Before My Memories With You Melt Away in Tears - Episode 44

At Kyoya’s words, Ayaka lifted her head. Kyoya was looking at her with a troubled expression.

“Did the person you hurt tell you that you shouldn’t be happy with Ayaka?” he asked.

“No, they didn’t say that… but…” Ayaka replied.

“Did you do it with the intention of hurting them?” Kyoya asked.

“Of course not!” Ayaka exclaimed.

There was no way that was the case. There was no way she had intended to hurt anyone. However, she knew that she had to take responsibility for what she had done. It was true that Kyoya had suffered enough pain to lose his memories because of her. Even if someone told her it wasn’t entirely her fault, she couldn’t forgive herself.

“But it’s true that I hurt that person… If I hadn’t done something unnecessary, maybe the outcome could’ve been different…” Ayaka trailed off.

Even if the future couldn’t be changed, Ayaka couldn’t help but wonder if Kyoya’s parents might still be alive if it hadn’t been for her actions. Maybe one of them could have been saved.

The thought of a future that might have been, one that could’ve been different, made her chest tighten with pain.

“But that’s just ‘what if,’ isn’t it?” Kyoya said gently.

“Eh…?”

“Even without Ayaka, that ‘something’ might have happened anyway. Someone else might have caused the same thing in your place. Whether you were involved or not, the outcome might have been the same.”

“But… there could have been other possibilities…” Ayaka’s voice was louder now, filled with frustration.

Kyoya gave her a kind look as she raised her voice.

“Of course, it could’ve turned out differently,” he said. “But, the past can’t be changed.”

“I know the past can’t be changed… but I…” Ayaka started to protest.

“That’s why I think, instead of drowning in sadness or constantly saying ‘I’m sorry,’ the best thing we can do is live fully in the present,” Kyoya said, his voice soft but certain.

He looked away from Ayaka and his gaze landed on a small photo frame nearby. Inside was a photo of Kyoya with his parents, all smiling. The sight made Ayaka’s heart ache a little.

“My parents passed away when I was young, so now I live with my grandma,” Kyoya explained. “That’s why the house might seem a little old-fashioned,” he added with a small smile, but his love for the house was clear.

“There are so many things I wish I could say to them—how I wish they had lived, how I wanted to ask why they had to leave me—but…”

He looked back at Ayaka and gave a shy smile.

“Then I wouldn’t have had the chance to live these days with my grandma, and that would’ve been sad too. My grandma has heart problems, and there were times when it was dangerous because I wasn’t around.”

“Is that so…?”

“Yeah, so things tend to work out in the end, you know? Not everything that’s happened is your fault, Ayaka. It’s not all on you.”

Ayaka could feel tears welling up, but she held them back with all her might. She wasn’t crying out of sadness, but she didn’t want anyone to think that she was.

“Thank you…”

How could she convey that Kyoya’s words had saved her heart? She had only just begun to escape a little bit from her suffering. How could she express that?

She wished she could show him everything in her heart, but of course, that wasn’t possible. So instead, she took Kyoya’s hand.

“Thank you,” she said again, her voice quiet but sincere.

Kyoya smiled gently at her, his warmth comforting.

After a while, Kyoya’s mother arrived to pick him up.

“I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused,” she said, bowing at the entrance.

Ayaka, standing next to her, also bowed and said, “Thank you so much.”

“No, no, not at all. I’m sorry for dragging Ayaka-chan around when she wasn’t feeling well,” Kyoya’s mother replied.

“It’s not his fault at all! I was just having too much fun, and I didn’t realize how I was feeling…” Ayaka quickly denied it, flustered.

But Kyoya quietly shook his head.

“It’s my fault for not noticing how Ayaka’s feeling,” he said.

“Hi-Kyoya-kun…!” Ayaka stammered, blushing. “What do you mean, ‘someone important’…?”

She looked back and forth between Kyoya and his mother, unsure of how to react. If she said anything now…

“Are you two dating?” Kyoya’s mother asked with a happy tone.

Ayaka froze, not knowing what to do, and she simply nodded quietly. Meanwhile, Kyoya straightened his posture and bowed politely.

“I’m sorry for not introducing myself sooner. I’m Kyoya Ikeda, and I’m dating Ayaka.”

“I’m her mother,” Ayaka’s mom said, smiling warmly. “Thank you for always being so kind to Ayaka. Has she been causing you any trouble?”

“Mom!” Ayaka whispered, pulling at her sleeve to get her to stop.

But Kyoya simply shook his head, smiling at Ayaka’s mother.

“I’m the one who’s always causing trouble. Ayaka-chan has been a huge help to me.”

“…Is that so?” Ayaka’s mom said, smiling as she looked at Ayaka.

Ayaka started to feel a little awkward as her mom smiled knowingly at her.

“Please continue to take good care of Ayaka,” her mother said warmly.

“Yes, of course. Thank you,” Kyoya said, bowing once more.

Ayaka’s mother smiled happily as she watched Kyoya.

On the way home, Ayaka walked beside her mother, heading to the station. It had been a long time since they had walked together like this.

“He’s a nice boy, isn’t he?” Ayaka’s mother said.

“…Yeah,” Ayaka replied softly.

She nodded to her mother’s words, but she felt a little embarrassed. Having her mother see the person she liked, her boyfriend, was a little awkward for her.

“Ikeda, Kyoya-kun…” her mother muttered thoughtfully.

Ayaka, lost in her thoughts, didn’t notice the way her mother said his name with a certain tone.