The last chapter, Under the Sakura Trees is after a time skip. Graduating from university, Sorata is now 22 years old...
Kanna continues to pursue writing, Iori music, piano, sound, etc.
Sorata, Ryuunosuke and Iori continue making games, Misaki and Rita have provided graphics plus CG from the school. Sorata and Dragon got a place outside of Sakurasou, similar to what Misaki did.
They all promised to meet at Sakurasou, Sorata, Ryuunosuke, Rita, Iori, Kanna, Misaki, Jin, Nanami... and ... Mashiro!
First Rita and Ryuunosuke. They ask if she is really going back to England. She says yes, this is the last time. She has given up on Ryuunosuke. She asks for one more kiss. He refuses. Says in 4 years she has been there 48 times, once a month. She says today is really the last time. He turns her down again. She asks why. He says with this sort of person, it just isn't done. A place with no one else is OK. It won't mean anything. She grabs his arm in both hands and pulls him closer. Akasaka says to let him go, asks Sorata for help. Sorata asks why he feels this way? She is beautiful, great personality, why? Akasaka says his work on the game is the most important thing right now. He doesn't have time to do that and have a relationship. Sorata thinks it is the same reason that made him and Mashiro break up...
Rita asks him to go out with her. He says, "What a foolish thing to say! Let go of me!" He tries to get away but Rita holds on even tighter. He goes deep red.
Just then, Rita remembers she meant to tell Sorata something. "Sorata, I meant to tell you. Mashiro isn't coming today. She's too busy with her manga. Her manga is a big hit, has been turned into anime, drama, live action movies. 10 volumes of her shoujo manga have come out. She is writing two chapters a month so she doesn't have any free time."
"It's OK. Thanks, Rita."
Consciously, there was no reason not to meet in those 4 years. 4 years just sort of went by. That's all really. Even living in the same town, a chance encounter just never happened. Once he saw Rita from behind while in the shopping district and thought it was her but...
"So, Sorata, next time..."
"Let go of me!" Ryuunosuke still protested.
"Before you go, you should understand blondie here."
"Akasakakun and Rita san are doing well here, don't you think?" said Nanami.
"Wa?"
Nanami's hair had grown in the four years since the last graduation. It was long now. He asks how she is doing, how the voice work is going. She's been having lots of anime auditions for roles and getting some so little by little it is coming along. She asks how he is doing. He describes the game work, two years already. She says that's early. She is also 22 now, she can't believe it. Talk about being adults, how it seemed so far away. She says he hasn't changed.
She met Mashiro recently. The girls had a girls only hot pot party at Sakuraso when Chihiro sensei lent it to them. They are going to hanabi fireworks next week.
(And the scene ends... without any resolution of Rita and Akasaka.)
---
Sorata goes to Sakurasou, meets Misaki senpai there. She went shopping for booze for Chihiro sensei. Luckily Iori and Kanna are 20 by now, adults who can drink in Japan. Misaki says she is the forever university student. She still hasn't graduated from being a space alien. Pace of books has slowed so she has been making original anime. Working on some PVs and CMs lately.
Asks about Jin who is there as well, if he'll have some time to write some game scenarios with him. If his schedule is free in May. Just has one book to TV anime adaptation to work on.
Jin asks if he's got a girlfriend or finished any games. Sorata says it is impossible to get a girlfriend. Jin asks if he has his eye on anyone. Sorata says sort of... Jin says with Sorata and Ryuunosuke living in the house together, rumors are flying! Sorata asks who is spreading them!
Jin and Misaki get up to go shopping. Ask if he wants anything. Meat... Jin says he'll bring back a pair, laughing. Misaki pats Sorata's hands.
No one else is there. Sorata is getting nostalgic about Sakurasou. Since Kanna, Iori and Yuuko graduated, no one is living there.
He waits for the others. Heads out into the garden, checks it out, the flowers et al.
Someone is standing under the sakura tree, back turned to him. He clears his throat. Sorata feels a bit tense. He recognizes her long hair. Her snow white skin. She hasn't changed. His heart starts beating faster.
"Mashiro..." naturally that is the name that came to him.
"It's been quite a while, Sorata, eh?"
His back muscles are trembling.
"I didn't get anything back from Rita."
"Why?"
Mashiro tilts her head. "Strange Sorata, eh?"
"That... my lines... haven't changed at all... you..."
"...."
"First... the sakura are doing well, aren't they?"
"Doing well!"
"And Mashiro, you're doing well?"
"I'm doing well. And Sorata?"
"In the four years, I didn't catch one cold."
He hasn't had any free time, doing university, Rhythm Battler game work, debugging it, promoting it...
"Sorata, you're still an idiot" ("Sorata wa baka nanone" for those who enjoy the use of "baka" LOL)
"What am I supposed to say when you're like that?"
"Colds, you didn't catch one."
"Some things about a person should remain unsaid..."
"That so, eh?" Mashiro gets a funny smile on her face.
Sorata realizes that he doesn't know those adult expressions. Mannerisms of movement, parts of years, calming down.
"..."
"Sorata, what's the matter?"
"Eh?"
"Motionless, I see."
"I was thinking you are becoming beautiful."
Accepting of these things now as just some of Mashiro's charm. Thinking they're just a little bit embarassing.
"Need to get in the bath..."
"No, that's not what I mean, I've thought so for four years..."
"For four years I've been dirty?"
"No, at that time too, you were beautiful, but now, you're really becoming even more beautiful, I'm praising you."
"Thank goodness."
Mashiro breaks out into a big smile.
"Wow, love that."
"Until coming to this place I'd been nervous."
"...."
"I was nervous meeting you, Sorata. The talk of being beautiful makes me happy."
Mashiro really looks like she's beaming now, avoiding eye contact a little.
Sorata is getting a bit embarassed, "Is it OK if I stand beside you?"
Face is getting hot. "Yes."
Waiting for that response, Sorata stands beside her, the two of them standing beneath the fully blooming sakura. They're beautiful before then but at that point the weary sakura are blossoming triumphantly.
"Sorata, you've grown?"
"Since entering university, no I haven't gotten taller."
"But, you've grown up."
"Ah, a different meaning. Yes, now I'm a supervisor at work."
"Aren't you the head honcho now..."
"I think so too..." After a few years, it was suiting him now being the boss at work.
"Say, Sorata?" Mashiro was looking at the sakura flowers again.
"What is it?"
Sorata looked too and saw that the sakura were beautiful.
"Meeting again four years after being lovers, what do you think about that?"
"What do I..."
Mashiro was finding the sakura blinding now.
"When we last talked and couldn't decide about Nema..."
"Ah... talking about your manga..." Originally, Sakurasou and the people and goings on had been the model for her manga, the drama, eating, boys and girls, becoming lovers, but the breakup was the reason for them becoming different relationships. From then on, the way they walked together, the year they would meet was not there. Before the last time meeting again was the result. The two of them remembering this place...
Up to there, 5 days before now was release day for this month's issue. Eye to eye now, meeting for a moment, this month's issue continues. Sorata too noticed it in their last talk.
"I don't understand how manga characters work but..."
It was the same condition until earlier but Sorata put it that way.
"Mashiro..."
As she heard his voice, Mashiro turned to him again. "What?" Mashiro and Sorata faced each other.
"Mashiro, I always loved you during those four years."
"......a"
Mashiro's eyes opened wide with surprise.
"For those four years, I have loved you."
Sorata extended his hands. "I don't know if we'll get into another fight."
"You're right." Mashiro put her hands to her heart. It's the way of things.
"I don't know if things will get weird again."
"You're right." This too he thought was Mashiro's way of saying things.
"We may hurt each other again."
"You're right." This really is the way.
"But..."
It felt like what it feels like before the flowers open.
"What?"
"I think we can ride it out this time."
In those four years they had gotten a little closer to adults, to realizing their real feelings.
Now, before Mashiro was going to do this sort of thing again, from here on out or starting to think about it, she needed some real evidence. She wanted to get a feeling of trust. To Mashiro, the feeling of meeting again, it was knowing her wish. A wish, to fulfill together.
"..."
Simply, slowly, his hands extended, Sorata's hands clasped hers.
"Right?" Faces turned upward. Met eye to eye.
"Couple." At such a word, Mashiro's face broke out into a huge smile.
A gust of wind blew and shook the branches. Sakura flower petals danced and fell around the couple like a blessing.
Petals landed on top of Mashiro's head, Sorata extended his hands. "Look, here." On his fingertips, Mashiro could see pink sakura petals.
"It's about you too."
"What?"
"You caught them too." Saying this, Mashiro went on her tiptoes. In the next moment, they touched their lips together for a short kiss. Mashiro stepped down, with little willpower a naughty laugh slipped out. A little joke. Her face had not looked like this in four years.
Then a surprised sound from both of them, Misaki was behind them! "Hey, oh, don't push Misaki san! Uwaaa!"
"Hey, hey, what strange things are going on, no touching!" said Misaki.
"Misaki sempai, what did you see?"
"Ohhh, stop schoolgirl!"
Iori was down next. And Kanna. And Nanami. And Jin laughing "Nya nya!" beside Chihiro sensei.
And unrelated to all this, Ryuunosuke hugging Rita.
"O-, Oniichan! Mashiro, I didn't say you could come back, eh!" said Yuuko chan who was in Kanna's writing group.
"We don't need your permission, Yuuko!" Sorata laughed.
"Right?" Mashiro nodded her head.
"Yikes, but, it's an emotional scene!"
Staring straight up, Misaki's eyes were sparkling.
'"Mashiro, I always loved you during those four years."' Jin quoted Sorata, embarrassing him.
"Me too!"
Misaki hugged Jin. It was looking like a musical (this is a quote, not my commentary).
"When can we see it?"
"What else did you hear?"
Nanami broke out in laughter, "From the beginning!"
"We cooperated, for Mashiro and Sorata, we put on quite the performance."
Sorata looked at Rita beside Ryuunosuke. "Akasaka participated?"
"I had no reason not to." said Ryuunosuke. (And now we know why their earlier scene did not continue and seemed to abruptly end. Because... it did!)
"I see...."
Kanna said, "Me too, I had no reason to resuse."
"So I see..."
"Trust us, we did it for you!" Sorata knew nothing about it.
Chihiro sensei congratulated them on it. Sorata thanked her.
"OK everyone, we're going to take a photo to remember this moment. Quick, everyone get under the sakura tree! The great gathering of the residents of Sakurasou!" Jin got out a digital camera. They all gathered around Sorata and Mashiro. They did goofy things climbing on top of one another. The self timer shutter went click.
Just as the fully open sakura blooms, in Sakurasou smiling faces like flowers are blooming.
THE END
2013-07-11, 03:17
Friendship and Rivalry. These two have it 
