Prologue: A Day to Someday Cherish
A Sunday in Early June.
I was watching anime with Yuzuhana. It was Animal Paradise—nicknamed Anipara—a short anime that had reached its first broadcast anniversary this spring.
Originally, we had planned to continue playing a racing game like yesterday. But after I printed out a backlog of digital camera photos at the convenience store, Yuzuhana saw the zoo pictures and said, "I want to watch Anipara!" So we started rewatching from episode one.
Even though each episode is only five minutes long, it airs daily on weekdays. A full year's worth adds up to nearly 20 hours, and with Yuzuhana's commentary after every episode, we hadn't even made a dent in the stack of DVD cases piled on the table. Looks like this week will be Anipara overload.
"Ah! Look, look! Leon's on screen!"
Yuzuhana shook my shoulder excitedly.
"Was there a Leon?"
"Leon the chameleon! He was in the fanbook too."
"Maybe…? Maybe not…?"
The fanbook Yuzuhana handed me before our zoo visit—since the zoo collaborated with Anipara—was as thick as a dictionary.
I had crammed knowledge into my head to enjoy the zoo at the same level of enthusiasm as her, but after overdoing it with midterm studying, most of it had slipped my mind.
"Hold on, I'll rewind it for you. —Look, here! Leon!"
"Where? I don’t see him."
"Leon’s shy, so he’s always transparent."
"Then there's no way to see him…"
"If you look closely, you can! Here, I'll rewind it again."
"Nah, it's fine. Let's just keep watching."
"Hehe, looks like Anipara is growing on you."
Not really. I just want to get through all the episodes as fast as possible.
...But seeing Yuzuhana smirking happily, whispering, "Mission accomplished," I couldn't bring myself to say that.
And, well… I knew the feeling. It made me happy too when I got someone into something I loved. When you care about someone, you want them to love the same things you do.
As I was thinking about that, Yuzuhana rewound the video again.
“Look, right there. You can see a faint shadow, right?”
I focused on the paused screen… and sure enough, there was a chameleon-like silhouette.
“Oh… yeah. There he is. That’s Leon.”
“This is his very first appearance. I didn’t even notice at first. Anipara is amazing that way—there’s always something new to discover. Ah! Look! Rinrin-chan’s on screen now!”
With the appearance of her favorite character, Yuzuhana’s excitement shot through the roof.
She always said she related to Rinrin-chan, the giraffe who was self-conscious about her long neck and constantly wore a scarf. Yuzuhana, too, was insecure about her sharp gaze.
But honestly, there was nothing to worry about. Her eyes were sharp, but I liked them. I even thought they were cute.
Of course, her face was cute too. Even without makeup, her skin was so clear it looked like she was wearing some. Her lips, without anything on them, were naturally pink and glossy.
To be honest… I still wasn’t used to the fact that Yuzuhana was sitting beside me like this.
Because we were once a married couple—one that had grown cold, hated the distance between us, and ended up divorcing.
I was 15, and Yuzuhana had just turned 16. Too young to marry. But in reality, we were both 27. Right after our divorce, we got hit by a car and were sent 12 years back in time together.
At first, realizing we had time-traveled was disorienting. But we took it as a chance to redo our lives and saw it as something positive.
I had decided—firmly—that to live a happy life this time, I would never get involved with Yuzuhana again.
That resolve crumbled almost immediately.
No matter where I went, I kept running into Yuzuhana. And as we spent time together again, I started to feel comfortable… and found myself drawn to her once more.
At first, I tried to keep my feelings hidden. But Yuzuhana had fallen for me too. When I realized we both felt the same way, I was happy—but I still couldn’t bring myself to suggest getting back together.
If we did, things might turn sour again. If we stayed just friends, maybe we could always get along.
I kept telling myself that. Kept hesitating.
And then Yuzuhana told me—we just have to make up every time we fight.
Besides, we knew the future. We knew what problems lay ahead. We knew what would drive our marriage into the ground.
If we faced them one by one, maybe this time, we could stay together for life.
This time, I could watch as that perfectly smooth face of hers slowly gained wrinkles—by her side, for as long as it took.
“…What are you staring at?”
“Just wondering when you’ll start getting wrinkles.”
“I won’t for at least another twelve years! Or what, are you that bored you’d rather count them?”
“No, that’s not it. I really am having fun.”
That wasn’t a lie.
Even if our enthusiasm wasn’t always the same, I liked what Yuzuhana liked. More than anything, as long as I was with her, anything could be fun.
But—
"This is fun and all, but let’s pick it up again tomorrow."
“Ehh… why? It’s just getting to the good part.”
“It’s been at the good part this whole time… Besides, I’m 15 right now, remember? If I don’t head home soon, I’ll get picked up for being out late.”
“Then why don’t you stay over?”
My heart skipped a beat at her sudden offer.
When she was sick, I had no choice but to stay over, but sleeping together was another thing entirely.
It used to be nothing. But after our divorce—after I fell for Yuzuhana again—I started feeling that nervousness, like when we first started dating.
Maybe people in long-term relationships would understand. When time creates distance, it’s like all your relationship experience resets.
Of course, I wanted to kiss her like before.
I’d already gotten used to holding hands during our walks to school. One day, I’d get used to kissing her again too. But to get there, I had to overcome this awkwardness.
“…If I do stay, where would I sleep?”
“The bed, obviously. Well, if it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to stay.”
“It’s not like I can’t relax, but… Yuzuhana, aren’t you embarrassed?”
“I am, but more than that, I’m happy. …Because I love you.”
Her words hit like a confession, and my face instantly burned.
“D-Don’t just drop a love bomb out of nowhere! That’s embarrassing as hell!”
“That wasn’t even a love bomb! My real ‘I love you’ attack is way more intense!”
“Oh yeah? Then show me! Let’s see this ‘real’ love attack of yours!”
“I can’t do it in this kind of mood! I need to take a bath and calm down first. …So? Are you going home after all?”
When she looked at me with those lonely eyes, there was no way I could say I was going home.
“I’ll stay over tonight. What should I do about pajamas?”
“I’ll lend you a tracksuit.”
“If it’s yours, it’s gonna be way too tight.”
“…You’re really hung up on stuff like that, huh?”
“It’s not about pride—it will be tight. Remember when you begged me to let you try the ‘boyfriend shirt’ look? My dress shirt was way too big on you.”
Yuzuhana narrowed her eyes playfully. “Of course I remember.”
“Didn’t expect you to go out and buy a bigger one just for that.”
“I-I didn’t buy it!”
“You totally did. Otherwise, why would you have told me to ‘wait a day’ first?”
“T-That’s because… I didn’t want to give you a shirt that reeked of sweat after a full day of work. It was crazy hot that day, and I was sweating like hell.”
“Yes, yes. How very thoughtful of you.”
“That look on your face… You don’t believe me, do you?”
“Not one bit. And besides, I didn’t want you to be considerate. I wanted the one that smelled like you.”
“You… You have a scent fetish or something?”
“Don’t say it like that! I just like how you smell! Now hurry up and take your bath! You’re gonna make us sleep late!”
With her face flushed red, Yuzuhana pushed me toward the bathroom, handing me a towel and a tracksuit. I rinsed off quickly and returned to the living room, where Yuzuhana then took her turn.
I sat on the sofa, watching the news as I waited. An hour later—
“Thanks for waiting.”
She emerged, faint wisps of steam still clinging to her. She was wearing simple, plain-colored pajamas, but on Yuzuhana, even that looked captivating.
I caught myself staring. She took a sip of water before sitting down beside me. Our shoulders brushed. The scent of her shampoo filled the air. My heartbeat quickened—
Then—
Chuu.
Something soft touched my cheek.
“H-Hey, what the hell!?”
“My ‘I love you’ attack. I did say I’d do it after my bath…”
She cast her eyes downward, embarrassed.
So that’s why she took so long in there… I thought it was just a long bath, but she must’ve been mentally preparing herself for this moment.
But maybe my reaction wasn’t what she imagined, because she looked up at me, uneasy.
“...Did you not like it?”
“I was just surprised. It’s not like I—”
“...Can you prove it?”
She gazed at me with eyes that glowed with warmth. The blush on her face wasn’t just from the heat of the bath.
“Prove it…?”
She wasn’t turning away. Her eyes were locked onto mine. That meant…
Saying anything more would just make this even more embarrassing.
So, without a word, I leaned in and pressed my lips against hers.
When we parted, Yuzuhana’s ears were bright red. My face was probably just as flushed.
“...We should sleep.”
“Y-Yeah.”
We were both embarrassed, but somehow, it didn’t feel awkward.
As we stepped into the dim bedroom, the faint blinking light of a phone caught my eye.
I climbed into bed while Yuzuhana checked her phone. The glow from the screen faintly illuminated her face—
And for some reason, she suddenly looked… troubled.
"…Something wrong?"
"No, nothing."
Saying that, Yuzuhana gets into bed.
We exchange a "Good night" and close our eyes, but the scent of her shampoo and the sound of her breathing make it hard for me to fall asleep.
"…Hey, are you still awake?"
"What is it?"
"We're dating, right?"
"Of course."
"Are we going to get married someday?"
"Of course."
"You answered right away."
"Of course."
"Stop replying like an NPC."
"Well, you're only asking obvious things. I like you more than you think, Yuzuhana. I want to marry you… and I want kids, too."
"…Really?"
"There's no way I'd lie about this."
Last time, just when the timing was right, the company president overworked himself, and the company went under. Having kids was out of the question.
This time, I have a stable job with proper holidays, where I won’t be drowning in work, and I’ll make sure to spend my days off with my family.
My ideal is to be a father like my own dad. Now that I've experienced working life, I’ve realized just how amazing it was that he always took me out to play on his days off.
"I want your baby too, Kohei."
"D-Don’t whisper it like that."
"So, you want me to say it out loud? That’s embarrassing…"
"That's not what I mean. I mean, saying it in a soft voice makes it way more… impactful, or rather… Wait, why are you bringing up marriage all of a sudden?"
As if finding it hard to say, she hesitates for a moment—
"…If you're planning to get married, I think you should greet my father sooner rather than later."
Yuzuhana says hesitantly, as if being considerate of me.
I understood that she was trying to be thoughtful, but… she brought up a topic I didn’t want to hear, and it put me in a bad mood.
Yuzuhana was raised by a single parent.
Her mother had passed away from an illness before I ever met Yuzuhana, so I never saw her in person. But from the family photos, she seemed like a very kind person.
And her father… he looked terrifying.
That said, I had never heard Yuzuhana speak ill of him. Part of it was that she wasn’t the type to badmouth her parents to begin with, but the biggest reason was that her father was a respectable man.
Strict at times, but always making sure to follow up with care afterward. He would take time off work to attend school events without fail, and he often took her on trips during summer and winter vacations.
And yet, Yuzuhana became estranged from him.
Before our marriage, I met her father to introduce myself—and it was a complete disaster. Things became so tense between us that Yuzuhana was forced to choose between him and me.
She chose me.
Her father didn’t attend our wedding, nor has he ever met my family. I feel bad for Yuzuhana, but… if possible, I never want to see him again.
Because no matter what I do, I know he'll hate me.
"…It's still too soon for that," I say.
"…You really don’t want to meet my father, do you?"
I only suggested postponing it, but Yuzuhana saw right through me.
"Of course I don’t. I made sure to prepare everything perfectly to get his approval, and all I got was a barrage of insults…"
A formal introduction is unavoidable if we're getting married, but… just remembering that man makes my chest heavy and my stomach ache.
"…If you meet him again, do you think the same thing will happen?"
Having witnessed the disaster during our marriage introduction firsthand, Yuzuhana asks in an uneasy voice.
"If I just endure whatever he says to me, we can avoid another full-blown fight… But at the very least, I don’t think he and I will ever get along, and I doubt he’ll ever give us his blessing."
"I see… I guess that’s how it is, after all…"
"…Well, you know, there’s no point in worrying about it now. We obviously can’t hide a marriage from him, but keeping our relationship a secret isn’t that hard."
"…Yeah, you’re right."
Perhaps worried that talking too much about the future would keep her up at night, Yuzuhana says nothing more after that.
Prologue End
“Don’t say it like that! I just like how you smell! Now hurry up and take your bath! You’re gonna make us sleep late!”
With her face flushed red, Yuzuhana pushed me toward the bathroom, handing me a towel and a tracksuit. I rinsed off quickly and returned to the living room, where Yuzuhana then took her turn.
I sat on the sofa, watching the news as I waited. An hour later—
“Thanks for waiting.”
She emerged, faint wisps of steam still clinging to her. She was wearing simple, plain-colored pajamas, but on Yuzuhana, even that looked captivating.
I caught myself staring. She took a sip of water before sitting down beside me. Our shoulders brushed. The scent of her shampoo filled the air. My heartbeat quickened—
Then—
Chuu.
Something soft touched my cheek.
“H-Hey, what the hell!?”
“My ‘I love you’ attack. I did say I’d do it after my bath…”
She cast her eyes downward, embarrassed.
So that’s why she took so long in there… I thought it was just a long bath, but she must’ve been mentally preparing herself for this moment.
But maybe my reaction wasn’t what she imagined, because she looked up at me, uneasy.
“...Did you not like it?”
“I was just surprised. It’s not like I—”
“...Can you prove it?”
She gazed at me with eyes that glowed with warmth. The blush on her face wasn’t just from the heat of the bath.
“Prove it…?”
She wasn’t turning away. Her eyes were locked onto mine. That meant…
Saying anything more would just make this even more embarrassing.
So, without a word, I leaned in and pressed my lips against hers.
When we parted, Yuzuhana’s ears were bright red. My face was probably just as flushed.
“...We should sleep.”
“Y-Yeah.”
We were both embarrassed, but somehow, it didn’t feel awkward.
As we stepped into the dim bedroom, the faint blinking light of a phone caught my eye.
I climbed into bed while Yuzuhana checked her phone. The glow from the screen faintly illuminated her face—
And for some reason, she suddenly looked… troubled.
"…Something wrong?"
"No, nothing."
Saying that, Yuzuhana gets into bed.
We exchange a "Good night" and close our eyes, but the scent of her shampoo and the sound of her breathing make it hard for me to fall asleep.
"…Hey, are you still awake?"
"What is it?"
"We're dating, right?"
"Of course."
"Are we going to get married someday?"
"Of course."
"You answered right away."
"Of course."
"Stop replying like an NPC."
"Well, you're only asking obvious things. I like you more than you think, Yuzuhana. I want to marry you… and I want kids, too."
"…Really?"
"There's no way I'd lie about this."
Last time, just when the timing was right, the company president overworked himself, and the company went under. Having kids was out of the question.
This time, I have a stable job with proper holidays, where I won’t be drowning in work, and I’ll make sure to spend my days off with my family.
My ideal is to be a father like my own dad. Now that I've experienced working life, I’ve realized just how amazing it was that he always took me out to play on his days off.
"I want your baby too, Kohei."
"D-Don’t whisper it like that."
"So, you want me to say it out loud? That’s embarrassing…"
"That's not what I mean. I mean, saying it in a soft voice makes it way more… impactful, or rather… Wait, why are you bringing up marriage all of a sudden?"
As if finding it hard to say, she hesitates for a moment—
"…If you're planning to get married, I think you should greet my father sooner rather than later."
Yuzuhana says hesitantly, as if being considerate of me.
I understood that she was trying to be thoughtful, but… she brought up a topic I didn’t want to hear, and it put me in a bad mood.
Yuzuhana was raised by a single parent.
Her mother had passed away from an illness before I ever met Yuzuhana, so I never saw her in person. But from the family photos, she seemed like a very kind person.
And her father… he looked terrifying.
That said, I had never heard Yuzuhana speak ill of him. Part of it was that she wasn’t the type to badmouth her parents to begin with, but the biggest reason was that her father was a respectable man.
Strict at times, but always making sure to follow up with care afterward. He would take time off work to attend school events without fail, and he often took her on trips during summer and winter vacations.
And yet, Yuzuhana became estranged from him.
Before our marriage, I met her father to introduce myself—and it was a complete disaster. Things became so tense between us that Yuzuhana was forced to choose between him and me.
She chose me.
Her father didn’t attend our wedding, nor has he ever met my family. I feel bad for Yuzuhana, but… if possible, I never want to see him again.
Because no matter what I do, I know he'll hate me.
"…It's still too soon for that," I say.
"…You really don’t want to meet my father, do you?"
I only suggested postponing it, but Yuzuhana saw right through me.
"Of course I don’t. I made sure to prepare everything perfectly to get his approval, and all I got was a barrage of insults…"
A formal introduction is unavoidable if we're getting married, but… just remembering that man makes my chest heavy and my stomach ache.
"…If you meet him again, do you think the same thing will happen?"
Having witnessed the disaster during our marriage introduction firsthand, Yuzuhana asks in an uneasy voice.
"If I just endure whatever he says to me, we can avoid another full-blown fight… But at the very least, I don’t think he and I will ever get along, and I doubt he’ll ever give us his blessing."
"I see… I guess that’s how it is, after all…"
"…Well, you know, there’s no point in worrying about it now. We obviously can’t hide a marriage from him, but keeping our relationship a secret isn’t that hard."
"…Yeah, you’re right."
Perhaps worried that talking too much about the future would keep her up at night, Yuzuhana says nothing more after that.
(T/N: Hello, I just want to ask if my translation is good or not. Thanks to those who will answer.)
Prologue End
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