【Bonus】Post-traumatic stress disorder
* "Your Hair is Messy" A World Extra
Irie didn't expect that even after three years since he traveled back in time, he would still have to meet Hidekazu Sano.
How should I put it? Let me start from three years ago.
Three years ago, after suffering emotional breakdowns again and again, he finally returned to his own world on the eve of becoming mentally ill. Irie woke up in the hospital, but it was actually a kind-hearted person who found him unconscious at the intersection and sent him to the hospital.
At that time, nearly ten hours had passed since he and Chi Ze had quarreled.
Ikezawa explained emotionally, "I didn't do anything to Irie! I did go talk to him, but in the blink of an eye, he disappeared! I'm sure he had already left the intersection! I really didn't knock him out and leave him there!"
The Irie family believed Ikezawa because Irie had not returned all night without contact, which had alarmed everyone. The Irie family also came to the intersection to search an hour or two ago, but there was no trace of Irie.
Moreover, Irie was not only unconscious, but also changed his clothes when he reappeared. Irie's mother knew that there was no such clothes in Irie's closet, so what he was wearing was not his own clothes. As for what happened in these ten hours, only Irie himself knew.
But Irie denied the claims of being "attacked" or "kidnapped". He insisted that he had been walking on the streets, thinking about life, and bought a new set of clothes during those ten hours.
Chi Ze said: "Your clothes don't look new."
Irie said, "It's normal that you don't understand the old style."
Chi Ze rolled his eyes, thinking that there was something wrong with him.
It wasn't just Ikezawa who thought that Irie had a problem, Irie himself also thought that he had a problem. He underwent a full physical examination to see if the huge mental trauma caused by the time travel had any impact on his body, but the results of the physical examination were better than he had imagined.
Irie is in good health, and his body seems to have returned to the state it was in college. Except for his extra memories, nothing has changed. This makes him wonder, could it be that Kotoko, who doesn't love him, was just a dream?
But the clothes from another time and space that he brought with him when he traveled through time were the best proof that Irie was not dreaming. He really traveled through time and space, but later came back.
If his time travel is considered a bug, then the fact that he did not find the wall of time but still traveled back means that there is a mysterious force repairing the out-of-control time and space, which sent Irie back to his original position, and Irie's body was able to return to youth, can this be considered as compensation after the bug was repaired?
Irie was confused, but he instinctively didn't want to think too deeply. He always felt that exploring the truth was a disguised way of getting closer to the mysterious power that changed time and space. What if he was accidentally transported through time again, would he still be alive?
When he was free, Irie Ai stared at his clothes in a daze. He planned to put them away as a reminder to himself to learn from his mistakes. Although time travel was painful, since there was a happy ending, the previous pain became more meaningful. Irie, who could predict the future, saved himself ten years of detours.
The first thing he did after being discharged from the hospital was to sincerely apologize to President Oizumi and Sahoko. He wanted to cancel his engagement and marry his beloved Kotoko. Then everyone realized that Irie’s ten hours of walking on the street until he was exhausted to the point of unconsciousness were not in vain. He was actually thinking about life!
Irie, who has figured out life, has been completely transformed. He spends all his free time with Kotoko every day. Tutoring is still his basic routine. He follows Kotoko almost wherever she goes. He also uses the little tricks he learned from Yuki, secretly memorizing Kotoko's preferences, preparing gifts for her as little surprises every now and then, reporting to her about the trivialities of life, and listening to her talk about her troubles, which they then face together.
Qinzi was so happy that she was stunned. She wouldn't dare to do this even in her dreams, okay?
Irie's mother was also a little shocked. She had hoped her son would become more intelligent and possess a bit of normal emotional intelligence, but what was the difference between Irie's sudden improvement and simply getting a new son? Was this her son? It was too OOC.
Because she was unsure of Irie's current mental state, Irie's mother did not dare to hide the preparations for the wedding from him. Instead, she told him in advance about her plan to have Irie and Kotoko hold their wedding a week later and to hear his opinion.
Irie's opinion was, "No."
"ah?"
"A week won't work. It's too slow." Irie looked at his mother seriously and said, "Keep it a secret from Kotoko for now. I'll help you. We'll try to get everything done within three days."
"……ah?"
After their marriage, Irie still relied on his foresight to avoid all obstacles. For example, on the first day of their honeymoon, he told Aqiao and Mari, who he had met again, that he and Kotoko only wanted to live in their own world, so they refused any travel companionship. They asked for understanding and thanked him for his cooperation.
After the honeymoon, Irie first took Kotoko to obtain citizenship, then had to suspend his studies for a period of time and return to Pandai to deal with the company's mess. He had accumulated a lot of experience during the time travel, so he could easily write a response plan. In addition, President Oizumi was a reasonable person as he expected. He did not get angry because of Irie's regret for the engagement. Instead, he decided to continue to cooperate with Pandai because of Irie's courage and talent. Pandai's crisis was thus successfully resolved.
When Irie was working in the company, the animation club of Dounan University came to him and asked if he was interested in developing a game based on Kotoko. Of course Irie was interested. He always wanted to do something for Kotoko to make her happier. Although Kotoko was already very happy now, Irie had experienced the feeling of losing and regaining, and he wanted to empty his heart of love to cover up the painful memories of how they had hurt each other and drifted apart.
Developing a new game meant that Irie had to work day and night with the animation club members. He had no time to go home, so he could only call home every day to tell Kotoko that he was preparing a surprise for her and asked her to take good care of herself at home and wait for him to come back.
Kotoko listened to him and sewed an "Irie doll" out of his pajamas. Irie remembered the doll, so Kotoko, who didn't love him, also made one for him and gave it to him as a gift. Kotoko, who loved him, didn't mean to give him a gift. She hugged the "Irie doll" tightly and said happily and contentedly, "When Irie-kun is not around, this doll can keep me company. Seeing it cheers me up!"
Irie looked at her lovingly, and truly felt the happiness, so much so that he wanted to cry: "I will try to spend more time with you in the future, Kotoko, and you don't have to leave again."
"I have never left Irie-kun." Kotoko smiled brightly: "From now on, I will always be by your side."
Not long after the marriage, Kotoko showed symptoms of pregnancy, which made Irie's family excited, but it was finally confirmed to be just a misunderstanding. It was also on that day that Kotoko told Irie that she wanted to be a nurse because she wanted to be Irie's helper and wanted to be with him every day.
When Kotoko spoke of her ideal, she was so nervous that her whole body was tense. She knew that medical work involves life-threatening situations. She was not smart enough and her only advantage was hard work. However, "trying hard" and "being able to do well" are two different things after all. She was so afraid that Irie would reject her.
But Irie just patted her head and was more determined than her: "Kotoko will definitely become a good nurse... I won't let you face it alone."
The subsequent plot is very familiar. Kotoko successfully transferred to the nursing department, met good friends such as Marina, and Chris who fell in love with Kin at first sight. Her life as a transfer student was too easy. Irie took care of all her academic matters. Her daily life was playing with friends, learning cooking from Irie's mother, and bickering with Yuki. Looking back, it was simply the best time of her life.
On the day of Kotoko's graduation ceremony, Irie deliberately turned down the arrangement to go to Nagoya with the professor to attend a medical conference, and ran to give Kotoko flowers, which made everyone in the nursing department envious. Kotoko was so moved that she burst into tears. She reciprocated and prepared a big bouquet of flowers for Irie on the day of his graduation. The flowers were big and bright, covering most of her head. She hid behind the flowers and wished Irie a happy graduation. From Irie's perspective, it was as if the flowers had become spirits, and he couldn't help laughing.
On the eve of Irie's graduation, the unexpected incident of "Rika returning home early" occurred. Irie could easily resolve the crisis by simply explaining to Kotoko at the first time that he only regarded Rika as a sister. He also went back to his hometown with Kotoko to pay homage to Kotoko's mother, and listened to Kotoko's uncle talking about Kotoko's mother's childhood, and they both couldn't stop laughing. Haomei also appeared, and developed an awkward relationship with Yuki, and everything was perfect.
The grand wedding of Irie and Kotoko, as well as the earth-shaking changes in Irie after marriage, made Kotoko, who had always been regarded as a "clown who was overconfident and had a one-sided crush on the genius school hunk", become a legendary figure that shocked Dounan. Kotoko happily accepted the glorious title of "Dounan Legend".
As for those slanderous and insulting remarks that she is not worthy of Irie, Kotoko's attitude is - who cares about you!
Her life is so perfect and impeccable that she has no time to care about other people's sour words. As long as Irie-kun is with her, she is not afraid of anything.
Irie felt relieved that his life had returned to normal, because he knew that no outrageous accidents would happen in the next second. He no longer had to worry about someone showing up and competing with him for Kotoko.
Then he saw Hidekazu Sano in the hospital.
What a sin.
In the time and space before the time travel, it was Irie who sent Kotoko to the hospital. Later, Irie also made special inquiries and learned that Sano had returned to Hokkaido because of his father. He had never appeared from beginning to end and would never appear again. Irie thought that this time Sano Hidekazu had finally disappeared completely.
So you do this to him, are you kidding him?
Irie wasn't questioning his relationship with Kotoko, nor did he think Kotoko would fall in love with Sano at first sight. But he had been suppressed by Sano for too long, and his hatred and fear of Sano were almost ingrained in his DNA. As a result, the sight of Sano's face made Irie feel suffocated.
However, Sano Hidekazu was immersed in the joy of reuniting with old classmates, so he ignored Irie's low mood and walked up to say hello.
Irie later learned that in the time and space before he traveled through time, Sano did not break up with his ambitious girlfriend. His girlfriend came to Tokyo to work hard, but the two of them maintained their long-distance relationship firmly. This time Sano appeared in Tokyo and took a leave to visit his girlfriend. By the way, he took advantage of his girlfriend's work time to visit his good brother "Tall Guy" who had food poisoning.
Originally, the time when "Big Tall Guy" was poisoned by food should have been earlier, but "Big Tall Guy" did not show up. Rujiang thought he had escaped. Unexpectedly, the destined food poisoning would still come no matter how early or late it came.
The food poisoning of the "tall guy" will inevitably bring bad luck to Irie. In the time and space when Kotoko did not love Irie, the hospitalized "tall guy" told Irie the truth about Kotoko standing him up on Christmas Eve. In the time and space when Kotoko loved Irie, the hospitalized "tall guy" directly brought the truth to Hidekazu Sano.
Irie was speechless.
The most speechless thing was yet to come. After saying goodbye to Hidekazu Sano, Irie prayed silently, hoping that he would never meet this B again in the future. The next second, the people in the nursing department gathered around and started talking about it.
"Irie-kun, Irie-kun, who is the handsome guy you were talking to just now?"
"So handsome! He's like Irie-kun's brother."
"You know what, Irie-kun and that handsome guy do have some similarities."
"Right, right! Especially the body shape. At first glance, they're exactly the same!"
Irie: "..."
He couldn't take it anymore. His mind was full of what Kotoko said when they broke up, saying that she mistook him for Sano Hidekazu at the hat-wearing ceremony. His stomach was churning and he was so nauseous that he almost vomited.
Kotoko joined the group chat at this moment. She had just gone to give a patient an injection. As she walked out of the ward, she saw Agan holding a Polaroid photo and dancing in front of Irie-kun. Kotoko grabbed the photo out of curiosity and looked at it. She was immediately surprised and said, "Sano Hidekazu?"
Irie's heart tightened, and he was so frightened that he almost died on the spot: "...How do you know Sano?!"
"I saw him sing at the second-year high school cultural festival," Kotoko said disapprovingly. "Because he's as tall and thin as Irie-kun, and when the light was against me and I couldn't see his face clearly, I thought it was Irie-kun himself."
Irie passed away.
No, he was just one step away from death and Irie fainted.
He worked during the day and helped Kotoko with her lessons at night. Not only was he overworked, but he also had to endure tremendous stimulation, so he fainted. After waking up, Irie fell into an emo state for a long time.
He only remembered that Kotoko fell in love with Sano after he was rescued by her hero, but he forgot about the cultural festival in his second year of high school. Why did he feel that even after traveling back in time, his nightmare was still not over? Would Kotoko secretly think of Sano again when she looked at him?
A chill ran down my spine.
Kotoko was confused and felt guilty. She thought she was too stupid and always made Irie worry about her and spend time playing with her, which made Irie-kun so tired. She decided to be more determined and make progress on her own without relying on Irie-kun as much as possible.
Kotoko supervised Irie to rest every day, made him nourishing food in various ways, and reported to him on his learning progress, but Irie was still depressed and did not seem to be getting better at all.
Kotoko sensed something was wrong, and after much persuasion, Irie finally told her what was really on his mind.
"I just realized how stupid I was before."
Kotoko's eyes widened. "How can Irie-kun be stupid? You're a genius."
Irie smiled bitterly. "It's probably because I'm a genius that I'm so self-righteous, believing you can never forget me. But in fact, there's someone like Sano right beside me. He can replicate most of the qualities that people praise about me. He's also gentle, loves to laugh, is easy to get along with, and is willing to consider others. He's also someone who makes you notice him right away. If Kotoko hadn't met me first, maybe... So I guess I'm not irreplaceable."
Kotoko didn't seem to understand what he meant. She had a distressed look on her face. "But if I hadn't mistaken the person singing on the stage for Irie-kun at that moment, I wouldn't have noticed Sano at all. If I hadn't met Irie-kun and fallen in love with him, then those people who are even slightly similar to you would have no meaning or presence in my life."
"There are many handsome, smart, and lovable people in the world, but Irie-kun is Irie-kun. Irie-kun will smile at me, treat me gently, and consider me in everything. In my heart, Irie-kun is the most irreplaceable."
Irie stared at Kotoko in a daze, and suddenly thought of himself before he traveled through time.
What an awkward person he used to be, hiding all his love and worries in his heart, not wanting others to see his true feelings, so he made his own decisions on everything, not needing other people's opinions, not caring about other people's views. But in fact, the genius Rujiang is not omnipotent. He will make mistakes, cannot see his own heart clearly, and because of his willful behavior, more innocent people will be hurt.
If it were Irie before the time travel, the "Sano Hidekazu" incident would have definitely become a huge deal. He was bothered by Kotoko's attention to other men, but he didn't want to tell her directly, so he would find ways to get angry with her. He knew Kotoko cared about him, and his neglect would make her sad. Although Irie would not experience happiness from it, he could not control himself. He needed to use any means to prove that Kotoko still loved him, even if it meant Kotoko suffering.
But now it's different. Kotoko, who didn't love him, almost cut him into pieces, but she also brought him back from the dead, and he became a new Irie. He no longer has difficulty speaking about love and jealousy. The problems that were once unsolvable are now just minor frictions that can be solved with a few words.
The happiness that Irie pursued was so simple. If he wanted something, he would ask for it. Anyway, Kotoko was never stingy and was willing to give him everything.
Why use other means to prove it? Irie Naoki has always been the one being loved.
----------
Irie's personal idea was that he planned to go to Kobe Hospital again, because he had also been to Kobe when he traveled through time, and knew that it was more professional than Dounan and there were more things worth learning, but he only stayed there for a year, and was tortured to the point of mental confusion by the bad relationship at that time, so he was quite eager for a second opportunity for further training, and he felt that he could do better.
But this time, Kotoko's feelings were paramount. They needed to be a couple who stood together, not just each with their own ideas and unwilling to compromise. If possible, Irie hoped to balance his career and family, ideally taking Kotoko with him. He was confident he could take good care of her, and he didn't want to be separated from her. If Kotoko missed home, he would take time off to accompany her back to Tokyo, saving her the stress of changing trains and getting on the wrong bus.
The young couple discussed in the room for most of the night, and finally Kotoko said that she supported Irie's decision, but she wanted to stay in Tokyo.
The last time Irie fainted, she was really scared. No matter how stupid Kotoko was, she knew that Irie must be busy and hard-working this time in Kobe. She couldn't bear to let Irie be exhausted and faint from taking care of her again.
Besides, Irie has been teaching her carefully for so long. What he taught her was not scattered knowledge points, but a whole learning system. He led Kotoko to find a learning method that suits her, taught her to understand and memorize, find the key points, teach her logical thinking, and the ability to draw inferences from one example. Kotoko couldn't wait to show him the results.
So she wants to take the opportunity of Irie going to Kobe to try to study independently. She wants to rely on her own strength and become the pride of Irie in the near future.
Of course, Kotoko doesn't want to be separated from Irie, whom she loves deeply, but the love Irie gives her in return also brings her an unprecedented sense of security, so she is not afraid of a short separation. Anyway, Irie loves her and will wait for her, and they will always be together in the end.
On the day Irie left, Kotoko went to see him off. The two of them walked on the wet streets where the rain had not yet dried. The air was damp and cold, there was no sun in the sky, and the scenery in front of them became gray. It was a standard sad scene of parting, but the two people who were about to separate were not sad.
Kotoko said to Irie, "Don't worry, Irie-kun. I will definitely work hard. I will work hard during the day and study hard at night. I will also try my best to call you! After I pass the exam, I will go to Kobe to find you immediately!"
Irie said to Kotoko, "Don't put so much pressure on yourself. If you have any difficulties, remember to tell me. Kobe is so far away, there's no need for you to travel back and forth. I might be back soon."
They parted at the last crosswalk. Irie walked forward, and Kotoko watched him go away from behind. As if sensing Kotoko's reluctant look, Irie turned around and saw her wiping her tears.
"Come on, Irie-kun!" Kotoko shouted at him, her tears making her smile look a little aggrieved and embarrassed.
Irie smiled barely perceptibly and said, "I love you, Kotoko."
Before Kotoko could come to her senses, he turned around and continued walking, only hearing the loud response from the person behind him.
"Irie-kun, I love you too!"
I know, Irie thought proudly.
You love me as much as I love you.
But now, I can not only ask for love, but also give love, and let you feel the same love as me. I hope that from now on, we can be as happy as each other.
The love comics of the chosen ones will never be broken. After a long period of ups and downs and separations, and after continuous trial and error and growth, the successfully evolved Irie returns to the starting point of the story. In that autumn when everything is still in time, Kotoko, whom he loves, is still waiting for him there, the god of love still favors him, and his trauma will eventually be healed by love.
The lead-gray clouds were leaking strands of golden light through the gaps, and the sun was about to come out.
END
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