Episode 59

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

After touring the aquarium, we left. Even after the sea lion show, we looked around at various tanks and had a satisfying day.

I took Haruka to the seaside outside the aquarium.

“How was the aquarium?”

“It was fun. Maybe I was extra impressed because it had been so long since I’d been.”

Haruka’s words brought a smile to my face.

The sun was about to set beyond the horizon. As we watched the sun sink below the horizon, I spoke to Haruka.

“Hey, Haruka. Why didn’t things work out between us?”

“It’s because I wasn’t good enough. But you weren’t either.”

“Yeah, we were both immature.”

Looking back on my marriage with Haruka, we made many mistakes. I think we should have expressed our love for each other more, and we should have been more considerate of each other.

“To be honest, I don’t have confidence. If you asked me if I could start over with you again, I wouldn’t be able to.”

“I understand. I know that’s just the kind of person you are. That’s why I decided to wait.”

“So, even if we might fail again, this time I’ll try harder. Will you give it another shot with me?”

“Eh…?”

Haruka looked stunned.

I took a box out of my pocket and handed it to her.

“Will you date me again with marriage in mind?”

The ring I offered was one I had prepared for this day. As a high school student, I couldn’t afford anything too fancy, but I chose something that would convey my feelings.

Haruka stared blankly for a moment, then covered her mouth with her hand once she had processed my words.

“Are you sure… really sure?”

“Yes, I want to start over with you.”

“This isn’t a dream, is it?”

“It’s not a dream.”

“Then put it on.”

As Haruka said, I slipped the ring onto her ring finger. With this, no other man would ever come near her.

“Are you really serious?”

“I’m really serious.”

“Ryo!”

Haruka threw herself into my arms. I caught her and held her tightly. I hadn’t even held her like this during our marriage.

“But are you really sure? Not Kyoka?”

“Kyoka is a friend. That feeling won’t change.”

“I’m so excited I can’t believe it.”

“If you’re that happy, it was worth confessing.”

“I thought Ryo would take longer to decide.”

“I’m sorry I made you wait. I really need you.”

I think I took a long time to come to a conclusion myself. I want to start my married life over again. Since I’ve already time-leaped, I thought that wouldn’t be so bad.

This time, I want to grow old together with her without failing. I struggled a lot before making this decision. I can’t fail this time. If we’re going to be together this time, I need to be prepared to stay with Haruka until the end. That’s what I thought. But Kyoka took that burden off my shoulders and pushed me forward. I can’t thank Kyoka enough.

“I promise too. This time, I’ll tell Ryo how I feel properly.”

“Me too. I won’t slack off on that.”

“We can start over from scratch again, can’t we?”

“Yeah. This time, let’s build a happy family.”

“Even if Ryo is busy with work, I won’t sulk.”

Hearing that makes me feel at ease. My goal is to become a full-time writer, but I know it’s not realistic. I don’t have the skills yet to debut as a light novel writer, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to catch a break. But this time, I want to choose a job that doesn’t make me a workaholic. On top of that, I’ll aim to become a light novel writer, which is my dream. It would be fun to show each other our novels with Haruka.

“I’ll try harder. I want to take my novel seriously and get results.”

“I should try to become a professional too. I want to write a novel that Ryu will say is good.”

“To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations for Haruka’s novel. Haruka always produces stable work. It’s stable and interesting. So, I just assumed she couldn’t improve any further. But when I read Haruka’s novel the other day, it moved me. I was amazed that Haruka still had so much room to grow.”

“It’s thanks to Ryo. I wrote it with the determination not to lose, wanting to make Ryo eat his words.”

“Haruka’s competitive spirit is the real deal.”

It was a novel that could rival Tachibana’s. I’m still far from reaching that level. I want to catch up to the two of them, so from now on, I’ll write at home as well.

“Ryo, hey, is that okay?”

Haruka asked, looking up at me. I’m not so insensitive that I can’t tell what she’s thinking.

As my answer, I closed my eyes and kissed her lips. It had been years since we’d had that kind of intimate contact. We kissed each other passionately for a long time before finally parting our lips.

“It’s been so long that I got a little excited.”

“Me too. It’s different when you’re with someone you love.”

“Don’t cheat on me next time.”

“I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”

“I’m joking. It was partly my fault too, and I’m not angry. I was just shocked.”

“I’m sorry.”

As long as Haruka loves me, I won’t be unfaithful again. Everyone makes mistakes. What’s important is whether you reflect on those mistakes and learn from them for the future.