Before My Memories With You Melt Away in Tears - Episode 38

For a moment, Ayaka didn’t understand what she had just been told.

She was about to say goodbye, but then he invited her on a date? Wait, what was going on?

“Um, well…”

“Is that a no?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to, I’m just surprised because you said it so suddenly.”

Ayaka carefully chose her words, and Kyoya gave her a troubled smile in return.

“My grandmother won a pair of tickets to a theme park in the next city over, through a raffle at the shopping district.”

He suggested they walk and talk, and as they headed toward the station, Ayaka walked along beside him, still a bit confused.

“But my grandmother is pretty old now, and she’s not really up for going to an amusement park. So, she told me to take someone along and enjoy it instead.”

“I see.”

If they had been officially dating, Ayaka probably would have been thrilled. No, even when they were just casually dating, she would have been happy.

But now… now she didn’t know what to do.

“I… I…”

“I know something’s bothering you, Ayaka-chan.”

“Ah…”

Ayaka hesitated, and Kyoya smiled at her with a slightly furrowed brow.

“That’s exactly why I want to go with you. Is that okay?”

Kyoya knew. He knew she was trying to say goodbye.

And yet, he still invited her on this date, almost as if he wanted to make a last memory with her.

“It’s not… a no.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I want to go with you, Kyoya-senpai.”

Ayaka’s response made Kyoya smile widely, clearly happy.

But Ayaka knew—Kyoya would forget this date. Because her heart wasn’t strong enough to say goodbye without tears. She would never be able to walk away from him without crying.

Even so, Ayaka would remember. She would remember the days she spent with Kyoya. The words they spoke. The sights they saw together.

Even if Kyoya forgot, it would be enough for Ayaka to hold onto those memories.

The next day was sunny and beautiful. Their meeting time was set for 9:00 at the transfer station. From there, they would take a different train line, not the usual one to school, and head toward the theme park.

“Good morning!”

Ayaka arrived about ten minutes early, and Kyoya was already waiting for her.

Dressed in a navy short-sleeve T-shirt and black slim pants, Kyoya stood out with his striking looks, drawing the attention of people around him.

“Good morning. You’re early.”

“I just had a feeling you’d be early, Kyoya-senpai.”

“Oh, hearing that makes me kind of happy.”

Kyoya smiled shyly at her words. Ayaka, feeling a little embarrassed, brushed her hair—even though it wasn’t out of place—to avoid looking too awkward.

“That pin.”

“Huh? Oh…”

As if noticing something, Kyoya gently reached out toward Ayaka’s hair. When his hand brushed near her ear, her heart started pounding loudly.

“You don’t usually wear it, so it feels kind of fresh.”

“D-Do you think it doesn’t suit me?”

Ayaka had picked a hairpin that looked like a ribbon, wanting to look a little more stylish, hoping it wouldn’t be out of place next to Kyoya. But now, with his attention on it, she started to worry—maybe it was too childish or didn’t look good on her after all.

“No, it’s really cute.”

“Ah… really?”

She never imagined he would call it cute, and her face flushed bright red. She was so embarrassed, she could feel her ears turning red.

“It’s not a ribbon, but a hairpin, right? It’s really cute.”

“Ah… it’s a hairpin, yeah.”

Ayaka felt her heart deflate at Kyoya’s words.

She felt so embarrassed. She had misunderstood, thinking he was calling her cute. The hairpin was the cute thing, not Ayaka herself. How could she have gotten so carried away and embarrassed over something like that?

“Y-Yeah, it’s a hairpin, not a ribbon. It looks like a ribbon, but it’s a hairpin. I thought it might be too hard to wear to school, so I don’t usually wear it, but I thought today might be okay…”

Embarrassed by her misunderstanding, Ayaka kept babbling, making excuses. Kyoya just smiled softly at her.

“Cute.”

“Y-Yeah. The ribbon hairpin is really cute…”

“No, I mean you, Ayaka-chan. You’re cute.”

“Huh?”

The unexpected words made Ayaka let out a silly-sounding voice.

Did he just say… she was cute? And Ayaka-chan was the one he meant? Was she hearing things wrong?

“Sorry, I was being a little mean. The way you’re wearing the hairpin, that’s what’s cute. Really.”

“W-Why… would you say something like that?”

“Because it’s cute how you’re all red now.”

Kyoya grinned, looking almost childlike as he teased her.

“Kyoya-senpai, you’re being mean.”

“Eh, ah, sorry!”

He must have wanted to tease her a little.

“If you’re going to be mean like that…”

Ayaka took the hairpin out of her hair and placed it in Kyoya’s hair, near his ear.

“As punishment, you have to wear it!”

“Me?”

After thinking for a second, Kyoya let out a soft, drawn-out “Eh?” before flashing a mischievous grin.

“Nope, I’m not doing it.”

He quickly took the hairpin out and touched Ayaka’s hair gently.

“You look better in it, Ayaka-chan. It suits you, and you’re way cuter wearing it.”

“…”

Ayaka couldn’t find the words to reply. She could only nod quietly.

But as she looked at Kyoya’s happy smile in front of her, everything—her embarrassment, her shyness, even his teasing—faded away. She couldn’t help but be drawn in by the Kyoya who was so close to her.