Chapter 178 - Sorrow
"Uwaah!!"
Batan!!
"We're not done yet, Takemoto-kun!"
Since morning, I had been watching Shinjo-san "educating" Takemoto-kun.
It was a cycle of getting up and being thrown, then getting up again and being thrown.
While the other men watched, looking like it hurt just to see, I watched blankly.
I watched as if searing every single one of Shinjo-san's movements into my mind.
By the way, the women were busy preparing breakfast.
Sakai-kun, perhaps remembering that nightmare, was closing his eyes and shaking.
Ishihara-kun seemed used to it and watched calmly.
Eventually, Takemoto-kun ran out of strength and became unable to even stand up.
"Pathetic, Takemoto-kun! Are you even a man!? Does it not gall you to be thrown by a woman!! If you're frustrated, stand up and show me!"
Takemoto-kun squeezed out every last bit of strength to stand up.
Though his eyes were completely terrified.
Looking at Takemoto-kun, Shinjo-san said, "You're good! Next... Nishimatsu-kun! Where are you?" and searched for Nishimatsu-kun.
Everyone pointed toward Nishimatsu-kun all at once.
"I'll pass. It's not my hobby to injure women."
"That spirit is good! However, no need for restraint!"
Shinjo-san forcibly dragged Nishimatsu-kun out and taught him how to break his fall.
And from there, the public execution began.
He was thrown over and over again.
I kept watching Shinjo-san. Amazing. It's the same for anything, but there's something captivating about a master's performance.
"Do you have some kind of grudge against me!?"
"Nothing in particular! I was simply told by the young lady to 'train you thoroughly'!"
"Everyone~ breakfast is ready~"
Airi came to let us know that the meal was ready.
Everyone, who had been secretly terrified that they would be next, thanked Airi for her words and hurried out of the dojo.
Nishimatsu-kun also hurried out.
Only three of us remained: me, Shinjo-san, and Airi.
I had remained sitting in seiza the whole time.
"Hey, Toya-kun."
I wondered if I could use this for self-defense. It's not impossible that something like before might happen again. It wouldn't hurt to learn. I was thinking such carefree thoughts.
"Toya-kun~! It's breakfast! Break-fast!!"
If it would be useful for protecting Airi, I wanted to learn it.
"Do you wish to receive education of your own accord?"
I tried nodding silently.
"Toya-kun, no! I don't want to see Toya-kun looking uncool!"
I stood up smoothly.
"Where are the training uniforms?"
"Well said! I had heard the rumors, but you truly are a knight! There should be several spare uniforms in the changing room! Go change!"
"I told you no, Toya-kun! If you get hurt, I'll cry!"
"It's okay. Shinjo-san is a master, right? She won't do anything that would cause an injury... besides..."
"?"
"Anyway, I'll go change."
Saying that, I headed to the changing room.
When I changed into the uniform and came out, Kanna was standing there. Kanna glared at me. Airi was standing behind her.
"Why are you doing something so stupid? Apologize to Shinjo-san right now and stop this!"
"I thought this would be for Airi's sake."
"For Airi's sake even though you might get hurt? Are you really an idiot! Airi came crying to me because she was worried! How is doing something that makes Airi cry 'for Airi's sake'!?"
"Well, it's fine."
Saying that, I pushed Kanna aside and returned to the dojo.
Shinjo-san was waiting, sitting in seiza in the center.
And the entire Watanabe squad were spectators.
When Eguchi-san spotted me, she approached smoothly.
"I don't know what you're thinking, but Shinjo is a dan-ranked expert. Will you be okay?"
"That's more convenient."
"Eh?"
I headed toward the center of the dojo.
"Then, first, we'll start with how to break your fall."
"Yes!"
"You have good instincts; you're breaking your fall properly!"
"Because I was watching."
"Eh?"
Shinjo-san put her index finger to her chin and tilted her head.
She's kind of cute. Well, that makes sense. She is a grown woman, after all. I wonder if she's still single?
"Hey~! No thinking about unnecessary things~!"
Airi had found out.
"That composure will disappear soon. Right, Katagiri-kun?"
Saying that, Shinjo-san took a right-forward stance, and I faced her, taking a natural stance.
"There will be no signal. Come at me whenever you like!"
Once told that, I observed Shinjo-san's breathing.
Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale... naturally, there was a rhythm.
I carefully measured that rhythm and timing.
Seeing my utter calmness, she must have felt something, as her breathing became erratic.
I can do this!
The moment Shinjo-san inhaled, I leaped in one bound into her personal space. I took the arm of Shinjo-san as she tried to grab my collar, stepped forward with my right leg to get behind her, and using that momentum, I threw Shinjo-san over my shoulder in a circular motion. I think I wasn't supposed to let go of the arm until the end, right?
Batan!!
The one who was thrown was Shinjo-san.
The inside of the dojo fell deathly silent.
"N-not yet!"
Saying that, as Shinjo-san attacked, I broke her right-forward balance, pulled her in while swinging my right leg backward to press Shinjo-san against my back-hip, and while sweeping up Shinjo-san's right leg—which held her weight—I rotated and threw her forward.
The one-sided public execution was now on Shinjo-san's side.
Perhaps due to her pride as a dan-rank holder, she pressed her attack against me repeatedly.
I believe that in judo, the one who moves first is at a disadvantage.
Just by initiating a small move, I could easily break her posture.
After that, I executed the techniques Shinjo-san had shown: osoto-gari, ouchi-gari, and uchimata.
Then, Shinjo-san stood up and spoke to me.
Shinjo-san was out of breath.
"Education is impossible for you."
"No, you taught me plenty. Thank you," I said, bowing.
Everyone watched in a daze.
It's been a while since I've seen Airi make a face like that.
(2)
"Here, eat up lots!"
Airi poured a mountain of rice into my bowl, the kind you'd see in manga or anime.
After Shinjo-san's "education," Airi was in a great mood.
She probably felt proud of her boyfriend. I'm happy I could make her feel that way.
"Still, Toya's 'Zone' can be applied to anything, huh."
Watanabe-kun praised me, saying that.
"It's practically a cheat. Being able to steal a technique just by seeing it."
Kiritani-kun evaluated it that way. He said that special skill is called the plunder of pride.
"But that alone isn't enough. The opponent is going to defend, so you can't just do it by the textbook."
When Kanna said that, I replied.
"It's like the time around me goes into slow motion. In a quiet space. I can clearly hear my own and the opponent's breathing. It's the same during basketball or tennis. I just end up predicting, 'Ah, it's coming here.' "
"That's what you call the Zone, right?" Watanabe-kun replied.
"Toya-kun, do you want seconds?"
"Ah, then I'll have seconds."
I handed my bowl to Airi.
"I see! So that's how it was!"
Makoto shouted. Everyone paid attention, wondering what happened.
"What is it, Makoto-kun?"
When Watanabe-kun asked Makoto, Makoto said.
"I heard that when this guy does that, he faithfully reproduces the play from videos or DVDs. And with the Zone, and on top of that, a Fantasista... a world beyond imagination..."
Bako!
"Stop saying such pointless things from the morning, you idiot!"
Kanna's angry shout flew.
"But Toya's got too many tricks! He's good at any sport. He reads other people's hearts. And to top it off, he's even got driving skills. He's definitely using some kind of ability during that too..."
"I think Toya-kun is using it too. That special skill Makoto-kun mentioned... because it really makes me feel wonderful♪"
Airi answered Makoto's question while her face turned red.
Well, I am using it... but it can't be helped. It activates automatically.
You want a concrete explanation? I'm just vaguely thinking about Airi. I told her before, right? That I just have to put myself in Airi's feelings. Then it naturally comes to me. What Airi is seeking...
Poke
"Toya-kun, you were just thinking about something really lewd, weren't you!? Your upper lip was stretching."
Can't be helped. I softly whispered in Airi's ear what I was thinking. Then Airi's face flushed and she looked down. And then...
Poke poke
"Say things like that when we're alone! As a penalty, no more seconds!"
"I told you I wouldn't keep secrets, right?"
"I'm telling you to consider the time and place!"
"What what? Katagiri-kun, what did you say to Airi? She's acting awfully embarrassed."
"It's a secret from Ai-san and the others!"
"Did you say something that has to be hidden?"
While the women were pressing Airi, Makoto patted my shoulder.
"Gather in our room later. Keep it a secret from Tosaka-san."
"What are we doing?"
"It's a surprise for later."
Makoto said that with a smirk.
I don't have any plans, so it's fine, but Makoto's smile bothers me.
Airi and the others were absorbed in conversation and didn't notice.
And in the midst of that, no one noticed Hanayama-san and Nishimatsu-kun whispering to each other.
(3)
After we finished cleaning up breakfast, we hesitated again over what to have for lunch.
Since we didn't have ingredients for tonight, I had Takemoto-kun, Manabe-kun, Niina-san, and Kinoshita-san—the four of them—go shopping.
"I think there was a supermarket if you head toward Yufuin," Emi said.
As for why we chose those four, it's because they came in the same car.
If we let only the men choose, they'd only buy meat.
"Even so, not a single one of those men came to help. I wonder what they're thinking."
"Kanna-chan, that's just how men are. They live with the preconception that housework is for women."
"But Emi. When Toya-kun is at home, he tells me he'll help unnecessarily? ...It might sound bad to say it this way, but he seems a bit bad at it, so I tell him 'just wait there'..."
I intended to say it as softly as possible.
"Makoto is similar. When we first started dating, he was eager to help, but halfway through he started fooling around, so I told him 'just wait at the table!'... If that continued, he stopped even saying he'd help."
"Kanna is the same. Toya-kun has stopped saying he'll help lately too. He just plays games or sleeps by himself. Though I do tease him."
"Even though I invited him to the manners lecture, he just gave me a one-word 'pass'."
Emi seemed dissatisfied. Well, any woman would feel dissatisfied, right?
"Living together is quite difficult in various ways. We wouldn't understand."
Ichinose-san and Oshima-san said.
Come to think of it, where is Shimizu-san?
"Zen-kun is busy with his part-time job and such. I do it while Zen-kun is gone."
"Akira-chan, you're busy with your studies too, right? Isn't it mutual?"
"I also feel a sense of guilt because I practically forced the living together situation."
"In the end, isn't it unbelievable that they push all the troublesome things onto the women and just relax themselves?"
Ai was terribly indignant. Does Ai also go to Kiritani-kun's house to clean and such?
"But I don't think this is so bad. It's fun for just the girls to be noisy together."
Mika-san said. Well, I guess it's more fun than doing housework alone?
"Speaking of the women, I don't see Hanayama-san."
When Emi said that, Ai shook her head and said.
"She said 'I'm not interested in that sort of thing, so pass~' and went somewhere. I wonder what she's thinking."
"More importantly, what should we do for the lunch menu? Ramen again?"
There were still instant ramen left.
"It might take some effort, but wouldn't curry be fine? If we have ramen for two days in a row, there will be men complaining that they're tired of it."
By the way, Toya-kun is the type who would spend a week on ramen if left alone. Now that I'm managing him, I won't allow that.
"Curry, huh... Emi, do we have spices?"
"We do, but are you making it from the roux?"
"Leave it to me, it'll be perfect."
Once the cleaning was finished, we immediately started preparations.
I made it using six types of spices.
I left the curry base to Mika-san, and in the meantime, I cooked the rice and prepared other ingredients.
This time, I made chicken curry.
I added chicken thighs to the warmed curry base.
I set it to low heat and simmered it using the meat juices. When it looked like it might burn, I added a small amount of water and took care not to let it burn.
When I touched the chicken and it had elasticity, it was proof that it was cooked through. I added tomatoes.
After that, I added garam masala and coriander to complete it.
Mika-san had made the garam masala while we were cooking.
A wonderful aroma filled the air.
I let the curry sit for a bit. In the meantime, we headed to the table manners lecture given by Shinjo-san.
Not a single man came.
"If I may be so bold, I shall act as the escort."
Saying that, we learned table manners.
While we were doing that, Manabe-kun and the others returned.
Manabe-kun and the others brought a large amount of ingredients. Among them were snacks and drinks.
I looked at the clock; it was almost time for lunch.
Toya-kun and the others didn't come down.
"Airi, go call the men."
"Okay."
Saying that, as I headed toward the bedrooms on the second floor, I encountered Nishimatsu-kun on the way.
It seemed he had been waiting.
"As I thought, I knew Tosaka-san would come."
I ignored him and headed toward the boys' bedroom.
Nishimatsu-kun grabbed my arm.
"Let go!!"
If I shouted this loudly, the men should notice.
"Unfortunately, the men aren't in the bedroom; they're in the audiovisual room. It seems they are in the middle of their 'enjoyment.' It would be tactless for a woman like you to go there."
Audiovisual room, only men, enjoyment... I could vaguely imagine it.
Toya-kun, are you doing that again?
In broad daylight, without having learned your lesson...
I tried to head toward the audiovisual room, but Nishimatsu-kun would not let go of my hand.
"Enough already, I'll call someone!"
"No one is coming."
Nishimatsu-kun pressed me against the wall of the corridor and slammed his other hand against the wall with a thud.
I involuntarily trembled. I'd heard that kabedon is a situation that makes women's hearts flutter, but I felt nothing but terror.
"Feel honored. You're the first to make me this serious."
Saying that, his face came rapidly close to mine.
Lips and lips approached.
No. I absolutely refuse to kiss a man like this.
I tried my hardest to push his face away to reject him, but my arms were grabbed and my means of resistance were sealed. All I could do now was turn my face away.
"I love you."
How happy I would be if that were Toya-kun's voice. But the one whispering love now was Nishimatsu-kun. I felt like crying. My legs shook.
At that moment, the hand grabbing my arm was shaken off, and he disappeared from before my eyes.
It was Shinjo-san. Shinjo-san grabbed his arm and threw him with all her might.
This wasn't on the tatami of the dojo. It was on the hard tiles of the corridor.
Nishimatsu-kun was unable to get up from the pain.
"I came because the young lady asked, but... it seems this vulgar man requires thorough education. Tosaka-san, please go call the men."
When Shinjo-san said that, I headed toward the audiovisual room.
When I opened the door to the audiovisual room, loud, lewd voices and erotic images were being projected on the screen.
"Crap! Stop it!!"
Such voices could be heard.
"W-what's wrong, Tosaka-san? I-is it an invitation to lunch?"
Makoto-kun made a strained smiling face.
The terror, shame, and anger from a moment ago were mixed, and I didn't know what kind of voice to raise.
Then, someone was standing behind me. It was Kanna.
Kanna entered the room silently, took the remote from Makoto-kun, and made it play again. After watching it for a few seconds, Kanna stopped it.
"Makoto... you piece of..."
"It can't be helped! I heard there was a projector. I figured we had to watch this..."
"You idiot! Where is Toya!? While Airi was having a scary experience, you were watching a DVD like this?"
"If it's Toya, he was taken out by Hanayama-san a while ago."
"Eh?"
Toya-kun is alone with Hanayama-san again?
Damn. I should have realized when I heard Hanayama-san was acting alone.
Terror, shame, anger, anxiety.
Four emotions were mixed, and I didn't know what to think.
It's not that I doubt Toya-kun.
I just decided to pray that he was safe.
(4)
I didn't know this villa had something like an audiovisual room.
Hearing there was a projector, Makoto suggested we watch the DVD he brought.
So this is what he was talking about this morning.
I watched, half-appalled.
Some kind of nun thing?
Disgusting. Not my taste. Everyone else was captivated by the images, which were almost life-sized.
At that moment, the door opened.
Turning around, Hanayama-san was standing there.
"Ah, watching this with just the men~ maybe I'll tattle to everyone~"
She said that without showing any sign of embarrassment.
"Ah, no. Please spare us."
When Makoto said that, Hanayama-san smiled brightly.
"I'll keep it a secret, but in exchange, I have one request~. May I borrow Toya-kun for just a little bit~?"
"Go right ahead."
Saying that, Makoto handed me over to Hanayama-san.
"Makoto, you..."
"I'm counting on you in the name of friendship."
"Toya-kun, shall we go?"
Saying that, I was taken to the place where I had been talking with Airi last night.
"What do you want?"
When I said that, Hanayama-san bowed her head.
"I'm sorry about yesterday. Even if it was a momentary emotion, I did something terrible~"
She's probably not apologizing sincerely, but it's a waste of time to deal with her.
"It's fine. See ya."
As I tried to return to the audiovisual room, Hanayama-san grabbed my arm.
"Let go."
"Is Toya-kun also interested in those kinds of DVDs?"
"No, not particularly."
"Then, let's talk here~"
I feel like I'm being led into Hanayama-san's pace quite smoothly...
"Doesn't Hanayama-san act with the other girls?"
"I'm not very interested in housework and such."
"I think it's also important to deepen friendships among women."
"Anyway, everyone is my enemy... there's nothing but a sense of alienation."
It's not that I have a favorable impression of Hanayama-san, either.
"Doesn't Hanayama-san have any female friends?"
"I don't. Everyone is jealous of me. Because I'm cute. They're wary that I'll take their men, so no one comes near me."
Unintentionally, I ended up sympathizing with Hanayama-san. Because her situation was similar to Airi's. Though her subsequent actions are completely different from Airi's.
"That must have been hard."
"...You actually sympathize with me there?"
"Well, yeah, because I imagined it."
I know the pain of a woman being envied over a man she's not interested in from watching Airi. I even felt like I wanted to protect her.
But Kanna is the same, and probably half the women in the "Watanabe squad" have experienced it, haven't they?
"I think there are many people in the 'Watanabe squad' in a similar situation to Hanayama-san. I think they would understand Hanayama-san's feelings."
"Toya-kun is the first person I've talked to about this..."
She said that and smiled brightly.
"There are things I can talk about and do because it's Toya-kun. Despite how I look, I intend to show my true self."
"Why not show it to other people too? Everyone will give you advice."
"It's impossible because I'm viewed as an enemy by the women~"
"Shimizu-san was like that too."
"I don't want to become like that. It's impossible for me to compromise and settle for some random man."
"You think so?"
"...What do you mean by that?"
Hanayama-san's expression changed. Did I touch upon something forbidden?
"When you were talking to Takemoto-kun, you seemed very happy."
When I said that, Hanayama-san laughed through her nose.
"That's not it. It was just that he made an approach, which was rare, so I just talked to him."
"Is that really all?"
"That's all. My ideals are high."
"And your ideal man is?"
"Toya-kun."
"You're just saying that as a game, right? Actually, someone like Nishimatsu-kun is more your ideal, isn't he? Your values match."
"Toya-kun, it's as if you're pushing me away. Look at me properly."
"...I can't answer those feelings. Unfortunately."
"Amazing, you really can tell, can't you?"
I peeked just a little into Hanayama-san's feelings. There was no lie in what Hanayama-san was saying. But unfortunately, I cannot respond to that. Besides...
"Actually, aren't you also interested in Takemoto-kun?"
"Looking at him just makes me irritated. I just get irritated that he doesn't take any action even though the person he likes is right in front of him..."
"Is that based on some past experience?"
"...You really can read hearts, can't you."
Hanayama-san seemed surprised. Was I spot on?
"Ah, Toya-kun, there you are!"
Airi seemed to have been looking for me.
Airi saw me and Hanayama-san and headed straight toward me.
Then she grabbed my arm and glared at her.
"Toya-kun, I've come for lunch~"
"I see, then shall we go, Hanayama-san too?"
"Yes!"
Saying that, Hanayama-san grabbed the arm opposite to the one Airi was holding.
Airi glared at Hanayama-san.
I had both arms grabbed, making it difficult to walk.
I thought about Hanayama-san.
Looking at Takemoto-kun makes her irritated.
It seemed as if she were overlapping him with her past self.
What happened?
(5)
On the way back from shopping.
Everyone was making merry as if yesterday had never happened.
Manabe-kun also seemed to be intentionally avoiding mentioning yesterday.
I wanted to keep it that way, but Niina-san herself brought it up.
"Um... did I do something rude last night?"
When Niina-san asked Manabe-kun, Manabe-kun said, "Nothing in particular happened. No need to worry about it."
It might be correct to act as if nothing happened.
If things can be reset that way. If we can start over from scratch once more.
But there is a word, manigae (T/N: repeating the same pattern/fate). There is a saying that fate repeats the same thing no matter how many times you start over.
In games, there is a system called New Game Plus.
A system where you carry over data from when you cleared the game and start over from the beginning.
In this case, if you don't carry over memories and start over, wouldn't the gears of fate proceed along the same rail?
Even so, if you have the same memories, would you still end up repeating the same thing?
Repeating the same things with the same emotions.
Living while repeating it over and over.
It continues like an infinite loop.
The only way is to switch the rail by one's own will.
People often say, "I should have done that then," or "I want to go back and start over now."
But that's impossible. You'll absolutely choose the same path.
Because at that time, that was the best choice for yourself.
"Does Takemoto-kun know anything?"
Niina-san directed the conversation to me.
"No, nothing in particular happened, right?"
"I see..."
The conversation should have ended there.
"Niina-san, do you have a type of man you like?"
Manabe-kun suddenly brought it up.
Niina-san looked down and fell silent.
I looked at Manabe-kun's face.
He had a face that said, "I've messed up."
"If it's Mirai, I'm sure it'll go well with anyone."
When Umi-chan said that, she made a happy face, saying, "You think so~". Then she looked at Manabe-kun's face through the rearview mirror, but Manabe-kun's face remained stiff.
"I think so too. The 'Watanabe squad' is a matchmaking group. You should consult Watanabe-kun or Sashihara-san."
When Manabe-kun said that, her face became dark again.
Even I can tell. That Manabe-kun is intentionally trying to distance himself from Niina-san.
Since even I can tell, Niina-san must have noticed too.
Eventually, Niina-san spoke as if she had made up her mind.
"What would you do if I said my type is Manabe-kun?"
Neither I nor Umi-chan could find words.
Manabe-kun continued to drive the car expressionlessly.
Niina-san followed up.
"Would Manabe-kun choose me?"
When Niina-san said that, Manabe-kun fell silent.
The interior of the car was wrapped in silence. The situation won't be resolved unless Manabe-kun says something.
"Just kidding, it's just a joke, so don't take it seriously."
Niina-san tried to make it a joke and act as if it didn't happen.
"Unfortunately, there's someone I like."
"Did you tell that person that?"
After a short pause, Niina-san asked, and Manabe-kun shook his head.
"No, I haven't been able to say it yet. I haven't had the chance."
"Does that person have someone they're dating?"
"No, I think there's no one."
"Did you ask properly?"
"Yeah, I asked. That person was married. They were predeceased by their husband."
"I see..."
When Niina-san said that, a time of silence flowed again.
"T-that means you might end up liking someone other than Manabe-kun, right?"
When I said that, Manabe-kun immediately denied it.
"There's no way that person would come to like someone else. Probably."
"Then, it can't be helped if Manabe-kun fell in love too, can it..."
"Takemoto, you know that falling in love isn't a matter of logic."
"That's true..."
"In that case, you can tell me too. I won't give up! I'll wait as long as it takes."
When Niina-san said that, Manabe-kun fell into thought.
The car arrived at the villa.
We got out of the car with our luggage.
"Niina-san, listen..."
Manabe-kun tried to say something, but Niina-san said, "Everyone is waiting. Let's hurry," and fled from the spot.
It seemed she was fleeing from Manabe-kun.
Umi-chan also followed after Niina-san.
"Manabe-kun, shall we go too?"
"Yeah..."
I vaguely understand Manabe-kun's feelings, but I understand Niina-san's feelings even more strongly.
Niina-san is strong.
Even knowing it's no good, she challenges it over and over without giving up.
While I'm still unable to even face my own feelings.
Why do we end up liking people we know are no good?
Is it what they call a prank of fate?
I was unable to fight such a fate.
Even though I know that a goddess never smiles upon those who do not confront fate...