CH 61

61. Rie’s dream

Even after Rie and Rie’s mother suddenly participated, I was able to enjoy the BBQ without any particular problems, but…

“Come to think of it, Rie. Didn’t you have something to say to Taketo-kun?”

Such a statement came from Rie’s mother.

What does Rie want to say to me?

Is it something you can talk about when your family is around?

Rie still hadn’t moved.

As I was thinking about helping her, Rie’s mother dropped more bombs.

“You’ve been worrying about it for a long time, haven’t you? You’ve come to a conclusion, haven’t you?”

“Hey, Mother!”

“It’s about your future. You can say it here.”

“Mother! That story is…”

In the unexpected flow of the story, Rie moaned, “Uaaaa”.

Did Rie’s mother say that on purpose?

I don’t know what it is, but… Rie seems to be struggling. Seems that it’s something quite hard to talk about here.

Well, I’d like to know more about it, but Rie seems to want to keep it a secret, so yeah, let’s change the subje…

“I mean, you’ve been seriously thinking about it ever since you got the 「FREE HUG TICKET」   from Taketo-kun.”

“Oh!”

“Not that…!”

Rie extended her hand, but it was already too late.

Words that came out of one’s mouth couldn’t be taken back after all. Rie could only hang her head.

“……Free Hug, Ticket?”

Moe-chan tilted her head at the unfamiliar words.

Mom made a face that said, “Oh, right.” and Sis after having a confused face for a while, it seemed she remembered it.

As for Grandma, Minayo-san, Moe-chan, Saki-chan, they didn’t have any idea.

“Take-chan confessed to Rie-chan and the others that, he’d like to be together forever.”

“Ah, wait!”

Mom, how can you do that? Don’t spread the “fire” here, please.

I was betrayed by my family.

“Hmm……”

Grandma looked at me with interest.

“Will she be Onii-chan’s marriage partner?”

“Will she?”

Moe-chan and Saki-chan looked at me with pure eyes.

“What’s with this situation…”

Everyone’s interest was focused on me like a concentrated fire.

“So, what does Rie-chan want to say to Take-chan? I’m curious.”

And now you hit her, Mom? I think Rie’s life point is already zero, you know?

Well, I was also hit, so can I enter the house before my life point runs out?

But, Rie hasn’t been resurrected yet……

When I thought so, Rie stood up straight.

“……Rie?”

“Taketo-kun, I’ve been worrying about this for a long time.”

“Rie……”

Unusually, Rie looked so serious. A little scary, but intense. There was power behind her words.

“For three years in middle school, I did my best in swimming. And at the last competition, I did enough to get noticed.”

“I heard it was just a little bit more, but still, you were amazing.”

Updated personal best in the competition. Moreover, Rie was only 0.1 seconds away from the time at which she could get the co-ed school’s sports recommendation.

“Mother supported me, so I thought that I should aim to be a swimmer in the future.”

“Rie…… you thought?”

Hm? What does it mean? Does that mean you’re not aiming for it now?

“But, not long ago, I received a 「FREE HUG TICKET」 from Taketo-kun, and since then, I’ve been wondering what I really want…… Mother graduated from high school and got a job in a company and was active as a professional athlete, so I thought I should go that path. But now, there’s something more precious for me, more than that. I realized that being with Taketo-kun is many times, a dozen times more precious.”

The last time Rie came here, it must have been different. Maybe she was still in a dilemma.

On that day, we learned the truth about the Mama Association. And Rie might have questioned her mother after she went back. Why she wasn’t told about this and that…

I don’t know what kind of conversation Rie and her mother had, but I guess, it must’ve been “something” that made Rie make a decision.

Probably, Rie’s mother’s circumstances. That the “Love Season” didn’t come to Rie’s mother because she was so devoted to sports…

“I live for Taketo-kun! …I realized that, this is what I really want.”

Rie clenched her fists and insisted so.

Are you sure, Rie?

Would you change your goals just for the sake of one man, me?

“Rie, you might regret it, you know?”

“No. I’m greedy after all, so I’m choosing a path where I can be with Taketo-kun… I’ll be a teacher. I’ll be with Taketo-kun while teaching children how to exercise!”

Like a champion, Rie raised her arms high as if to say, “I’ve no regrets in my life.”

“……I-I see.”

I thought her decision was a waste, but I tried to put myself in her situation.

What if, in the original world, I was told, “You can spend the rest of your life with a beautiful woman, but you should abandon martial arts for today.”

……Throw it away. Throw it right away without hesitation. Yup, I’d have happily thrown it away.

I learned martial arts in order to be popular, so technically it may be different from Rie, but I think the feeling is the same.

Even if I gave up martial arts for women, I wouldn’t regret it.

Makoto seems to want to be a civil servant, Yuuko seems to want to be a lawyer or a researcher, they chose a path where they could be with me while chasing their dreams.

I guess Rie also chose a teacher, so she can be with me.

“Alright, Rie. I support your dream.”

Being a teacher isn’t easy.

Rie chose the best path for me.

I heard about your decision, Rie. I heard it very well.

You impressed me. Really. My heart is shaken by your decision, you know.

If in the original world… Let’s say I met the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with and give everything for her.

If that woman called me “disgusting”, I wouldn’t be able to get over it. I might try to find out where the Grim Reaper is.

But if, if… by any chance, if that fateful woman said, “Thank you,” how would I feel?

Right, I’d have doubted my ears at first.

If it wasn’t just my hallucination, then I, I… wouldn’t mind fighting against the world. No, I’d fight to be with her.

I’d be that happy for sure.

After being lost in the sea of thoughts for a while, I approached Rie and hugged her at the same time while saying “Thank you”.

“Guaaaaaaa…!”

For some reason, I could hear Rie’s scream in my ear.