Part 26: Episode 25: Loss (Ending No. 1)
That aside, it’s cold… I need to do something about the temperature in my house before I get sick.
Huh? Someone sent me a text message.
“In the park. Come quick.”
The message is from Ryouta…
I knew in the pit of stomach that something was wrong, so I hurried as fast as I could.
Ryouta is huddled on the bench where we usually meet.
Ryouta, what’s--…He’s crying?
It’s still cold out, Ryouta. You’ll catch a cold without a coat on…
…Right. …… Hey, Goon…
I can’t find words. I had a feeling this conversation would come, but… I don’t know what to say.
She was… a dove, but… she… she always got sick when… when it was cold… That’s not right. That… isn’t supposed to happen. Ryouta… I’m alone now, Goon. You still have me, don’t you?
…But I think that would be irresponsible of me.
!Did he just say… he loved me? I’m not sure what to think…
I mean, I’ve spent so much time with Ryouta, I couldn’t imagine him ever leaving me, but could I call my feelings for him “love”?
I really do care for him, though, and given how much he’s meant to me all through my life… I’ve never felt this way about anybirdie before, so…
I think if this has to be anything, this has to be love…!
I-I love you too, Ryouta! But I… How can I say this…? My mother was weak, but… It’s not as if she had a short life, for a dove. So… …What are you trying to say, Ryouta…?
! We’re different species. We have different lifespans, too. That’s nature. But… knowing that from the start, knowing that I would end up leaving you alone, it… it just seems too irresponsible. That doesn’t matter! It doesn’t mean we can’t be together. I love you, Ryouta! I want to be with you until the end! I know what it feels like to be left alone, now. I don’t want to make you feel this pain, Goon…
No! We won’t! That’s what life is, Ryouta! It’s unfair, and painful, and sometimes it seems nothing good will ever happen. But fighting on, following our urge to seek happiness anyway… That’s what makes us alive! That’s how our ancestors lived, and died, and evolved, and brought us to where we are now! But we… birds weren’t meant to come this far. We’ve advanced more than we were ever meant to. That doesn’t matter! Ryouta, I love you. I want to be with you as long as I can, even if it’s just for a little while. I think you want to be with me, too. Where’s the problem? Goon… I’m not as healthy or as strong as you are. I’m not smart, or handsome, or rich.
You don’t have to think about it so much, Ryouta. We can worry about the future when it comes. Right? …Right. I don’t think I’ll have calmed down for a while yet, but… I’m glad I was born, if only because I got to be with you. It’s like a miracle.
Life is a journey filled with loss.
