The Time Before Meeting My Partner and What Lies Ahead

That morning, I was on a bus heading toward a certain destination to meet the partner I would be spending my time with from then on.

I rarely use local buses except for commuting. This is even more true on my days off. And until this day arrived, I had mostly been borrowing my parents' car to go out.

But that had come to an end the previous day. I don't think my parents' car was bad in terms of ride comfort or off-road capability.

Even though it belonged to my parents, as I moved toward independence, I knew I couldn't keep relying on them forever.

After I started working and earning my own money, and then obtained my driver's license, my goal naturally shifted toward buying my own car.

From there, I worked hard to earn a down payment while managing my daily life by cutting expenses, and by the time the end of the year approached, I was finally ready to welcome my partner. And after I finished driving my parents' car for the last time, I stood before it, bowed in gratitude for the year it had taken care of me, and left the parking lot in the night.

The next day, while being swayed alone on the bus until I arrived at my destination, various emotions were swirling in my heart.

One was the anticipation of where I would head from now on and who I would take along for the ride. The other was the anxiety of whether I might get into an accident or get hit somewhere, and above all, whether I would be able to pay off the loan I had taken out...

Every time the bus passed through another signal-controlled intersection spread across the city, a strange sense of tension ran through me.

Come to think of it, from choosing my first car to signing the documents, I had taken quite a risk in a sense. After all, I had decided on everything relying only on the photos in the catalog booklet provided, without ever test-driving the actual car.

A tiny bit of anxiety remained in the corner of my mind, wondering what I would do if the actual car turned out to be the opposite of what I had imagined. But I had no regrets at all. I might not have any particular evidence, but I believe that choosing it back then was not a mistake, no matter what form it took.

I got off the bus at the nearest stop and walked until I reached a spot where I could see the sign. In the dealer's parking lot, located behind the area where the display cars were lined up, there was one car waiting, clad in a silver color that shone brilliantly amidst the noticeable empty spaces.

...In that moment, the longing I had held since childhood had finally transcended time after many long years.

My partner's name... or rather, its sub-name, is G4.

For over ten years since I first drove it that day, it has always been with me in every scene of my life. And as something unknown awaits in the future, I am sure it will continue to be with me forever.

Today, as I reach a milestone, with the exhaust sound blowing from a single muffler amidst the silence drifting against the morning glow, the grand touring of my life was about to begin once again.