Chapter 194: Chapter 193 - Ring Between Sketchbooks
Time seemed to fly faster than either of them could have anticipated.
Kuro graduated from his psychology program, and after many years of training and taking licensing exams, officially became a licensed psychologist.
The small plaque in front of his office read:
Kuro Kurogane, Licensed Psychologist
Simple.
Modest.
Exactly how he liked it.
Meanwhile, Rika Saionji’s manga became one of the most popular romantic series of their publisher.
Week after week meant deadlines.
New manuscripts.
Meetings.
Lots of coffee cups.
Even though she became successful...
Her apartment remained the same.
Sketchbooks.
Pens.
Books.
Complete chaos.
Kuro loved to joke that, if the earthquake occurred, first they would have to dig through papers to rescue Rika.
Proudly, she would reply,
"My manuscripts will protect me."
---
On one rainy night...
Kuro glanced at the calendar on his desk.
That day’s date was circled.
Not because of a holiday.
But because her newest Chapter was due tomorrow morning.
He smiled.
"...She surely forgot."
He took a small paper bag off his desk.
Inside, there was a simple silver ring.
Nothing fancy.
There was no big jewel.
Only the polished silver band with a small inscription inside.
Let’s keep writing our story together.
He carefully closed the box.
And went to Rika’s apartment.
---
Exactly as he expected...
She barely noticed him knocking.
"Kuro?"
She opened the door, holding three pencils in one hand and an eraser in the other.
"Oh."
"You are here."
"I brought dinner."
She blinked.
"...Did I forget to eat again?"
"You also forgot lunch."
"...Oops."
---
Her apartment seemed to be even messier than usually.
The finished pages of manuscripts were scattered on the floor.
The speech bubbles were written on whiteboards.
The sticky notes stuck on the refrigerator.
The huge calendar shrieked:
DEADLINE TOMORROW!!
Rika dramatically sighed.
"My editor is now my sleep paralysis demon."
Kuro quietly laughed.
"I am sure he does his best."
"I am trying my worst."
---
They ate while she explained the newest Chapter.
"The heroine still doesn’t confess."
Kuro looked up.
"She is afraid."
"...Exactly."
"You know the reason."
"I do."
"Why can’t I write it?"
He smiled.
"Because sometimes the writers also need some courage."
She looked at him.
"...You surely studied storytelling secrets."
"I studied people."
"Same thing."
---
After dinner...
Rika continued to draw.
Kuro quietly tried to clean her apartment.
Or...
At least attempted to.
After moving three piles of sketchbooks, two towers of books with references, and one suspicious pile of papers, which turned out to be last month’s manuscript...
He finally managed to find some space to start vacuuming.
Rika looked at him.
"...You are amazing."
"I am cleaning."
"Exactly."
---
Several hours passed.
Outside, the rain was tapping softly against the windows.
Clock indicated midnight.
Finally...
Rika leaned back on the chair.
"...Done."
She stretched her arms to the sky.
"My shoulders resigned."
Kuro smiled.
"You finished."
"I survived."
She looked around.
"...Wait."
"My blue sketchbook."
Silence.
"...Where is my blue sketchbook?"
Immediately, the panic began.
"It was here!"
"It can’t disappear!"
"My editor needs these characters’ notes!"
She started to search everywhere.
Under the desk.
In the drawers.
Even the refrigerator.
Kuro silently watched.
"I don’t think it’s in the refrigerator."
"You don’t know that!"
---
After almost ten minutes...
Kuro picked up the nicely ordered pile of sketchbooks from the coffee table.
"Looking for this?"
Rika gasped dramatically.
"My baby!"
She rushed to them.
"You organized them?"
"I thought it might help."
"You absolute genius."
She hugged the sketchbooks tightly.
But noticed something.
"...Huh?"
A small black box laid between two of them.
She frowned.
"...What’s this?"
Kuro suddenly seemed quite nervous.
"It’s..."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"I hoped you would find it."
Slowly, Rika opened the box.
Inside...
Laid a simple silver ring.
The room fell into silence.
She looked at the ring.
Then at Kuro.
And back again.
"...Kuro?"
He slowly took a breath.
"I was spending weeks trying to come up with a perfect proposal."
"I considered the expensive restaurant."
"Fancy hotel."
"Moment with a mountain view."
He softly laughed.
"But each time..."
"I realized one thing."
"The place where we spent the most significant moments together..."
"...was always surrounded by your sketchbooks."
Tears began to fill her eyes.
Kuro stepped closer.
"You once told me that every great manga deserved the ending people will remember."
He smiled gently.
"But I don’t want us to have an ending."
"I want us to continue."
"For the rest of our lives."
Carefully, he took the ring from the box.
And knelt before her.
"Rika Saionji..."
"You bring laughter, stories, and dreams into my ordinary days."
"You showed me that the courage sometimes is putting the pen to the paper one more time."
"I love the way you chase impossible ideas."
"I love the way you smile after finishing another Chapter."
"I love the future I can imagine only with you."
He looked straight into her teary eyes.
"Will you marry me?"
Several seconds passed...
Rika didn’t say anything.
Tears were running down her cheeks.
She laughed through them.
"...Idiot."
Kuro blinked.
"I spent three hours thinking about today’s manuscript..."
"And you planned this?"
He sheepishly smiled.
"I had to wait till your deadline was over."
She covered her face, but still couldn’t stop crying.
Then, she held out her left hand.
"...Yes."
She nodded again.
"Yes."
"I will marry you."
Her voice was trembling with happiness.
"I want to keep drawing besides you..."
"...for the rest of my life."
Gently, Kuro put the silver ring on her finger.
It fitted perfectly.
Neither of them said anything for a long moment.
Then, suddenly, Rika threw herself into his arms.
The ring shone in the light of the desk lamp.
Surrounded by manuscripts scattered on the floor, piles of sketchbooks, empty coffee cups, and incomplete dreams...
They kissed silently.
Outside, the rain stopped.
Inside, the new Chapter of their story just began.
And, unlike any manga manuscript...
It was the story they would write together for the rest of their lives.
Neither of them moved for several minutes after that.
She simply kept looking at her silver ring which was now sitting on her finger.
She slowly rotated her hand under the lamp light.
The smooth ring reflected warm light of the bulb.
It was so simple, elegant, perfect.
Exactly like Kuro.
She smiled through her tears.
"...It’s beautiful."
Kuro scratched the back of his neck.
"I was afraid that it could have been too modest."
She shook her head.
"No."
"If it was flashy, then I would wonder if my boyfriend had been replaced."
He laughed.
"That’s reasonable."
She took his hand in hers.
"This ring..."
"...fits us."
---
Several minutes later, Rika remembered something.
"Wait here."
She quickly ran to the bedroom.
Sounds of the opening drawers echoed through the apartment.
"Where can it be...?"
"I definitely stored it somewhere..."
After another minute, she came back holding the old, worn-out sketchbook.
The edges of the notebook were crumpled, and some pages were sticking out.
Kuro instantly recognized it.
"You university sketchbook?"
She nodded.
"I’ve been carrying it with me from our café days."
She carefully opened the first page.
There were character sketches.
Practice expressions.
Background sketches.
And then, at the middle of the book...
She showed him her familiar drawing.
A silent university student reading a psychology textbook next to the cup of black coffee.
It wasn’t perfect.
Some proportions were off.
The shadows looked rough.
But there was no doubt about it.
Kuro smiled.
"...You saved this one?"
"I never threw it away."
She gently laughed.
"This was the first time I’ve drawn you."
She turned the next page.
Then the next.
More sketches.
Kuro with an umbrella.
Kuro in the café.
Kuro laughing and holding her manuscript.
"I..."
She looked down blushing.
"I thought that I was just practicing my faces."
"But now I understand..."
"I was drawing the one I loved."
Kuro felt his heart squeezing.
"You’ve been drawing me for years."
She nodded, smiling.
"I don’t think I’ve ever stopped."
---
Kuro carefully took the sketchbook into his hands.
At the last page, there was an unfinished illustration.
Young man and woman sitting under the tree and drawing in silence.
This page wasn’t finished yet.
He looked at her.
"You never finished this one?"
Rika smiled.
"I was waiting."
"For what?"
She gently put her hand, which was now wearing the engagement ring, on top of the page.
"For us to reach this Chapter."
She picked up the pencil.
And made one more addition.
A silver ring on the girl’s left hand.
She handed the pencil to Kuro.
"Your turn."
He seemed confused.
"I can’t draw."
"You don’t have to."
"Just add something."
After some hesitation, Kuro carefully made two coffee cups on the bench next to the couple.
It was a very simple, almost childish illustration.
Rika warmly laughed.
"They are adorable."
"They are crooked."
"They are perfect."
She carefully closed the sketchbook.
"This..."
"...is my favorite drawing now."
"Even though it’s not finished?"
She smiled, leaning on Kuro’s shoulder.
"No."
"It isn’t finished anymore."
Outside, rain clouds dispersed.
Moonlight gently shined through the window of the apartment.
Rika quietly entwined her fingers with Kuro’s once again.
Their silver rings gleamed in the soft light.
She whispered with a sweet smile,
"You know..."
"My editor always wants to know how do I come up with happy endings."
Kuro looked at her.
"And what do you say?"
She rested her head on his shoulder.
"I don’t."
"Because..."
"...because I’m living mine."
The apartment was still messy.
Manuscripts littered the floor.
Deadlines were sure to come again soon.
But for one quiet night...
All that didn’t matter anymore.
There were no editors.
No clinics.
No manuscripts to finish.
Just two people who’ve encouraged each other for years to go on.
And now...
They were ready to write their longest story yet.
Together.
