Chapter 118
"Ryosaku-san, have you calmed down?"
Ryosaku, who had been crying with his heart held by Ryoko, felt a weight lifted from his heart that had been tormenting and weighing him down ever since he read Tokiko's letter. He felt refreshed and even exhilarated.
It was the first time that Ryosaku truly accepted the sad reality of Mieko's death and began to move forward.
Ryosaku then told Ryoko about everything from when he first met Mieko to the present day, and about all those shining, heart-pounding, somewhat sad, sweet memories he had with Mieko, forgetting the passage of time and revisiting his childhood with fervent, sparkling eyes.
As Ryoko listened to the memories he recounted, she herself was overwhelmed by the weight of the fact that they had cared for each other and truly loved each other, and was moved. Sometimes tears welled up in her eyes, other times a gentle smile appeared on her face. She listened engrossed in the "picture scroll of time" that Ryosaku was talking about...and before she knew it, the conversation shifted to the relationship between Ryoko and Mieko's father, Isao.
In fact, Ryoko once had a younger sister whom she loved more than anyone else.
Her name was Naoko, and she was an employee of K City Hall, where Ryoko worked.
And in fact, Isao was also an employee of K City Hall before he became an employee of Hokkaido Beer.
The two loved each other and even promised to marry, but...Naoko suddenly fell ill and passed away, and it was her university classmate...Mieko's mother, Tokiko, who encouraged and comforted Isao, who was left behind.
Eventually, the two got married, had two daughters, Mieko and Kaori, and built a happy family, but before long, a rift began to form between them... They almost got divorced once, but then got back together again.
Isao had a great respect for his ex-lover Naoko's older sister... that is, Ryoko, who Ryosaku was talking about now, and called her "big sis, big sis" and adored her like a real sister.
Ryoko often heard stories about Ryosaku from Isao, who was as dear to her as her own brother, about his daughter Mieko... and she was very interested in what kind of person "Ryosaku Takada" Isao spoke so passionately about was really.
She also explained how she knew all of Ryosaku's "personal information" here.
In fact, she was born in the same city as Ryosaku, Y, and even went to the same school as Ryosaku, "K Elementary School"!
What a twist of fate...and irony!
It also turns out that she has a former boyfriend and classmate working at Y City Hall, who has been so kind as to secretly tell her personal information about Ryosaku.
And so, Ryoko gave Ryosaku, who had made the effort to come all the way to this place, a "birthday present".
