Correspondence: A Japanese Epistolary Novella 7-2(Final)

akimi

Nov. 5, 2025

Correspondence: A Japanese Epistolary Novella 7-2(Final)

Dear Takeshi,

Thank you for your letter. I’m sorry for keeping something important from you all this time.

I’ve always loved Usagiya.

It’s been my quiet dream since childhood—to marry you someday, and to sell the wagashi you make, just like your parents did.

When you chose to pursue your dream of becoming a manga artist instead of taking over Usagiya, an outrageous thought came to my mind:

You would draw manga, and I would make wagashi at Usagiya.

If such a thing were possible, how wonderful it would be.

But I couldn’t bring myself to say it aloud.

Someone as clumsy as me—how could I say something so presumptuous?

Before anything else, I felt I needed to study.

I came to this town to attend culinary school.

For the past two years, I’ve been working during the day and attending night classes.

I was afraid I might give up halfway.

That fear kept me from telling anyone—not even you.

Even my talkative mother kept this one secret for me.

This spring, I graduated from culinary school.

The thing I sent you was my diploma.

The confectionery hygiene license is safely in my hands.

It’s strange, isn’t it?

Something that once felt impossible—when I look at the cherry blossoms, it suddenly feels within reach.

Maybe I’ve grown a little stronger over these past two years.

Would you join me in asking your father?

I’ll come to see you on my next day off.

Yours sincerely,
Kyoko
March 31, Showa51（1976）

P.S. There’s one thing I forgot to say:

Will you marry me?

The end

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lazypolyglot

Correspondence: A Japanese Epistolary Novella

Dear Takeshi,

Thank you for your letter.

I’m sorry for keeping something important from you all this time.

I’ve always loved Usagiya.

It’s been my quiet dream since childhood—to marry you someday, and to sell the wagashi you make, just like your parents did.

When you chose to pursue your dream of becoming a manga artist instead of taking over Usagiya, an outrageous thought came to my mind:

You wcould draw manga, and I wcould make wagashi at Usagiya.

If such a thing were possible, how wonderful it would be / it would be so wonderful.

But I couldn’t bring myself to say it aloud.

Someone as clumsy as me—how could I say something so presumptuous?

Before anything else, I felt I needed to study.

I came to this town to attend culinary school.

For the past two years, I’ve been working during the day and attending night classes.

I was afraid I might give up halfway.

That fear kept me from telling anyone—not even you.

Even my talkative mother kept this one secret for me.

This spring, I graduated from culinary school.

~~The thing~~What I sent you was my diploma.

The confectionery hygiene license is safely in my hands.

It’s strange, isn’t it?

Something that once felt impossible—when I look at the cherry blossoms, it suddenly feels within reach.

Maybe I’ve grown a little stronger over these past two years.

Would you join me in asking your father?

I’ll come to see you on my next day off.

Yours sincerely,

Kyoko

March 31, Showa51（1976）

P.S.

There’s one thing I forgot to say:

Will you marry me?

Feedback

nice story :)

akimi

Nov. 7, 2025

Thank you for your advice. This story is the final installment, but thanks to your help, I was able to polish it up. I plan to publish more stories in the future, so I hope you'll be there again when the time comes.

Correspondence: A Japanese Epistolary Novella