Adachi and Shimamura Vol. 6

If everyone around us cast dirty looks at us, would I have the courage
to keep holding her hand? If I truly loved her, I could endure it, right?

Romantic relationships were normally guy-girl pairs. But I wasn’t
trying to have babies at this age, so did my partner really need to be male?
Surely there was more to love than that. Human connections were not simple
checklists.

Looking back, I could finally admit it: I loved Gon. But I didn’t decide
to feel that way because I stood to profit from it—I just loved him. His fur,
his personality, every little thing about him. Love was something that struck
without warning, with no time for planning or bargaining in between. That
was probably how it worked for Adachi too. And I wanted to respect that.

If I agreed to date her, we’d probably hold hands and go on dates…
Wait, but is that any different from what we already do?

“…No…”

When I realized just how little would functionally change between us,
it came as such a relief. It felt like I could really see the bigger picture.

“I guess it’d be pretty weird, huh?” Adachi murmured, trying to gauge
my reaction. She looked up at me like a scolded puppy, her braid swaying.
All in all, it was very cute.

“Yep.”

“…So you’re not comfortable with it, or…?”

I wasn’t sure how to respond. What exactly was the “it” in this
equation? Society’s view of us, or…?

“Nah.”

Her face fell so quickly, she seemed to almost shut down. After Orange
Adachi came Blue Adachi. Very pretty, of course, but not how I wanted this
to end.

“I’m saying I’ll be fine,” I clarified, realizing she had misinterpreted
my response.

I was tired of overthinking this, so instead I touched her. Looked at her.

My heart went out to her. There was no part of her I couldn’t find
comfort in.

138 Goldenagato | mp4directs.com

As her sorrow melted away, I looked up at the night sky. The darkness
had permeated all the world’s nooks and crannies, and no amount of
fireworks would help us illuminate the other side. What awaited us there?
Only time would tell. Tomorrow, I’d have to think about all sorts of mind-
numbingly complicated things, but for tonight…

“Sure, why not?”

BOOM! A firework exploded over us, drowning out my answer.

And so I decided to try out a relationship with Adachi.

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Afterword

I HAD A DREAM that every word I wrote had a typo in it. Alas, my brain

doesn’t have spell check.

Hello, Hitoma Iruma here. As I’m writing this, it’s currently
wintertime, and it’s getting pretty cold. I don’t know what season this book
will be published in, but if it’s not winter for you, then lucky you! I actually
don’t mind the cold that much, comparatively speaking, but it’s hard to type
when my fingers go numb. Nothing I can really do about it. Kinda feels like
that White Album stand fight in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.

Anyway! Adachi and Shimamura has now made it to six volumes! I
haven’t planned how much more I’ll write, but rest assured that this isn’t the
final book. I hope you’ll look forward to the next one.

Also, on an unrelated note: Will any of my readers recognize where I
got Hino’s and Nagafuji’s first names from? I lifted a few other names from
that game too. But of course, this story is nothing like that one…

I’d like to thank my former managing editor during Adachi and
Shimamura’s publication in Dengeki Bunko Magazine—a truly genuine man
with a longer intro section than any of the authors. I’d also like to thank my
mother and father, the latter of whom has transformed into a very doting
grandfather. Also, a big thank you to Non-san and my current editor… So,
yeah, thanks, everybody.

—Hitoma Iruma

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