The Meijin/Queen tournament was over, Chihaya won her title, fulfilled her two dreams: to become Queen & to support Mizusawa with her title.
She also got Taichi back..
She was very happy to see Taichi, she forgot everything else when she did...
at least, that's how it looked to Arata back then.
He couldn't watch and he simply went to leave because he knew: He had no place there anymore.
Yet Chihaya being the unpredictable Chihaya suddenly appeared from nowhere calling him with her enthusiastic personality and her happy tone.. it was so nice to see her like that .. Arata knew she would be this happy for a dream of her own, he knew it from day one when he told her about it. that happiness she showed for dreaming of her sister becoming best in Japan, he knew that she will be 10 times happier when she achieves a dream of her own... and here she is, having it all .. he was getting emotional and he had to get a grip because Taichi also followed her, Taichi is coming to be near Chihaya where he has always been, Arata felt a sharp pain going through his chest at the sight & he was afraid that Chihaya noticed the faltering of his smile .. & he couldn't allow himself to stay long to keep it all wrapped up.
He never had a place here to begin with, he was always what Taichi called him in the past: the outsider.
"Congratulations Chihaya"
He still could say this,
Chihaya's worried look faded suddenly with the words but before she utters anything out of her already wide open smiling mouth, Arata continued.
"I have to leave, take good care of her Taichi- "
and whoosh he is gone.
what?!
Chihaya was confused, Taichi too, or not. he was more surprised because he understood. Arata decided to run away again bc he thought that Chihaya's feelings turned towards Taichi...
but before any of them got to comment, the masses of the happy cheerers swept them together away and the noise didn't stop for days. none had the time to think about it clearly.
Soon, it was graduation.. time flew by
Chihaya couldn't get a hold of Arata .. Taichi was busier, she too .. life only teared them apart more & more.
and years later they met again.
And Chihaya was very angry..or desperate .. Arata refused to listen at first, he was so scared of being hurt again after all this time, after he learnt to live with it.
But he couldn't fool Chihaya, he never dated anyone else all this time, he became even stronger at karuta bc that's all he was doing ...
Chihaya knew & refused to give up after she finally met him ...
... imagine the rest lol
Page from Suetsugu Yuki's other manga: "Couverture"
I only edited it for fun because the resemblance between these characters & Arata/Chihaya is striking ^^
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