Chapter 125 - Running into the Night
(1)
"Toya-kun, time to wake up, okay?"
Airi is shaking my body.
Today is a day off, right?
Just let me sleep in.
"Uuu... I know you want to sleep in, but today is the day Watanabe-kun called for a gathering, remember?"
Was there something like that? Ah... I did get a message.
"It's probably not that big of a deal anyway, right? It'll be fine if I'm late."
"I'm off too, so I want to go out and play somewhere!"
Airi pulls on my arm, trying her hardest to drag my body out of bed.
I tried my best to resist, but eventually...
Thump
Ouch.
"You finally woke up~"
"You could have woken me up more gently..."
"If I did that, Toya-kun, instead of waking up, you'd just get more absorbed in your sleep lately."
Far from being dissatisfied, Airi's face looked happy as she spoke.
I obediently take off my pajamas and change.
Airi picks up my pajamas and leaves the room, saying, "I'll go do the laundry~"
Lately, Airi has been spending all her time at my house.
She's prepared a week's worth of clothes and is staying over in my room.
In exchange, she's taken over the laundry and other chores single-handedly.
I tried telling her that if she studies like that, she'll collapse...
But she doesn't listen, saying, "It's okay because Toya-kun heals me."
Apparently, some kind of deal is being made between the Tosaka and Katagiri families.
"...I believe we must settle the accounts... but, well, they are still students."
"I'm sorry about that. Well, just think of it as the bride arriving and welcome her."
"I told my son, 'Just hurry up and buy an engagement ring with your card,' but he wouldn't listen, saying he'd buy it himself."
"Well~ student marriages are~ difficult~"
That's the kind of conversation that supposedly took place.
What are my parents thinking?
And so, I spend most of the week at home.
On weekends, she wakes up earlier than I do, cleans using a cordless silent vacuum, and then wakes me up.
Then she'll say things like "Take me somewhere~" or "Let's study?"... in short, she makes appeals because she wants attention.
The message from Watanabe-kun that arrived a few days ago.
"Meet at the family restaurant."
I don't know what we're going to discuss at a family restaurant, but in short, for Airi, it means she has an [excuse to go out].
After changing, since I'm bored while Airi is doing the laundry, I start playing a game...
Poke
"Toya-kun is definitely a lazy husband, isn't he?"
"...Is there anything I can help with?"
"Nope."
Airi says with a beaming smile.
"Then, it's fine if I play games, right?"
Airi clings to me.
"Couldn't you at least say 'Thanks for the hard work this morning' or something? Just those words would make the tiredness go away~"
"Thanks for the hard work."
Saying that, I gently hug Airi.
"Thank you."
I thought she might push back, but she's honest at times like this. That's another cute part of her.
"That aside, did you see the group messages after that?"
"I haven't. Did something happen?"
"Something about the relationship between Ai and Kiritani-kun seems suspicious."
"Heh..."
I take my smartphone and trace the logs.
Things started looking suspicious from the point where Kiritani-kun deleted a message.
What did you say, Kiritani-kun?
(2)
I am sitting in the passenger seat of a car once called "Savanna," heading toward the meeting place with Eita driving.
The inside of the car is deathly silent.
When the car stopped at a signal, I broke the silence.
"Eita. Hand over your phone."
"W-why?"
"Just hand it over!"
Don't make me say the same thing over and over.
Once I receive the phone from Eita, I enter the passcode and open the screen.
Why do I know it?
Because I made him set it to my birthday.
If I don't do this, this idiot would forget even my birthday.
When I open the screen, the home screen is an image of a woman I don't know with long black hair in twin-tails.
"Who is this woman?"
"It's Miyuki-chan. I told you about her the other day, right?"
Miyuki-chan, huh?
"So, what exactly is your relationship with this Miyuki-chan person?"
"I told you, she's a girl in the Special Effects Research Society I joined, and she doesn't belong to anyone. We've decided to protect 'everyone's Miyuki-chan.'"
Is she like an idol?
"Then, how do you explain the message from the other day saying 'Miyuki-chan is mine'?"
"I'm telling you, it doesn't mean she's my girlfriend. It's just a vibe, a vibe!"
"...It's only been two weeks since university started, you know?"
"That's why it's not cheating or anything like that."
"That's called emotional cheating, you idiot."
Do you have any idea how much I cried?
"I said I'm sorry, I already apologized a moment ago! Forgive me."
I didn't answer. I couldn't answer.
I don't know what to say.
If I pursue this any further, I might be thought of as a heavy woman.
That said, I'm not in the mood to say "Fine, I forgive you."
I don't know what to do.
I think I'll leave the judgment to the Watanabe squad today.
(3)
At the family restaurant.
We were listening to Sashihara-san's story.
Once Sashihara-san finished speaking, she burst into tears.
Kiritani-kun tries to comfort her, but it feels like she's not entertaining him at all.
The fault lies with Kiritani-kun.
That's probably what everyone is thinking.
But falling in love with an idol is something anyone could do, right?
I'm in love with food, though.
Idols... I'm not very interested in them.
"Is she one of those 'Otaku Circle Princesses'?"
Kanna uttered a term I wasn't familiar with.
"What's that?"
Ishihara-kun and I asked.
"Do you know what an 'Otaku Circle' is?"
Ishihara-kun and I shook our heads.
"It's a circle where otakus gather. Like Eita. They call the sole woman in such a group that."
Hmm, so Kiritani-kun is doing circle activities.
"It's not the kind of circle Katagiri-kun thinks it is. It's a circle called the Special Effects Research Society."
"S-Special Effects!?"
Well, is it like a manga research club?
Do women actually join places like that?
"Well, some people join purely because they want to enjoy the hobby. But among them, there are women who become haughty while being pampered... nothing good comes from Eita getting involved. Give it up."
"Miyuki-chan isn't that kind of girl!"
Kiritani-kun shouts.
"You're awfully defensive of Miyuki-chan. If she's that great, why don't you just confess? And go get rejected on your own!"
Saying that, Sashihara-san starts crying again.
"Sorry, but Eita is in the wrong this time. You're already far from the university, aren't you? Show a little consideration."
"I'm telling you, it was just a small mistake."
"Show me the group chat."
When Kiritani-kun hands his phone to Watanabe-kun, Watanabe-kun asks Kiritani-kun for the passcode and opens the screen.
Watanabe-kun looks through the group chat, saying "Hmm, hmm," and returns the phone to Kiritani-kun.
Then, he says decisively.
"Just as Otonashi-san said, she's just an Otaku Circle Princess. She's not someone Sashihara-san needs to worry about."
"B-but what if this Miyuki-chan person comes to like Eita?"
"That won't happen. She's probably like Shimizu-san from the local university. The scale is smaller, but she's the type who doesn't fall for any specific person. She's the type who's satisfied just being pampered."
"How do you know that?"
"Did you see the logs of Eita's group chat?"
When Watanabe-kun asks, Sashihara-san shakes her head.
"You should take a look. Ah, now might be a good time. Eita."
Prompted by Watanabe-kun, Kiritani-kun hands the phone to Sashihara-san.
Sashihara-san seemed to be checking the group chat.
And then, she seemed to notice something.
"There are no conversation logs with Miyuki-chan."
It seems to be what's commonly called being "read-receipt ghosted."
"S-see, you don't feel any interest from her at all, right?"
"True..."
"That's how it is. That said, there's a need to give Eita a penalty."
Watanabe-kun says.
"Toya, have you ever been given a punishment by Tosaka-san?"
When Watanabe-kun asks that, I answer, "I have."
"Is it okay to mention that punishment now?"
"I don't really mind?"
"Wait a minute!!"
Airi whispers in my ear.
"Toya-kun, don't mention the basketball one!"
Has Airi reached an age where she cares about such things?
"Not that one, the other one."
"T-then that's fine."
A punishment that is probably still in effect even now.
"Airi told me, 'If you become humble, or if you think of yourself as an inferior student, I'll give you a punishment. Say I love you ten times.'"
Everyone is surprised.
"You made a promise like that?" Makoto says.
"I see, from Airi's perspective, there's nothing but profit," Kanna says.
"That might be a good idea," Watanabe-kun says.
"Eita, from today on, call Sashihara-san every night. And say 'I love you.'"
"...And if I break it?"
"Then I won't stay silent."
Watanabe-kun smirks.
He'll probably call him out and beat him to a pulp.
At that moment, Makoto spoke.
"Listen... I didn't say it because it was hard to bring up, but Miyuki-chan has a boyfriend, you know?"
We are all taken aback.
"How does Makoto know? Don't tell me you..."
Kanna threatens.
"No, it's because we're at the same university, so that girl is pretty famous. Famous for being a man-eater. I've even got evidence photos. They were circulating in the Soccer Club."
Saying that, Makoto operates his smartphone and shows everyone.
There, the black-haired woman from before is walking arm-in-arm with a man we don't know.
"S-she's just walking arm-in-arm."
Kiritani-kun is shaken. No, that reaction is bad.
Ignoring Kiritani-kun, he shows another image.
A scene where she's hugging and kissing a different man.
Kiritani-kun seemed to know the identities of the two men.
Why?
Because they were members of the same Special Effects Research Society.
"With this, there's no need for Eita to worry about Miyuki-chan anymore, right?"
Watanabe-kun says.
Proceed with caution, Kiritani-kun. If you make the wrong choice, it's game over.
"I-I wasn't worried about her in the first place."
He's a bit shaken, but well, he'll be fine.
"I mean, there are rumors all over the university that she's just a woman who seduces various men to get them to spend money on her, you know? Didn't you know, Kiritani-kun?"
Makoto says bluntly.
"I-I knew."
"Then why were you chasing her!"
"I told you, it was just a vibe!"
"You were serious, weren't you..."
"No way, I only have Ai."
If he's like this, he'll be okay.
I look at Airi's face.
Airi also looks at me and smiles.
"Well, let's end this conversation here. Keep the punishment, Eita."
"I-I got it."
"Now, as for the reason I called you. I was wondering how everyone was doing, so I called a gathering."
"That was the reason?"
Airi was surprised.
"Toya, you made a friend, right?"
Watanabe-kun turns the conversation to me.
"Yeah, you mean Sakai-kun? Well, yeah, he's my only source of information at university."
"That's it, that's it. I think what we're lacking is information. So I thought we should share information as much as possible among everyone."
"Does that actually have any meaning? It's fine for everyone in the Faculty of Economics, but I'm in the Faculty of Education, you know?"
"If you put it that way, I'm in the Department of Nursing! Our campuses are different!"
"I'm at a Private University too."
Eguchi-san, Sashihara-san, and Makoto ask in unison.
Watanabe-kun answers with a laugh.
"Do you know about inter-college circles? Just think of it as a small version of that. A safer and cheaper circle. None of you are in circles anyway, right?"
"True, I'm too busy with my part-time job for that," Sashihara-san says.
"Are there any merits?"
"Don't you think a place where we can gather like this occasionally to consult, or sometimes just make a racket, is important?"
"Ah, I see."
Eguchi-san seemed convinced as well.
"Kiritani-kun, want to exchange IDs with me? Including things like this time, I think there's information that can be shared between people at the same university."
Saying that, Makoto and Kiritani-kun shake their smartphones at each other.
"I'll call you again when I'm free. Toya, if you like, bring Sakai-kun along. I'll bring Mika if her day off matches."
Adding that we should have a blast once we turn twenty.
"Watanabe, give my regards to Mika, okay? Tell her let's drink again!" Kanna says.
"That's a no!"
Makoto and Watanabe-kun say in unison.
And so, the party for our small circle came to a close.
(4)
"Toya-kun, we're not going straight home, are we?"
Airi said that upon getting into the car.
"...Is the usual course okay?"
"Yes♪"
I started the car.
The usual course refers to heading toward Beppu, crossing the mountains to go to Yufuin, and returning via Route 210.
There are two ways to get to Yufuin.
The normal course through the Kyushu Cross-Island Road, and the course that crosses Myoban Onsen and passes through pastures to descend into Yufuin.
We pass in front of a shop that was the setting for a morning drama decades ago.
I think the cross-island road is fine for today?
"Airi, which one do you prefer?"
"Hmm, maybe the mountains? You just refueled, Toya-kun, so it's okay, right?"
I get sleepy when my stomach is full.
Before I can say that, sleep-preventing gum is popped into my mouth.
Either way, going to Beppu doesn't change.
And it's become a staple to stop by a certain hut-style coffee shop in Beppu.
The hamburger steaks here are famous...
Poke
"Let's split a parfait."
You usually don't even eat half, do you?
But an Otaku Circle Princess, huh...
Maybe that's one of the reasons Airi doesn't join circles.
The feeling of being put on a pedestal even when you don't want to be... I can somewhat understand.
Though listening to Makoto's story, I feel like she might actually want to be put on a pedestal.
"Toya-kun, you've finally noticed my feelings."
Airi said that while looking at my face.
"I'm happy. About that."
"Was my answer correct?"
Airi nodded with a full smile.
Before getting in the car, we stopped at a Convenience Store to buy juice and other things.
Then we turned in front of the port and climbed the mountain relentlessly.
Turning where the guide sign for the Safari Park appears and continuing to climb the mountain, we reach Myoban Onsen.
We pass through there.
Airi asked, "Want to go into a family bath?" but I lightly brushed it off, asking if she'd prepared a bath set.
"Toya-kun is mean~"
Airi sulks. That's also cute.
Around where the Hinode JCT became visible, the road runs toward Mount Yufu.
I'm used to driving here, so there's no need to look at the navigation anymore.
Though Airi isn't the type to sit in the passenger seat and get absorbed in a DVD.
"Drive safely, okay?" she says caringly, and settles for listening to a CD.
It's a song by an old J-POP female singer called "Blues for my beloved cute 19-year-old lover."
Almost 19. Still a minor, but at an age where she wants to act like an adult while still wanting to be pampered.
Both Airi and I are 19 this year.
In one more year, we'll be adults.
They say you feel loneliness, but so far I don't, because Airi is by my side.
Though I've grown distant from Kanna and Makoto.
But today, I realized that I have a strong connection called the Watanabe squad.
I don't have the impatience I had when I was 17.
I've got a car, and my range of activity has expanded.
But I'm still relying on my parents as always.
I'll have to pay them back once I get a job.
Save money, buy Airi an engagement ring, and propose...
What kind would be good?
"Please make my miso soup every morning" sounds a bit like a domineering husband, and above all, I'm a bread eater.
Maybe something like "Let's build a happy home"?
Or maybe "Let's grow old together"?
I searched for it on the internet before...
Before I knew it, Airi was crying next to me.
I pulled the car over to the side and stopped.
"What's wrong, Airi?"
"I peeked into Toya-kun's heart and tears just came out."
Eh? Did I think of something that would make her cry?
"I realized that Toya-kun is trying to propose to me."
She read me that far.
Embarrassment welled up inside me.
"You don't have to think of a line, you know?"
"Eh?"
"Because I'll probably be hugging and kissing you before you finish saying it."
I see.
"At least let me say the line properly."
I start the car again.
"Then, let me hear it now."
"I haven't prepared the ring yet."
"Toya-kun, I was thinking, is a ring really that important?"
"Eh?"
"The boyfriend I love and adore is right next to me, working so hard to think of proposal words... isn't that enough of a proposal on its own?"
"Airi... can I be selfish?"
"Whaaaat?"
"I want to do the marriage part properly with my own strength."
Airi is giggling.
Did I say something strange?
"Don't make me wait too long, okay? I'll save up marriage funds too..."
"Are you going to work?"
"Nope. Since Toya-kun pays for most of the money I spend playing, I'm saving that portion~"
"I see."
The car drives slowly through the vast highlands.
The sun has already set.
By the time we reached Yufuin, it was close to sunset.
"What do you want to do? Tomorrow is also a day off."
"We can't stay overnight every single time, right?"
"Uuu... that's true."
"I didn't prepare an overnight set today, so let's just go home quietly, okay?"
"Okaaaay."
Airi pouts.
"When we get home, let's flirt slowly, okay?"
"Yes♪"
Yufuin is crowded, as expected.
I knew it, but still.
"Airi, aren't you hungry?"
"I'm not, but... is Toya-kun hungry?"
"Well, yeah."
Actually, there was something I wanted to eat.
Airi is searching on her smartphone.
She seems convinced.
"We were at a family restaurant earlier, after all. It's fine. Let's eat, okay? Kawara Soba."
"Thank you."
"No problem."
(5)
On the way back, we stop by a Kawara Soba shop.
Kawara Soba is a dish where tea soba and ingredients are placed on a heated tile and eaten with warm mentsuyu.
The Kawara Soba here has locally produced beef on it.
Is it a bit too much volume for me?
Besides, I'm not that hungry.
Well, I'm not worried, though.
Once Toya-kun finishes his own, he starts eating mine.
Just watching Toya-kun eat with such gusto makes my own stomach feel full.
After finishing eating, we head straight home...
There was a footbath on the way, so when I said "Let's take a little break," he stopped the car.
While leisurely soaking my feet in the footbath, I talk with Toya-kun.
Toya-kun's attention was mostly on the blueberry soft-serve ice cream being sold nearby, though.
Let's eat it later.
I've become generous, you see.
By the time we left the footbath and were eating the soft-serve, the surroundings had become dark.
Traffic increased, and the number of cars tailgating Toya-kun's car also increased.
Each time, Toya-kun turns on the hazard lamps, pulls the car to the side, and lets them pass.
He's driving while strictly adhering to the speed limit.
He's so serious.
I can feel at ease.
Oh no, sleepiness is coming.
"Toya-kun, have you ever thought you wanted to speed?"
I tried to create a topic of conversation for now.
"I have."
Uuu...
"I see..."
"They say the first-class drivers are the ones who are most particular about safe driving."
"?"
"You don't know when, what, or from where something will jump out. It said that in such situations, you shouldn't drive in a way where a 0.1-second delay in judgment becomes fatal. I think so too. I know this car has its behavioral limits, so I don't think about being reckless."
"I see."
"If I want to speed, I'll go to a circuit. Though this isn't that kind of car."
Toya-kun is already first-class.
"Does Airi want to see such thrilling driving?"
Toya-kun suddenly said.
"If I say I do, will you show me?"
I only said it to be a bit mischievous...
Toya-kun veered off the way home.
A certain prefectural road.
The width of the roadway is sufficient.
When we reach the mountain top, cars that look like street racers are stopped in clusters.
"That 4WD is here again."
"Today for sure, I'll make him eat his words."
"That car is an AT and completely stock."
"And the driver has a beginner's mark."
Toya-kun stops the car on the roadway and waits for a car to stop next to him.
A typical racer's car pulls up next to us.
One of the gallery members starts the count.
"3, 2, 1..."
"I shall breathe life into you!!"
"Eh?"
Toya-kun is saying something.
"Start!!"
In the first straight, the opponent seems faster, as expected.
As Toya-kun said, it didn't seem to be a car for racing.
I look at Toya-kun's face.
I can even see composure.
"Airi, hold on tight!"
Saying that, Toya-kun approached the curve at a speed that could be called reckless.
While the opponent's car has its brake lamps on and is decelerating, there's no sign at all that Toya-kun intends to slow down.
"If you have a soul... answer me!!"
At the very last moment, he hits the brakes, steers the wheel opposite to the curve, and then immediately steers in the direction of the curve.
The car slides sideways and passes through the curve.
Every time we clear a curve, the car behind becomes smaller.
I can tell we're running at a tremendous speed.
I can tell, but I couldn't feel it.
What is this? A sensation no different from his usual driving.
Though the tires are screeching.
By the time we descend the mountain, the opponent's car had disappeared from sight.
We stop once at a vending machine at the foot of the mountain to drink juice, and the opponent's car catches up.
"Yo, you brought your girlfriend today... I'm completely defeated. I'll polish my skills by next time, so just wait."
Toya-kun responds with a wave, and the opponent's car heads back up the mountain.
"Toya-kun, when did you get this kind of technique!?"
They didn't teach this at the driving school, did they?
"I don't know, when I came to play with Makoto, I realized I was doing it."
He answers nonchalantly... but.
Poke
"What would you do if you did something dangerous like this without telling me and had an accident?"
"I said it's only occasionally!"
"Even so, I cannot forgive you for keeping it from me!"
"U..."
Toya-kun is troubled.
"S-sorry."
"It was fun, like a roller coaster. I didn't feel scared at all."
"Heh?"
"But let's stop doing such dangerous things, okay?"
"I only came today because you said you wanted to see me speed. Apparently, it's safe here because there's little traffic at night."
Poke
"I've seen it once, so that's enough. Let's stop. Besides, you said 'today.' You've been here before, haven't you?"
"Well, a few times, to relieve stress."
"Am I the stress?"
"N-no, it's not like that."
"Direct your stress toward me, Toya-kun, and I'll accept as much as possible."
"...I understand."
"...Uuu."
I've become conflicted.
Even though I just said it.
"What's wrong, Airi?"
"Sorry, I'll forgive you one more time, so let's go to the mountain?"
"I got it."
Saying that, Toya-kun climbs the mountain again.
Because he was so cool.
If you have a boyfriend, you'd understand this feeling, right?
I thought Toya-kun's night outings would vanish starting tonight.
I never imagined the time would come to utilize this technique.