"I believe ghosts exist in this world but I've never seen them. I don't believe people who said they've seen them. I've also thought about this in the same way: I believe in the future, I'll fall in love, get married, and become happy. But actually, I've never had that feeling for anyone before. I feel distant to those who talk about love in this world. That's because I can't see it. Since ghosts don't exist, I'll never see them".

True or not, I'd rather not see them. Not this time. Not with him. I'd rather show it to him. To them.

"Minoriiiiin!"

I was the only one who can tame the Palmtop Tiger. I can still remember the first time I spoke to her – it was lunch time. She didn't have any bento with her.

"Hey! You're Aisaka-san, right?"

"Who the hell are you? Go away"

"Oh, sorry. Here. I brought a lot of food and I just realized I'm not too hungry! Hahaha!"

"I don't want anything from you."

Of course, I have been a victim of Taiga's uncontrollable growling and snapping at everyone. I don't know why, but it seems like I was being pulled towards her.

Growl!

"Here! Have some of my fried chicken side dish!"

Yes, one growl from that Palmtop Tiger gave way to our solid-as-rock friendship.

And, right now, as I walk on this cold pavement, I can hear her screaming his name. That guy.

He was the nicest guy I know. He may not seem like it at first but he's definitely an angel. He's the kind of person who will throw himself in front of a speeding vehicle just to save you. That's how kind he is.

"RYUUJI!"

Ryuuji Takasu. 17 years old. The guy I like the most.

Some may wonder why I've let him go.

He likes me, and I like him, too. But for me, it will never work out. I am ambitious, or should I say, I have my priorities. I can take care of myself, so he won't have to do that for me. He had his problems; I wasn't there for him.

Aside from that reason, I've known my best friend, Taiga Aisaka, for a very long time. She wasn't fully abandoned by her parents, but they didn't make an effort to tend to her emotional needs. In other words, she is left out. She feels out of place inside her own family. Her father deceived her many times. Her mother only looks for her when she is not around, then ignores her when she's there. She had been alone all of her life.

Despite the fact that my parents always work, they make sure that me and my brother are well taken care of. They also spend time with us whenever they can.

Taiga never experienced any of that.

Without Ryuuji, Taiga would give up on life. Without him, she will never experience how it feels like to be taken care of, to be given importance, and to be listened to. In fact, Ryuuji is the best thing that ever came to Taiga. And I'm not one to take that away from her. I will let her have him, even if it meant breaking my own heart. I love Taiga. It would be more painful for me to see her get hurt again.

They may not see it clearly, and Ryuuji may not know it yet, but I can see his love for Taiga whenever he looks at her. Ryuuji is usually caring and sweet, but he has this special kind of sweetness and care for Taiga. If I don't give him a hard slap on the face, he wouldn't realize it.

That double-edged slap.

Seven years after I broke both our hearts just to fix Taiga's, I'm walking on the same cold pavement again. I can hear Taiga's voice saying someone's name again, but this time, it wasn't Ryuuji's.

It was mine.

"Minorin! I'm so glad you could come", Taiga mused.

God, she is huge! She gained an inch on the course of five years, and now, she's four months shy of her due date.

Taiga and Ryuuji got married after they finished college. Ryuuji studied culinary arts and Taiga went on to get a degree in fashion designing. The wedding wasn't simple, and even though I wasn't the one who got married, I enjoyed it. Kitamura was there, and we were surprised to see him with Sumire-san, our former student council president. Amin was there, too, with her fiancé.

"..and you too, Kenji", she continued.

Who is Kenji? He's the one I saw the ghost with.

After seven years, I still believe I made the right choice.

A/N: I did this because, after watching Ep. 19 exactly on Christmas Eve, I can understand why they did those things. I loooove this anime! But I just wish they made a sequel on Taiga and Ryuuji's love story.

Anyways, RnR! Thank you! :)