The Morning Glow Burns with Youth

Epilogue: The Morning Glow in Orange

1955, Morning.

In the small kitchen of the apartment, a faint metallic rattling echoed, and pure white steam rose into the air.

It was the "electric rice cooker" that Seiichi and his colleagues had poured their passion into, overcoming countless failures.

From the gaps of the wooden lid, the sweet, fragrant aroma of freshly cooked rice drifted softly throughout the room.

With just the flip of a switch, without freezing her hands in cold water, fluffy, warm rice was cooked to perfection.

Standing in the kitchen, Yumi’s hands were now completely free of that painful redness and chapped skin.

"Seiichi, the rice is ready."

Yumi smiled gently as she transferred the rice to a wooden serving bowl. Her fingertips were soft, retaining a warm, reliable temperature.

In the corner of the room, light and cheerful morning music flowed from the wooden household radio that Seiichi had crafted.

Once covered in soot and forging cold iron with a heavy hammer, Seiichi’s hands were now filled with the technology that warmed the life of the person he loved.

The two climbed up to the apartment rooftop, standing side by side with their hands on the railing.

From the eastern sky, the dazzling sun peeked through, painting the once-gray city in a vibrant orange.

Yumi gently reached out her right hand and placed her warm palm over Seiichi’s thick, rugged hand.

"Thank you so much, Seiichi. These hands of mine don't hurt at all anymore, even when winter comes."

"Yeah. The things we made are brightly illuminating your life, and the lives of so many others."

"This is the true 'response' I wanted to forge with my hands."

Squeezing Yumi’s hand back, Seiichi stared firmly at the city burning in the morning glow.

2026, Early Morning.

Between the towering skyscrapers surrounding the station plaza, the sun of a new day was slowly beginning to rise.

The freezing night air was quietly warmed by the orange light that gently brushed over the city.

Ayumu exhaled softly as he walked side by side with Misaki.

"Well, my job hunting is back to square one."

Ayumu laughed dryly, interlocking his fingers behind his head.

"But, weirdly enough, I'm not panicking this time."

"I'm done obsessing over what others think on my phone, searching for that perfect track. Just like Grandpa and his team made the rice cooker, I want to find a job with my own feet—one that makes the people within my reach smile, especially you, Misaki."

Inside Ayumu's pocket, his smartphone remained quietly asleep.

The hours spent trembling at the uncertain future beyond the screen were over.

Misaki looked at Ayumu's face and let out a soft, amused giggle.

"Look at you, saying cute things. Your grandmother told me, you know. She said your grandfather used to be incredibly clumsy and broke back then."

"Wait, Grandma didn't need to tell you that..."

"But she said that clumsy hand was the one that held onto her hand the tightest. And she told me that I should lean on you properly, too."

Misaki looked away, a little embarrassed, and then gently reached out her right hand toward Ayumu's left.

Then, they intertwined their fingers together, leaving no space between them.

"It’ll all work out. As long as we're together."

From Misaki's fingertips, a slightly fragile but undeniably alive "warmth of another person" seeped warmly into Ayumu's hot palm.

"Yeah. It'll work out."

Ayumu squeezed her hand back, tightly.

The chilling "lack of response"—that feeling of his own life drifting aimlessly—was completely gone.

Accepting each other's imperfections, they stepped forward to carry the messy reality together.

In their fingertips was a resolute "strength to live," something that could never be found by merely sliding over the flat glass of a smartphone.

The brilliant orange of the morning glow projected the long, straight shadows of the two walking side by side on the asphalt.

Looking at each other with smiles, they took a resolute step forward into the dazzling light.

📖Previous Chapter:https://note.com/ttukumoo/n/n63cc8ca4c86b
🌐OriginalJapanesehere:https://note.com/juicy_laelia8513/n/n59240c2b49f4

"Thank you so much for reading to the very end!"💗