We have arrived at the epilogue and extras to chapter 6...well, that took longer...much longer than expected. I apologize for the delays. Please forgive me. orz
The aftermath of the department date is here, along with extras that will portray a little more into some of the other characters who haven't had as much screentime in the chapter. Fuu is also the main attraction, so look out for her in these epilogue/extras.
Epilogue
Ring ring...ring ring...
My cellphone goes off in my room as I approach it. Having just finished my bath after coming home, I currently wear my pajamas along while toweling off my damp hair. My head is hung low as I keep pondering on what had happened today.
"...Haru…," someone calls out to me. "The phone in your room is ringing…?"
I look up to see who is talking to me, only to see my older sister peeking her head out from her room. With our rooms next to each other, along with how the door into my room is open, it's obvious she would notice the ring tone my cell is making.
"Yeah...I know," I respond while gesturing that my ignorance was intentional. "Just was a bit deep in thought."
"Well, that's fine if it's the case," my sister tells me with a puzzled expression. "But...it's been ringing for the last ten minutes...non-stop."
"...eh?" is all that falls out of my mouth. "...EEEEHHH!?"
Ten minutes!? Non-stop!? Who's calling so many times!?
I rush into my room, worrying as to who has been calling me while I was in the bath.
"...I hope she's alright," Onodera Kosaki worries about her little sister. "She's been...rather strange as of late."
But she gives a little giggle to herself as she sees the door to Haru's room close.
"Well...I'll just observe a bit more. She still seems to be herself...for the while..."
Kosaki walks back into her room, feeling that she should wait a while longer before asking her sister of her issues.
"Hello? Hello!?" I answer the phone call as soon as I can. I almost hit my desk where my cellphone was as I answer this call. The towel on my head stays on as I keep my other hand on it.
"...oh, finally...you answered…," a familiar voice can be heard over the phone. "Good evening."
"...good evening, Fuu-chan," I sigh in relief that there seems to be no alarm from my great friend.
"Ufufu," is what I hear in response to my evening greeting. Why did she need to call so many times?
"Uhm...Fuu-chan...was there something urgent?" I ask what was on my mind. "I heard from my sister that while I was in the bath, you've been calling."
"Yes, I was calling. First called you twenty minutes ago," Fuu-chan chuckles.
"Twenty minutes ago!? That was exactly when I left my room," I gasp at the coincidence. "...did you plan this?"
"Plan what?" Fuu-chan plays dumb. "What would I ploy?"
"...true," I agree, seeing that unless she had a hidden camera on me, she couldn't initiate this coincidence on purpose. "Even then, you didn't need to call if there was nothing urgent. The way you speak right now tells me that."
"Well...you are correct in the normal sense…," my friend trails off, entering a long pause.
"...in the normal sense...what?" I finally speak up to break the silence. "What do you want to say?"
"But it's urgent since you have something to report me…!" Fuu-chan makes a joyous exclamation. I'm sure though that on the other side of the phone, her expression is unchanged from her usual angelic smile.
"...uuh...report what?" I still don't understand why Fuu-chan had called me. There wasn't anything to report...except for...wait...don't tell me…!
"How was it with Senpai!?" Fuu-chan inquires with glee. I can only facepalm.
"...Fuu-chan...I already told you we are not like that. There's nothing at all…," I tell Fuu-chan as I take the towel off my head and hang it on the chair of my desk. "I have nothing to report…"
I think deeply though...is there really nothing? The holes in my memories...and the way Senpai has interacted with me in the past couple of weeks...there must be something that is missing now. As of now though, I just can't grasp it. But, from what I've experienced today…
"...I lied, Fuu-chan," I report to my friend, telling the truth. All I can hear is a small gasp that shows that Fuu-chan did not expect this answer.
"I've...reviewed my opinion of Senpai. He's not as much of a player as I thought he was. He...definitely acts like one, but I believe I've been making a misunderstanding…"
"...oh my, what an interesting report," Fuu-chan replies. "And?"
"...my feelings are still mixed, but for now...I'll admit that I don't feel any feelings of hate or bitterness to him. Maybe a bit for being so delayed in confessing his love to Onee-chan...but otherwise, I feel that I've learnt something important today."
I finish my report of what had happened at the rooftop of the apartment building. How my thoughts about Senpai have been renewed to something less ignorant. How I learnt that he has more on the inside than how he seems on the outside. And it's not like he's a different person to me. It's just that I see him now for the other side of the coin that is easily neglected by many.
"Oh my...I see," Fuu-chan is about to agree with my claim, but…
"But I'm not done, Fuu-chan," I begin to say to my friend.
"...Yes?" Fuu-chan beckons me to say what more I have to say.
But before that, I take a deep breath in. And then out. I bow my upper body forward, even if the person I'm talking to is over the phone and not right in front of me. My body is now at a 90 degrees as I keep my head above my desk.
"...I'm sorry," I apologize.
"...eh?" Fuu-chan gasps as expected. "...sorry for what?"
"I'm really sorry. I've been lying to you," I explain myself. "For the last few weeks, I've been hiding the reason behind...those moments of pain."
I take a moment to pause so I can hear if Fuu-chan has something to say. But, with the fact that I hear nothing from my friend, I continue my apology.
"Those were moments...with my "prince"...that I believe I was recalling. And they were flashbacks that...that I feel are fragmented pieces of my memories…"
I start an explanation of what I deduce is happening. That these scribbled memories are the cause of the pain. That within them, I see what I presume is "the prince" and me interacting. I even explain to her the details behind Senpai and Kirisaki-senpai to clarify myself.
"Hmm...I see," Fuu-chan thinks to herself after my long spiel of an explanation.
I wait anxiously for her reply. Will she be upset that I kept this from her, or will she be worried about my conditions. But it's neither of them.
"Thank you," Fuu-chan thanks me.
"Eh…?" I wonder why she thanks me. "But...I was keeping something so important away from you, Fuu-chan. Something you should have known…"
"No need to worry," Fuu-chan interjects. "You didn't tell me...because you wanted to understand this condition more, right? I thank you for finally telling me at what you felt was the right time."
...I see now. So she isn't angry because she trusted my judgement. She trusted me and thanked me for at least telling her finally.
"...thank you, Fuu-chan," I thank my friend back.
"Ufufu. The pleasure is mine," Fuu-chan giggles away.
I'm glad to have such an understanding friend. Fuu-chan knows about my surroundings better than anyone but myself, so I believe this was the best choice. I hope to stay friends with her for as long as I live.
Before that, I would like resolve these feelings I'm having in regards to Senpai...what's between him, "the Prince" and me? I will find that out after I finish my deeds during next week's trip. When I have my sister finally confess her feelings to Senpai.
"Now, would you like to tell me the details of today's adventures?" Fuu-chan invades my moment of contemplation.
"Oh, yes," I follow along anyways, wanting to tell what I had done today. I sit on my bed to get comfortable for a conversation. "You know what Senpai did? He took the last green tea cream puff, and I was so upset! The last one…"
Half an hour later.
"Well goodnight, Haru," Ayakaji Suzu, otherwise known by her nickname "Fuu," tells her best friend over the phone.
"Yeah, goodnight to you too, Fuu-chan," Haru responds through the phone. "See you next time."
Fuu closes her cellphone, having finished her chitchat with Haru. She sits on the bed of her room, a room that is simple. On the desk next to her bed, her entire collection of supplies for photography are out, organized in a way so that she can work her camera at any moment. A corkboard hangs next to her desk with all of her favorite photos, half of it consisting of pictures taken together with Haru or even with Haru only. Some plush toys are scattered along the floor near the walls, but otherwise, Fuu's room is nice and tidy.
"Ufufu," Fuu giggles to herself as she recalls Haru's bouts about Ichijou Raku. "She's always so cute and entertaining. Can't get tired of my interactions with her."
Standing up from her bed, Fuu now approaches her desk. And as she picks up a picture of Haru together with Raku…
"And it seems like...everything is finally falling back into place, where it should have been," Fuu whispers to herself. "Whatever the case was, it seems like she will be recalling her real memories soon..."
Fuu approaches the window that is placed on the other side of her bed from her desk. She opens it, welcoming the fresh summer air to enter her room. And as she looks outside, she can see the beautiful cityscape of the town.
"And...," Fuu mumbles as she gazes at the night sky. "A summer romance will finally bloom."
Fuu looks up, seeing how the clouds part kindly to reveal some of the stars. The moon half-hides behind one small patch, peeking a bit as the clouds move.
"What an opportune moment," Fuu claims as she readies her camera. "...a shutter chance."
*click*
Extras
1.
Earlier in the day, as Fuu approaches home from some groceries.
"Oh, what shall I do today?" Fuu asks herself happily. "Maybe I should chat with Haru when I get back home."
Unbeknownst to her, a long, black limousine rides up from beside on the road.
*honk honk*
Fuu looks back to see what this sound is, now seeing the limousine approaching. As she waits, the limousine pulls up beside her. The window rolls down, only to reveal...
"...Tachibana-senpai," Fuu says, not surprised to see her knowingly rich upperclassman of the police force in the limo.
"Good day...was it 'Fuu-san'?" Tachibana Marika greets her underclassman, one she doesn't associate with much.
"Yes, that would be me…," Fuu affirms. "Did you only pull up to greet me?"
"Oh, not only for that," Marika answers. "There was also something to tell you…unless little sister Onodera Haru-san has already told you."
"Uhm...told me what, may I ask?" Fuu asks her upperclassman, not knowing what Marika is referring to.
"Seems like Onodera-san hasn't told Haru-san yet. Very well," Marika proceeds to explain. "Most of us girls, including your sister, were called for a little meeting by Jun-san. And at such a meeting, which happened to be held at Miyamoto-san's home, he told us we would all go on a trip. Thus, he also told us to invite anyone, especially those who should have been at the meeting such as Maiko-san, who couldn't attend due to a cold."
"Ooh…," Fuu says in awe. "Thank you very much, Tachibana-senpai."
"No need for such words," Marika replies with dignity.
"But...did you need to stop just to tell me?" Fuu questions as to the necessity of Marika's courteous act. "If you knew Kosaki-senpai would eventually…?"
"Oh...well, you could say that because this was just on the way...why not?" Marika explains herself. "Plus…"
"Plus…?" Fuu wonders what her upperclassman will be saying next.
"Plus...I've been thinking that you and your friend have been getting ahead of the gun," Marika talks in regards to Fuu and Haru. "Don't think that you're ahead of the game, okay?"
"Ufufu...what might you be talking about, dear Senpai?" Fuu feigns ignorance. "I'm just being myself."
"...I see," Marika backs off. "Well, I'll be on my way to get the most supreme of swimsuits to make my Raku-sama swoon before me. Ta ta!"
As the window to the limousine closes, the car itself zips away. Fuu can only look at the limo screech around the corner, out of sight.
"Well...seems like she's already caught wind," Fuu tells herself as she proceeds to head back home and tell Haru about the trip.
2.
After riding down the escalator, Fuu heads toward the department store exit.
"Goodness…," Fuu sighs to herself. "And I had planned this to be a day with just Haru and me…"
Earlier, upon bumping into Raku and Chitoge, Fuu was dumbfounded to see her "Enjoy the Day with Haru ALONE to Relieve her Stress" plan go down the drain. While she could have still reestablished the plan when Chitoge left with Tsugumi and Paula, by then, she felt that leaving Raku half-dead on the table would be rude. And if she had gone with going together with Raku and Haru on a three-person date, she knew it wouldn't bring out the results she would like.
"Well, hopefully Haru brings back some juicy details," Fuu chuckles to herself in anticipation of what might happen between Haru and Raku.
As she arrives at the first floor though, she hears a recognizable fanfare.
"Heroines of romance! Love Rangers!"
Fuu sees setup the stage show for "Love Ranger" in the main lobby. She had not seen them on the way in, but as Fuu glances at her pamphlet, it shows that it was intentionally set up for the later afternoon.
"So...they are doing it here too," Fuu is amused at the popularity of the show. "...hmmm…?"
Fuu recognizes the silhouette of the main villain as he comes out for handshakes.
"...Don't tell me…!"
"Thank you very much for coming," the manager announces the end of the show. "Come back in an hour!"
Most of the actors are about to head backstage as the children go back to their parents. But before the main villain exits, Fuu approaches him.
"Jun-san? How are you?" Fuu greets him.
"...Oh...Fuu-san," Jun drops the raspy voice he was taking. "Doing just fine. And you?"
"Very much fine myself," Fuu answers back to Jun's greeting. "...May I ask why you are here?"
"Well, as you can see, the show is getting some popularity. The manager loved my act from a few weeks ago and asked for me to be part of the main act."
"And that's how I was able to recognized that Count Darkness was you," Fuu claims. "No one can pull off the performance you can execute."
"Seems like so. Thank you very much," Jun thanks Fuu for her compliment. "I just hope Raku-dono is doing fine…"
"Eh? Why do you ask?" Fuu asks Jun why he mentions this.
"Well...I just wish that everything with Haru-san will go well today," Jun puts on a smile that hides his true intents. "Don't want my arrangements to go to waste."
"...so he's the one who…!" Fuu becomes ticked off that Jun had taken the lead, messing up her plan of having Haru for her own this evening.
All Jun can see in Fuu is the rage she emits, but he does nothing else than shining his innocent intentions upon the young lady.
3.
At the Beehive mansion.
Chitoge immediately headed to her father's room to play chess. Meanwhile though, Paula and Tsugumi rest themselves as they put Chitoge's baggage on the table.
"Getting here...from the department store...within ten minutes…," Paula sighs under her breath in astonishment. "Ojou has some potential in becoming a hitman herself."
"I wouldn't think so. She doesn't even know how to use a gun," Tsugumi rejects Paula's thoughts. "But it's undeniable that she is very athletic. A normal person would take more than twenty minutes to run such a distance."
As Paula slouches on one of the seats, she takes out the last of her candy stash. A simple lollipop.
"...Mmmnn...if only we could have bought more candy…," Paula groans to herself. But this triggers a switch within Tsugumi.
"Paula…," Tsugumi talks to Paula. "...So you knew Ojou was not at home?"
"...yeah? I saw her earlier today at Miyamoto-san's place," Paula questions as she nibbles on her lollipop.
"Eh…? Miyamoto-sama's place? Why were you both there!?" Tsugumi inquires in surprise.
"Jun-sama had asked some of us girls, including Ojou, to assemble," Paula mutters. "I was just attending to Jun-sama's side."
Tsugumi can only gawk at the fact that she was not invited, even though she was Chitoge's main bodyguard. Was she an "outside" girl now?
"Well, why didn't you tell me? That we could have met her at the store, anyways?" Tsugumi asks in frustrations now.
"Mmm...I didn't think I had to tell you. We could have met up with Ojou at anytime, right?" Paula simply answers as she continues to munch on her lollipop.
"True...but you know," Tsugumi grumbles. "If you knew Ojou was at the department store too, we could have gone with her and gotten some more candy if you wished…"
"...eh? Really!?" Paula exclaims in disbelief as she breaks a piece of the lollipop off its stick. Tsugumi can only facepalm.
"With Ojou, we could have enjoyed our time on some more delicious sweets than relying on my own pitiful allowance," Tsugumi mentions the fact that the both of them live on a somewhat strict budget. Even if they may be part of the Beehive group, they don't get much funds unless for missions. They are sustained on a close-to-minimal fee that let's them get what they need to have proper meals along with other necessities. They only have so much they can spend for what they would like to spend in excess.
The next expression on Paula's face shows how distraught she is at herself to not think of such a situation where she could be eating much more delicious sweets than some candy store candy. Tsugumi can only facepalm once again in disappointment of Paula's one-track mind.
"Why didn't I…?" Paula's body slumps on the chair as she contemplates on all the candy she could have gotten.
4.
At Ruri's home.
In one of the rooms, two girls are present among swimsuits after swimsuits. With it belonging to the girl with glasses, any stranger would wonder why her room is like an actor's dressing room right before a big show. But it does not matter as the two are almost done resolving their choice on the swimsuits.
"...haaa…," Ruri sighs in disappointment. "...so, we'll be going this white bikini, huh?"
"Of course," Kosaki affirms in embarrassment.
"But, you'll look so much better in...this," Ruri suggests as she grabs one of the swimsuits on a hanger. Compared to the white and simple two-piece, this one is a black and sexy V-slip. It would certainly catch the eye of any man who gazes on the lady who wears this daring swimsuit. Even if the wearer's figure isn't as well endowed, it will show the curves and revealing flesh of the lady.
"No! We already decided!" Kosaki disagrees harshly. "Nothing aside from the white one!"
"Okay, I get it…," Ruri grumbles as she places the V-slip swimsuit back to where it was. "But...you'll stick to the plan, right? The…'The Great Entrap Ichijou Raku with a Sexy Bikini Plan'...?"
"Ye...yes...I will," Kosaki hesitates to agree. "But...why does it have to have such a title. There's no need to put on...something like a sexy swimsuit for Ichijou-kun…"
"Stop shying it," Ruri commands her best friend. "Get out of that shell or else your sister will get him before you!"
"I know...but, it's not...I'm…," is all that Kosaki can mutter to herself in timidity as she fidgets on the bed she sits on.
Ruri can only give another sigh as she looks at her friend hesitate. The fact that she's been aiding Kosaki's romantic life for the past four to five years at the least makes her review how much of a slowpoke Kosaki is with taking action. It feels like it may take another five more to even reach the proposal stage. No, not the marriage proposal one, but just the simple "let's date each other" kind of proposal...
"...well…," Ruri sighs, feeling that she's done with business for the day. "Seeing that I'm done lecturing you on getting the right swimsuit...let's do something fun. How about some TV?"
"Eh…? Oh, okay," Kosaki affirms.
Ruri looks for the remote control to the TV in her room. With all the swimsuits around, it is hard to find where she had last placed it. Was it on her desk? Or maybe next to the TV? But she finally finds it on the small table next to her bed.
"Now, let's watch," Ruri states as she turns the TV on to what seems to be an anime show.
"Wow," Kosaki immediately exclaims. "So 'Magical Patissier' started airing…!"
"Magical...Patissier?" Ruri inquires for a moment, but finally recognizes the title. "Aah, you mean the new magical girl anime of the season?"
"Yeah, Haru is always reading the manga to it," Kosaki begins to explain. "Recently, the anime's airing was decided, and at that time, Haru went 'MajiPate is HEEERRREEE!'...really, Haru was so excited about it that I got a bit interested in it…and seeing that the first episode is airing now…!"
"Oh, I see…," Ruri shows little interest in how her friend knew about the anime airing. "Well, let's just watch then."
"Yes," Kosaki nods her head in approval.
On the screen, a young girl can be seen walking down some stairs with a large pile of paper. And as she is about to trip, she is saved by a princely upperclassman. The young girl then vows to confess her love, but cannot find the courage to do so.
"So...it's this kind of show…," Ruri thinks to herself in part-boredom.
"Ah, look Ruri-chan!" Kosaki points at the screen. "The way the main heroine is so fidgety...it's so cute."
"Yeah, just like a certain someone here…," Ruri mumbles to herself.
But as the scene suddenly changes, she notices some similarities in the characters on screen to herself and Kosaki.
"...wait a minute. This voice I feel that I've heard of...and the looks of this heroine...and that little mouse with her sharp glare…"
Ruri glances at the screen and then to Kosaki, back to the screen, reviewing what controversy is happening before her. The main heroine is basically a carbon copy of Kosaki, aside from couple elements such as her glasses and the Magical Girl concept. It seems like this heroine too though can't cook a proper cake, even though she can make their appearance perfect.
The mouse also repeatedly presses the heroine on, just like Ruri does for Kosaki. And while she knows that she is a big-eater, she doesn't munch down on cheese every chance she has.
And as Ruri looks back at Kosaki...
"...uuhm...is something a matter, Ruri-chan?" Kosaki asks of her friend whose eyes dart back between the TV screen and her. "Do I have something on my face?"
"...no...nothing at all," Ruri shakes off her premonitions. "I might be imagining stuff...but...no, this can't be a mere coincidence…!"
And for the rest of the afternoon, Ruri keeps on wondering.
5.
My everyday is just perfectly normal. I finish my morning preparations and walk out for errands. I come back, with no change to the everyday.
In the streets of Bonyari city, Jun walks down the sidewalk among the handful of citizens. Even though it's a hot day, he still wears his full set of kimono that is at least three layers thick. But in return, he does have a traditional Japanese umbrella in hand, shading him from the sun.
Beside him on this heated pavement is his bond-sworn brother of the Shuei yakuza gang, Sasaki Ryuunosuke. Although not related by blood, along with being much younger than Jun by at least a decade, and surely far less skilled by multitudes, Jun still took Ryuu in as his first pupil of the Shuei group. As such, Ryuu has been well trained and deserving of being the leader of the group under Raku and his father, although his anger and passionate spirit can cause unnecessary issues.
Opposite to Jun, Ryuu wears very little with only one layer of clothes, aside from his bandages. Even then, he sweats all over without a flinch towards the heat.
"Now then, Nii-san," Ryuu tells Jun. "Since we've bought the flowers, I'll be going back."
"Oh, yes," Jun responds kindly. "Thank you for accompanying me."
As Ryuu runs back towards the Shuei main house, Jun continues to walk down the street in the direction of his intended destination. In his arm is the flowers he had bought with Ryuu for a special occasion. And as he finishes crossing the street…
"Hello, hello!"
Although someone calls out to him with as much intended surprise, Jun doesn't make much motion as he turns to who had greeted him.
"Oh," Jun begins his greeting. "Hello to you there, Haru-san."
"Oh, boo," the young-looking lady pouts in disappointment. "Come on! You're supposed to be surprised by that!"
Only as tall as his shoulder, people would mistake this young lady for a high schooler. But it is evident by the way that she interacts with Jun that she would at least be an adult of an appropriate age to be a mother of her own. Yet, the young air she springs forth would deceive all but Jun if they could see her.
"Oh, so sorry. But you already know that I am the only one who can sense your presence," Jun states his capability that allows him to not be sprung by surprise attacks.
"I know...but still, you should be scared!" The lady called "Haru-san" continues to pout as she swats at Jun's back. Even then, he keeps walking forward as he chuckles to himself. He enjoys too much his time teasing this young lady.
As Jun continues his walk, the lady begins to run around him to grab his attention. Her long brown hair, especially the side ponytail that she has it tied into, takes part in bothering him as it flutters in the air.
"Please stop that, Haru-san," Jun asks of the young lady. "You're only going to cause trouble for me."
"But I want you to look at me," the girl ignores Jun's plea as she keeps prancing around him. "Come on…!"
Jun sighs to himself as he witnesses the action of this young-looking girl.
"I'll converse with you, so no need to move around, okay?" Jun finally suggests.
"...alright," the lady finally stops running around, starting to walk at Jun's side.
Jun begins to climb an uphill road. Even in the hot sun, his stamina withstands as he keeps himself and the flowers shaded.
"...I always wanted to ask," the lady begins to ask. "But why do you always have to wear such heavy clothes?"
"...because…," Jun takes a moment to think of the appropriate reasoning. "Because you chose these clothing for me, Haru-san."
"...yeah? But if it's hot, you don't have to keep wearing it," the lady recommends.
"Ahaha. I'm alright. Perfectly alright," Jun laughs to himself. In response, the lady blushes a bit.
The lady looks at her own frilly white one-piece dress that suits the summer weather. Along with the white sandals she wears, she wouldn't feel the heat of the summer.
"Would you like some shade?" Jun offers some shade with his umbrella.
"...no need for it," the lady rejects his offer. Even then, Jun leans his umbrella over to shade her. This causes her to blush more, but also have a seemingly sorrowful expression.
Jun finally arrives at a graveyard on a small hill of Bonyari city. As he walks in, the lady starts to trail behind him. And upon arriving at one gravestone to start his prayer…
"...thank you for always talking with me, Jun-kun," the young lady tells him. "...even though you don't have to…"
"What are you saying now, Haru-san? I'm just doing what I want to do," Jun continues kneeling before the grave, cleaning it and finally placing the flowers he had in his hand out in front of the grave. "There is no need for thanks."
"But...it always feels like I'm here for my own selfish reasons...and yet you are the one who let's me feel like it's not...there is so much to appreciate you for…"
Even as he hears what the lady tells him, Jun proceeds to light some incense and pray. His subtle smile remains steadfast.
"...don't force yourself to smile…," the lady mutters in a solemn way as tears run down her cheeks. "Please don't force yourself…"
"...I am not. Even if I was...this is for you," Jun proclaims as he continues his prayer.
"...thank you…," the lady finally tells him with a tearful smile. "Thank you very much…always…!"
"...you're welcome…," Jun responds kindly.
"Jun-san?" Someone calls out to Jun after a minute had passed of his praying. "What are you doing here?"
Jun looks to where he heard the voice, only to see Fuu and Haru approaching him.
"Oh, Haru-san. Fuu-san. Good day to you two," Jun greets the two as he reverts back to the position he was praying in. "What brings you two here?"
"What else, Jun-san?" Fuu chuckles with a teasing but matter-of-fact tone. "Grave visits."
"We're visiting the graves of some of Fuu-chan's family members, such as her grandfather," Haru adds on why they are at this graveyard. "How about you, Jun-san?"
"The same as you two," Jun looks towards the grave he's praying to. "A grave visit for someone...dear."
"Morisawa...Haruka?" Fuu reads out the name on the gravestone. "...a relative...or friend?"
"Mmm...better to say that she is someone much more dear than such," Jun says with a voice of reminiscence.
"17 years ago...wow, she passed right before we were born," Haru mentions after reading the dates etched into the stone. "How often to do you visit?"
"Every week," Jun states without hesitation.
"...every week!?" Fuu and Haru exclaim in astonishment. "That often?"
"That's how dear she is to me," Jun finishes his prayer, standing to his feet.
Jun finishes his grave visit, walking towards the exit of the graveyard. Having finished their grave visit too, Fuu and Haru follow him.
"Jun-san?" Fuu questions. "Were you with someone…?"
"Mmm…," Jun thinks for a moment before asking back. "Why do you ask?"
"Well...from far away, I saw that you were conversing with someone," Fuu explains, describing what she had witnessed from afar. "Your mouth was opening and closing as if you were talking to someone. And you don't seem the kind of person to talk to yourself..."
"Oh. I see...," Jun exclaims upon hearing Fuu's deduction. Thus, he takes another moment to think before giving an answer. "Let's see...I was with a spirit."
"Eh? A ghost?" Haru freaks out a bit. "There's a limit to how incredible you can be, Jun-san."
"Hahaha. I'm just kidding," Jun laughs out to see Haru's reaction. "Just a joke, Haru-san."
"Yes. Of course it's a joke, Haru," Fuu adds on. Although she had sensed a feeling of truth in Jun's words, she felt more that he was joking too.
"Please...don't surprise me like that…," Haru mumbles in frustration of the two's teasing.
Jun, Fuu and Haru finally leave the graveyard. At the grave that Jun prayed in front is the stone marked with the name of Morisawa Haruka, or the person Jun refers to as "Haru-san". The water that was used to wash the grave clean slowly evaporates from the summer heat. The few sticks of incense Jun had lit still burn as the wind carries away the streams of smoke they produce. And the flowers that rest in the stone vase embedded into the ground right in front of the gravestone...the forget-me-not's...the favorite flowers of Haruka...sway in the same wind as they try to reach towards the sun…
"...thank you always...Jun-kun…," an unheard voice whispers from the grave. "Thank you...very much…"
Just a normal day, all and perfectly normal, nothing abnormal. -Jun
ただ普通、何もない日々、過ごさせる。 準
"Uuh...I'm usually retorting...but who were you talking to, Jun-nii? Otherwise...for once, you seemed to have a normal day…," Raku questions in wonderment.
My my...seems like Fuu was surely a mastermind in the plan towards "Harukoi". All for the sake of her Yuri-ism...?
Jokes aside, I'm glad I was able to touch a bit into Fuu's character with the chapter and especially this epilogue/extras. She rarely gets screen time in the main series, and even here in Harukoi, her roles are in the back if not primary. Thus, again, I'm very glad this chapter and epilogue/extras turned out well in getting some outlook on her.
Like the main chapter, this epilogue and extras are quite long...I apologize, but I wanted to get all of these in. Plus, we get a view on all the heroines, right? (Aside from Yui, sadly). I received compliments on being able to include them in to keep the spirit of Nisekoi; if I don't...this Harukoi would just be too SS. I want to still keep it Nisekoi-like if anything.
Chitoge is...Chitoge. Marika is catching on. Tsugumi is keeping a leash on Paula. Kosaki...is being pulled around by Ruri again. But hopefully, these interactions will prove useful later...!
Now, who is Morisawa Haruka? Is she related to Haru? Maybe...maybe not. But one thing for sure, there is more insight into who Jun may be. What did we see here? He's definitely plotting things behind Haru and Raku...for his own reasons. Even the most cunning ones of the group (Maiko, Ruri, Fuu) are before his knees...somewhat? And lastly...is he a medium who can communicate with the dead...?
Truthfully, that Jun extra was going to expand on more than one "spirit", but I cut it down to one significant presence so as not to garble the already long extras. But this one spirit has significance...and you'll all see. Oh, also...hint: Morisawa is Jun's surname.
Hope everyone enjoyed another chapter, epilogue and extras of Harukoi. Please look forward to what will come in the next chapter.
Preview hints (editted): Ryuu! Claude! Migisuke! Honda! Ie! Meet for tea!?