One and a half months until the graduation ceremony.
As much as time allowed, we spent sweet and intense days together, going on dates and sometimes having Yamato stay over at my place, more than ever before.
Yamato started leaving things with his scent at my house so I wouldn’t feel lonely.
I’ve gotten used to Yamato’s forceful kisses and surprise kisses… No, I haven’t… I still get excited every time…
And as for the crucial matter of intimacy at night… There was no progress at all, and we continued with our vanilla relationship.
Even though Yamato would initiate, he wouldn’t push further, and I was satisfied with Yamato’s feelings alone.
Above all, just having him by my side and seeing him smile made me incredibly happy…
Also… A significant event during this past month and a half weighed heavily on my mind…
My father passed away…
Both my father and mother were Omegas, and I was born between them.
My mother passed away before reaching the average Omega lifespan, and I was raised by my father…
Even when I was bullied and wanted to attend a different high school than the local one, he didn’t oppose it and rather continued supporting me financially, silently supporting me from the shadows.
My father knew that the side effects of suppressants were starting to take a toll on him… His body was deteriorating…
And… Eventually, he passed away… Yes, this is the fate of an Omega… an unavoidable… cruel fate…
I quietly held a funeral for my father… Yamato attended as well.
As I sobbed at the farewell to my father, Yamato was there beside me, comforting me… holding me tight the whole time…
Regardless of how prepared I thought I was…
Saying the final goodbye is still painful…
Afterward, I gently placed my father into the grave where my mother rested, who had become smaller. I quietly clasped my hands together, and beside me… Yamato also clasped his hands in the same manner…
“Father, Mother… Thank you so much for everything… You know, despite everything that happened, I’m really happy now… I’ve made a best friend, you know? Even though I’m an Omega, I have a Beta best friend who protects me…”
“And also… I’ve found someone special to love… Yamato, who is by my side now… I want to stay by Yamato’s side forever…”
“I will definitely live and be happier than you, Mom and Dad… I won’t lose to being an Omega… So, please continue to watch over me from above, okay?”
“…Father, Mother… I love you…”
Tears streamed down my eyes as I conveyed my feelings, but even so, I wasn’t alone anymore…
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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* * *
Ccv atfc… bc atf vjs bo atf ugjvejalbc mfgfwbcs.
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Ktf rmfca bearlvf kjr oliifv klat atf ygfjat bo cfk yevr, fzevlcu j ogfrt ugffc jgbwj.
It’s been a year since then, and various things, both enjoyable and painful, flashed through my mind like a kaleidoscope…
Meeting Yamato with his large and small back, whom I wanted to turn around, and now he’s behind me with a hedgehog on his back.
There were times when we almost broke each other by continuing to lie.
There were times when it seemed like we would be separated…
Nevertheless… Our strong bond never wavered… and now he’s become my beloved boyfriend.
Such encounters exist…
Such happiness exists…
Yamato, and Shun too, taught me that.
Today marks the end of a chapter in my irreplaceable treasure-filled days, and we set off on a journey.
I want to keep moving forward… with Yamato too…
“Hey, Yuto?”
“What is it, Yamato?”
“A year ago… thanks for making me turn around…”
Yamato too; I wonder if he’s reflecting on the past year…? After all, there were so many things that happened…
“I should be the one thanking you… for turning around for me.”
“I’m really glad I met you…”
“Yeah… I’m glad I met you too, Yamato…”
We engraved this road in our hearts with feelings of freshness and a hint of sadness, knowing that tomorrow we wouldn’t be running along it in this form anymore.
After passing through the school gate and entering the classroom, there was Shun, as always.
“Yuto! Yamato! Good morning!”
“Shun~! Good morning!”
“Good morning; you guys are energetic as always.”
Yes… Even with this exchange in this space, today is the last…
We smiled at each other, but still, a sense of loneliness crept into our hearts… Our high school life, which happens only once, is coming to an end moment by moment…
“…Today, it’s really ending, huh…”
I muttered softly to the two as I was feeling overwhelmed with loneliness… but Yamato, as always, turned my words into a smile.
“…Even though high school life is ending today, our bond will last forever, right? We’ll definitely meet Shun again soon. Let’s graduate with pride, remembering all the fun times we had.”
Shun also flashed a grin at those words and presented “proof of friendship” to us.
That’s right, this isn’t the end…
This is just the beginning…!
I also smiled and presented the “proof of friendship,” and Yamato followed suit by extending his hand.
We… will always be best friends…!
Time passed, and the graduation ceremony began with the presentation of diplomas… Each class representative was supposed to receive their diploma.
Yamato was chosen from our class because he had maintained the top position in the grade.
At first, he seemed reluctant, saying, “I don’t want to! Why me?” But somewhere along the line, he seemed to have made up his mind and accepted the role of representative.
And then… It was Yamato’s turn.
With a firm response to his name, “Yamagiyama Yamato,” he received his diploma from the principal…
The back of Yamato that I could see was no longer small… It was filled with confidence, warmth, and a sense of bigness… It was the back I loved…
Towards the end of the ceremony, we sang “On the Day of Departure” with all the graduates… but I couldn’t sing anymore…
The emotions embedded in the lyrics and all the memories flooded out, and… I couldn’t stop crying…
Yamato was also trembling, singing in front of me… as he earnestly spun the feelings embedded in the lyrics…
* * *
As the ceremony came to an end, it was finally time for our last homeroom of high school life…
Everyone bid farewell to the teachers with tears in their eyes and temporarily parted ways with their friends. Time passed, and the moment of our departure arrived…
The three of us were holding the tubes containing our diplomas when we left the classroom and stepped out into the open air…
I looked up at the sky and smiled softly, thinking of my parents… I did it, and I graduated safely…
“Hey, hey! Let’s take a photo together, the three of us! Come on!”
“Whoa! Sh-Shun?!”
Shun was as energetic as ever, grabbed mine and Yamato’s hands, and led us to a spot in front of a sign that read “Graduation Diploma Presentation Ceremony.”
With a smartphone in hand, we took several photos. Some serious, some with Shun making funny faces… and some capturing us laughing at his antics…
Shun even took a photo of just the two of us.
Yamato was gently smiling beside me as he placed his hand on my shoulder and pulled me close in the photo…
It became one of my precious treasures.
And then it was time to part ways with Shun…
“Shun… thank you so much for everything…”
“If it weren’t for you… maybe we wouldn’t have ended up next to each other… Thank you so much…”
We bid farewell to Shun with a tinge of sadness, but Shun burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! Hold on a second! Don’t talk like it’s a forever goodbye! How about hanging out during spring break?! Or better yet, let’s double date regularly!”
“D-Double date…?!!”
Our simultaneous response was perfectly harmonized as always, and both Yamato and I blushed… Shun laughed even more at our reactions.
“You guys look so stunned! How naive, so naive! But hey, we’ll definitely see each other again, so let’s part with smiles today, okay? I’ll hit you up again!”
That’s right… This is the finish line, and from here begins a new start…! And our relationship isn’t ending here either…!
So let’s say goodbye with smiles… With “proof of friendship” in hand, we can definitely meet again… for sure!!
“Shun, see you during spring break!”
“Take care, buddy!”
“Yeah! You guys too!”
We exchanged smiles and greetings, and then each of us started walking our own path from the starting line.
