Prove Your Eternal Love. There Shall Be No Heroine Correction. - Chapter 3 Part 2

The liquid, a mixture of grape juice and melon soda, ascended the straw in Nagisa’s mouth, making a slurping sound.

“—So, that was the plan. Nagisa, your cooperation is indispensable for this. Can you help me?”

At the same time, I finished my explanation to Nagisa. We were at a local family restaurant, planning our strategy against Akikusa Yuuhi. Because of Kuroiwa’s stamp robbery, I don’t have the memories of Minagi that would be the most important for Yuyo. And perhaps Yuyo would not accept the exchange of other memories.

In other words, this was a battle to get the table game club’s stamp before Yuyo.

To do that, we first need to get Kuroiwa to return the stamp, but I’d like to believe that she doesn’t really want to blow off four memories either… Her goal was a delaying action to keep Aogashima-san from losing. She may have intended to persuade the stubborn Aogashima-san in the meantime, but I don’t know if she would really listen to her when she was in such shock.

“Leave it to me! I will fully cooperate with Suguru-senpai. After all, I am a dependable wife who supports Suguru-senpai.”

“Thank you. I’m counting on you. Also, we’re not married.”

“I see. Well, not yet.”

“You sound as if you are planning to get married.”

We’re not even dating yet. Still, I don’t mind this kind of talk.

“I have it all planned out in my mind. After graduating from university, Suguru-senpai will become a civil servant, and I think…That’s probably the best thing.”

“I feel like there is a key part missing from this.”

What about my future plans? This is not the time to be smiling, “Ehehe!”

“Ah. But since Suguru-senpai is a senior, you would be a college student or a member of society a year earlier than I am. If an attractive woman appears in your life without my knowledge…I’ll be in trouble.”

“Well, I suppose it could happen.”

Nagisa grunted a frustrated “hnnu” and stuck her index fingers to both temples as if thinking about something. Pok, pok, pok, ch-ching. As if something flashes through her mind, she leaned forward.

“Suguru-senpai! Would you be willing to do a Ronin for me?”
[TLN: Ronin – high school graduate waiting for another chance to enter university after having failed the yearly entrance examination.]

“I see. That way, I won’t have to leave you—of course I don’t want to.”

The giggling Nagisa was brought a mangled hamburger steak. She immediately pulled out a knife and fork, her eyes sparkling.

“…Hey Nagisa. You said this before. You said wanting to monopolize the past and the future.”

“Ehehe, I’m kind of sorry about that. That was a bit heavy.”

I shook my head quietly. It wasn’t really a weight that I couldn’t carry.

“Then, what do you think about me and Minagi? …Do you mind it?”

“Well, yes—”

Nagisa thoughtfully cut all of the hamburgers first, then replaced the fork in her right hand.

“Whenever I think about it, I still envy her. But I like Suguru-senpai and my sister, including their past and present.

Nagisa’s bashful face burned into my eyes. The words seeped into my heart and made me feel warm. That was probably the right answer I was looking for. I was happy to hear it from Nagisa’s mouth.

“…But.”

She swallowed the food. Then Nagisa muttered.

“I’m very anxious. I’m scared. I know I’ve been very selfish lately. I’m afraid that one day, Suguru-senpai will hate me.”

I saw again the dark expression she showed me on the rooftop. Why do you look like that? Who was making that look appear on you? It was obvious.

“How could I hate you? Hey Nagisa. What did Ocupido say to you?”

“It was shortly after Suguru-senpai went to make the rounds. For some reason, I met Ocupido-san, who was running the stall, and it asked me—It asked me if I thought Suguru-senpai and I would have eternal love.”

“…Eternal Love, huh?”

Those were the words Ocupido uttered when it invaded my room during summer vacation.

“I didn’t agree. It’s not that I don’t believe in Suguru-senpai. …But I know. I know feelings will change someday.”

Until one love, like a firework, flared up and disappeared. Nagisa knew that. Me and Minagi were together for two years. I couldn’t remember the details, but I was sure it was going well. Still, we had to break up.

“…Yes, that’s right. That’s why I have to work on it. To make our love eternal.”

The line that came out of my mouth naturally was the truth in my mind. But I don’t know which drawer of my memory it came from. It must be because I have lost my memories.

“I think Suguru-senpai is right. …But how is that possible?”

Nagisa looked down. I took a few seconds to interpret the meaning of the question. In the meantime, Nagisa spilled more and more words into her lap.

“Love, feelings, people, they change, don’t they? I understand that. The me of a month ago and the me of now are totally different. But then…how can I keep loving the other person? How can I keep you from hating me?”

And so her eyes, which shot through me at the end, were earnest.

“That’s—”

I was at a loss for words.

It was hard to be idealistic, but it was easy to set up an ideal. It was much more difficult to realize the ideal.

What specific efforts should I make in order to reach eternal love?

“It’s—”

Once again, the same shudder in the air. But the rest of the story was not spun automatically. I don’t know the answer yet. I don’t want to think about it with her from the very beginning, that was the height of idealism, and she was not looking for that at all, so I couldn’t say anything.

“Please listen to me. I have a bad feeling inside me. They sting and hurt.”

Nagisa looked really distressed, her eyebrows furrowed painfully, and she placed her hands on her chest.

“When Aogashima-senpai and Suguru-senpai are together, no, just imagining them together, no, just Aogashima-senpai looking at Suguru-senpai with those beautiful eyes, it’s like my whole body shrinks, squeezes, and it tightens up.”

Nagisa’s breath became shallow. It was as if she was about to cry.

“I have a feeling that can’t be put away by such a cute word as ‘jealousy’.”

I was the one making her feel that way.

Love without process. The relationship with Aogashima Yuno. The process piled up on an unstable foothold seemed to collapse after all. I have to build a new foothold. I promised Nagisa so. But it was still an ideal, so I couldn’t make it happen.

“…Nagisa is anxious.”

Now I was halfway there. The memories were gone, and I have a fondness for Aogashima-san. Now I don’t even know why I like Aogashima-san. This was such a mess.

There was no way I could be with Nagisa in this situation. This was not the time to be talking about our future plans.

Shall we dissolve the relationship that we have as potential lovers?

Such a too righteous action popped into my mind, and I swallowed it down as an absolute mistake.

“Nagisa was fine as you are. It’s a natural feeling.”

Instead, I put up a bunch of beautiful statements that don’t solve anything.

“I’m going to be honest with you. I was kind of happy, too. Nagisa is jealous.”

Would this really satisfy Nagisa? Would it ease her anxiety?

Of course not.

“It was all my fault. I was the one making Nagisa anxious. So you don’t have to worry about me not liking you.”

Yeah, it was an uphill battle. I know I was not taking much action, but this was all I could get out. Where did I learn how to talk like this? I don’t even need to think about it. I don’t remember, but I guess I learned it when I was dating Minagi.

I was not looking at Nagisa’s eyes, face, or heart. I cannot see. My eyes were on a hamburger steak, cut into pieces of the same size.

“…then I’ll be jealous, lots and lots of jealousy. Even so, that’s okay?”

And Nagisa was not looking at me, either. I just replayed the most natural, safe, and neutral dialogue in this place.

“Yeah. Of course.”

“Can I take away Suguru-senpai memories because I’m too worried about you? So can I take the liberty of peeking in and learning a lot more about Suguru-senpai that I don’t know?”

It sounded cute, but it was still a scary request. I laughed and answered.

“Don’t be silly. I don’t want the situation to get any more messed up than it already is─”

Then came a sudden flash of inspiration.

The dots were connected. My heart beated faster with each re-examination in my brain.

“Um, Suguru-senpai? What’s wrong?”

Six stamps correspond to the memories. Five winners. The taking of memories and the exchange of them.

The strategy for the Remember Rally was building up in my mind. Oh, yes, that was right. It was not an unreasonable or unfair rule. They were all necessary rules.

The condition for victory was to collect all of your stamps.

And in this game, you could “take someone’s memories” or “exchange memories”.

Put these conditions together and you have a way to clear the game without losing a single memory.

“We can do it. It’s possible. This way—”

The method was extremely simple. All I need was Nagisa’s cooperation. When both of us have only one stamp left, we could intercept each other’s memories just like Yuyo did. Then I would have one of Nagisa’s memories and Nagisa would have one of mine. If we exchange them — we could get all the memories back without having to fill up the course. This way, there was no need for Aogashima-san to lose.

“Are you listening to me? Suguru-senpai~”

“Ah, no, sorry. Nagisa, actually—”

In high spirits. My tongue intuitively stopped me as I was about to present the I’ve just completed.

—On the contrary, Nagisa. If I tried to stop Mr. Aogashima, would you be offended?

—I don’t know.

Nagisa’s expression at that moment overlapped with the pained expression she had earlier.

“…No, it’s nothing.”

Nagisa tilted her head at my suspicious behavior, and her red ribbon swayed according to the laws of physics.

Nagisa in front of me seemed to be far away before I knew it. The table was longer than before. I wondered if there had ever been such a distance between us.