"Well then... Last attempt as the main heroine, shall I do it~?"
"Kato...?"
And then, as we reached out to the top of the slope...
"Err, just for now, is it okay to turn off the IC recorder?"
"Eh, why—"
Katou, after giving me such a weird instruction, overtook me by walking a bit faster...
And then, close to the top of the hill, she looked down gently at me.
...No, actually, I couldn't really see that expression of hers concealed by the night.
"Hey, Aki-kun... Nope, Tomoya-kun."
Even so, her voice at that moment, those words...
That expression of Kato made me remember.
"Do you remember...? It has been exactly a year since then, you know?"
"Kato..."
Of course, I remember that.
Even that time, I was struggling, having a hard time of thinking about the plot.
"Have I, compared to that time, been able to become closer to the heroine of your story, I wonder?"
At that time, Katou should have been staying in Hokkaido.
Even so, she looked after me who was in a pinch, prioritized me over her family, and encouraged me.
"Have I been able to become your strength, I wonder?"
She has become a tremendous strength for me.
"And then, do you remember...? Since then, it has been around a month, you know?"
"Eh, wait... Hey..."
Well... Even if I want to forget, I still couldn't forget it.
After all, the me of that time was shouting out loud like a dog while standing in front of Kato.
"There are no Eriri* or Utaha-senpai* here for me anymore..."
But, Kato is...
"Even so, would I still be able to cheer you up, I wonder?"
Her unchanging gentle voice is reaching out to me who is covered in shyness.
"Could I stay as someone important for you and for the circle, I wonder?"
She is still the heroine of my dreams.
"Katou, I**..."
The truth is, the truth is...
Today's Kato is, somehow, surprisingly, feels like a box.
Flat, nice to hang out with, doesn't feel like an opposite sex, sharp-tongued, dark, nostalgic, sweet, frail, unfair, annoying...
"As long as there is a will, there will somehow be a way or something like that; I have that kind of feeling."
And also, this reliable.
"That's why, from now on... please take care of me, alright? Let's work hard together, okay?***"
Even so, it was a good thing the IC recorder was turned off.
After all, I don't really want to hear a conversation this embarrassing again.
"Let's work hard together, Tomoya-kun."
"Yeah..."
"With the two of us, with everyone... This time, the ultimate game, let's create it, okay?"
"Yeah...!"
Even so...
Why did I turn off the IC recorder... I am an idiot.