The Nonfiction That Only You Know

Chapter 45

Original Author: ひのはら (Hinohara)
Date Submitted to Kakuyomu: 2021/07/05

They slowly walk through the park by the sea where there are few people.
The lights of the shopping mall and the Ferris wheel a little farther away twinkle in the distance.

After leaving the beauty salon, neither of them said a word.
It has been so long since they last saw each other so they're both wondering what to say.
They're also wondering which one of them should speak first.

Their feet led them to this park near the beauty parlor, but they still haven't figured out what to say.

However, Chiho knows they won't be making progress if they just keep staying silent. Gathering her courage, she asks the things she wanted to ask in their time apart.

"Isn't it hard being a novelist and a stylist at the same time?"
"It's tough, but... they're both things I want to do so I enjoy it a lot."
"I see..."

They're just chatting while walking side by side. However, Chiho is filled with excitement at such a simple thing.

She has always wanted to hang out with Mii like this.

She wanted to talk to her while looking her directly in the eyes instead of through her long bangs.
On Christmas Eve, she wanted the two of them to enjoy the feast that Mii prepared.

She wanted them to watch the first sunrise of the year together while talking about how beautiful it was.

She wanted them to go on a date, hold hands, and laugh over trivial things.

That was all Chiho could think about back then.

"...I've read all your novels. Including GHOST."
"Really? That's embarrassing..."
"...About GHOST. How much of it is true?"

Chiho asks Mii as her voice shakes.

At the end of the book, it was written that the work is a piece of fiction.

Inside "GHOST", the two of them were able to find happiness.
Chiho's eyes grow restless with anxiety. Mii squeezes Chiho's hand as if to reassure her.

"...All of it is true."

Mii stops moving so Chiho's feet also stop.
Facing each other, Chiho notices that Mii is taller.

That's because Mii is wearing high heels with an adult-like design.

"...You know, I've always had no confidence in myself."
"Mm..."
"I wasn't a good enough person to be next to Minami-chan... I didn't have any self-confidence... but if the girl I fell in love with, Chiho-chan, happens to be Minami-chan..."

Being this close to her, just holding her hands makes Chiho nervous.

Chiho has thought about Mii for such a long time, but the distance between them never became any shorter.

That's why just being able to stare at her from this close brings a tear to Chiho's eyes.

"...I have put in a lot of effort because I wanted to be someone worthy of standing next to you."
"I know... you've become incredibly popular as both a stylist and a novelist."
"...Am I already too late?"

One long line of tears runs down Mii's cheek.
In a terribly thin voice and agonizing voice, Mii quietly says her next words.

"...The reply I've been waiting 9 years for... Once again... Can I ask to hear your answer?"　

Unable to withstand it, Chiho pulls her into a tight embrace.
Burying her head into Mii's shoulders, she smells the scent of soap that she loves so much.

During their time apart, Chiho never once forgot her.
She thought about Mii every day and every time she did, her chest seemed to constrict in pain.

At that time, she couldn't say it.
She took the coward's way out and only wrote it on a piece of paper, but her feelings weren't properly conveyed.

"...I love you."

After saying it once, her restraints no longer work.
As if the brakes on her emotions have broken, her feelings overflow.

"I don't want to be apart from you anymore... I want to be with you forever."

After telling Mii the emotions that she has kept locked away for so many years, Chiho gently puts her hands on Mii's cheeks.
At such a close distance that their lips could almost touch, Mii gives Chiho the words she always longed for.

"...I have also... been in love with you ever since then... Chiho-chan."

That Christmas Eve, Chiho's eyes were hidden but not this time.
Mii offered those words to her.
Not to Minami, but to Chiho.

When Chiho brings her face closer to Mii's to close the distance between their lips, Mii suddenly turns her face away.

No matter how she thinks about it, everything was leading to a kiss. Chiho is shocked by Mii's unexpected reaction. She notices Mii's ears have become redder than she's ever seen them before.

"After all, asking me to not be nervous in this situation is impossible. The Chiho-chan I love more than anything... has Minami-chan's face."

Chiho smiles at Mii's bashful expression.
Mii truly loves everything about Chiho.

That's true for Chiho as well.
Strengthening her grip on Mii's cheeks a little, Chiho gently places her lips on Mii's.

Feeling this soft touch, she could feel happiness welling up from the very depths of her body.

With the sound of their lips parting, Chiho brings her mouth close to Mii's ears to tease her.

"Then you better get used to it quickly."
"Mm..."

Chiho finds Mii irresistibly lovely as she nods her head while looking deeply embarrassed.

While listening to her rapidly pounding heartbeat, Chiho feels like she is about to overflow with tears of happiness.

Ever since meeting Mii, Chiho has always been crying.
In the past, she only cried while acting, but now she cries all the time when she thinks about Mii with feelings of sadness or love.

Thanks to all the human-like worrying and detours she had to take, she and Mii are able to communicate their feelings to each other like this.

Perhaps there was a shorter path.
There may have been another way for her to be happy with Mii without having to wait 9 years, but just feeling Mii's warmth like this now is already enough for Chiho.