To My Beloved, Touko Yukimura:

Congratulations on your wedding!

It’s been a long journey, but you finally made it. From here on out is where your true work begins!

But really, it can not be understated how much you have grown over the years. You definitely would not be the person you are now if it weren’t for all the amazing experiences you had along the way.

When you first transferred to Shionagi, I’m sure you didn’t think much of it. It was just another city, another one of those countless towns you drifted in and out of. Surely, this one would be no different.

And so you continued living like you always had, drifting through life and keeping your distance from everyone else.

And that’s when the unexpected happened.

Another transfer student joined the school shortly after you did. I’m sure you thought nothing of it, that there was no way that you would even cross paths with that student.

So you continued as ever, as you spent your days after school in the abandoned building.

I’m sure June 3rd will be forever a day that will forever engraved in your mind. I mean, that is the day you met him for the first time. And little did you ever know, that meeting would drastically change you forever.

Just who was this persistent transfer student who had this random love for architecture? Whatever, not like a little teasing would hurt, right? Oh boy, you were in for a treat.

That transfer student just didn’t want to go away. Even after that first day, he would sometimes go out of his way to talk to you. I’m sure you were as shocked as anyone else. I mean, someone was willing to make the effort talk to you despite the distance you put between yourself and others.

Before you knew it, the little world you had built for yourself was all but destroyed.

When that transfer student roped you into that camping excursion, that sealed your fate.

Seemingly every day afterwards the transfer student, Ryousuke, would continue to pester you. Slowly, but surely, you would develop feelings for him. But you convinced yourself these feelings were just a passing fancy. Besides, there’s no way Ryousuke could ever like you back, right?

And that’s why his confession took you aback. You didn’t prepare yourself for it and you didn’t know how to respond. You rejected him at first, knowing full well how you felt about him, but he kept on persisting. I ,and Ryousuke, was able to sense that something was amiss with you, that you weren’t speaking from the heart.

And so, you reluctantly gave way and started tentatively dating Ryousuke. You convinced yourself that this relationship will come to an end someday, that you would have to transfer schools yet again. It hurt, but you couldn’t lie to yourself anymore.

As the summer went on, you started to open up little by little. You even helped Ryousuke with his work for the Tanabata Festival. Maybe this isn’t so bad, you thought to yourself. That shell you allowed to be wrapped around yourself was slowly falling apart.

But you started to look around you and realized that everyone around had something to aspire towards, a dream that encapsulated their whole being. Even Ryousuke’s random love for architecture ended up fueling his passions. Since you spent so many years cowering away, you never had the time to truly discover yourself. Maybe you aren’t worth a damn after all.

Even if you tried to open yourself up to others, what’s the point? There’s no way they’d find you interesting. And so you started to doubt yourself again. And your parents told you they’re moving yet again. You’ll have to wrap yourself back in your shell, but this time you’ll have to leave Ryousuke too, which makes the pain of leaving that much worse.

However, Touko Yukimura, you forgot one thing.

You tangled yourself so far into your shell that your point of view became all obscured.

You lost sight of who you actually were.

But I, and Ryousuke, saw right through your facade. Ryousuke opened your eyes to your own intrinsic value, something you forgot over the years.

You are that quirky, spunky, mischievous girl who loves to tease others. You brighten the room by just being there. You may be a bit distant, but you are by no means empty.

Whether you realize it or not, your quiet confidence rubs off onto others.

You have value.

You are important.

And you were too blind to realize that yourself.

Just as you rely on others, others rely on you.

And just as you see Ryousuke as your special beacon of light, so does he.

You’re worth more than you think and never forget that.

And so you came to that ever-so important realization, which led you to a crossroads. You could either follow your parents to that next town, continuing your life as husk. Or you could find some way to stay in Shionagi.

Spending those summer days with Marika, Natuski, Misa, Rikka, Sora, Shuuichi, and importantly Ryosuke opened your eyes. There’s no way you would trade those precious moments for anything lesser.

And so you managed to convince your parents to let you stay with your grandparents in Shionagi in order to live your life to the fullest, in order to be that shining beacon for the others around you.

You had found a new world awaiting you outside of your shell. You didn’t have to trap yourself behind that facade of yours and shackle yourself to that cruel fate of loneliness. The only thing holding you back was your mentality and it took the strength of one persistent boy to break you free from your self-imposed curse.

And so, the years passed and you continued to blossom as you grew older.

You watched Ryousuke as he grew into a stellar fine gentleman. You would see him work hard every day, steadfast in his studies. His work ethic was contagious, but you still had no idea what you wanted to do.

Spending your days working at the local cafe while attending college, you decided on this lifestyle so you could support him any way possible. He helped you uncover your true self all those years ago, and you wanted to repay the favour, no matter how trivial it seemed.

He opened your eyes all those years ago, so now was your chance to open his path towards a shining and successful future.

But as time went on, you realized that you were still lacking something. Ryousuke gave you the opportunity to discover your true self, to find your passion. And yet, you still found yourself drifting to a certain extent.

Beside you, Ryousuke was working towards his dream of being an architect, and here you were still without any proper desires. He really did make everything seem so easy.

And that’s when it hit you.

Even though Ryousuke looked like he was doing fine, he still needed you by your side. You were his saviour as much as he was your saviour.

And so, you decided to become an interior designer so you could support him every step of the way in his journey to become an architect.

You had finally discovered your dream:

To always be there for the one you love.

No matter the trials, no matter the tribulations, you will support Ryousuke in the best of times and the worst of times.

So when you passed your Interior Design exam, you could feel a wave of relief pass through you. You were one step closer to reaching your dream.

And when you showed you up at Azuma’s office to surprise Ryousuke, the look on his face was priceless. Together, the two of you were ready to take on the challenge of life. Ryousuke gave you a second chance and you used that opportunity to live life to the fullest with the person you love.

And soon enough, your wedding day came.

All the emotions, all the heartache, all the pain, in the end, it was finally worth it.

As I said when I first started, your new life is only just starting. Your new journey awaits, the possibilities in front of you are infinite. Take things one step at a time and always cherish these happy memories with the people you love.

And remember Touko, you will always be loved.