Chapter 124 - Not Alone
(1)
After successfully persuading Airi, I managed to get by with an average of about three classes a day.
Well, it means I have to spend my free time entertaining Airi, though.
It's not that I dislike it, you know?
That's why Airi has been staying over since yesterday.
"Hmm~ it's morning. I wonder if Toya-kun is still asleep."
Sometimes I think, Airi is smart, but she's kind of an airhead, isn't she?
I find that part cute, though.
"...Yeah, let's try it."
Perhaps considering that I'm not a morning person, she's helped me avoid first-period lectures as much as possible.
There are some I have to take, but today I start from the second period.
"Ah, found it~. I'll wear this..."
I can't work a part-time job, but I'm receiving full financial support from my parents.
"Toya-kun, it's almost time."
Ah, it seems it is time. Well, shall I wake up now?
"Good morning... wait, what!?"
I doubted my eyes when I saw Airi's appearance.
She was standing there wearing my dress shirt over her naked body.
"What are you doing first thing in the morning!?"
Look, because the fabric is thin, the silhouette of her body is...
"Huh? I heard from Kanna that most guys love this."
What has Kanna been telling her!
"Did you hate it?"
That line, spoken in that outfit, sitting like that, with that face—it's unfair.
"...You're cute."
"Yay, I was praised~"
Airi is delighted.
Frolicking in that state is even more unfair.
"Using someone else's dress shirt for something so trivial..."
"Uuu... it's not trivial. I thought I'd make Toya-kun happy..."
I approach Airi.
"Are you angry that I got your shirt dirty? ...Kya!"
I hug Airi and kiss her.
"You're hopelessly cute."
Airi looks blankly at me.
Her appearance is already too dangerous...
"Ah, I have to hurry and change or I'll be late."
I look at the clock.
Ah, it's already this time.
"Airi, let's hurry!"
Airi hugs me from behind while I rush to change.
"Let's continue this after classes are over."
(2)
I meet up with Sakai-kun occasionally.
Our classes overlap during the first foreign language and basic seminars, which everyone is likely taking.
I ask various things at those times.
Things like, "I heard that subject doesn't prioritize tests, so you can get credits just by tapping in," or
"I heard the test content for that subject is the same every time, so you should get the question sheets from the seniors."
Of course, Airi wouldn't allow such things.
"You paid properly to enroll, so you must attend properly!"
That's how it goes.
"But Sakai-kun, you're really good at gathering that kind of information."
Having felt relieved that Sakai has no interest in her, Airi speaks to Sakai-kun.
"A friend of mine is in a circle, so I'm just hearing the lectures they got from the seniors."
"Heh, what circle?"
"The Soccer Club."
"...I see."
Airi's expression clouds over.
This is bad.
Just as I was about to say something, Sakai-kun spoke with a laugh.
"Don't be so scared; I'm one of those who's being threatened to join the Soccer Club in exchange for information. I turned them down, saying it's impossible because I have a part-time job. It's the same for Katagiri-kun and the others, right?"
"No, I'm not working a part-time job,"
I answered.
"Ah, can't find an interview? Want me to introduce you to a workplace?"
"It's not that; I decided not to work a part-time job."
"?"
"I decided to prioritize my girlfriend over a part-time job."
"I see, but if that's the case, wouldn't you need money even more?"
"It seems I don't need to worry about money for the time being."
"Is that so."
It would be better not to delve any deeper.
Sakai-kun likely felt that way, as he changed the subject.
"In that case, it might be better to join a circle. You can deepen your connections and gather various information."
"Because I am not alone."
"Eh?"
"I have friends from high school, so I'm managing somehow."
"I see, I'm jealous."
He says so, but he doesn't seem very interested.
Generally, when talking to him, I get that feeling.
I thought, that's a bit much considering he's the one who started the conversation, but...
University classes are quite long, with the first period being 90 minutes.
Honestly, I get sleepy.
Still, if I don't take notes, it'll be a disaster later.
Well, I have Airi as a safety net.
Though there is the risk of being in the same class as Airi.
When the fourth period ends, I leave the university.
Or so I thought, until Airi suddenly spoke up.
"There's German in the fifth period. Want to go take a peek?"
You're going out of your way to attend a subject you're not enrolled in?
"I won't tap in, just a peek. You look like you'd like German, Toya-kun."
For the record, "tapping in" refers to a system where the student ID is an IC card, and just by tapping it on the card reader, it counts as attending that class.
Therefore, there are many people who just tap in and don't actually attend the lecture.
As for quizzes and such, they apparently ask seniors about the scope of the questions and study.
"If you want to attend, Airi, then it's fine."
Saying that, we head to the classroom.
We sit quietly in the back and take the class.
Yeah, I don't understand a thing.
It's impossible, since even French alone is difficult.
Though it seems German is easier than French.
When the fifth period ends, it has become night.
"Since it's this time, shall we drink some coffee before heading home?"
"Yes, I'd like tea."
We stop by a neighborhood cafe and place our orders.
"Huh? Do you guys come to this shop often?"
A man whose uniform suits him well, with perfectly styled hair.
Airi seems to have realized who it is.
"Sakai-kun, do you work part-time here?"
Sakai-kun!? His appearance is completely different!
"Hahaha, that's fine for class, but this is customer service, after all. Your order?"
"Do you have Earl Grey?"
"I'll have black coffee."
"Yes, please wait a moment."
Sakai-kun conveys the order to a woman waiting in the kitchen, and the woman laughs and tells the owner.
"Those two seem to have a nice vibe, don't they?"
Airi whispers.
"You think so?"
"Yeah, a really nice atmosphere."
Since Airi says so, it must be true.
After finishing our drinks, we leave the shop.
Airi is holding the wallet.
"I'm not so sure about that wallet."
Sakai-kun must have mistaken it for Airi's wallet.
"Hmm, it's Toya-kun's, but it really should be replaced, right? Shall we go now? They sell them at the shopping mall."
"That's fine, but..."
She's probably going to buy something expensive again.
"I'll choose it for you. It's okay, it's a present from me."
"I-it's fine. I'll buy it myself."
"Toya-kun always does everything for me, so as a token of my daily gratitude... please accept it."
"Alright."
I actually liked that wallet, though.
(3)
"Card, please."
Saying that, I present the card.
"Yes, please wait a moment."
The clerk is operating the register with the card.
The wallet Airi chose was somewhat pricey.
It's not something I couldn't buy with cash, but I paid with the card for things that could be settled by card as much as possible.
Well, it's not like I'm buying anything that grand.
I was relying on my parents' kindness.
"Here is your card back."
The wallet was wrapped and handed over.
"Thank you very much."
I thank the clerk and leave.
Airi was waiting a short distance away.
"Since we're here, shall we eat something before going home?"
"Yes♪"
"Is there anything you want to eat?"
"Anything is fine."
"You just said anything is fine, right?"
"U-uu... you're going that route?"
A look of anxiety appears on Airi.
"How about okonomiyaki? Monja is fine too."
For the record, I intended to eat both.
"If it's monjayaki... but I'm also curious about okonomiyaki~"
Airi is seriously conflicted.
"I'm going for both, though."
"We're just going to go back and relax at home anyway, right?"
"That's true."
"Even if we go to a hotel, we can brush our teeth, right?"
"I have no intention of going, though."
I said this while sending a message to Mother.
"...Then, I'll have monja and okonomiyaki. Don't laugh if green laver gets stuck in my teeth, okay?"
Yes! I've completely conquered Airi!
Wait for me, okonomiyaki!!
We entered an okonomiyaki shop in a shopping mall a short distance away.
"I'll have the cheese pork-tama, the toroniku monja, and the teppan salted beef tongue with green onions."
"...I'll have the lemon butter grilled squid tentacles."
After taking the order, the clerk headed to the kitchen.
"Airi, is okonomiyaki not okay?"
"I'll have a little bit of yours, and the monjayaki too."
Right, Airi had a small appetite. Even so, just squid tentacles...
"Are you perhaps worried about calories?"
Poke
"Uuu... saying something a person is worried about so easily, Toya-kun is mean."
"Then something else would have been fine."
"But you wanted to eat it, right, Toya-kun?"
"W-well, yeah."
"You've been saying it since our second year of high school."
She remembered.
"That's true."
"Because I said anywhere Toya-kun wants to go is fine..."
She says this while stirring the okonomiyaki ingredients and grilling them.
"But occasionally, you could order something Airi wants to eat..."
When I say that, Airi giggles.
"Toya-kun. Occasionally, you naturally choose things that I've thought, 'I want this~', you know?"
"Was that so?"
"Yes, you naturally choose them when we go on dates."
During dates, I'm just acting according to a manual, though...
"You might just be acting according to a manual, but Toya-kun is holding back what you want to eat and being considerate of me, right? That alone is enough."
I see.
"By the way..."
What?
"Hmm... I'll talk about it later."
She asked while flipping the okonomiyaki.
"A whisper?"
"I don't want to make Toya-kun embarrassed."
Bonito flakes and green laver on the okonomiyaki... I'll skip those this time. Then I add mayonnaise and sauce.
Cutting it, I place it on Airi's plate.
Airi puts it in her mouth.
"Delicious! Toya-kun, you're good at grilling."
"Look, I just grilled it according to this manual."
"Even so, it's a good grill. For a first time, it's a great job... and you removed the green laver for me."
It seems it was the correct answer.
Since she was that worried about it, of course I'd leave it out.
I also spoke to Airi while eating the okonomiyaki and teppanyaki.
"Airi, you say you're happy just because I granted your wish immediately, but you can depend on me more, you know?"
"Eh?"
"Because you're listening to my detailed wishes like this, aren't you?"
"Yes... but there's the matter of the university courses."
"Airi, you're not alone, you know? I'm here too. We are no longer alone. We are two. Furthermore, there's the Watanabe group and Sakai-kun."
"Toya-kun... thank you."
Now that I've polished off the okonomiyaki and teppanyaki, shall we grill the monja?
I discard the grilled residue with a spatula and re-apply oil.
Then I grill the monja.
"Hmm, maybe I should join a circle after all? An athletic one."
"Why?"
"Toya-kun will probably say he wants to eat yakiniku next, right? I think it'd be better to move a bit. You too, Toya-kun."
She's not going to tell me to play soccer, is she?
"Sakai-kun said it, right? That useful information comes in. So..."
"In that case, I don't think it has to be a circle."
"Eh?"
After finishing the monja, I show Airi my smartphone.
There is a message group screen.
That subject was pretty easy. People taking it in the second semester should probably take it.
I got the past questions for this subject from a senior. Those who want them, I'm waiting for you to contact me.
Messages with such content are lined up.
"We are no longer alone... right."
"Exactly, so it's okay. Though we'll have to provide some information too."
"It's okay, I'm keeping a good grip on the points of the classes. I can just send them before the exam."
"Wasn't the rule no cheating?"
"I thought it would be fine if we help and support each other,"
Airi says while eating monja.
In this sparkling life, I'm truly glad I met Airi.
While thinking such things, I was eating monja.
Airi is staring at me.
Her face is a smile.
"Is something wrong?"
I expected an answer like, "You eat so happily."
But the expectation was wrong.
"You were thinking something wonderful just now, weren't you?"
Adding, "I can tell by looking at your face!"
Is Airi actually an esper?
After eating the monja, we get in the car.
Just as I'm about to start the engine, Airi says wait.
"What is it?"
When I ask, Airi whispers in my ear.
"There's not much left in the wallet."
"If that's the case, you should have told me sooner."
"I thought about saying it earlier, but I didn't like saying it across the griddle..."
Ah, the smell gets on your clothes.
"I understand, I'll withdraw some from the bank tomorrow."
"Yes, sorry. When it's not enough, I'll pay."
"It's okay, there's still some in the account."
More should have been deposited since the start of this month.
"Toya-kun, Rie-chan said it. Two are one. Let's manage money together from now on."
"...If you go that far, I'll leave it to Airi."
"Yes!"
"Then, remember the bank tomorrow. Shall we go home today?"
"Yes~"
"...Will you stay over today too? You're studying at night, right?"
"Is it okay?"
"My parents are similar. 'From now on, support each other and live as two,' they say. Though we haven't married yet."
"...Yes!"
Airi's mood seemed to be in good spirits.
That day, we went home, studied, and slept.
I don't know what will happen tomorrow.
But it's okay, I'm not afraid. Because we are not alone.
(4)
Today, I had classes from the first period.
When the second period ended, I contacted Isshy.
We decided to meet at the cafeteria.
I head to the cafeteria with a lunchbox.
Then I ran into that woman again.
"Oh, hello Eguchi-san."
"Hello, Shimizu-san."
Both of us have many male students following behind us.
In the Faculty of Education, it seems we are split between Shimizu-san's faction and my faction.
It's a nuisance.
"Are you about to have a meal?"
"I am."
"Is that a lunchbox?"
"Yes."
"Are you eating it with your boyfriend?"
"I am."
When I say that, thesmall fry behind me are desperate to get a glimpse.
"If you'd like, why don't we eat together?"
"...I don't particularly mind, but are the people behind you okay with that?"
"I don't particularly care, though?"
"...Is that so?"
"Excuse me, please clear the way."
It's Isshy's voice.
I was waiting.
"Sorry, Emi. The path was a bit crowded... hie!"
Isshy flinches.
It seems the small fry didn't like that he called me by my first name without an honorific.
They are showering Isshy with cold glares.
They are truly annoying.
"Isshy, I was waiting for you."
Conspicuously, I link arms with Isshy.
...Airi-chan must have struggled too.
I sit in an open seat with Isshy and hand over the lunchbox.
"...For me?"
Who else would it be for?
The small fry behind us?
Go eat a jumbo hot dog or something.
I made it for you.
"I'm looking forward to it~"
Isshy opens the lid of the lunchbox.
...The appearance is bad, but the taste is certain.
Because I had the taste-tester properly taste it.
The first homemade lunchbox I've ever made.
At that moment, I didn't miss the way the corners of Shimizu-san's mouth rose.
I don't want to be laughed at by you specifically.
You've probably never even held a kitchen knife, have you?
You probably had your "cooking staff" make the side dishes in that three-tier box, didn't you?
"I can't eat it all alone, so everyone please eat."
The small fry swarm like they're being lured by bait.
"Yeah, it's delicious, Emi. More than anything, I'm happy; you worked hard for my sake."
Isshy says in a loud voice.
If you say it that loudly, you'll be showered with concentrated fire of glares from the surrounding small fry again, you know?
Isshy eats without caring about such things.
...You have become strong too.
At that moment, a muttered word was heard.
"I'm kind of disillusioned. Let's go."
Saying that, the small fry who were on my side disbanded.
It was refreshing, but I don't like Shimizu-san's triumphant face.
"Emi, you mustn't let it get to you. This taste is something only Emi can produce. And I'm the only one who can eat it. That alone is enough."
Isshy has truly become strong.
Listening to Isshy's words, even Shimizu-san's existence started to seem like a small fry.
I don't feel like losing.
I don't feel defeated.
It's not a competition, but even if it were, I could think that.
Because I have Isshy.
"Thanks for the meal."
Once Isshy polished off my lunch, I silently put the lunchbox back in my bag.
"I still have a long way to go; I'll become able to make even prettier lunchboxes."
"It's delicious as it is."
"I'll become able to make them, so please wait."
Isshy nodded silently.
Without being misled by the world, hold onto the important thing that is one's purpose.
Without being misled by the world, hold onto the answer one has decided.
"Isshy? Want to go to the sea next time?"
"? It's still too early for swimming."
"Just looking at the sea is fine. I want to try driving along the coastline with Isshy's driving."
"Sure."
Where shall we aim for after the sea?
Let's go out into this world again.
After that, I had Isshy take me to the sea in his compact car.
It was a quite enjoyable drive.
Maybe the mountains next time?
At that moment, Watanabe-kun put a single line in the group message.
"Gather at the family restaurant next weekend."
I wonder if something happened?
I exchanged looks with Isshy and sent a message.
"Did something happen?"
"Nothing, but it's been exactly one week, right? Partly as a reporting meeting."
He's the kind of person who likes that sort of thing.
Well, that's important too.
Our faculties are different, but we are all connected.
There's nothing to be afraid of, because we are not alone.