of him.

He stood there in silence, blankly gazing at where she last stood.

That was when he noticed a small firefly passing by her grave.

"Hotaru (firefly)...? How unusual at this time of day and place..." He murmured to himself with a small smile finally forming on his face. After he watched the firefly disappear, he looked up at the bright blue sky that signified a typical sunny day, his favorite.

That was when he spoke to her grave - a little louder than before. "You know... Even if my light now shines on those around me, it isn't just because of my own efforts. It was also because of you, Hotaru, that my light had the courage to do so - because your light shined on me first." His smile turned warmer. "So while your light might not have lasted long in this world, it will last forever in my world - never to be gone again... Because you're Taru, the one whose nickname means 'To be worthy of'... and your light is truly worthy of being everlasting in my world... as my one and only firefly..."

He soon closed his eyes, enjoying the way the warm wind was embracing him. And somehow, in that very moment, the air seemed cleaner than usual.

Surely, it meant that the day was beautiful - just the way she was.

END.