Chapter Text
01
"I have passed the ballet company's audition and will be going to France soon."
Kyoko Sasagawa, who had recently returned to Namimori, sat side by side with Tsunayoshi Sawada by the river, and said this. Tsunayoshi hadn't seen her for a month, and naturally, he had heard from Ryohei Sasagawa that she was preparing for her exams.
At this moment, Kyoko Sasagawa's eyes sparkled, her joy overflowing. Sawada Tsunayoshi remembered their elementary school essays; she had written in third grade that her dream was to perform Swan Lake on the stage of the Paris Opera. Now, she had stepped into the door of her dream.
"Congratulations." Sawada Tsunayoshi was still very happy for her; the image of her dressed as a white swan briefly eased the sorrow of parting. Sasagawa Kyoko stood up, opened her arms to the evening breeze, and ran a few steps to him, turning back with a smile.
“That’s wonderful! My lifelong dream has finally come true. Next, I want to become the principal dancer of the company and stand on the stage of the Paris Opera as the Swan Princess.”
In Sawada Tsunayoshi's memory, the gentle Sasagawa Kyoko rarely showed such excitement. The way she spread her arms outstretched her arms was like a young swan spreading its wings in his eyes. She was about to fly to another continent, a journey that seemed to have no connection to them.
"When that time comes, I'll invite Tsuna-kun to sit in the VIP seats and watch my performance!" Sasagawa Kyoko put her hands behind her back and gave Sawada Tsunayoshi a cute smile. He had just felt his heart flutter, and she added, counting on her fingers:
"Oh, and we also need to invite Haru, Bianchi, Reborn, Gokudera, and Yamamoto..."
"That's true..." He thought he would be the only one, but after hearing everyone's names, he gave a wry smile and his shoulders slumped slightly.
"I'm going to France at the end of next month, so I'm sorry I won't be able to go to Namimori High School with everyone."
"No, although you'll be lonely without Kyoko, everyone will support you in pursuing your dreams."
That's what he said, but in Sawada Tsunayoshi's heart, the painful sense of loss was impossible to fill. He had always secretly loved the girl in front of him, and every time he confessed, it was taken as a joke. He originally thought that they would have time to spend together again, that he would have time to let her know his feelings, but he never expected that separation would come so suddenly.
France... that's a place that sounds incredibly far away. If Kyoko Sasagawa were to leave like this, they might slowly lose contact, and from then on, they would become people from two different worlds, and this relationship would become an unfinished, bittersweet memory... But Tsunayoshi Sawada didn't want that, in fact, he would rather die than have that happen.
“Um, that…” Sawada Tsunayoshi stood up from the grass as he looked at Sasagawa Kyoko, who was bathing in the sunset by the river.
He had asked her to meet him at the riverbank today to confess his feelings. Unlike before, this time Sawada Tsunayoshi was fully prepared and decided to convey his feelings to Sasagawa Kyoko through his own power, without relying on the Dying Will Bullet.
"Um... Kyoko, actually... there's something I wanted to tell you when I asked you out this time."
If he doesn't tell her now, Kyoko might never know how he feels! Even if she rejects him, he still wants to... he still wants to convey his feelings to her!
"Hmm?" Kyoko Sasagawa looked at him intently, her gaze inexplicably boosting Tsunayoshi Sawada's confidence. That surge of energy made him clench his fists, and before his burning courage cooled, he closed his eyes.
"Actually, I've always..."
"Ju——dai——me!"
Just then, for some unknown reason, Gokudera Hayato, who was passing by, saw his beloved Sawada Tsunayoshi and ran out while shouting.
"Tenth Generation, you haven't come home yet! You've been working hard lately! Mr. Reborn asked me to tutor you in Italian, and I wanted to confirm the schedule with you again soon..."
Before Sawada Tsunayoshi could even react to what was happening, Gokudera Hayato's enthusiastic barrage of greetings completely ruined the atmosphere. But seeing the two staring intently at him, Gokudera Hayato at least realized that he had appeared in a place he shouldn't have.
"I'm...I'm sorry...Did I disturb you?"
“……”
"...Then, Judaime, I'll be going now! Sorry! See you tomorrow morning!" Feeling the pressure from the two men's gazes, Gokudera Hayato made a very wise choice. He immediately jumped on his bicycle and sped away from this place where he shouldn't be.
But even if he leaves, the things he destroyed will never come back. For example, the courage that Sawada Tsunayoshi had finally mustered was now completely extinguished, leaving only two lines of sorrowful tears in his heart.
"Tsuna-kun." Sasagawa Kyoko's sudden call startled Sawada Tsunayoshi. He turned his head stiffly, but didn't even have the courage to look at her face. His gaze fell to the ground, staring at a small blade of grass at Kyoko's feet.
"Didn't you say you had something to tell me?"
"Eh!? I... I was just about to say... I li... uh... oh..."
However, no matter how hard Sawada Tsunayoshi tried, the word "I like you" just wouldn't come out. After struggling with his inner thoughts, he was defeated and scratched his head, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere.
"Ah... hahaha... just like what Gokudera-kun said, I might start learning Italian soon... um, I heard Italian is very similar to French..."
Muttering nonsense and forcing a dry laugh, Sawada Tsunayoshi's heart was overflowing with tears. This chance to confess had been wasted so easily; he might never have another opportunity to confess to her like this! His inner voice churned wildly, but he knew perfectly well that unless Reborn suddenly unleashed a Dying Will Bullet on him from behind, he would never be able to utter a word today.
"I see." Kyoko Sasagawa sighed. "Well then, I have something to say to Tsuna-kun."
"Mmm...mmm! I'll listen carefully."
Sawada Tsunayoshi forced himself to focus intently on the girl before him, then watched as Sasagawa Kyoko raised her hand, cupping it to her mouth like a megaphone:
"Sawada Tsunayoshi, I like you! Can we go out together?"
"Huh?"
Sawada Tsunayoshi had kept these words bottled up in his heart for almost three years, and the girl said them so easily. In the setting sun, he couldn't see if Sasagawa Kyoko's face was red, but when he finally digested the meaning of those words, he felt his own face burning hot.
"Eh, eh?! Eh————?!" When Sawada Tsunayoshi received a confession from his favorite girl, he let out an incredulous scream, so excited he didn't know what to do with his hands and feet. Seeing Sawada Tsunayoshi's face instantly turn as red as a tomato, and his flailing arms and legs, Sasagawa Kyoko couldn't help but give him a mischievous smile. Seeing such an adorable Sawada Tsunayoshi, she couldn't resist teasing him.
"Does that mean Tsuna-kun doesn't like me?" She put on a slightly disappointed expression, somewhat as if in revenge for his failed confession. "Maybe I misunderstood..."
"No! No, no, no, no, no!" Sawada Tsunayoshi reacted even more strongly, waving his hands in denial. "How could I not like Kyoko! I've always liked Kyoko..."
In his panic, the confession he had kept hidden for so long finally burst out of his throat. When he realized that he had actually said it, Sawada Tsunayoshi actually calmed down.
“…Yes, I have always…” Kyoko Sasagawa watched as a glint flashed in his beautiful brown eyes, whether from sunlight or tears, she couldn’t tell. His expression became very serious, with a hint of…grievance?
"I've always...liked you, ever since first year...not long after I started school..." The love that had been dormant in his heart for so many years finally blossomed and received a response. Sawada Tsunayoshi felt an urge to cry. But feeling ashamed, he tried his best to suppress it.
Kyoko Sasagawa regretted teasing him earlier. She quickly stepped forward, intending to take his hand, but out of shyness, she only grabbed his sleeve.
"I also really like Tsuna-kun. It's kind of selfish of me to confess even though I'm leaving Japan in a month. But I still hope we can stay connected... I'm sorry. If we start dating, it'll be a long-distance relationship, and we'll only be able to communicate by phone and email. Is that okay?"
“Of course…” Sawada Tsunayoshi had already considered these difficulties when he made up his mind to confess. But even so, he still thought the same as Sasagawa Kyoko. “No matter what, I don’t want to be separated from Kyoko. We… we can keep in touch often even if we’re in two different countries!”
"Of course, we're already dating!"
Upon hearing the word "dating," Sawada Tsunayoshi was caught off guard and fell into a blissful state, unable to resist a smile playing on his lips. Fortunately, he quickly realized his mistake and didn't want to appear too silly.
"I really want to see Kyoko play the Swan Princess at the Paris Opera."
"Yes! I'll definitely make sure you get the best view!"
Under the setting sun, the girl, holding the boy's sleeve, made this promise. Thirty-two days before Sasagawa Kyoko left Japan, the story of their love slowly unfolded.