Chapter Twenty-Five: Brave New World:

I’ve changed so much over the years. I wouldn’t recognize the old me if I saw him now. He was an arrogant little shit who didn’t care about what happened to him. Why would he? No one gave a shit about him. That boy was on his own. Alone and angry at the world. So angry that he forgot how to care. For all he knew, he was going to grow up to be a rotten adult. End up dead or in prison.

But now…

So many things happened to me to make into the man I am today. Meeting new people, war, and traveling. All three of those will do so much to you. When you add the world changing around you, you barely get a chance to stop and catch your breath. I’ve done some thinking in the past few days. So many times I thought that it was the end of the line for me. Every time I would give up, something or someone told me that it wasn’t my time yet.

I don’t know what I have become now. I’m not a soldier anymore. Nor I am that shitty little punk in my high school years. I’m just a guy trying to figure out what he’s going to do next. I have a fiancée and a home. I even managed to have somewhat of a job in this town. Things could be better since I will be getting married soon, but for now I’m happy. It’s almost surreal for me to say that, but it’s true.

“Toshiki-kun?”

“Huh?” I turned to see Yumi and her parents staring back at me. I looked at all of them.

“Are you okay?” she asked. I slowly nodded.

“Uh… yeah, yeah,” I said. “I was just lost in thought.” I took another bite of my food. Yumi and her parents didn’t say anything. They all had a hand in changing me too. (I still can’t wrap my head around how they were okay with me living here. They seemed a little bit too trusting on that part.) And somehow, I was okay with it.

“How is the stew?” Yumi asked.

“Good,” her parents and I said. She clapped her hands together.

“I’m so glad you all like it!” Yumi said. When she’s happy, we’re all happy. I smiled over my bowl.

There were still some things I needed to change. First, I needed a new job. I had already started looking for that. It would take a while, but I knew I could do it. There were still many other things to change. Yumi would be done with school in a couple of years. Did she want to stay in this house after we got married? She and I hadn’t talked about the future just yet. Her parents seemed okay with the engagement. Maybe they didn’t take it seriously. In any case, there were a few changes that needed to happen before we get married.

It’s kind of funny now that I think about it. The old me never thought about the future. I was just living. I didn’t care. I just did what I wanted.

But now…

Yumi leaned her head on my shoulder. I looked down with red cheeks.

“What?” I asked. She slowly shook her head. Why was I smiling at this? Such a weird girl. Still, I guessed I loved her in a way.

No, that wasn’t right. I did love her. It wasn’t a guess. I knew that I loved her. I gently patted her on the head. Looks like I was going to be stuck with this weird girl until death do us part.

I think I’m going to like this Brave New World she and her parents pulled me into.