Episode 4

When I Go Back in Time, My Ex-wife Is Making a Passionate Approach to Me, and I’m Having Trouble With It

The movie ends and we walk out of the screen. We stop by the merchandise booth and look for some goods.

“I might want this stuffed animal”

“Kurosaki-san, you like stuffed animals, don’t you?”

“Yes. I want a stuffed toy of the heroine.”

I looked at my wallet. I have enough money to spare. I took the stuffed animal from Haruka and got in line at the cash register.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’ll buy it myself.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about after appealing to me like you wanted me the win.”

“I didn’t mean it that way.”

“That’s fine. It’s a celebration of our friendship. Today, you accompanied me to the movie I wanted to see, so this is my thanks.”

I bought a stuffed animal and handed it to Haruka.

“Thank you, I’ll take good care of it”

Haruka hugged the stuffed animal to her chest as if she cherished it.

“Since we’re here, why don’t we go to a café? We can discuss our impressions of the movie.”

Haruka invited me to join her and we left the movie theater and headed for a nearby cafe. The smell of coffee wafted through the air as we entered the store, and I sniffed involuntarily. Stylish music was playing in the store and there was a relaxing atmosphere.

We sit down at an empty seat and open the menu. I was eating popcorn earlier, so I wasn’t that hungry. I ordered a cafe latte, and Haruka ordered a cake and mocha.

“It made me cry so hard.”

Haruka said as soon as she opened her mouth and let out a deep sigh.

“Shinohara-kun was crying too.”

“It’s fine right. Even men cry when they see movies that make them cry.”

“You’re a bit of a crier, aren’t you?”

Haruka smiled faintly and took a sip of her mocha.

I do think I am quite prone to tears. I’ve gone to the movies with Haruka many times, and it seems like we always ended up crying together.

“I know exactly how Yukine feels.”

“I’ll never forget the look of impatience on her face.”

Yukine is a dead heroine, a character who ultimately disappears wishing for the happiness of the hero and the other heroine.

“She really wanted to make Seiji happy herself, but she couldn’t do it. If she wants Seiji to be happy, she has to entrust Seiji to Anzu …… but that’s impossible, isn’t it? She loves him.”

Haruka understood Yukine’s conflict well.

“Even after death, she was still overflowing with the desire to be with Seiji, and it brought me to tears.”

“Yeah, right? I wonder how Yukine felt when he told her at the end that he was going to walk with Anzu.”

“That must have been a shock. It was essentially a broken heart. But in the end, she prayed for Seiji’s happiness and went to heaven. She was acting tough, you know. She’s a girl after all.”

Haruka bursts into tears as she recalls. Haruka is very sensitive. She cries easily and gets angry often.

“I got so emotionally involved with Yukine that I cried a lot in the middle of the show.”

“I can understand that. I was so emotionally involved with Seiji that I was moved by his struggle to make that decision.”

We all expressed our impressions of the movie in our own way. After we got married, we often had movie review meetings like this. Both of us were sincere about movies, so we felt a connection at all times. Certainly, doing movie review sessions with Haruka like this brings a sense of nostalgia.

“This cake is delicious. You should try some too, Shinohara-kun.”

She then offers me a bite of the cake. I’m not going to be embarrassed by an indirect kiss now, but this closeness is not good.

“I don’t want it.”

“Don’t say that.”

“I said I don’t want it.”

I reject her a little more forcefully. Haruka rolled her eyes in surprise, and then apologetically lowered her eyes.

“I’m sorry. I know you don’t want to, but I was insistent.”

If we had been married, something like this would have led to a fight. But I can no longer start over with Haruka. I know that much for sure.

“I just wanted Shinohara-kun to taste it because it was delicious.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll have it myself.”

I said that and took a bite of the cake with a fork and put it in my mouth.

“It’s delicious.”

“Isn’t it?!”

Haruka’s eyes lit up with happiness.

But something is wrong. If I had behaved the way I did earlier, Haruka would have definitely rebelled.

But she took a step back. She honestly apologized and backed away. If I had known the Haruka I knew up until now, I would have never believed it.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

I was so surprised that I stared at Haruka. I coughed and sipped my latte.

“I’d like to go to the movies with Shinohara-kun from time to time like this.”

“I’ll go out with you as a friend.”

I don’t feel bad about spending movie time with Haruka either. If not as husband and wife, but as friends, I might be able to get along with Haruka.

When I signed the divorce papers, I felt a touch of loneliness. Divorce is not uncommon in this day and age. One out of every three couples gets divorced. But when we first got married, we believed. I believed that our love was eternal and immortal.

But the reality was not so sweet. We had a lot of differences and came to a point where we were beyond repair.

But I also believe that if we continue to work on each other, we will be able to find a way to work on each other. If only we had continued to care for each other. Perhaps we could have had a different future.

But I don’t have the confidence to start over. One failure is such a heavy burden.