[AFTER] Chapter 243.5 – Fairylike Tale

(First Person POV: Marie)

Growing up, I knew I was well-loved and cherished by my friends and family. There was an over abundance of love and warmth that I felt from them, and it truly made me happy. A loving mom and dad, a nice and kind little brother; there couldn't be anything else I could wish for.

But, humans are inherently greedy. That's an age-old fact that has yet to be proved wrong. Despite my happiness and how content I was with life, I sought for something more. However, it wouldn't be for a while until I found the object of my desire.

"Marie, sweetie, do you want to hear about how me and your father met?"

One day when I was a little girl, my mom randomly asked me if I wanted to hear the story behind her and Dad meeting. Being the curious little girl I am, I nodded my head excitedly and gave her my full undivided attention.

"Well, when your mother was in high school, she was in the same class as your father. We didn't speak much at first, but one singular moment changed everything between us."

Mom told me about how Dad gave her his umbrella when she didn't have one. It was pouring that day and Dad decided to run home right after giving her his umbrella. Although he got sick the day after, Mom came over to nurse him back to health.

From there, their relationship blossomed into something special after many trials and tribulations. As a little kid, this story fascinated me more than any other fairytale possibly could. The idea of a dream-like prince coming to my aid one day was enough to capture my heart.

After hearing the story of how my parents met, I waited day-by-day for someone like that to appear. Of course, nobody like that appeared. It was just the delusionals of a little girl who didn't know any better. At least, that's what I thought until I met him.

As if fate had connected us, I met Yuta Takebayashi in the same way that my parents had met. Having forgotten my umbrella, I was puzzled on how to return home. Then, he appeared out of nowhere like a knight in shining armor. Well, not exactly.

Yuta Takebayashi. A normal guy in my class who had a good relationship with everyone, but was someone who kept others at an arm's length. He was friendly to his fellow classmates, but there was nothing more than that.

He looked at me for a moment before leaving towards the school's gates. It felt like I had just been abandoned, so I pouted and tried to appeal to him with my puppy eyes. Unfortunately, Yuta continued on his merry way and passed the gate.

"..."

Was I not good enough? Did he ignore me because I wasn't pretty enough? Or, was it because he thought I was a nuisance to help?

It had been a long time since I felt like crying, but at this very moment, I could feel the pressure behind the dam threatening to break loose. Before I could cry, however, someone spoke to me.

"Hey, you."

I hadn't realized it, but Yuta was standing in front of me with an apologetic expression. He had returned while I was stuck in a whirlwind of negative thoughts.

"Ah, you're Yuta Takebayashi, I believe?"

"You would be correct."

For some reason, him calling me by "you" felt irritating to me. Why was he being so distant? I mean, we're in the same class so wouldn't it be fine if he called me by my first name?

"I'm not you. I have a name."

"Here's the unbr-"

"My name."

"Eh?"

As long as he refused to call me by my name, I refused to take his umbrella. Muuuu... why is he being so complicated?!

"Please call me by my name."

Yuta frantically tried to give me the umbrella. "Just take the umbrella!"

"No! Not until you say my name!"

I could tell he was getting overwhelmed by my insistent refusal to take the umbrella, so I'm sure he'll give in to my demands soon.

"Okay, Marie. Please take this umbrella."

"With pleasure!"

Ehehe, he finally called me by my name! Wait, why am I so happy about this? There are classmates who call me by my name all the time, but I'm strangely elated when Yuta does it. Am I sick, perhaps?

Just like the prince in my mom's fairy tale, Yuta showed up to my aid when I needed help. Although this wasn't completely the same scenario like the one my mom experienced, it was similar enough to make me realize that this could possibly be the start of something great.

Yuta Takebayashi... Although he tried to ignore me at first, his guilt is what forced him to come back. By that, I can tell he's a kind person at heart. Even the way he tries to resist reveals that he's a good person.

Throughout all of my childish resistance towards him for not calling me by my name, there was not a single time where Yuta got mad or annoyed at me. Rather, it seemed like he was having fun talking to me. At school, he was always alone even though he was such a fun person to talk to... Could he be a male tsundere?!

Okay, I'm getting off track. For what's it worth, Yuta was undeniably a good person I could see myself becoming friends with.

As for something beyond that...

We'll just have to wait and see~

—

Takei: She reminds me of a certain mischievous devil.

Akari: Oh dear, who could you be talking about?

Takei: ...

Serious-san: Let's keep quiet and watch this play out

Sugar-chan: Agreed~