SWNOVELXO Chapter 13 - I'm Sorry for being an Idiot
Charlotte was invited inside the house by Shiori, and the two of them sat facing each other in the living room.
Then, Charlotte bowed her head to Shiori once again and greeted her.
“I’m Charlotte Stanley. I’m a member of the same ‘SWORD’ as Ryuji, and… we met only once at the wedding.”
“Oh yes, you’re Ryuji’s best friend. Of course, I know you.”
I hid by the window near the courtyard, eavesdropping on the conversation between the two as they sat in the guest room. It’s my house, which I know very well. I also used the camera of my smartphone to see how they were doing.
“Ryuji… he was a splendid… ‘end,” Charlotte said. Saying that Charlotte gripped the sleeve of her clothes and burst into tears.
Shiori nodded slowly and approached Charlotte, gently embracing her.
“Thank you for coming to tell me… It must have been hard.”
“I’m… I’m sorry. You must be the one going through a harder time, Shiori-san.”
“No, I was prepared for this. It’s harder for you, Charlotte-chan.”
They stayed like that for a while, with Charlotte continuing to cry in Shiori’s embrace. Shiori closed her eyes and tenderly stroked Charlotte’s head.
“The first person who really understood me was Ryuji… Before that, all the adults around me felt like enemies.”
“Hehe, Ryuji has always been able to empathize with others.”
“Ryuji always treated me like a child… but, honestly, I think he can be quick-tempered and childish himself.”
“That’s true. Ryuji and I used to argue all the time. Well, I always won, though.”
“Really, Ryuji is so dense, lacks sensitivity, is selfish, stupid, and a complete idiot.”
“Yeah, he’s an idiot, isn’t he? I mean, seriously, to make such a cute girl cry like this is unforgivable.”
(Wait a minute, are they having a contest to badmouth me?)
As I watched with a sense of amazement, Charlotte lifted her tear-filled eyes.
“I… I want to see Ryuji. Even if it’s just in a dream…”
“I’m sure he’ll come to you in your dreams. Ryuji can’t leave a crying girl alone.”
“…………”
Shiori seemed fine even with me gone. After all, I was rarely home.
…No, that couldn’t be true.
I know it’s true.
Deep down, Shiori’s heart must be filled with sorrow.
But Charlotte was crying in her place, sharing the grief.
Because they were sharing their sorrow, Shiori could stay composed.
(Charlotte… Thank you. You truly are my best friend.)
Afterward, until around noon, Charlotte and Shiori engaged in their contest of badmouthing me.
Charlotte would cry again,
Shiori would comfort her,
Then they’d exchange more insults about me.
They kept repeating such simple things.
“I’m sorry for intruding.”
“Are you leaving already? Why don’t you stay for a meal?”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll see you again, and… here, this.”
Charlotte said this and handed my dog tags to Shiori.
“Can you …… hold that for me, Charlotte-chan?”
“I-it’s not like that!”
“I’m sure it will be more important to you. I’m sure Charlotte will take better care of it.”
“Thank you, …….”
With that, Charlotte tightly held my dog tags to her chest.
Then, she left Shiori’s house.
I followed Charlotte.
She walked through the town and climbed a small hill.
Finally, she arrived at a vantage point where she could overlook the entire town.
I could see Shigemichi High School, where my children Yuka, Masaya, and the original owner of my body, Fushimi, attended. During lunch break, students were happily walking and chatting on the school grounds.
On the town’s roads, dogs joyfully accompanied elderly people on walks, and in the adjacent park, children were playing happily.
“Ryuji, this is… the scenery you protected.”
With my dog tags hanging around her neck, Charlotte whispered.
“I want to see you, even if it’s just in a dream.”
If that’s the case, then I must have no regrets.
“…You foolish Ryuji.”
“Charlotte… I’m sorry for being foolish.”
I spoke to the girl who was leaning on the fence, berating me with a melancholic tone.
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