173: No Matter the Past or the Future

"Hakuto... where did you go? I can't find you..."

"Turn around..."

Hearing Hakuto's voice on the phone, Ginko immediately stood up from the ground.

Almost instinctively, she turned her head.

Not far behind her, in the midst of the crowd, stood Hakuto, holding his phone and smiling at her.

The busiest street in the city center, where the daily flow of people could be described in astronomical numbers.

Yet Ginko spotted Hakuto in the crowd at a glance...

The moment she saw him, the phone in her hand slipped from her grasp.

In almost a single bound, she rushed to Hakuto and embraced him tightly!

"Where did you go?! Where did you go... I thought I would never see you again..."

Seeing Ginko sobbing in his arms, Hakuto instinctively patted her back.

"Sorry, Ginko... I didn't make it to the title match..."

"It's okay... It's okay... As long as you're still here, that's all that matters..."

The only thing Hakuto couldn't let go of was Ginko. Even when he was taken away, the one he worried about the most was her.

Delaying Otosaka Shunsuke's ability activation was also because Hakuto wanted to say a final farewell to Ginko, even if both of them would lose their memories of this afterward.

"Sorry, Ginko, for making you worry..."

"Where exactly did you go..." Ginko sobbed. "The police couldn't find any trace of you, the school didn't care, and even the media didn't report your disappearance."

"I almost thought... I had imagined you..."

After Hakuto went missing, Ginko had been in a daze, truly believing at one point that he was just a figment of her imagination.

"It's okay... Everything's okay now..."

Seeing how worried Ginko looked, Hakuto felt a sharp pain in his heart. That was also why he supported Otosaka Shunsuke in activating his ability.

It didn't matter to him. He was just a nobody, an orphan, someone few people cared about. But he couldn't let the people who loved him worry.

"It's okay. There's still time... I'll explain everything to you, slowly."

"Alright..."

The two of them wandered around the city center for a long, long time...

During that time, Ginko never let go of Hakuto's hand, as if afraid he would disappear again.

As night fell, Hakuto checked the time. 

Feeling that it was about right, he took Ginko to sit on a flight of stairs, where he began recounting everything that had happened over the past few days.

Normally, Hakuto wouldn't have told Ginko about these things. But considering the time reversal, he felt it no longer mattered.

He couldn't possibly lie to the person he loved in the last few hours they had together.

However, he left out one thing—Otosaka Shunsuke's time reversal.

Not because it was a secret, but because he didn't know how to bring it up. So he simply chose not to, since they would forget everything in the end anyway.

"Hakuto, do you have superpowers?"

"Of course! Right now, even if the entire shogi world joined forces against me, they still wouldn't stand a chance!"

Hakuto said proudly. When he was with Ginko, he even felt that the side effects of his computational ability were reduced.

"Will those people come after you again?"

Ginko didn't care about superpowers or anything like that. She only cared about Hakuto's safety.

"Don't worry..." Hakuto smiled. "This is a society ruled by law. I'll be fine..."

"Really?"

"I wouldn't lie to you... I'll be fine."

Hakuto shook his head. He didn't know if that counted as a white lie.

"By the way, Ginko, you'll always love me, right?"

Hearing Hakuto's words, the tear-streaked face of Ginko suddenly brightened with a smile.

"Are you kidding me? Of course I will..."

"Really?"

"Really..." Ginko wiped her tears. "I will always love you... no matter the past or the future... that will never change..."

Hearing Ginko's answer, Hakuto suddenly felt at ease.

The only thing he feared was that after Otosaka Shunsuke reversed time, he and Ginko would drift apart. 

But now, this promise was enough to give him peace of mind.

Even though such a promise seemed weak and powerless in the face of time reversal, it was precisely because of it that Hakuto felt reassured.

The current time was 11:45 PM.

There were only fifteen minutes left until the time reversal...

Seeing the remaining fifteen minutes, Hakuto didn't want to go anywhere. He just wanted to stay by Ginko's side.

At that moment, a girl holding a microphone suddenly appeared in front of them.

"Hello, I'm with a street interview project. May I ask you a question?"

"Please be quick..."

Hakuto didn't refuse. At this point, he didn't care what he did, as long as he was with Ginko.

Seeing that Hakuto responded, the girl turned to him and asked,

"Have you ever thought about what your life will be like in ten years?"

"Hm?" Hakuto thought for a moment. "Sorry, I don't know..."

"But I hope that the people I love and those who love me can all be happy..."

Hakuto didn't know what would happen in ten years.

Or rather, even if time reversal didn't exist, he wasn't sure if he would even be alive in ten years.

A power this immense could never come without consequences. 

He knew that if he continued using his computational ability, his lifespan would be significantly shortened.

He had even tried using his computational ability to calculate how much time he had left to live.

Though with time reversal in play, the result was meaningless, he still wanted to know.

The answer was brutal. It was the first time Hakuto questioned his ability.

The first time he didn't want to accept the calculation.

But fortunately, there was still a chance. He placed all his hopes on Otosaka Shunsuke...

The girl clearly hadn't expected such an answer. After a long pause, she turned the question to Ginko.

"Go ahead..."

"My question is, are you happy right now?"

Ginko thought for a moment and replied,

"Sorry, my surname is Sora... but I wish it were Shiratori..."

As she spoke, Ginko's gaze remained fixed on Hakuto, never wavering.

That was the last sentence Hakuto heard.

The clock's second hand moved, marking the arrival of midnight…

___

So Ginko wants his surname, that's kinda romantic. (or she's secretly a brocon)

___

Read 20 Advanced Chapters on p@ tr eon (.) com/HalflingFics

Also, please point out my mistakes in the comment, thank you!

Don't forget to leave a review too~ 

Check out the other translations too

___