𝐒𝐄𝐀 𝐆𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐒. rin matsuoka

omake | periwinkle

松岡 凛
RIN MATSUOKA

              It was the spring before her entrance ceremony in university. I decided to bring Hiro along to Australia for a couple of days to show her the life I lived back then, but before that, we walked up the hill where my father's grave was located.

We lit a incense sticks and placed flowers, and soon after, we started praying.

'Dad, are you watching?' I tell him silently. 'I'll be coming back to Australia for awhile to chase our dream of becoming an olympic swimmer.'

'I've met the ultimate team, and had the ultimate relay with my ultimate rivals here in Iwatobi. We lost, though. But, you know, I'll continue doing my best from here on.'

'Oh right—And guess what, dad?' I smile, as I continue conversing with him, 'Hiro, the girl you've been telling me to befriend back when you're still alive, well, we're dating now. Thanks for letting me meet her. Please continue to watch over us, as well as Mom and Gou, from now on.'

I then look at the girl, who was crouched down as she continued praying.

She was taking her time, and by the time she finished, she had a smug look on her face.

"What's with that look?" I ask her. "You sure took your time, what the hell did you pray for?"

"I asked him to send you back to Japan if ever you hit a wall again or something," she tells me "I also told him about every mean thing you did, your conflict with Nanase and the rest of your friends, that includes our fight too"

"And the rest?" I give her a look, knowing that's not everything she told him. She wouldn't have taken that long otherwise.

"That's a secret" she smiles, feigning innocence, and I couldn't help but pull her into a hug.

▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬

              The first night, rather, the second morning she stayed with me in my new apartment in Australia, I woke up to sound of silent sobs, the sound of a girl trying to hold it in as quietly as she can. She was sitting on my bed, crying as quietly as possible. I look at the clock and it was 2:15 AM, four hours before my usual morning run.

"Hiro?" I call her name, trying to shake off how sleepy I felt at the moment. I sit up and move closer to her, checking if my hunch was right.

"Hm?" She sucks in a breath, trying to sound as casual as possible, trying to sound like she hadn't been crying a few hours ago.

"Hey," I move even closer to pull her into an embrace, and she starts crying softly.

"What's wrong?" I then ask, as soon as she calms down.

"I had a bad dream..." she says, quite shaken by the memory of it.

"And? What's it about?" I pry.

"You were there," she says. "It's like history repeated itself. You were there, chasing Nanase, chasing guys even greater than Nanase, and then you hit a wall. This time, no matter how many times I tried to help you, you couldn't get up, you couldn't remember me, you didn't even know my name."

It broke my heart to see her like this; to see her scarred by the memories of the past.

"I'm sorry," I hug her even tighter. "I'll do my best so that it history won't repeat itself."

"I'm just paranoid, that's all" she tells me, "What if you find someone else? And that someone could help you more than I do? What if you don't remember me anymore? What if I lose you again—"

I cut her off with a kiss.

"Rin..." she says my name, as I look at her in the eye.

"If there's one thing I could promise you, it's that I fucking love you. To me, you're the best girl there is." I tell her, lying back down on the bed. "Now, let's go back to sleep and worry in the morning. Wouldn't want my princess to stay up too late."

▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬

              The following morning, I woke up before she did. I had my morning run and made breakfast before I woke her up. "Hey," I give her a good morning kiss, and the girl rubs her eyes as she wakes up from her slumber.

"You woke me up" she glares playfully, wrapping herself in the blanket we shared.

"We have a long day ahead of us, if you want me to show you around," I tell her, tugging the blanket away from her.

"Okay, okay" she sighs, getting up and tying her hair into a messy ponytail. "I have to message Manami about my arrival on Sunday, though."

"Manami?" I ask, it was the first time I heard the girl's name. Unlike before, it was as if the Hiro now earned friends in a heartbeat.

"My roommate in Shimogami University. Apparently we went to the same elementary school and middle school, she claims that I saved her from getting bullied"

"Oh! That girl you mentioned in your letter when we were kids" I recalled.

"You remember?" she turns to look at me, pondering how long it's been for me to remember all that.

"Yeah, I guess" I scratch the back of my head, thinking, 'I used to reread your letters all the time'

Hiro was going back to Tokyo the day after tomorrow from now. My mother decided to watch over her grandmother, so that Hiro could chase her own dreams. After all these years, she finally gained her parents approval. She was going to study in Shimogami University for a degree in Photography. But today, I was going to go around and show her around in Australia.

"Lori and Russel my home-stay parents back in middle school, want to meet you—"

"Hm? Sure"

"I want to introduce you as my girlfriend" I say, and she smiles at me warmly.

"Then, I'll be asking about your embarrassing secrets" she smirks teasingly.

"What's with that?" I ask and we both laugh, and at that moment everything felt perfect.