I Planned My Escape Because I Knew Her Secret - Episode 42

It has been decided that the wedding will be held in August.

It was due to the reservation schedule of the venue.

I’ll cover all the expenses.

In the five years since coming to Okayama, my salary was never very high, but since my expenses were mostly just rent and car maintenance, with hardly any money spent on food or utilities, I managed to save a decent amount.

That said, we both need to save money for our future dreams, so we’re keeping the budget quite tight.

Regarding the wedding plans and such, I didn’t just leave everything to Madoka this time; I also thought about them together with her.

The ceremony will be held at the chapel.

The invitees are both families, the Narita couple, and the Yuko couple who just got married in July.

And this time, although it was just a formality, we asked the master and the proprietress couple to be our matchmakers.

Well, even though it’s called a plan, it’s quite simple.

Swearing to become a couple in front of everyone, exchanging rings and kissing.

After that, we’ll take photos after the ceremony.

Regarding the attire, the wedding dress will only be worn during the ceremony, so there will be no outfit change.

Regarding the wedding ring, since Madoka has been keeping the one we prepared five years ago, I’ll just resize mine and use it. My fingers have changed a lot in thickness because I’ve been working at the udon shop all this time.

After the ceremony, we will move to Narita-an for a dinner party instead of a reception.

This includes part-time workers and part-time students who work at Narita-an but did not attend the ceremony.

It might feel like a typical wedding after-party.

Here, I will read a thank-you letter from Madoka to her parents, and then I will give my greetings to everyone.

And starting the next day, we’re going on a three-day, two-night honeymoon to Shikoku.

Since I myself have never been to Kagawa, the home of Sanuki udon, I plan to drive around and eat Sanuki udon there.

By the way, the store will be closed for three consecutive days, with two days of temporary closure starting the day after the regular holiday.

We will spend the first day of the long holiday preparing for the ceremony and the reception, hold the ceremony on the second day, and on the third day, my spouse and I will go on our honeymoon.

The next two days will be business as usual without us, but both the head chef and the proprietress are still very much active, and Yuko, who just got married, will also be increasing her hours during that time, so the shop should be fine.

We decided on a plan like this together while consulting with the proprietresses.

And then, on the day.

On this day in August, the sunlight was strong from the morning, and it was expected to be quite hot during the day.

In the morning, I woke up normally, took a shower, woke up Madoka, and was brushing my teeth in the kitchen when the phone rang. It was my dad.

“Masaki, are you still at home properly? Are you with Madoka-chan?”

“Oh, I just woke up, took a shower, and then woke up Madoka. What’s up so early in the morning?”

“Check if Masaki has escaped!”

“・・・・”

From my puzzled expression, Madoka seemed to think, “What’s going on so early in the morning?” and looked at me with a worried face.

“My dad called to check if I had run away. Sorry, but could you tell Madoka, ‘He’s here, don’t worry’?”

“Ugh, got it.”

When I had Madoka take the call, she explained to my dad with a bit of a laugh to reassure him.

To Madoka, who had just finished the call, I apologized, “Sorry for dragging you into something weird so early in the morning. I’ll prepare breakfast, so go take a shower.” She replied with a smirk, “If you’re going to run away, now’s your chance.”

I know my past actions were bad and it’s my own fault, but I got a little annoyed with both my dad and Madoka, so I picked up Madoka in her pajamas like she was a sack of rice and said, “Alright! We’re escaping now! This time, Madoka’s coming with me!” As I was about to leave through the front door with Madoka still on my shoulder, she immediately surrendered, saying, “Wah! Sorry, sorry! I won’t tease you anymore, so

Madoka, who was being hugged by me, was apologizing in a tearful voice, saying, “Uuuh, Masakun, I’m sorry~ I’ll always be by your side~.”

We hugged each other early in the morning and reaffirmed our love for each other, but later, while having breakfast, we both calmed down a bit and thought, “What are we doing on the morning of our wedding at our age, over 30?” It seems that on the day of the wedding, I might have been a bit too excited.

We arrive at the venue at 9 o’clock.

Both sets of parents had been staying at a hotel near Okayama Station since yesterday and were supposed to arrive at the venue around 10 o’clock, but in the end, both my parents and Madoka’s parents arrived at the venue around 9 o’clock, just like us.

Madoka and I were getting ready in separate rooms.

On my end, since I only had to wear the rented tuxedo, it was over quickly, and I was chatting with my parents and the master and landlady who arrived later while drinking coffee in the lobby.

After killing some time, Madoka’s father-in-law came to call us, so we all went to Madoka’s dressing room. There, Madoka, wearing a wedding dress, was sitting in a chair, having finished her makeup and other preparations.

When Madoka first came to Okayama, her hair was in a short cut, but in about six months, it had grown to a semi-short length, and today it was styled for the ceremony.

My parents were dabbing their eyes with handkerchiefs as they looked at Madoka in her wedding dress.

It might have reminded me of things from five years ago.

“Madoka, aren’t you hot? Are you okay?”

“Yeah”

“You’re really beautiful. That pure white dress suits Madoka so well.”

“Masakun, you look great in a tuxedo too.”

Madoka stood up and, while looking at my shirt, adjusted the collar.

“A bald head in a tuxedo looks really out of place, doesn’t it?”

“No, that’s not true. You’re manly and cool.”

Our interactions were being watched over by the whole family with warm smiles.

The ceremony proceeded smoothly and solemnly, and ended without any incidents.

During the photo shoot after the ceremony, we took pictures together with the bride, Madoka, in a princess carry, and while Madoka had her hands around my neck and kissed my cheek. However, I was the only one who didn’t notice the big kiss mark on my cheek during the next group photo shoot. I even thanked the planner and others without realizing it. Later, when I returned to the waiting room, I noticed the kiss mark on my cheek and felt extremely embarrassed.

But of course, we can’t reshoot, and when I complained to Madoka and my parents, they said it was a “five-year-long punishment game.”

Next was the meal at Narita-an, so I changed clothes at the venue before moving.

That said, since it wasn’t a wedding reception, we wore our own clothes instead of dresses or suits. Madoka wore a white sleeveless dress, and I wore a white dress shirt with a light blue tie that Madoka had chosen. And since Madoka had kept the tie pin she had given me five years ago, which I had left behind during our escape, I put it on.

The dinner party was organized and led by Yuko, and it started with the captain’s toast.

The meals were prepared through catering and delivery, and drinks were made available for everyone to freely enjoy from the store’s refrigerator, so that everyone could relax and have a good time.

And so, as a joint effort between the two of them, they also cut the cake.

There was also a plan to make udon together, but since we had already done it once when the three families got together in March, and the only attendees besides the three families were the Narita-an employees, we decided, “We’ve had enough udon,” and went with the standard cake-cutting instead.

After that, the telegrams that had been sent were introduced, but among them were slightly sarcastic congratulatory messages from friends who had been invited to the wedding five years ago, as well as messages from my boss during my time as a family restaurant manager, and I couldn’t help but feel a sense of regret.

Even though I was forced to drink a lot of alcohol I couldn’t handle and ended up completely drunk, the dinner party proceeded smoothly and pleasantly throughout. In the end, Madoka delivered a letter to her parents, and I gave a thank-you speech to everyone.

“A Letter from Madoka to Her Parents”

Mom, Dad. Thank you for raising me all this time.

And thank you for putting up with my selfishness for so many years.

Thanks to you, I was able to be with Masaki.

Especially over the past five years, I can only feel gratitude for the way you both have scolded me sternly, respected my feelings, and allowed me to do things my way.

Thank you for taking care of me for 32 years.

From now on, with the lessons learned from both of you in my heart, I will strive to support Masaki-san in Okayama, aiming to become a couple like you two.

Please take care of yourselves and stay healthy and well.

Dad, Mom, thank you.

I’m going to be happy.

Everyone was shedding tears over Madoka’s letter.

Madoka herself, while crying, somehow managed to read it aloud.

And then, I cried the most.

Maybe because I was drunk, my feelings of guilt and gratitude got all mixed up, and even though I had to give a speech afterwards, I ended up sobbing uncontrollably.

Saying “I’m going to wash my face a bit,” I left my seat, splashed water on my face in the restroom, went outside to buy a canned coffee from the vending machine to sober up a bit, and sat in the shade to take a break.

After about five minutes, a flustered Madoka came looking for me.

“Geez! You were here all along!”

“Yeah, I was trying to sober up, so I was resting.”

“I was a little worried.”

“Oh, did you think I ran away again? I told you this morning, right? If I run away, Madoka runs away with me. Besides, I’m not running away anymore.”

“Yeah, I know. I think I know, but I still worry.”

“I made you traumatized, so I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’m right here with you.”

“I see. I guess it’s about time to head back.”

“Yeah”

Since I felt a bit better, I returned to the store and immediately greeted everyone.

I decided to convey my thoughts as they are without any notes.

Dad, Mom, I’m sorry for worrying you for five years.

Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, I am truly sorry for running away five years ago.

Chief, Madam, Yuko, thank you for taking in a suspicious guy like me five years ago.

Madoka.

Thank you for confessing to me that summer when we were 16.

And thank you for searching for me and finding me over these past five years.

For five years, I have been training at Narita-an, reflecting on various things with a calm mind, but after reuniting with Madoka, I was able to further reflect on my past actions.

Right now, I am happy.

That is undoubtedly thanks to Madoka.

This time, I will never let go of this happiness.

Please stay with me forever from now on.

Everyone, thank you very much for today.

We are still quite inexperienced, but please continue to watch over us strictly and warmly as you have until now.

I look forward to working with you in the future.

Since I was still feeling the effects of the alcohol, I started to lose track of what I was saying halfway through, but somehow I managed to finish to the end, and everyone erupted into a big round of applause.

Madoka, who was sitting next to me, held my hand during the speech and kept wiping her tears with a handkerchief.

I couldn’t cry.

I was desperate to speak properly amidst the drunkenness and tension.

Thus, our five-year-long wedding ceremony came to a successful conclusion.

At first, I thought we wouldn’t have a ceremony for our reconciliation, but I’m glad we did it after all.

For us now, the wedding felt like a purification ritual for me and like overcoming a trauma for Madoka.