No longer did she have cause to worry about whether or not her first love was happy. From now on, she could focus on becoming a pillar of strength for Koutarou. The smile on his face was her greatest comfort, and protecting that smile was now her responsibility.
And so she continued to grip him tightly as tears flowed unceasingly. It had to be said though, that whether or not Kiriha had noticed, the path she'd chosen hadn't changed.
"Seriously though, I still can't believe you're Kii-chan——"
"...You're so slow. It's something that happened half a month ago, and you're only just realizing it now."
"I'm sorry."
Kiriha, snuggled up against him, continued to cry. The vast store of feelings she'd accumulated over the years suddenly sought release, and it would take some time before she'd be able to settle down. Koutarou, understanding, simply held her, unspeaking, until the time when her tears would stop.
After some time, Kiriha finally calmed down. She stepped back half a step, and looked up at Koutarou.
"Onii-chan."
As she spoke, her eyes narrowed.
"Hmm?"
"I've run into something of a conundrum."
Kiriha hung the necklace she held in hand on Koutarou. The way she saw it, that was the place where it belonged.
She then waved her card at Koutarou before holding it to her bosom, as if to indicate that that was the place where it belonged.
"And what would that be?"
Even as she spoke, tears continued to leak from her eyes. Trailing down her cheeks, they wet her hands and Koutarou's necklace. Gently, he reached out and wiped the tears from her eyes. His concern for her made Kiriha extremely happy, and she scrunched her eyes as if to curtail the flow.
"The Kiriha and Kii within my heart are at odds with one another. Kiriha wants to tease you, but Kii just wants to be spoiled by her Onii-chan."
"Is that all? There's nothing to be conflicted about then."
Koutarou sighed and shrugged helplessly.
"What do you mean?"
Kiriha tilted her head in puzzlement, an action that spoke clearly of Kii. Although the expression she wore was the same as ever, Koutarou was nevertheless struck by the impression that she seemed extremely young.
"...Don't tell me you haven't noticed how everyone's staring at us? I think they're blaming me for making you cry."
The way in which Kii and Kiriha wanted Koutarou to spoil them had put him in something of a bind. Whether Kii or Kiriha, the end result was the same.
"You did make me cry."
Kiriha revealed a mischievous smile before hugging him much like Kii would have. The Kiriha and Kii aspects of her persona had joined together to tease Koutarou. That said, Koutarou was the one person she would willingly, and happily, treat like this.
"We'd better get a move on," Koutarou whispered in Kiriha's ears.
Strangely, even with Kiriha clinging closely to him, Koutarou's heart was calm. Perhaps the fact that his feelings for both Kii and Kiriha had merged had left him able to accept this situation. The impression that she gave him now felt very much like Sanae.
"Where to?"
Kiriha asked in turn, her eyes closed.
"The roller coaster, of course. I don't think I can take everyone's stares for too much longer."
What concerned Koutarou was not Kiriha, holding him tight, but rather the stares of the people around them.
"Relying on amusement park attractions to make a girl happy? That's a pretty shallow way of thinking, isn't it?"
Kiriha lifted her head with a smile and let go of Koutarou. Although she mocked him with her words, within her heart, she, too, was excited at the prospect of riding the roller coaster. She had, after all, been waiting for this moment for ten years.
"That's not what I meant. Didn't I tell you before? To be honest, I'm really looking forward to riding this thing... Simply put, I really want to ride it myself."
With that, Koutarou began to advance. Kiriha followed, her head resting on his shoulder. The two looked like a pair of lovers as they made their way to the entrance of the roller coaster line with spry steps.
"By the way, Onii-chan, was that for me? Kiriha? Or was that for Kii?"
"I don't know. Is there a difference?"
"Haha, never mind. I'll forgive you this time. Koutarou and Onii-chan both, you sure do embarrass easily."
"Oh, shut it."
As night fell, the temperature dropped sharply on this February day. With the setting of the sun, wintry weather approached as dusk came. An amusement park dyed a deep crimson as it bathed in the light of the setting sun. A high-speed roller coaster.
Nothing particularly noteworthy happened this day. A young-man wearing a traditional-styled necklace and a young woman holding an old-fashioned card in her hands rode a roller coaster together.
An ordinary holiday scene like any other.
And yet a crucial change had taken place in the relationship between the two.