'So..finally one after another got obliterated.. First Iwasawa..and then Yui.. One by one is going to leave us.. It's quite sad, actually to separate with everyone, but..we have no choice..this is the purpose of this world right?' Otonashi thought while laying on the ground, trying to sleep. It was already very late, like 10pm already. Otonashi felt really cannot sleep after experiencing what's happened recently. He felt happy to be able to help everyone, besides, he felt sad too to have farewell with everyone. 'We don't know whether we will meet again in the next life, do we?" He thought. Otonashi then woke up, walked out slowly and carefully to not wake up his friends besides him, Naoi, Hinata, and Yuri.
Otonashi walked out of school building quite far. He was even going to reach the big tree on the hill which was located about one km away from the main school building. From far away, he saw a shadow of a woman sitting under the tree with both her legs stretched. He was surprised, 'who is she? Aren't all of us sleeping inside the school building now?' He thought. He then stood just besides her, she looked to not notice him already even her eyes were awake. The woman looked like not a student, but more precisely a young adult in her early 20's with freckles on her cheeks, blue eyes and brown short hair. "ano..excuse me..who are you and..what are you doing here?" As the woman did not look like a Japanese, she did not response to him, and her eyes had emptiness, Otonashi became puzzled. 'What should I do? Is she not a Japanese? What should I do?' He thought.
"I can understand what are you saying," the woman suddenly talked. "Can you leave me alone?" She said while bending her legs, resting her arms on her knees and putting her chin on her arms.
"Well you see.." Otonashi replied while rubbing his back head with his right arm nervously. "It's my first time to see you here, I just want to know you, and maybe what is your regret when you were living.." He continued while putting back his right hand. "Anyway, I'm Otonashi! What is your name?"
"My name is Russian. Well, many things happened.." She answered in a soft voice. "Why do you want to know?"
"Maybe I can be a help..you see, all of people here have regrets in their past life and all of us work each other to erase them so we can move from this world" Otonashi answered.
"So that how it goes..but I don't know whether you will understand since you are just a kid," She replied. Otonashi then sit on Russian's left with his legs crossed. "It was a raining day that time. I forgot my umbrella so I had to take a shelter. That time, I met a man who was a nice and handsome one with nice black suit. After meeting him, we frequently had dates, and eventually we got married and have a baby. I like him, he always dress nicely and he knew how to treat a woman. However, he was quite a busy and unpredictable man. He said that he was a bank employee, but sometimes he arrived back home in time, sometimes it took him even several days to be home. And then one day.." Russian started to sob, "that evening, the weather was pretty terrible. Our only baby, Gimlet, was sick. His fever did not go down for two days, I can't take him to the hospital since the weather was so terrible that it would be dangerous to go outside..but my husband wasn't coming home..I phoned the bank where he was supposed to work at, the man answered that there is no employee with the name of my husband. Then..the day after..Gimlet died..and my husband still did not show up.." Russian then began to cry louder, "and then a week later he came home as nothing happened! And then I yelled at him and I told him that I regret to marry him! The weather was terribly stormy that day, but I still ran away outside of our home. He tried to stop me but I told him to get lost..I ran away..far..far..away..I didn't know where I had run to..all I know was that I ran into the forest..and then I got caught on a landslide.. I fell..and when I opened my eyes again, I realized that I am here.."
Russian sobbed, and put her face on her arms, "and then I have been thinking about that since. Everyday, everyday..how long ago since I died? I don't know. Hundreds, thousand years maybe..I have no idea..I have been regretting to marry that scumbag man..and losing my baby.."
"Your name is Russian, isn't it? I have heard your stories from down there. May I join you?" Hinata said, suddenly appeared and sit to Russian's right while resting his back on the tree stem. Russian than raised her head and looked at Hinata.
"You know, Russian, you are pretty lucky to live longer and experience marriage. All of us here died even before reaching our adults age. When I was still alive, there was one day I was playing baseball, and my ball accidentally flew to someone's room. Coincidentally it was a girl's bedroom. She's younger than me, very pretty but she cannot move anymore since her body was paralyzed because of accident. From there, I frequently visited her, taking her for a walk to the park..to see sakura during spring season.. Not long after that, she died. I lost the girl who I really loved, I even did not have time to say I like her. And then it was my turn to die because of narcotics user..how degenerate I am.." Hinata closed his eyes and smiled a bit.
Hinata then opened his eyes and continued, "but then, I was lucky to meet her in this world..she was having regret and fear due to her previous body condition, to not being able finding someone to love her..to marry her..but I could answer her ultimate wish. I said that I want to merry her, even though her body was paralyzed, not good anymore, even maybe sterile..it was..the most happy moment of my life, being able to be someone's sunshine even though I was just degenerate prick who abuse drugs. And then she was finally be able to go from this world.."
There was a long pause after Hinata finished his story. Both Hinata and Otonashi looked at Russian. Seeing Russian's empty and shocked eyes, and her trembling, Hinata put his hand on her right shoulder, "hey Russian, are you alright?"
Russian slowly muttered, "your story reminded me something..I saw myself in a hospital. I cannot move and I heard the doctors are saying that I'm gonna die. And then.." She then continued with teary eyes, "I saw my husband..come bring me flowers..everyday..everyday.." Russian then began to cry louder, "and then one day, he came with baby-like appearance..he said that his appearance made me smile..I can hear people from the alley laugh at him and saying that my husband was crazy but he said to me, 'you see Russian, for me your smile is much much more than those expensive suits of mine'. And he did it everyday, and everyday as well. Now, who is the real fiend here? Me? Or him?I think it was me..if only I did not think too much of him.." She continued to sob.
Hinata put his left arm on Russian's left shoulder. "It's alright, Russian. Everyone did mistakes in their life. I don't think you are a bad woman. You are lucky to have a really loving husband and live long enough to briefly living a love life" Hinata continued, smiling.
Russian smiled back, nodded, "um! Maybe if I go now, it's not too late..maybe if I can meet my reincarnated husband..once again, I will say thank you to him! Thank you very much, Hinata, Otonashi!" Russian smiled again and disappeared.
There was a short silence between Otonashi and Hinata, they were smiling as they heard a touching story from Russian. Hinata then broke the silence, standing up, "shall we go back? I don't want our friends are looking for us." Otonashi answered and stood up, "Sure!" Hinata and Otonashi then went back to the school building to spend their usual night there. Deeply in their heart, they were wishing, 'marriage, is beautiful, isn't it? One day, we will once live again, and we will live long enough with our beloved ones!'