Prove Your Eternal Love. There Shall Be No Heroine Correction. - Chapter 0 Introduction: High School First-Year, Autumn

“Let’s break up.”

Tokiwa Minagi gave me a smile as she said this.

In return, I forced a smile at those predictable words. I wanted to seem resolute by smiling. As I gulped down the saliva in my parched throat, the taste of mint spread. I was on the verge of tears.

“Yeah. That’s a good idea.”

We had been together since middle school and up until now, it had been two long years. Now, we went to different high schools, however—I still believed in the possibility that we may end up getting married one day.

I still loved Minagi. But Minagi was not the same person anymore.

There was no longer a future for our relationship. There was only one thing I could do if it came down to this. It was breaking up the cleanest way possible.

Then, I tried to summarize our relationship sentimentally.

Yet in the end, I concluded it was just one of those common breakup stories you hear about everywhere. It was the result of trivial differences, petty quarrels, and the accumulation of conflicting values.

“This is kinda anticlimactic, isn’t it? I thought you’d try to change my mind, considering you were the one who requested this location, Suguru.

“No way. I already knew the answer from the call we had in the morning.”

I had a hunch from her sudden call this morning. And so, I prepared a couple of mint candies and told her that we should meet at this location, which was a spot I remembered from our first date.

“Are you serious? You know this is a shrine for marriage blessings, right? People don’t usually break up here.”

“Yeah, I know. But, you know. This. We have to return it.”

I retrieved a small talisman that was hanging from my bag and held it up. They said if two people carried a pair, they would be granted eternal love—it was a nice piece of cloth, priced at 300 yen, with a bogus claim.

Minagi laughed at what I had said, and replied, “I guess so.” I was rather taken aback.

As we stood in front of the Talisman Depository, our pinkies lightly intertwined, and we simultaneously inserted the talismans. The sound of the talismans falling to the bottom echoed faintly, and at this moment, our parting was confirmed.

“I knew there was no such thing as eternal love.”

Minagi muttered as she untied her fingers, fully accepting that it was over.

“That’s right. There is no such thing as eternal love. There is only the result of loving each other forever. It’s the process that matters.”

“…Uh-huh? What do you mean?”

“In other words, the process of striving for eternal love is what makes love eternal.”

It was not the result that was important; it was always the process of getting there that was meaningful. That was my theory. It is not where you get to, but what you do to get there that defines it.

“Ahaha. That’s a good one, Suguru. Why didn’t you tell me about this earlier?”

“Would you have changed your mind if I told you?”

“Maybe so.”

“I see. I was a little late, then. The thought had only just occurred to me.”

“Oh wow, that’s too bad. But I like that way of thinking—it’s very Suguru-like.”

“Hasslesome, is that not what you wanted to say?”

“Yes, you’re a mess and a hassle. But I’ve always liked that part about you.”

“No way. I’ve never heard you say that before. Why didn’t you say it to me before?”

“Well… right. I’ve been keeping it in my mind. I didn’t want you to get too excited from me praising you.”

“Was your plan to make me overly self-confident the moment you let go of me? What happens if I can’t find a new girlfriend?”

“That’s not true. I’ve been praying for Suguru’s happiness and well-being.”

“That’s frighteningly sarcastic.”

It was a scene that I would never be able to see again, not even in our casual exchanges. I would never be able to see her so close to mine again.

“I bet Nagisa would be surprised.”

When Minagi suddenly mentioned her, my mind drifted to the girl a year younger than me who looked a lot like Minagi.

“Right. Haaah, it is a little hard on me to lose even a sister-in-law I was so close to.”

“Why don’t you two just get together? But, don’t go on and treat me like your sister-in-law.”

Even with my blatantly slow gait, I was already back to the shrine gate. But before I took the last step, I opened my mouth and called out to Minagi.

“—Thank you for all this time.”

I most likely wasn’t smiling.

“Me too, thank you, Suguru. It has been a very fun two years.”

Minagi also smiled awkwardly.

And so our simple breakup came to an end.

And I, walking alone, chew on a piece of mint candy that I have come to hate. The sweetness lasts only for a moment. Immediately after, the bitterness and mintiness of the candy spread quickly throughout my mouth. I am well aware that I hate this contrasting flavor.

I walk aimlessly like a lifeless shell and sit down on a bench that has caught my eye. As I stare blankly at the shabby exterior of the local library, I cry, outpouring all my emotions. I continue crying. I cry so openly that all the passersby look at me weirdly.

I want to forget these feelings. I desperately try to push all of them out of my mind.