Chapter 174 - Hearts in Turmoil
(1)
"Toya-kun, time to wake up, okay?"
"What time is it?"
"It's 8 o'clock."
"Can I have a little more?"
"Hmph... if you keep saying that, I'm going to start cleaning."
Saying so, Airi leaves the bed and begins preparing the vacuum cleaner.
"Ah!! Okay. I get it! I'm getting up!"
Our vacuum is a quiet model. It's not as if I can't sleep because the noise is too loud.
One reason is that I have no idea what my parents would say if they found out I was sleeping while Airi was cleaning from early morning.
There is another reason. Airi gets unnecessarily enthusiastic about housework.
Even when told, "You're still a student, so rest when you can," she stays enthusiastic.
It would be pitiful to make her exhaust herself.
"Yay. But once in a while, I wish Toya-kun would wake me up. Like waking me up with a kiss..."
"Didn't we do that before?"
"I want you to do it as many times as possible!"
We have this kind of exchange while we both get dressed.
The long weekend starts today.
We plan to meet at the convenience store at 12 o'clock.
The purpose is a training camp. Though calling it a training camp is a bit much; if I had to say there's a purpose, it's for the members of the Watanabe group to gather and deepen their friendship.
Last year, there was a decent purpose.
Was the purpose coupling Sakai-kun and Ichinose-san?
Now they are each with different partners.
I thought there was nothing in particular this year.
If I had to say something, maybe just making Nishimatsu-kun and Hanayama-san say gyafun (T/N: an onomatopoeic expression for being humbled or stunned)?
But I've never actually seen a person "say gyafun."
"Toya-kun, I'm finished dressing~"
When Airi says that, she takes her luggage and leaves the room.
After having breakfast and finishing our preparations, we depart.
It doesn't take much time to reach the convenience store at the foot of the mountain, which is the meeting place.
When we arrive at the convenience store, I see Makoto's car.
"You're early, Makoto."
I speak to Makoto as I get out of the car.
"You always oversleep, right? That's why I stayed at Kanna's house last night to prepare."
"I see."
I glance at the passenger seat of Makoto's car. Kanna was there, sleeping peacefully. Noticing my gaze, Makoto extends his arm, blocking my line of sight.
"Oops, you didn't think you could see another man's girlfriend's sleeping face for free, did you?"
"I can't help it if I already saw it."
"In exchange, why don't you let me see Tosaka-san's sleeping face?"
"Airi doesn't sleep in the passenger seat... rarely."
"As the boyfriend, you must have plenty of chances to take photos of her sleeping face, right?"
"...Well, I do."
"Then show me that!"
As I take out my smartphone and operate it, the phone is snatched away by Airi, who had appeared behind me before I knew it.
Bonk
"You don't need to go out of your way to take photos like that; if you want to see, I'll show you as much as you want! Makoto-kun, your taste is bad too!"
Saying so, Airi begins operating my smartphone.
"Ah, even photos like this!! Toya-kun, you pervert!"
"No, I just took them on a whim, it's not like..."
I don't intend to use them during a lonely night. ...Though if such a night comes, I might want to try.
Bonk
"Wrong! I'll just delete them all."
Go ahead, delete as many as you want. I'll have plenty of chances to take more anyway.
"Since we're at it, Makoto-kun, bring out your smartphone too! I'll censor it for you in Kanna's stead!"
"Ah, no... I really can't show Tosaka-san. It's a bit too stimulating."
"...Hoh. Are you taking such amazing photos?"
Kanna was standing behind Makoto. Just like me, Makoto has his smartphone confiscated by Kanna.
"You idiot... ugh, even photos like this... you total pervert!"
Kanna finds and deletes photos one after another.
"Since we're at it, I'll check the message history too. Airi, you should check too."
"I already did. Toya-kun, I can trust you in that regard, right? The only weird ones are the 'Boys' Night' chats."
"It seems Makoto isn't cheating either..."
"Of course not... have some trust in me."
While we are having this exchange, cars arrive one after another.
Finally, a black one-box car arrives.
Takemoto-kun and... two men and women I don't know. One is exceptionally small. Is that the person Takemoto-kun mentioned before? The other woman has a physique similar to Kanna's... if there's a difference, it's that her chest is more prominent...
"I'll introduce you. This is my friend from my faculty, Manabe Takumi-kun, and from the Arts Junior College... Kinoshita Umi-san and Niina Mirai-san, whom I mentioned before."
As Takemoto-kun introduces them, the three of them each introduce themselves and bow.
"Eh! But, didn't you not know the contact information for the two from the Arts Junior College...?"
When I say this, Takemoto-kun begins to explain...
The story goes back to before the long weekend.
(2)
"Hey, Takemoto!"
At the end of class, Manabe-kun called out to me.
He is taller and has a better build than I do.
He is personable, and because of his appearance, he gets confessed to by women quite a bit, but he himself lacks motivation, and I don't hear rumors of him dating any specific person.
The one who recommended the Watanabe group to me was also Manabe-kun. Though he didn't try to join himself.
"I joined the Watanabe group too, so let's go to the training camp together tomorrow."
Eh?
I check my smartphone.
"Masashi has invited Manabe."
"What does this mean?"
I asked Manabe-kun.
Apparently, Watanabe-kun contacted Manabe-kun through Kimoto-senpai.
And he was recruited and joined the comrades.
"I heard, you're interested in Umi-chan, right?"
So he was talking about that too. My face grew hot.
"Don't be shy, I mean, it was obvious from the first time we met."
My face flushes even more.
However, what does that have to do with Manabe-kun?
"I haven't heard that far. Takemoto, have you heard anything?"
I shook my head.
"I see. Anyway, I'll bring Umi-chan and Niina-san to your house."
Saying so, Manabe-kun left.
The next day. Manabe-kun's car arrived at the apartment where I live.
Niina-san and Umi-chan are sitting in the back seat. I sat in the passenger seat.
Manabe-kun and Niina-san had already hit it off and were chatting excitedly.
I was captivated by Umi-chan, who was absorbed in the scenery outside.
"But I'm surprised Umi-chan's permission was granted."
Manabe-kun was asking Niina-san.
"When I told her Manabe-kun would be with us, she gave permission readily. Ah, I said Takemoto-kun would be there too, but there was no particular problem."
Niina-san answers.
Manabe-kun is trusted, then.
And that brings us to now.
After explaining up to that point, Katagiri-kun still seems to be racking his brain.
"I'll explain the rest in the car. Toya-kun, you don't have to worry."
"I understand."
"Well then, from here to Eguchi-san's villa, Isshy's car will lead the way. If anyone gets lost, contact us."
When Watanabe-kun says that, everyone departs.
"By the way, what kind of circle is the Watanabe group?"
"That's it, that's it. Takemoto, since you were the first among us to join, explain it. I'm curious about the rumors too."
"Rumors? Is it... that? The 'mysterious circle that always ties bonds' thing."
"Niina-san knew about it too."
"Yes, I heard it from a friend, and so..."
"?"
Niina-san looked down, her face red.
"So, what kind of circle is it? Takemoto-kun."
Since Umi-chan asks, I answer.
"Nothing in particular... just talking in coffee shops. We just ate yakiniku for the new member welcome the other day. In the first place, it's just a group."
"I see, but are the rumors true?"
"It seems they use those kinds of forceful methods."
"I see."
Niina-san's expression brightens.
"Does Niina-san have someone she's interested in?"
"Eh... that's..."
Niina-san's words falter.
Manabe-kun is really oblivious to his own affairs.
"But, it's enviable. To make any love come true. I might want mine to come true too."
"Does Umi-chan have someone she's interested in?"
When Manabe-kun probes, Umi-chan also looks down and falls silent. Her face is faintly red.
Looking at her, my heart screams.
Her feelings, which I can do nothing about.
It was as if I were projecting myself.
(3)
Infuriating.
Creating a lonely space where no one looks my way, all alone.
This might be the first time I've felt this way.
This group denies the daily life where I was always surrounded by men and immersed in a sense of superiority.
When the "game" was proposed, I thought it would be an easy win.
However, my usual methods do not work on this group.
Why am I getting so worked up?
I should just leave this group quickly and return to my usual self.
But my pride will not allow that.
A man who does not yield at all, even though I spread this much friendliness.
"The bond between those two is the strongest."
Such things are nothing more than a lie. True love is something ugly.
An emergency that fundamentally overturns the common sense I believed in.
In my panic, days of blunders where I expose the ugly parts I usually hide.
Moreover, the man who declared he would make me fall for him ended up criticizing me and falling in love with another woman.
"Even if you fail, I'm here."
My pride was already in tatters.
A wall standing in the way, as if to say this is the true power of the "Watanabe group." Isolated and helpless.
"Because it's impossible anyway."
Don't decide that for me!
I feel as if my values are being fundamentally denied.
I won't lose!
There is one man who shares the same values as I do.
That man suggests we fight together.
Certainly, I might be helpless alone.
However, the structure of two against the others reveals a numerical disadvantage.
Such numerical disadvantage didn't matter.
Everyone would be misled by me and turn into my allies.
He must have had the same prediction.
Who should I trust, what should I strive for, and where should I walk from here?
The match I thought was a fixed race is heading in the completely opposite direction.
I can take anyone except Toya-kun.
Thinking so, I placed insurance on the one who seemed the easiest, but that failed too.
"Sorry, I have Ai, so. Try someone else."
It's the first time in my life I've been rejected like that.
Bonds between men and women are fragile things; if you just say one word in a cute voice, they yield easily.
Even though I thought so, for the first time in my life, I was made to realize the depth of the bond between a man and a woman.
Was it a battle I had no chance of winning from the start?
I won't lose!
You have no chance of winning...
I want to snatch away that composure from those girls.
If I just do things as usual, I will definitely win.
I was convinced of that.
The car arrives at Eguchi-san's villa.
The building, which was apparently originally used for training new employees, was very large and could easily accommodate 20 people.
The 11 men and 12 women were assigned to four rooms, and they placed their luggage in their respective rooms and relaxed.
The five people with me are Tosaka-san, Otonashi-san, Sashihara-san, Kinoshita-san, and Niina-san.
"It's a big room~"
Tosaka-san says as she looks around the room.
Tosaka Airi.
My first target. If I steal her boyfriend, Katagiri Toya, I win.
There was no particular reason I chose Katagiri-senpai. I judged that since he was an unremarkable man, I could easily take him down.
I heard later that they are the longest-running couple in the Watanabe group.
I had never thought that a bond becomes strong just because it's long, but these two were exactly that.
However, there is nothing more rewarding than conquering a difficult enemy.
I thought that the harder the bond, the easier it collapses if you poke a single point.
But these two have no weaknesses that look like weaknesses.
"Airi, I'm looking forward to tonight. I've prepared some scary stories too."
"I don't want those!"
"Lie, lie, let's have a girls' night together."
The one talking to Tosaka-san is Otonashi Kanna.
She also has good looks, and while I wondered why she didn't appear in the miss contest, she gave a one-word answer: "Because I have a part-time job."
But I heard from Tada-senpai that she is actually extremely prone to stage fright and standing in front of people is absolutely impossible for her.
Tada Makoto.
An incredible hottie, and apparently the ace of the Private University Soccer Club. Thanks to him, they were promoted to the first division last year.
His flaw, apparently, is that he possesses a fatal perverted hobby.
Even the most perfect couple has a weakness.
When I tried to seduce him, he said, "Ah, Kanna is here. Sorry."
These four have apparently known each other since middle school.
Otonashi-san and Tada-senpai are no exception, connected by a bond cultivated over a long time.
"Girls' night! Sounds good! Especially since we have new faces."
The woman saying this while looking at us.
Sashihara Ai.
The leader figure of the "Watanabe Group Girls' Night."
Her boyfriend, Kiritani Eita, also seemed easy, so I tried to seduce him, but he said, "Impossible because Ai is here. Try someone else."
They are a devoted group to the end.
Do I have no choice but to narrow my aim to a single point?
"Amazing, Umi-chan, it's my first time in a villa like this."
"It is, isn't it, Mirai-chan?"
These two are Kinoshita Umi and Niina Mirai, who joined yesterday.
Apparently students of the Arts Junior College.
Regarding Kinoshita Umi, it seems Takemoto Yuma, whom I prepared as my trump card, is in love with her.
Humiliation. To think that instead of launching a seduction at me, he switched to another woman?
The ultimate humiliation.
Tearing apart the relationship between these two is an option, but in that case, would it be considered that I fell for Takemoto-kun?
I asked Watanabe-senpai.
"To think you still have the composure to say such things. Do as you please."
I'll erase that composure.
The training camp is 3 days and 2 nights.
There is plenty of time.
Because I am the one who will win in the end.
(4)
"Hmm... I see."
"You can't tell the other four, okay?"
"I know that."
While following everyone from the rear, Toya-kun was listening to my story while driving.
While Ai was probing using her connections at the Arts Junior College, Niina-san was introduced from the Arts Junior College side.
Niina-san is interested in a person called Manabe-kun.
Niina-san is an acquaintance of Kinoshita-san.
Ai immediately took action. She had Niina-san join and had Watanabe-kun invite Manabe-kun, and on the condition that they spend time together at the training camp, she asked her to invite Kinoshita-san.
Niina-san readily accepted.
And that brings us to now.
When I give this explanation to Toya-kun, it leads to the dialogue above.
"But, what about Manabe-kun's feelings?"
"I heard he's currently single. And if it's Niina-san, there shouldn't be any problem, right?"
"Hmm... I feel like there's something there, right? Manabe-kun."
"Toya-kun, did Manabe-kun join too?"
"Well, yeah, it seemed he had someone he was interested in."
Toya-kun is often right at times like this.
In fact, he asked skillfully, "But doesn't Kinoshita-san have someone she's interested in?" or "Could it be that Niina-san is interested in Manabe-kun?"
I had heard from Ai that Kinoshita-san had someone she was interested in.
Even though I was told it was a secret between women, Toya-kun guessed it perfectly.
"Who is the person Manabe-kun is interested in?"
I asked Toya-kun.
"I don't know because I've never met them. But they don't seem to be a university student. More like an adult, or rather, the person themselves is just admiring them... I think it's the same as the emotion Kinoshita-san has."
"Regarding Kinoshita-san, how much did you figure out?"
I was curious about that.
"Hmm, it's a guess, but. I think it's probably that Professor Tange..."
...Toya-kun has become quite sensitive too.
"Toya-kun, you must not tell anyone that."
"Does that mean I was right?"
"I don't know who Manabe-kun's interested person is, but you're right about the person Kinoshita-san likes."
"I see, got it. I won't tell anyone."
The car passes through the Iida Kogen.
Spring grass is growing and cows are munching away.
After a while, we arrived at Emi's villa.
It is far larger than last year's.
Upon arriving at the villa, rooms are assigned.
I was with three others, excluding Emi, Kanna, and the newly joined Sakura-san.
The room is this wide anyway. Everyone will probably gather at night.
Knock knock
"I'm preparing lunch, so everyone come to the kitchen."
It's Emi's voice.
A kitchen—or rather, a professional kitchen—that is spacious enough even if 13 women gather.
"So, what are we making?"
"I'm undecided on that."
A large number of cup noodles and instant noodles are lined up on the cooking counter.
The rice is already cooked.
"I've never cooked, so I'll pass~"
Saying so, Hanayama-san leaves the kitchen.
"Leaving that aside, it's a matter of which one to choose, right?"
"It's the first meal, right? With 13 girls gathered, I think cup noodles are a bit much."
Ai and Emi are consulting.
"But which one do we pick? There are plenty."
Various types of instant noodles are also prepared.
"Wouldn't it be good to mix them all? I've heard it's tastier that way."
Since Niina-san said that, the plan was adopted.
After that, she suggested things like, "Since it's seafood broth, wouldn't it be good to add some dashi powder?" and prepared various ingredients... but we decided to go with the safe route.
Around the time the ramen noodles are put in, I am asked to call the boys, so Hanayama-san and I go to call them.
Hanayama-san enters the room where Toya-kun and the others are. I enter the other room.
For the record, in Toya-kun's room are Toya-kun, Makoto-kun, Watanabe-kun, Manabe-kun, Takemoto-kun, and Kiritani-kun—six people.
In the room I went to call are Ishihara-kun, Sakai-kun, Kimoto-senpai, Nakajima-kun, and Nishimatsu-kun—five people.
The 11 men immediately leave their rooms and head to the dining hall upon hearing it's lunch.
Toya-kun's footsteps are unusually heavy.
He's thinking about something.
Hanayama-san is pulling Toya-kun's arm.
"If you don't hurry, the ramen will get soggy, you know?"
It's as Hanayama-san says.
I speak to Toya-kun.
"Hanayama-san, could you go on ahead for a bit?"
"Eh—am I the only one being left out?"
"It's just a story I don't want to be asked about..."
"You're talking behind my back, aren't you?"
"It's not like that."
"Toya-kun isn't such a malicious person, you know?"
When I say that, Hanayama-san looks like she wants to say something, but reluctantly goes ahead.
After seeing her off, Toya-kun whispers in my ear.
"It seems Manabe-kun really does have someone he likes. He said it's someone from his part-time job."
"You talked!?"
"...Watanabe-kun did. But... it seems it's not entirely hopeless."
"What do you mean?"
"The partner, you see, is a widow."
"!?"
"It seems he's not even considered. Not because of who Manabe-kun is, but because she apparently still thinks of her deceased husband."
It was too difficult, and my understanding couldn't keep up. I am still a child; I couldn't understand the feelings of the two who had entered the adult world.
"But, we don't know yet. I think the feeling of admiration and the feeling of love are different. And..."
"And?"
"There are times when you start liking someone after dating them, right?"
"...That's true!"
That's how we've always done it.
Hating something without trying it is no good. Eat the ramen before it gets soggy.
...But isn't that something that can be said to Manabe-kun too?
It was a spring afternoon where such anxiety could not be erased.