December 26th, another Saturday.
At half past eleven in the evening, Shiga Taka sat before the television with Shiozawa Makoto, watching the thirteenth episode of as.
They had been together in college, and it had been over two years since graduation, but this was the first time he had invited Makoto to stay overnight at his place, though he framed it as "wanting to watch the final episode of as together."
Makoto, herself an anime enthusiast who had been following as since its release, readily agreed, likely due to her shared interest in the series.
This being their first time staying over at his place, Shiga Taka couldn't help but feel nervous. Even as the opening sequence began to play, he kept stealing glances at Makoto.
Makoto, on the other hand, remained completely focused on the screen, her expression absorbed, as if Shiga Taka wasn't even there.
When the commercial break finally came, Shiga Taka blurted out, "This as episode doesn't seem as depressing as usual."
"It's pretty emotional, but I wouldn't call it depressing," Makoto replied without looking away from the screen.
Shiga Taka was about to continue the conversation when he suddenly realized something felt off. He had finally invited his girlfriend to stay overnight at his place, and now they were discussing whether as was a "depressing anime." While not entirely inappropriate, it felt strangely... out of place.
Let's change the subject.
Just then, he noticed something stuck to Shiozawa Makoto's clothes—it looked like a small label or tag.
He reached out to tear it off, but the moment his hand touched her back, Makoto's body shivered involuntarily.
"Hmm?"
Shiga Taka was puzzled.
"No, I..." Makoto stammered, trying to explain.
Taka couldn't help but chuckle.
He felt nervous, but it seemed Makoto was even more anxious than he was.
"What are you laughing at?" Makoto turned to glare at him, her cheeks flushed with indignation.
"Nothing, nothing! I just wanted to help you get rid of that label, but I didn't expect..." Taka explained, still grinning.
Makoto hmphed and turned her gaze back to the TV, looking sulky. "You're the one who invited me over to watch the final episode of as. The opening just finished! Don't grope me!"
"The opening just finished?" Taka repeated, savoring the words. A flicker of anticipation stirred in his heart.
Soon, the commercial break ended, and the final episode finally began.
The time stamp read "Three days later." The classroom, track field, and gymnasium were all empty, devoid of a single person.
Yuri's heart-knot had been resolved. Though she tried hard to hide it, it was quickly discovered.
After some laughter and banter, the Male Lead and the others took Yuri away from the infirmary.
As they walked toward the gymnasium, Yuri noticed they were completely alone and asked what was going on. She was told that everyone else had already left. Even Takamatsu, who had been devoured by the shadow and turned into an NPC, had regained his will after the program was destroyed and escaped the Afterlife World.
Their destination was the gymnasium, where they were to hold the graduation ceremony.
They sang the battle song of the Afterlife Battlefront, received their graduation certificates, listened to a representative graduate's speech, sang "Memories of You, Dear Teacher" together, and heard the closing remarks... They went through all the traditional graduation ceremony rituals.
Afterward, Naoto, Hinata, and Yuri said their goodbyes one by one and disappeared, until only the Male Lead and Kanade Tachibana remained.
The Male Lead invited Kanade Tachibana outside, saying he wanted to feel the breeze for a moment.
Kanade Tachibana agreed.
Once outside, the Male Lead quickly suggested, "Kanade, why don't we stay here forever?"
Kanade Tachibana was taken aback.
"I just thought of it. There will still be people like Yuri and Hinata—those whose lives haven't found resolution—who will come here, right?" the Male Lead explained.
"That's true," Kanade Tachibana agreed.
"They might stay here like Yuri and the others, trapped in this place, enduring endless pain and futilely resisting their fate. But if we stay, we can share the beauty of life with them, just as we did this time, and help them graduate from this place. Perhaps that's why I was brought here in the first place. So... will you stay with me?"
As the Male Lead invited her, he continued, "As long as I'm with Kanade, even in a world like this, I won't feel alone. I told you before—I want to be with you, and I want to stay with you forever."
Kanade Tachibana didn't answer.
She gently brushed her hair aside, then stepped toward the Male Lead, one foot in front of the other, until she stood beside him.
He glanced at her, then suddenly confessed, "It's because I... I love you so much. I love you." As he spoke, he pulled Kanade Tachibana into his arms.
Kanade Tachibana remained silent, simply closing her eyes and leaning against his chest.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" the Male Lead asked, puzzled.
"I don't want to."
"Why not?"
"Because if I say what I'm thinking now, I'll disappear."
"Why?"
"Because I came here just to tell you 'thank you.'"
"What does this mean?"
"Because I'm the girl who survived only because of your heart."
"Uh..."
The Male Lead was stunned, never having considered such a possibility.
"Your heart is beating inside my body. My only regret is that I couldn't thank the benefactor who gave me my youth. It's for that single word of thanks, for that wish alone, that I mistakenly entered this world," Kanade Tachibana explained.
The Male Lead still didn't understand. "Why did you know it was me?"
"I sensed it during that initial stab. You don't have a heart. The reason you were able to recover your memories was because you were dreaming on my chest, because you were constantly listening to the sound of your own heartbeat," Kanade Tachibana replied.
After her explanation, she asked the Male Lead to repeat what he had said earlier. When he refused, she pleaded, "Please let me believe what you've always believed: 'Life is a wonderful thing'."
The two called each other's names as they embraced.
Though he struggled painfully, the Male Lead, as Kanade Tachibana wished, confessed again, "Kanade, I love you. Stay with me forever."
"Mm, thank you, Yuzuru," Kanade Tachibana said simply.
"To be together forever."
"Mm, thank you."
"I love you, Kanade."
"Mm, thank you so much."
"Kanade~"
"Thank you for loving me."
"Don't disappear, Kanade! Kanade!"
"You gave me life. I'm truly grateful."
After a close-up of Kanade Tachibana's face, she suddenly vanished completely.
The Male Lead cried out, his arms clutching at empty air as he collapsed to his knees. He frantically scrambled around, dazed and tearful, gasping for breath.
Soon, he raised his head and let out a heart-wrenching cry toward the sky: "Kanade!"
The entire sequence was accompanied by the background music from Episode 10, "My Most Precious Treasure," lending the scene a profound sense of sorrow.
Following this cry, the camera panned upward, as if the sound had reached the heavens. A distant view of the school appeared, and a small white light slowly rose into the sky.
Then, a white screen appeared. "My Most Precious Treasure" continued playing, but the end credits immediately followed.
[ Angel Beats! ]
The original ending sequence began with Yuri, followed by the other main characters appearing one by one. But this time, it was different. All the characters were present from the start, then disappeared one by one.
In front of the TV, Shiga Taka and Shiozawa Makoto were both stunned.
They were promised it wouldn't be too depressing, but... something felt off.
That final scene seemed really cruel.
Should they say, "Just as expected from Old Thief Lin's animation"?
Also, did the Male Lead leave in the end? Was that slowly rising white dot the Male Lead?
Their confusion lingered until the credits finished, and an Easter egg appeared:
A girl who looked very much like Kanade Tachibana leaned against a wall, humming a tune.
In front of her, a boy who looked very much like the Male Lead walked by. After a few steps, he glanced around, as if searching for someone.
The girl checked her phone, grabbed her backpack, and prepared to leave. But the boy seemed to have just noticed her. He jogged after her, then reached out to pat her shoulder.
Just as his hand was about to touch her, the screen turned bright white, and the Easter egg ended.
It didn't explicitly say it was the reincarnations of the Male Lead and Main Character, but it still gave the feeling that, after reincarnation, they had reunited again.
Please Support me by becoming my patreon member and get 15+ chapters.
[email protected]/Ajal69
change @ with a
Thank You to Those who joined my Patreon