Chapter 203 - Dream Chasers
(1)
"Mmm..."
I woke up first.
Even though Toya-kun said he would wake me up.
Toya-kun is sleeping while clinging to my body, so I can't move carelessly.
If he finds out I woke up first, he'll surely be depressed.
Ugh... it can't be helped. I'll wake him up. After that, I can just pretend to be asleep.
"Toya-kun, it's morning."
When I whisper in Toya-kun's ear, he lets out a "Hmm?"
He's awake. Pretend to be asleep, pretend to be asleep.
"Airi?"
I pretend not to notice and continue acting asleep.
"What, is she still sleeping?"
It seems Toya-kun has fallen asleep again.
That's not how it's supposed to go, you idiot Toya-kun!!
Poke
"Eh? Airi!?"
I pretend to be asleep again.
Is he awake this time?
I steal a glance at Toya-kun. For a moment, it looked like our eyes were about to meet.
I hurriedly look away and return to pretending to be asleep.
Please just notice already.
"Airi! Are you awake?"
Did you forget what you said yourself?
Right now, I'm Sleeping Beauty, okay?
Toya-kun seems to have finally remembered.
As he turns my face toward him, a soft sensation touches my lips.
I finally wake up.
"If you were awake, you could have just woken me up."
That's not it!? Today is the day Toya-kun cast a spell on me.
He said that just as a mage's spell to wake someone after 100 years works, he would wake me up with his kiss.
"That's right, I forgot."
You can't just laugh it off and dodge the subject.
I pretend to pout.
I silently go to the washroom, wash my face, and comb my hair.
Then, I find Toya-kun standing silently behind me.
It's slightly like a horror movie.
"Airi, I'm sorry!"
Toya-kun suddenly shouted.
Startled, I look at Toya-kun's face.
Looking at his face, I burst out laughing.
Toya-kun looks bewildered.
Sorry. It's because Toya-kun's face when he's apologizing overlapped with his face on the night of our first big fight.
"Look, Toya-kun, you have to change too, or we won't be able to eat breakfast."
Toya-kun doesn't move.
He's staring intently at me.
I can't tell if he's dense or sharp~
I hug Toya-kun.
"Still don't get it? I'm always telling you. Look properly into my heart."
After a short pause, Toya-kun's expression changed to one of relief.
Then we ate breakfast, and after finishing our preparations to leave, we watched TV until just before checkout.
Toya-kun was sleeping, though.
He has to drive again. I'll let him sleep as much as possible.
I played with my smartphone while watching TV alone.
A game I started with Toya-kun.
A game where you collect characters and weapons called SSRs, fight, and advance the story.
Toya-kun is better at it—or rather, his luck with rares is amazing. But I also benefit from that luck; whenever I play multiplayer with Toya-kun, I always pull an SSR.
You can't get strong with just that, so I play alone like this occasionally.
While doing so, the time comes.
I wake Toya-kun, and we leave the hotel.
Huh? The road is different from when we came.
What happened?
"No, we have plenty of time, so I thought we'd take it slow."
Just as Toya-kun said, even stopping for a meal along the way, we arrived in Kobe in less than five hours.
After thinking it over, we decided to stop at an internet cafe to kill time, eat dinner, and then board the ferry.
Upon arriving at the internet cafe, Toya-kun heads to the booth with the manga and juice he was looking for.
I surfed the web alone.
I'm bored. Toya-kun isn't paying attention to me.
...Fine then.
Apparently, the online game we play has something called "Net Cafe Bonuses."
Things like doubling earned experience or increasing item drop rates.
I'll do it while Toya-kun isn't and get ahead of him.
When I enter a dungeon meant for solo play, Toya-kun speaks up, saying, "That's rare."
I'm bored, so it can't be helped.
I returned Kiritani-kun's equipment to him. It might be rude to Kiritani-kun, but the equipment I'm borrowing from Toya-kun is far stronger.
After hunting for an hour, I encountered some kind of color-variant monster.
When I tried to defeat it, my equipment was somehow stripped away.
"Airi, you have to run!"
Toya-kun, who happened to be watching, tells me.
I use a teleport item to leave the area, log out once, and re-equip my gear.
In the meantime, Toya-kun had reached the map where I was playing.
Toya-kun joyfully searches for that monster.
Apparently, it's something called an MVP.
Toya-kun's character, shining in gold, charges in without hesitation upon finding that MVP.
And he defeated it in an instant.
Among the remaining items was a green square object.
Apparently, it's a rare item. It's not that expensive, but it's still traded for a high price.
"You did it, Airi. It's fun playing with you because rares appear."
"If you think so, then you help me too, Toya-kun."
I vented my frustration.
"Ah, sorry. Wait a moment."
I go to the location Toya-kun specified and start playing with him. That said, it's just simple work—following Toya-kun's player and using recovery medicine whenever I take damage.
My level shot up. It was 160, but now it's risen to a bit over 170.
"Isn't it about time?"
Considering dinner time, it's about the right moment.
Toya-kun says, "You should take the bonus rewards before logging out," so I take them, log out, and shut down the PC.
In the meantime, Toya-kun tidies up the manga and leaves the booth.
Once in the car, Toya-kun looks troubled.
It's probably about dinner.
I tell Toya-kun, "Meat is fine, right? You want to eat meat, don't you? If there's any of my portion left, you can eat it, Toya-kun."
"Is that okay?" Toya-kun asks. I nod.
Toya-kun goes to a shop he had in mind for meat dishes.
Toya-kun really loves meat.
Toya-kun ate the portion I couldn't finish.
After finishing dinner, we buy juice and food at a convenience store, go to the ferry terminal, complete the boarding procedures, and get on the ship.
Tomorrow, I can return home.
August isn't over yet.
What should I do for the remaining month and a bit?
I go out onto the deck and bid farewell to Kobe.
I always think this when the ship departs.
Like the waves formed at the rear of the ship, people leave memories behind.
They disappear quickly.
Even so, memories hold many things deeply,
And though they fade, I will remember forever...
But it's okay if they disappear; I can just carve new ones.
Just as memories written in a notebook leave an impression on the next page due to the pressure of the pen, I'll just carve myself strongly into Toya-kun's chest.
Someday, it will remain deeply in Toya-kun's heart.
Because it continues until the goal of the dream with Toya-kun, which is already in sight.
(2)
A sweet scent wafts through the air.
What is this smell?
Drawn by the scent, I wake up.
Kazu-san, who should have been sleeping next to me, is gone.
"Kazu-san?"
I look around and search for Kazu-san.
Kazu-san seemed to be making something in the kitchen.
"Kazu-san, what are you doing?"
I called out to Kazu-san, who was standing in the kitchen.
"Ah, Kanna, good morning. It'll be ready in a little bit, so please wait a moment."
I sit at the table, turn on the TV, and wait for Kazu-san.
"Here, thanks for waiting. It's something simple."
What Kazu-san made was French toast.
I cut it with a fork and knife and eat.
It's delicious.
"Kazu-san, you can cook."
"I live alone, so I can make simple things."
After finishing breakfast, Kazu-san carries the dishes to the kitchen, saying, "I'll do the cleaning too."
After that, the two of us kill time while watching TV.
For lunch, I make curry pilaf for us to eat, and then we head to Blue Bird.
After listening to Eguchi-san's worries and after Eguchi-san and the Watanabes leave, the conversation continues.
"So, Honoka, what happened?"
"Eh?"
"I mean, until recently you were looking forward to a trip this weekend. But you have a gloomy look on your face."
"Ah, you noticed?"
"Well, yeah."
"Actually..."
Let me explain briefly.
In short, it seems she hasn't been able to get in touch with Nakajima-kun since last night.
When she called many times, it seems his power was turned off.
An obviously suspicious attitude.
He must be doing something shameful.
We were discussing this as a group of four, including Shimizu-san and Sakura-san.
Hiyama-senpai says nothing, pretending to be calm. That's normal for him, though.
"Doesn't Sakai-kun know something? They're friends, right?"
I tried to shake him.
I targeted Sakai-kun, who seemed the most susceptible to being shaken.
"A-Ah, isn't it not so great to pry too much?"
"Are you doing something that would be troublesome if pried into?"
"No, it's not that... everyone has their own circumstances, right?"
"In other words, there are some?"
"N-No. I don't know that much... ahaha."
His attitude is blatantly suspicious.
There was one other person acting suspiciously.
The person next to me holding a smartphone—Kazu-san.
"Kazu-san, show me your phone."
"Eh?"
"The women should have the right to censor the men's smartphones."
"That's right, Zen-kun. Show us your phone."
When Shimizu-san said that, Sakai-kun tried to wiggle out of it, saying, "I-I put it in the locker just now."
"Haruki-san, please show us yours too. If you have nothing to be ashamed of, you can show us, right~?"
Sakura-san is also asking Hiyama-senpai.
The first to move was Hiyama-senpai.
"...I'm telling you, nothing important is written there, okay?"
Saying so, he unlocks his phone and hands it to Sakura-san.
Tracing the logs back to last night, Sakura-san read a certain sentence.
"I have a mixer tonight. Keep her fooled... what is this~"
Sakai-kun and Kazu-san hold their heads.
Both of them knew, didn't they?
"That's why you were invited to a mixer, right? Nakajima was in the Soccer Club, right? It's normal for that to happen, isn't it?"
"I can't believe someone would go to a mixer while having a girlfriend~. Are you going too, Haruki-san~?"
"Well, I told you before, right? I have no interest in any woman other than Sakura."
"Having no interest doesn't mean you don't go, right~?"
"Even if I go, I look bored, so they told me I kill the mood and stopped inviting me."
"Which means you were going~?"
"That's from before I started dating Sakura."
"...It seems we can believe those words~. Based on the logs."
Hiyama-senpai's suspicion was cleared. As for the remaining two...
"Do I look like the kind of man who would be invited to a mixer?" he laughs.
Kazu-san... is maintaining silence. No way... Kazu-san suddenly bowed his head and said one word: "Sorry!"
"I've gone once to make up the numbers."
"How can you say something like that...? If you had said you didn't go, I would have trusted you."
"I thought it was better than lying and getting caught."
"There's no way you wouldn't get caught. Have you ever thought about how a girlfriend feels when she's confessed to that you've been going to mixers?"
"From now on, I'll refuse, saying I have a girlfriend. It's okay, I haven't cheated."
Are we supposed to believe that? Someone who was hiding the fact that he went to a mixer until just now.
"How trivial. Anyone gets invited to a mixer, right? Because you girls scream and make a fuss over things like that, it becomes hard for men to say. If you bind them too much, they'll actually end up cheating."
When Hiyama-senpai said that, Sakura-san rebelled.
"Then, Haruki-san, would you not think anything if I went to a mixer~?"
"At Sakura's university, you're an idol, right? I actually thought it would be strange if you didn't go."
Hiyama-senpai says this without any remorse.
"That's cruel~, I'm considerate enough to not do that~. ...Didn't you say I'm not easy, Haruki?"
"That's why I'm saying going and cheating are completely different! I believe Sakura isn't that kind of woman, so I don't care if you go."
"...There's a big difference between being trusted and being underestimated."
"Then, do you want me to worry that Sakura is such an easy woman that she'd allow herself to be hit on by some random guy at a mixer?"
"That's..."
"To be honest, I don't want you to go. But there are times when it's for social obligations or unavoidable. If you just tell me, I'm fine with it."
Just one word would be enough. However, because that one word was missing, they are fighting this time.
"Kanna, I'll refuse from now on, so please let it slide."
I wondered what I should do.
I've heard that things that happen once happen many times.
But the fact that he confessed means he felt it was wrong to some extent.
"...Just this once."
"I know."
"...In that case, the problem is Nakajima-kun."
When Shimizu-san said that, Hiyama-senpai interrupted again.
"I'm telling you, there's no need to scream and shout. If you don't want him to go, just say so. Then he'll understand, if he's a man of the Watanabe group."
After saying his piece, Hiyama-senpai told Sakura-san, "It's about time to go," and left the shop.
Sakura-san followed Hiyama-senpai, leaving behind, "I'll message you again in the girls' chat."
Shimizu-san is operating her smartphone.
She was leaving a message for the Watanabe group.
"To Nakajima-kun: Contact Ichinose-san tonight at 22:00. You know the content without me saying it, right? You know what will happen if you don't, right?"
A message came from Nakajima-kun: "...Understood."
"Nakajima, did you do something!?"
"Did something happen?"
"Namu (T/N: Buddhist prayer for the dead)."
"Well, good luck."
Messages from the men.
"If Nakajima-kun says anything to you, please let me know if you can. The girls' group is fine," Shimizu-san said.
"Kanna, shall we head home soon?"
"Yes..."
Saying so, we also leave the shop.
"I wonder if those two are okay?"
"Hiyama-kun said it, right? If they're men of the Watanabe group, there's no problem."
"Kazu-san is okay... right?"
"You'll just have to trust me."
Will the days just flow by until the day I can love him exactly as he is?
Kazu-san's right hand grasps my left hand.
When I look at Kazu-san, he has his usual gentle smile.
How long will I be able to keep looking at it?
If possible, I don't want to lose that smile.
In another half year, he will enter the wide world as a working adult.
Then, new encounters might be waiting.
I was terrified of that.
Will he keep choosing me forever?
I needed a little more time until the day that worry ends up being unfounded.
(3)
22:00.
It's about time.
I select Honoka from my contacts and dial.
Honoka answered immediately.
"Hello."
"Hello..."
Silence flows. Neither of us knew how to start the conversation.
Honoka starts it.
"If you have no business, I'm hanging up..."
"W-Wait."
"What?"
"...Um, I'm sorry!"
"What do you mean?"
What do I mean... hasn't it been found out? It seemed they were talking about it in the boys' group.
"It's not like you cheated, so don't be flustered. Apologize proudly."
I didn't understand the meaning of what he was saying. But I vaguely get it.
"Um... you saw the message, right?"
"I saw it. What about it?"
What about it? ...She doesn't care?
"I'm sorry for going to a mixer? ...Or I'm sorry for cheating? ...Or did you find another girl to date?"
"I'm sorry for going to a mixer. But there's no cheating or dating anyone else!"
"Why did you go without saying anything? If you're going, you should just say you're going."
"I thought you'd get angry if I went."
"Rather than getting angry, I was anxious. I wondered where you were? What you were doing... because the phone suddenly cut off."
"Sorry."
"I'll ask one more time. What are you apologizing for?"
"...For sneaking around."
"...Can you swear you'll never do it again?"
"I swear."
It was Honoka's voice, sounding as if she were about to cry.
"Absolutely. You just swore, okay? I hate feeling this way."
"I know."
"You did it because you didn't know!"
Honoka's voice was sorrowful.
A voice that appealed more to her loneliness than her anger.
"Sorry."
"I understand if you say it once... is there nothing else to say?"
"The only one I love is Honoka."
"Yeah... I understand. So, how was it?"
"What was?"
"The mixer. I've never been to one, so I don't know what it's like."
Honestly, it wasn't fun.
While everyone was self-promoting, saying "I'm this" and "I'm that," it was just time spent staying silent, unable to even say, "Actually, I have a girlfriend."
I just waited for time to pass while drinking alcohol, waited until the first party ended, skipped the second party, and went home alone.
I thought to myself that there wouldn't be a second time.
I told Honoka that.
Honoka was laughing.
"If it was boring, then there won't be a second time."
"Please believe me."
"Yeah, I believe you."
"Well, it's late, so I'll hang up."
"You're hanging up already?"
Honoka said dissatisfiedly.
"Tomorrow is from noon, so let's talk a bit more? You didn't let me yesterday."
When Honoka said that, I obediently complied.
We talked until the date changed.
(4)
Lying on the bed, I was looking at my smartphone.
I'm curious about the Watanabe group's messages.
What did Nakajima-kun do?
I peeked into the boys' group. While tracing the logs, I found out the reason.
He messed up, Nakajima-kun.
"Toya-kun~"
Airi climbed up the ladder. I have a general idea of what she wants.
"Show me your phone♪"
"Airi, this room has a window. The night view is beautiful."
"Show me♪"
"Around what time was the Seto Ohashi Bridge? I'm looking forward to it..."
"Show it to me!"
I obediently hand over the smartphone.
Airi operates it and checks the message logs.
"Is it about this~"
After that, Airi checks the individual logs in addition to the group.
Airi's check today is stricter than usual.
Even the contacts are checked.
"Who is this person~?"
"A friend from middle school."
You can have a friend, right?
"Geez, we aren't in contact anymore, so they're unnecessary, right?"
Airi deletes the names of people she doesn't know like that.
"I heard from Kanna that there are cases where it's a man's name but actually a woman."
Makoto... did you do it?
However, regardless of such things, the incident suddenly arrives. Something I didn't expect happens.
The contacts are suddenly unearthed like a notebook of memories.
"Ah, a woman's name!! Someone I don't know!! Toya-kun!!"
Was there such a person?
I look at the smartphone screen.
Murakami Natsumi
... It remained, after all.
"Toya-kun! Who!?"
Airi rattles on, but I couldn't hear any of it.
Why is she appearing now?
I had still left it...
Poke
"Toya-kun, are you listening!? Who is this person?"
"She's not the kind of person you think she is, Airi."
"Then, what kind of person is she?"
"Someone who was in the same class in middle school."
"Then, since there's no longer a relationship, it's okay to delete her, right?"
"I guess so..."
Noticing that my behavior is strange, Airi stopped operating the phone.
"A person from Toya-kun's memories?"
"Yeah, a memory."
"Ugh... middle school means it was when we were dating, right?"
"That's right."
"Someone Toya-kun admired...?"
"I told you it's not like that... she's ... no, she's just a ... person."
"Eh...?"
Airi was lost for words.
That person who appears in my dreams.
I had even forgotten that we exchanged contacts.
I had properly explained to Airi the reason why I had to exchange contacts.
"...Delete her?"
"Yeah."
"But... wouldn't it be better to talk once?"
"It's too late for that, right?"
Saying so, I delete the contact on behalf of the hesitating Airi.
"Is it okay now?"
"Yeah..."
Airi seems to be bothered by it.
I want to distract her with something.
"Airi, it'll be a bit narrow and our bodies will be pressed together."
"?"
"Shall we spend the night like this until morning?"
"...Isn't it just that Toya-kun wants to do that?"
Airi says so and giggles.
To me, who doesn't quite understand the reason, Airi points to my lower body.
"The body is honest, as they say."
I was blushing.
"T-This is..."
"It's okay. I feel the same way as Toya-kun."
"W-We're just sleeping, okay."
"Yes~"
Saying so, Airi closes the curtains and falls asleep with our bodies pressed together.
Even after Airi fell asleep, I remained unable to sleep for a while.
It's not because Airi's body warmth is being transmitted.
It's not because I can hear Airi's heartbeat.
I remember that girl's voice.
"It's cruel... Toya-kun..."
I remember the face of that girl who was crying.
I said it's too late, but it can't be settled as just being too late.
The girl who appears in my dreams just as I'm about to forget.
I wonder what she's doing now?
I hope she's happy.
Praying so, I fell asleep.