【Extra】Meteor
* "Your Hair is Messy" B World Extra
Irie met Kotoko Aihara again three years after they broke up.
In fact, Kotoko was transferred back to Tokyo from Hokkaido half a year ago. Both Haomi and Irie's mother met with her privately, but considering her unpleasant past with Irie, no one told Irie about this.
Dr. Nishigaki, who was always eager to create chaos in the world, teased him: "Irie, your ex-girlfriend, whom you pursued relentlessly but failed, is back." After returning home, Irie told his mother that he could bring Kotoko back on Christmas Eve. Looking at the panic-stricken faces of his family members, his image of being deeply in love with his ex-girlfriend was probably even more deeply rooted in people's hearts.
But Irie doesn't love her.
At present, Irie does not have even the slightest affection for the strange woman named Kotoko Aihara, let alone love.
But Irie could not deny that he was deeply in love with Kotoko Aihara in the past. He did not need anyone else to tell him, his memory would naturally tell him. Even when Kotoko treated him coldly, he still pursued her relentlessly. Even when he knew that she was concerned about someone else, he was still reluctant to let go. He even became mentally ill after she heartlessly dumped him.
The memories of three years ago had become fuzzy in Irie's mind. He only remembered that Aihara Kotoko broke up with him, and then he ran away like crazy, muttering "I want to go back." However, he did not go home. Instead, he wandered frantically at an intersection until he lost consciousness. When he woke up, the clothes he was wearing had turned into his high school uniform. He thought: "I just had a strange dream. I dreamed that I was walking home from high school and saw that I had turned into foam."
Then he could no longer relate to his former self.
For example, when watching a TV series, the audience can see what the actors on the screen do and say, but if the actor’s inner monologue is not added in post-production, the audience will not know what the actor is thinking at that moment.
This is the case with Irie. He can see his past memories, but he has no idea why he did that. The "former Irie" was separated from his body and turned into an existence that he cannot understand.
It was also from this day that Irie no longer loved Kotoko.
The hospital gave Irie a full physical examination and found that he was in very good health, as healthy as a teenager of seventeen or eighteen, but twenty-seven was not old. Irie was good at sports and was a doctor, so it made sense that he could maintain such good health.
As for his confused memory, the doctor could only explain that he had suffered too much stimulation, and in order to protect him, his body chose to let him break away from "Irie, who deeply loves Kotoko". To make an inappropriate analogy, such as split personality, the main personality attributes all the painful memories to the memories of the secondary personality, and then eliminates the secondary personality from the body, and the pain no longer exists.
However, most people, faced with unbearable pain, would simply and rudely choose to erase the memory itself, rather than resorting to the circuitous method of creating a personality and then erasing it like Irie, thus preserving the memory while eliminating the pain. This genius's best-of-both-worlds self-protection method is quite rare.
Irie was completely unconvinced, but he couldn't find a reasonable explanation. His memory was so illogical. To think that Kotoko had appeared in a wedding dress—how could that be? Kotoko had clearly rejected his proposal.
The deeper he dug into the past, the more contradictory fragments of memory he found. One moment, it was Kotoko who was dependent on him: "I just want to be alone with Irie-kun." The next moment, it was Kotoko who was distancing herself from him: "Sorry, Irie-kun, I have an appointment with a friend."
One moment, Kotoko burst into tears: "Why am I the only one who cares so much about Irie-kun? You don't like me at all." The next moment, Kotoko was as cold as ice: "If Irie-kun wants to think this way, I can't help it. It's up to you, Luo."
True and false memory fragments were intertwined into a tangled mess. The most reasonable conclusion that could be drawn was that Irie was stimulated and became mentally disturbed.
Forget it, Irie was too lazy to explore the matter. What happened in the past was meaningless. Anyway, the dark history of "Kotoko Aihara" was deeply engraved in the trajectory of his life. Apart from that, Irie didn't have much objection to his current life.
He seemed to have woken up after a long sleep, and found that he was not pressured by his parents to take over Pandai as he had worried. Irie had found the dream he was willing to fight for his whole life, and had already realized more than half of it. He also got rid of all the unwanted romantic relationships, and has been free and lonely ever since. He didn't know if it was his illusion, but his luck had been ridiculously good recently, and it felt like his wish had come true.
Rujiang has no objection to a life of easy success, but he just finds it boring.
So in his spare time, he couldn't help but think of Kotoko Aihara, the only nemesis in his life.
Irie broke up with Kotoko smoothly. He went out and had a crazy time, and he didn't know where he got a high school uniform from. After returning home nervously, Irie agreed to Kotoko's request to break up. Although he didn't quite understand what was happening, staying away from Kotoko was the only thing he wanted to do at that time.
As he wished, Kotoko soon left Tokyo, and they never met again.
During the first year after Kotoko left, Irie didn't want to think about her. She was like a stain in his life, and it would be better if she disappeared forever.
In the second year after Kotoko left, Irie would dream of her from time to time. The Kotoko in his dreams was as polarized as in his memory, constantly switching between the two extremes of "loving him" and "not loving him".
Irie wondered if the scenes of Kotoko's dependence on him and her bold declarations of love had actually happened, or if his obsession was still playing tricks on him, imagining a Kotoko who deeply loved him. Why, exactly, was he so obsessed with Aihara Kotoko?
In the third year after Kotoko left, Irie forgot many of the memories of "Kotoko loving him". He thought those were false memories and erasing them from his mind was a sign of his gradual recovery. However, his curiosity about Kotoko only grew, so he specially invited her to visit his home in the name of his mother.
Irie wants to find his lost "inner monologue" by seeing Kotoko again.
Compared to three years ago, Kotoko Aihara has not changed much. She is still childish, enthusiastic, noisy and heartless.
Irie used to hate her very much, especially three years ago when his memory just started to become confused. Kotoko Aihara was like a strange woman who appeared out of nowhere and inexplicably had a love-hate relationship with him. He clearly didn't know her and had no chance to know her again, so he was abandoned by her.
Irie has no good feelings towards this ex-girlfriend who is not compatible with him in every aspect, is still thinking about other men, and finally ruthlessly dumped him. After Kotoko left him, she ran to Hokkaido to pursue true love, and made a big fuss about it. But in the end, she became a loser in love just like him. It was like the retribution of justice.
Irie couldn't help but gloat over other people's misfortune.
But when he actually met Kotoko Aihara in person, all those feelings of love and hate suddenly became irrelevant. All Irie could feel from her was a sense of strangeness. Although she had appeared in his memories thousands of times, meeting her face to face in real life was like the first time in his life.
Irie and Kotoko had little to say to each other. After all, they were strangers, and because they had no love or hatred for each other, they were able to remain calm and maintain a superficial harmony. Most of the time, Kotoko had no time to communicate with Irie. Haomei kept pestering her, chattering and laughing non-stop, saying that there might be a rare meteor shower tonight. Everyone except Irie looked very excited.
Kotoko's arrival brought some liveliness to the house. Everyone chatted about all sorts of things, and every topic was discussed enthusiastically. Even Yuki, who had never liked Kotoko, could enjoy bickering with her. The scene was more lively than ever. Irie, who felt out of place in the middle of it, found an excuse to leave and went to the small garden alone.
He prefers a quiet environment to a bustling one, and he also wants to see if there will be a meteor shower outside. He doesn't understand why a mere glowing stone can make a group of people so excited?
Unexpectedly, Qinzi also followed him, with the purpose of bringing him some fruit after dinner.
"Irie-kun, do you have a poor appetite today? I see you haven't eaten much. Is it because being a doctor is exhausting? Work is important, but you also need to rest."
Irie looked at her, unmoved by her concern: "You know I asked Mom to invite you over tonight."
Kotoko shook her head. "Ah, I didn't know that... Irie-kun, thank you for inviting me here."
Irie's eyes were cold, and he ignored her verbal thanks. "Then you should know that something went wrong with my body back then, and my memory became a mess, right? It's been a mess all these years, confusing and annoying, so I asked Mom to call you back, trying to sort out my past memories through contact with you. You are still the same you, but I have forgotten the feeling of loving you. This is the only thing I can confirm today. I don't even understand why I fell in love with you. You are so..."
Irie's voice stopped abruptly. A genius cannot be too straightforward. He did not use any derogatory words to describe Kotoko, but left her enough room for imagination. In that invisible space, words turned into sharp blades, and their lethality could be infinitely magnified.
Unfortunately, it didn't work on Kotoko. Irie couldn't move her with "love", so naturally he couldn't hurt her with "not loving", and she didn't care.
"It's okay, Irie-kun. Just forget about the people you don't love, and there's no need to sort out your messy memories. These aren't things worth worrying about. Please forget them all. They're not important at all."
When Irie heard her nonchalant tone, a nameless anger suddenly rose in his heart.
Kotoko was indeed the same Kotoko as before. The past that he was so concerned about was nothing more than "not important at all" in her eyes. Three years had passed and he had forgotten most of his memories, but in the end he was still the one trapped, and Kotoko was still ruthless.
"Ms. Aihara, what memories do you find most important? Sano Hidekazu? I heard you didn't end up with him, nor did you stay in Hokkaido, where you loved so much. While that's to be expected, you didn't achieve any of your goals before leaving Tokyo. You've accomplished absolutely nothing."
Faced with Irie's aggressiveness, Kotoko couldn't help laughing. She was not used to Irie's polite and distant manner, which always made her feel guilty. She thought that the mean and sarcastic Irie was the most approachable. After the guilt disappeared, she felt much more at ease.
"By Irie-kun's genius standards, I might not be considered successful, but I am very satisfied with my life. I also sincerely thank you for guiding me to find the right direction in life."
When Kotoko first went to Hokkaido, she was indeed going to look for Sano, but moving was too troublesome. She had to find a suitable house to live in, go through the employment procedures, and adapt to the new work and living environment. There were so many things to do that after finishing one thing, the next one would come, as if there was no end.
Kotoko is so busy every day that she has no time to spare. In a strange city where she has no relatives or friends, no one protects her, comforts her, or cooks for her. She has to learn how to cook by herself, learn how to deal with complex interpersonal relationships, and face the malice and endless accidents that the world brings to her.
At first, nothing went smoothly. Kotoko often worked late at night. When she got home, she wanted to call her father, but she was afraid to disturb him. She was also afraid that he would hear her complaining and worry about her from far away in Tokyo. So she could only cry to sleep while holding the phone. She thought that her biggest fear was that her father would end her independence plan, fly from Tokyo to be with her, or demand that she come home.
Kotoko doesn't want to go home. She enjoys the process of her transformation, even though the price is countless sleepless nights. Then she will be reborn in blood and tears.
Until Kotoko's life stabilized, one quiet afternoon, she made herself a sumptuous meal. The sunlight shone in through the window, shining warmly on her. She was extremely happy and suddenly realized that she hadn't thought of Sano for a long time.
Without Irie as a comparison, Kotoko no longer longed for Sano, because in her new world, she found her world so vast that she no longer longed for a warm and cozy small family. Perhaps she rejected Irie's proposal not entirely because the other party was Irie, but because someone like her, who always loved herself the most, was not suitable to stay with anyone else.
That was the first time Kotoko realized that life without Sano was actually not bad.
It turns out that she can live without Sano.
In her new life, Kotoko made new friends and spent her free time trying new things that interested her, such as skiing, hiking, handicrafts, DIY desserts, and camping with friends... In short, her time was entirely her own, and she finally became the ideal, reliable adult she had always wanted.
But Kotoko did not get tired of the old and loved the new. She always kept in touch with her old friends. Everyone was pessimistic about her. After just three words on the phone, they began to suspect that Kotoko had been wronged outside. They asked her if she had found Sano and whether she discovered that Sano was not as good as she imagined. Then they felt sorry for her. She could have married Irie and become Mrs. Irie, who had no worries about food and clothing, but she chose to go to Hokkaido and live a miserable life.
It seemed that everyone believed that Kotoko would regret leaving Irie, just as they had tacitly believed that Kotoko would be ecstatic if she got Irie's heart.
Kotoko did not forget Irie as she did Sano, because Irie played a huge role in her where she is today. It was he who honed Kotoko's mind, taught her the correct way to study, recommended her to be a nurse, and helped her step by step to realize her life ideals.
Kotoko didn't want to be tied to Irie for life. They weren't meant to be lovers or husband and wife. But she wouldn't deny that Irie's appearance had played a crucial role in her life. She was grateful to him and would definitely say thank you if she had the chance to see him again.
Besides, she has no regrets.
Actually, what Irie said was not wrong. Kotoko did not go to find Sano, did not stay with Sano, and did not stay in Hokkaido. She did not achieve any of her goals and ended up back to the starting point. No wonder Irie felt that she had accomplished nothing. Without Irie's halo, Kotoko immediately fell from the "chosen heroine" to an ordinary person who was "indistinguishable from the crowd." But Kotoko did not regret leaving Irie.
Back then, Irie told her that he wanted to study time travel. Kotoko still doesn't know where he longs to travel to. But if Kotoko had the superpower to travel through time and space, she would go back to the time before the "Aihara New House" was built, avoid the evil meteor, and continue to depend on her father. Kotoko would not hurt Irie again and never meet him.
She only regretted meeting him and hurting him, but she didn't regret not loving him.
After listening to Kotoko's confession—which he barely considered a confession, alright—Irie couldn't help but feel mixed emotions: "Why are you always baring your heart and soul, showing off your cruelty to others? Even if you truly feel that way, do you have to say it?"
"Ah..." Kotoko quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Irie-kun. I just feel that I wasted so much of your time because I didn't dare to express myself before. The better solution is to cut the Gordian knot..."
"Forget it." Irie didn't bother to argue with Kotoko. Her words were harsh, but for someone who didn't love her, they didn't cause much harm. "You helped me find my ideal in life, so let's call it even."
Kotoko pointed at herself in confusion, "Me? Help Irie-kun find his purpose in life?"
"Um."
There has always been a certain image in Irie's mind. In his memory, he and Kotoko were lying together, with the warm bedside lamp on with a dim light. It seemed to be a snowy night and the temperature was particularly low, but they snuggled together, immersed in the warm current from body to mind. Then Kotoko told him that she hoped he would become a doctor in the future, use his talents to save many people.
Kotoko was so surprised that she was incoherent. "No, no, no, how is that possible! When I first met Irie-kun, you told me that someone wanted you to become a doctor, so that's why you set your goal to be a doctor. I thought that person was Rika... but it definitely wasn't me!"
"Really?" Irie looked up and saw a few meteors streaking across the sky. He felt calm and replied easily, "It doesn't matter."
He had also guessed that with Kotoko's indifferent attitude towards him, it was unlikely that she would sleep with him and analyze the career that suited him, so that fragment was most likely a false memory that he imagined after his memory became confused.
However, Irie truly felt a rare peace and happiness from his false memories. Looking at Kotoko's sparkling eyes, he vaguely regained the ability to love and be loved that he had lost for many years. Unfortunately, that feeling was fleeting.
Irie can never go back to the time when he loved Kotoko, and the Kotoko who loved him never existed.
Once upon a time, they were destined to become a family living under one roof and together day and night because of a shooting star that fell from the sky, but in the long time to come, they will eventually become strangers in different parts of the world.
Another meteor slid across the sky, and after a brief burst of brilliance, it disappeared.
END
It’s finished, so happy!
The setting of wearing a body is really difficult to realize. I always feel that it is unfair to both parties who travel through time and space. But I am still very determined to use the setting of wearing a body instead of traveling through time and space, because traveling through time and space through time and space will give people a feeling of "waking up and finding that it was just a dream". At the same time, the lessons in the dream will not be so unforgettable. I just want A Irie to know that everything that happened to him was not a dream. Even if his life returns to normal, he cannot ignore the B world. It is a real and tragic history.
As for B Irie, who was caught in the crossfire, I also gave him a little golden finger. For example, he never aged and did not need to study medicine from scratch. The knowledge had already entered his brain. He was also incredibly lucky, which made up for his previous bad luck... and I also copied A Irie's memory for him. B Irie also has two memories of the A world and the B world at the same time. It's just that in order to maintain the order of time and space, the part about traveling through time must be deleted. B Irie, who does not understand the real situation, will never be able to touch the truth of the past, but as B Kotoko said, they should not have met, and those memories are not important at all.
Next, the young couple in world A lived a sweet and loving life, and the enemies in world B went their separate ways. Perhaps one day in the future, they will reap their true happiness. People should look forward and never look back. I wish you and me a bright future.
Thank you to all the readers outside the story for your company along the way. We will meet again if the opportunity arises.
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