Love You Seventh Day: 04 [Sayoko Mido] ◇ (65) (Patreon)

*Seventh Day: 04 [Sayoko Mido] ◇*

Today is Saturday, October 31st.

Tomorrow is Sunday, November 1st.

The day after tomorrow is Monday, November 2nd, but school is closed for the founding anniversary.

The day after that is Tuesday, November 3rd, which is Culture Day, a public holiday.

In other words, judging by the number of remaining contenders and the remaining matches, today would likely be Sayoko's last day of school.

Of course, that applied to Erika as well. Sayoko and Erika were walking home, holding hands, during what should have been their precious last time leaving school.

"A long weekend starts tomorrow, huh."

"Are you doing anything, Eri-chan?"

"I'm going out with my mom tomorrow. We're going shopping and to see a movie. Mom said she's going to be stuck at the company from Monday. She said she won't be back until the night of the sixth."

(So, tomorrow will likely be Eri-chan's farewell with her aunt.)

Thinking of Erika's feelings... Sayoko's eyes and the back of her nose burned and ached as if clogged.

(Yes. It's better for her to have that time with her family.)

Those memories would surely become Erika's strength. Those memories would undoubtedly stop her from falling into despair. Both in the middle of battle, and when she goes to the future.

(I think that's for the best.)

She closed her eyes and nodded to herself.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing her friend's state, Erika asked. Sayoko hastily covered it up.

"Oh, no, I was just thinking, I thought your aunt had moved to a less busy department."

"Apparently there's some kind of special issue, so it's really busy this month."

"Oh, I see."

"What about your long weekend, Sacchan? What are you doing?"

"A 'holiday' is a day you don't have to go outside, you know? Of course, I'm staying home."

"Whoa, a total shut-in."

They laughed together.

Insignificant. But irreplaceable time.

(If only this time could repeat forever.)

In anime, manga, and games, there are countless stories with time loops... That girl from the novel, that child from the anime, that man from the game, all of them, all of them, she envied and resented.

(So why is our time finite?)

Sayoko muttered inside her heart with bitter feelings, savoring every passing second.

The two continued to walk in silence for a while. Then, Erika asked as if she had just remembered.

"By the way, when I went to pick you up, you weren't in the classroom. Where did you go? You left your phone there."

"Hmm? The bathroom? The BIG BONUS one."

"My apologies for asking."

A lie. A deception so as not to cause Erika unnecessary worry. Fortunately, Erika didn't press the matter further.

"What about you, Eri-chan? Was everything okay with Suita-senpai?"

Sayoko asked back casually. She didn't intend anything by it, just to change the subject.

"Yeah, we broke up."

"Oh, I see."

Sayoko replied without thinking. She didn't immediately understand what Erika was saying, and replayed the words in her head a few times to process them.

Processed.

"Whaaaaaaaattttt!?"

Sayoko let out a stunned cry. A housewife on a passing bicycle turned around with a surprised look for a moment, then rode away.

"Hey, Sacchan, your voice is too loud! You'll bother the neighbors."

"Why!? What did you do!? You guys were getting along so well!"

To Sayoko, the two of them were a picture-perfect, healthy and harmonious couple. She had often heard from Erika about where they went and what they did for fun.

It was precisely because she cared about her that Sayoko had put up with the pain in her chest and listened to those stories.

And yet. Why.

"Calm down, Sacchan. Whoa there, whoa there."

"I'm not a horse."

For some reason, it was Sayoko who was flustered, creating a strange situation.

"Why did something like that happen!?"

Sayoko questioned.

(Even Suita-senpai should have been a source of emotional support for Eri-chan.)

Erika hummed "Ummm"... and after a short while, she opened her mouth and spoke quietly.

"Because there's nothing more I can do for him."

Hearing that, Sayoko closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.

(Ah, I see.)

Erika was worried about him.

If she lost the battle, Erika would die, perhaps even tonight. Without even leaving a body. Even if she survived, she would disappear from this era in a few days anyway.

So that his shadow wouldn't follow her, so that his heart wouldn't be bound... Erika had likely stepped back.

"Hah."

But Sayoko couldn't show her understanding of Erika's feelings and comfort her. She couldn't reveal that she knew about Erika's situation.

Therefore, the devotee deliberately did not comfort the goddess. If she said anything, her cover might be blown.

"Is that so... I don't really get that kind of stuff at all."

So she had no choice but to lie. Erika said nothing, just looked ahead with a lonely expression.

(Eri-chan.)

Did her words just now hurt her even more? That concern made the girl in glasses anxious. The silence flowing between them cornered her further.

Finally unable to bear it any longer, Sayoko covered up the situation with words she didn't mean.

"Besides, I've never been in a relationship or anything."

It was a day full of lies.

***

2024.9.16

An illustration by Rinri Kiyo-sensei, the artist of the manga version of I Won't Forgive Your Future, of Sayo and Eri's pretend wedding! It's amazing!

Depicting the past "pretend wedding," a key phrase in the story, with the two of them in the present...!

Yay! (゜∀゜) Sexy!

The entwined hands, the tangled legs, the expressions, really everything is just the best!