YzaEcdzD

1Seishun Buta Yarō - Volume 02
2青春ブタ野郎はプチデビル後輩の夢を見ない
3Rascal Does Not Dream of Little Devil Kohai
4
5
6
7
8Contents
9
10Prologue
11Chapter 1 — There's no Tomorrow for a Low-Life
12Chapter 2 — Will Tomorrow's Breeze Blow Tomorrow?
13Chapter 3 — False Lovers Begin
14Chapter 4 — A Wholehearted Lie to You
15Chapter 5 — Laplace's Imp
16Epilogue — This World in Which I chose You
17Afterword
18Bonus — A Certain Scene of a Pubescent Low-Life and a Bunny Girl Senpai
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27PROLOGUE
28
29
30That day, Azusagawa Sakuta woke up to yesterday’s morning.
31
32
33
34
35CHAPTER 01
361
37
38
39“Well done, team Japan!” The inexhaustibly excited announcer began the morning news. “Good morning, today is Friday, June the twenty-seventh. I think we’ll start the day on football!”
40
41The TV in the living room was showing the highlights of a world cup match that had taken place on the other side of the world. It was the second group league match, which had been played late at night for Japan itself. It was just before halftime, and the Japanese team were a single point behind. Number 10 had dribbled the ball all the way up the pitch but was taken down by an overzealous defence from the opponents. The whistle pierced the stadium and they were given a free kick from just behind the penalty area.
42
43Number 4 placed the ball down and backed up step-by-step. You could feel the tension, even through the screen.
44
45Sakuta watched the screen absently.
46
47“I’ve… seen this.”
48
49He wouldn’t have watched a late-night game live. Sakuta had watched these highlights yesterday morning. The ball would go past the keeper and find its home in the netting of the goal.
50
51Holding his breath, Sakuta watched the highlight. The ball arced through the trajectory just as Sakuta had remembered it, flying into the goal.
52
53They had drawn even and their opponents were chewing their lips in consternation. Number 4 gave a roar of triumph, echoed by the other players and their supporters.
54
55With the momentum of that goal, the Japanese team had gained an additional point in the second half and maintained that lead to a glorious victory.
56
57The results played out just as he remembered them, so to reassure himself that he wasn’t insane, he stuck his head back in his room to check his alarm clock. It sat at the side of his bed, its digital display showing the date as well as the time.
58
59June 27th.
60
61The same as the announcer had just reported.
62
63“What… on Earth…” From what Sakuta remembered, it should by the twenty-eighth. And yet both the TV and the clock said it was the twenty-seventh. So today was yesterday, and yesterday was today. “…I see, a dream.”
64
65Sakuta got back into bed, covered himself in the quilt again and went back to sleep.
66
67If today was yesterday, he could sleep until tomorrow. Just as he had that thought and had closed his eyes, the door clicked open.
68
69“Onii-chan, weren’t you just up?” He heard his sister’s voice. She approached with a quiet patter of footsteps. “You can’t go back to sleep, wake up.”
70
71She shook him.
72
73“I’m sleeping until tomorrow.”
74
75“You’re alright with missing school?”
76
77“Yeah.”
78
79“Then I’ll sleep with you,” she said, burrowing her way into the quilt as she spoke.
80
81“I’ll get up then.”
82
83He rose abruptly.
84
85“Eh? So quickly!?”
86
87He stood, almost like he was passing Kaede on her way into the bed wearing her panda pyjamas. He moderated his escapism and returned to the living room. The morning news was still talking about the football.
88
89Kaede came pattering in just behind him.
90
91“Hey, Kaede.”
92
93“Yes?”
94
95“I’m going to ask something kind of weird.”
96
97“I-it’s not anything perverted, is it?”
98
99“It’s not.”
100
101“Y-you can’t do something like that, Onii-chan,” she said as she squirmed and covered her face, not listening to him.
102
103“Did you see this report yesterday?”
104
105“…The football report?” She asked, peeking through a gap in her fingers.
106
107“Yes.”
108
109“Umm, I didn’t?” Kaede almost asked, confused at what he was questioning and frowning slightly.
110
111“I figured… that’s fine then.”
112
113As he answered, Sakuta felt a sense of unease brewing in his stomach, like he was about to get involved in something bad.
114
115
116
117Still feeling like he was in some kind of delusion, Sakuta ate breakfast with Kaede, and still not understanding, left for school.
118
119Maybe it’ll become clear if I go outside?, he thought.
120
121“See you later, Onii-chan.”
122
123Kaede watched him leave with a smile. Contrary to his usual habits, he headed towards the station while paying careful attention to his surroundings. He walked past the flats and detached houses that lined the streets by the side of the park and crossed the bridge that came into sight onto the main street. As he approached the station itself, his sight was filled with business hotels and electronics wholesalers.
124
125Throughout Sakuta’s journey, there was nothing that stuck out to him. There were other commuters heading to the same Station as him, housewives putting out the rubbish and even the old man that ran the flower shop cleaning up around the store.
126
127It had taken him around ten minutes to walk to Fujisawa Station, right in the middle of the city of the same name, in the Kanagawa Prefecture. There were crowds of commuting workers and students walking to and fro around the area. The workers were transferring to the Tokaido Line and the students were streaming through the Odakyu ticket gate towards the Fujisawa Enoden station, the same as Sakuta would be. None of them seemed to falter in their walks, just briskly proceeding towards their destination. None of them even spared a sideways glance, Sakuta was the only one looking around restlessly, watching the actions of others.
128
129“Is it just me…?”
130
131As he passed through the ticket gate, he could feel a sense of unease prickling under his skin that this was indeed the case.
132
133He waited on the platform for two minutes before boarding the train as it arrived. It was old-fashioned, only four carriages long. The bell rang to warn of the doors closing and the train pulled away.
134
135After being rocked by the train for about fifteen minutes they had arrived at Shichirigahama Station on the coast, a few minutes walk from Minegahara High School, the school Sakuta attended. Other students in the same uniform milled out onto the platform. The scent of the salty sea breeze hit Sakuta as he stepped outside, a sign of the approaching summer. In another ten days, the beaches nearby would be opened and filled with people going to swim in the ocean.
136
137When he looked towards the sea, he could see the sails of several windsurfers that were making the most of the clear day within the rainy season. It was a familiar sight, with nothing particularly odd about it.
138
139The short road to the school was the same as always, packed with Minegahara High School Students. There were first-year boys messing around with their classmates, third-year students with textbooks in hand, girls chattering about the karaoke night they’d had after school the night before…
140
141Everywhere he looked, Sakuta could see nothing but the usual sights.
142
143There wasn’t a single conversation like:
144
145“Hey, isn’t this the second time today’s happened?”
146
147“Right? Me too, me too!”
148
149“It’s seriously freaking me out.”
150
151It was only Sakuta that walked in a daze, confused at a second twenty-seventh of June.
152
153
154
155“‘Sup, Sakuta. You’ve got bed-head again,” one of his only two friends, Kunimi Yuuma, called out to him after he passed through the school gate and in to the school proper.
156
157Yuuma had come from training with the basketball club, and was wearing knee-length jogging shorts and a T-shirt. There were many students in sports clubs that would go to lessons in that kind of outfit and not wear their uniform for the entire school day, Yuuma was one of them.
158
159“It’s a hairstyle.”
160
161“A fresh trend, huh?” Yuuma returned with a smile. This was normal too… in fact, Sakuta remembered this conversation, it was exactly the same as the one he remembered from ‘yesterday’.
162
163Sakuta fell silent.
164
165“What’s up, Sakuta?”
166
167“…Nothing.”
168
169“Seriously, what is it?”
170
171“I’m just pissed off you’re so popular.”
172
173“Huh? What’s with that?”
174
175Sakuta said nothing about how this was the second time the day had happened and just followed the conversation along until they reached the classroom.
176
177
178
179The four classes Sakuta had that morning: Maths, Physics, English, and Japanese, along with the topics covered were also identical to yesterday. Even the Maths teacher’s sing-song “This’ll be on your exam”, the Physics teacher’s lame jokes, the English teacher’s “Listen to me, Mister Azusagawa” and the lipstick on the Japanese teacher’s collar were all the same as Sakuta had experienced ‘yesterday’.
180
181As time passed, Sakuta’s doubts began to solidify into a conviction.
182
183Just my memories returned to yesterday.
184
185That concept turned the seemingly peaceful scenes of the classrooms into something eerie. Was it the world that had gone mad, or Sakuta himself?
186
187“It’s the world, obviously,” he said to himself.
188
189His body felt entirely normal, grounded in reality, with nothing making it seem like he was in a dream.
190
191Still wrestling with this, lunch arrived.
192
193“If today is yesterday…”
194
195Sakuta had an important promise to fulfil that lunch break, and so to make sure of that he left the second year classroom.
196
197
198
199Ten minutes later, Sakuta was sitting within an open classroom on the third floor of the school. The sea was visible from the window and sitting across the desk from him was Sakurajima Mai, a third-year student and his senior.
200
201She had a cool expression on her beautiful face. Her looks would put actresses to shame… actually; she was an actress herself, a performer with pure talent that had acted since her childhood. She was a celebrity with nationwide fame. For the last year or so she had been on a hiatus, but had recently resumed her activities.
202
203Atop the desk between them was a lunch that she had made for Sakuta, the same food that he had eaten the day before.
204
205Seasoned and fried chicken, fried eggs, seaweed and simmered beans, and potato salad garnished with cherry tomatoes.
206
207Item by item, he used his chopsticks to ferry them to his mouth to taste. They were slightly under-seasoned, but they all had gentle flavours. It wasn’t just the appearance, the taste itself was the same as in his memories.
208
209In utter confusion at what was happening, Sakuta didn’t say a word.
210
211“Does it not taste good?”
212
213“Hm?”
214
215Sakuta raised his head in response to Mai’s voice, meeting her frowning eyes. She wasn’t hiding her displeasure in the slightest and her glare was beating into him. Lost in thought, Sakuta had completely forgotten to give his impressions of the lunch. Or rather, because he had the memory of having done so, he’d thought that he had already.
216
217“It’s really tasty,” he assured her.
218
219“It doesn’t look like you think that at all.”
220
221“It really is. So much so I want to eat it every day.”
222
223“I won’t be taken in by some Showa-style proposal. What exactly were you thinking while you were eating my lunch?”
224
225Mai was sharp.
226
227“I was just chewing over how happy being able to eat your cooking made me.”
228
229He didn’t think he should speak to Mai about what was going on in this situation. He himself didn’t really know what was going on, so telling Mai his vague impressions like that would just make her worry needlessly.
230
231“Hmmm,” Mai noised doubtfully.
232
233“Mai-san, can I ask you something strange?”
234
235“Something perverted?” Kaede had done the same, why did everyone always jump to that? It was vexing in the extreme. “I won’t tell you what colour underwear I’m wearing.”
236
237“I’m enjoying myself just imagining that, so it’s fine.”
238
239“Uwah, you creep,” he’d meant it as a joke, but Mai recoiled, “so, what was the weird thing?”
240
241“What am I to you, Mai-san?”
242
243“Just a cheeky junior,” she answered without a moment’s hesitation, making sure to emphasise the ‘just’ to bother Sakuta.
244
245“...I see. Then what do you think you are to me?”
246
247“A beauty… that you have an unrequited love for, your very kind senpai that you long for from the bottom of your heart.”
248
249“That’s right,” as he spoke he ferried some egg to his mouth and chewed on it. It was an awful shame, but the relationship between them had returned to what it was before, even though she had agreed to go on a date with him.
250
251They should have been boyfriend and girlfriend, but he had regressed back to being a cheeky junior. However, if some strange phenomenon was getting in the way of Sakuta’s romance, he just had to get another date with Mai.
252
253He couldn’t start sulking at a setback that was this minor, surrender was unthinkable.
254
255“That really was a strange question, seriously, why?” Mai looked doubtfully at him.
256
257“I thought I should make sure I know what the situation is before going forwards,” Sakuta dodged the question with what seemed like a plausible reason. He hadn’t lied, he really did want to know what was going on with this incomprehensible situation.
258
259“I sort of doubt it,” Mai said as she narrowed her eyes, peering at his face.
260
261“More importantly, Mai-san.”
262
263“Don’t avoid the topic.”
264
265“I love you, please go out with me.” Sakuta continued as if he couldn’t hear her.
266
267Mai kept staring steadily at him.
268
269“I said don’t avoid the topic.”
270
271“I’d rather you didn’t ignore my confession too.”
272
273“I’m tired of hearing it though.”
274
275“I see… it’s a failed love then. I guess I’ll have to look for someone else then.”
276
277“Hey, wa-”
278
279“Thank you for everything until now,” he interrupted her with a polite bow and a deep, disappointed sigh of unrequited love.
280
281“I-I didn’t say no… What, are you giving up!?” Mai glared at him with a pout.
282
283“You will then?”
284
285“Ugh… you’re so cheeky even though you’re just you.”
286
287“You will?” He asked again, not giving up.
288
289“...Yeah,” she answered in a barely audible voice with a small nod, “I will.”
290
291Then, as if to hide her embarrassment, Mai wordlessly stuffed a fried egg in her mouth. It was such an adorable act that Sakuta felt a chill go through his body.
292
293“Mai-san.”
294
295“W-what?”
296
297“Can I hug you?”
298
299“What’s your reason,” Mai asked guardedly, her eyes upturned as she peeked at him.
300
301“Because you’re really cute right now.”
302
303“No then, absolutely not.”
304
305“Ehh?”
306
307“You look like you’d just use that and push me down… Besides, that’s not something I can just say ‘yeah, sure’ to.”
308
309Mai’s grumblings continued from there.
310
311
312
313Their lunch date drew to a close with the warning bell for classes and the pair of them parted to their respective classrooms.
314
315During his journey, Sakuta saw someone familiar on one of the landings on the staircase he took. She had a short bob-cut as was currently in vogue, and a faint dusting of makeup on her cheeks to add a hint of colour, giving a soft impression of her overall expression.
316
317Her name was Koga Tomoe.
318
319She was a student in the year below Sakuta, who had mistaken him for a pervert. The meeting had left such an impression he could remember her name. At the time, he had just been trying to help a lost child find her mother, purely out of the kindness of his heart, but even so, she had yelled ‘Drop dead, you lolicon pervert!’ and given him a sharp kick to the backside.
320
321She was the same person, but seemed to have her head meekly down. Looking more closely, he saw that she was standing in front of someone. A tall, slim boy. He was still well built and was probably in a sports club. He had brown hair, and had trodden down the heels of his indoor shoes. His uniform was rather worn, so he was probably a third-year, the quintessential good looking guy.
322
323“Maesawa-senpai… what did you want to talk about?” Tomoe looked up nervously. Apparently, the male was called Maesawa.
324
325“Say, would you like to go out with me?”
326
327“Eh!?”
328
329“You don’t want to?”
330
331“A-ah, um, uh… let me think about it for a while,” Tomoe replied in disarray.
332
333“Got it, I’ll wait for your answer,” Maesawa replied smoothly before climbing the stairs. Bumping into him would be bothersome, so Sakuta quickly stepped out into the corridor.
334
335“She’s popular. Well, she’s cute,” normally Sakuta would have hoped it ended poorly, but was in the mood to celebrate others’ happiness today. After all, he’d gotten Mai to agree to date him. “Now… if only tomorrow comes, things’ll be perfect.”
336
337That was Sakuta’s greatest worry right now.
338
339
340
341That night, Sakuta had tired of doing the same thing, so decided to put an idea into practice, an all-nighter.
342
343When he had woken that morning, it was to the day before, so what would happen if he didn’t sleep? So all he would have to do is not sleep and wait until tomorrow.
344
345
346
347When it reached two in the morning, Sakuta bit back a yawn as he turned the TV on for a distraction. A football match was playing out on the screen. The players were wearing dark blue shirts, so they were the Samurai Blue, Japan’s national team, and their first string as well.
348
349“Seriously, they’re playing two days running…” Even if they had a packed schedule, the rules should mean they had at least three days between each match… “Hmm?”
350
351Something drew Sakuta’s attention. As he watched the match develop, he realised what it was.
352
353“I’ve seen this,” he murmured to himself.
354
355It was just before the first half finished… Number 10 took a pass in the centre and dribbled the ball rapidly up the pitch into the opposing team’s half. As he dodged two players, one of their opponents kicked him from behind. The whistle blew just a little before the penalty area, giving Japan a chance at a free kick.
356
357It was the same scene he had watched that morning on the news highlights. But the word LIVE was emblazoned across the upper right of the screen, so what was being shown was a satellite transmission from the match as it happened at that very moment, on the opposite side of the Earth.
358
359“…That’s a funny joke.” He rushed back to his room to check the clock. Together with the time of ten minutes past two in the morning, the date ‘June 27th’ was displayed on its face.
360
361Sakuta didn’t say a word. He had let his guard down, thinking it was already tomorrow, and instead returned to yesterday.
362
363Going back to the living room, Sakuta watched the match. At the referee’s whistle, Number 4 took a run up and kicked the ball. The ball would find its home in that net… but just as that seemed inevitable, the powerful shot rebounded out onto the field from the crossbar, where it was swept up and cleared by a tall opposing defender, denying Japan the point.
364
365“Huh? What?” Things had gone differently than Sakuta had thought, and he remembered a conversation he had had with his friend, Futaba Rio.
366
367
368
369“So, it’s like… if the Japanese football team have a match and if I just check the news then they won, but if I went and watched they lost?”
370
371“You should never watch football again for the sake of our team. Don’t look twice.”
372
373
374
375That was when they were talking about something like… observation having an influence on the result, he thought.
376
377“No, there’s no way…”
378
379Just watching the match wouldn’t make Japan lose.
380
381Practically praying for them, Sakuta kept watching the match until the final whistle, supporting them. Japan couldn’t make up their one point lag and finished the game that way, losing with a score of 0-1.
382
383The newscaster and live commentator looked back on several of the team’s near misses. Speaking of how the team had the bad habit of not following through on the decisive moments… it was a weak point of the Japanese team that was often talked about.
384
385The newscaster informed Sakuta about how the team now had to win the next match they had with a veteran country to get out of the group leagues.
386
387“I’ll have to speak to Futaba about this tomorrow… I guess it’s today actually, but also yesterday…”
388
389Sakuta could do nothing but hold his head in his hands as he sat alone in the living room in the depths of the night.
390
391
392
3932
394
395
396
397In the end, Sakuta realised that his vigil was meaningless and so slept soundly until the morning… where he still hadn’t given up and stubbornly turned the TV on, Japan’s narrow defeat was being broadcast again.
398
399“It’s really not my fault, right?”
400
401With an oddly guilty conscience, Sakuta left thirty minutes earlier than usual.
402
403
404
405A mere thirty minutes made the neighbourhood seem strangely different, like the air was somewhat cleaner, and with an odd change to the people milling around Fujisawa Station. There seemed like there were more workers. At his normal time, there were usually more uniform-clad students.
406
407The familiar ride on the Enoden made that all the more apparent with the lack of passengers.
408
409Obviously, the path from Shichirigahama Station to the school was empty. Sakuta was the only passenger alighting at the station. During rush hour, Minegahara students would form a column and parade along the road.
410
411It felt like another place entirely.
412
413
414
415Sakuta changed into his indoor shoes in the deserted entrance hall. The lack of people changed the atmosphere of the school, it was dead quiet and could even be called tranquil.
416
417As he took in those differences, Sakuta passed by the stairs and headed for the physics lab.
418
419“Futaba, you here?” He questioned as he opened the door.
420
421The girl in question was in front of the board. She was a petite girl, wearing a white coat on top of her uniform. This was one of Sakuta’s only two friends… Futaba Rio.
422
423She didn’t spare Sakuta a glance and instead gave a melancholic sigh. Regardless, Sakuta took a seat opposite her across the desk.
424
425On the surface between them was a beaker with toast placed atop it, and a coffee cup with steam curling from it. The toast had dark lines in it from the grill. Apparently, she was about to have breakfast. The science club was a little too laid back with Rio as its only member. Rio bit into the piece of toast in her hands, releasing the scent of warm bread with a crunch.
426
427“Say…” Sakuta started.
428
429“No.”
430
431“I didn’t even say anything yet,” he protested.
432
433“You’ve gone out of your way to come here so early, it’s going to be something irritating, right?”
434
435She really was sharp, he thought. But then again, anyone would know something was wrong in this situation.
436
437“I come bearing news of a fascinating phenomenon.”
438
439“And that’s exactly what I mean by irritating,” Rio waved him off, unreachable, “go away.”
440
441Rio nibbled angrily at the crust of her toast. She was normally dispassionate, but she was particularly prickly today and so was probably in a bad mood in the first place.
442
443“What about you actually, did something happen?” Sakuta was concerned about it, so asked after her first.
444
445“Why do you think that?” Rio finally looked at him, her eyes peering vigilantly from behind the lenses of her glasses.
446
447“‘Cause you’re pissed.”
448
449“I’m not…” but as she denied it, she seemed to give up on evading the question and gave a long sigh, “Well, I guess lettering you laugh at it is better than just worrying about it alone.”
450
451Rio seemed to be muttering to herself as she looked off into the distance.
452
453“The hell?”
454
455She seemed unsure whether to be positive or negative about it.
456
457“I rode the train with Kunimi this morning.”
458
459“Did he try and grope you?” Sakuta asked, his gaze inevitably dropping to her full breasts.
460
461“Kunimi wouldn’t do that.”
462
463“Stop looking at me like you want to say ‘unlike you’.”
464
465“Don’t look then,” Rio said as she moved sideways to try and hide her chest. She obviously didn’t like it, so Sakuta decided to make as much effort as he could to not look.
466
467“And so? You rode the train with Kunimi and then what?”
468
469“Then nothing, I just… I just dislike myself for being happy that a boy with a girlfriend spoke to me.” Rio said with a self-deprecating smirk.
470
471“That’s just a girlish concern.”
472
473“And if you had spoken to me, it would have just been a fly buzzing in my ear.”
474
475“Was that really necessary?”
476
477It definitely wasn’t in his opinion, but then if he could anger her out of her funk, it didn’t really matter.
478
479“I guess I’m getting worse and worse.”
480
481Rio put the last of the crust in her mouth and took a long draught from her coffee cup before letting out a deep breath.
482
483“What if you just say it?” Sakuta suggested.
484
485“Say what?” Rio asked in turn, trying to slip past the question even though she knew exactly what he meant.
486
487“‘I like you.’”
488
489“…To who?” She hesitated this time. Even if she asked, she knew what name would leave Sakuta’s lips.
490
491“To Kunimi, obviously,” Sakuta told her, looking steadily into her eyes so she couldn’t avoid it.
492
493Rio pouted silently for a moment, and just when he thought she was going to turn sideways on her chair and look away from him, she spoke sulkily.
494
495“I don’t want your logic.”
496
497“Sorry.”
498
499“You should be.”
500
501“Are you going to just keep on like that, Futaba? I think you should do it before you get worse.”
502
503Sakuta knew that she bothered coming in so early for club activities so she could meet Yuuma. And yet, whether or not she could, she was like this.
504
505“I said I don’t want your logic,” Rio sighed again, deeply enough to fill an entire balloon, her expression melancholic, “if I did, it’d bother him.”
506
507“Go ahead and bother him, the chill bastard that he is.”
508
509“I wish I was as insensitive as you, Azusagawa.”
510
511“If you compliment me so much, I’ll start blushing.”
512
513“I rest my case.”
514
515“Men are creatures that rejoice at girls abusing them.”
516
517“That’s just low-lifes like you,” she retorted.
518
519“Kunimi’s girlfriend is pretty insensitive too.
520
521She had said ‘I feel sorry for Yuuma, being with an outcast like you’ right to his face. However you looked at that, it was Sakuta people should feel sorry for, for having something like that said to him. Her name was Kamisato Saki. She was in the same class as Sakuta, 2-1, and while not his type, she was popular with the boys and known for her looks. She was the core of cute and popular clique in the class. The exact opposite of Rio, who was plain and made a habit of working away in the labs alone.
522
523“Say, Azusagawa.”
524
525“What?”
526
527“You really are insensitive, talking about her.”
528
529“You need desperate measures. If you don’t like it, admit defeat already.”
530
531“Someone like you shouldn’t be right.”
532
533Rio knew that that was the only solution. She knew that but didn’t put it into practice; because if she put it into words, it would be over.
534
535“I’m the only one that would say things like that.”
536
537“That you yourself admit that just makes you even worse,” Rio smiled in faint amusement, her mood seeming to have changed some, “What did you want to speak about then?”
538
539“I’m worried that tomorrow will never come.”
540
541“There’s no bright future waiting for you anyway, so that’s fine isn’t it?”
542
543He’d given a straight answer, but got a verbal shot in the gut as a result.
544
545“It’s not even slightly fine. I have a rosy future ahead of me.” He’d start dating Mai this afternoon, so it was no exaggeration to call it a rosy future. “Anyway, today is yesterday and yesterday’s today.”
546
547“Could you actually tell me in a way a human can understand?”
548
549“I’m a human too,” he defended.
550
551“Even though you’re a low-life pig?”
552
553“Hey, that’s… ah, whatever. Uhm…” Sakuta gave up arguing and started explaining the bizarre things that had happened to him from the beginning.
554
555
556
557Five minutes later, when Sakuta had finished his explanation, Rio let out a sleepy yawn.
558
559“So, what do you think, Futaba?”
560
561“This is what they’d call Middle School Syndrome.”
562
563“I’m in high school though.”
564
565“Fine, it’s High School Syndrome then.”
566
567“Man, that’s lazy.”
568
569Rio was acting like it was all too much effort. She brewed herself another cup of coffee, and drank it on her own.
570
571“If it’s not some delusion, then is it that Adolescence Syndrome that you love so much?” Rio suggested, once more in a lazy tone of voice.
572
573“I don’t love it at all.”
574
575Adolescence Syndrome was the general name of a set of strange phenomena that were discussed on the net, false rumours of ‘reading minds’, ‘having psychometry’ and other such occultish things. No one seriously believed it. But, Sakuta had experienced several things similar to that. This might be the same, he couldn’t think of any other explanation.
576
577“Anyway, do something would you,” Sakuta appealed.
578
579“It’s you that’s going to have to do something.”
580
581“Why’s that?”
582
583“It certainly seems that I and the other seven billion people on the planet don’t think that it’s the third time today has happened.”
584
585Rio’s sidelong glance at the grounds outside indicated the baseball team running around. They were dripping with sweat and certainly didn’t seem to think that this was the third time. If they did, then they wouldn’t be steadily working on their training.
586
587“And this is about when I panic.”
588
589Rio had been using her phone and now showed the screen of search results. They keywords she had used were ‘June 27th’, ‘third time’, and ‘repeating’. Unfortunately, there were no real hits.
590
591“And so, I think this is probably an instance of Adolescence Syndrome caused by you,” Rio spoke smoothly, giving Sakuta the unpleasant news.
592
593“I’m not mentally unstable enough for Adolescence Syndrome, and I’m not really under any stress.” Those were the things suggested on the internet as causes of Adolescence Syndrome. The high stress from reality being against a person, or the illusion thereof, was the most likely explanation. In essence, it was an escape from reality.
594
595“Well, it’s fine if you’re not self-aware,” apparently Rio was certain that Sakuta was causing it, “whatever the cause, if you’ve got any other ideas as to what’s going on, go ahead and say them.”
596
597“What do you mean?”
598
599“If your explanation is accurate, then I think you’re looping through time.”
600
601“Yeah, that’s about right,” he answered.
602
603Time-loops themselves were fairly common in Sci-Fi stories.
604
605“It might be better if you didn’t get caught up in that concept.”
606
607“Why?”
608
609“There’s a lot of problems with returning to the past,” seeing as she didn’t say that it was impossible meant that there was some theory for it, “the multiple days that are all ‘June twenty-seventh’ that you experience might seem like looking into the future from before that.”
610
611Rio had come out with an outrageous statement. It didn’t seem like words that would come from a girl that had said it was difficult to go to the past.
612
613“That sounds like you’re easily accepting clairvoyance.”
614
615“It’s far more likely than returning to the past.”
616
617“Seriously?”
618
619“All that said, this is an idea from before quantum mechanics came into use… back from classical physics.” Sakuta made a noise of consideration at Rio’s words. “Have you heard of Laplace’s Demon?”
620
621“Unfortunately I’m not acquainted with any demons.”
622
623“If you don’t know, that’s fine… Everything that exists within this universe falls under the same laws of physics, that’s fine, right?”
624
625“Yeah, that’s just physics, right?”
626
627“It is. If you put those laws into formulae and carry out the calculations, you can predict the future state of a system.”
628
629It was a simple explanation, but it didn’t seem to be the case in reality and so Sakuta cocked his head to the side.
630
631“To put it clearly, if you knew the position and momentum of every atom… their mass and velocity that is, with those you could use classical formulae to derive their future state. It uses things that you learn in high school.”
632
633It was awfully unfortunate but Sakuta, despite going to the same school as Rio, didn’t have the foggiest idea what she was talking about. There were a myriad of questions he wanted to ask to check things.
634
635“All the atoms must be an absolutely huge number,” he started with. The number must be high enough you could call it infinite.
636
637“It is.”
638
639“So is it even possible to know all their positions and momenta?” It was hard to figure out how many grains of rice went into a rice-ball, let alone anything more.
640
641“At the very least, back then… in the nineteenth century, the physicists couldn’t do so. Even if they had been able to grasp all that information, calculating the results of the formulae from that vast amount of data would take a corresponding amount of time. So predicting a second in the future would take more than a second, so they couldn’t predict the near future.”
642
643“I get that.”
644
645Modern computers would probably find it impossible too.
646
647“So, the physicist Laplace thought of a fanciful existence that could do so.”
648
649“And that’s Laplace’s Demon?”
650
651Rio nodded slowly before continuing.
652
653“That demon has the ability to instantaneously know the positions and momenta of all atoms in existence, and to use that information to calculate the future. In other words, Laplace’s Demon can see everything in the future.”
654
655“Hmmmm,” Sakuta noised.
656
657“You don’t look like you agree.”
658
659“Nah, calculating the future would be fine, but then wouldn’t our thoughts change it? Can you call that foresight?”
660
661“Ah, so that’s what it was.”
662
663“You can’t predict emotions, right?”
664
665“You can,” Rio refuted clearly.
666
667“Huh?” Was the only thing that could leave Sakuta’s mouth.
668
669“Human bodies are made of atoms as well. If you know each of their positions and momenta, you can derive how the brain will change or how the person will feel.”
670
671“I see… I wish I hadn’t asked.”
672
673“If you follow through, you won’t in the end.”
674
675“Really? But from what you said… if you take emotions into account, then knowing the position and momentum of every atom at that moment, you could predict how things would develop, right?”
676
677“Right.”
678
679“Then wouldn’t that mean that the future was set?” If you knew all of the positions and momenta of atoms then everything else was just a matter of time, there was no need to measure anything else. In other words, nothing but time would change. Physics and maths would set fate in stone.
680
681“I’m impressed you realised that, well done, Azusagawa!” Rio praised him as if praising a child. “That’s exactly right, that’s what our conversation so far would imply.”
682
683“Then what? Whether or not I study for it, I’ll get the same mark on the exam next week?”
684
685“Not quite. The marks are certainly set. But it’s not from the choice between studying or not, really, whether you study or not itself is already decided.”
686
687“Hmm, ah, yeah.”
688
689The future being set would mean that.
690
691“Let’s say that you decided ‘the future is set, I won’t bother trying’ when you heard what I told you.”
692
693“Even then, wouldn’t Laplace’s Demon know I’d hear that and then try and fight against it?”
694
695“Exactly.”
696
697It was complicated, but he got it. But then…
698
699“Then aren’t our fates predestined?” He asked.
700
701“Have you forgotten what I started with?”
702
703“That you were super happy Kunimi talked to you.”
704
705“Die.”
706
707“Umm… that it was ‘from before quantum mechanics came into use’, right?”
708
709“If you remember, then don’t be facetious.” Rio glared slightly peevishly at him. A girlish expression unthinkable from her normal frank attitude. “I explained Schrödinger’s cat to you before.”
710
711“The one where the cat could be either alive or dead before you open the box?”
712
713That was what he had heard when he was asking about what was happening with Mai’s instance of Adolescence Syndrome.
714
715“Well, good job on remembering that much.”
716
717“Praise me more.”
718
719Rio ignored him and continued.
720
721“Do you remember that I explained that in quantum mechanics that the positions of atoms can only be determined probabilistically?”
722
723“I do now. To fix the position, you have to observe it… That’s it, right?”
724
725“It is. So, that observation is the key, to see you need light.”
726
727Rio took out a torch from a drawer and shone it on a baseball on the desk.
728
729“That’s finding out the position of the atom then?”
730
731“Right, but atoms are very small, so if they’re hit with light, their velocity changes.” Rio rolled the ball across the desk to the edge, where it fell and bounced twice, coming to rest at the chair leg. “And so, if finding an atom’s position changes its velocity, which means that to know the velocity, and thus momentum means that the position becomes probabilistic again. There’s no way to know both.”
732
733“That’s irritating.”
734
735“And now it’s clear that Laplace’s Demon was eradicated by quantum mechanics, which is proof that the future isn’t set. Aren’t you relieved now?”
736
737Honestly, he couldn’t really feel relieved. Sakuta himself didn’t really understand quantum mechanics and couldn’t put his confidence in something he didn’t really comprehend.
738
739“But quantum mechanics is about human observation, right?”
740
741“Of course it is.”
742
743“Then-”
744
745“I know what you want to say, that Laplace’s Demon is fundamentally beyond humans, so maybe it can know both,” Rio opened her mouth and forestalled him with a confident gaze.
746
747“Yeah, that’s just what I wanted to say.”
748
749“You can decide just how much better the demon is than humans.”
750
751Rio seemed to have gone through this conversation just to say that, and at the same time was saying that Sakuta himself was Laplace’s Demon.
752
753“I’m not a wicked demon like that.”
754
755“Just make sure you don’t get dissected.”
756
757“I’ll be fine as long as you don’t sell me out to some shady group of scientists.”
758
759“If I did that, maybe we wouldn’t be able to meet anymore,” Rio said with a glance down to her phone on the desk, “if you insist it’s not you, you need to find the real Laplace’s Demon.”
760
761“Where do you think it will be?”
762
763They weren’t taught how to find demons in their lessons at least.
764
765“The demon, along with you, will have memories of the repeating days, right? Then they might well take different actions than they did the last June twenty-seventh I would guess.”
766
767“Ahh, I see…” Rio was exactly right, noticing that would make it fairly likely that the person would try to act against it, or be bewildered at the situation.
768
769Although with that said, he had no real goal, not knowing where to search.
770
771Sakuta shouldered his bag and stood, reaching out a hand to help Rio up, but she just said.
772
773“Go ahead.”
774
775“Thanks then,” he said, and as he got to the door and went to leave, he remembered something and stopped there, “Ah, right, Futaba?”
776
777“What?”
778
779“If today happens again, do you want me to make it so you don’t meet Kunimi this morning?”
780
781In that case, Rio wouldn’t have looked so melancholic that morning.
782
783Rio remained silent in thought for a moment.
784
785“You don’t need to worry,” she said with a faint smile, “I’ll be doing something myself about it.”
786
787“That’s right, you owe me a lot, so I’ll need to make sure you pay me back.”
788
789“I’ll remember the interest too.”
790
791Sakuta left the physics lab behind as Rio watched him with a cynical smile.
792
793
794
7953
796
797
798
799“You need to find the real Laplace’s Demon.”
800
801Rio had told him that, but where on Earth did he begin? He didn’t have even an estimation of who the demon would be, and on top of that, there was no guarantee that it would be anywhere near him. At worst, it could be someone that lived on the other side of the world.
802
803“It’s the end if they are…”
804
805He was a mere high school student, he didn’t have the slack in his budget to cross the world or even have a passport. His prospects were grim. Actually, bleak would perhaps be a better term.
806
807His mood had plummeted.
808
809Even so, he headed to the third-floor classroom when lunch time rolled around to fulfil the promise to have lunch with Mai in the empty room.
810
811Right now, the most important thing to Sakuta was dating Mai. Even that was being wiped from existence. Once more, that time would come for him to eat Mai’s handmade food and confess to her. It had at least the one saving grace of being enjoyable in and of itself.
812
813Sakuta cheerfully slid the classroom door open. At which point, he heard sounds from within what he was sure was a deserted classroom. Looking, he could see a skirt-clad backside in the shadows of the teacher’s desk. Apparently, they were trying to hide themselves. A strong sense of foreboding ran down his back.
814
815This hadn’t happened the first or second times. On both occasions, Sakuta had arrived right at the start of lunch, followed slightly later whereupon they had an enjoyable lunch. Nobody had interrupted them, and Sakuta hadn’t encountered anyone but Mai in the room.
816
817And so this was a different development than the first or second times he had lived the day, the influence of someone taking different actions.
818
819Rio’s words from that morning passed through his mind.
820
821“The demon, along with you, will have memories of the repeating days, right? Then they might well take different actions than they did the last June twenty-seventh I would guess.”
822
823And then in front of his eyes was a situation that fit those words to a T.
824
825“There you are, Laplace’s Demon,” spoke Sakuta, and in response, the hiding girl timidly peeked her head out, like some tiny animal edging out of their nest and checking for danger.
826
827Sakuta recognised that face. It was framed by a trending short bob cut and had large, round eyes and a dusting of makeup that gave a soft, cute impression. A ‘with-it’ aura emanated from her entire body, showing her to be a high school girl that fit the image conjured by the term, the high school girl.
828
829She had her smartphone, with a salmon-pink case, in one hand, and her mouth was open to begin speaking. This was the first year, Koga Tomoe.
830
831She was slight, even for a girl and there seemed to be not much to her, so she looked rather weak to be called a demon. She was an imp at best, a petite devil.
832
833The sea breeze blowing in from the open window made Tomoe’s hair and skirt sway slightly before she broke the silence.
834
835“Satou Ichirou.”
836
837“That’s an alias I use to hide from the world,” Sakuta replied, surprised that she had remembered the fake name he had given when he first introduced himself. Apparently, she was the type that remembered someone’s name when they met, unlike Sakuta.
838
839“…You’re Azusagawa-senpai, yeah?” She asked, with an uncertain upward glance.
840
841“Azusagawa Sakuta, second year.”
842
843“I am Koga Tomoe. A first year,” she said, switching to a forced polite tone, giving a meeker impression.
844
845“You can talk casually, we’re backside-kicking-buddies after all.”
846
847“Forget about that!” Tomoe’s cheeks puffed up into a pout, back to the image Sakuta had of her. Perhaps remembering the pain from then, Tomoe’s hands covered her backside, taking a pose that didn’t seem to fit an underclassman.
848
849“Koga, I’ve got an awkward question.”
850
851“What?”
852
853“How many times have you lived today?”
854
855Tomoe’s eyes widened at Sakuta’s question, darting left and right with both surprise and a little unease.
856
857“It’s my third,” he offered.
858
859At that, she gave a nod and then said:
860
861“It’s my third too,” raising three fingers. At that moment, her expression instantly morphed into tears and before Sakuta could even react carried on with, “It… wasn’t just me.”
862
863Tears began to fall from her face and she fell to the floor out of either relief or being overwhelmed.
864
865“What the hell is this!?” She yelled.
866
867“Who knows.”
868
869“Why is the day repeating!?”
870
871“I dunno.”
872
873“Why don’t you know!?”
874
875“I can’t help not knowing things.”
876
877Her earlier relief went back to unease.
878
879“I thought you could help me, give me back my tears!”
880
881“Just go drink some water from the tap.”
882
883“What do I do now?” She asked, Sakuta actually wanted to ask that himself. “What’m I gonna do?” She asked again, in an unfamiliar tone. She didn’t seem to understand the cause of the situation she was in, you could call her clueless.
884
885“Why are you so calm!?” She demanded now, crapping hold of his collar and shaking him.
886
887“Is panicking going to help?”
888
889“It won’t, but it’s natural to.”
890
891“Is it?”
892
893“It is, you’re off, Senpai. I guess a deviant that confesses in front of the whole school would be though.”
894
895“I think calling someone else ‘off’ right to their face is plenty off as well.”
896
897“Shuut uuup!”
898
899“Just in case you do, do you have any idea what’s going on?”
900
901“Not a clue.”
902
903“Nothing?”
904
905“I-I don’t know at all.”
906
907“You’re useless.”
908
909“No, that’s you!” She insisted.
910
911“You had anything unpleasant or worrying on your mind recently?”
912
913“Why do I have to tell you about that? Ah, a message.” She immediately looked at her phone.
914
915“Because… this seems like it’s Adolescence Syndrome. If it’s caused by an unstable mental state from you, solving that cause should solve this too.”
916
917“Adolescence Syndrome… Senpai, are you all there?” She asked mockingly, her gaze still fixed on her phone as she slid her fingers around the screen, busily tapping away. “That’s just some rumour online. I can’t believe you believe it.”
918
919The reason Sakuta believed it existed was because of his unbelievable experiences of such phenomena in the past.
920
921The instance that involved his sister Kaede was the first. Just seeing the cruel posts and messages from her classmates caused bruises on her skin like she had been struck, and he had seen the cuts that looked like she had been sliced with a knife with his own eyes.
922
923A month prior, he’d seen the circumstances around Mai, and forgotten her. And now, this situation followed the trend.
924
925“I know how you feel, but after living the same day three times, I doubt that Adolescence Syndrome is just an urban legend.”
926
927“Ugh, that’s right…” There was a limit to escaping reality and asking yourself if you were dreaming. With Tomoe in the same situation, it was getting more and more realistic. It might just be seeing the future as Rio suggested, but it certainly felt physically real.
928
929“Also, quit messing while we’re talking,” Sakuta scolded as he yanked the phone from Tomoe’s hands.
930
931“Ah, give it back!” Tomoe shouted as she bounced and reached for the phone where Sakuta was holding it above her head, out of her short reach, “I won’t talk and use it!”
932
933She was admitting her fault, so he returned it.
934
935“Here.”
936
937Like a cautious wild animal, she darted her hand forward and seized the phone, immediately starting to use it in silence.
938
939The silence stretched between them for several moments.
940
941“So you’re stopping the talking?”
942
943“Quiet, you’re distracting me.”
944
945“Man, you girls.”
946
947And so, Sakuta waited for about twenty seconds.
948
949“What was it then?” Tomoe asked, finally looking up from the screen.
950
951“You had anything unpleasant or worrying on your mind recently? It might give us a hint on how to break through the twenty-seventh.”
952
953“…Hmmm.” She furrowed her brow, thinking seriously, and after a good ten seconds, continued with a slight blush, deadly serious. “I’ve put on some weight.”
954
955Looking at her, Tomoe was rather dainty and slight. She could be called slender in multiple senses of the word.
956
957“W-what are you looking at me like that for?” She questioned tremulously.
958
959“It’s okay. If anything, you’re too thin anyway. If you put some weight on, you might get some meat on that washboard of yours.”
960
961“It all just goes to my stomach and backside.”
962
963Now that she said it, her waist and backside were both a reasonable thickness.
964
965“Apparently they grow bigger if you fondle them.”
966
967“I’ve already tried that,” she insisted, her hands unconsciously cupping her chest, headless of Sakuta’s gaze.
968
969“Give up then. Guys don’t love girls for their chest anyway. Anything else? Something less pointless?”
970
971“Swimming classes are starting so this isn’t pointless at all! I don’t have a bust, no hourglass figure, summer is hell…”
972
973She seemed to be about to continue when her eyes went wide again and she went silent before letting out a small sound as she looked behind Sakuta… towards the corridor.
974
975“H-hide!” She insisted, dragging him by the arms and pushing him under the teacher’s desk.
976
977“What are you playing at?”
978
979“Just do it!”
980
981Tomoe followed him into the narrow space under the desk. Practically straddling Sakuta as he lay on the floor.
982
983This was probably some kind of game popular with the first years. Sakuta really didn’t understand the youth.
984
985His questions in mind, he looked at what was happening and could see a boy looking in from the open door. It was the third-year that had confessed to Tomoe on the last today… She’d called him Maesawa-senpai, he thought.
986
987“Pull your head in!”
988
989Tomoe grabbed his face between her hands and pulled him back under.
990
991“He’s looking for you, isn’t he?”
992
993“I think so… but I sent a message saying I had some appointment this lunchtime…”
994
995“An appointment? Doesn’t look like you do,” Sakuta teased liltingly.
996
997“That’s sorta what I said.”
998
999In other words, she’d lied to him.
1000
1001“Quit beating around the bush, go get confessed to.”
1002
1003“How do you know about that!?”
1004
1005“I saw you last time.”
1006
1007Tomoe’s small face was right in front of Sakuta. The breaths coming from her glossy pink lips were tickling his cheeks and he shifted so that there wasn’t any contact between the two of them in awkward places.
1008
1009The motion startled Tomoe and she let out a slight scream as if she had been jabbed somewhere sensitive, but the cause was different. It was her phone vibrating in her hand, the backlight coming to life with another message.
1010
1011“What kind of play is this supposed to be?” Sakuta asked.
1012
1013Concentrating on her phone, Tomoe didn’t reply.
1014
1015While he was waiting for her to finish, his gaze drifted down and he noticed her skirt had ridden up and he could see the white cloth at the base of her right leg.
1016
1017“Oi, Koga.”
1018
1019“Later.”
1020
1021“I can see your underwear.”
1022
1023“Now’s not the time,” she dismissed his warning.
1024
1025“I don’t get girls,” he lamented.
1026
1027Apparently, sending some message was more important than her sense of virtue. With no other recourse, he reached out and fixed her skirt for her. Now all he could see were her thighs.
1028
1029In the meanwhile, she seemed to have finished her texting.
1030
1031“Why are we hiding?” He asked.
1032
1033There shouldn’t have been any need for Sakuta to hide as well.
1034
1035“Because… Rena-chan looks up to Maesawa-senpai,” Tomoe answered in a quiet voice, her gaze saying ‘you should get it now’. Sakuta, on the other hand, didn’t understand at all and so of course answered with:
1036
1037“Huh?”
1038
1039Tomoe parroted him before questioning him.
1040
1041“How can you not get it?”
1042
1043“Because you’ve not really explained it.”
1044
1045“Well, um… I often go with Rena-chan to watch the basketball club practice.”
1046
1047“And who’s this Rena-chan again?”
1048
1049She was probably some nationally famous actor or something.
1050
1051“My friend… Kashiba Rena-chan. She said he’s handsome and… I just go with her…”
1052
1053At that point, Tomoe started mumbling.
1054
1055“And you’re more his type?”
1056
1057“…Y-yeah,” she said with a slow nod.
1058
1059“And do you like him?”
1060
1061“No… I don’t like popular guys.”
1062
1063“Then go get confessed to and reject him.”
1064
1065There was no need to keep hiding, she just needed to reject him. The cultural festival was approaching, so it would be fitting for a handsome guy that seemed like he’d suddenly start a band to get rejected.
1066
1067“That’d definitely get me ostracised! He’s the one that Rena-chan…’s friend likes, you know?”
1068
1069“Huh? What’s that about, it’s not like you’d be dating.”
1070
1071“Obviously I can’t get confessed to by him.”
1072
1073“I don’t get what you mean.”
1074
1075“I promised Rena-chan that I’d support her… and then if I got confessed to, that’d be completely missing the point,” Tomoe’s voice grew serious, “seriously, what do I do…?”
1076
1077Her face had paled and it certainly seemed like a crisis to her, from the bottom of her heart.
1078
1079“Did you give him the doe-eyes and seduce him that way?”
1080
1081“Of course not!”
1082
1083“We’ll get caught if you yell.”
1084
1085She was taken aback and now, albeit too late, covered her mouth with her hands.
1086
1087“A-anyway, you get it now, right?”
1088
1089He understood what she’d said, but couldn’t reconcile her sense of values.
1090
1091“Not in the slightest.”
1092
1093“Jeez, there’s no point talking to you!” Tomoe rose with her emotions. But of course, they were under the desk so she had to watch her head.
1094
1095“Ah, wait…”
1096
1097Sakuta’s immediate warning was too late and Tomoe’s head thunked into the desk. The impact was strong enough that it lifted off two of its legs, tipping away from the board.
1098
1099Tomoe was too slow to reach for it when she noticed, her hand whirled through the air, and the desk fell over with an almighty crash.
1100
1101Tomoe herself fell over, her feet caught in Sakuta’s legs where he was lying on the floor and she lost her balance, falling with a cry.
1102
1103Reflexively, Sakuta put his arms out to catch her. She was incredibly light, and definitely didn’t need to worry about her weight.
1104
1105“Honestly, you…”
1106
1107
1108
1109
1110
1111He was going to finish it with ‘should calm down a little’, but couldn’t end the sentence, because as he spoke he saw someone.
1112
1113He met the gaze of a boy in the doorway, the third-year he had seen earlier. Maesawa-senpai, who was apparently in the basketball club.
1114
1115The boy’s expression was unclear, with hints of confusion. It was understandable, from his point of view, Sakuta and Tomoe were holding each other on the floor of an empty classroom.
1116
1117“So this is what you mean. You have crap taste.”
1118
1119Apparently, he had massively misunderstood things. On top of that, he was being rather rude.
1120
1121“No, that’s not…” Sakuta began to try and explain, but his voice died out as he heard a sound from the other door into the room.
1122
1123His heart pounded in his chest, an unconscious reaction accompanying his panic. His instincts were screaming at him.
1124
1125Even without turning to check who had made the noise, Sakuta knew, he knew all too well.
1126
1127Haltingly, he turned to look.
1128
1129Just as he thought, Mai was standing there.
1130
1131There was a paper bag in her hand, containing the lunch she had made him. He even knew what was in that lunch, seasoned and fried chicken, fried eggs, seaweed and simmered beans, and potato salad garnished with cherry tomatoes…
1132
1133He knew all of that, but he was also sure that he wouldn’t be able to sample them today with a look at Mai’s eyes.
1134
1135She hadn’t moved a single step from the door and was watching him with cold eyes. Watching as he held Tomoe… Watching with an expression of complete disinterest…
1136
1137“It’s not what it looks like,” Sakuta tried to give her the cold hard truth. His mettle was being tested here, all he could do was remain calm and explain the reality of the matter without yelling.
1138
1139She gave no reply.
1140
1141He looked her right in the eyes, visually proclaiming his innocence.
1142
1143But she turned wordlessly on her heel.
1144
1145“Argh, wait, Mai-san!” He cried, pushing Tomoe to the side and rushing to his feet. Ignoring Tomoe’s own cry of pain as she hit her head on the desk on the floor, “Please let me explain.”
1146
1147“Don’t talk to me, you lolicon philanderer.”
1148
1149Those were the only words she spared him before walking away.
1150
1151“Argh, she’s seriously mad.”
1152
1153They definitely wouldn’t be eating together now, and confessing and getting something like ‘yeah, sure’ would be even harder.
1154
1155He let out a sigh of resignation.
1156
1157When he checked the other door, Maesawa-senpai had left too. Tomoe was still on the floor so he offered her a hand up.
1158
1159“T-thanks.”
1160
1161He then put that hand on her head and messed up her hair in revenge.
1162
1163“Wah! Hey!” She hurriedly moved away from him and then ran both of her hands through her hair, putting it back in order before glaring at Sakuta. “I get up at six to style that, every day!”
1164
1165Fashionable girls had really early mornings. He ignored Tomoe and took a deep breath.
1166
1167Panicking wouldn’t help. There was no meaning in getting worked up about what had happened. If he took the situation as it was, he should naturally be able to find a solution.
1168
1169“Well, whatever. I’m probably going to be repeating this anyway.”
1170
1171Tomoe certainly seemed to be Laplace’s Demon, but he couldn’t really say they had gotten to the bottom of it. Naturally, they hadn’t found any methods to begin solving it, so as far as Mai went, if tomorrow… or rather the fourth today went well then all would be solved. He would just need to be careful he didn’t end up holding Tomoe.
1172
1173Nothing more was needed, it was a wonderful solution.
1174
1175But come morning, Sakuta would regret the judgement he had made then and there…
1176
1177
1178
1179
1180CHAPTER 02
11811
1182
1183
1184
1185The next day found Sakuta standing dumbfounded in the living room. It was a few seconds after he had flipped the TV on for the short time before his toast would spring up.
1186
1187He had thought the program would be the same regardless, but there was a happy story on about finding ten-million yen buried in a garden.
1188
1189“Good morning, today is Saturday the twenty-eighth of June. I think we should start with an astounding story today…”
1190
1191The announcer was in his early forties and had the typical face of a breakfast show presenter. While he was still calm, his animated speech didn’t exactly grate on Sakuta and he just let the report drift in through his ears, so it took several seconds for him to comprehend the words, delivered with no real urgency.
1192
1193“…He just said the twenty-eighth, right?”
1194
1195“He did.”
1196
1197At some point in his introspection, his panda-pyjama clad sister Kaede had come to stand next to him and peer at his face.
1198
1199“He said Saturday, right?”
1200
1201“He did.”
1202
1203Sakuta gave no reply.
1204
1205“What’s wrong with that?”
1206
1207“Kaede, pinch my cheek.”
1208
1209“Sure, got it.” Kaede said, reaching out her hand and pinching his cheek, hard.
1210
1211“Ouch.”
1212
1213“I-I’m sorry.”
1214
1215“Nah, it’s fine.”
1216
1217It wasn’t fine at all; he thought, if this wasn’t a dream, it was reality, and because it had hurt that was probably the case. Without even the time to reconsider, tomorrow had come. It wasn’t a normal twenty-eighth of June either. Originally, Mai would have agreed to date him and today would have dawned with them as boyfriend and girlfriend. Yet despite all of that, they weren’t, and Mai had borne witness to a strange misunderstanding. Tomorrow had come in the worst possible way.
1218
1219“This isn’t funny anymore…”
1220
1221This was truly the sensation of falling from Heaven to Hell.
1222
1223Sakuta staggered over to the phone and lifted the receiver.
1224
1225“Onii-chan?” Questioned Kaede worriedly, only to get an absent-minded word of assurance as Sakuta dialled his friend’s number. Three rings later, the phone connected.
1226
1227“It’s Azusagawa.”
1228
1229“What do you want so early on a Saturday?”
1230
1231Rio’s clear voice showed that she had probably been up for a good while already regardless.
1232
1233“Build me a time machine,” he said bluntly.
1234
1235Immediately afterwards, the phone disconnected wordlessly. Maybe she had poor signal, this was why mobiles weren’t worth it, thought Sakuta as he quickly redialled.
1236
1237…However, regardless of how long he let the phone ring, there was no answer. Apparently, it had actually been intentional.
1238
1239His persistence was eventually rewarded when she answered on his tenth call.
1240
1241“If you say something stupid, I’ll hang up,” warned Rio.
1242
1243“I was deadly serious.”
1244
1245“I’m in the middle of changing though.”
1246
1247“How far through are you?” He asked immediately.
1248
1249“I just need to put my socks on,” she answered.
1250
1251“Huh, that’s an odd order.”
1252
1253“It’s a normal order, right?”
1254
1255“I start from my socks you know?”
1256
1257“That’s odd.”
1258
1259“It’s normal.”
1260
1261“So, what did you want?” Rio came back to the target.
1262
1263“Remember what we talked about yesterday? That thing about the day repeating.”
1264
1265“Congrats, you escaped yesterday.”
1266
1267“In the worst way, yeah.”
1268
1269“You found Laplace’s Demon?”
1270
1271“Well… probably, she’s a first-year at our school.”
1272
1273It was galling, but he had no recourse but to accept this as reality and look forward. First of all, he needed to think on what had let them escape yesterday.
1274
1275Repeating the same day over and over would have been unbearable.
1276
1277There were three main differences between the two loops and the final day. The first went without saying, Sakuta and Mai were no longer dating. There had been the unthinkable misunderstanding and she had been awfully offended…
1278
1279The second was another matter of romance: Koga Tomoe not being confessed to by Maesawa-senpai.
1280
1281The third was the football match result, they had won the first two times but lost on the third. Sakuta didn’t want to think that it was his fault for watching it live, but still felt a strange sense of responsibility.
1282
1283Using these conditions to discover Laplace’s Demon then there was a single conclusion, Koga Tomoe was the demon.
1284
1285“Why do you think that?” Was Rio’s answer when he told her so.
1286
1287“The culprit is the one that gains the most, that makes it obvious.”
1288
1289And on top of that, she was the only other person that had experienced the repetition.
1290
1291“There’s some logic to that.”
1292
1293Sakuta and the Japanese team had both taken a big hit, and Tomoe had benefited. She herself had said that the confession from Maesawa-senpai was an issue, and that a confession from the boy that her friend was attracted to would be completely ignoring the atmosphere…
1294
1295Without that confession, Tomoe’s worries were settled, at least for now. That’s why they had cleared the twenty-seventh and had now arrived on the twenty-eighth.
1296
1297Sakuta had an impression that this was the case, or at least he knew of no other reason. The problem was, however, this hadn’t truly solved anything.
1298
1299Maesawa-senpai had just misunderstood, once he realised the truth, he would probably confess again. And if that was the trigger for the repetition, the same day would come once more. He should notice that Sakuta and Tomoe didn’t have that kind of relationship. The previous month had seen Sakuta confess to Mai in front of the whole school, and seeing Sakuta and Tomoe normally would show they had no point of contact.
1300
1301Sakuta solving the issue with Mai and starting dating would do the same.
1302
1303As he reached that conclusion, Sakuta’s thoughts stopped with the realisation that he had fallen into an incredibly burdensome situation.
1304
1305“Azusagawa, do you know what this kind of thing is called?”
1306
1307“Yeah… Checkmate.”
1308
1309“Good luck then. I’m going to go put my socks on.”
1310
1311The phone disconnected with a click.
1312
1313“So your socks are more important than me…?”
1314
1315
1316
13172
1318
1319
1320
1321After he finished eating his breakfast with Kaede, Sakuta got dressed for the day. He was wearing his school uniform due to the tacit understanding that all the students would attend a morning of classes on Saturdays for half of the month to cover things that they couldn’t during the normal classes.
1322
1323Sometimes odd things like this had to be put in place to make up for the gaps between the national curriculum and necessary education for the real world.
1324
1325“I’m off then, Kaede.”
1326
1327“Right, see you later.”
1328
1329Kaede waved him off as Sakuta let loose a grandiose yawn and headed to school.
1330
1331The world was peaceful, no one was making a thing over the twenty-eighth arriving, and the only differences from a normal day were the lack of office workers and a slightly smaller number of people around the station.
1332
1333The journey aboard the Enoden from Fujisawa was the same, there were no people making statements like ‘it’s finally the twenty-eighth’, ‘I preferred the first twenty-seventh’, or ‘huh, so it really is the twenty-eighth’.
1334
1335The classroom was the same too, there were no oddities in the students when he looked at them from his window seat. Staring at them wouldn’t accomplish anything, so Sakuta turned his gaze to Shichirigahama beach.
1336
1337The sunlight was shining on the waves, and there was a beautiful gradient in the sky from blue to white, the perfectly flat line of the horizon stretching between the two.
1338
1339It was a pleasant scene.
1340
1341“Hey,” he heard a voice.
1342
1343Anyway, he’d go to apologise to Mai later. She probably wouldn’t forgive him easily, but there was no other way to break the current deadlock.
1344
1345“Are you listening?” The voice continued, apparently addressing Sakuta. He looked forward again and saw a girl standing in front of his desk.
1346
1347She was Kamisato Saki, and was standing with her arms crossed, looking down at him. She had a strong gaze, carefully done makeup and wore her uniform with the collar pulled down. She stood out within the class as the centre of the clique of the most popular girls, along with being Yuuma’s girlfriend.
1348
1349“It’s rather rude to ignore me, isn’t it?”
1350
1351“I didn’t think that you’d speak to me anymore,” he explained.
1352
1353“What’s that supposed to mean? You creep,” What did Yuuma see in her, Sakuta wondered. He didn’t understand his taste in girls. “Come to the roof after school, I need to talk to you.”
1354
1355Having given her arbitrary demand, Saki returned to her own seat. Around her seat were a group of four girls.
1356
1357“Did Azusagawa do something?” Asked one of them.
1358
1359“Poor Saki-chan,” commented another, continuing the odd conversation.
1360
1361Sakuta wanted someone to worry over him, as he was being treated like the one in the wrong.
1362
1363“It’s about Yuuma, it’s fine,” said Saki.
1364
1365“Ah. Oh yeah, I found this yesterday,” one of the girls answered, the topic changing to a fun app they had found the day before.
1366
1367“This is great!”
1368
1369“Yeah, let’s all do it!”
1370
1371“Yeah, yeah!”
1372
1373The group’s excited voices reverberated around the classroom from their position in the centre.
1374
1375There was another group of girls watching them from a distance, with clear expressions of displeasure on their faces. They didn’t put their complaints into words though, when it seemed like they might meet the gaze of the other group, they would turn their attention back to their own conversation.
1376
1377Social situations with girls seemed to be a little more complicated than between boys.
1378
1379As he considered that, Sakuta suddenly noticed something.
1380
1381The girls surrounding Saki were a slightly different group than the one from a few days ago. He looked around the classroom to ease his foreboding. There was a girl sitting in a seat towards the back of the room, not talking to anyone. She was a girl Sakuta was sure had been sitting with Saki the other day.
1382
1383Perhaps they’d had a falling out, it wasn’t an uncommon sight within the school. He wouldn’t normally worry about it, but this time, he couldn’t get it out of his mind.
1384
1385It might have been because she seemed to have a similar feeling about her to Tomoe.
1386
1387
1388
1389Once the hated first period of English was over, Sakuta stuck his head into Mai’s classroom. However, she wasn’t there, and nor was her bag at her seat.
1390
1391After attending the rest of the four lessons that day he looked in on the third-year class as they were about to leave, and she was indeed absent. When he asked one of the students just in case, he was told that she hadn’t come in today by a student holding their laughter in. The confession in front of the entire school was still showing its effects apparently.
1392
1393“Thank you for telling me,” he answered politely before leaving the third-year’s floor. As he was switching his shoes by the lockers, he had a feeling he had forgotten something.
1394
1395“Oh yeah, that,” he said to himself. Kamisato Saki had called him to the roof that morning.
1396
1397
1398
1399“You’re late,” she scolded him irritatedly when he arrived on the roof.
1400
1401“What’d you want then?” He asked bluntly, ignoring her anger. He had work after this, so he didn’t have much time and wanted to finish this annoyance quickly.
1402
1403“I told you to stay away from Yuuma.”
1404
1405“I’m sure I remember you telling me not to talk to him,” he retorted.
1406
1407“It’s the same thing.”
1408
1409“Ah, the same thing. I won’t forget it. Never in my life, probably.”
1410
1411That was how much impact her statement had. It was a rare experience to have someone be so openly hostile. Maybe this kind of thing was what had attracted Yuuma. Calling him up to the roof with none of her usual followers showed immense self-reliance.
1412
1413“Oh yeah, what’s up with that girl?”
1414
1415“Huh?”
1416
1417“That girl that separated off from your group?”
1418
1419“That’s got nothing to do with you,” she said, even more harshly. She was clearly angry, and it wasn’t directed at Sakuta, it was probably at the girl.
1420
1421“Did she steal a guy?”
1422
1423“She did,” She answered. Sakuta had meant it as a joke, but it evidently the truth. Saki’s boyfriend was Yuuma though, and he didn’t think that he would be swayed by another girl so easily. “Not mine,” she clarified, “she sneaked off and played with him on her own.”
1424
1425Sakuta didn’t really get the details, but he could somewhat understand the general situation from that.
1426
1427“More importantly, what’s with that girl in the lab?” She asked.
1428
1429“Huh?”
1430
1431“What kind of relationship does she have with Yuuma? They talk a lot.”
1432
1433Even without naming her, she was clearly talking about Rio. He wanted to just quietly set it aside, but the girl had a dangerous look in her eyes. How should he answer?
1434
1435“Ask Kunimi,” he settled on.
1436
1437“You get on with her too, yeah?”
1438
1439“I have no idea what you think’s happening.”
1440
1441“Just answer!”
1442
1443“You’re so touchy…” he barely avoided asking if she was on her period, swallowing his words and pausing before continuing with: “Are you constipated, Kamisato?”
1444
1445“Wah!?”
1446
1447“I mean, you’re so touchy.”
1448
1449“Die! Right now!”
1450
1451
1452
1453
1454
1455Saki’s face had gone bright red as she stormed from the roof, slamming the door behind her.
1456
1457“Eat more fibre,” he called after her. Unfortunately though, he didn’t think she’d heard his advice.
1458
1459
1460
1461This time, Sakuta did change his shoes by the lockers and left the school, exiting through the gate and boarding the Fujisawa-bound train from the platform, riding for about fifteen minutes.
1462
1463Alighting at the terminus of Fujisawa, he bought a curry bread just past the ticket gates and headed to work as he ate.
1464
1465“Good morning,” he greeted the manager, who was standing right by the till, as he entered the family restaurant.
1466
1467“Morning, good to see you in today.”
1468
1469“You too,” answered Sakuta as he suppressed a yawn, moving further inside, into the break area. The space behind the lockers here was used as the men’s changing room. The women had their own actual changing room, but… well, the world just wasn’t fair.
1470
1471“Hey, morning,” said Kunimi Yuuma as he stepped from behind the lockers.
1472
1473“‘Sup,” Sakuta answered as they swapped places and he began to change. “Kunimi?”
1474
1475He stripped off his uniform and put his arms and head through the restaurant uniform.
1476
1477“Hm?”
1478
1479“It’s irritating so I’ll just tell you straight up, your girlfriend came at me again today.”
1480
1481“Man, what a disaster,” Kunimi laughed, as if it was happening to someone else.
1482
1483“You need to choose, me or your girlfriend.”
1484
1485“Hey, what’s with giving the two extremes like that? I’ll phone her tonight.”
1486
1487“Please do, seriously.”
1488
1489Sakuta finished undressing from his school uniform and switching to the restaurant’s trousers.
1490
1491“Oh yeah, Kunimi.”
1492
1493“What now?”
1494
1495“There an older guy called Maesawa in the Basketball club?”
1496
1497“Hm? Yeah, Yousuke-senpai.”
1498
1499So his full name was Maesawa Yousuke, thought Sakuta to himself before asking: “What kind of person is he?”
1500
1501“Well, he’s the best basketball player at school.” While Yuuma spoke, Sakuta stepped out into the break room proper as he tied his apron. “He’s fairly popular too.”
1502
1503“Give me something that’ll make me hate him.”
1504
1505“What on Earth’s this about?” Kunimi asked with a mix of confusion and amusement. “You have a falling out?”
1506
1507“It’s hard to explain, but it’s bad for my conscience if I think he’s a good person.”
1508
1509Though it was an accident, there’d been a strange misunderstanding about his relationship with Tomoe and on top of that, the confession that would have normally happened had not. If he let it lie, it would eventually be discovered, but he still felt a little guilty. Even if the guy had been rather rude.
1510
1511“Well, I don’t like to speak badly of people, but…” Yuuma said before pausing. Apparently, he really didn’t want to gossip about people.
1512
1513“I get it, he’s got some kind of deviant hobby.”
1514
1515“I don’t know about that, but he was complaining his girlfriend wouldn’t put out so he was thinking of breaking up… He often insults his ex as well. Going like ‘I hope my new one doesn’t end up the same’.”
1516
1517If Yuuma would go as far to say that, then he really must be a worthless senior. Popularity might just be bad for people’s personalities.
1518
1519“Wait, he has a girlfriend?”
1520
1521“Yeah, some third year from another school. She’s pretty cute.”
1522
1523“Who’s cuter, her or Kamisato?”
1524
1525“Kamisato, obviously.”
1526
1527She should be thankful that her boyfriend would say something like that. For a moment, Rio’s face floated through his mind and he felt apologetic.
1528
1529“Thanks for the valuable info.”
1530
1531With that information, he could probably hate Maesawa-senpai. Sakuta couldn’t understand his nerve, confessing to Tomoe when he already had a girlfriend.
1532
1533The hour ticked over while they were talking, so the two of them clocked in and headed out onto the restaurant floor.
1534
1535“Ah, Kunimi-kun, Azusagawa-kun, do you have a moment?” Asked the manager while they were on their way.
1536
1537“We do,” they answered, while turning back to look at him. Standing next to him was a petite girl, she looked rather nervous and was wearing a brand new waitress’ uniform.
1538
1539“Koga-san will be working here from today, please get her acquainted with how things work on the floor.”
1540
1541Sakuta recognised the girl, and Tomoe herself seemed shocked to see his face. Next to him, Yuuma spoke to her:
1542
1543“Huh, you go to our school right?”
1544
1545“Ah, that’s right, the both of you go to Minegahara High School as well. I’ll leave her with you as your kouhai then, in more ways than one.”
1546
1547“I’m Kunimi Yuuma, this is Azusagawa Sakuta, we’re both second years… Actually, you know Sakuta, right?” Tomoe glanced sideways, “ah yeah, he said you kicked each others’ backsides, didn’t he?”
1548
1549Tomoe’s hands immediately flew to cover said body part.
1550
1551“Why did you tell people about that!?” She protested in bewilderment, with slightly teary eyes.
1552
1553“I’m not going to keep something that funny to myself.”
1554
1555“I can’t believe you!”
1556
1557Tomoe glared while flushing.
1558
1559“It looks like we won’t get on,” said Sakuta, “I’ll leave looking after her to you, Kunimi.”
1560
1561“Ah, oi, Sakuta!” Ignoring Yuuma’s calls, Sakuta headed out onto the floor first.
1562
1563
1564
1565Sakuta made up for pushing Tomoe’s training on Yuuma by working harder on the floor that day. He guided customers to their tables, took their orders, and brought their food to their tables as quickly as he could, while standing at the till when there were customers leaving. When he had nothing else to do, he refilled the cups and glasses on the drinks bar.
1566
1567He caught sight of Tomoe dashing about during the peak hours of her first day of work, working as hard as she could.
1568
1569She had been given two jobs. The first was to take the crockery back, the other was to re-set empty tables.
1570
1571Watching her stretch out to wipe over the large tables was rather charming. However, there were several unavoidable annoyances, his heart was in his throat as he watched her clatter away with two trips’ worth of crockery. She actually dropped some and it was only due to Yuuma’s skilful catch that the plates didn’t shatter on the floor. If it had been Sakuta teaching her, those plates would probably be in pieces.
1572
1573The dinner rush passed and the pace calmed significantly. There were a few tables that remained empty now, and the sky had gone completely dark as the clock hands ticked past eight o’clock.
1574
1575Sakuta had gone further inside for an order, and Yuuma was in the middle of instructing Tomoe on how to deal with the cutlery in front of the kitchen counter. They worked away while idly chatting.
1576
1577“Koga-san, why did you start working?” Asked Yuuma.
1578
1579“I’ve got a lot of expenses, my phone, my clothes… What about you, Kunimi-senpai?”
1580
1581“Pretty much for the same reasons.”
1582
1583The work continued with their conversation. They warmed the tines and blades of the forks and knives with hot water and then polished them with a soft cloth. Doing that made the cutlery sparkle, and Tomoe was honestly amazed when she saw the cutlery now looked like brand new utensils.
1584
1585While Sakuta watched that scene, the bell that signalled new customers rang, and he walked quickly back out into the main area.
1586
1587Waiting for him there was a group of three young girls that were somewhat familiar to him.
1588
1589They all let out a gasp at his face. They were wearing a familiar uniform and, as one would expect, that was the summer uniform of the school Sakuta went to. The three girls were Tomoe’s friends, and had their collars roughly arranged. He’d seen them together before. The foremost girl had long hair and was looking somewhat fiercely at him. Immediately behind her was a girl wearing large, fashionable glasses.
1590
1591“That’s why Tomoe’s working here!” Said that girl to the tall, short-haired girl behind her.
1592
1593“It looks that way,” answered the foremost girl instead.
1594
1595“A table for three?” Interjected Sakuta with a question.
1596
1597“Yes,” answered the first girl, apparently their representative. That short conversation had let Sakuta know that this was ‘Rena-chan’. Her bearing was rather similar to a girl in Sakuta’s class… Yuuma’s girlfriend, Kamisato Saki. Her very expression showed the vivid confidence of a girl who was well aware that she was ‘the cutest in the class’.
1598
1599The first sign was her skirt being short, followed by her collar being pulled down and her tie having a fashionable knot in it. She gathered the surrounding girls up, and they imitated her.
1600
1601‘Cute’ was justice, and ‘unattractiveness’ and ‘being lame’ were evil. Those were the tenants upon which the queen ruled her classroom from her throne.
1602
1603“Is this to your liking,” he asked, having guided them to a four-seat booth.
1604
1605“It is,” answered Rena once again. As he saw her face in profile while she seated herself, Sakuta remembered Tomoe’s reason for running from Maesawa-senpai’s confession. Judging by Rena’s clear confidence, things might well develop as Tomoe had thought. Being pushed out of a group happened to students across all classrooms. Sakuta had even seen someone in a similar situation in his own classroom that day.
1606
1607He had a feeling that Tomoe wasn’t actually overthinking it.
1608
1609The other two girls sat across the table from Rena after she had sat. The sequence and lack of hesitation to their actions made it seem like that was usually how they sat. Tomoe would have probably had the reserved seat next to Rena were she with them.
1610
1611“Once you’re ready to order, please press the button to let me know.”
1612
1613“Ah, wait.”
1614
1615“You’ve decided?” Sakuta asked, opening the order terminal.
1616
1617“Are you serious about Tomoe?”
1618
1619“I’m sorry, we don’t serve ‘are you serious about Tomoe’ here.”
1620
1621“I’m being serious here,” insisted Rena.
1622
1623He had been rather polite but hadn’t shown an ounce of respect. Rather than be annoyed, the three girls had strangely expectant and friendly gazes.
1624
1625“You were just rejected by Sakurajima Mai-senpai, so it looks a little doubtful,” she continued.
1626
1627“What are you on about?” Sakuta asked, trying to understand what exactly the situation was.
1628
1629“Tomoe’s definitely cute, but what about her do you like?” Asked the bespectacled girl.
1630
1631“I think you’re misunderstanding something, probably.”
1632
1633“You don’t need to hide it, we already know,” she laughed.
1634
1635“Ah, there’s Tomoe,” interjected the taller girl, looking into the restaurant just as Tomoe came out. As if feeling their eyes on her, she looked up and met their combined gazes. She seemed surprised for a moment and then fidgeted. She turned as if to head back but seemed to rethink it and trotted over.
1636
1637“Y-you really came?” Asked Tomoe.
1638
1639“We said we would.”
1640
1641“You look cute in that.”
1642
1643“Yeah, you do.”
1644
1645Within a few seconds, they were acting like they were in school, bombarding her with compliments and completely excluding Sakuta. What a laid-back attitude, unable to see anyone but their own youthful, vibrant selves. He really wanted to leave as soon as possible.
1646
1647“Senpai, we won’t forgive you if you lead her on,” warned Rena, tugging on Tomoe’s arm, though she honestly wasn’t too threatening. Sakuta had been exposed to Mai’s intimidation on a daily basis, so it was like a soft breeze to him.
1648
1649“R-Rena-chan, it’s okay,” Tomoe insisted with a somewhat vague expression, glancing at Sakuta out of the side of her eye and giving him a signal.
1650
1651He’d more or less got what was going on from this conversation. Apparently, the trio were under the same impression as Maesawa-senpai, and rather than trying to solve that, Tomoe wanted to leave it in place.
1652
1653“The beginning is essential with this kind of thing, you need to take the initiative,” Rena warned.
1654
1655“R-right,” Tomoe said, while begging for help from Sakuta with her eyes. At that moment, a customer entered.
1656
1657“Koga-san, go guide them to their table,” Sakuta instructed before turning to address Rena and her friends, “Once you’re ready to order, call me with that button.”
1658
1659He then left to take another table’s order. Tomoe clasped hands with the group and gave an apology before trotting over to the entrance and the customer standing there.
1660
1661As Sakuta took the order from a family of four, he could feel Rena and her friends’ gazes on him. To avoid them, he headed into the inner area, with Tomoe following a little later.
1662
1663“Um, Senpai, can we-” She began, before Sakuta cut her off with:
1664
1665“You finish at nine too, right?”
1666
1667“Eh?”
1668
1669“We can talk after work.”
1670
1671“But, uh, there’s a lot I want to ex-”
1672
1673Tomoe fluttered about, panicking.
1674
1675“Until you’ve explained, I’ll leave your friends’ misunderstanding alone.”
1676
1677“G-got it.”
1678
1679Yuuma called Tomoe and she returned to work. Watching from behind, Sakuta felt that the situation was moving in irritating ways that he didn’t fully understand.
1680
1681
1682
16833
1684
1685
1686
1687Sakuta finished work at around twenty minutes past nine that night. There was no end to the customers today, so he hadn’t been able to finish at nine as planned.
1688
1689The same was true for Tomoe, it must have been tiring to have a hard day like this dropped on her for her very first day of work.
1690
1691Sakuta had finished changing and was waiting in the bike parking area behind the restaurant, using his parked bike in place of a chair. He had left it here the other day during a downpour, and could thankfully take it home today.
1692
1693Sakuta had decided that he’d leave if Tomoe didn’t come out within the minute, but she came out within ten seconds, looking at her phone. She noticed Sakuta and came running over, still clutching her phone.
1694
1695“Senpai, I actually have something I wan-” she began meekly.
1696
1697“I refuse,” he interjected.
1698
1699“I haven’t even asked yet!” Tomoe pouted.
1700
1701“I refuse.”
1702
1703“At least listen to me.”
1704
1705“I refuse to listen.”
1706
1707“Whyyy?”
1708
1709“You pretty much just want me to leave the impression that we’re dating alone, right?” Asked Sakuta with a sigh. If this was a problem with Adolescence Syndrome then he might feel like helping, but something like what he’d just said was a separate matter.
1710
1711“Senpai, can’ya read min’s?” Shouted Tomoe in surprise, her hands flying to her chest. She’d slipped into her hometown’s accent, but he wasn’t sure if she’d noticed. She probably hadn’t.
1712
1713“You said yesterday about not wanting to take your friend’s man.”
1714
1715“I didn’t quite say it like that.”
1716
1717“Something like being confessed to by the guy your friend fancies would be ignoring the atmosphere too much?”
1718
1719“Yeah…”
1720
1721“And so I refuse.”
1722
1723“S’whyyyy?”
1724
1725“Besides, you’ve got something more important to worry about.”
1726
1727For example, the reason that the twenty-seventh had stopped repeating and the twenty-eighth had come… and the reason that the twenty-seventh had repeated initially, they weren’t necessarily as Sakuta had assumed before.
1728
1729“To worry about?”
1730
1731“Your Adolescence Syndrome.”
1732
1733“It’s today now, so that doesn’t matter,” Tomoe rejected bluntly, “now’s not the time to worry about that! I’m in trouble!”
1734
1735Apparently, keeping her friendships was more important to Tomoe, her highest priority. Adolescence Syndrome didn’t even register as a concern…
1736
1737Trying to talk about it would just be a waste of time. With no real choice, Sakuta returned to talking about Tomoe’s request.
1738
1739“Regardless of the reason, lying isn’t good,” he scolded her, making her flinch and wince at the sound argument, “think about Maesawa-senpai’s feelings too.”
1740
1741He honestly didn’t know how serious the guy was about Tomoe from what Yuuma had said, but… Apparently, he hadn’t broken up yet, and maybe he thought Tomoe would put out easily. She did look like the type to fold to pressure.
1742
1743“That’s fair…” she began, her shoulders dropping at Sakuta’s words.
1744
1745“And more than anything else, it’d cause me hassle.”
1746
1747“That’s so irritating!”
1748
1749“Besides, how long were you wanting me to leave things like this? Until the third-years graduate? That’s not going to work, we’d definitely be found out, and then things would be even more annoying.”
1750
1751“I’ve already planned for that.”
1752
1753Sakuta could only make a confused sound in response to her unexpected reversal.
1754
1755“Ah, you don’t believe me,” she continued.
1756
1757“Whether I believe you or not doesn’t matter.”
1758
1759“That’s really irritating!”
1760
1761“I get it, sorry. You probably don’t even want to look at me anymore, so I’ll just go.”
1762
1763So saying, Sakuta put his feet on the pedals and pushed off, but unfortunately, the bike soon stopped. He turned around to see Tomoe handing on to the saddle and holding it back.
1764
1765“It’s only for the first term, so please!”
1766
1767“Nah, I really don’t have any investment in your battle.”
1768
1769“It’ll be the summer holidays after that, so we can just say we drifted apart during the holidays, right? Then go back to normal in the second term.”
1770
1771“That’s premeditated fraud. You’re unexpectedly wicked, aren’t you?” He asked.
1772
1773“I’m just desperate!”
1774
1775“I can tell,” Sakuta said bluntly. She was putting enough force into her grip to stop Sakuta from leaving on his bike after all. Her plan was full of holes though, one of them was Sakuta himself.
1776
1777“I know this is coming from me, but considering my reputation is trash, do you really want to seem like you’re dating me?”
1778
1779“Recently, among the first-years, you’ve gone right the way around to desirable, so I think it’s fine.”
1780
1781“What the hell?”
1782
1783How’d he gone right back around? He wanted the details, but decided it was a lie.
1784
1785“Screaming your love at the centre of the sports field is nothing like normal.”
1786
1787“That’s just something for people to laugh at.”
1788
1789Though Sakuta claimed that, Rena and the others acted surprisingly normally with him, no one in his own classroom talked to him, but they had.
1790
1791The rumour that he had sent a classmate to the hospital during middle school had put Sakuta in a delicate position about a year prior. It probably wouldn’t have become so set within the minds of the first years like Tomoe, who hadn’t experienced that change in the school’s atmosphere, it would have just ended up with something like ‘the upper years are saying…’
1792
1793On top of that, the first term was nearly over, and the first-years themselves were starting to form their own culture, apparently a slightly different culture than the rest of the school.
1794
1795“I kind of look up to that kind of thing,” admitted Tomoe.
1796
1797“I wouldn’t do it for you, Koga.”
1798
1799“It’d really bother me, so good!”
1800
1801Whatever else happened, Sakuta would never understand how women thought.
1802
1803“Ah, that’s right, dating might be a little fast,” she continued, “so going with the step before might work.”
1804
1805“So you’re just ignoring everything I say.”
1806
1807“You’d be more than my schoolmate, less than my boyfriend I guess?”
1808
1809“That’s a fine line, that’d be harder than dating. Are you okay with it?”
1810
1811“Okay with what?”
1812
1813“With things like dating,” he said, staring fixedly at Tomoe. She was wearing the familiar school uniform, a white blouse, short skirt, blue socks and loafers. Overall it gave her a cohesive, small and compact impression. “Well, I guess you’ve dated before.”
1814
1815High school girls nowadays were quick with that.
1816
1817“Y-yeah,” she agreed, stammering and looking away, “only for a while though…”
1818
1819“Hmmm.”
1820
1821“W-what?”
1822
1823“I was just thinking you seem grown up.”
1824
1825“That’s kinda creepy. Okay? You’ll act like you like me then?”
1826
1827She seemed to be proceeding under the assumption that he’d agree, though Sakuta had no memory of doing so.
1828
1829“Do you realise what you’re actually planning?”
1830
1831Lying to just Maesawa-senpai might be fine. But to avoid that being discovered, they would need to deceive others as well. Tomoe had already lied to her friends, and the scope would gradually increase.
1832
1833Gossip about who was dating who would spread without real help, whether it was a lie or not. Being linked with someone infamous like Sakuta would just exacerbate that. So to deceive Maesawa-senpai, the two would have to lie to the entire school.
1834
1835“We’d be lying to about a thousand students,” he warned her. It was by no means a small number.
1836
1837“I already know that,” she insisted, not showing a sign of dismay or surprise.
1838
1839“Seriously?”
1840
1841“Seriously.”
1842
1843Should he treat that as having guts, or just purity being twisted? He couldn’t decide.
1844
1845“Anyway, please!” She clapped her hands together in front of her and bowed her head.
1846
1847“Say… how does helping you help me?”
1848
1849He could think of many disadvantages, particularly with respect to Mai. It would just push their dating further away, when ordinarily they should have already been boyfriend and girlfriend. They should have been being lovey-dovey and flirting…
1850
1851“If you help, I’ll do any one thing you ask.”
1852
1853“I don’t really have anything I want you to do,” replied Sakuta immediately.
1854
1855“E-even though I’ll do anything?”
1856
1857She looked up at him with no confidence. She really did seem like she was scamming him.
1858
1859“A teenage girl shouldn’t be saying they’ll do anything so easily.” It was actually somewhat arousing.
1860
1861“B-but at this rate, I won’t have a place in my class,” she said, slumping as she looked seriously at her own hands, “I don’t want to be alone at break, eat my lunch alone, or go to the toilet alone.”
1862
1863“Go to the toilet on your own,” he scolded.
1864
1865They certainly didn’t go into the cubicles together. But Sakuta didn’t know that, so as far as he was concerned, maybe they did. Girls were terrifying.
1866
1867“I think you already know so I’ll admit it, but I lived in Fukuoka during middle school, and I don’t have anyone but my friends at school here… Rena-chan, Hinako-chan, and Aya-chan.”
1868
1869“The three from earlier?”
1870
1871“Yeah,” she nodded, casting her eyes down.
1872
1873“Being alone is pretty good. You don’t need to be conscious of people around you, and it’s not as lonely as you’d think.”
1874
1875In Sakuta’s case, that was because he had Yuuma and Rio, and then as of recently, Mai as well.
1876
1877“It’s not because I’d be lonely.”
1878
1879“Huh? Why then?”
1880
1881“It’d be… embarrassing,” Tomoe let out in a small voice.
1882
1883Sakuta felt something slide into his chest.
1884
1885“I don’t want everyone to think ‘she’s always alone’ or anything,” she continued.
1886
1887“I get it.”
1888
1889He could oddly agree. He took his feet from the pedals and returned them to the floor.
1890
1891It wasn’t the isolation she was scared of. It was how she would be seen by everyone when she was excluded. She didn’t want rumours spread about her, and the thought that people might be mocking her somewhere was the worst of all.
1892
1893It was that shame that caused deeper wounds than the isolation on an immature heart. The feelings of being pathetic, of being gradually seen as less and less by people… It robbed you of your confidence, and closed off your heart.
1894
1895Sakuta wordlessly placed his hand on Tomoe’s downcast head.
1896
1897“Senpai?” She asked, looking up in puzzlement.
1898
1899Kaede had said the same thing when she was bullied.
1900
1901“It’s… embarrassing to go to school.”
1902
1903She didn’t want everyone to watch her being bullied, and she stopped leaving the house, afraid of others’ gazes.
1904
1905An image of Kaede from then seemed to overlay Tomoe to Sakuta.
1906
1907A reason for exclusion could be the most trivial thing, you never knew if something would cause it. A single moment could create that kind of atmosphere would instantly spread through the surroundings, and then it would be too late. Treating the disease was difficult.
1908
1909Particularly because girls had a different group culture than boys. Whatever they seemed to be like on the surface, it was impossible to see the relationships within from the outside. If someone fell out with their group, they were unlikely to be able to move to another easily.
1910
1911“You’re in the main group, right?”
1912
1913“Eh?”
1914
1915“The group of the cutest girls in the class.”
1916
1917“It’s difficult to agree with that,” she answered while pouting, indirectly confirming it.
1918
1919Making the main group’s leader hate her certainly would cause issues. No one would go against the girl with the most influence in the class. They couldn’t. Hurting her feelings would have them exiled to the island of loners. So they agreed unconditionally. If she said something was cute, it was cute, if she said she hated it, so did they.
1920
1921And in this case, it was Kashiba Rena in that position, and Maesawa-senpai, who she liked, was after Tomoe. He could understand why she was worried now.
1922
1923“Okay,” he said firmly.
1924
1925“Eh?”
1926
1927“I said okay, I’ll lie to all thousand-odd students at school.”
1928
1929“Really?”
1930
1931“I have a condition though.”
1932
1933“M-my body?” She stuttered, wrapping her arms around herself.
1934
1935“Who'd be interested in your underdeveloped body? How rude.”
1936
1937“You're the one being rude! For sure!”
1938
1939“Anyway, listen,” he insisted.
1940
1941“R-right.”
1942
1943Tomoe nodded with a nervous expression, gulping.
1944
1945Sakuta let out a single sigh before speaking solemnly:
1946
1947“Cheer your heart out for the Japanese team in the third group league match.”
1948
1949Tomoe’s only reply was a noise of utter confusion.
1950
1951“If they lose, then it’ll be as if this never happened.”
1952
1953“I don’t get what you mean! What are you on about?”
1954
1955“Alright, that’s it,” Sakuta said, ignoring her pleas for an explanation and putting his feet on the pedals again.
1956
1957“Ah, wait.”
1958
1959“That’s all I have to say.”
1960
1961“I’ll support them! I still have a request…” he turned around at this point to see her fidgeting with her fingers, “A-about tomorrow.”
1962
1963“What about it?”
1964
1965“You have work until two, right?”
1966
1967“I do.”
1968
1969“O-once your shift is over… g-g-g-”
1970
1971“Give you a whack on the forehead, right.”
1972
1973“No!” She yelled, covering her forehead.
1974
1975A couple crossing the road ahead chuckled to each other, the woman saying: “I guess it’s a lover’s quarrel.”
1976
1977“G-go on a date with me,” Tomoe finished, her face having grown redder from the couple’s laughter.
1978
1979
1980
1981After they had finished speaking, Sakuta saw Tomoe to her neighbourhood before riding slowly off towards his own home. They lived surprisingly close together.
1982
1983Summer was approaching as June ended, and riding against the breeze in that heat and humidity was rather pleasant. White clouds crossed the dark sky as Sakuta looked up at the stars. Even Sakuta knew about the Summer Triangle. Vega from the Lyra constellation, and Altair from the Aquila constellation, otherwise known as Orihime and Hikoboshi, the deities that could meet on Tanabata.
1984
1985After a while, he remembered something else, the star Deneb in the Cygnus constellation. Sakuta’s first love, the high school student Makinohara Shouko was the one that had told him about it when they met in his third year of middle school.
1986
1987He didn’t know where she was now, or what she was doing. He didn’t have her contact information, and he had never met her again.
1988
1989He couldn’t even remember her face properly as his memories grew vague. Instead, it was Mai’s unhappy expression that came to mind.
1990
1991“Now, what to do,” he said to himself.
1992
1993“G-go on a date with me.”
1994
1995And in response, Sakuta had just asked ‘why?’.
1996
1997“Rena-chan asked if we were going on a date, and it’s like that…”
1998
1999“Like what?”
2000
2001“Like she’s saying to go on a date at the weekend.”
2002
2003“So she’s telling you to get carried away?”
2004
2005“Senpai, you’re scaring me!”
2006
2007“It really was a whack you wanted.”
2008
2009Tomoe quickly hid her forehead again.
2010
2011“Why not just say ‘maaan, I had loads of fun on the weekend~’?” He asked.
2012
2013“I want to take pictures just in case.”
2014
2015“…You’re surprisingly thorough.”
2016
2017It wasn’t that he didn’t understand, saying that she’d had a date over the weekend would have the others fawning over her for pictures. And then it would seem strange that she hadn’t taken a single one, what with the prevalence of smartphones and just phones with cameras in general. Such an annoyance…
2018
2019And so, he had no choice but to go on a date with Tomoe tomorrow.
2020
2021Things were progressing rather strangely.
2022
2023How would he tell Mai what was happening? On top of all of this, she had witnessed him holding Tomoe yesterday and so was in a foul mood. Bringing Tomoe up even more in that situation would definitely make her lose the restraint of her anger at him.
2024
2025That thought was…
2026
2027“Damn, that seems like it’d be really fun.”
2028
2029He didn’t have a single bad thought when imagining the scene. With a smirk firmly on his face, Sakuta pedalled his bike the rest of the way home.
2030
2031
2032
20334
2034
2035
2036
2037Sakuta had soaked for a good while in the bath to relax after work before putting a pair of underwear on and going out into the living room, where Kaede was sitting. She was watching the TV, a rarity for her, where a program on animals… no, a documentary on the zookeepers at some zoo, was playing. They were worrying over how to care for the newly born baby panda each day.
2038
2039Kaede was holding Nasuno to her chest, closely watching the panda take tottering steps.
2040
2041Watching her from the corner of his eye, Sakuta took out a sports drink from the fridge and poured it into a glass before draining it dry. The cold drink was soothing on his warm body, and it was just as he was opening the fridge for another that Kaede called out.
2042
2043“O-Onii-chan, look!”
2044
2045She was pointing at the screen, frantically trying to draw his attention.
2046
2047“Someone you know on there?”
2048
2049“There is!”
2050
2051“Huh?”
2052
2053Sakuta had said it as a joke, but she had confirmed it. Wondering what was happening, he looked around the fridge and watched the advert on the TV.
2054
2055…It certainly was someone they knew.
2056
2057It was an advert for a sports drink. The blue-labelled one that Sakuta had in his hand at that very moment in fact.
2058
2059“Want a sip? Fufu, it’s not for you.” Said Mai on the screen, kicking white sand at the screen and running away from the camera with a mischievous giggle.
2060
2061“I-is that the girl you brought over?”
2062
2063“It is.”
2064
2065It was without a doubt Mai. The famous actress, Sakurajima Mai. She hadn’t said a word to Sakuta about the advert though.
2066
2067The short clip was soon over and the doorbell rang at the same moment.
2068
2069“Who is it at this hour…?” He grumbled to himself. The clock was already nearing ten PM. With the question in mind, he pressed the button on the intercom and answered: “Yes?”
2070
2071“It’s me.” Came the short reply, in the same voice that had just been coming from the TV.
2072
2073
2074
2075Three minutes later, Sakuta was sitting on his bedroom floor before Mai, who was sat on the bed opposite with her legs folded.
2076
2077“Why haven’t you come to give your excuses?”
2078
2079“I’m grateful for the chance to explain, and I do apologise, but I couldn’t request a meeting.”
2080
2081It was the truth, Sakuta had gone to class 3-1’s classroom after both break and homeroom, but she hadn’t been there.
2082
2083“Are you trying to say it’s my fault?”
2084
2085“I didn’t put enough effort in.”
2086
2087“Then don’t you have something to say?”
2088
2089“Umm, Mai-san, you seem kind of lively today?”
2090
2091He had noticed when he opened the door for her, she seemed a little different than normal. She had makeup on, and her hair seemed like it had been styled by a pro. Her hair all swept in, completing her cute impression that was just slightly different from her usual trends.
2092
2093“There was a shoot for a fashion magazine, it wasn’t for you.”
2094
2095So that’s why she wasn’t at school, he thought.
2096
2097“You’re seriously cute,” he said.
2098
2099“I know.”
2100
2101“I love you.”
2102
2103“I’ll step on you if you mess around.”
2104
2105Mai lifted her black-tight-clad leg and actually placed it on Sakuta’s lap where he could feel Mai’s body heat and the smooth sensation of the tights.
2106
2107This was a luxurious reward, he thought as he felt his face heat.
2108
2109“Don’t get happy about it,” she scolded as she retracted her leg. What a waste.
2110
2111“Oh yeah, I saw your advert.”
2112
2113“I see,” she replied with a bored tone as she looked out of the window.
2114
2115“I’d not heard anything about it.”
2116
2117“I knew what time it was supposed to air, so I was going to surprise you with it just before. And yet someone was playing around with a first-year. What do you have to say?”
2118
2119“I’m really sorry.”
2120
2121“Have you reflected on it?”
2122
2123“I have.”
2124
2125“Have you now?”
2126
2127“I have! But, it’s really hard to say in this situation.”
2128
2129“What is?”
2130
2131“I had a discussion with that first year.”
2132
2133Sakuta would need to have a fairly good relationship with Tomoe for the first term. Trying to fight a two-front-war by not telling Mai would be far too reckless. He’d definitely be found out so it was best to tell her quickly.
2134
2135But even so, telling Mai when she was already in a bad mood was difficult.
2136
2137“Sakuta.”
2138
2139“Yes, what is it?”
2140
2141“Why don’t you get dressed first?”
2142
2143Sakuta was still in just his underwear.
2144
2145
2146
2147Now wearing a pair of trousers and a shirt, Sakuta once more knelt across from Mai and explained about Tomoe to her while trying to judge her reactions. He explained why she was in the room yesterday, why he had ended up holding her, the confession from Maesawa Yousuke, and why Tomoe was in a bad situation. Then, without hiding anything, he explained that she happened to start working with him and that she had asked him to be ‘more than her schoolmate, but less than her boyfriend’.
2148
2149However, he didn’t say a word about Adolescence Syndrome… that it had been the third time that the twenty-seventh had repeated, or that Mai had agreed to date him.
2150
2151He didn’t want to make her worry while her return to show-business was going so well, and telling her that she had agreed to date him felt like breaking the rules.
2152
2153“Hmmm, it’s tough being a girl,” Mai gave her opinion bluntly when she had finished listening. She should have counted as a girl herself, but seemed not to realise. “I get the situation.”
2154
2155She even seemed to have taken everything relatively well, wasn’t she going to remonstrate him?
2156
2157“Is that it?” He asked.
2158
2159“If I scolded you, you’d probably enjoy it,” she said, completely seeing through him, “for you, not punishing you would be more of a punishment.”
2160
2161“Tease me more.”
2162
2163“No way.”
2164
2165“Ehhh.”
2166
2167“Don’t act spoilt.” Maybe he should treat this as a good thing. No, not making an issue of it might not end well. “But I’m not fully sold.”
2168
2169“How so?”
2170
2171“You hate lies like pretending to be lovers, don’t you, Sakuta?”
2172
2173“We’re not pretending to be lovers, we’re pretending to be more than schoolmates but less than lovers.”
2174
2175“It’s all the same.”
2176
2177“Well, I don’t think there’s anyone that likes those kind of lies.”
2178
2179“That’s why I’m not sold, you’re hiding something.” Mai leaned forwards and glared at him.
2180
2181“I’ve actually been looking at your legs and getting excited.”
2182
2183“I-I know that,” she said, recrossing her legs and tugging on the hem of her skirt, “d-don’t look so closely~”
2184
2185“It’s no big deal.”
2186
2187“Hurry up and confess.” Mai glared at him, her eyes serious and steady.
2188
2189“Koga… she said the same thing as Kaede.”
2190
2191“What?”
2192
2193“She’d lose her place in the group and in her class if her friend found out that Maesawa-senpai had confessed to her… and said that she didn’t want that embarrassment.”
2194
2195Sakuta slowly put his thoughts into words.
2196
2197“Embarrassing.” If Tomoe hadn’t used that word, Sakuta would have never gone along with her proposal.
2198
2199“With Kaede, it went as badly as it could…”
2200
2201The memories of those times went through his mind.
2202
2203She refused to go to school, shut herself up in her room and on top of all that, was being tormented by her Adolescence Syndrome, with cuts and bruises all over her body.
2204
2205His mother had been unable to accept that reality and had gone into hospital with a mental illness. That was why they lived separately now.
2206
2207The impetus was the trifling thing of Kaede not replying to a message after reading it.
2208
2209Like a tear in a seam, that had grown ridiculously and even two years later, it still affected their lives. Such a small thing could affect someone this much, so…
2210
2211“I wanted to do something about it this time.”
2212
2213He didn’t think it was necessarily the correct decision himself. It might just be trying to atone for doing nothing in the past, or using Tomoe to deal with his feelings from that. The worries from back then were still dwelling in his chest.
2214
2215“Sakuta.”
2216
2217“What is it?”
2218
2219“That’s annoying.”
2220
2221“I was being serious though?”
2222
2223“If you bring up your sister like that, I can’t complain.”
2224
2225No, he thought, this is definitely complaining, just from how dissatisfied you look.
2226
2227“I think you already know,” she continued, “but…”
2228
2229“But what?”
2230
2231“Make sure you take responsibility for that lie.”
2232
2233“It’ll never be found out, I’ll take it to my grave,” he vowed.
2234
2235“As long as you understand that staying quiet is hard.”
2236
2237“Maesawa-senpai’s got a girlfriend but he’s still making a pass at Tomoe, and he’s going to break up with his girlfriend now because she won’t put out… man people that can say something like that with a straight face have it easy.”
2238
2239“Men are the worst,” Mai said, looking at Sakuta scornfully.
2240
2241“You’re the only girl for me, Mai-san.”
2242
2243“Acting like more than a schoolmate but less than a boyfriend is going to end up with real love.”
2244
2245“You’ve got no faith.”
2246
2247“I’m warning you now, I’ll only wait until the end of the term.”
2248
2249“So that means that when term’s over, you’ll go out with me?”
2250
2251“That…” she looked away, “That depends on how I feel then.”
2252
2253“Why do you look unhappy?”
2254
2255“Because I’ve been trying for so long for a reward from you.”
2256
2257“That’s rather cheeky seeing as you decided to hold someone else,” Mai said, before opening her mouth when she remembered something, “Do you have work tomorrow?”
2258
2259“I do.”
2260
2261“Until when?”
2262
2263“Until two.”
2264
2265“Hmmm,” Mai rather cheerfully swung her legs back and forth, looking rather expectantly at him, “I’m free tomorrow afternoon.”
2266
2267Apparently, she was trying to make him invite her on a date.
2268
2269“The Kamakura hydrangeas are still blooming you know?”
2270
2271She’d even chosen a place, and all that expectation made his next words even harder.
2272
2273“Um,” Sakuta hesitantly opened his mouth. When Mai saw this, she seemed to infer something and her expression returned to boredom.
2274
2275“Oh, have a date with that first-year do you?”
2276
2277“Not really a date, but something like it I guess.”
2278
2279Silence stretched on for a moment.
2280
2281“Mai-san?”
2282
2283She then let out an unmotivated sigh.
2284
2285“Forget it.”
2286
2287Sakuta thought that she was going to complain more, but nothing more was forthcoming for several moments.
2288
2289“You’re not going to say something like ‘do you like her more than me’ or anything?”
2290
2291“Why do I have to be jealous?”
2292
2293“Ehh.”
2294
2295“I already know you’ve completely fallen to me.”
2296
2297“Well, that’s true.”
2298
2299“I doubt I’d lose to that first-year.”
2300
2301“Woah, such confidence.”
2302
2303That was Sakurajima Mai, it was only natural for her.
2304
2305“And so I’ll let it pass this time.”
2306
2307“Thank you…”
2308
2309“But, I know…” Mai thought for a while and then smiled teasingly two seconds later, “Just allowing it would be no good for the future, so do something to show some good faith.”
2310
2311“What do you want me to do?”
2312
2313“Think of it yourself.”
2314
2315“In which case.”
2316
2317Sakuta leaned forwards and started to approach Mai on all fours.
2318
2319“W-what are you doing?” Mai panicked, leaning back, but her back soon hit the wall. Sakuta showed no sign of concern and continued forwards, “Stay away!” Mai yelled, kicking him right in the face.
2320
2321Sakuta rolled back from the bed, his nose crushed.
2322
2323“What were you trying to do?” She demanded.
2324
2325“I was showing good faith.”
2326
2327“That was your lust.”
2328
2329“Ah, maybe.”
2330
2331“There’s an order to things,” she stressed, “we’re not even dating yet.”
2332
2333“Then let’s take this chance to start.”
2334
2335“No.”
2336
2337“That’s depressiiing.”
2338
2339“And whose fault is that?” She asked, glaring coldly at him.
2340
2341“It’s completely my fault.”
2342
2343“Reflect on that then.”
2344
2345Sakuta returned to his knees for a third time.
2346
2347“As far as dates go, are you free next Sunday?”
2348
2349“I’m in Kagoshima for the next week, filming.”
2350
2351“Oh yeah.”
2352
2353Mai straightened herself and then looked quizzically at him.
2354
2355“You don’t seem too surprised?”
2356
2357That was because he’d already heard about it before, but that was on the first twenty-seventh of June he had experienced.
2358
2359“I just thought that considering it’s you, you’d already have managed to get a role already.”
2360
2361“I have, but…” Something seemed to catch Mai’s attention, and the doubt didn’t leave her eyes.
2362
2363“Man, Kagoshima, that’s nice.”
2364
2365“I’m not going there to play.”
2366
2367Mai re-seated herself on the edge of the bed, her legs brushing against a bag on the floor and knocking it over. It was a bag she herself had brought. She picked it up and held it out to Sakuta with a “Here”.
2368
2369“Hm?”
2370
2371“Take it.”
2372
2373He did so, inside was a cute dress, a girl’s of course…
2374
2375“Is this to use to remember you while you’re in Kagoshima?”
2376
2377“Give it to your sister,” she said, appalled.
2378
2379“Huh?”
2380
2381He didn’t really understand what she meant.
2382
2383“I said I had a fashion shoot earlier, right? They gave me the clothes.” In other words, Mai had taken this off, when he thought that, he got the feeling he could smell a pleasant scent from it, “it’s more feminine than what I wear.”
2384
2385Spreading it out, he saw that the hem and cuffs both had frills on them.
2386
2387“So you want me to give it to Kaede?”
2388
2389“She’s only a little shorter than me, so it should fit.”
2390
2391“That’s not what I mean…”
2392
2393He just couldn’t get why she had suddenly given him a present for Kaede.
2394
2395“It’s a bit of a roundabout way of saying to give some attention to what your sister wears.”
2396
2397“That was pretty straightforward though?”
2398
2399“If she likes her panda pyjamas that’s fine… but she’s fifteen this year, right?”
2400
2401“Yeah.”
2402
2403“If she has some fashionable clothes, she might want to go out a little.”
2404
2405“Ah…”
2406
2407Those words settled everything for him. Mai had worried for Kaede, and she had thought that she might not spend the entirety of the rest of her life in the house. It wasn’t sympathy, or saying something like ‘poor thing’… It was actually trying to help.
2408
2409He couldn’t help but stare at her.
2410
2411“W-what are you staring for?” She asked
2412
2413“I’m just happy you’re thinking about Kaede.”
2414
2415“Of course I’d do that,” said Mai as if it was nothing. Though she was childish when teasing Sakuta, it bothered him when she sometimes acted so much like an adult like this. He couldn’t contain his feelings, and it always made him feel like he’d never measure up.
2416
2417“I’ll call her in,” he said, standing quickly.
2418
2419“Will that be okay?”
2420
2421“As long as you don’t make a scary face.”
2422
2423“I won’t,” she glared at Sakuta with a frown.
2424
2425“That’s the face I mean.”
2426
2427“What face would that be?” She asked, smiling kindly as her irritation vanished.
2428
2429The speed of the change was somewhat scary itself but if he said that, she really would get angry.
2430
2431He flung the door open, but it suddenly stopped with a thunk after opening about five centimetres.
2432
2433Kaede groaned from behind the door. Slowly, he tried again, and it opened this time to reveal Kaede crouching behind it, holding her forehead.
2434
2435“What are you doing?” He asked.
2436
2437Kaede looked up and met his eyes. And with a clear sense of being caught, her mouth dropped open.
2438
2439“It’s not what you think,” she said, even though Sakuta hadn’t suggested anything yet, “I wasn’t playing ninja.”
2440
2441“Well, I just thought you were eavesdropping…” apparently she was playing on a higher level. It was probably the influence of the historical novels she had been reading until the last month, “Well, good timing either way.”
2442
2443“What’s good timing?” She asked, following Sakuta into his room in puzzlement. She soon noticed Mai and hid behind Sakuta’s back.
2444
2445“Good evening,” Mai greeted, and Kaede stuck her head out.
2446
2447“G-good evening.” She replied in a faint, but still audible to Mai, voice.
2448
2449“Kaede, this is from Mai-san.”
2450
2451Sakuta handed the frilly dress back to where she was clinging to his back. She took it in confusion and finally moved away from him.
2452
2453“What’s this?” She asked while spreading the dress out. Her gaze was soon fixed on it once she had, apparently, she was interested, “It’s so cute.”
2454
2455“Do you want to try it on?” Asked Mai, causing Kaede to look at Sakuta as if for his decision. He gave a slow nod and Kaede dashed off as if she couldn’t wait.
2456
2457It was a reaction he’d never seen from her before. Girls really did understand each other best.
2458
2459After several minutes waiting, she returned and stuck her head shyly through the door.
2460
2461“Onii-chan, promise not to laugh.”
2462
2463“I’ll laugh if it’s funny.”
2464
2465Kaede pulled her head back.
2466
2467“It’s okay, it’ll definitely suit you,” Mai encouraged, and Kaede timidly stepped into the room.
2468
2469“W-what do you think?”
2470
2471The dress had a summery white base and fell to her knees, fitting her slim body well.
2472
2473“Yup, it’s cute,” Mai affirmed.
2474
2475“It’s the first time I’ve worn something like this, so it’s embarrassing.”
2476
2477Kaede’s face was bright red and she seemed to enjoy seeing herself in the glass of the window. She turned to the left and right, and then all the way around.
2478
2479“What do you think, Onii-chan?”
2480
2481“It’s not funny at all.”
2482
2483“Can’t you just honestly call her cute?” Mai teased him.
2484
2485He had to change the topic.
2486
2487“Make sure you thank Mai-san,” he told Kaede.
2488
2489When she and Mai met each other’s eyes, Kaede hid behind him again, but…
2490
2491“T-thank you,” she said politely.
2492
2493“You’re welcome,” Mai replied.
2494
2495“U-um…”
2496
2497Kaede glanced at Mai’s face.
2498
2499“What is it?”
2500
2501“Can I call you Mai-san too?”
2502
2503“You can. I’ll call you Kaede-chan as well.”
2504
2505“R-right.”
2506
2507“And, um…”
2508
2509“Hmm?”
2510
2511“Mai-san, what kind of relationship do you have with Onii-chan?”
2512
2513“Let’s see…” she seemed to think, before glancing at Sakuta, obviously plotting something, “I suppose he’s more than my schoolmate, but less than my boyfriend,” she said cynically.
2514
2515“W-will he become your boyfriend?”
2516
2517“That depends on Sakuta. Apparently, there’s another girl he gets on well with.”
2518
2519“I-is that true, Onii-chan?”
2520
2521“Mai-san, don’t tell lies please.”
2522
2523Just as he thought that he’d have to explain to Kaede, the clock chimed as it reached eleven PM.
2524
2525“It’s late, I’m going home,” Mai said as she stood from the bed, “if I stay any longer, I think Sakuta will do something to me.”
2526
2527“W-what would you do?” Kaede asked, peering at Sakuta’s face.
2528
2529“Something sexual of course,” he said truthfully as he left the room with Mai and put his shoes on in the hall, “I’ll walk you downstairs.”
2530
2531“You will? Well, I’ll let you. I’ll see you again, Kaede-chan.”
2532
2533“R-right.”
2534
2535She was more scared as the distance between them decreased again, but she poked her head from Sakuta’s room and gave a small wave.
2536
2537Sakuta and Mai left and walked into the lift in silence.
2538
2539The doors closed and the lift started to move, with that floating sensation starting at their feet.
2540
2541“Thank you for today,” Sakuta spoke.
2542
2543“What are you being so formal for?” She asked in return.
2544
2545“It’s been a long time since Kaede has spoken so much to anyone but me, so I’m just happy.”
2546
2547“I can’t mess with you when you’re so honest.”
2548
2549While she spoke, the lift reached the ground floor and opened. They stepped out of the auto-locking glass doors and the characteristic summer air draped itself over their skin.
2550
2551“It’s already summer,” said Mai.
2552
2553Even though the sun had set, the temperature hadn’t dropped at all, and it was the beginning of sleepless nights from the heat.
2554
2555“Do you hate the summer, Mai-san?”
2556
2557“Making sure I don’t burn is annoying,” she said, her tone saying that she was used to it.
2558
2559“You’re still wearing tights though.”
2560
2561“Well, I’ve got modelling jobs… What about you?”
2562
2563“Hm?”
2564
2565“Do you like summer?”
2566
2567“If I can’t enjoy your bare legs, then I’ll pass.”
2568
2569It was hot, it was humid, and he’d have to show his scars during swimming, none of that was a good thing. While they chatted aimlessly, they reached their destination, the building right in front of them.
2570
2571“I hope the pretence doesn’t become the reality,” Mai murmured after a pause in the conversation.
2572
2573“What?”
2574
2575“With that first-year.”
2576
2577“I already said that you’re the only girl for me, didn’t I?”
2578
2579Mai gave him a sidelong glance as if she wanted to say something.
2580
2581“If you don’t understand, that’s fine,” was what she eventually settled with before entering the building.
2582
2583“Mai-san?”
2584
2585Mai opened the auto-locking doors and turned back to him.
2586
2587“Good night,” she said, raising her hand slightly.
2588
2589The door closed and she disappeared inside. Sakuta watched her go before turning on his heel and returning back to where Kaede was waiting for him.
2590
2591He had work tomorrow from the morning until a little after noon, so he should go to sleep early. He should, but with the day close to ending, something was bothering Sakuta.
2592
2593“I wonder if tomorrow will come…” he murmured in the lift.
2594
2595No one gave him an answer.
2596
2597
2598
2599
2600CHAPTER 03
26011
2602
2603
2604
2605The twenty-ninth did indeed arrive in the end, and its morning found Kaede waking Sakuta up.
2606
2607“Morning, Kaede,” he said whilst stretching an arm out for the digital alarm clock at the side of his bed. His half-closed eyes saw the right date of Sunday the twenty-ninth displayed on the screen.
2608
2609Should he be thankful for that, he wondered. He hadn’t repeated the day again, but not knowing the cause or reason for it in the first place made it hard to relax about it.
2610
2611If he wasn’t going to wake up to a day for the second time again, he really wished someone would tell him that. If the possibility was still there, he’d rather someone told him that as well.
2612
2613Not knowing left an uneasiness in his heart.
2614
2615“I wonder if I’ll figure it out, hanging around Koga,” he murmured to himself as he watched Kaede herd Nasuno out of his room. Part of the reason he had accepted Tomoe’s absurd suggestion was to find out the truth behind this instance of Adolescence Syndrome. The only way to move his disquiet aside was, in the end, to do something about it himself.
2616
2617Besides, there was a value in understanding many different types of Adolescence Syndrome. He might even find something that would lead to solving the case that still plagued Kaede to this day.
2618
2619The wounds no longer covered her body, but that was simply because she was away from the internet, and he believed that if she were to experience people’s ill-will on the internet again, those wounds would once more appear.
2620
2621With all of that said, she couldn’t just live her life secluded away from everyone, he wouldn’t allow such absurdity.
2622
2623“Anyway, not knowing what day it is until I get up and check really doesn’t let me calm down…”
2624
2625If the plans hadn’t been settled yesterday, perhaps it still would have been yesterday.
2626
2627
2628
2629With that restlessness still present, Sakuta started his mid-morning shift, tending attentively to the restaurant floor.
2630
2631“If tomorrow is today again, will I have worked for nothing…”
2632
2633Just the repetition wouldn’t help him support himself.
2634
2635Once his shift was over, Sakuta prayed to the god of self-support that tomorrow would come.
2636
2637At just past two, Sakuta clocked out, left the restaurant and went to the Fujisawa Enoden station, using his season ticket to pass the gates.
2638
2639He bought himself a bottle of water from a vending machine and then sat on a bench to wait for Tomoe for their date.
2640
2641Sakuta used the platform often to commute into school, there were tourist attractions signposted, and adverts with famous products on the walls. The early-afternoon of a day off lent a rather different mood to the people around. There were more tourists than locals. There was a group of older women that seemed to be heading to Kamakura, a family that had come to see the beach, and a young couple that seemed to be on a date to Enoshima. Incidentally, this was the same plan that Sakuta and Tomoe would be following.
2642
2643Time passed slowly on the platform before he heard the patter of feet approaching.
2644
2645“S-sorry to keep you waiting!”
2646
2647Sakuta raised his face and saw Tomoe standing shyly to the side.
2648
2649She was wearing a pair of short denim shorts, with a sleeveless blouse that had frills on the collar and arm-holes. She was wearing easy to move in trainers on her feet, and was holding a striped blue and white tote-bag as if to hide her bared legs.
2650
2651While she still had a girlishness and softness about her, she had an invigorating impression perfect for a beach date as well.
2652
2653She stood in front of Sakuta as he remained silent, her gaze wandering and her worry plainly visible on her face.
2654
2655
2656
2657
2658
2659“You’re flushed,” he pointed out.
2660
2661“It’s because I was rushing.”
2662
2663“I guess that works.”
2664
2665“I wouldn’t worry about a date like that,” Tomoe added defensively.
2666
2667“You’re five minutes late anyway, Koga.”
2668
2669They’d agreed when they left work that they would meet here at half-past two. It was thirty-five minutes past when Tomoe arrived, and steadily approaching forty.
2670
2671“I couldn’t help it, I had to get ready.”
2672
2673“Get ready, huh?”
2674
2675Sakuta surveyed her closely, he certainly could see how her look was something she’d had to ‘get ready’. She had a modern, fashionable aura about her without being gaudy, and fitting in with her surroundings.
2676
2677“W-what?”
2678
2679“Well, you’re cute.”
2680
2681“D-don’t call me cute.”
2682
2683“I’ve got to, you are cute.”
2684
2685“Don’t keep saying it!”
2686
2687“You lose points for not wearing a mini-skirt, but your legs are bare so I’ll forgive you.”
2688
2689“You’re not allowed to just look at my legs either,” she protested, crouching and wrapping her arms around those bare legs of hers to hide them, “they’re fat anyway.”
2690
2691Her teary eyes as she looked up at him made him want to tease her more, and the thing which drew his eyes the most at that point was her round backside covered by her shorts.
2692
2693“Don’t say anything about my backside either,” she forestalled him, having noticed his gaze. That was surprisingly sharp of her.
2694
2695“Why?”
2696
2697“It’s big,” she said sulkily.
2698
2699“They’re good child-bearing hips.”
2700
2701“D-don’t give me strange compliments like that!” Tomoe gave her biggest reaction of the day. “I can’t believe you!”
2702
2703She had gone red to her ears and was being careful that no one around could hear them.
2704
2705“Where did you buy those clothes?”
2706
2707“Eh? Just a normal sto-”
2708
2709“Which one?”
2710
2711“Why do you want to know?”
2712
2713“I thought I’d buy my sister some clothes once I got my wages,” Mai had told him to take more of an interest in Kaede’s clothes, and Tomoe was only a year older than her so she should be useful as a reference.
2714
2715“You have a sister, Senpai? How old is she?” Asked Tomoe, sitting next to him.
2716
2717“A year younger than you. She’s bigger though.”
2718
2719“I wasn’t asking about her chest.”
2720
2721“And I wasn’t talking about her chest, I was talking about her height.”
2722
2723“I-I knew that… Ah, yeah, what’s your ID?”
2724
2725Tomoe was suddenly very serious and she fished her phone from her bag.
2726
2727“Huh?”
2728
2729“We should have been able to contact each other if we were going to be late, tell me your ID?” She pouted at him.
2730
2731“Are you trying to say it’s my fault?”
2732
2733“Well, it was my fault I’m late… sorry,” she gave a proper apology this time.
2734
2735“Well, I’m not going to make an issue out of five minutes.”
2736
2737“You already did! Anyway, your ID?”
2738
2739Tomoe pointed the screen at him, waiting for his details.
2740
2741“I don’t have one.”
2742
2743“Eh?”
2744
2745“I don’t.”
2746
2747“You don’t use the app!?” She yelled out, in apparent confusion that people like that still existed.
2748
2749It was an issue that she was that surprised though.
2750
2751“I don’t use a smartphone, or a normal phone for that matter.”
2752
2753“Huh?” Tomoe said, her eyes wide, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
2754
2755“That I don’t have one,” Sakuta said truthfully, lifting his hands. He had thrown it in the sea. It was the day that he had been accepted into Minegahara High School and he had decided that he would throw it into the sea to keep Kaede away from the internet.
2756
2757“I don’t get it at all.”
2758
2759“Please do.”
2760
2761“But how do you live!?”
2762
2763“Do people die without smartphones?”
2764
2765“They do!” She proclaimed, “If anything, dying…”
2766
2767Tomoe was looking at Sakuta like he was a zombie, but it was her face that had paled.
2768
2769“Ah, the train’s here,” said Sakuta, ignoring Tomoe as she carried on, and following the family onto the train.
2770
2771“Ah, wait!” Tomoe panicked, rushing after him.
2772
2773
2774
2775The chime sounded to indicate the train’s departure and the doors slid shut.
2776
2777The train set off and rocked Sakuta and Tomoe to the left and right where they were sitting next to each other. For a while, Tomoe kept muttering ‘unbelievable’, but she suddenly quieted around when they reached the next stop.
2778
2779When the train departed again, Sakuta’s right shoulder had a weight fall on it. Tomoe was leaning against him, and when he looked she had her mouth slightly open as she dozed.
2780
2781“Oi,” he said, flicking her lightly on the forehead.
2782
2783“Ow!”
2784
2785Tomoe covered her forehead with her hands and looked reproachfully up at him.
2786
2787“Do you normally just fall asleep like that?”
2788
2789“I didn’t get much sleep.”
2790
2791“Excited for the date?”
2792
2793“I stayed up until two messaging everyone… Then I was watching funny animal videos and it was morning, then I had to get re…” Tomoe trailed off into a large yawn, covering her mouth with both hands. She quickly wiped the slight tears from her eyes to avoid ruining her makeup, and took a mirror from her back to check.
2794
2795“Koga, wasn’t it your first day at work yesterday?”
2796
2797“Yeah.”
2798
2799“Weren’t you tired?”
2800
2801Doing new things generally made people more tired than usual.
2802
2803“I was exhausted.”
2804
2805“Then you should have gone tight to sleep.”
2806
2807“I couldn’t be the only one sleeping,” she protested.
2808
2809“But staying up to watch funny videos is fine.”
2810
2811“Everyone said they’d watched them, and I couldn’t join in. Besides, Rena-chan recommended them, you know?”
2812
2813“Rena-chan again, huh…”
2814
2815Social lives are tough, he thought.
2816
2817“Oh yeah, gotta comment.”
2818
2819Tomoe took her phone out before quickly opening a free messaging app and typing out a message about how good the videos were with deft movements.
2820
2821A reply soon arrived, and when Sakuta took a glance, it said ‘I recommend this one too,’ so Tomoe wouldn’t be getting much sleep tonight either it seemed.
2822
2823Or so he thought, but Tomoe started watching it then and there. The small LCD screen displayed a clumsy panda falling over backwards, its legs forming a perfect V in the air.
2824
2825The train arrived before the video had finished.
2826
2827“Come on, it’s our stop,” said Sakuta, pulling Tomoe by the arm onto the platform as she kept watching.
2828
2829
2830
2831Enoshima Station was one of the bigger stations that the Enoden stopped at. You could switch to the Shonan Monorail and a short walk would take you to a station building modelled on the Palace of the Dragon King, Katase Station on the Odakyu-Enoshima line. Incidentally, Enoshima Station wasn’t actually on the island called Enoshima, it was just nearby.
2832
2833Sakuta and Tomoe left the station and headed south, towards the sea. The scent of the breeze evoked thoughts of summer as it blew towards them.
2834
2835The road was brick-paved and called Subana Street. There were fashionable cafes, and the holiday meant there were a lot of pedestrians, with many couples in particular.
2836
2837“So many couples,” said Tomoe.
2838
2839“Well, it’s Sunday.”
2840
2841“Do we look like one too?”
2842
2843“I doubt it.”
2844
2845“Why?”
2846
2847“Well…”
2848
2849Sakuta judged the distance between the two of them, it was a little more than a metre by his reckoning. It was nearly the width of a lane in the road, so you could call them practically unrelated people and people had been passing between them with no concern at all. If they’d been seen as a couple, people wouldn’t have done so. Tomoe seemed to realise the meaning of his gaze and drew closer. A little more than a metre shortened to a little less than a metre.
2850
2851“Is this better?” She asked.
2852
2853“It’s more like that,” Sakuta replied, indicating a university student and his girlfriend who were close enough they kept bumping shoulders. Finally, Tomoe closed in to Sakuta’s side.
2854
2855“Then there’s stuff like that,” he continued, looking at a couple about the same age as them who were perusing a menu outside a cafe. The girl was holding two fingers on the boy’s hand, his little finger and ring finger. “That should be nothing for you, seeing as you’ve dated before, riiight?”
2856
2857“O-of course.”
2858
2859Ever so slowly, Tomoe stretched out her hand. Her hand didn’t touch Sakuta’s but instead grabbed hold of something else, the end of his belt, handing by his waist.
2860
2861She certainly had a wholesome relationship with her last boyfriend. If he actually existed that is…
2862
2863Tomoe was looking down in embarrassment as if this was taking her utmost effort. With her small stature as she did so, it was strangely cute overall. However, there was one problem.
2864
2865“I feel like I’ve been turned into a dog.”
2866
2867That, that was the problem.
2868
2869“Ah, we’ve got a dog.”
2870
2871“We’ve got a cat. Anyway, you don’t have to force yourself to act like a couple.”
2872
2873It might be different in school, but fooling people strangers would be no help.
2874
2875“That… might not be…” Tomoe started inarticulately, turning her face away, “Umm… Senpai, there’s something I wanted to tell you.”
2876
2877The brick paving ran out, and the sea came into view in front of them. Floating on the waves was the island they were heading towards, Enoshima. It was a tied island jutting out into the bay of Sagami, which drew an arc like a drawn bow. To the west, Odawara and Hakone could be seen, and if the weather was good, Mount Fuji was also visible, but on a day like today with clouds in the sky, the general shape was all they could make out.
2878
2879“Would that be about the three sneaking after us?”
2880
2881Since they had arrived at Enoshima Station, Sakuta had happened to feel the fact he was being watched. He had checked behind them while pretending to look at Tomoe and seen Rena and their other two friends, Hinako and Aya.
2882
2883“You noticed then?”
2884
2885“Well, you were being suspicious too.”
2886
2887“W-was I?”
2888
2889They wouldn’t just be able to take photos and say the date went fine. If Rena and the others were constantly watching them, they’d have no choice but to properly carry out their act of being ‘more than schoolmates, less than boyfriend and girlfriend’.
2890
2891“Rena-chan said she’d be judging you…”
2892
2893“She’s been suspicious since yesterday.”
2894
2895She wasn’t suspicious about whether they were lying, it was about Sakuta’s sensitivity and humanity. She couldn’t believe that he had so easily moved on to Tomoe after confessing to Mai in front of the whole school a month prior. She was probably worrying about Tomoe being with someone like that.
2896
2897“Isn’t friendship just amazing?”
2898
2899“I get the feeling you don’t mean that in a good way.”
2900
2901That friendship making the situation more complex made him want to be sarcastic. Honestly, knowing he was being watched made playing around less pleasant. Surely it was a senior’s duty to show the harshness of life to juniors that were making light of keeping a secret.
2902
2903“Koga, change of plans,” he said, grabbing Tomoe’s arm as she continued straight on, Sakuta took a right onto route 134, turning his back on Shichirigahama and crossing a bridge over the Sakai River.
2904
2905“Where are we going?” Asked Tomoe in confusion at Sakuta’s actions.
2906
2907“Over there.”
2908
2909Their destination came into sight as soon as they reached the other shore, a rectangular building looking out to the sea… the aquarium.
2910
2911
2912
2913After buying two tickets and entering the aquarium, Sakuta and Tomoe were greeted by sea creatures of various sizes from the local Sagami Bay. They flitted around a huge tank which was tall enough that it reached the lower floor. There were triangular-headed sharks, tasty looking bream, and refined sea turtles. Two stingrays swam next to each other, displaying their face-like stomachs to the onlookers. Thousands of sardines formed into groups and swam in a circle right in the middle of the tank.
2914
2915Small children pressed their faces into the glass, gazing at the sea creatures living out their lives. Tomoe had found a niche for herself as well, getting a special seat as a huge shark suddenly swam past her face.
2916
2917She let out a cute shriek and fell backwards, her prized backside resting against Sakuta’s feet. With Rena and the others watching, Sakuta acted like a boyfriend and held out his hand, helping her up.
2918
2919He had thought the entrance fee would mean they wouldn’t be followed, but he had misjudged it. However, it was easier to control their movements than outside, and he planned to launch a counterattack when he saw the chance. Sakuta wasn’t the kind of person to let himself be made into an exhibit.
2920
2921Following on from the vivid fish living in the warm waters, there were strange creatures that lived in the deep sea. The jellyfish area was darker than the rest of the aquarium and felt rather like a planetarium. Several couples stopping to take photos caught his eye.
2922
2923The jellyfish moved languidly through the water.
2924
2925“They’re cute,” said Tomoe, taking her phone out to take pictures as well.
2926
2927There’s some that look like snacks, thought Sakuta.
2928
2929“That one’s like a macaron,” Tomoe chimed in, apparently thinking the same, “Senpai, take a picture.”
2930
2931Sakuta took the phone and put Tomoe and the jellyfish in frame.
2932
2933“Not like that,” she corrected him, looking at the couple that were shoulder to shoulder next to a neighbouring tank. The boyfriend was holding the phone in an outstretched hand, taking a picture of them both.
2934
2935Acceding to her wishes, Sakuta approached Tomoe, slightly brushing against her and making her jump. A glance at her face revealed her nervousness.
2936
2937Sakuta let the shutter close regardless.
2938
2939They looked over the picture, and as he’d thought, Tomoe’s expression was stiff.
2940
2941“Senpai, your eyes look dead.”
2942
2943“They’re just the same as normal.”
2944
2945“You’re always dying then,” laughed Tomoe, her nerves apparently settled.
2946
2947They continued along the route through the building and noticed a large group of people gathering in one area. They were gathered around a tank with a reproduction of a stony beach inside, and about fifteen Humboldt penguins.
2948
2949It looked like a show was just going on as an attendant came in through the entrance.
2950
2951“Wanna watch?” Asked Sakuta.
2952
2953“Yeah.”
2954
2955The attendant was giving a concise explanation of the characteristics of this particular species of penguin. Apparently, the pattern on each bird’s stomach was different, with siblings and parents having similar patterns to each other. He picked up one of them and brought it over to the glass.
2956
2957The other penguins gathered around his feet. When he moved to the right, they tottered after him, and when he moved to the left, they tottered back again.
2958
2959The crowd cooed over the penguins’ adorableness.
2960
2961“They’re cute, so cute,” said Tomoe, needless to say, her eyes were shining as well.
2962
2963The next charming scene was to be a swimming performance. When Sakuta started wondering about how they’d do that, the attendant threw some small fish into the water with a yell.
2964
2965The penguins simultaneously leapt in, cutting through the water like a curtain of bullets. They looked like they were flying through the water, while unable to fly in the sky, apparently, they flew underwater.
2966
2967“That penguin…” started Tomoe.
2968
2969“Hm?”
2970
2971Tomoe was looking at a corner of the rocky area where there was a single penguin napping while the others all raced around after the fish.
2972
2973“He’s sorta like you.”
2974
2975“My legs aren’t that short, are they?”
2976
2977“It’s because he’s just doing his own thing while everyone else is performing in the show.”
2978
2979“Then would you be that second, bouncy one?”
2980
2981In that case, the leader would be Kashiba Rena. The fish had been mostly eaten by four specific penguins. Apparently, penguin society was hierarchical as well.
2982
2983“No, I’d be… that one following everyone from behind,” said Tomoe quietly.
2984
2985“It’s got a big backside as well.”
2986
2987“I’m being serious here,” she protested, covering her backside as she glared up at him. Even that act itself was rather penguin-like.
2988
2989“I wonder why that penguin isn’t with everyone else.”
2990
2991The penguin in the corner woke from its nap and shook its head from side to side.
2992
2993“He’s finally awake, the show’s already over though,” said the attendant, noticing it, inviting laughter from the audience.
2994
2995Regardless of this, the penguin just went back to sleep, making the spectators laugh even more.
2996
2997“He’s fine being laughed at by everyone… he really is just like you,” said Tomoe triumphantly with a smile.
2998
2999Thus, the penguin show came to an end with thunderous applause.
3000
3001The crowd started to disperse.
3002
3003Sakuta left Tomoe at the seal tank and left towards the toilets. He didn’t go to the toilet however and circled around through the aquarium to where he had spotted Rena, Hinako, and Aya during the show.
3004
3005He’d had to go back to near the entrance, so he walked quickly to find them in the shadow of a pillar in the gift shop, watching Tomoe as she peered at the seals.
3006
3007“See any rare fish?” Sakuta asked as he approached them from behind.
3008
3009Hinako and Aya both startled, and Rena turned around to look at him with an expression of innocence on her face.
3010
3011“You’re here too, Senpai?” She answered brazenly in kind.
3012
3013“Man, schoolgirls have a relaxed life.”
3014
3015“We’re busy.”
3016
3017“You don’t look it.”
3018
3019“What about you? Should you really be leaving Tomoe on her own?”
3020
3021“Hey, look!” Interjected Hinako, wearing her elegant glasses again, her eyes looking out from behind them past the pillar at Tomoe.
3022
3023Not seeing the harm, Sakuta joined her.
3024
3025Tomoe was being talked to by two men. They both had brown hair, with chains hanging from their waists and sandals on their feet. They looked like they were inviting her to watch the dolphin show as they gestured outside.
3026
3027“They look kinda scary,” said Hinako. As Tomoe seemed to wave a hand in front of her chest in negation, one of them grabbed her wrist. Hinako looked to Rena for advice, asking, “What do we do?”
3028
3029Sakuta passed by her side and left the shadow, striding over to Tomoe.
3030
3031“Eh, I take my eyes off you for a minute and you get hit on?” He asked, lightly smacking the crown of her head before pulling her from the men by her shoulders.
3032
3033“So you’ve got a boyfriend?” The one man said, a bit of anger in his eyes.
3034
3035“You were gone too long, Senpai,” Tomoe protested quietly.
3036
3037“It was a big one,” he said. He’d actually gone for a completely different reason, but that should be plenty to turn the brown-haired duo off.
3038
3039“You’re really something, talking about shit on a date,” came the scornful rejoinder from the one of them before they both left.
3040
3041“Were they guys your friends had the hots for too?” Sakuta asked quietly as they watched the pair swagger away.
3042
3043“No way,” replied Tomoe at a similar volume.
3044
3045“Then turn them down straight off.”
3046
3047“I would, but…”
3048
3049“But what?”
3050
3051“They surprised me when they just started talking to me out of nowhere.”
3052
3053“Considering you, you should get used to it quickly.”
3054
3055The neighbourhood would be opening up for beach season soon, and there would be pickup artists on the prowl.
3056
3057“What do you mean by that?”
3058
3059“Have you not seen your face?”
3060
3061“I see it every day.”
3062
3063Tomoe looked at her reflection in the tank glass.
3064
3065“What do you think?”
3066
3067“…That it’s not mine,” Tomoe murmured, bowing her head.
3068
3069
3070
30712
3072
3073
3074
3075Sakuta and Tomoe left the aquarium and stepped onto the Benten Bridge that went to Enoshima itself. The sound of the wind and waves wrapped around them with the salty air from the sea. The tide wasn’t too high, so it felt like you could just keep walking on the surface.
3076
3077Tomoe had her gaze on the ground and seemed listless, like she’d been thinking on something since they had left the aquarium.
3078
3079“Did you want some submissive play or something?”
3080
3081“No.”
3082
3083“Are we supposed to be an arguing couple then?”
3084
3085Tomoe slowly closed the distance between them. When she arrived next to him, she rested her hands on the handrail next to them and let out a sigh as she was dyed red by the setting sun coming through gaps in the clouds.
3086
3087“I told you I came from Fukuoka, right?”
3088
3089“Boasting about your hometown?”
3090
3091“No.”
3092
3093“What is it then?” Asked Sakuta as he turned around, leaning against the rail next to her.
3094
3095“I wasn’t like this before middle school,” she spoke as she gazed at the sea, “want to see a picture?”
3096
3097“Not really.”
3098
3099“Here,” she said, thrusting her phone in front of his face so he ended up seeing it even if he didn’t want to.
3100
3101In the picture, she was wearing an old-fashioned sailor uniform, and an unfashionable, knee-length skirt. And on top of all of that, her hair was pulled into two wonderful braids either side of her head.
3102
3103“This is… rustic.”
3104
3105“That’s why I didn’t want to show you.”
3106
3107“Weren’t you the one that forced it in front of my face?”
3108
3109“Dad got re-assigned at work so we came to Tokyo.”
3110
3111“This is Kanagawa though.”
3112
3113“Don’t sweat the little things, it’s Tokyo.”
3114
3115“Well, whatever.”
3116
3117“I was in a group in the background at school as well.”
3118
3119“Hmmm.”
3120
3121“I thought that I’d definitely get bullied in the city, get called lame and have no friends.”
3122
3123“Well, I guess that happens.”
3124
3125“So when I found out we were moving here in January… I used the three months until we left to do a lot of research,” Tomoe said, twining a finger into her hair, “I started with makeup, then I went to a fancy hairdresser and got a new hairstyle… I started copying fashion magazines with my clothes, practised my accent… and I ended up like this.”
3126
3127“Do you not like it?”
3128
3129“Eh?”
3130
3131“Do you not like how you are now?”
3132
3133Tomoe grew thoughtful at the question, and after a while answered as if affirming her own feelings:
3134
3135“…I do, I really do.”
3136
3137“Then what are you worrying about? It’s too depressing.”
3138
3139“W-what’s that supposed to mean!?”
3140
3141“Are you doing the usual teenager thing and going on about how this ‘isn’t the real you’?”
3142
3143“Y-yeah.”
3144
3145“So laaame.”
3146
3147“You’re mean!”
3148
3149“Well, it’s all good.”
3150
3151“What is?”
3152
3153“This is you. Whatever you were before, this is you now.”
3154
3155“How come you can say that?” Tomoe levelled a suspicious gaze at him.
3156
3157“Whatever started it, you put the effort in to end up like this, yeah?”
3158
3159“Y-yeah…”
3160
3161“And you like how you are now?”
3162
3163“Yeah.”
3164
3165“Then what are you on about with ‘this isn’t me’?”
3166
3167She didn’t answer.
3168
3169“…So don’t worry about it.”
3170
3171“…I don’t like it.”
3172
3173“Huh?”
3174
3175“It feels like you just played me.”
3176
3177“Hey, I-”
3178
3179Just as Sakuta was about to complain, Tomoe’s attention was diverted to her phone.
3180
3181“Ah, it’s from Rena-chan…”
3182
3183She fiddled with the screen, opening the message.
3184
3185“What is it?”
3186
3187“…‘You look like you’re getting on well. Senpai seems like a surprisingly good person too.’”
3188
3189“She didn’t need to add the ‘surprisingly’.”
3190
3191“‘Senpai says that you didn’t need to add the “surprisingly”’ and sent.”
3192
3193“Don’t send that.”
3194
3195“I already have… Ah, a reply, she said ‘huh?’”
3196
3197“Did she?”
3198
3199Joining in schoolgirls’ conversations was just tiring.
3200
3201“Come on, we’re going to Enoshima, right?”
3202
3203“Yeah… ah, wait!” Tomoe noticed something and ran out onto the beach at the side of the bridge. The sun was setting and the beach was sparsely populated, one of them had caught her eye, a girl judging by her outfit, who was looking down and searching for something. Even from here, they could see she was worried. “That’s Yoneyama-san.”
3204
3205“You know her?”
3206
3207“She’s my classmate, Yoneyama Nana-san.”
3208
3209It really is just like her to make sure to learn her full name, thought Sakuta, he himself not remembering nearly any of his classmates’ full names.
3210
3211Tomoe turned her back on Enoshima and returned to the bridge, left the road and staggered slightly onto the beach. Going to Enoshima on his own would be pointless, so Sakuta followed her.
3212
3213As they approached the water’s edge, Yoneyama Nana’s features became distinct. She wore black-rimmed glasses and had her hair tied into two bunches like a middle schooler, hanging onto and then off the front of her shoulders. Her skirt fell to her knee and she wore a navy blue cardigan on her upper half. She was about the same height as Tomoe and seemed like a reserved girl at first glance, one that would fit right into the library.
3214
3215She seemed close to tears and was pacing back and forth on the sand.
3216
3217“Yoneyama-san!” Tomoe called out, making Nana freeze in fright. When she noticed Tomoe she stiffened in surprise again.
3218
3219“Did you do something to her? She’s pretty skittish,” Sakuta muttered to Tomoe.
3220
3221“I-I didn’t do anything!” She replied at the same volume.
3222
3223“Koga-san… A-and that guy that came back to being desirable.”
3224
3225“So that really is a thing with the first-years,” Said Sakuta. Nana met his eyes and showed even greater fright than before.
3226
3227“I-I’m sorry,” she apologised.
3228
3229“What about you, Senpai, what’d you do?” Interjected Tomoe, just at the right moment.
3230
3231“Nothing yet.”
3232
3233“Don’t do anything either,” said Tomoe, giving him a warning glance, “Yoneyama-san, what’s wrong?”
3234
3235“Eh, nothing,” she said, pulling herself together and speaking softly.
3236
3237No matter what she said, she certainly looked like something was wrong.
3238
3239“Are you looking for something?” Tomoe changed the question.
3240
3241“Y-yeah,” Nana nodded.
3242
3243It didn’t seem to be that something had happened between them, Nana was just shy and shocked at being spoken to by Tomoe, who she hadn’t spoken much with during classes. Then her being together with Sakuta, who had several unpleasant rumours circulating about him, made them seem even more distant.
3244
3245“I’ll look too. Did you drop something?”
3246
3247“I-it’s fine, I mean, you’re part of Kashiba-san’s group.”
3248
3249Sakuta thought that was a rather interesting denial. But at the same time, he had a feeling that those words showed how the power was distributed in their class.
3250
3251There was a definite difference between Yoneyama Nana, who seemed rather plain, and Tomoe and her group, who seemed to radiate fashion. He almost wanted to tell Nana about how Tomoe looked even plainer back during middle school but decided not to with how he had only just gotten Tomoe to accept her effort.
3252
3253“Three pairs of eyes are better than one,” he said, directing his eyes to the sand, even though he didn’t know what he was looking for.
3254
3255“See, Senpai said he’d help too.”
3256
3257“R-right… it’s a phone strap.”
3258
3259“What kind?”
3260
3261“It’s got a little jellyfish on it, I bought it at the aquarium.”
3262
3263“What colour is it?”
3264
3265“It’s transparent, but kinda blue I guess.”
3266
3267“Is it important to you?”
3268
3269“Yeah… I bought it with a matching one for my friend during Golden Week.”
3270
3271Losing just the one of a pair would make anyone feel bad. He’d question why she couldn’t just buy a new one, but it wouldn’t have the same meaning as the one that she bought with her friend to Nana.
3272
3273“Are you sure you dropped it around here?” He asked instead.
3274
3275“I-I’m sorry, I don’t know.”
3276
3277“You don’t need to apologise.” He said as she grew frightened when they met gazes again, so Sakuta just looked down again and waved his hand around, a little depressed that she was so obviously scared of him.
3278
3279“Senpai’s weird, but he’s not scary,” came Tomoe’s backhanded compliment. From his point of view, Tomoe was plenty weird herself…
3280
3281“R-right,” Nana replied, keeping an obvious distance between her and Tomoe as well.
3282
3283There was a strange tension in the air as they searched fruitlessly for about half an hour. The sun had set and it was getting hard to see. Things were reaching the limit of a group of three that didn’t really get along.
3284
3285Just as Sakuta was thinking they might have to call it quits, Sakuta saw a glint at the water’s edge.
3286
3287There, lying on the wet sand, was a jellyfish phone strap.
3288
3289“There it is,” he yelled unintentionally.
3290
3291“Really?”
3292
3293Tomoe and Nana came rushing over.
3294
3295Sakuta went to pick it up, but the next wave made him hesitate, and while he couldn’t see it, there was a shadow in the water.
3296
3297“Ah, Koga-san,” before Nana’s warning was complete, Tomoe had plunged her hands into the sea. In the next moment, a suspiciously large wave covered Tomoe completely where she was leaning forwards.
3298
3299Tomoe let out a scream of shock and lost her balance, falling backwards, getting soaked all over.
3300
3301“Oi, you good?”
3302
3303In response to Sakuta’s question, Tomoe turned back with a smile.
3304
3305“I got it,” she said, holding up the strap, not seeming to realise that he was asking after her.
3306
3307“Are you okay, Koga-san?”
3308
3309She wasn’t no matter how you looked. She was definitely soaked to the bone, her white blouse clinging to her skin, showing her underwear and skin.
3310
3311Sakuta stepped into the water in his shoes and pulled Tomoe up. Tomoe tripped on the sand and held on to Sakuta.
3312
3313“Woah, get off, you’re soaked!”
3314
3315“You should be happy!”
3316
3317“You say, with your eyeliner melting off.”
3318
3319“Wah, don’t look at me!” Shouted Tomoe, hiding her face, but there were other places she should be hiding.
3320
3321“Your underwear’s showing too, you should hide that instead.”
3322
3323“Ahhh, I don’t have enough hands!”
3324
3325“I can lend you one of mine if you like?”
3326
3327Tomoe thought for a moment.
3328
3329“Hey, that’s obviously not going to happen!”
3330
3331Watching them, Nana broke into laughter.
3332
3333
3334
33353
3336
3337
3338
3339The day after Sakuta’s date with Tomoe… June the thirtieth, arrived without fanfare.
3340
3341Maybe days wouldn’t repeat any more, maybe the Adolescence Syndrome causing it had been cured.
3342
3343With these things occupying his mind, Sakuta headed in to school, where he happened to arrived at the Fujisawa Enoden station with Tomoe.
3344
3345He couldn’t just ignore her among the other students from their school. After all, he was her ‘more than schoolmate, less than boyfriend’. He should talk with her like that. So thinking, he addressed her.
3346
3347“Koga, want to ride together?”
3348
3349“Yeah,” she answered in a husky voice with a nod.
3350
3351He looked into her inclined face, noticing it was strangely red.
3352
3353“You got a cold, huh?”
3354
3355Getting soaked by the sea yesterday was probably the cause. That and not being able to ride the train, so walking the approximately thirty kilometres to Fujisawa while sodden and dripping.
3356
3357It might be summer, but that was too negligent.
3358
3359“I’m completely fine,” she said, her eyes blank in contrast to her words. She didn’t even have the energy to look up at Sakuta, and just kept looking down, seeming to struggle to breathe even.
3360
3361“You don’t look fine at all,” Sakuta said, putting a hand on her forehead. It was hot, too hot. Hot enough that Sakuta would have taken great joy in having the day off. And yet when the train arrived, Tomoe didn’t hesitate to board it.
3362
3363First of all, he sat her down in an empty seat.
3364
3365“Get off at the next stop and go home,” he instructed.
3366
3367“Don’t wanna,” came her childish reply.
3368
3369“Do you like school that much?”
3370
3371“If I had the day off, I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the conversations.”
3372
3373“It’s just a day.”
3374
3375“That day’s fatal.”
3376
3377Apparently, she could never relax.
3378
3379“Sleep until we get there then, I’ll wake you up.”
3380
3381“Thanks,” she said honestly, before relaxing and closing her eyes.
3382
3383
3384
3385Sakuta walked with Tomoe to school, but when she couldn’t change her shoes, he dragged her to the infirmary and had the nurse look after her.
3386
3387Of course, he ignored her croaky ‘Traitooor’ as he left.
3388
3389Sakuta crept out of the school at lunchtime, walking to a nearby shop and hurriedly finishing his shopping and returning before a teacher realised he was missing, then showed up in the infirmary.
3390
3391Rena, Hinako, and Aya were gathered around the bed that Tomoe was lying in. When the three noticed Sakuta enter, they left, with a teasing instruction for the pair to enjoy themselves.
3392
3393The nurse was also absent, perhaps running some errand.
3394
3395“Feeling any better?” Asked Sakuta as he sat down on a stool at the side of the bed.
3396
3397“Yeah,” Tomoe answered quietly, but louder than that morning.
3398
3399“Want some canned oranges?” He asked as he dropped the bag of shopping on the table attached to the bed.
3400
3401“It’s against the rules to leave school during the day.”
3402
3403“If you don’t want them…” he said, taking the tin of oranges from the bag.
3404
3405“I’ll have them,” she rushed out, trying to take the tin.
3406
3407“Wait a minute.”
3408
3409“Whyyy, they’re f’r me, right?”
3410
3411Sakuta took out a bag of crushed ice.
3412
3413“Ice?” Asked Tomoe in confusion.
3414
3415Sakuta ignored her question and added water to the ice, then put the tin in the mixture, turning it every so often.
3416
3417“Senpai, what’cha doin’?”
3418
3419He was copying a quick-cooling method that Rio had used once. After about two minutes, he took the tin out, opened the lid and put it in front of Tomoe this time.
3420
3421“I can feed you them if you like.”
3422
3423“It’d be hard to eat like that, so I’m good.” She used the included fork and took a mouthful. “Ah, it’s really cold!”
3424
3425Tomoe smiled in happiness.
3426
3427“Don’t watch me eat,” she told Sakuta as he looked at her carefully.
3428
3429“Why?”
3430
3431“It’s embarrassing.”
3432
3433“You what?”
3434
3435Sakuta’s doubts just grew, but bothering his weakened junior didn’t appeal to him, so he stood and opened the window a little, letting a salty breeze in to the air-conditioned room.
3436
3437“Ahhh, the smell of the sea,” said Tomoe, the natural scents of the sea breeze apparently making her feel better as soon closed her eyes for a while.
3438
3439“Hey, Senpai?” She said after a while of sitting like that.
3440
3441“Hm?” He replied, leaning out of the window.
3442
3443“Why did you listen to my ridiculous request?”
3444
3445“Would that be the one to be more than your schoolmate, less than your boyfriend?”
3446
3447“The one to be more than my schoolmate, less than my boyfriend, yes.”
3448
3449Sakuta watched the many surfers skimming across the waves of the sea by Shichirigahama.
3450
3451“Because you asked so earnestly.”
3452
3453“Even though you barely knew me?”
3454
3455“We’re backside-kicking buddies, right?”
3456
3457“Geez, I was being serious,” she said, looking over her shoulder at him and sulkily holding her fork in her mouth.
3458
3459“Back then though, I thought you were a nice girl,” he insisted.
3460
3461She had thought a pervert was assaulting a small girl and so had kicked Sakuta as hard as she could in the backside. It was a misunderstanding, but not everyone would have had the courage to do such a thing, and Tomoe’s stance on that sort of thing was shown once again the day before when she helped search for Yoneyama Nana’s strap.
3462
3463“And so you helped me?”
3464
3465“Well, it was also ‘cause you’re cute.”
3466
3467“You’re messing around agaaaain.”
3468
3469“I don’t know if I’d have done the same thing if you were ugly, that’s what guys are like.”
3470
3471“…You would have,” said Tomoe in a quiet voice, and Sakuta decided that he couldn’t hear.
3472
3473“I’m not so kind that I help everyone.”
3474
3475“But in exchange, you’re kind to some people.”
3476
3477“Well yeah, even I want some people to think I’m half decent.”
3478
3479“Hmmm.”
3480
3481Tomoe still didn’t seem to fully agree, but she didn’t seem to want to keep going. She finished eating the fruit and drank the leftover juices in a single gulp.
3482
3483“Koga, do you have anyone you like?” Sakuta asked.
3484
3485“Eh!?” She yelled in shock at the sudden question, “W-why would you ask something like that?”
3486
3487“I just figured rumours about you dating me would cause an issue if you were pining after someone.”
3488
3489“I’m not, so that’s fine.”
3490
3491“Anyone you’re interested in?”
3492
3493“There’s not.”
3494
3495“Hehhh, such a waste.”
3496
3497“I don’t have time for things like that.
3498
3499“Well yeah, you’ve got to keep up with the videos your friends send.”
3500
3501“I don’t like your tone there.”
3502
3503“I guess that means that you’ve got doubts about it yourself.”
3504
3505“What’s that supposed to mean?”
3506
3507“If you were fine with how things were going, you wouldn’t care about how I said it.”
3508
3509“…I would,” she said after thinking it over in silence for a few moments, “I care about how people see me. Even while I’m sitting here in the infirmary, I’m worrying about what everyone in the classroom is thinking.”
3510
3511“You’re too self-conscious.”
3512
3513“You’re the weird one, Senpai. How can you keep coming to school when everyone looks at you like a freak and makes fun of you? How can you keep going? You’re too insensitive.”
3514
3515“Man, you’re asking some awful questions. Right to my face too.”
3516
3517“Uh, sorry.”
3518
3519“They didn’t hurt, so it’s fine.”
3520
3521“I’m not sorry then,” she muttered, her gaze seeming somewhat serious to Sakuta, asking him to answer properly with her eyes.
3522
3523Sakuta couldn’t stand against that look so just looked back outside again and started talking, as if to himself.
3524
3525“It’s just ‘cause I don’t really live to be liked by everyone.”
3526
3527“I want everyone to like me… or at least, not hate me.”
3528
3529“I’m fine with just one person. As long as that one person needs me, I can keep going.”
3530
3531Sakuta broke the seal on the box of onigiri he had bought for himself, stuffing the nori-wrapped rice into his mouth, enjoying eating while watching the sea. That on its own made choosing this school worth it.
3532
3533“Even if rest of the world hates you?”
3534
3535“That’d be better, right?”
3536
3537“I wonder.”
3538
3539“Well, you’ll get it one day, Koga,” Sakuta ended the conversation before it grew even more embarrassing.
3540
3541“You looking down on me like that’s irritating,” pouted Tomoe. Sakuta lightly laughed at her expression but his laughter soon died away, having realised why he was treating her as much younger than him.
3542
3543On her first day of work, he had thought of her as a clumsy junior, but talking with her like this had made him realise she was really taking in and understanding his, both what he was saying, and what he wasn’t.
3544
3545More accurately, Tomoe was strongly focused on what was going on around her so she didn’t miss anything. To put it nicely she could read the atmosphere properly, conversely, it could be put as her paying too much attention to the atmosphere. Then, she would choose how she acted based on that atmosphere. That was why she had started to wear makeup, had changed her hairstyle, and had become more fashionable.
3546
3547This lie about them dating was the same thing.
3548
3549Doing this, she avoided conflict with her surroundings, even in the form of slight frictions, and lived well. She put a lot of effort into not causing discord, and was always paying attention so she didn’t cause problems.
3550
3551It was a way of living that Sakuta would never be able to imitate, it’d definitely exhaust him.
3552
3553“Senpai, you’re thinking something rude, aren’t you?”
3554
3555“No, not really.”
3556
3557“You definitely are.”
3558
3559“If anything, I’m thinking something really nice.”
3560
3561“What do you mean?”
3562
3563Sakuta ignored her question and answered with another.
3564
3565“Say, Koga, if you ended up liking the same person as your friend Rena, what would you do?”
3566
3567He could imagine the answer without actually asking the question, the reason he bothered was to make her realise it. There were frictions in relationships that you couldn’t avoid and pass through. Doing so would make that friction wear you down.
3568
3569“If we liked the same person, I’d never tell Rena-chan.”
3570
3571“What about if you like the same person as your friend Hinako?
3572
3573“I wouldn’t say.”
3574
3575“If it was your friend Aya?”
3576
3577“I wouldn’t say.”
3578
3579“So you’d just give up.”
3580
3581“I think so.”
3582
3583“That’s what I thought.”
3584
3585“Don’t ask then,” It was best to decide to give up and do so while you could. When your feelings were at that point, it didn’t matter, but issues arose when feelings you hadn’t taken into account came into the picture. Tomoe’s answer now was inescapable, and she felt the danger in it.
3586
3587“Yes, little one.”
3588
3589“D-don’t treat me like a kid.”
3590
3591“It’s coming out with lines like that that make you seem like a kid, isn’t it?
3592
3593“Uggghhh…” she moaned, before continuing, “Oh yeah, Senpai, that reminds me…”
3594
3595“Hmm?”
3596
3597“How’d things end up with Sakurajima-senpai?”
3598
3599“I’m waiting for her answer.”
3600
3601“Eh!? She didn’t reject you yet!?”
3602
3603“If that loop hadn’t happened, she’d have agreed to start dating.”
3604
3605“No way!?”
3606
3607“It’s the truth.”
3608
3609“No, that’s definitely a lie.”
3610
3611“Why won’t you beli-”
3612
3613“I mean, it’s Sakurajima-senpai, right? The actress Sakurajima Mai! That one, right!?”
3614
3615“Yeah.”
3616
3617“And has she said ‘I love you’?” Asked Tomoe with a doubtful gaze.
3618
3619“Well… no.”
3620
3621“See, I’m sure you were just imagining it.”
3622
3623It was the truth that Mai had never said it, and it was also the truth that he wanted her to. That would be nice for their relationship too.
3624
3625Tomoe’s strange insistence on pointing it out made him all the more aware of it. In the end, whether Mai liked him, the solid month of confessions made it seem rather throwaway, and she also ignored the last confession, so it did rather seem that she agreed to get him to stop. That thought brought a touch of unease to Sakuta’s chest.
3626
3627“I’ll do my best to get her to say it when I confess next.”
3628
3629“You’ll definitely get rejected,” said Tomoe, still disbelieving.
3630
3631“Well, anyway, this term has to finish first.”
3632
3633They were deceiving the school for this term, if they didn’t overcome that, there was no bright future awaiting either of them.
3634
3635“…Yeah.”
3636
3637Fortunately, Rena and the others didn’t show any sign of noticing the lie. Currently, it seemed like they’d be able to finish the three following weeks fine. The one thing that couldn’t be predicted was Maesawa-senpai’s actions.
3638
3639Regardless of their lie being discovered, if Rena were to discover about his confession, that would be the end. They couldn’t let Rena-chan hear about what they were actually aiming for.
3640
3641They couldn’t look at things optimistically anymore.
3642
3643
3644
36454
3646
3647
3648
3649The next day was Tuesday, and marked the calendar’s transition into July. Tomoe had had a fever the day before and so spent the entire day in the infirmary, therefore, she finally conceded and had taken the day off.
3650
3651However, she was completely back to normal on Wednesday, and when the bell sounded for lunch, she arrived at Sakuta’s classroom holding a tin of peaches.
3652
3653His classmates had questioning gazes as to why a peach can.
3654
3655It was probably a thanks for the oranges on Monday, but Sakuta had to tease her.
3656
3657“Is it supposed to be for your peach-shaped backside?”
3658
3659Immediately, Tomoe’s hands covered herself.
3660
3661“No being perverted,” she said while pursing her lips.
3662
3663“I’ll enjoy these tonight, thinking of them as yours,” he continued further, making Tomoe snatch it back from him.
3664
3665“M-moron!” She ran from the classroom, her face flushed in embarrassment.
3666
3667“I guess I went too far,” he said, resolving to barely toe the line next time.
3668
3669He could feel the girls glaring at him in scorn for his sexual harassment, and the boys glaring at him in jealousy at the flirting. None of them seemed too surprised to see them together.
3670
3671That typified the LTE-era, rumours about the two of them had completely permeated the school.
3672
3673
3674
3675Tomoe hadn’t bounced back even after school. They were on the same shift, but each time they bumped into each other while working, she would hide her backside and glare at him like they had a blood feud…
3676
3677Unfortunately, however, she wasn’t the slightest bit scary.
3678
3679At eight o’clock that night, the dinner rush finally showed signs of calming, the number of customers arriving decreased, and the orders for the customers already there were finished. Even the cooking was mostly done.
3680
3681Tomoe approached Sakuta as he stood at the till.
3682
3683“There’s something I want to tell you.”
3684
3685“If it’s about my lack of delicacy, I’m well aware.”
3686
3687“I’ve already given up on you with that.”
3688
3689“What is it then?”
3690
3691Tomoe looked up at Sakuta in silence for several moments, her nerves obvious. It must be something important that she was about to say.
3692
3693“My backside really isn’t that big.”
3694
3695And yet, despite the apparent importance, it was her backside that she wanted to talk about.
3696
3697“My my, so humble!” Sakuta proclaimed while patting her consolingly on the shoulder.
3698
3699“What’s with that reply!?”
3700
3701“Have more confidence.”
3702
3703“In what!?”
3704
3705“In your peachy backside.”
3706
3707“I said I don’t have one!”
3708
3709“Now now, that’s not at all true.”
3710
3711“Fine then! I won’t talk to you.”
3712
3713She seemed to be in a seriously bad mood this time as she strode grandly away.
3714
3715However, a moment later, she took an order that contained alcohol, which she had never dealt with before, so came timidly back.
3716
3717“What should I do about the beer?” She asked awkwardly as she fidgeted.
3718
3719Sakuta pretended not to here as he refilled the glasses on the drinks bar.
3720
3721“Don’t ignore me,” she said, fiddling with her apron.
3722
3723Silence continued to reign.
3724
3725“P-please, tell me,” she was on the verge of tears, “I-I’ve got confidence in my backside.”
3726
3727At this, Sakuta finally looked at here.
3728
3729“And the peaches?”
3730
3731“F-fine! I’ll admit it, I have a peach-shaped backside.”
3732
3733She had completely given into despair.
3734
3735“I see, I guess I’ve got to tell you then.”
3736
3737“You meanie, Senpai.””
3738
3739
3740
3741With Sakuta teasing Tomoe like this, they both worked until nine that night. Sakuta saw her to near her house and then arrived back at his own for about half-past.
3742
3743He switched places with Kaede, who had just finished her own bath and washed off the day’s sweat.
3744
3745Once he felt refreshed, he left the bath and after pulling on his underwear went to the fridge and poured himself a glass of the sports drink in the fridge before downing it in a single gulp. The chill on his heated body was pleasant. It was a drink he’d always liked, but Mai had been in an advert for it so he felt like he should re-evaluate how it tasted. Each time he drank it he remembered Mai.
3746
3747Thinking of Mai, she was in Kagoshima recording for a TV drama this week. It was already ten o’clock, but Sakuta thought she was probably still recording. Or maybe she’d have returned to the hotel and gone to sleep by now, he couldn’t really imagine much about the world of show-business.
3748
3749He poured himself another glass and drank it slowly this time, in three sips.
3750
3751He washed the glass and put it on the draining board when the phone rang.
3752
3753He picked up the handset as he dried his hands on a towel.
3754
3755“Hello, it’s Azusagawa.”
3756
3757“It’s me.”
3758
3759Sakuta knew who it was at the very moment they answered.
3760
3761“Mai-san, what’s wrong?”
3762
3763“I thought you’d want to hear my voice so I phoned.”
3764
3765“I was actually just thinking about you.”
3766
3767“I hope you’re still wearing your underwear,” she seemed to jump right to distrusting him, “I understand that you can’t help that kind of thing, but…”
3768
3769She seemed to have already decided that he was doing the act.
3770
3771“I’m wearing just my underwear actually.”
3772
3773“Huh? Why just your underwear?”
3774
3775“I just got out of the bath.”
3776
3777“Huh, surprisingly normal,” she said, apparently displeased with that?
3778
3779“On nights where I lie tossing and turning, I may turn to you for assistance.”
3780
3781“Right right, do what you like,” she said.
3782
3783He’d thought she would get embarrassed at that, but she’d just gone right along with it.
3784
3785“How are things there?” She asked.
3786
3787“Well, everything pretty much the same as always.”
3788
3789“Was the date with your cute girlfriend fun?”
3790
3791“Well, in a way.”
3792
3793Getting new reactions from Tomoe had been a fun pastime.
3794
3795“Hmmm,” came Mai’s bored-sounding replay.
3796
3797“Was there even a right way to answer that?”
3798
3799“Running off from your house right now and coming to see me in Kagoshima?”
3800
3801“And then I can hold you?”
3802
3803“That’s not happening,” she said, her displeasure beating into his eardrum. Apparently, she really didn’t want to.
3804
3805“What about you? Have you done anything other than filming?”
3806
3807“I ate a polar bear.”
3808
3809“You’re a real carnivore, huh?”
3810
3811“It was just shaved ice.”
3812
3813“I knew that really, it’s the one with fruits on, right?”
3814
3815“I’m bored,” she said in her queenly tone. Royals are pretty unreasonable, thought Sakuta.
3816
3817But even so, her voice was taut, and sounded like she was exulting in something. She was probably excited at being able to act again.
3818
3819“Are you having fun at the filming?”
3820
3821“I am,” she answered honestly without a moment’s hesitation, “what do you want as a job?”
3822
3823“Students don’t normally think of their careers.”
3824
3825“That’s a waste.”
3826
3827“Well, I guess maybe I could be Santa Claus.”
3828
3829“Because you’d have three hundred and sixty-four days off?”
3830
3831“You caught me.”
3832
3833“If you say stupid things, you’ll become an idiot. Anyway, night.”
3834
3835“Ah, yeah, good night.”
3836
3837Sakuta waited for Mai to hang up before putting the receiver down.
3838
3839
3840
38415
3842
3843
3844
3845
3846
3847As the weekend arrived, the Japanese Meteorological Association announced the end of the rainy season for the Kanto region. Summer had finally arrived and the temperatures would only rise from here. Even the beaches suddenly grew more active, regardless of the beach season only starting next week.
3848
3849Sakuta had seen several groups of university students around for flying visits, and Shichirigahama beach was seeing more surfers enjoying the waves.
3850
3851Sakuta and Tomoe’s ashen lie continued even during the vivid blue season of sun and sea as they kept a careful distance between them like they’d just started dating.
3852
3853They didn’t go out of their way to be lovey-dovey, and only walked together to school if they happened to meet up on the way, with Tomoe prioritising her social life.
3854
3855Their relationship was now known throughout the school and Sakuta often had his classmates giving him curious looks like they wanted to ask him something.
3856
3857However, despite the clear curiosity, not one person had the courage to come forward and ask him. Of course, none of them thought of them as ‘false lovers’.
3858
3859Obviously, no one would think one of their classmates would be able to deceive everyone like that, and no one was going out of the way to confirm or deny the rumours going around. It was just seen as ‘someone else’s problem’. Honestly, Sakuta was grateful for the lack of care people seemed to be showing. Maybe because of that, his worry over being found out was unnecessary.
3860
3861There was another source of unease dwelling within his heart though. It seemed likely that this had happened because of Adolescence Syndrome on Tomoe’s part, and that hadn’t been conclusively settled.
3862
3863Because of that, he checked the date each morning when he got up, and it was becoming a habit.
3864
3865As of now, a day hadn’t repeated since the twenty-seventh of June, but not knowing when it might happen meant he couldn’t relax. And his sense of unease hadn’t abated even now it with the fifth of July, a week after they had escaped from the repetition.
3866
3867
3868
3869Sakuta waited for school to finish, and then visited the physics lab.
3870
3871“Futaba, you there?” he called as he opened the door.
3872
3873He saw her white-coat clad form by the window, talking with someone on the other side. That person was wearing a T-shirt and jogging shorts. It was Yuuma, with a basketball in hand, probably on his way to club activities.
3874
3875Rio and Yuuma both looked towards the door at the same time upon his arrival.
3876
3877“Sorry for interrupting,” he said after examining their faces, then turning about on his heel and shutting the door.
3878
3879He’d been going to ask about Adolescence Syndrome but it would be better to wait for another day it seemed.
3880
3881The door then burst open from inside, an unusually panicked Rio having opened it.
3882
3883“Are you an idiot, Azusagawa!? You are, aren’t you!?”
3884
3885
3886
3887
3888
3889She kept rambling in a small voice, glancing back at Yuuma every so often. Yuuma himself was spinning the basketball on his finger.
3890
3891“Well, I’m more of an idiot than you.”
3892
3893“Don’t give me help like that, Kunimi’ll notice.”
3894
3895“If he noticed from something like that, he’d have already noticed your feelings ages ago.”
3896
3897Anyway, there was a fairly high possibility he was just pretending that he hadn’t noticed.
3898
3899“That… would be a problem.”
3900
3901Rio murmured in a practically silent voice, her face instantly flushing red.
3902
3903It would be too mean to keep teasing her now, so Sakuta entered the classroom.
3904
3905“We were just talking about you actually,” said Yuuma as he approached the window.
3906
3907“How cruel, insulting me behind my back.”
3908
3909“Are you actually dating Koga-san?” Yuuma asked straightforwardly, ignoring Sakuta’s joke.
3910
3911“I am.”
3912
3913“Seriously!?”
3914
3915“Well, it’s sort of like a trial still.”
3916
3917“Hmmm.”
3918
3919Yuuma didn’t seem convinced, and he could feel some doubt from Rio when she arrived in the middle of their conversation. He had an idea why Rio would. He had been talking to her about Adolescence Syndrome and told her that Tomoe was Laplace’s Demon before.
3920
3921Even so, she didn’t question him further.
3922
3923“Well, I should tell you this then,” he said, bouncing the ball off the floor, “it’s about Koga-san.”
3924
3925Sakuta could tell he didn’t want to say.
3926
3927“What about her?”
3928
3929“There’s been some nasty rumours going around.”
3930
3931“Like her having bad taste in men?”
3932
3933That seemed likely, considering Sakuta’s reputation within the school. He might have pulled it around with the first-years, but the second and third-years were still stuck in the rumour about the hospitalisation. It was like a sticker, once you were labelled, then even tearing that label off would still leave traces behind.
3934
3935“People are saying she’s easy, a slut, and that you’re going at it like rabbits.”
3936
3937Yuuma’s voice grew quieter as he spoke, maybe out of consideration for Rio. Realising that, Rio didn’t force herself into the conversation and just seemed as if she happened to be listening.
3938
3939“The hell?”
3940
3941It was the first time Sakuta had heard this.
3942
3943“I saw it in the team’s group chat,” Yuuma continued, Sakuta more or less got it at that. “You asked about Yousuke-senpai at work, right?”
3944
3945Yuuma’s expression was serious as he spoke darkly about the source of those rumours.
3946
3947“The girls are talking about it in our classroom too,” Rio added nonchalantly.
3948
3949Apparently, this itself was another rumour that was pervading the school.
3950
3951Sakuta figured this was going to end up being another irritating situation, but didn’t know what to say himself, and though he didn’t want to, he should probably check with Tomoe.
3952
3953“I’ve told you at least,” said Yuuma.
3954
3955“Yeah.”
3956
3957Yuuma raised a hand as he left towards the gym for his club activities, Rio watching him leave.
3958
3959Sakuta didn’t want to get in the way so turned his back, getting out a bunsen burner and lighting it, filling a beaker and putting it above the burner.
3960
3961If the rumours were spreading, he had to do something.
3962
3963“Azusagawa, what are you doing?” Asked Rio, who had arrived on the other side of the desk while he was focusing.
3964
3965“For now, I figured I’d have a coffee and calm down.”
3966
3967“That’s not what I mean, I’m talking about Sakurajima Mai.”
3968
3969“Where’s the powder?”
3970
3971There wasn’t anything that looked similar in the drawers under the desk.
3972
3973“Is that supposed to be ‘don’t ask’?” Asked Rio. Sakuta opened the drawers next to the desk and found the jar of coffee powder. “That’s fine then… What did you come here for?”
3974
3975“There hasn’t been a day that repeated since then, so I was wondering what it was all about.”
3976
3977The water had boiled so he extinguished the burner and dropped the coffee powder into the beaker, slowly dying the transparent liquid black.
3978
3979“Then wasn’t it just like you said before?”
3980
3981“Hm?”
3982
3983“That first year you’re dating is Laplace’s Demon,” Rio referred obliquely to her, evidently having noticed the truth, “That first year kept rolling the die until she got a result she wanted.”
3984
3985Rio rolled a die across the desk, it landing on 5, then 4, then 2.
3986
3987“So,” she continued, “since she’s satisfied now, she doesn’t need to redo it.”
3988
3989Rio stopped rolling the die as it landed on 1.
3990
3991“She doesn’t seem to realise it though.”
3992
3993“If she did, she’d be a real demon.”
3994
3995“You can say that again.”
3996
3997Sakuta slurped at his coffee, wrinkling his nose at the bitter taste.
3998
3999“It sounds like you want it to happen again,” Rio said idly, taking her glasses off.
4000
4001“I just want someone to tell me it won’t happen anymore if it won’t.”
4002
4003“Did you want to redo something?” Rio asked, ignoring his words. She’d started out the conversation just to ask that.
4004
4005“…”
4006
4007“I see, you do.”
4008
4009“Don’t you even think… ‘what if?’”
4010
4011“Would it be your sister for you?”
4012
4013Even as he tried to dodge the question, Rio didn’t let up, probably out of vengeance for teasing her about Yuuma.
4014
4015“Yeah, is there a problem with that?”
4016
4017“There’s no problem with it, I just thought it’s not like you.”
4018
4019“It’s not like I actually want to do it over.”
4020
4021“What is it then?”
4022
4023“I just want to do things without having to think ‘what if?’.”
4024
4025“I see, that’s just like you.”
4026
4027“I do my best to make the most of what happens. Going back in time… that just seems like all the different possibilities would get annoying, and depressing.”
4028
4029Rio ignored him and started to set up a gas burner.
4030
4031Sakuta flicked the die on the desk, and it landed on 3.
4032
4033“Say, Futaba.”
4034
4035She seemed somewhat annoyed as she lit the flame. Like she’d asked what she wanted to ask, and didn’t care anymore.
4036
4037“Can you think of a way to win against someone in a sports club that’s fitter than you?”
4038
4039Rio stopped moving and just stared in surprise for a moment, which soon transitioned into an aghast expression before she finally snorted.
4040
4041“That’s not my area of expertise.”
4042
4043“I guessed.”
4044
4045She adjusted the airflow to the gas burner, turning the flame from red to blue.
4046
4047“But…”
4048
4049“Hm?”
4050
4051“Humans aren’t monkeys, they can win because they use their head, right?”
4052
4053That really was an answer just like her.
4054
4055
4056
4057
4058CHAPTER 04
40591
4060
4061
4062
4063When Sakuta returned home from work, he found a message waiting on the answering machine.
4064
4065“I wonder who it is,” he muttered to himself, assuming it was their father as he pushed the button to play the message.
4066
4067“It’s Sakurajima Mai. I just left Kagoshima and thought I would tell you.”
4068
4069It was someone completely unexpected. Mai’s abnormally formal tone was a particularly fresh experience for him.
4070
4071He played it again.
4072
4073“It’s Sakurajima Mai. I just left Kagoshima and thought I would tell you,” Mai’s voice resounded from the answering machine.
4074
4075“Three times’d be a bit much, I guess,” he realised, stopping himself from playing it a third time. Instead, he lifted the handset and dialled Mai’s mobile number from memory. After three rings, the call connected.
4076
4077“Who might this be?”
4078
4079“It’s me.”
4080
4081“I know. I’ve saved your home number. I was just about to take a bath though.”
4082
4083Her voice was somewhat tired as she just spoke what she wanted over him. It was like she was trying to tell him not to call with that kind of timing. A maiden’s heart is a complex thing.
4084
4085“So you’re naked?”
4086
4087“If I was, I wouldn’t have answered.”
4088
4089“Why?”
4090
4091“It’d be perverted, talking to a boy while I was naked.”
4092
4093Sakuta agreed now that she mentioned it, he didn’t want her to become promiscuous like that.
4094
4095“So, what’d you want?”
4096
4097Her short sentence seemed to bid him hurry up so she could bathe.
4098
4099“Welcome back, Mai-san.”
4100
4101He heard a slightly confused breath from the other end of the phone.
4102
4103“Was that it?”
4104
4105“I wanted to hear something else though,” Sakuta said.
4106
4107“I’m not going to go ‘I’m home’ for you.” Apparently, saying it like that didn’t count. It did to Sakuta, but not to Mai it seemed. As he considered that, Mai finished with “See you.” And then just hung up.
4108
4109Calling back would just end up with her not answering, so Sakuta obediently returned the handset to the stand. He’d been able to find out that she’d arrived home safely, so it had already fulfilled his goal.
4110
4111
4112
4113The next day was Monday, and they started the week with July the seventh, Tanabata. The day itself dawned without a cloud in the sky.
4114
4115Sakuta switched the TV on as he ate his breakfast.
4116
4117“With things as they are, Orihime and Hikoboshi should be able to meet safely this Tanabata,” said the man on screen cleverly, with the usual breakfast TV presenter tone.
4118
4119Following on from that, the weather report itself had the forecaster telling the viewers that temperatures were already over thirty degrees across the county with a smile on her face. Just hearing it sapped Sakuta’s motivation.
4120
4121He’d have skipped school if he could, but he had a reason he had to go in. And on top of that, the end of term exams began today.
4122
4123
4124
4125Awaiting Sakuta once he had resisted the heat and made it to school were maths and English exams. He filled in all the answers in the maths exam, but couldn’t follow the listening in English at all. He decided to himself that he’d find a job he wouldn’t need English in for his career. Maybe becoming Santa Claus wouldn’t be possible.
4126
4127The short path to the station was crowded with Minegahara High School students. It was actually more crowded than usual due to the exams meaning there were no students staying for club activities.
4128
4129Soon after he left through the gates, Sakuta saw a familiar figure. It was Tomoe, her rucksack with the straps lengthened so the main bag hid her backside.
4130
4131Her gaze was downcast and she seemed somewhat uncomfortable as she walked with her shoulders hunched over. Her usual companions of Rena, Hinako, and Aya were walking and laughing about ten metres ahead.
4132
4133Her behaviour didn’t make it look like she’d just been slightly late and was going to catch up with them, the trio seemed to be pretending not to notice her even while knowing she was there, keeping a purposeful distance from her.
4134
4135Immediately, Yuuma’s warnings from Friday came to mind.
4136
4137After telling Sakuta that there were rumours going around, Yuuma had said:
4138
4139“People are saying she’s easy, a slut, and that you’re going at it like rabbits.”
4140
4141
4142
4143The small platform at Shichirigahama Station was filled with Minegahara students.
4144
4145Tomoe was standing apologetically at the end of the Fujisawa-bound side. The students around her kept their distance, seeming to create an invisible wall between them. Despite being in the same actual atmosphere, a separate atmosphere seemed to envelop her.
4146
4147Sakuta entered the covered area and moved next to Tomoe, ignoring the gazes of the other students before lightly poking her in the head.
4148
4149“Don’t look so gloomy.”
4150
4151“Senpai…” she said, looking up at him, before growing too conscious of everyone’s looks around them and looking right back down again.
4152
4153Sakuta joining her meant the people gazing did so more openly. That’s not to say they were outright staring, they were mostly just sneaking glances to try and judge whether the rumours were true. There were those smiling scornfully at them, some amusing themselves with the rumours, and others just looking down on them.
4154
4155This was already an everyday occurrence for Sakuta, so he didn’t think much of it, but Tomoe seemed to be trying to curl herself up next to him and hide.
4156
4157Looking down at her face, he could see she wanted to be anywhere but there, making him understand she wanted to run away to a painful degree. Her uneasy eyes seemed like they might burst into tears at any moment.
4158
4159This was the sort of thing Tomoe dealt the worst with, it was so she didn’t end up in this kind of situation that she frantically read the atmosphere of any group she was in. She had even gone as far as to pretend to date to avoid those embarrassing gazes.
4160
4161As if to land the final blow, mocking laughter came from behind.
4162
4163Tomoe cowered.
4164
4165With anger burning within the core of his body, Sakuta turned around to see a group of three third-years. The chains jangled from their waist, with Maesawa-senpai standing in the middle.
4166
4167He met Sakuta’s eyes and put a forced smile on his face.
4168
4169“First-years sure are energetic recently,” he said to the two of them, making sure the other students around could hear, their sight fixed provocatively on Sakuta.
4170
4171It was a pretty lazy way of picking a fight, but that actually amused Sakuta more, so he let out a snort. After all, it was polite to return what was given to you.
4172
4173“Huh?” Maesawa-senpai’s expression suddenly grew serious and he took a step, then a second towards Sakuta, looming over him, “Did you just laugh at me?”
4174
4175“I’m still laughing at you, problem?”
4176
4177“You pissing around!?” He roared, grabbing Sakuta by his lapels.
4178
4179“I’m just making fun of you.”
4180
4181Someone further in on the platform snorted.
4182
4183In the next moment, a strong punch landed on Sakuta’s face with a thump, and Sakuta staggered back two or three steps.
4184
4185He heard a scream, probably Tomoe’s. Sakuta’s vision went white, and his left cheek was numb, then after several seconds began to pulse with a sharp pain. The attack was stronger than Sakuta had been expecting, being from someone about five centimetres taller than him with a toned body from basketball.
4186
4187“Ow…”
4188
4189You could hear a pin drop on the crowded platform.
4190
4191Maesawa-senpai was drawing back for another hit.
4192
4193“Senpai!” Shouted Tomoe, interposing herself between the two.
4194
4195“Idiot!” Yelled Sakuta, grabbing her rucksack and pulling her back, switching positions with her.
4196
4197Maesawa-senpai seemed to be surprised at her action, because his fist was still raised, but not moving. The spectators just kept on watching.
4198
4199At first, Sakuta had just meant to grin and bear it, but the pain from his cheek wasn’t abating, and he let himself drop into his anger.
4200
4201“Senpai…” Tomoe said worriedly, tugging on his sleeve. Looking back at her tearful face put paid to any chance of Sakuta just letting it happen.
4202
4203Sakuta took a big step forward, raising his fist.
4204
4205Maesawa-senpai immediately lifted both of his arms into a block, leaving his legs completely open, so Sakuta drove his foot into his defenceless shin.
4206
4207“Argh!” Came his yell, mixed with pain and surprise as he crouched down to hold on to his leg, “Dude, that’s dirty!”
4208
4209He glared hatefully.
4210
4211“Right back at you!”
4212
4213This time, Sakuta kicked at his face this time, using the sole of his foot in two stomp kicks.
4214
4215Maesawa-senpai couldn’t even break his fall and fell back onto the ground. As he glared at Sakuta, his face went red with shame, anger, and humiliation.
4216
4217No one said a word, they just seemed to be in shock at the situation, and not sure how to react. They all seemed to be waiting for Sakuta to speak.
4218
4219He didn’t want to play into the expectation, but Sakuta said what he thought Maesawa-senpai would least want to hear.
4220
4221“So lame.”
4222
4223Some of the onlookers started stirring, letting out stifled laughs.
4224
4225“Who is!? Who!?” He yelled. Apparently, his mind wasn’t working right from his anger, so even when Sakuta waited, no more words were forthcoming, and Maesawa-senpai’s mouth just flapped like a goldfish’s.
4226
4227Instead, his two companions approached him. Sakuta ignored that and spoke to the boy on the floor.
4228
4229“You should wash your face.”
4230
4231“Huh?”
4232
4233“I stepped in some dog crap yesterday.”
4234
4235Maesawa-senpai hurriedly wiped at his face and sniffed his hand, inciting more laughter.
4236
4237The other two who had been about to start fighting Sakuta stopped and backed away, the crap barrier impregnable.
4238
4239Looking around, he could see students fiddling with their phones, tweeting and posting about what had just happened, and sending messages to their friends who weren’t here.
4240
4241Rena was looking at him in mute amazement, Hinako was shifting nervously next to her, and Aya was trying to calm her down.
4242
4243“D-don’t piss me about!” He yelled, finally standing up again.
4244
4245“You’re the one pissing about. If you don’t want to be made a show of, don’t act like a moron. You’re way too lame.”
4246
4247“Don’t piss me about!”
4248
4249“You already said that.”
4250
4251His speech centres seemed all messed up, as he couldn’t say anything else, just repeating ‘don’t piss me about’ like a broken record.
4252
4253“Senpai, that’s enough,” said Tomoe, having grabbed the back of his uniform at some point. She had a troubled expression and seemed worried about Maesawa-senpai, who was now receiving the brunt of the others’ scorn. If she didn’t enjoy something, she wouldn’t want to subject other people to it either.
4254
4255Even so, Sakuta didn’t retreat and continued speaking.
4256
4257“No, let me say this,” he said before returning to glaring at Maesawa-senpai and practically spitting: “Going at it like rabbits? Don’t make me laugh, I’m a virgin.”
4258
4259Once he was done, he took Tomoe’s hand and pulled her from the station, increasing his pace with each step away from the building, and before they realised, they were running.
4260
4261It wasn’t because they thought that Maesawa-senpai would chase them, it was just because their emotions were running high, they couldn’t help but run themselves. Happiness rushed in on them, they didn’t know why they were happy, but their hearts leapt at the situation.
4262
4263“Senpai, that was too much.”
4264
4265“Do you think I care?”
4266
4267“It was definitely too much,” Tomoe laughed as she ran.
4268
4269
4270
4271The sound of the waves and wind calmed their racing hearts, clearing any dark patches that remained within them at the same time. Such was the strange power of the beach.
4272
4273Sakuta and Tomoe had run from the station and were now walking to the west on Shichirigahama Beach, slowly getting closer to Enoshima where it floated on the waves.
4274
4275“Are you coming in too?” Tomoe asked from where she had removed her shoes and socks and was playing in the water. Sakuta was about two metres from her, walking along the furthest part the waves reached.
4276
4277“And who’d hold my shoes?” He asked in turn, having picked up hers from where she left them on the beach.
4278
4279Even though it was a weekday, there was the odd person that had come to the beach. Families with small children, groups of university students, and adult couples were calling out in fun among the waves. It seemed like even the weather was blessing the first chance to use the beaches as bright laughter resounded around them.
4280
4281“Senpai,” Tomoe began.
4282
4283“I told you, I’m not going in.”
4284
4285“That’s not what I wanted,” she said with a pout.
4286
4287“What is it then?”
4288
4289“Thanks.”
4290
4291Sakuta didn’t answer.
4292
4293“You made me really happy earlier,” she continued.
4294
4295“You’re welcome,” Sakuta answer emotionlessly. His cheek still ached, and was still hot.
4296
4297“I think I might get what you said before.”
4298
4299“Hmm?”
4300
4301“Something like even if the world was your enemy, just having one person need you was good.”
4302
4303“Hey, don’t go for ‘like’, remember it properly.”
4304
4305“It felt like I was really your girlfriend, like you treasured me.”
4306
4307The wind and waves carried Tomoe’s happiness to him.
4308
4309“I promised I’d do that for this term.”
4310
4311Originally it was to be ‘more than her schoolmate, less than her boyfriend’, but he didn’t think there was a way he could seem like less now.
4312
4313“A false lover would never normally go that far, they wouldn’t care that much.”
4314
4315“I’m a perfectionist.”
4316
4317“What, y’so st’gy.”
4318
4319“What’s that supposed to mean?”
4320
4321“Y’don’ even know tha’?”
4322
4323Tomoe looked at him, aghast.
4324
4325“I’ll tell you,” this time, she looked proud, “it means boring.”
4326
4327“I wasn’t playing the fool when I said I was a perfectionist,” Sakuta said as they continued walking, “Koga?”
4328
4329“Hm?”
4330
4331“Thanks as well. If you hadn’t jumped in, I’d have just been pounded,” Maesawa-senpai was well-built, so another two or three hits would have meant he couldn’t counter-attack, “be careful though, you could have ended up pretty badly hurt.”
4332
4333“I was just sort of frantic.”
4334
4335“It’s ‘cause you’re a high-schooler of justice,” he said, remembering what happened when they first met, with her thinking he was a pervert and kicking him without a moment’s hesitation to save a little girl. He was in no doubt that that sense of justice was what defined her. When it came down to it, acting was more important than thinking, and she did so with a pure heart and desire to help. It wasn’t something anyone could do, people usually seized up when something happened. “Also, I’m sorry.”
4336
4337“What for?” Asked Tomoe from his side, looking questioningly at him.
4338
4339“I treated your friend’s crush awfully.”
4340
4341“What do we dooo?” Asked Tomoe, stopping and her face falling.
4342
4343The waves lapped at her feet.
4344
4345“Well, thinking about it ain’t going to help.”
4346
4347“It’s your fault! Come on and help.”
4348
4349“I apologised instead.”
4350
4351“You’re so irresponsi-” she started with a pout before being startled and pulling her phone from her pocket when she got a message, “Ah, it’s from Rena-chan…”
4352
4353Her expression grew tense as she looked at the screen.
4354
4355“What’s it say?”
4356
4357“‘Sorry, it just happened.’”
4358
4359“Just, huh.” He couldn’t help but laugh.
4360
4361“‘I’ve fallen out of love with Maesawa-senpai.’”
4362
4363“How terrible. Well, if a little crap on his face was enough, it wasn’t much of a crush I guess.”
4364
4365People only saw what people showed, if you really loved someone, it shouldn’t matter if they showed something unsightly for a moment. Because even with that unsightliness, they were still them.
4366
4367“‘Everyone’s revising, want to come?’”
4368
4369Apparently, she was happy to reconcile once the misunderstanding was resolved. Tomoe sent a reply, then her expression grew into a smile after several messages between them.
4370
4371However, even once she put the phone away, she showed no sign of leaving the sea.
4372
4373“You not going to go?”
4374
4375“I sent that you were helping me study today.”
4376
4377“And then?”
4378
4379Tomoe showed the screen to Sakuta. Instead of an actual message, each of the other three had sent smirking images.
4380
4381“Ah, right, Senpai?”
4382
4383“Hm?”
4384
4385“There’s something I want to say,” Tomoe started before fidgeting.
4386
4387“Need the loo?”
4388
4389“No!”
4390
4391“What is it then?”
4392
4393“I-I… um, I haven’t done it.”
4394
4395“Done what?”
4396
4397Sakuta knew exactly what she was on about, but feigned ignorance because he was enjoying her embarrassment. In the end, she seemed to know how to explain.
4398
4399She took a deep breath.
4400
4401“I’m a virgin!” She came out with, looking up at him.
4402
4403Sakuta couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst into laughter.
4404
4405“D-don’t laugh at me,” Tomoe complained, kicking at the water, splashing it at Sakuta, who neatly dodged.
4406
4407“Don’t dodge!” She protested.
4408
4409“Did you think I believed those rumours?”
4410
4411“I didn’t, but I did think it would have been awful if you did.”
4412
4413“I mean, coming out with ‘I’m a virgin!’ is pretty brave,” Sakuta said as they walked past an elderly couple walking their dog.
4414
4415“D-don’t say it so loudly!”
4416
4417“You’re the one that said it.”
4418
4419“B-but… I wanted to make sure it was clear.”
4420
4421“That yell’s clearly in my memory. Well, it’s not like I care about that.”
4422
4423There would be no end to it, so Sakuta walked away from her.
4424
4425“Ah, wait!”
4426
4427Tomoe ran after him, splashing as she did.”
4428
4429They walked on for a while, Tomoe in the water, Sakuta on the sand… They didn’t get closer than two metres apart, or further than two metres apart.
4430
4431“Didn’t you say you’d had a boyfriend though?” He threw at her with a half laugh.
4432
4433“Senpai, you’re asking me that even though you know it’s a lie,” she said, looking at him with an embarrassed anger.
4434
4435“I wouldn’t have thought it was weird if you did.”
4436
4437“Everyone was saying that they’d had boyfriends in middle school. Rena-chan, Hinako-chan, Aya-chan, everyone. Hinako-chan is still with hers.”
4438
4439“Hmmm.”
4440
4441“I didn’t say that I had? Everyone just kinda said that I must have… and I didn’t want to deny it, so that’s how things ended up like this…”
4442
4443“I seeeee.”
4444
4445“Besides, if I said I’d never dated, I thought you’d make fun of me.”
4446
4447“What on Earth are you even fighting?”
4448
4449“I dunno.”
4450
4451If he had to say, it was her social appearance, what everyone expected to see from her. Tomoe put in effort every day, effort she didn’t really understand, in order to protect the image of ‘Koga Tomoe’ for people. She fought on to create a ‘self’ that no one could hate. Fighting against something invisible… like the atmosphere.
4452
4453“Say, Senpai?” Tomoe glanced sidelong at him while kicking at the waves.
4454
4455“Hm?”Sakuta replied, taking care over where he placed his feet as if the sand would trip him up.
4456
4457“How do I pay you back for this?”
4458
4459The footsteps at his side stopped. Sakuta took two more steps, then a third, before he turned around and looked back at her.
4460
4461Tomoe was waiting there with a serious expression.
4462
4463“What are you on about with such a serious look?”
4464
4465“I’m asking seriously.”
4466
4467“You don’t need to pay me back. Japan already broke through the group league.”
4468
4469The other day, during the finals with the reigning champions, they had won with an explosion of aggressive footballing four years in the making.
4470
4471Just as promised, Tomoe had supported them from the bottom of her heart. She had shown him a picture the other day of her wearing the uniform with the rising sun painted onto her face.
4472
4473“But-”
4474
4475“If that’s not enough, then come out with me this weekend.”
4476
4477“Where to?”
4478
4479“I got paid, so I wanted to buy my sister some clothes, but I don’t have a clue about fashion.”
4480
4481“Sure…”
4482
4483Even as she agreed, Tomoe didn’t seem entirely happy with things, probably not thinking it was enough to pay him back.
4484
4485“Fine then, one more thing?”
4486
4487“What?”
4488
4489Tomoe leaned forwards eagerly.
4490
4491“Once we’re done with this lie, be my friend.”
4492
4493Tomoe’s eyes opened wide in shock at the unexpected request before she started to giggle, but with a slightly unhappy expression.
4494
4495“Do you not want to?”
4496
4497“I do, but also don’t.”
4498
4499“What’s that supposed to mean?”
4500
4501Tomoe seemed to be worried about something, putting her right hand to her chest and clenching and un-clenching it, unable to calm down.
4502
4503“You don’t have to you know.”
4504
4505“It’s fine, I’ll be your best friend,” she said with a smile that sparkled in the summer sun.
4506
4507“Nah, you just need to be my friend.”
4508
4509“Why!?”
4510
4511
4512
4513Sakuta and Tomoe had walked two stations worth of distance when they got on the train at Koshigoe Station.
4514
4515Before they sat down, they checked the carriages. It had already been an hour since the confrontation with Maesawa-senpai so there were hardly any passengers wearing Minegahara uniforms. Essentially everyone had quickly returned home to prepare for the next day’s exams.
4516
4517Tomoe’s face relaxed.
4518
4519They took a pair of empty seats. There was a group of university students opposite them, cheering as the train weaved between houses.
4520
4521“This is great!”
4522
4523“They’re so close, we’re gonna hit them.”
4524
4525“It’s fairly novel.”
4526
4527Sakuta was thinking perhaps the exact opposite… and then his eyes met Tomoe’s, who seemed to be thinking the exact same thing, bringing a smile to both of their faces. It wasn’t new, it was more of a nostalgic feeling, their language was confused.
4528
4529“Oh yeah, Koga, where did you want to start?” Sakuta asked.
4530
4531“Eh? We’re actually going to study?”
4532
4533“If we don’t, you’ll be lying to your friends.”
4534
4535“…Are you good at chemistry?” She asked probingly.
4536
4537“I’m probably better than you.”
4538
4539“That’s kinda humiliating.”
4540
4541“What’s that supposed to mean?”
4542
4543“I want to find out whether you actually are.”
4544
4545“Want to come over then?”
4546
4547“Eh?”
4548
4549“My parents aren’t home.”
4550
4551“Ehh!?”
4552
4553“Don’t shout on the train.”
4554
4555The other passengers looked at them for a second.
4556
4557“B-but, um, I’m not ready… but, um, okay.”
4558
4559She started out panicked, moved to being flustered, and then embarrassed before finally nodding and agreeing quietly.
4560
4561“You’re misunderstanding.”
4562
4563“I-I’m not. Don’t treat me like a kid.”
4564
4565“It’s just because you’ve not started to climb the staircase of adulthood.
4566
4567Sakuta then spent the next several minutes explaining ten reasons that he wouldn’t lay a hand on Tomoe, one by one. Tomoe spent the time listening disinterestedly and purposefully stood on Sakuta’s foot as they got off the train.
4568
4569
4570
4571Ten minutes or so of walking from the station brought them to Sakuta’s home once they rode the lift up five floors.
4572
4573“I’m baaack,” Sakuta called as he opened the door.
4574
4575“Welc…” Kaede started as she poked her head from the living room, but then she noticed that Sakuta wasn’t alone and hid behind the door, peeking out at Tomoe like an animal cornered by a predator. “Onii-chan, you brought yet another girl home.”
4576
4577“Come on, come in,” he said to Tomoe, ignoring what could sound like a fairly rude statement.
4578
4579“S-sorry to intrude,” Tomoe said with a polite bow, taking her shoes off and then following Sakuta’s direction into his room.
4580
4581Sakuta was about to follow her in when Kaede grabbed his cuff.
4582
4583“What?” He asked.
4584
4585“If you’re going to bring some hostess home, call ahead,” Kaede tip-toed and whispered into his ear.
4586
4587“You’ve got this wrong, Kaede.”
4588
4589Besides, Tomoe didn’t really have the sex appeal to be called a hostess. She didn’t even have her hair done, and she was barely wearing any makeup. Besides, what was that about bringing one home? He’d heard of hostesses arriving at work with a customer, but never going home with one.
4590
4591“How much did you pay her?”
4592
4593“Her name’s Koga Tomoe, she’s in the year below me at school.”
4594
4595“If you wanted someone younger, you have me!”
4596
4597“What exactly is that supposed to mean?”
4598
4599“I’m going to tell Mai-san.”
4600
4601That was a slight issue, she had agreed with what was going on, more or less, but obviously, a report would displease the queen.
4602
4603“Your brother’s studying now, so I’ll talk to you later,” he told Kaede, peeling her off and closing the door.
4604
4605“Go ahead and sit down,” he then addressed Tomoe, offering her a cushion. She quietly knelt in proper seiza, sitting on her feet. Sakuta unfolded a collapsible table in front of her, “it’d be better if you don’t sit on your feet.”
4606
4607“R-right.” Taking care not to let her skirt ride up, Tomoe moved her lower legs apart and sat between them, her legs forming a W around her.
4608
4609Sakuta sat opposite her, then opened his language book for his exam tomorrow. Tomoe had opened her chemistry book but didn’t seem to be looking at it. Instead, she was surveying his room, she blushed when her gaze reached his bed, and her shoulders slumped when she reached his desk.
4610
4611Finally:
4612
4613“I can’t,” she yelled, flipping her book closed and shoving it into her bag, hurriedly trying to shoulder it, but not managing to get her arms through the straps, “I-I’ll study with Rena-chan and the others!”
4614
4615She clattered out of his room as she chattered on.
4616
4617“T-thanks for having me!” She yelled back as she burst from the front door.
4618
4619“Oiii, Koga,” Sakuta called, coming out of the door with a single sandal on.
4620
4621She was already in front of the lift, and the bell rang with its arrival.
4622
4623After a moment, the door opened. Tomoe went to rush on to the lift, but froze, her mouth open.
4624
4625There was someone in the lift.
4626
4627“Ah,” said Sakuta as the person stepped out. They were wearing a Minegahara school uniform. And regardless of the summer heat, Mai was wearing black tights.
4628
4629Tomoe switched places with Mai. Mai herself looked at Sakuta and Tomoe, half out of the door and just having boarded the lift respectively, comparing them.
4630
4631Her shoes clicked on the hard floor as she walked towards Sakuta.
4632
4633“You look like you’re having plenty of fun while I’m not here,” she said, pinching Sakuta’s nose with her slender fingers, “her face was bright red, what did you do?”
4634
4635She looked reproachfully at him.
4636
4637“I just said we should study together.”
4638
4639“Study what?”
4640
4641“I was doing Japanese, Koga was doing chemistry.”
4642
4643“Hmmm,” looking more and more displeased, Mai tightened her grip.
4644
4645Sakuta decided he should change the subject as quickly as possible.
4646
4647“Mai-san… did you bring souvenirs?” He asked, seeing the bag hanging from her other hand. She still seemed unhappy, but finally released his nose.
4648
4649“I did,” she said, pushing the bag onto him. Looking inside he saw it was filled with nice-looking katsuobushi, fried fish paste, and ‘custadon’, a cake that had custard cream between pieces of sponge. “They still taste good cold.”
4650
4651“Thank you,” he said. Mai had done what she came to and turned back to the lifts. “Mai-san, you’re not coming in?”
4652
4653“If I did, it’d be like I was trying to compete with that first-year.”
4654
4655Mai gave a reason that seemed both reasonable and unreasonable, then left.
4656
4657There was no point in standing in the corridor, so he went back inside, called Kaede and decided to eat the souvenirs together.
4658
4659“These are good,” he said.
4660
4661“They are.”
4662
4663
4664
46652
4666
4667
4668
4669Tuesday was the second day of the exams. Sakuta had been called to the staffroom, then taken to the guidance counsellor’s office next door and given his exam to sit on his own.
4670
4671He didn’t even need to ask why, it was because of the fight at the train station, the station staff must have contacted the school.
4672
4673“Confessing during the mid-terms… fighting during the finals, do you hate exams, Azusagawa?”
4674
4675“I think not having exams would be nice,” Sakuta replied.
4676
4677“That’s never going to happen,” said his teacher, his voice growing harsher as he warned him. There were many onlookers, so he had heard everything about the fight. Including that Maesawa-senpai had started it.
4678
4679Even so, the teacher told him to be careful. What was he supposed to be careful of in this situation? Dog faeces in the road?
4680
4681According to the teacher, Maesawa-senpai actually hadn’t attended today.
4682
4683
4684
4685Sakuta left the room when school ended to find Tomoe waiting for him. She seemed somewhat apologetic, probably worried over him being called to the office.
4686
4687“Do well on your exams?” Asked Sakuta.
4688
4689“Not really,” she replied listlessly, “I said I’d study with my friends, but we just ended up chatting at a restaurant.”
4690
4691Sakuta set off first and Tomoe rushed after him.
4692
4693“What about you, Senpai?”
4694
4695“Perfectly.”
4696
4697“You did well?”
4698
4699“Perfectly badly.”
4700
4701“Ah, you’re like me then,” Tomoe said, seeming a bit happier to find someone similar, even if it wouldn’t raise her own marks, “Ah, yeah, Senpai, get a phone.”
4702
4703“Huh?”
4704
4705“You know I left out of nowhere yesterday? Well, um… I was worried about what you thought about it.”
4706
4707“I just thought you were an emotionally unstable girl.”
4708
4709Tomoe’s face flushed at that as she seethed with anger.
4710
4711“You’re supposed to be supportive!” She glared sidelong at him with a frown. “You were called by the teachers so I couldn’t talk to you earlier… and I couldn’t concentrate on my exams.”
4712
4713“Don’t make it sound like my fault.”
4714
4715She still seemed unhappy, pouting and looking up at him.
4716
4717“But, um… was that it?” Asked Tomoe, even more reservedly.
4718
4719“What do you mean?”
4720
4721“Did you think anything else about yesterday?”
4722
4723“I don’t really think of you much.”
4724
4725“The way you say it annoys me… but I see.”
4726
4727Tomoe trailed off thankfully into mutters, looking relieved. Sakuta then noticed something around her eyes.
4728
4729“Did you stay up studying all night?”
4730
4731It was rather tragic if she did and still didn’t do well.
4732
4733“I didn’t, why?”
4734
4735“You’ve got panda eyes.”
4736
4737“No way!” She took out a mirror and checked. “Ahh, I really do, gotta go fix it!”
4738
4739She immediately rushed off to a nearby toilet.
4740
4741Sakuta was left alone and just murmured his thoughts to himself.
4742
4743“It looks like the marks you get from crying a lot.”
4744
4745
4746
4747On the next day, the Wednesday marking the mid-point of the exams, Sakuta could take his exam in his classroom.
4748
4749He saw Maesawa-senpai on the way in to school that morning, apparently recovered from the shock. However, when they met gazes, his hostility was clear, so he might not have really re-thought his stance much.
4750
4751The atmosphere in the carriage was the worst, with the words ‘dog crap’ being muttered around the place and people pointing at both of them. There was also the phrase ‘virgin shout’ going around, which was definitely meant to mock Sakuta, but it didn’t really matter to him.
4752
4753Regardless, that was the extent of the event’s influence. He’d have thought that the commotion over it would have been a little more excessive, but with the exams going on, it was relatively reserved, everyone was just worrying about themselves.
4754
4755The one thing that was utterly clear, however, was how far Sakuta and Tomoe’s relationship had pervaded through the school. They knew that Sakuta and Maesawa-senpai had had an argument, and that Sakuta had protected Tomoe, which was clearly the act of a boyfriend for his girlfriend. That bittersweet ‘more than schoolmates, less than lovers’ wouldn’t be believed now.
4756
4757Their relationship ‘naturally falling apart over the holidays’… might no longer be believed even. They’d need a more concrete reason to break up.
4758
4759These were the thoughts occupying Sakuta’s mind as he looked out at the sea, waiting for the exam to end.
4760
4761
4762
4763The weather was awful on the Thursday, with spotty showers repeating over the day. Even as the afternoon arrived, the blue sky didn’t show itself, and his clothes were lying in his room, drying.
4764
4765“Hey, eyes on your paper!” He was in his room with that washing hanging up, and Mai was there too for some reason.
4766
4767He’d been eating peacefully with Kaede, and then once he had finished the washing, she had arrived, and given the ultimatum that she would be helping him study, thus bringing us to the present.
4768
4769There was a folding table spread out in the middle of the room, with Mai and Sakuta sitting across it, and when Sakuta looked at her expression from about forty-five degrees around the table from her, he could see her displeasure.
4770
4771“Mai-san, are you angry?”
4772
4773“Why do you ask?”
4774
4775“Because you came out of nowhere to make me study.”
4776
4777“We have exams tomorrow. I told you I’d help. Come one, solve this one,” said Mai, pointing at the physics problem, a question on the Doppler effect. “You have five minutes.”
4778
4779She had strict principles.
4780
4781“I just don’t want to fail.”
4782
4783“Sakuta, have you thought of your path in life?”
4784
4785“I’d like to stay married to you for life.”
4786
4787Mai wordlessly started clicking her mechanical pencil. She didn’t have a notebook to hand, so she was probably planning something other than writing, like Stabbing Sakuta. He should probably keep the jokes in moderation, he decided, for his health.
4788
4789“I thought I might go to university,” he said. There were two conditions he would have to meet for that, the first was just a matter of academics. If he couldn’t pass the exam, he couldn’t go. The other was the economic situation of the house. His father had indirectly told him that a private university might be tough. “What about you?”
4790
4791“I plan to go to university.”
4792
4793“Aren’t you going to focus on your work?”
4794
4795“I can do both. I have before after all.” She was even now, actually. “I was thinking of going to a place in Yokohama.”
4796
4797Whether it was a national or city university, it would still be tough to get into.
4798
4799“Well, you’re brilliant after all.”
4800
4801He’d heard that she’d never had anything less than an ‘8’ on her report card.
4802
4803Mai rested her chin on her hands and stared at his face. He could feel some kind of intent from her, so Sakuta looked away.
4804
4805“Don’t you look away,” she scolded him. “You want to go to the same university as me, right?”
4806
4807Mai’s words were exactly what he was expecting.
4808
4809“Not really.”
4810
4811“You do, don’t you?” Mai repeated with a smile, pointing the tip of her pencil at him.
4812
4813“If I can.”
4814
4815“Then shouldn’t you study properly?”
4816
4817Sakuta remained silent.
4818
4819“A public one should lessen the burden on your parents, and you can easily commute to Yokohama from here.”
4820
4821Mai was completely right, and it removed all of his protests. The Winter Campaign had failed, and suddenly it was the Summer Campaign.
4822
4823“No, it’s just, well.”
4824
4825“Why so half-hearted?”
4826
4827“It’s just a problem of academics,” Sakuta got average marks, a perfect, average ‘6’.
4828
4829“So you just need to study.”
4830
4831“I’m against it because I don’t want to do that studying.”
4832
4833“Even though I’ve said this much to you?”
4834
4835“There’s nothing about ‘this much’, I still haven’t heard what you want.”
4836
4837At that, Mai straightened and stopped resting her head on her hands and stared fixedly at Sakuta.
4838
4839“If I said ‘I want to go to university with you’, would you try hard?”
4840
4841Mai’s cheeks were a little flushed. She might have been acting, but her words were like an arrow through Sakuta’s heart.
4842
4843“W-what?” She asked at his look.
4844
4845“I really want to push you down right now.”
4846
4847“I’ll stab you.”
4848
4849Sakuta raised his hands in surrender before flopping back on the floor.
4850
4851“Hey, don’t slack off,” she scolded.
4852
4853“I just can’t get motivated.”
4854
4855“What if I said I’d teach you in the bunny girl outfit?”
4856
4857“I’d be motivated in several ways.”
4858
4859His heart pounded with anticipation at what she might teach him. Though that said, he thought it was a joke anyway.
4860
4861“If you’ll study, I’ll wear it.”
4862
4863“Really?” Sakuta shot upright. Mai had already opened his wardrobe and pulled out the bunny girl outfit from its bag.
4864
4865“I’m changing, get out,” she said, apparently serious.
4866
4867This was the best opportunity he could ever ask for, he couldn’t let the meal before him go to waste, so left the room with no complaint.
4868
4869“If you peek, I’ll kill you,” she warned him gravely, closing the door from inside.
4870
4871
4872
4873Sakuta followed Mai’s order, waiting motionlessly in the corridor. Mai was changing in his room, separated by a single door. He really wanted to just open the door nonchalantly, but kept his desires in check.
4874
4875Even without taking such a risk, he’d be able to enjoy Mai in a bunny suit if he just waited. When faced with the option of an instant of her nude, or a long time of her in that outfit… Sakuta chose the latter, believing it to be the right choice.
4876
4877While he waited, Kaede watched him confusedly, but he managed to distract her by saying that Nasuno wanted feeding.
4878
4879After about fifteen minutes, Mai’s voice came through the door.
4880
4881“I’m done.”
4882
4883“I’m coming in,” he said, just in case.
4884
4885“Go ahead.”
4886
4887He’d waited for the reply, and now actually opened the door.
4888
4889Mai was once more sitting behind the folding table with her legs splayed behind her.
4890
4891The black leotard clung to every curve of her body. Her slender legs were wrapped in black stockings. There was a bow-tie around her neck, white cuffs encircled her wrists, and a pair of bunny ears rested on her head. The high heels that went with the outfit were placed to the side because they were inside.
4892
4893Just Mai changing her outfit had completely changed the atmosphere of the room.
4894
4895“Come on, sit down,” said Mai, her bunny ears moving with the words.
4896
4897Sakuta sat at the table, his legs touching Mai’s under the table. She didn’t make any move to shift away, apparently allowing this level of skinship.
4898
4899“Now, study,” she said.
4900
4901
4902
4903
4904
4905As he had promised, Sakuta opened his notebook and looked at the questions in the textbook.
4906
4907However, without him even realising it, his gaze was drawn to Mai. To her smooth, bare shoulders, to her pale chest, to the soft valley between her breasts. Her hourglass figure coupled with the artistic curves of her backside and thighs were beautiful, and he wanted to keep looking forever.
4908
4909“You’ve stopped working,” Mai said, pinching his nose, “don’t look at me, look at the book.”
4910
4911He’d thought she would be angry, but that didn’t seem to be the case, she actually seemed rather happy to have Sakuta focused on her.
4912
4913“What’s wrong, Mai-san?”
4914
4915“Should there be?”
4916
4917“You just don’t seem too angry.”
4918
4919“What’s that supposed to mean?”
4920
4921“Did something happen?”
4922
4923“Not really… I just thought I should give you a treat every so often,” Mai mumbled as she turned away.
4924
4925“What did you say?”
4926
4927“I said that I hadn’t thought you would get in a fight for that girl.”
4928
4929“Did you see that on Monday?”
4930
4931“I caught the tail end of it. Ah, wash your shoes, okay?”
4932
4933“I lied about stepping in crap.”
4934
4935“Ah. Man, that’s just boring,” she said awfully unfairly. Trying to curry favour with a moody queen really was tough. She wasn’t to the point of jealousy, but was just treating things that didn’t amuse her as tiresome.
4936
4937Mai leaned forwards onto the table, looking up at Sakuta, emphasising her chest as the movement pushed it up.
4938
4939“Hey, don’t look at my chest.”
4940
4941“So you just wanted me to pay attention to you?”
4942
4943“I’ll hit you.”
4944
4945“Leave my face,” he said, raising a joking guard as Mai punched him lightly on the shoulder before letting out a long sigh.
4946
4947“Hurry up and cheer me up.”
4948
4949She was demandingly, but even that suited her and bothered him.
4950
4951“Do you have any plans over the summer?” He asked.
4952
4953“Half of it I’ll be working, you?”
4954
4955“Mostly working, but I want to spend the rest with you, it’s summer after all.”
4956
4957“We’re not going to the beach or pool.”
4958
4959“Ehh.”
4960
4961“I can’t help it, I’m an actress after all.”
4962
4963She wasn’t just an actress, she was a popular actress known across the country. If she showed herself at a beach or pool in a swimsuit, the area would probably fall into chaos.
4964
4965“Just go there with your cute girlfriend,” Mai stabbed at him disinterestedly.
4966
4967“Mai-san.”
4968
4969“What?”
4970
4971“I love you.”
4972
4973Her hand whipped out to pinch at his cheek.
4974
4975“Owowowow!”
4976
4977“Don’t cheat so brazenly, you’re that first year’s boyfriend right now.”
4978
4979“There was a beauty in front of me, so I did it accidentally.”
4980
4981“Don’t ‘accidentally’ confess to people,” she said, smiling even as her tone scolded him. It seemed that she was in a better mood and just enjoying messing with Sakuta. “Come on, study.”
4982
4983“Ehhh.”
4984
4985“I won’t let you sleep until you answer all of these questions.”
4986
4987The page Mai had the book open to was full of physics questions. It was a rather harsh exchange to see her like this, but, a promise was a promise…
4988
4989
4990
49913
4992
4993
4994
4995After school on Friday, the final day of the five day stretch of exams, Sakuta went shopping with Tomoe as they had agreed.
4996
4997They rode the JR Tokaido Line from Fujisawa Station for about twenty minutes, arriving at Yokohama Station as Sakuta watched Tomoe’s face while she fervently read a fashion magazine she had taken from her rucksack.
4998
4999They used the station, always under construction in some way or another, to switch to the Negishi Line. A single stop took them to Sakuragicho.
5000
5001The recently built second tallest tower in Japan and the huge Ferris wheel drew the eye, a different sort of seaside city to Shichirigahama.
5002
5003It was probably what most people would think of when they imagined Yokohama. Even when they left the station, they couldn’t savour the atmosphere.
5004
5005“Senpai, you were originally from Yokohama, right? Or is that a rumour too?”
5006
5007“I lived further inland, where you couldn’t see the sea at all. Yokohama’s a big city.”
5008
5009He wondered if she was listening or not… Tomoe had taken her phone and was using it to take distant photos of the Ferris wheel. It might be a lie, but they were a couple until the end of term, so she was concentrating on making memories.
5010
5011
5012
5013Sakuta and Tomoe first went to a big store about seven or eight minutes walk from the station. It was a new store that had been open for about a year, so of course, everything was rather clean.
5014
5015It took roughly thirty minutes to finish the shopping they set out to do. With Sakuta’s suggested budget or seven or eight-thousand yen, Tomoe picked out a complete set of clothes that seemed like they would suit Kaede. They certainly seemed fashionable, and were surprisingly inexpensive.
5016
5017He had some slack left in his wallet, so he should look to get her some appropriate things to wear under the clothes.
5018
5019“Say, Koga?”
5020
5021“What?”
5022
5023“What kind of panties are you wearing?”
5024
5025Silence reigned for several moments.
5026
5027“Eh?” She said, her mouth dropping open.
5028
5029“Are you not wearing any?”
5030
5031“I am! They’re no- wait, what are you making me say!? What are you asking!?”
5032
5033“Nah, I just thought she’d need underwear that works for a fifteen-year-old too.”
5034
5035“She can just buy that herself.”
5036
5037“Ah, I didn’t say anything about it when you were over, but Kaede’s a girl that likes the house more than anyone else.”
5038
5039“A girl that likes the house?” Asked Tomoe in puzzlement.
5040
5041“She’s a shut-in, she got bullied in middle school.”
5042
5043“Eh, what about your mother?”
5044
5045“A lot of things with Kaede weighed down on her, and we don’t live together anymore. Our dad looks after her.”
5046
5047Tomoe looked at his face in silence.
5048
5049“I finally get it.”
5050
5051“Get what?”
5052
5053“Why you helped me.”
5054
5055“Man, you’re amazing at reading the atmosphere.”
5056
5057There was no point in denying it now, so Sakuta admitted to it readily.
5058
5059“You are too, people think you can’t and exclude you because of it… but you can, you just don’t.”
5060
5061“Is that so?”
5062
5063“It is,” Tomoe said, laughing and moving off to the left. “Wait there a minute.”
5064
5065“Why.”
5066
5067“I-it doesn’t matter! Just don’t move!” Tomoe told him before heading up a nearby escalator.
5068
5069
5070
5071After about ten minutes, she returned holding an opaque blue plastic bag.
5072
5073“Here.”
5074
5075Sakuta took the bag and went to look inside.
5076
5077“Wah, no looking!”
5078
5079“Why?”
5080
5081“B-because, they’re the same as the ones I’m wearing now.”
5082
5083She shifted, holding her skirt down. Sakuta looked between her and the bag.
5084
5085“I want to look even more now,” he said, going to look again.
5086
5087“No! You can’t! Geez, Senpai, you’ll make Sakurajima-senpai hate you if you just say perverted things like that.”
5088
5089“Huh?” Why was she bringing Mai up, he wondered.
5090
5091“You got a nationally famous actress to like you, you’ll regret it.”
5092
5093“I thought you were sure I was misunderstanding things?”
5094
5095More precisely, she had asked if Mai herself had ever said so when she was in the infirmary with a cold.
5096
5097“But then I saw her coming to your house.”
5098
5099“Oh yeah, when she brought the souvenirs.”
5100
5101They had come across each other when Tomoe had come to study.
5102
5103“I’ll help you so things go well with her.”
5104
5105“And who’s fault is it that we’re not dating?”
5106
5107“Ugh… W-well, I’ll support you.”
5108
5109“Sure sure, thanks, I appreciate the feelings… Well, what are we doing now, was there anything you wanted to buy?”
5110
5111“Eh? Ah, yeah, can I just look for one thing?”
5112
5113
5114
5115Sakuta went up a floor with Tomoe into a vivid, colourful area. There were swimsuits on sale, many different styles and colours lined up on racks.
5116
5117“I promised that I’d go to the beach with Rena-chan and the others. I only have my school swimsuit… I wonder what everyone will wear.”
5118
5119“Can’t you just wear your middle school one?”
5120
5121“Why’d I go back to that? Ah, what about this one?”
5122
5123Tomoe held a frilly pink bikini somewhat shyly in front of herself.
5124
5125“Staring at a whole bunch of padding doesn’t excite me.”
5126
5127“I’m not wearing it to show you.”
5128
5129“For that kind of swimsuit,” Sakuta began, originally intending to direct her gaze to a well-endowed mannequin, but saw a beautiful blonde woman that would be more persuasive. She was a glamorous foreign woman that would just steal your breath away at a glance.
5130
5131She had clear blue eyes and plump, erotic lips. You could tell that she was very well endowed even through her clothes, and her waist pulled in tight. She was probably about as tall as Mai, tall for a woman. The woman looked to be in her early to mid-twenties. She was in a corner of the swimsuit area talking to a slender woman with long black hair in fluent Japanese, cheerfully asking for opinions on various swimsuits.
5132
5133No, looking closer the second person wasn’t a woman, they were a man with delicate features, closer to ‘refined’ than just ‘handsome’. He looked about the same age as the woman.
5134
5135It wasn’t just Sakuta and Tomoe watching them, the whole store seemed interested in the international couple.
5136
5137“What about this?” The woman asked.
5138
5139“Just pick the one you want,” replied the man, in an apparently bad mood.
5140
5141“No need to be shy, no one’s watching,” she wheedled.
5142
5143Actually, if anything, everyone was watching. On top of that, he didn’t seem shy, he seemed annoyed. What on Earth was their relationship like?
5144
5145“They’re all the same.”
5146
5147“Do you mean they’d all suit me?” The blonde woman laughed teasingly. It was actually rather similar to Mai. She had the confidence of a woman that knew how good she looked. She was joking, but the words themselves were no joke.
5148
5149“That’s right,” The man immediately admitted. She didn’t seem to expect that and just blinked for a moment. But she soon smiled in real happiness, a brilliant smile that seemed to light up her surroundings.
5150
5151“It’s rare for you to compliment me.”
5152
5153“I just said the truth,” he said before moodily leaving the area.
5154
5155“Ah, wait!” She bounced after him, forcibly linking arms with him as he looked disagreeable.
5156
5157“You went back to England, why are you back in Japan?”
5158
5159“I told you that I came for an art exhibition, didn’t I? Ah, my parents came this time as well, so please come to meet them tonight.”
5160
5161“W-wait a minute, I hadn’t heard anything about them coming.”
5162
5163“That’s why I just told you.”
5164
5165Wasn’t this an interesting development? However, the two of them boarded the escalator and vanished downstairs, so there was no way to know how their conversation ended.
5166
5167“Well, that’s how it is,” said Sakuta, turning back to Tomoe once he regained his concentration, “leave bikinis for when you’ve grown up like that blonde.”
5168
5169“That’s never gonna happeeeen.”
5170
5171“Isn’t that better?” Sakuta asked as he picked up a nearby swimsuit.
5172
5173The top was like a camisole, covering from the chest to the waist. The bottoms were like shorts. Looking closely, you could see that the top and bottom would overlap.
5174
5175“I’ll think a little more, I’ll buy one this time.”
5176
5177After staring at it for a moment, Tomoe put the swimsuit back where it came from.
5178
5179
5180
5181Once they were done shopping, Sakuta and Tomoe took a walk to Yamashita Park. It was a large park that overlooked the sea. Tomoe took pictures on her phone, occasionally taking couple-y ones with Sakuta.
5182
5183As the sun started to set, Tomoe pointed at the Ferris wheel and suggested they end the day with that.
5184
5185The city stretched out, lit up beneath them as the gondola slowly rose. The buildings were also illuminated by the evening sun, so she took pictures here too, commemorating the date.
5186
5187Once it reached its full height, Sakuta brought up something he felt might be a problem.
5188
5189“Hey, Koga.”
5190
5191“What?” She asked from where she was pressing her face into the glass, besotted with the sights outside.
5192
5193“Shouldn’t you think about how we’ll break up?”
5194
5195“Eh? Ah, yeah, I know.” Tomoe answered as she turned around. Judging by her attitude, she had already noticed as well. Their relationship was well known within the school, and the fact that Sakuta felt so strongly as to fight an older student had also spread throughout the school. Saying that they just drifted apart during the holidays would be a little tough, creating a proper reason to break up would be safer.
5196
5197“I’ve already thought of how I’ll dump you.” Smiled Tomoe like she was suggesting a new game.
5198
5199“Wait, I’m the one getting dumped?”
5200
5201“I’m going to go with ‘you couldn’t get over Sakurajima-senpai, and when I realised, I dumped you’.”
5202
5203“That’s oddly realistic.”
5204
5205“I’m going to end it with a slap and shouting ‘I don’t need you!’”
5206
5207“We’re not actually doing that, are we?”
5208
5209“It’s important to be realistic.”
5210
5211“So we are…?”
5212
5213“Make sure you’re free after the closing ceremony. I’m planning the fight for after a date at the beach.”
5214
5215Tomoe related her plan to slap Sakuta with a smile.
5216
5217The Ferris wheel was full of couples as it revolved, but there was not a hint of that kind of atmosphere between Sakuta and Tomoe. There weren’t the forced feelings between false lovers either. If they had to put their relationship into words, it would be as friendly schoolmates. They had grown close enough to just naturally play around with each other.
5218
5219That was why they felt like they would keep the promise they had made earlier in the term.
5220
5221“Once we’re done with this lie, be my friend.”
5222
5223The conversation they had been having was just like that of a pair of friends.
5224
5225“Senpai, what are you grinning at?”
5226
5227“Nothing.”
5228
5229“Ehhh, tell meeee.”
5230
5231To Sakuta, it was a wonderfully comfortable relationship.
5232
5233
5234
52354
5236
5237
5238
5239The exams had finished and the entire school had completely shifted to a holiday mood. Even as they worried and rejoiced over their marks as they were returned, everyone had the attitude of ‘just one more week.’
5240
5241The beach was now open, so focusing properly on practice exams in the classroom was ridiculous. Swimming on Shichirigahama beach being forbidden due to the choppy waves was a small help. There probably would have been a minor mutiny if they could see people swimming. That said, Yuigahama beach could be seen from the windows to the left, and Enoshima’s Higashihama was visible to the right.
5242
5243The beach huts were distantly visible, and gazing on them every day would make it all in vain even if the students were studying.
5244
5245The teachers themselves seemed to know this and weren’t particularly passionate either. There was just an aura of pointlessness in the air.
5246
5247There were already a large number of students already swimming after school. You could tell from seeing their skin which had burnt bright red. This was all part of the summer scene for a seaside school.
5248
5249Thus, the days passed peacefully.
5250
5251Sakuta’s false relationship with Tomoe went well too, with no one doubting it. Tomoe was getting on with her friends and she told him during their work shift that she would be going with Rena, Hinako, and Aya to buy a swimsuit.
5252
5253“Senpai, do you want to see my swimsuit?”
5254
5255“Nah, not really. More importantly,” he began.
5256
5257“Don’t say ‘more importantly’ to that!” She interrupted.
5258
5259“My sister really liked those clothes you chose, thanks.”
5260
5261“Ah, right, I’m glad.”
5262
5263“But to think that you’d wear underwear like that.”
5264
5265“Eh!? You looked!?”
5266
5267“You’re surprisingly daring under your skirt.”
5268
5269Sakuta spent his days like that, and the last week of term finally came to an end. The last day, the eighteenth of July, a Friday, arrived all too quickly with no fanfare.
5270
5271
5272
5273Sakuta was woken by Kaede shaking him the same way she did every morning on the day of the closing ceremony.
5274
5275“Morning, Kaede.” He greeted.
5276
5277“Good morning.” She replied.
5278
5279Sakuta left his room and started cooking breakfast, turning the TV on as he waited for the toast to finish. A highlight reel from the Fresh All-Star game that had taken place the night before. The team was made up of nothing but young players and had good prospects in both leagues and had filled Nagasaki Stadium.
5280
5281Sakuta watched it absently as he ate with Kaede, Nasuno crunching on his own food at their feet.
5282
5283“The summer holidays start tomorrow,” said Kaede.
5284
5285“Hmm, what do we need for summer then?”
5286
5287“A watermelon,” Kaede suggested.
5288
5289“I’ll go buy one then, I guess.”
5290
5291“A round one would be good.”
5292
5293Eating an entire watermelon would be tough. Maybe sharing some with Mai would work, Sakuta thought as he got ready for school and left.
5294
5295“See you later, Onii-chan,” chimed Kaede as she watched him leave.
5296
5297
5298
5299He got the train with Yuuma that day, they ended up standing together and holding the hand straps.
5300
5301“What are you planning over the summer, Sakuta?”
5302
5303“Work.”
5304
5305“Well, Koga-san will be there,” Yuuma said teasingly. Sakuta ignored the tone. Yuuma had been quizzical about the relationship at first, but had decided ‘it might work?’ after watching them each day.
5306
5307“You?”
5308
5309“Work, club stuff, dates.”
5310
5311“You youthful prick.”
5312
5313“You shouldn’t call people that,” Yuuma playfully bumped his shoulder into Sakuta’s as they continued their inconsequential conversation until they got to school.
5314
5315
5316
5317After their morning homeroom, every student gathered in the gym for the closing ceremony. It was too hot, so the headteacher’s grateful words didn’t enter their minds, there were even students holding fans and waving them at themselves. The teachers were hot too, so they didn’t complain.
5318
5319
5320
5321Once Sakuta returned to his classroom, he had the final homeroom of the term. The teacher called each of them up by name and handed over their results.
5322
5323Sakuta, with his surname of ‘Azusagawa’, was called up straight away, without even the time to get nervous and had reality thrust before him in the form of a grading out of ten.
5324
5325His results were mostly normal, though his physics grade had risen to an ‘8’ thanks to Mai’s Bunny Lessons. Even so, his average remained firmly at ‘6’.
5326
5327There was a small warning from his teacher about his fight with Maesawa-senpai, but it was written indirectly, and there wasn’t anything else interesting on there.
5328
5329“Be careful that you don’t get hurt messing around this summer,” said the teacher, ending homeroom. The last words of the term hadn’t changed since Sakuta was in elementary school.
5330
5331After the student on duty told them ‘rise, bow’, the classroom erupted into cheers. It was over, hurray, it’s finally here, and various other yells mixed together.
5332
5333Sakuta quickly left the room, hearing those cheers behind him.
5334
5335The corridors were filled with students that didn’t want to leave each other. They would have lots of free time, so Sakuta thought they should just exchange numbers and go home, but apparently there was some reason they couldn’t do so.
5336
5337Because there were so many students in the corridors, the path to the station was actually emptier than usual, as was Shichirigahama Station itself, there were only about ten others there when Sakuta arrived.
5338
5339Sakuta walked to the end of the Fujisawa-bound side and waited for the train. He had about six minutes to wait.
5340
5341Before it arrived, Tomoe arrived at a jog.
5342
5343“Ah, you got here first,” she said.
5344
5345They’d promised to go to the beach together after school today. It would be their last date and they were meeting here.
5346
5347Tomoe’s clothes didn’t seem to be sitting right on here as she kept fiddling with her waistband.
5348
5349“I changed into my swimsuit at school,” she answered before he could ask when she noticed where he was looking.
5350
5351This was a secret technique in schools near the sea. Students that had club activities would come back to school when they were done to use the changing room showers. Yuuma had said he did so last year.
5352
5353“Senpai, you’re leering.”
5354
5355“I know.”
5356
5357Flashes of pink from her swimsuit were showing from under her blouse.
5358
5359“That means stop staring so much,” she said, holding her tote bag in front of her chest.
5360
5361The train came trundling into the station as they talked.
5362
5363
5364
5365Sakuta and Tomoe alighted at the Enoshima Enoden Station, and were at Higashihama within ten minutes. The beach was a wide arc, and always packed at this time of year.
5366
5367It was still a weekday, so there were only locals around, which made the beach feel rather empty.
5368
5369They parted for a while in front of the beach huts. Sakuta changed into his trunks, putting on a T-shirt because showing his chest scars would make him seem like a bad person. He put his things in a locker and went outside, just at the same time as Tomoe who finished quickly because she changed at school.
5370
5371“Right, let’s swim.”
5372
5373“Eh? You’re not going to give me your thoughts?”
5374
5375“I thought you didn’t want me to look too much?”
5376
5377Sakuta remembered the swimsuit she was wearing, it was the one he had picked up when they were shopping the week before. She hadn’t bought anything then, but she must have found and bought the same one when she went shopping with her friends.
5378
5379“Well, I think you look cute.”
5380
5381“D-don’t call me cute.”
5382
5383“What do you want me to say then?”
5384
5385“…That I’m cute, I guess?” She answered after a moment’s thought.
5386
5387“So you’re emotionally unstable again today?”
5388
5389“That’s what a maiden’s heart is like.”
5390
5391“Ain’t the foggiest.”
5392
5393“You seriously irritate me, Senpai.”
5394
5395“I guess I’ll go get some grilled corn if I’ve annoyed you.”
5396
5397Sakuta turned on his heel and faced the beach huts.
5398
5399“I’ll come too.” She called, rushing after him until she reached his side.
5400
5401
5402
5403Sitting in the summer sun as they eat the corn was superb.
5404
5405The heavens suddenly opened while they were eating, but they’d get wet in the sea anyway, so that didn’t matter.
5406
5407At lunchtime, they ate yakisoba at the beach huts and then Sakuta took Tomoe to the water to follow the food with some exercise as they splashed each other with water. Once they were tired they came back to the sand to make castles.
5408
5409“Let’s see whose castle stands up to the waves better,” Sakuta suggested.
5410
5411“The loser has to buy shaved ice,” added Tomoe.
5412
5413“Don’t come crying to me when you lose.”
5414
5415“The same goes for you.”
5416
5417Sakuta ended up losing. The deciding factor was a depression in front of the castle. It was where Tomoe had sat while making it and left a mark in the sand with her backside.
5418
5419“Your backside saved you, Koga.”
5420
5421“S-shut up. You’ve still got to pay up.”
5422
5423Tomoe covered her backside with her hands and her face went red.
5424
5425A loss was a loss, so Sakuta went and bought the shaved ice. Tomoe asked for strawberry syrup with hers, and Sakuta had melon syrup with his.
5426
5427
5428
5429
5430
5431As the sun began to set, Sakuta and Tomoe sat on the beach and absently watched a five and six-year-old boy and girl playing with a beach ball. The girl’s vicious strikes overwhelmed the boy and he caught the ball with his face several times.
5432
5433“Hey, Senpai.”
5434
5435“Hungry again?”
5436
5437“Thank you for everything until today.”
5438
5439Sakuta didn’t reply.
5440
5441“Here,” said Tomoe, sticking out her hand, “shake hands.”
5442
5443“Why?”
5444
5445“As a farewell.”
5446
5447Sakuta wiped his hand off on his T-shirt and took Tomoe’s small hand in his own.
5448
5449“Senpai, you ended up still loving Sakurajima-senpai, and I gave up on you and dumped you,” said Tomoe as if she was reading a story while she looked out at the waves.
5450
5451“You don’t need to slap me?”
5452
5453“I’ll just say I did. If I hit you now, I’d be being way too ungrateful.”
5454
5455“Well, good work then,” said Sakuta, not entirely sure what he should say in this situation.
5456
5457“Yeah.”
5458
5459“Have a good summer.”
5460
5461“You too, Senpai… I hope you can date Sakurajima-senpai.”
5462
5463“Well, I’ll take it slowly.”
5464
5465Tomoe let go of his hand and stood up.
5466
5467“Let’s go home,” she said with a smile.
5468
5469“Yeah, I’m tired from playing in the sea,” Sakuta agreed, hauling himself to his feet.
5470
5471“You sound like an old man,” Tomoe laughed at him as they collected their things and headed to the beach huts. Once they were done changing, they boarded the Enoden and headed back to Fujisawa.
5472
5473“Senpai, what are you doing over the summer?”
5474
5475“Vegging out.”
5476
5477They rode with that kind of pointless conversation…
5478
5479Without anything sexual whatsoever…
5480
5481It was just the end to an enjoyable time. An easy day spent with a friend that they knew well.
5482
5483Thus, their lie to the entire school ended safely, with no one finding out, and a fun, enjoyable summer arrived.
5484
5485
5486
5487
5488
5489Everything went well thanks to Senpai.
5490
5491It’s alright now.
5492
5493I’m sure it’ll be alright.
5494
5495But…
5496
5497I might have made a mistake because Senpai was here.
5498
5499
5500
5501
5502CHAPTER 05
55031
5504
5505
5506
5507Sakuta was woken by a gentle shaking.
5508
5509“Onii-chan, it’s time to get up.”
5510
5511Sakuta, the elder brother, slowly rose in response to his sister’s enthusiasm.
5512
5513“Morning,” he greeted.
5514
5515“Good morning.”
5516
5517Sakuta rubbed at his tired eyes.
5518
5519“You know, Kaede?”
5520
5521“Yes?”
5522
5523“There’s such a thing as the summer holidays.”
5524
5525He could have a lie in today and leave the energetics to the elementary schoolers that did radio callisthenics.
5526
5527“The holidays start tomorrow though, right?” Asked Kaede, leaning over in curiosity.
5528
5529What did she just say? He thought to himself.
5530
5531“Nah, it’s today, yeah?”
5532
5533“No, it’s tomorrow.”
5534
5535Sakuta picked up his clock and looked at the familiar LCD display. Written upon the screen was ‘July 18th’, Friday. If Sakuta’s memories were right, that would be yesterday…
5536
5537The eighteenth was, just as Kaede had said, before the holidays had started, it was the last day of term.
5538
5539Apparently, that weirdness he had almost completely discounted had happened again, the day had repeated like June the twenty-seventh had.
5540
5541However, Sakuta was strangely unsurprised. He might have had some inkling that this might happen, there had been a sense of discomfort remaining from the days that he had spent with Tomoe.
5542
5543Tomoe had spent the entire day enjoying herself at the beach yesterday, overflowing with smiles as they parted and not showing a hint of worry.
5544
5545But that itself was what caused the feeling. It had been too empty.
5546
5547Sakuta wordlessly climbed out of bed and left his room. He put the TV on and it showed the results of last night’s game with the Pro-baseball Fresh All-Stars.
5548
5549It was the same as he had seen yesterday… or rather the first July the eighteenth.
5550
5551It was a strange sensation, yet still somewhat nostalgic.
5552
5553“Onii-chan?”
5554
5555“Kaede, do you want to eat a watermelon?”
5556
5557“Eh? I do.”
5558
5559“I’ll go buy a round one later.”
5560
5561He then ate breakfast with Kaede and prepared for school.
5562
5563“See you later, Onii-chan,” Kaede called as she waved him off with a smile while Sakuta stepped out into his second July the eighteenth.
5564
5565
5566
5567Sakuta rode the Enoden with Yuuma. He had arrived next to Sakuta and held a hand strap in the same way.
5568
5569“What are you planning over the summer, Sakuta?”
5570
5571“Work.”
5572
5573“Well, Koga-san will be there,” Yuuma said teasingly, following the familiar conversation.
5574
5575“You?”
5576
5577“Work, club stuff, dates.”
5578
5579“You youthful prick.”
5580
5581“You shouldn’t call people that,” Yuuma playfully bumped his shoulder into Sakuta’s the same way he did last time.
5582
5583Anything and everything Sakuta could remember was the same as the first July the eighteenth he had experienced.
5584
5585
5586
5587Sakuta left Yuuma in the shoe racks and didn’t head for the second-year classroom, but for the first-years’, for Tomoe’s class.
5588
5589When he looked in from the door, he could immediately see Tomoe. She was with Rena, Hinako, and Aya around the teacher’s desk laughing about something.
5590
5591Hinako noticed him and nudged Tomoe. She looked surprised for a second, but soon exited into the classroom while paying a little attention to her surroundings.
5592
5593“Don’t just turn up out of nowhere at my classroom,” Tomoe said shyly, conscious of the looks from behind her.
5594
5595“I did feel bad about doing this, but I had to.”
5596
5597The situation being what it was, Sakuta wanted to check things as quickly as possible.
5598
5599“Did something bad happen?” He asked.
5600
5601As far as Sakuta was aware, nothing special had happened, everything had gone to plan and proceeded as expected. They had fooled everyone and reached the summer holidays. They had seen the opportunity for Tomoe to be able to explain dumping him and becoming close friends instead. The gossip would have spread throughout the school without them even trying, so everything should have finished.
5602
5603“Why?” Asked Tomoe with a tilt of her head, looking puzzled.
5604
5605“What do you mean, ‘why’?” Sakuta noticed they were talking at cross-purposes. Tomoe didn’t seem to be worried or tense at all, “We’re looping again.”
5606
5607“Eh?” Tomoe’s mouth dropped open. That reaction settled it, she didn’t look like she knew what was happening at all.
5608
5609“This is the second time today happened, right?”
5610
5611“…No,” Tomoe replied hesitantly, like she was worried about Sakuta.
5612
5613“Wait, this is your first time!?”
5614
5615“Yeah,” Tomoe nodded slightly, her gaze fixed on Sakuta.
5616
5617The chime that signalled the start of homeroom sounded.
5618
5619“Got it, forget this for now.”
5620
5621“What about after school?” She asked.
5622
5623“We’ll carry on like we planned.”
5624
5625“R-right.”
5626
5627“Later.”
5628
5629Tomoe waved somewhat uneasily as Sakuta left those words behind.
5630
5631
5632
5633Once classes were over and he received the report card that he already knew the contents of, the same grades as last time, the same indirect warning from his teacher about the fight.
5634
5635“Be careful that you don’t get hurt messing around this summer.”
5636
5637Once he heard the teacher’s warning, Sakuta left class 2-1’s classroom. The next-door classroom seemed to have finished homeroom before them. There were still several students remaining in the classroom, but Futaba Rio was nowhere to be seen. She was probably in the same place as always.
5638
5639So thinking, Sakuta headed for the physics lab and, just as he thought, Rio was there, writing some kind of equation on the board.
5640
5641Sakuta talked from behind her and let her know that the loops were happening again.
5642
5643“What do you think?” He finished with, asking for Rio’s opinion.
5644
5645“Azusagawa, are you okay in the head?”
5646
5647Rio had turned around and had sat across the desk from Sakuta.
5648
5649“What’s with that question?”
5650
5651“Don’t answer a question with a question like that.”
5652
5653“Why exactly do you ask?”
5654
5655“It’s because you’re asking questions an elementary school student could answer.”
5656
5657Apparently, elementary school students were rather clever these days, the country’s future was assured, thought Sakuta.
5658
5659“If, as you think, that first year-” Rio started.
5660
5661“Koga Tomoe,” Sakuta interjected.
5662
5663“If she’s Laplace’s Demon, then the answer is simple.”
5664
5665“Simple?”
5666
5667“Is there some set difference between the eighteenth and the nineteenth? Like a change in the relationship between you?”
5668
5669Sakuta remained silent. Rio’s insight was on the money. Sakuta had never said a word to her but she was already suspicious about it.
5670
5671“I doubt you’d continue that endlessly,” she said, well aware of his personality as well, “you’ve already realised though, haven’t you?”
5672
5673“Realised what?”
5674
5675“The reason she’s re-rolling the die again.”
5676
5677Sakuta looked up at the ceiling as if to avoid her gaze.
5678
5679It wasn’t as if he didn’t have any idea at all, he would admit that he had some idea.
5680
5681“But this time, Koga doesn’t know this is the second time.”
5682
5683That was the only part that didn’t ring true. Sakuta shivered as he remembered her confused reaction from this morning.
5684
5685“I see… then maybe like I first said, you’re the demon.” Rio didn’t seem interested, to the contrary, she didn’t even seem to believe her own words as she called him a demon. It was like she was just saying it for the sake of it.
5686
5687“It’s not me.”
5688
5689“Then there’s only one explanation.”
5690
5691“Just the one, huh…”
5692
5693“Yes, that she… is lying.”
5694
5695Sakuta didn’t deny her words.
5696
5697
5698
5699Sakuta left the physics lab and met up with Tomoe before heading to the beach. Just like last time, they ate grilled corn at the beach huts, made sandcastles, stuffed their faces with shaved ice, and played around in the sea.
5700
5701Tomoe seemed to enjoy it all.
5702
5703Before they went home, Tomoe gave her thanks, and then finally shook hands with him just like the first day.
5704
5705Nothing at all changed. If tomorrow came then there would be no need to say anything.
5706
5707
5708
5709However, when Sakuta woke the next morning, it was once again the eighteenth of July. This made it the third final day of term, the summer holidays just weren’t coming.
5710
5711On the twenty-seventh of June, the fourth time hadn’t come. Based on that experience, Sakuta once again went through the day without changing anything at all, thinking it might be based on the number of repeats.
5712
5713Tomoe, not knowing of the loops, frolicked in the sea again today.
5714
5715
5716
57172
5718
5719
5720
5721Sakuta’s faint hopes were dashed and the fourth July the eighteenth dawned again.
5722
5723So there wasn’t any other way than dealing with Laplace’s Demon to get out of this situation.
5724
5725He got the train at the same time as always and got the same train as Yuuma once more.
5726
5727“Yo.”
5728
5729“Hey,” Sakuta answered Yuuma bluntly as the latter smiled brightly.
5730
5731Yuuma didn’t seem to worry about it and grabbed the strap next to Sakuta.
5732
5733Sakuta opened his mouth and began to speak as they looked out at the tranquil streets.
5734
5735“Say, Kunimi?”
5736
5737“Hmm?”
5738
5739“You’ve got a girlfriend, yeah?”
5740
5741“Luckily, yes.”
5742
5743“What would you do if some other girl had feelings for you?”
5744
5745Yuuma’s expression grew slightly guarded as he paused.
5746
5747“What would you do if you noticed her feelings?”
5748
5749“Who are you asking about?” Yuuma asked, trying to ferret out Sakuta’s intention.
5750
5751“It’s just theoretical.”
5752
5753“Theoretical, huh?”
5754
5755Nothing concrete had been said, but from just their conversation so far and Yuuma’s seriousness, Sakuta realised something. Yuuma had noticed Rio’s feelings.
5756
5757But because of that, he listened to Sakuta’s question without trying to get out of it.
5758
5759“Doe she… know that I’ve realised?”
5760
5761“Not yet.”
5762
5763They both avoided naming names.
5764
5765“Yet, huh?” Yuuma said with a pained smile, “I’d honestly rather not drag up feelings that she’s hiding.”
5766
5767Yuuma stayed with not giving any names and looked out at the sea, narrowing his eyes against the radiance.
5768
5769“It’d also feel like I was being too self-conscious, like who do I think I am?” Yuuma continued, carefully choosing his words. “But I don’t think leaving it like that is a good idea, what’s the right answer there?”
5770
5771“That’s what I asked.”
5772
5773They reached Shichirigahama still with no answer.
5774
5775
5776
5777The entire school gathered in the gym for the closing ceremony, Sakuta’s fourth. Of course, because it was the fourth time he was hearing the headteacher’s speech so he didn’t listen to a word and just thought of other things.
5778
5779Tomoe to be exact.
5780
5781He looked at her amongst the first-years in the room. She seemed to notice his gaze and looked back at him. She seemed slightly surprised when their eyes met, but a smile soon made its way onto her face.
5782
5783Everything all came together for Sakuta when he saw her smile.
5784
5785“Yes, that she… is lying.”
5786
5787That was exactly what was happening.
5788
5789
5790
5791After school, they met at Shichirigahama Station and took the Enoden for three stops while they spoke about their results.
5792
5793They went out onto the brick-paved Subana Street and then crossed route 134 using the subway, and then continued straight on still.
5794
5795“Senpai? The beach is this way.” Said Tomoe, pointing to the left to the beach huts lined up on Higashihama beach. Incidentally, there was Nishihama beach to the right.
5796
5797“This is my fourth time.”
5798
5799“You’re bored of the beach.”
5800
5801“I’m glad you can read the atmosphere well,” he said as they crossed the bridge to Enoshima.
5802
5803“We’re going to Enoshima?” She asked as she bounced after him, and Sakuta glanced sidelong at her face.”
5804
5805“Well, we didn’t get chance to go on our first date.”
5806
5807“Ah, that’s true.”
5808
5809Back then, they had seen one of Tomoe’s classmates in trouble when they were crossing the bridge… She, Yoneyama Nana, had actually lost the strap she had bought with her friend.
5810
5811“The island, the sky, the sea.”
5812
5813In their path, they could see nothing but Enoshima itself, the blue sky, and the stretching sea.
5814
5815Tomoe stretched her arms out as if to catch hold of the sky.
5816
5817Black kites wheeled through the skies, often stealing food from the beach-goers.
5818
5819Once they crossed over the four-hundred-metre bridge, they were met by souvenir shops for tourists, and shops selling local seafood. The sea was in a good fishing season at the moment.
5820
5821They passed through a torii and the path changed into a slope that was just on the wrong side of gentle. It narrowed and the nostalgic, traditional atmosphere increased even more. At both sides of the route were shops that sold the area’s famous whitebait and colourful purses and wallets that all drew the eye.
5822
5823They passed a couple of university students, sharing a huge squid rice cracker.
5824
5825Sakuta felt a sense of desire from next to him.
5826
5827“If you buy street food as you walk, you’ll get fat,” said Sakuta, even as he handed the money over to the woman behind the counter.
5828
5829“I’m dieting from tomorrow.”
5830
5831“Hmm?”
5832
5833He held himself back from further comment and took the rice cracker once it had been cooked in front of them.
5834
5835“It’s huge,” said Tomoe.
5836
5837It was bigger than Sakuta or Tomoe’s faces.
5838
5839Splitting it between them, they continued up the path to the nearby shrine as they ate.
5840
5841A set of stairs came into view with a red torii part-way up. At the top was the Enoshima Shrine, made up of three smaller shrines.
5842
5843They finished the rice cracker in front of the torii before continuing up one step at a time.
5844
5845They climbed in silence and eventually reached the top and the first shrine, Hetsumiya, while completely out of breath.
5846
5847“My legs are dead,” Tomoe complained.
5848
5849“You’re supposed to be a first-year.”
5850
5851“What’s with that logic?”
5852
5853“You’re young.”
5854
5855After a while, they caught their breath and visited the shrine properly.
5856
5857“Koga, they’ve got love ema,” Sakuta pointed out the nearby Musubi-no-ki with many of the votive plaques attached to it, “let’s write one.”
5858
5859“Eh? We’re lying to the gods?” Tomoe asked.
5860
5861Ignoring her, Sakuta bought an ema from the shrine-maiden.
5862
5863“S-Senpai.”
5864
5865Perhaps thinking that Tomoe’s reaction was out of embarrassment, the woman handed the ema over with a smile.
5866
5867Sakuta borrowed a pen and used it to write his full name, ‘Azusagawa Sakuta’ in the heart-shaped symbol.
5868
5869“Here,” he said.
5870
5871“We’ll get smote,” she answered.
5872
5873“When you decided to lie to everyone, you had to have had the resolve to fall to hell, right?”
5874
5875“I don’t mind… but I don’t want to drag you down.”
5876
5877Tomoe turned the ema over in confusion. It was written what kind of person the ema was for there, and right at the top was ‘someone with an unrequited love’.
5878
5879A quiet gasp left Tomoe’s mouth.
5880
5881Tomoe wrote ‘Koga Tomoe’ next to ‘Azusagawa Sakuta’ in curly writing with a worried look on her face. Sakuta then yanked the ema from Tomoe’s hands and attached it to the tree.
5882
5883“Senpai! We’ll definitely get a smiting if we put a lie in with all the actual wishes! I’ll just take it home!”
5884
5885Tomoe reached out her arms and quietly and frantically tried to stop him, trying to make sure the shrine-maiden didn’t hear the word ‘lie’.
5886
5887“I’m the only one lying, so it’s fine.”
5888
5889“Eh?”
5890
5891The strength left Tomoe’s arms and Sakuta used that chance to tightly knot it to the tree, it wouldn’t be easily removed now.”
5892
5893
5894
5895They once more climbed the stairs in silence like they were going through training, reaching the impressive red pillars of Nakatsumiya. Walking further they arrived at a viewing platform that could be seen from afar. They passed that and aimed for the furthest shrine, Okutsumiya.
5896
5897The path was narrow with old paving slabs and had a certain mood about it. After a little more walking, there were sets of stairs going up and down, with souvenir shops and cafes, and various food places filling the space.
5898
5899The scenery was like something that would have been used in old films to show the warmth of people, there was a gentle atmosphere brought into being by people living nearby coming and meeting friends and acquaintances. Sometimes a cat would cross their path, and each time, Tomoe tried to stroke it but it ran away.
5900
5901“Senpai, about earlier…”
5902
5903“Hmm?”
5904
5905“When we were at the tree…”
5906
5907Sakuta didn’t answer.
5908
5909“No, it’s nothing.”
5910
5911He knew what she was trying to ask. In front of the tree, Sakuta had said:
5912
5913“I’m the only one lying, so it’s fine.”
5914
5915He could feel Tomoe wanting to know exactly what he meant from his side. But before she opened her mouth again, they reached Okutsumiya.
5916
5917They visited the shrine silently. Tomoe’s face, as she put her hands together, was awfully serious. What was she wishing for, he wondered.
5918
5919
5920
5921The path narrowed further as it continued, the narrow steps descending to the western edge of Enoshima… Chigogafuchi.
5922
5923It was a fifteen-metre wide strip of rock. The water rushing over the surface had removed stone from the surface, smoothing it out. The rock itself had risen in the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 and now looked like this.
5924
5925It was a pleasant view from the stone, with the weather as it was, Mount Fuji was clearly visible.
5926
5927The sea breeze wrapped around their bodies. Other couples had stopped on the strange natural protrusion.
5928
5929“Hinako-chan said that sunsets look gorgeous from here,” Tomoe muttered to herself with both hands on the guardrail.
5930
5931She’d probably realised.
5932
5933Realised why Sakuta had invited her here…
5934
5935Realised the meaning behind his words earlier…
5936
5937She had realised and was pretending that she hadn’t.
5938
5939“Let’s go.” Suggested Sakuta.
5940
5941“Yeah.”
5942
5943As they spoke, their sentences became shorter.
5944
5945
5946
5947They silently trekked back along the path they had taken.
5948
5949Sakuta and Tomoe barely spoke. They slowly descended the stairs that had been so difficult to climb, passing under the first torii.
5950
5951Calls of salespeople followed them as they left Enoshima behind.
5952
5953The beaches stretched out to the left and right from both sides of the Benten Bridge as they crossed it. Going back meant which was on which side had switched. Nishihama was to the left, and Higashihama was to the right. The sun was climbing across the southern sky, showing the activity on the beaches. There were probably groups that had headed straight to the beach from school. Sakuta and Tomoe had actually intended to at first as well.
5954
5955“Hey, Senpai, shall we go to the beach now?” Tomoe asked, looking at the beach. “I’m wearing my swimsuit under this after all.”
5956
5957Her voice was cheerful, she was the same as usual.
5958
5959Sakuta made his decision at that point, stopping on the bridge. Tomoe took a moment to notice so turned back to look at him in question from about three metres ahead. The two had stopped right in the middle of the bridge, with the sea to either side.
5960
5961“Senpai?”
5962
5963“Koga, let’s end this lie.”
5964
5965“Eh? Ah, right, that was ending today.”
5966
5967“That’s not what I mean.”
5968
5969“…Senpai? You look kinda scary?” Tomoe looked at him in confusion.
5970
5971Even so, Sakuta didn’t let his harsh expression slip.
5972
5973“What? What happened?” She asked.
5974
5975“Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”
5976
5977“Notice what?”
5978
5979“Even if it was a lie, I went out with you for about three weeks.”
5980
5981Koga fell silent.
5982
5983“You said before, that I could read the atmosphere, I just didn’t.”
5984
5985“Senpai, you’re being strange.”
5986
5987Tomoe’s face was bewildered, but Sakuta still continued.
5988
5989“If you won’t say it, I will.”
5990
5991Koga went silent again.
5992
5993“Okay?” Tomoe hadn’t looked away from Sakuta for the entire time he had been speaking, but she did slump slightly as Sakuta carried on, “No matter how many times you re-roll the dice, you won’t change people’s feelings.”
5994
5995He paused to allow Tomoe to reply, but she didn’t.
5996
5997“Lies won’t become the truth, and the truth won’t become lies.”
5998
5999In response to those words, Tomoe gripped tightly to the hem of her uniform, like she was trying to resist something…
6000
6001“…Even after a hundred times?”
6002
6003Tomoe’s strangled voice was swept away by the sea breeze as her head remained downcast.
6004
6005“Yeah.”
6006
6007“…Even after a thousand?” Her voice shook.
6008
6009“That’s right.”
6010
6011“Ten thousand times?”
6012
6013“It won’t change even after a hundred-million times. I love Mai-san.”
6014
6015Once more, Tomoe reverted to silence.
6016
6017“Even if you keep repeating the same things, your feelings won’t change either.”
6018
6019A heavy silence fell over the pair of them even as large drops of rain began to fall from the sky all of a sudden.
6020
6021The sky above them was blue, it was a sun shower.
6022
6023“You’re a liar… Senpai…” Tomoe’s faint voice mixed in with the pouring of the rain, “…Feelings do change.”
6024
6025The rain was so heavy that it stung as it came down.
6026
6027“They pile up just from repetition… they have piled up…”
6028
6029Tomoe’s voice grew hoarse as she admitted her lie. Tomoe knew that the day had been repeating, and had pretended that this was the first time on top of that. She played in the sea each time like she didn’t realise it the second or third times, acting.
6030
6031It was all to hide her feelings.
6032
6033“I decided I’d forget it… but I couldn’t. I thought I’d manage it this time, but… I couldn’t, even though I decided to say goodbye to these feelings!”
6034
6035A quavering sensation stabbed through Sakuta’s chest. Tomoe’s crushing feelings finally showed slightly on her face. It was an immensely human reaction, not something a demon would have.
6036
6037“Today I had a fun last date with you… and had to end our false relationship with a smile. Then when things go well with Sakurajima-senpai next term, I wanted to tease you with ‘good for you’.”
6038
6039“Koga…”
6040
6041“And then I’d be your friend, a friend you could talk about anything with. And you’d be my slightly older friend that spoils me a bit. You’d have been happy with it too… and we could have reminisced about how all this was fun, and be good friends forever!” Tomoe raised her face and tried to smile, but failed. “That’s what I was going to do…” Her grief showed in her voice, tightening so much it hurt her chest.
6042
6043“That’s all I wanted…” she continued, “I didn’t want anything special. I wasn’t going to be selfish. I wasn’t going to cause anyone any trouble, you know? But… but why won’t tomorrow come!?”
6044
6045Sakuta had no answer for her.
6046
6047“I decided to leave these feelings, so why are they always stronger every day I wake up!?” That was obvious, even hiding emotions deeply in your chest wouldn’t make them disappear, they never would, those feelings lived on inside. Trying desperately to deny your feelings would just make them grow stronger and stronger… “This is horrible…”
6048
6049People’s emotions weren’t computer programs, you couldn’t just switch them off. A saved phone number or ID could just be deleted, but emotions couldn’t. People were bound by different things, and these three weeks had bowed Sakuta and Tomoe together.
6050
6051“I decided not to feel like this anymore… That’s what I decided!”
6052
6053“You don’t need to do that.”
6054
6055“I do!” Tomoe would see her way of life through, and that was hurting her, “But you like Sakurajima-senpai. I’m just in the way! Friends don’t feel like this, they don’t need this!”
6056
6057That was what Sakuta had asked Tomoe for.
6058
6059“Once we’re done with this lie, be my friend.”
6060
6061Tomoe had decided to bear her own feelings to grant that request. She had to bear them, so she didn’t burden Sakuta. That’s why she had given up without saying anything, she’d tried to crush her feelings, to act like they didn’t exist from the start and be Sakuta’s friend.
6062
6063His younger friend that was just a little cheeky.
6064
6065But dividing her feelings and going through with what she decided was potentially impossible. Her feelings were so strong that she couldn’t control them, feelings she herself didn’t really understand.
6066
6067This might be the first time Tomoe had faced these feelings.
6068
6069Their relationship had started with a lie.
6070
6071And yet, before she knew it, her feelings had become true, the real thing.
6072
6073Even so, the day of their separation because of the lie arrived… and Tomoe’s now real feelings were the only things left, held strongly within her heart and not solved. The emotions she wanted to express were just held within the dark inside her.
6074
6075Tomoe’s sense of values would not allow that though. Expressing them would trouble someone, trouble Sakuta. Therefore, she could only keep trying to kill her feelings to be the ‘Koga Tomoe’ that Sakuta wanted, piling up resistance upon resistance.
6076
6077It was painful, lonely, and gave her nowhere to go, and so once more woke the sleeping demon.
6078
6079That was the true identity of the demon, the sense of self that Tomoe shut inside her. Her real feelings refused to allow summer to arrive like that. Even if it was a lie, Sakuta had been her boyfriend… so she didn’t want tomorrow to come.
6080
6081Even so, Tomoe stayed silent and tried to forget Sakuta, to make it like it never happened, that’s why she lied.
6082
6083“Koga.”
6084
6085Tomoe let out a whimper when he addressed her.
6086
6087Even if this hurt her, there was something she had to say.
6088
6089“When did I say you’d be in the way?”
6090
6091“You’re awful, Senpai…”
6092
6093“You’re only noticing now?”
6094
6095“I don’t like you, I hate you! You’re awful! You were too kind to me…”
6096
6097“That’s right. So you don’t need to try and spare my feelings.”
6098
6099“I don’t like me either, I hate me… this isn’t me!”
6100
6101“Nope, that’s you, it’s you as well.”
6102
6103“No! This isn’t me! I want the summer holidays to come! I want to be friends and have fun with you already! That’s all I want!”
6104
6105Even now, Tomoe didn’t shed a single tear, she seemed to know that if she started then that would be the end of everything as she looked at Sakuta with teary eyes.
6106
6107“Stop lying to yourself now.”
6108
6109Tomoe gave no answer.
6110
6111“You’re a high-schooler of justice, right?”
6112
6113“That’s not fair… you can’t say it like that…”
6114
6115“There’s nothing you can’t do.”
6116
6117“That’s not fair, it’s not, Senpai…”
6118
6119“You don’t need to bear it anymore.”
6120
6121“You idiot, Senpai! You idiot! I hate you, I hate you! But…” Tomoe’s voice was tinged by tears, “but… I like you…” Tears welled further in her eyes.
6122
6123“I like you, Senpai…” She took a deep breath in through her nose, sniffling, “I love youuuuuu!”
6124
6125The feelings Tomoe had held within herself for so long came bursting forth, beating right in to Sakuta, pure and unfettered.
6126
6127“Koga,” he spoke quietly, doing all he could to be gentle… She held up against her tears for a moment, but Sakuta’s words wouldn’t let her continue to. “Well done.”
6128
6129Tomoe’s face was dishevelled as she let out the start of a cry, her tears shining on her cheeks.
6130
6131“You fought really hard.”
6132
6133“Uuu…Uwaaaahhhhh…”
6134
6135She sobbed loudly, unable to speak, crying as her tears fell with the rain to her feet, drip drip, drip drip…
6136
6137The blue sky looked down on them, tall, distant, and clear as far as the eye could see. The rains had stopped.
6138
6139
6140
6141
6142EPILOGUE
6143
6144
6145Light shone from beyond Sakuta’s eyelids and when Sakuta noticed that, he realised he had woken up. The morning sun cast cloud-like shadows across his familiar ceiling from the crack in the curtains. The sensation of his bed on his back let him know that this was his own room.
6146
6147He reached his hand out for his digital alarm clock as usual. If the day hadn’t repeated this should be the nineteenth of July, the first day of the summer holidays. As he went through this mentally, he brought the clock into his site.
6148
6149A moment passed with him staring uncomprehendingly at the display. He had thought that it would be the nineteenth of July shown on the screen, or if not it would be the eighteenth once again. However, the clock was showing Sakuta a completely different date.
6150
6151“Huh?”
6152
6153Sakuta rose and went to the living room, turning the TV on just as the morning news started.
6154
6155“Well done, team Japan!”
6156
6157It was a familiar, almost nostalgic phrase. The newscaster’s excitement and happiness were clear.
6158
6159“Good morning, today is Friday, June the twenty-seventh. I think we’ll start the day on football!”
6160
6161The next thing shown on the TV was from the world cup going on on the other side of the world, highlights from the second group league match.
6162
6163It was just before halftime, and the Japanese team were a single point behind. Number 10 had dribbled the ball all the way up the pitch but was taken down by an overzealous defence from the opponents. The whistle pierced the stadium and they were given a free kick from just behind the penalty area.
6164
6165Taking the kick was player number four. His shot came after a short run-up and passed the keeper, stabbing home into the net. Number four let out a roar of triumph and the rest of the eleven players gathered around him, shouting in joy.
6166
6167The team took heart in that point and in the next half gained another, winning the match 2-1.
6168
6169Even as he watched the news program, Sakuta was thinking of a certain person. Koga Tomoe.
6170
6171She was his junior in the year below, and Laplace’s Demon.
6172
6173“Man, she’s amazing…” he said unconsciously, “was it all a simulation of the future from the start?”
6174
6175It was exactly as Rio had suggested that day. The repetition of the day wasn’t travelling through time, it was calculating the future from a certain point.
6176
6177And the point in question was, namely, June the twenty-seventh.
6178
6179Sakuta could do nothing but laugh at this ridiculous situation.
6180
6181
6182
6183After he finished his breakfast, Sakuta got dressed as usual and left for school.
6184
6185It was June, so the rainy season was not yet over. The amount of sunlight bearing down on him was better than the July he had experienced until yesterday, but the humidity was correspondingly higher so the weather was rather muggy.
6186
6187He arrived at school without incident and Yuuma called out to him from the shoe lockers.
6188
6189“‘Sup, Sakuta. You’ve got bed-head again.”
6190
6191“It’s a hairstyle.”
6192
6193“A fresh trend, huh?” Yuuma returned with a smile. It was a conversation he remembered, from the ‘June the twenty-sevenths’ he had experienced before.
6194
6195“What’s up, Sakuta?” Kunimi asked, noticing his silence.
6196
6197“…Nothing.”
6198
6199“Seriously, what?”
6200
6201“Your handsomeness is just pissing me off.”
6202
6203“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”
6204
6205“Ahhh, it really is.”
6206
6207
6208
6209The four classes he had that morning were maths, physics, English, and Japanese. In maths, the teacher said “This’ll be on your exam”, the physics teacher’s lame jokes were going strong. In his third period of English he was given the slight warning of “Listen to me, Mister Azusagawa” and told to read from the textbook, and of course, the Japanese teacher’s collar had lipstick on.
6210
6211It all came together for Sakuta, reinforcing the feeling that he really had experienced the future.
6212
6213
6214
6215And then, lunch arrived.
6216
6217Sakuta and Mai were alone in a classroom on the third floor. A damp sea-breeze blew in from the slightly open window, making the curtain flutter, it all coming together to create a peaceful mood.
6218
6219Atop the desk between them was the lunch that Mai had made for Sakuta. Seasoned and fried chicken, fried eggs, potato salad garnished with cherry tomatoes, and seaweed and simmered beans made up the meal. Sakuta kept praising the taste as he sampled each thing.
6220
6221Mai, who had boasted of her cooking skill, looked satisfied with how it went.
6222
6223“Mai-san,” Sakuta addressed her once he had finished eating.
6224
6225“Hm?” She noised, with the tip of her chopsticks still in her mouth as she ate.
6226
6227“I love you, please go out with me.”
6228
6229“…”
6230
6231Mai looked away and put her own fried egg in her mouth with her chopsticks.
6232
6233“…”
6234
6235She chewed it.
6236
6237“…”
6238
6239Even when he waited for her to swallow, she gave no reply.
6240
6241“It’s kind of uninspiring.” Mai let out a bored-sounding sigh. “Having the same thing said for a whole month makes it lose its impact.”
6242
6243“I see… it’s a failed love then. I guess I’ll have to look for someone else then.”
6244
6245“Hey, wa-”
6246
6247“Thank you for everything until now,” he interrupted her with a polite bow and a deep, disappointed sigh of unrequited love.
6248
6249“I-I didn’t say no… What, are you giving up!?” Mai glared at him with a pout.
6250
6251“You will then?”
6252
6253“Ugh… you’re so cheeky even though you’re just you.”
6254
6255“You will?” He asked again, not giving up.
6256
6257“...Yeah,” she answered in a barely audible voice with a small nod, “I will.”
6258
6259Then, as if to hide her embarrassment, Mai wordlessly stuffed a fried egg in her mouth. Now he just needed to make sure of one thing.
6260
6261“Say.”
6262
6263“What?”
6264
6265“How do you think of me?”
6266
6267“‘How’, it’s…” as she spoke, Mai dropped her gaze to the cherry tomato in her chopsticks.
6268
6269“It’s…”
6270
6271“It doesn’t matter.”
6272
6273“I’m asking because it does,” Sakuta insisted.
6274
6275“You’re too stubborn.”
6276
6277“Well yeah, because this is important.”
6278
6279“Do you really want to know?”
6280
6281“I want to hear it from your lips.”
6282
6283Those lips took in the cherry tomato, whereupon she chewed it thoroughly before swallowing.
6284
6285“I’ll only say this once.”
6286
6287“Okay.”
6288
6289Silence fell for a moment, and he could hear Mai taking a quiet breath in. Immediately afterwards, she looked out of the window and gave a cry of surprise.
6290
6291“Hmm?” Sakuta followed her gaze and could see the sky and sea of Shichirigahama. There wasn’t anything particularly interesting there, just the stream of large summer clouds.
6292
6293A soft scent assaulted him, and his vision went dark. When he noticed that, there was a gentle warmth touching his cheek.
6294
6295He turned back to face Mai with surprise.
6296
6297“You should get it now, right?”
6298
6299
6300
6301
6302
6303Mai smiled playfully, with a blush on her face.
6304
6305Unthinking, Sakuta raised his hand to his cheek. That sensation had been, without a doubt, Mai’s lips.
6306
6307“Mouth-to-mouth would have been good.”
6308
6309“Don’t get carried away,” Mai warned, stepping on his foot under the desk, but it didn’t hurt at all. “Stop your smirking too.”
6310
6311“You’re the one that made me smirk though.”
6312
6313Sakuta savoured the enjoyable time with Mai.
6314
6315
6316
6317The warning bell for the end of lunch sounded, unfortunately ending their lunch date as well. Sakuta stepped out into the corridor to go back to his classroom.
6318
6319On his way, he saw a familiar person on the stairs he was going to use, Koga Tomoe.
6320
6321The third year, Maesawa-senpai was with her. There was an unusual atmosphere about the two of them, so Sakuta stood against the wall of the corridor out of sight.
6322
6323“I’m sorry, I can’t go out with you, Maesawa-senpai.”
6324
6325Sakuta took a glance at what was happening and saw her giving a polite bow of her head.
6326
6327“You don’t have a boyfriend at the moment, right?”
6328
6329“I don’t.”
6330
6331“Do you have someone you like?”
6332
6333“I do,” nodded Tomoe without hesitation.
6334
6335“Someone in the basketball club?”
6336
6337“No.”
6338
6339“Then-”
6340
6341“He’s a primitive that doesn’t have a smartphone in this day and age,” said Tomoe, a smile blooming on her face like a flower as she spoke.
6342
6343“Huh?” Maesawa-senpai didn’t seem to understand what she meant, but still climbed off up the stairs with a “Well, see you then.”
6344
6345Sakuta passed him with a nonchalant look on his face, going down the stairs, immediately meeting Tomoe’s eyes as she noticed him.
6346
6347“Peeping is a crime,” she complained.
6348
6349That phrase on its own let Sakuta know that she remembered everything.
6350
6351“I just happened to be passing by.”
6352
6353“Hmmm.”
6354
6355“Anyway, who are you calling a primitive?”
6356
6357“I didn’t say anything about you,” she said with a pout, “being too self-conscious isn’t cool.”
6358
6359From a mental standpoint, Sakuta had rejected Tomoe only yesterday, being able to stand in front of him like this was a testament to her strength, so he’d forgive her.
6360
6361“You’ll take responsibility for this, right, Senpai?” She asked.
6362
6363“Hmm?”
6364
6365“This will make Rena-chan hate me and make it so I don’t have anywhere to go in my class.”
6366
6367“And why so I have to take responsibility for that?”
6368
6369“Because it’s your fault.”
6370
6371“And how is that?”
6372
6373“Because you made me an adult.”
6374
6375“That sounds kinda erotic.”
6376
6377“You always say things like that, even when you get what I mean, are you shy?”
6378
6379She smiled as if she was seeing through his trick. Her cheeky attitude made him a little irritated, but reacting would be like he was admitting she was right, so he got back on topic.
6380
6381“Well, whatever else happens, you’ll always have me as a friend,” he said, patting her on the shoulder, “so you won’t be alone.”
6382
6383“Well, I’m the one that’s going to be your best friend.”
6384
6385Tomoe had continued to be cheeky, so Sakuta took a hand to that hairstyle, that she woke up at six in the morning to do, and messed it up.
6386
6387“Ahh, stop it!”
6388
6389He didn’t, not until the bell signalling the end of lunch rang.
6390
6391
6392
6393From then, the time until the summer holidays began went in a surprising direction. The days that Sakuta and Tomoe had experienced happened just as they did before.
6394
6395The Japanese football team broke through from the group league and steadily advanced to the best eight. They were regrettably defeated afterwards, but they could use it to tell the world that their hopes of victory weren’t just a dream.
6396
6397The last few weeks at school and the contents of the exam were exactly the same, all questions he had taken before and checked his answers on, so Sakuta got good marks. It felt a little like cheating, but when he thought of the hardships of being caught up in an instance of Adolescence Syndrome, he thought he’d be allowed this much.
6398
6399Tomoe started working at the same restaurant as him, and Kamisato Saki had called him up to the roof on a certain Saturday.
6400
6401Things with Mai went the same too, she brought the clothes for Kaede, went to Kagoshima for a week to film, phoned him from there, made him study suddenly and even wore the bunny girl suit for him.
6402
6403There was the subtle difference of not having the ‘false lovers’ relationship with Tomoe, but without exception, everything happened very similarly.
6404
6405It was more than enough for Sakuta to not think of the days from June the twenty-seventh to July the eighteenth as a simple dream, but rather as an actual prediction of the future.
6406
6407One day after school, he had talked to Rio about it all.
6408
6409“If that’s true, then that’s a surprising situation.” She said in answer.
6410
6411“You think I’m lying?”
6412
6413“If you were false lovers with that first-year during the prediction, then that’s telling a lie, right?” She said, carefully not saying she believed anything more. “But, well… a girl that frantically read the atmosphere to fit in ended up able to read the future as well before she realised.” Rio continued to herself, as if agreeing with the statement.
6414
6415The one remaining question is why was Sakuta the only one brought into Tomoe’s Adolescence Syndrome? The other seven billion people in the world had not realised the situation, and had not noticed the repeating days.
6416
6417When Sakuta asked Rio, she said,
6418
6419“Maybe it was quantum entanglement?”
6420
6421She had said it in an expectant tone, like he should already know it.
6422
6423“So it was quantum entanglement.”
6424
6425“Yes, you know of it?”
6426
6427“Ain’t the foggiest.”
6428
6429“What’s that supposed to mean?”
6430
6431“Something like ‘I don’t know about it at all’.”
6432
6433“Hmm.”
6434
6435Seeming somewhat interested, Rio wrote ‘foggiest’ on the board.
6436
6437“Anyway, what’s quantum entanglement?” Sakuta asked.
6438
6439“A strange phenomenon where a particle instantaneously shares information with another far from it with no intermediary.”
6440
6441“So particles use phones too?”
6442
6443“I did say with no intermediary.”
6444
6445“Then particles have telepathy?”
6446
6447“Well, that works as a model.”
6448
6449“Eh, seriously?”
6450
6451He’d meant it as a joke…
6452
6453“There’s actually world-class universities studying whether telepathy is possible using quantum entanglement.”
6454
6455“Again, seriously?”
6456
6457“Quantum entanglement itself is a well-documented phenomenon.”
6458
6459“So you’re saying that Koga and I were entangled?”
6460
6461Rio slowly nodded in response to his question.
6462
6463“What entangled us then?” He continued.
6464
6465“Entanglement happens when particles collide. Have you clashed with that first-year.”
6466
6467He had a single idea.
6468
6469“We kicked each other’s backsides.”
6470
6471Rio had no answer to that for several moments.
6472
6473“Azusagawa.”
6474
6475“What?”
6476
6477“I want to confirm reproducibility, bend over.”
6478
6479“I refuse.”
6480
6481“Bend over already, you low-life.”
6482
6483“Is that how you ask someone for something!?”
6484
6485Rio’s expression then fell into a slight disappointment, apparently, she had actually been serious.
6486
6487
6488
6489After rejecting Maesawa, Tomoe… just as she had said, was pushed out of Rena’s group. On Wednesday the next week, Sakuta found her slumped on the roof eating her lunch alone. He moved next to her and sat with her, eating his own lunch.
6490
6491“I’ll go to the toilet with you if you like?” He offered.
6492
6493“That’d be embarrassing.”
6494
6495“Don’t hold back.”
6496
6497“That’s seriously creepy, I’ll report you.”
6498
6499The same thing happened on Thursday and Friday, but on the first day of exams… he saw Tomoe talking with some classmates on the train. It wasn’t Rena, nor was it Hinako or Aya. Even so, he knew that she was a first-year in Tomoe’s class because he had met her in the future simulation.
6500
6501She was the girl who had dropped her strap during his and Tomoe’s first date, he was sure her name was Yoneyama Nana. The strap that Tomoe had gotten soaked to save back then was hanging from her phone.
6502
6503Sakuta thought that Tomoe had probably searched with her for it and as proof, Tomoe had caught a cold at the same time again.
6504
6505“I made a friend,” Tomoe told him at work around the time their exams ended.
6506
6507“The strap girl?”
6508
6509“Yeah, Rena-chan let her into the group as well.”
6510
6511“Good for you.”
6512
6513“Right,” she said, somewhat shyly, but clearly also happily, “it’s thanks to you, Senpai.”
6514
6515“I didn’t do anything.”
6516
6517The only thing Sakuta had done was to help her out of her habitual behaviour. It was because of her personality that she was able to make up with Rena and the others, that was what Sakuta thought.
6518
6519“I was able to do it this time without lying because of you, Senpai… Thank you.”
6520
6521In one sense was the literal meaning of what she had said, she finished this without lying to the people around her, but he thought that she was also speaking in the sense of lying to herself.
6522
6523
6524
6525Their worries had vanished and the days passed peacefully. The end of term was soon upon them.
6526
6527The headteacher gave his usual closing remarks and Sakuta had his report card off his own teacher.
6528
6529The final homeroom ended and he met with Mai in front of the shoe lockers before leaving school with her. Mai had often not been at school over the past few weeks because of work, so it had actually been a whole fortnight since they had been able to go home like this.
6530
6531“Right,” said Mai after they boarded the train at Shichirigahama Station, holding her hand out for something. He went to try and give her his own hand, but she moved it swiftly out of the way. “I’m saying to give me your report card.”
6532
6533“You didn’t say that though?”
6534
6535“Just give it.”
6536
6537“I normally wouldn’t.”
6538
6539“Why?”
6540
6541“Why do you want to see?”
6542
6543“You’re going to the same university as me, right?”
6544
6545“That’s what I wrote on the survey…”
6546
6547“Just give it,” she insisted, not seeming to have any intention to let the matter go, so Sakuta decided to present it.
6548
6549“If I did better than you expected, will you give me a reward?”
6550
6551“If your average is higher than seven, I’ll grant a request for you.”
6552
6553Minegahara worked on a ten point scale, an average above seven was a fairly good mark.
6554
6555“That’s a tall order,” he said, reluctantly handing it over.
6556
6557The moment she opened it, Mai’s expression changed to one of surprise.
6558
6559“Eh, what?”
6560
6561Sakuta hadn’t calculated it, but he should have a higher average than seven, which was in itself thanks to Laplace’s Demon. Sakuta got the feeling he should treat Tomoe to lunch now. After all, now Mai would grant him a request.
6562
6563“Noooow then, what shall I have you do?”
6564
6565“If you suggest something strange, we’re breaking up,” Mai warned him as she handed the card back to him.
6566
6567“Then come to mine and cook dinner tonight?”
6568
6569“Is that all?”
6570
6571Your girlfriend coming over to your house and cooking for you was a pretty high-level event as far as Sakuta was concerned, and that was if she wasn’t Sakurajima Mai, that just made it all the better, but she didn’t seem to realise that.
6572
6573“I’m looking forward to seeing you in an apron,” he added.
6574
6575“I don’t wear an apron when I cook though.”
6576
6577“Ehhh.”
6578
6579“Fine, fine, I’ll wear one.”
6580
6581“If you feel like it, you could wear nothing else?”
6582
6583“Maybe I should add laxative as well.”
6584
6585“It was a joke.”
6586
6587“You were deadly serious,” she said.
6588
6589He turned aside her knowing look with a smile.
6590
6591“I’ll stop at the shop on the way once we get off the train, okay?” He asked.
6592
6593“I’ll come with you,” she answered.
6594
6595What could he say, a shopping date would be perfect.
6596
6597
6598
6599When Sakuta and Mai stepped outside after finishing their shopping, it was to rain pouring from the skies. The rain was fairly heavy considering how clear the skies were, a perfect sun shower.
6600
6601“Sakuta, do you have an umbrella?”
6602
6603“I do,” he said, quickly taking it from his back and unfolding it. Mai just stepped in next to him.
6604
6605“Give me one of them,” Mai said.
6606
6607Sakuta’s right hand was taken up by the umbrella, his left shoulder had his bag on it, and the hand of that arm was filled by the plastic bag from the shop, with a spring onion sticking out from the top.
6608
6609“I’m okay.”
6610
6611“Are you?”
6612
6613He tilted the umbrella so that Mai wouldn’t be rained on as they walked off.
6614
6615“Mai-san, what are you going to make?”
6616
6617“It’s a secret, if I told you now it’d be no fun.”
6618
6619“Well, guess so.”
6620
6621They continued walking as their conversation continued, then they arrived at a park that was two or three minutes from Sakuta’s house.
6622
6623As they went to walk past the entrance, Mai suddenly stopped.
6624
6625“I wonder… what’s wrong with her?”
6626
6627Sakuta followed her gaze to see a girl standing by herself in front of some bushes just inside the entrance, under a red umbrella. She was wearing a nearby middle school’s uniform. It seemed new still, so she was probably a first-year.
6628
6629He wondered how long she had been there, her shoulders and feet were fairly soaked. When he looked closer, there was a cardboard box hidden in the bush.
6630
6631Together with Mai, who had taken the first step, Sakuta walked over to the girl.
6632
6633“What’s wrong?” Sakuta asked quietly.
6634
6635The face hidden under the umbrella turned in their direction.
6636
6637The moment he saw the girl’s ephemeral expression, Sakuta felt a sense of foreboding. No, it wasn’t exactly foreboding, it was somewhat like he had met her before, like she looked similar to some acquaintance he had.
6638
6639“Ah, this little one…” answered the girl faintly, looking back at the box. Inside, a kitten had curled up, shivering perhaps from the cold of the rain. She was worried about the cat, but seemed to be stuck there, lost as to what to do.
6640
6641“Mai-san, hold the umbrella?”
6642
6643“Right,” she answered, immediately taking the umbrella.
6644
6645Sakuta crouched and picked the kitten up in one hand.
6646
6647“I’ll take him to mine, for now, if he gets better then that’s fine, if not we’ll take him to the vet’s.”
6648
6649“Okay, ah, but.”
6650
6651“Hm?”
6652
6653“I wanted to adopt him.”
6654
6655“Ah, then…” Sakuta started, before giving his home phone number to the girl. As he did, the girl took her phone out and recorded the number.
6656
6657“Is this right?” She asked, showing him the screen.
6658
6659“That’s fine, my name is Azusagawa Sakuta, from the Azusagawa in the ‘Azusagawa Service Area’, and the Sakuta from ‘Blooming Flower Tarou’.”
6660
6661She typed in the name just as he said it. When she was done, she raised her gaze from her phone and looked Sakuta steadily in the eye.
6662
6663“My name is Makinohara Shouko,” she told him.
6664
6665Sakuta’s heart pounded painfully when he heard her name, but he didn’t immediately understand what she had said.
6666
6667He blinked several times, the foreboding he had felt solidified. It was a name he had heard, she had a face that he thought he had seen before, and in response to that odd feeling of rightness, Sakuta’s mind was filled with even bigger questions.
6668
6669“What was that?”
6670
6671“I’m Makinohara Shouko,” the middle school girl in front of him repeated, saying the same name as the high school girl Sakuta first fell in love with.
6672
6673
6674
6675
6676
6677AFTERWORD
6678
6679
6680
6681This is the second volume of the Pubescent Low-Life Series.
6682
6683The first volume had the title A Pubescent Low-Life Dreams Not of a Bunny Girl Senpai, so if you gained interest in this from this volume, I would be happy if you were to pick that volume up as well.
6684
6685
6686
6687And so, I took the reckless option this time of not going with numbering, but of changing the title a little each volume, I’m sorry that it’s hard to tell what number volume this is.
6688
6689However, I think that the my editor, Araki-san, will have used the obi and made it easy to tell, so I’m sure it will be okay.
6690
6691Perhaps Mizoguchi Keeji-san will take it into account and produce a miracle illustration for the cover that lets you tell.
6692
6693And thus, the third volume will also be A Pubescent Low-Life Dreams Not of A ○×△□, though who knows what the ○×△□ will be!?
6694
6695I think that it will be fine if you wait, whether eagerly or not.
6696
6697
6698
6699Mizoguchi-san, Araki-san, thank you for this time, I hope to work with you next time as well.
6700
6701
6702
6703I give my deepest thanks to you readers who have stayed with me to the end. The third volume… should… come out during the cold season.
6704
6705
6706
6707— Kamoshida Hajime
6708
6709
6710
6711
6712
6713BONUS — A Certain Scene of a Pubescent Low-Life and a Bunny Girl Senpai
6714
6715
6716
6717That day, Azusagawa Sakuta held tightly to a little happiness. He was in a supermarket close to Fujisawa Station.
6718
6719Sakuta was holding a plastic basket and gazing at his sweetheart’s back, three paces ahead of him.
6720
6721He was looking at her 165 centimetre, slender silhouette. Her long, beautiful black hair swayed. She was a year older than him and wearing the same school uniform as him, Minegahara High School, and her name was Sakurajima Mai.
6722
6723She was a celebrity that had started in the world of showbusiness as a child actress and had many girls of the same generation that looked up to her appearance.
6724
6725Mai picked up a bag of carrots and returned to his side. Or so he thought, but when she saw his face, she pinched his cheek.
6726
6727“Owow… What did I do, Mai-san?”
6728
6729“You’ve been smiling to yourself for a while.”
6730
6731“That’s your fault, ain’t it?”
6732
6733“What? Are you saying that shopping with me is that enjoyable?”
6734
6735She put the bag of carrots in the basket as she smiled mischievously.
6736
6737“Well yeah, of course.”
6738
6739“But this isn’t the first time we’ve done this.”
6740
6741That was certainly true, he’d shopped at this supermarket with her before. But back then, the circumstances were complicated, Mai was in the midst of Adolescence Syndrome and was placed in a strange situation where her existence wasn’t acknowledged by people around her. The only one that could see her was Sakuta so to other people, it looked like Sakuta was shopping alone. It was a completely different sense of accomplishment.
6742
6743And above all, the fundamental difference between then and now was their relationship.
6744
6745“Back then, we had a completely ordinary relationship.”
6746
6747“We still have an ordinary relationship.”
6748
6749“Even though you’re coming to my place to cook for me?”
6750
6751This was a reward for his good grades in the first term. He’d asked because he had nothing to lose, and Mai had readily agreed.
6752
6753“It’s because I’m just going to cook for you.”
6754
6755“Ehh, I want to have some fun.”
6756
6757“Kaede-chan is at home too.”
6758
6759“I’ll tell her to go to bed early, so it’ll be fine.”
6760
6761“What will be fine about that?” Asked Mai disgustedly while she picked out onions. “Ah, that’s right, does Kaede-chan dislike anything?”
6762
6763“You’re not going to ask me?”
6764
6765“Well, you’ll eat whatever if I’m the one that cooked it.”
6766
6767“If you feed me, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
6768
6769“So, does she dislike anything?”
6770
6771“Your cooking is tasty, so she’ll be happy to eat it.”
6772
6773“I’m glad then.”
6774
6775Mai smiled happily, and really looked like she was enjoying herself when Sakuta looked at her face from the side as she picked ingredients. It even seemed like he could hear her humming.
6776
6777“...”
6778
6779He found himself dumbfounded by her.
6780
6781“What, you’re very quiet all of a sudden.”
6782
6783“Nothing, I just thought you were in an awfully good mood.”
6784
6785“What are you bringing that up for now of all times?”
6786
6787“Did something good happen?”
6788
6789Sakuta didn’t have a clue why she was in such a good mood. If anything he should be the happy one, on top of going on a shopping date with Mai, she would be coming to his home to cook for him.
6790
6791“It did.”
6792
6793“What?”
6794
6795“You don’t know, Sakuta?”
6796
6797For some reason… those words were said with a curious expression.
6798
6799“Because my grades were good?”
6800
6801“That’s not it.”
6802
6803Sakuta said something appropriate, and Mai’s face suddenly darkened. But it seemed like a purposeful act and if anything, she seemed all the more festive to him.
6804
6805Her somehow rhythmic steps took her to the meat corner of the store.
6806
6807“Ah, wait, Mai-san.”
6808
6809He hurriedly chased after her and caught up, then when he was alongside her asked bluntly.
6810
6811“So, what is it then?”
6812
6813“Do you really not get it.”
6814
6815Mai’s reaction had some slight surprise to it, but the curve to her lips showed him that she was enjoying herself. With a small laugh, Mai put the pack of mince in the basket.
6816
6817“Umm, you got a good job?”
6818
6819“Bzz.”
6820
6821Mai made an incorrect buzzer noise which showed all the more that she was in a good mood, because she would normally never do that.
6822
6823However, Sakuta couldn’t understand in the slightest. What was she happy about? When he thought back on their interactions, he still couldn’t think of anything.
6824
6825“Give me a hint please?”
6826
6827“What am I doing now?”
6828
6829Mai’s steps were light as she walked towards the dairy products. As he gazed at her back, he frowned. He really didn’t know.
6830
6831“I seriously don’t know.”
6832
6833She was shopping now, he didn’t have a clue even with that as a hint.
6834
6835“I’ve essentially given you the answer.” Holding milk and cheese, Mai looked into Sakuta’s face. Yet even so, his brows furrowed. “It’s because I’m together with you.”
6836
6837She spoke teasingly to him.
6838
6839“...”
6840
6841His mouth dropped open.
6842
6843“And it’s because after this, I’m going to your house to cook for you.”
6844
6845Mai smiled triumphantly.
6846
6847“Um, Mai-san?”
6848
6849“What?”
6850
6851“I really love you.”
6852
6853“I know.”
6854
6855She replied with a relaxed smile.
6856
6857“Can I hug you?”
6858
6859“You can’t.”
6860
6861“What?”
6862
6863“That’s not something you do in a supermarket, is it?”
6864
6865“Eh.”
6866
6867Mai was just so cute, and he didn’t think he’d be able to resist the urges welling him inside him.
6868
6869“I’ll hold your hand when we go outside, so bear with it.”
6870
6871“Then let’s hurry up and pay.”
6872
6873“Ah, hey! Don’t run!”
6874
6875Sakuta rushed towards the checkouts as he heard Mai’s voice at his back.
6876
6877On his way home today, Sakuta would meet a girl. A girl with the same name as his first love…
6878
6879Sakuta didn’t yet know that. (Fin)