Chapter 1198 - A Chick's Holiday, Part 1
One trouble leaves, and another arrives.
An ancient, traditional Japanese saying, and also a phrase that clearly and accurately describes my past year—but well, if they come one by one in order, I should be grateful.
Thus, a little after noon, two days after the incident on Monday.
"—'Sorry to keep you waiting~♡ I'm so sorry, okay?♡ Did you wait?♡'"
"............"
Faced with a dreadnought-class trial right from the opening... I was at the meeting place, the Yotsuya Lodgings underground parking lot. Extremely calmly, while visually observing the incoming unreality with my own eyes, I was forced to make a choice.
Namely, the extreme choice between ignoring her or going home.
Indeed, as if I could be bothered to point out every single absurdity.
Wait or not, this is my current home (parking lot), and she was the one waiting for me as I came down, and it is completely unclear who she is targeting and for what purpose she is showing off an ultra-sweet honey anime voice that is far too mismatched with reality—good grief, what can I say.
"......Huh, no reaction... really...? That's weird, the compilation of extremely annoying scenes of this season's dominant 'Ore-Uza' heroine should be going viral all over the world..."
"I'm sorry, but I haven't touched TVs or video sharing sites for about four years now."
She, in her own way, was an opponent I couldn't compete with, in a different direction from Natsume Itsuki (the maid). As if to demonstrate that fact the moment we met, she, who threw off my momentum with an unexpected greeting (jab)—
"Che, what's that about? It was a trendy impression that even my fans (Hiyo-men) praised for its high level of reproduction... —well, putting that aside."
Today, as always, she was the national chick whose thoughts were as unreadable as the maid's.
Painter, idol voice actress, and illustrator Archiver (active college student?), a celebrity with too many attributes, Mitsueda Hiyori—or rather, Saegusa Hiyori, the best friend of my first love, gave a single smile.
"Now then, let's set off! Please, take the passenger seat... Ah, 'Get in, it's empty, you know?'"
"Like I said, I have no idea who or what that is supposed to be."
With a mysteriously handsome gesture, she designated the passenger seat of her unusually handsome, first-time-seeing favorite car (?)—a smart, expensive-looking wine-red body—as the place where I should sit.
◇◆◇◆◇
"Saegusa-san, you're good at driving."
"Eh, really? Oh, I'm blushing, to be praised by that acrobat... oops, by that Crown-sama, I'm blushing!"
"You can be confident. Your driving technique is comparable to the assistant to the representative of a certain global enterprise."
"I don't really get that comparison, though."
Thus, the promised Wednesday.
Today was the date specified to talk about 'that matter', but as for what 'that matter' actually was, it was none other than this. A proposal to go for a little drive.
I had known for a while that she was used to traveling by car, often picking up and dropping off Nia, and from our acquaintance, I knew she was an active person who would go on solo short trips on her days off. So, for me, it was the kind of 'invitation' that wasn't very surprising.
...That being said,
"Well, I don't have enough knowledge to talk about the quality of the car or driving skills, though."
"Oh, how unexpected. Are you a specialist in running on your own feet?"
"I think I've said it a few times, but I'm not the same kind of (speed) holic as your cousin, Saegusa-san."
"In reality (over here)?"
"Yes. In reality (over here)."
Such was the current state of affairs, where I couldn't quite get into the mood and could only carry on a conversation that wasn't interesting at all. Whether we were heading somewhere or not, we sat side-by-side in the car traveling through the city.
It was by no means a bad atmosphere, but a distance that was by no means close persisted.
"Ah, that's right, Haru-sa... —no, hmm... how about that. We're outside, so should we go with 'Kasuga-san' for today? I don't plan on going to crowded places, though."
"Ah, right... yeah. For me, is it fine to keep calling you Saegusa-san?"
"Okey-dokey. Since my real name (that one) is a secret to the public. Though 'Hiyo-chan' is fine too."
"Then, Saegusa-san it is."
"Okay, okey-dokey!"
Continuing the conversation itself was easy, given her talkative character. —Easy, but to be honest, far more so than the date with the maid I had the day before yesterday.
"Well then, Kasuga-san."
"What is it, Saegusa-san?"
"Well, for now... —you don't have to be so tense. Look, I'm not a scary, scary wild beast, but a harmless 'chick'."
"......"
Far more, I was tense.
Since I had been careful about our distance from the start, it was hard to say I knew Saegusa-san's inner thoughts well. In terms of length of acquaintance, Itsuki-san (the maid) was similar, but because she lived her life completely without pretense, there was no need to peer into her depths.
Therefore, I couldn't see it at all. Her inner feelings at this moment, that is.
A childhood friend and best friend. A bad man who stole the heart of such a precious person, whom she did not hesitate to proudly declare as 'like family'.
She was the incarnation of Nia-LOVE with a history incomparable to mine, to the point where she would sometimes throw half-joking, half-serious remarks like 'I'm jealous, got a problem with that?' at me.
To that Saegusa Hiyori, from that day... the day Ashe made her engagement announcement on national television, until today, I have still not told her the details of various things.
Not because of trust that she would understand without being told, like Itsuki-san.
But because I thought I should explain to her face-to-face in a properly prepared place. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to repay the 'expectations' and 'sincerity' she had shown me in the past, and I thought it would be extremely rude beyond measure.
—Therefore, my state of mind was closer to how I felt with Tetsugo-shi than with Itsuki-san.
In other words, I came here prepared for at least a round-trip slap to the face with some undeniable verbal abuse after telling her everything. Of course, I wouldn't say such a thing verbally, but...
"Oh dear, did it have the opposite effect...? —'Don't be so tense, you're a cute one.'"
"......You can even act in a handsome voice, that's impressive."
"Yay, I got praised again! By the way, that was from the joke series of the season before last, 'Aggressor Aguro-sama', where the protagonist, famous for being an extremely off-the-mark, delusional guy, says to the heroine—"
"I don't know, I don't know, even if you explain it, I don't get it at all."
In contrast to my inability to read Saegusa-san's inner thoughts, my own inner thoughts, which my acquaintances and friends unanimously call 'easy to read', are probably mostly read by her.
Now, where on earth is this 'drive' through the real world heading...
"Somehow, it's getting annoying that you're not getting into the mood at all, so can I sentence you to the punishment of impressions instead? First ever! The 'I know absolutely nothing about Crown-sama' impression contest!!"
"Closed."
"It hasn't even started yet!"
According to the person herself, only the harmless 'chick' knows.
Hiyohiyo.