Chapter 66
For Ryosaku, the three years he spent with Lisa were very calm and peaceful.
Just like her, Ryosaku himself felt a deep sense of relief when he was with Lisa, and just like an office worker coming home from a hard day's work and experiencing the warm atmosphere of home, his wife greeted him at the door. He felt so comfortable that he felt like falling asleep in her lap.
Lisa was kind.
...She was deeply kind.
In the past three years, there have been no ups and downs, no fights, not even a single fight between the two of them.
Lisa was a gentle and obedient child who was obedient to Ryosaku and never spoke back.
Of course, Ryosaku didn't have the wherewithal to give Lisa any instructions, much less to create a scene where he gave her orders.
The two were really happy.
However, it is also true that there was something "unsatisfactory" in Ryosaku's heart.
Lisa's kindness had become a part of Ryosaku's body...it had become second nature.
However, he didn't become too dependent on Lisa's kindness, and even less was he arrogant about it...he cared for Lisa and was kind to her.
If so, what exactly is this "unsatisfactory" thing?
Needless to say, it was Mieko's presence.
Even as Ryosaku spends fun days with Lisa, he is always concerned about Mieko's current situation in the back of his mind, and is frustrated that he cannot save her, and he spends sweet days with Lisa. There was even a moment when Ryosaku was taken aback by his own embarrassment.
It was like a tiny drop of black ink dripping into the corner of pure white calligraphy paper...no matter where he turned, it was just a black shadow that could not be erased from his vision.
In any case, Ryosaku was healed.
Even when he had bad things going on in middle school or was worried about his poor grades, Lisa was always by his side.
And she healed Ryosaku of all his fatigue.
In that sense, Lisa was Ryosaku's "doctor of the heart."
However...Lisa didn't have the same "scent" as Mieko.
That mysterious, charming scent that Mieko had, like a fragrance, like a sweet and sour cherry...sometimes as bewitching as a violet, the moment she smelled it, Ryosaku fainted.''
Lisa didn't have that.
For Ryosaku, the "unique charm" and "memories of her" that Mieko had always captured his heart and remained in him as something unforgettable.
Before Ryosaku became so close to Lisa, he believed in Mieko unconditionally, as if she were the founder of a religion, and regarded her as the absolute, unwavering, and one-of-a-kind existence for him.
However, on the other hand, as he spends many sweet days with Lisa, the feeling of that "scent" gradually fades without him realizing it.
That nostalgic feeling of those days when his heart was pounding and sparkling...someday, he began to feel it fade away day by day.
In the end, Mieko's lovely voice, even that angelic smile that captivated Ryosaku at first sight... gradually became a thing of the past, disappearing beyond his memories.
By the time Lisa leaves for Hokkaido, Ryosaku can no longer even remember Mieko's face.
One night... when Ryosaku absentmindedly passed by Mieko's former house... he noticed that a light was on inside the house.
