The Last Magic Chapter epilogue

# Epilogue

I had been watching Sakurako through videos all this time.

I liked the videos of her casting beautiful magic, but I also loved the videos of her long training sessions for magic.

Maybe "loved" isn't quite the right word. It was more like... something that made my chest tighten with pain, yet I couldn't look away—I felt something like an obsession with it.

(This is something I must watch), I would think.

Whenever I watched the training videos, I would always end up crying.

But every time a new video was uploaded, I would watch it with intense focus.

It felt like a duty imposed on me by someone.

When I heard that a book featuring interviews with Sakurako was going to be published, I made up my mind to definitely buy it.

I had been looking forward to it so much that on Saturday, the release day, at 10 AM when the bookstore opened, I went in and was the first to buy a copy from the stack.

After finishing my other shopping, I quickly made lunch, clattered through the dishes, and finally had time to read the book. Rio was at the park with Kazuma-kun, who had thoughtfully taken her there.

It was a non-fiction book titled "Modern Sorcerer" featuring interviews with Sakurako.

My heart was pounding wondering what the content would be like. I even had some hope that maybe I would be mentioned in it too. We had been close friends from elementary through middle school, so maybe she had said something about me, even just a little.

──

"Mama, why are you crying?"

Little Rio, who had returned home at some point, was looking at me with concern.

Kazuma-kun seemed flustered, not knowing what to do.

Of course he would be. When they came home, his wife was crying like a waterfall with the book open to the last page.

I don't understand. I don't understand why I'm crying. It was a good book, but it wasn't something that should have made me cry.

Why did Sakurako bother to write such a thing at the end of the book?

It's true that we had grown distant, but it wasn't something that needed to be written about in a book.

But I wanted to see her too. I had really wanted to see her all along.

Why is that? We had been exchanging messages through email and LINE, and we would see each other face to face sometimes, yet it felt like we hadn't met in over ten years.

"Sorry! I'm going to see Sakurako!"

I hastily got ready and rushed out of the house without waiting for Kazuma-kun's response.

After jumping on the train, I suddenly calmed down and thought that someone who actually goes to meet someone just because they wrote "I want to see you" in a book is probably questionable. Sakurako is a celebrity, and she might not even be home. The address I had was from quite a while ago, so she might have moved.

In the first place, I think the proper etiquette would be to call or email before going, but for some reason I didn't want to do that.

Right now, I just wanted to see Sakurako, even if just for a moment.

A station a little away from the city center. Sakurako's house was near there.

A large, single-story, Japanese-style house. The nameplate read "Nagumo."

When I pressed the intercom, the gate opened and someone came out.

It wasn't Sakurako, but a lovely woman about the same age.

"Please go inside and head to the entrance. I'll be stepping out for a bit."

She had a tearful smile on her face and left for somewhere.

Following her instructions, I entered and walked along the short path leading to the entrance.

It was like the temple gardens I had seen in Kyoto during our school trip, creating a strangely calming space.

The door opened almost exactly as I reached the entrance.

Sakurako was there. For some reason, her face reminded me of when we first met.

"It's been a long time, Sakurako!"

I made an effort to speak in a bright voice.

Sakurako's refined face crumpled.

No, maybe it was my vision that crumpled.

"I wanted to see you, for so long..."

I couldn't tell whose words those were.

Just like when Sakurako had first succeeded at magic,

we simply held each other tight.