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Chapter 296: One by One, Your Wives Begin to Leave
🕑 Added 2025-04-19 12:01:01 +0000 UTCTL Music Recommendation: 米津玄師 Kenshi Yonezu - Lemon
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[The idea of a long journey first emerged when Chisato started noticing her memory fading.]
[Perhaps it was simply due to age, but certain things no longer stayed clear in her mind.]
[There were times when her body suddenly felt inexplicably fatigued.]
[And so, you all decided to set out while you could still move freely…]
[Once again, you took the driver's seat, leading your wives on a road trip across the country.]
[Your journey began in Tokyo, heading southwest to Kumamoto Prefecture, home to the historic Kumamoto Castle.]
[There, you treated your wives to the region's famous horse meat hot pot.]
[The restaurant owner even recommended their premium horse meat sashimi, but both you and your wives politely declined.]
[Even though they were born and raised in Japan, raw horse meat was simply something none of you could stomach.]
[You stayed in Kumamoto for quite some time—primarily because Chisato wanted to take extra photos and send souvenirs to your daughters.]
[You granted her wish, and together, you spent an entire spring in Kumamoto.]
[It wasn't until the first cicadas of summer began to cry that you finally departed, driving toward your next destination—Okayama Prefecture.]
[This southwestern city was famous for its many hot spring resorts, and its soft-boiled hot spring eggs were said to be exceptional.]
[The first thing you did was soak in the hot springs with your wives, washing away all your exhaustion.]
[Afterward, following a recommendation from the innkeeper, you visited the famous Bisei Astronomical Observatory nearby.]
[That night, the boundary between the pale yellow horizon and the deep indigo sky blurred into a dreamlike canvas.]
[From where you stood, the world was divided—
[Behind you, the night had fallen.
[Ahead of you, the distant horizon still clung to the last traces of daylight.
[White and dark intermingled as you sat beneath the sprawling stars, grilling food over an open fire.]
[The only downside was the sheer number of mosquitoes drawn to the light.
[By the time morning arrived, your wives had been devoured by them—while strangely, not a single mosquito had bitten you.]
[Feeling refreshed after a peaceful night's sleep, you found yourself mercilessly scolded by your wives the next morning.]
[You spent countless nights stargazing here, sending your daughters pictures of the sky and your campfire feasts.]
[Your daughters, stuck in their busy careers, were overwhelmed with jealousy.]
[On LINE, they even joked about quitting their jobs just to join you.]
[Of course, it was nothing more than playful banter.
[They knew that this was a journey meant only for you and your wives.
[No matter how much they loved you, no one—not even your daughters—could take away the time that belonged solely to you and your partners.]
[Originally, you had planned to leave after a few nights.]
[However, your car broke down midway through the journey, forcing you to stay longer.]
[Days continued to pass…]
[Once the vehicle was repaired, you continued traveling to more and more places—Fushimi Inari Shrine, the ancient city of Nara, the fireworks of Hamano-ura, and the Yurihama Coast of Kagoshima.]
[At one point, you even considered traveling abroad.]
[However, since you had left your passports at home, you had no choice but to abandon the idea.]
[Finally, after visiting countless breathtaking landscapes, you parked your car along a nameless road.]
[Before you stretched an endless field, reaching toward the horizon as if connecting the earth to the sky.]
[You sat down, gazing at the setting sun.]
[Feeling the gentle warmth that was no longer scorching…]
"It's so beautiful…"
Resting her head against Minami's chest, Nijika stared at the descending sun in a daze.
There was something melancholic about the twilight glow.
And yet—
There was also an indescribable beauty to it.
None of the wives spoke.
They simply held their breath, watching the distant horizon.
They watched as the final remnants of the sun sank into the dark silhouette of the landscape.
And at that moment—
A whisper seemed to echo from the distance.
A voice that none of them could quite describe.
A voice that seemed to say: You are no longer young.
But—
"So what if we're not young anymore?"
Brushing a loose strand of deep blue hair behind her ear, Ryo settled down beside Minami.
Her expression, usually blank and composed, was now filled with warmth.
"Being with Minami… being with all of you… this entire life… has been such a wonderful journey."
She murmured softly.
"Like an adventure, I suppose."
Rio smiled gently as she took a seat.
"Unlike the laws of physics, no two days have ever been the same."
"I-I don't mind growing old, as long as I can still be with Minami and everyone."
Hitori hurriedly added.
"I'm really happy, too."
"Alright, alright, Hitori-chan, no one said you weren't happy."
Kita chuckled lightly.
"She's always been like this, hasn't she?"
Chisato laughed heartily, passing around a few energy drinks.
"Might as well recharge. We still have a long journey ahead of us."
Her words earned a helpless sigh from Takina.
These energy drinks were her purchase, and yet Chisato casually handed them out like a gift.
But whatever.
Now wasn't the time to argue over something so trivial.
"Man… with a sunset this stunning, it'd make for an incredible tokusatsu scene, wouldn't it?"
Akane held up her fingers in a framing gesture, murmuring to herself with a tinge of regret.
She hadn't filmed a tokusatsu project in years.
But deep down, the instincts never faded.
Especially at this stage of life—
Watching beautiful things slip away always left a certain sense of wistfulness.
She sighed.
And just then, someone who had remained silent this whole time finally spoke—
Satou.
"Next year… let's go on another trip together next year."
She clutched the energy drink bottle in her hands, looking around at everyone present.
There was a time when she only wanted to travel with Minami alone.
But now—
Now, there was a stronger desire.
She wanted to travel with everyone here.
One last time.
One last journey—
Together.
For the final adventure of their lives.
Her proposal was met with unanimous agreement.
Seeing that everyone had reached a decision, Minami chuckled and lifted his camera.
"Well, in that case, let's take one last photo together before we head home. While the sunset is still here."
"Alright—!"
No one objected.
Following his guidance, they took their positions.
Minami adjusted the settings, enabling the auto-timer before placing the camera on a tripod.
"Hurry up, Minami! It's about to start!"
Seeing how painfully slow he was being, Chisato—always energetic—grew impatient.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."
Minami laughed, securing the tripod before finally turning around.
And for a moment—
He froze.
The sun behind them had dipped lower.
It was that fleeting moment when light and shadow blurred—
And in that instant—
He swore he saw it.
His wives—
Just as youthful and radiant as they had been all those years ago.
Standing there.
Smiling at him, like they always had.
[The photo was captured flawlessly.]
[After years of travel, your photography skills had reached a professional level. If you were to upload this picture online, countless people would probably message you, asking where it was taken.]
[But of course, you wouldn't do that.]
[After saving the photo, you drove everyone home.]
[On the way back, they were buzzing with excitement, eagerly discussing the details of next year's trip.]
[As if the next adventure was just around the corner.]
[You couldn't help but smile. Letting them chat away, you played some music and continued driving.]
[They were so eager for that next trip.]
[But that journey… would never come.]
[Perhaps it was the long period spent traveling. Or maybe it was the harsh winter snow that arrived unexpectedly.]
[Your private doctor gave you the news—Chisato and Takina's health had declined just from enduring this winter's cold.]
[They could no longer handle the strain of travel.]
[And to take care of them, you and the others naturally put all plans of another trip on hold.]
[But no one complained.
[Instead, they simply teased the two bedridden troublemakers.]
[Chisato and Takina felt guilty, telling everyone to go ahead without them.
[But their suggestion was met with firm rejection.]
[Because if everyone wasn't together—then there was no point in traveling at all.]
[Time continued to flow…]
[Soon, it wasn't just Chisato and Takina.]
[Hitori and Ryo also began showing signs of declining health.]
[Their energy was fading faster than ever.]
[You understood—this was simply the nature of time.]
[It didn't need to do anything.
[It simply had to move forward, steadily and inevitably—taking everything from you along the way.]
[You tried to use every means at your disposal to help them.]
[But aging wasn't an illness.]
[Your efforts had no effect.]
[For the next two years, you devoted yourself to caring for Chisato, Takina, Hitori, and Ryo.]
[Soon, Nijika, Ikuyo, Rio, and Akane's conditions also worsened.]
[Only you and Satou remained relatively healthy.]
[Watching your wives grow weaker with each passing day, all you could do was stay by their side, ensuring that their final days were filled with as much happiness as possible.]
[None of them feared death.]
[Sometimes, they even joked about it.]
[They leaned on each other, laughed together—
[As if sheer companionship could defy time itself.]
[Outside the window, the leaves grew in the spring and withered in the fall.]
[By the bedside, fresh flowers were replaced again and again.]
[In the blink of an eye, three years had passed.]
[Perhaps it was fate. Perhaps they simply didn't want to leave one another behind.]
[That year, Chisato and Takina passed away.]
[Painlessly, peacefully—
[A quiet departure, the best farewell they could have hoped for.]
[You kissed their aged faces and dressed them in their final garments.
[Together, you laid them to rest—side by side.]
[Not long after, Hitori and Ryo followed.]
[The bass and the guitar—perhaps, even in another world, they were still playing their melodies together.]
[Their deaths struck you and Satou deeply.
[And in the following spring, just as the first cherry blossoms bloomed—
[Nijika and Ikuyo also passed away.]
[Then, when the autumn leaves blanketed the mountains in red—
[Rio and Akane, too, left this world.]
[In that season of fading life, you watched them go.
[You watched as they smiled at you, bittersweet, full of love but reluctant to part.]
[And you forced yourself to smile back, smoothing out the wrinkles in their clothing.
[Because they had always cared about keeping things neat and clean.
[They wouldn't want you to cry.]
[Sato stayed by your side.
[And you stayed by hers.]
[The once-lively home was now so, so empty.]
[Even though your daughters visited often, trying to comfort you, trying to reassure you—
[You still felt an indescribable loneliness.]
[The travel van that once carried all of you together now sat in the garage, gathering dust.
[Neither you nor Satou had any reason to drive it anymore.]
[Time continued its steady march.]
[Six years passed.]
[And then, one day—
[You felt it.]
[A discomfort spreading through your body.]
[Growing worse and worse.]
[Lying in bed, you knew.]
[This time—it was your turn to go looking for them.]
[Satou sat at your bedside, crying uncontrollably.]
[You smiled softly, reaching out with all your strength to wipe her tears away.]
[You told her not to be sad.]
[That meeting them had been the greatest joy of your life.]
[And when you took your final breath—
[You were smiling.]
[But there was an apology in that smile, too.]
[Because in the end—
[You left her behind. Alone.]
[She would be lonely, wouldn't she?]
[But that was no longer your concern.]
[As the darkness crept in, your consciousness faded into sleep.]
"This is really…"
Back in reality, Minami let out a slow breath as he stared at the simulation screen.
The words were simple.
But just reading them made his chest ache.
Watching every single one of his wives go before him—
Just imagining it was unbearable.
And in the end, he even left Satou behind.
That made it even worse.
He exhaled deeply.
Mortality was something he had always despised thinking about.
But it was something no one could escape.
Life was just too short.
Too short for them to even fulfill their dream of one more trip together.
Minami shook his head.
He was about to check the system's final score and summary.
But just as his hand reached out—
He froze.
Because the simulation—
Hadn't ended.
It was still continuing.
"There's… more?"
He couldn't understand.
He was dead.
What could possibly happen next?
Shaking his head, he took a deep breath—
And kept reading.
