Chapter 11: The True Epilogue

The True Epilogue
Calling it our dream life together sounds nice.
In reality, it was mostly one headache after another.
Dividing up the housework was especially difficult.
Cleaning was the worst.
Hiroki was hopeless at tidying up.
When he got absorbed in something he wanted to do, he went all in, which meant he often left paint and art supplies scattered around the room exactly where he had used them.
No matter how many times we told him not to bring paint into the shared spaces, he still kept doing it.
Then again, I wasn’t really in a position to lecture him.
I had a habit of leaving research notes and writing materials scattered around too.
What really got on my nerves was being called out by myself.
For some reason, that was incredibly irritating.
Of course, I was just as quick to point out when she left things lying around.
Funny how easy it was to notice someone else’s mess when you couldn’t even deal with your own.
Even when that “someone else” had originally been you.
Lately, small differences had started appearing between us little by little.
Which actually made talking to her pretty interesting.
Since she had originally been me, we naturally got along.
But when thoughts that could have been mine were actually spoken back to me by another person, it made a different side of me suddenly pop out.
It was strangely entertaining.
A little like how it felt when I was writing a novel.
Not exactly the same as talking to yourself, though...
What would you even call it?
I write novels, and I still have no idea.
In the end, both of us changed our names and had our family registrations updated.
Having the same name was too inconvenient in everyday life.
And if only one of us changed hers, it felt like that might leave some resentment behind.
So we both changed them.
While coming up with new names, there were several times when we suggested the exact same one at the exact same moment.
That had become a pretty good memory.
As for Mom, everything was arranged so that she remembered raising twins.
They even rewrote all of her memories.
The organization in charge of world lines really did have terrifying power.
Hiroki had already resigned, so it had nothing to do with him anymore.
They let us keep our memories.
Apparently, since we had a record of saving the world, they couldn’t exactly treat us carelessly.
I was genuinely glad about that.
“All right. We’re heading out.”
The three of us left for university together.
Hiroki was attending an art university, so we separated partway there.
The two of us went to the same university.
Since we looked exactly alike, everyone simply treated us like twins.
Locking the door had somehow become my job.
All three of us had keys.
It had just naturally ended up that way.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say that everything will be fine no matter what happens from now on.
But at least tomorrow exists.
The world will keep moving properly whether I have anything to do with it or not.
Even when things happen that I hate, I think the three of us will keep doing our best—
bowing our heads to one another when we need to,
and moving forward together.
I’m certain of that.