Chapter 329 - Encounters are Miracles
(1)
"Toya-kun, it's morning~"
He's like a corpse with no reaction.
If you think that, you're completely wrong.
"Fine then! If you don't finish your daily routine by the time limit, I'll skip breakfast!"
Toya-kun's hand twitched.
He is awake after all.
Usually in times like this, when I get close, he hugs me tight.
...Maybe it's okay once in a while?
"Toya-kun, it's morning. Let's finish your routine and eat breakfast, okay?"
I whisper in Toya-kun's ear.
Toya-kun woke up.
...Huh? He didn't hug me.
Toya-kun starts changing.
Ugh... I'll pout.
I sit on the bed with my knees hugged.
Then Toya-kun whispers in my ear.
"I'll let you spoil me plenty tomorrow."
Even though Toya-kun is the one who wants to be spoiled.
I want to be spoiled too, though.
I stand up and skip out of the room.
"If you rush down the stairs, you'll time leap."
What's a time leap? I'll ask Toya-kun later.
After completing my daily routine, I prepare breakfast while Toya-kun takes a shower.
I also have to prepare lunch boxes.
It's true what they say: a woman's morning is busy.
It is around the time I finish making lunch boxes for Toya-kun, myself, and Toya-kun's Papa-san that Toya-kun's parents wake up.
Toya-kun also comes out of the shower.
After we finish eating, Maya-san cleans up.
Since I get home late, Maya-san and I decided that the evening pattern is the reverse of the morning.
I take a shower, then return to Toya-kun's room and dry my hair.
Once I finish drying my hair, I drink the café au lait Toya-kun made, sitting next to him.
After finishing the café au lait, I start my makeup.
Recently, he's stopped acting spoiled in the morning.
Because Toya-kun restarted his club activities.
Instead, he lets me be spoiled at night.
When he's absorbed in his game, I hug him from behind and get in his way.
These days, Toya-kun doesn't get angry.
He immediately stops the game and pays attention to me.
Today too, as soon as I finish my preparations, I rush to school.
I watch Toya-kun and the others from the second floor.
When it's time, Toya-kun and the others change clothes and kill time.
I want to look for one more potential workplace.
Toya-kun says that and goes to look at job listings.
What Toya-kun cares about are salary and holidays—those two points.
But reality is harsh, and he can't easily find a company that meets his hopes.
According to statistics, the average wage in our local area is lower than the national average.
"If it doesn't work out, there's Emi's company."
That's all I can do to ease Toya-kun's burden.
Hang in there, Toya-kun.
At lunch break, everyone gathers in the cafeteria.
"Toya, I heard you got an interview?"
Mizushima-kun says.
"Well, yeah. Finally one company."
"Only one at this time of year would make you nervous."
"What about you, Tasuku?"
"Me? I've got a few lined up. Got famous through basketball."
If you can get a job through basketball, Toya-kun should have been decided long ago.
As I thought, is last year's conflict having an effect?
Toya-kun deliberately says nothing.
If you're worried, you could at least tell me, you know? What kind of wife am I for?
When I look at Toya-kun with those eyes, he looks back at me.
He's peeking into my heart again.
That's fine, look as much as you want.
Toya-kun strokes my head and whispers in my ear.
"It's okay. Thank you."
Is it okay to do that in public? I'm happy, but...
"Getting all lovey-dovey in broad daylight."
Mizushima-kun says.
"Well, yeah."
Toya-kun lets me be spoiled even in public. I'm happy.
"Oh?"
Toya-kun notices something.
When I turn to see what he's looking at, there's a woman walking toward us, wearing a denim jacket and pants with a T-shirt—a casual outfit—and carrying a tote bag.
It's Kitamura-san.
Her hair is a mess, no makeup, and she's wearing glasses.
Did she just wake up?
"Kitamura-san!"
Watanabe-kun calls out to her, and she notices us, slowly walking over.
"Oh, everyone goes to the same school? I'd heard rumors."
"There are some who go to other universities too."
"I see."
She takes a cup noodle out of her bag and pours hot water from her thermos.
Then she drinks a bottled juice.
"Kitamura-san, don't you bring a lunch box or anything?"
"Ah, I can't be bothered to make one, so I usually buy stuff at the convenience store."
"Living alone?"
"Yeah, it's inconvenient coming to university from my parents' house."
"Car?"
"They told me I can't even get an AT-only license."
Kitamura-san slurps her noodles while talking to me.
"Using a thermos to bring hot water for noodles. That's clever, Kitamura-san."
Toya-kun sounds impressed.
Ugh...
pat
"Which does Toya-kun prefer? Your future wife's lunch box or cup noodles?"
"Well, no, I was just thinking about wanting to eat hot noodles in winter or something."
"Which one do you prefer?"
"It's obviously Airi's lunch box."
"Are you two married too? From yesterday's chat, it seemed like most were either married or had boyfriends."
"No, we're not yet."
When Kitamura-san said that, Toya-kun replied.
"Oh, so everyone here is a couple."
Kitamura-san seems uninterested.
"If you'd like, Kitamura-san, you could also..."
"Oh, you can eat Curry Noodles! I'm no good with that kind of thing!"
Watanabe-kun tried to say something, but Toya-kun interrupted.
"I can eat seafood flavor too."
Kitamura-san replies.
"I'm definitely a regular flavor guy."
"I saw on TV the other day that mixing in pudding makes it tasty."
Kitamura-san and Toya-kun seem to get along well.
But eating Curry Noodles at this time... doesn't she care about bad breath?
After that, we watch Toya-kun and Kitamura-san chatting.
Kitamura-san brings up a topic.
"I heard Ishihara-san and Sakura-san from the Faculty of Education are in this group too?"
"That's me."
"Is something up?"
"Whoa, the real deal is here!!"
Kitamura-san stands up and bows.
When she stood up, soup splashed and got on her T-shirt.
If she doesn't get that stain out, it'll be a problem, you know?
"I'd heard rumors since high school. They said Sakura-senpai was the shrewd manager who rebuilt the basketball club. And that Emi-san was an incredibly cool and sharp beauty everyone admired."
"Those rumors are still around, huh?"
"It wasn't me who rebuilt it. It was Katagiri-senpai."
"Katagiri-senpai?"
She apparently didn't know the name of the person she was just talking about.
"Ah, that's me. Katagiri Toya."
Toya-kun introduces himself and she bows.
"My apologies. I've heard the rumors for some time..."
Well, Toya-kun was on TV, after all.
"Wait, that means the person next to Katagiri-senpai is Tosaka Airi-senpai?"
"That's right, but?"
"Ah, sorry. I'm new here, so I haven't matched faces to names yet."
"We haven't done introductions yet either. Should we do them with everyone here?"
Watanabe-kun says that, and everyone starts introducing themselves.
She takes notes on each one. What's she noting down?
"Ah, I have to write names down properly, or I'll forget them."
"You'll learn them eventually."
"It's like in one ear and out the other. I have a bad memory."
Kitamura-san says, laughing.
"But this year's members are mostly women."
"And they're all from the Faculty of Education..."
"It's just coincidence, right?"
When Watanabe-kun and Emi say that, Toya-kun dismisses it with one word.
"It's about time, so I'll excuse myself."
"It's not that rushed, is it?"
When Emi says that, Kitamura-san replies.
"I need to check the classroom for my class at the administration building first, or I'll be uneasy."
Saying that, Kitamura-san leaves.
"Are you going to remodel her too?"
Emi says.
"I don't think the method I used on Asakura-san would work on her."
Toya-kun says.
"Why?"
I asked.
"Because she has no interest in that. She thinks things are fine as they are."
"But at this rate, she can't even catch small fry."
"It's useless to do anything for her because she doesn't want the fish."
"Why did you put a girl like that in Watanabe's group?"
Emi asks, and Toya-kun replies.
"Because it seemed interesting. I was wondering what kind of boyfriend a girl like that would end up with."
"You just said it's impossible yourself."
"Under normal circumstances, it's impossible. But maybe something out of the ordinary is happening. I saw some change in her heart."
Toya-kun says and smiles.
Not only can Toya-kun read minds, but he's become a prophet? He keeps evolving...
(2)
"Well, just when I thought Yoshiyuki had improved..."
"A talent close to him appears. And a woman at that."
The owner says that as he brushes Kitamura-san's hair with a brush.
"I've never really cared much about it."
"But if you're going into customer service, you need to care a little."
The owner laughs.
By the way, at Blue Bird, thanks to the uniform, she transforms into a decent-looking woman.
I teach her the work from scratch, but she's incredibly slow.
She asks customers for their order multiple times, gives the wrong change—it's tough for me as her trainer.
"You two seem pretty close?"
Akira-chan says, clearly displeased.
"L-let me clarify, she's just a junior part-timer."
"I know."
Then could you let down your guard?
Jingle jingle
A customer arrives.
It's Katagiri-kun and the others.
"Welcome. The usual?"
"Yeah, the usual."
They go to the table in the back.
One by one, the idle members of Watanabe's group arrive.
Mostly the wives.
Akira-chan is also chatting with Emi-san and Kana-chan over tea.
"Sakai-senpai, the order is ready."
"Ah, I'll bring it now."
I take the items to Katagiri-kun's table.
At that moment, Katagiri-kun whispers in my ear.
Huh?
"What's wrong?"
Tosaka-san asks with a curious look.
"O-oh, nothing at all. Right, Katagiri-kun?"
"Yeah, nothing at all, Airi."
"Ugh... you two are hiding something."
As if resigning himself, Katagiri-kun tells Tosaka-san what he just whispered.
"She's in love," he said.
Tosaka-san looked puzzled.
Watanabe-kun and Ai-san arrived.
Aren't both of you supposed to be working?
Both of them sit at Katagiri-kun's table.
Just when I thought most of Watanabe's group had gathered.
Jingle jingle
A man enters.
He was what you'd call a handsome man—his fashion, hairstyle, and even the aura around him were all perfect.
He must have captivated all the women in Watanabe's group.
Ah, don't get me wrong.
They're looking at him like they'd look at an idol, not with romantic feelings... I think.
Yes, all the women in Watanabe's group.
And she—Kitamura-san—was no exception.
"...Please sit at any open seat."
She, who is usually spaced out, is spaced out.
Seeing those two, Katagiri-kun grins.
"Toya, I don't want to think it, but..."
"Katagiri-kun, could it be..."
"Toya-kun, is that so?"
When the three of them ask, Katagiri-kun nods.
"As I thought, coming today was the right choice."
Did you even develop precognition?
(3)
Yesterday, I saved a woman who was being molested.
That itself is a common occurrence.
Even though the occupancy rate of our local trains is not that high, they get fairly crowded during commute hours.
And now is just the travel season.
It can get to the point where the train is so packed you can barely stand, even though normally there's room for students to sit on the floor and chat.
What happens at such times is molestation.
I've saved countless women.
Each time, they ask for my contact info.
I didn't help them with that intention, so it annoys me.
By the way, I don't have a girlfriend now.
It's not like my history of no girlfriend equals my age.
They just fall for me on their own and get disillusioned on their own.
I wonder if this time too, the same ending awaits?
"Could you be a witness so I can file a complaint?"
"Since I'll need to contact you from now on, could you give me your contact info?"
"Could you protect me for the rest of my life?"
I expected that kind of development, but she was different.
A crumpled T-shirt, denim jacket and pants.
Dirty sneakers.
She didn't seem to be wearing any makeup or perfume, and no accessories at all.
I thought even a high school girl would dress a little better, but she showed no interest in me whatsoever.
I thought she'd be desperate to make time for the investigation as well.
"I want to go home soon, so it's fine."
Huh?
"But you were the victim. You should file a report."
"He'll just pay a fine and that'll be the end, right? Plus, court cases are a pain."
"Well, we can't recommend that, but if you insist, we can release him..."
"He'll just get caught doing the same thing to someone else, so that's fine."
Don't you have any awareness of preventing crime!? As long as you're fine, that's all that matters!?
"Don't you think it's a pity for the other people?"
"I don't want to spend my time for other people."
Both the police officer and I were stunned.
"Um, can I go now? You're not arresting him, right?"
"Ah, yeah, you can go."
When the officer said that, she left the police box.
I snapped back to reality and chased after her.
"Are you really okay with that?"
"Yeah, sorry for causing trouble even though you saved me."
"It's fine. Well, I'll be off then. Um, Kitamura-san, was it?"
"Kitamura Misato."
"Got it. Well, see you."
And so that day ended.
But even after going home, I couldn't forget about her.
That was the first time I'd been treated like that.
What was decisively different from other women.
From the start, she didn't care about me at all.
For the first time in my life, I became interested in a woman—that woman.
A type of woman that had never existed before.
I was drawn to her.
She looked like a university student. Although far from the image of a female college student.
Since she was on that train, was she a student at the local university?
I remember. When she showed her ID at the police box, she didn't show a driver's license but a student ID. That student ID was definitely from the local university.
Should I wander around the university looking for her?
That would make me a suspicious person.
Any clues... she said her name was Kitamura Misato.
Same university, know her name, want to get to know her.
One keyword came to mind.
Watanabe's group
The gods of love who make couples one after another.
I heard about them from seniors.
They gather at a café called Blue Bird.
So I should just go there.
I'll go tomorrow right away.
I thought so.
The next day, I got on the train and looked for her.
Of course, I didn't find her.
I searched the Faculty of Education building aimlessly but didn't find her, and no one I asked knew her.
Thinking it was my last gamble, I headed to Blue Bird after classes ended.
Jingle jingle
"Welcome...!?"
She was the employee.
Maybe the gods of love really do exist after all.
"...Please sit at any open seat."
I was about to sit at a random seat when a group of four called out to me.
"You, could you come over here for a sec?"
A large-built man looked at me and said.
They looked like a suspicious group.
But naturally, I found myself joining their group.
"You're from the local university?"
"Yes, I am."
"Did you come to see Watanabe's group?"
Are these people related to Watanabe's group?
"Yes?"
When I said that, the large-built man grinned.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Watanabe Masashi, the leader of Watanabe's group. What's your name?"
"Kuribayashi Junichi."
"And, Kuribayashi-kun, you want a girlfriend."
"Ah, no, that's not it..."
I was just looking for the employee from earlier.
"Are you interested in Kitamura-san?"
Another man said that, with a daring smile.
Did he read my mind? Or he might have just noticed my reaction earlier.
I nodded silently.
"Watanabe-kun. I'm fine with it. Continue the story."
That person said to Watanabe-san. Then Watanabe-san began explaining.
After hearing the explanation, I exchanged IDs and was invited to a messaging group.
When I entered, everyone greeted me.
Another group invitation came.
It was a group called Men's Club.
I joined that one too.
"Well, nice to meet you. Everyone, let's introduce ourselves too."
It turned out that most of the customers around me were from Watanabe's group.
Not only that, the employees were also from Watanabe's group.
"I'm Kitamura. Thanks for the other day."
"No, it was me who caused you trouble."
"No, I was the one who was saved."
Her words had no emotion.
Her eyes looked like she couldn't care less.
It's over already, so don't bother me anymore.
That kind of look.
Was this just stalking if I kept pestering her?
I was feeling down with that thought.
"Don't look so down. It'll work out somehow."
That man, Katagiri-senpai, said.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Here's your coffee."
Her hands were trembling, and the coffee in the cup was rippling.
Katagiri-senpai took the coffee cup, handed it to me, and said to her.
"Kitamura-san, do you know him?"
"It's not really knowing him. I just happened to get caught up in an incident yesterday and he helped me."
Any other woman would have used that as an opportunity to get closer to me, but this girl answered as if it was a bother.
This was a first for me.
And because it was a first, I became interested.
Katagiri-senpai moved to the next question.
"Kitamura-san, are you seeing anyone right now?"
"No, why would I be?"
She's single. Then there's a chance.
"What about that guy? He seems free now, and I think he's nice."
"Don't tease me. I know my worth."
Does she think she's not good enough for me?
"I don't think that's true. After all, he came all the way here to see you just now, didn't he?"
Well, I just got lucky by chance. But I was looking for her.
"I'm working now, so excuse me."
Saying that, she left.
Did it fail? I guess relying on gods doesn't always work.
But Katagiri-senpai laughed.
"That's good. She seems to have a little interest in you."
Huh?
"If she wasn't interested, she wouldn't have used the word 'worth'."
Katagiri-senpai said.
"Toya, what should Kuribayashi-kun do now?"
When Watanabe-senpai asked, Katagiri-senpai called out to Sakai-senpai.
"What is it?"
"What's her shift during the four-day holiday?"
"It's all work. By the way, this is kind of risky to share."
"Thanks, Sakai-kun. So, that's it, Kuribayashi-kun. I think you know what to do from here."
"...Isn't that stalking?"
"Is going to a café and drinking coffee stalking? I'm not telling you to wait for her after work."
Will that really work? I was a little unsure about my first romantic pursuit.
"Is it enough to just drink coffee?"
"Yeah, for now, just drink coffee."
Katagiri-senpai said confidently.
He also said I didn't have to force myself to sit at the counter.
"Toya, is this okay? Kitamura-san seems to have pretty strong defenses."
Watanabe-senpai said.
"It's fine. Like I said, she doesn't have any aversion or anything towards Kuribayashi-kun. She just lacks confidence in herself."
"Does drinking coffee give her confidence?"
"It's not that. First, we need to make her aware of Kuribayashi-kun as a person. She has no interest in men. For some unknown reason, she has a slight interest in you. But unless we break down that guard, we can't talk."
Katagiri-senpai's words were convincing.
I decided to follow his instructions.
From then on, a strange relationship with her continued.
(4)
"What about that guy? He seems free now, and I think he's nice."
"Don't tease me. I know my worth."
Why did he ask that? I thought about it all day.
Is he interested in me? He came to see me? Isn't that just stalking?
Would a handsome guy like him do something so disturbing? He'd be better off looking for someone else than bothering me.
I thought so.
That day too, I went home on the train after work.
Going home by train is a hassle because I have to go all the way to the local station, but since I can't drive, it can't be helped.
I work part-time not because I don't have living expenses. I manage well enough with my parents' allowance.
I don't have anything I particularly want to do, I'm not interested in clubs, and I have no hobbies, so I just thought I'd use my extra time efficiently.
From leaving the house to coming back, my phone stays in my bag, so when I get home, there are a bunch of chat logs piled up.
It's a pain to read them all, so I skip to the end.
I eat the food I bought at the convenience store, take a shower, and watch TV.
I don't have anything particular I want to watch on TV either; I just turn it on because I'm bored alone.
I have one more thing to do now.
Check Watanabe's group chat.
Just looking at it.
If someone asks something, I answer.
Though there's not much I can answer.
Around midnight, sleepiness hits me.
I get into bed and fall asleep.
What if he actually likes me? He's handsome. I think so, so everyone must think so, right? It's a pain to go after him and incur unnecessary jealousy or envy.
Let's think about something else.
I look at the list I noted today.
Ishihara Emi
Sakura Sakurako
I met my two idols.
They were even more wonderful than the rumors.
It seems even those two have boyfriends.
I don't know the details, but apparently Emi-senpai is married.
Why would a strong woman like her fall for a seemingly unreliable Ishihara-senpai?
I asked Emi-senpai that question.
"Because I wanted to correct his unreliability."
It was a strange answer.
A reason I couldn't understand at all.
She also said this.
"When you know love, the world changes."
That's a world I have nothing to do with.
I'll never fall in love with anyone.
After all, someone like me...
Such thoughts run through my head.
I'm starting to feel bad.
Before I feel worse, I fall asleep.
(5)
After club activities, I go home, eat, and take a bath.
After my bath, I have a drink while waiting for Airi to come back.
After that, Airi checks her luggage for tomorrow's trip.
I should do mine too.
I sit next to Airi and check the contents of my bag.
"Hey, Toya-kun?"
"What's up?"
"Is that really going to work?"
"That depends on Kuribayashi-kun, doesn't it?"
"You're being irresponsible again."
"No matter what moves you make, it's up to the person."
"I see... He was really handsome, wasn't he?"
"Did you fall for him at first sight too, Airi?"
pat
"You're teasing me again, Toya-kun!"
Once we finish packing, Airi starts doing the accounts on her laptop.
Even though we'll arrive a little after 3, I think I'll sleep a bit early.
As I think that and get into bed, Airi pulls on my clothes.
"Not yet!!"
"Why?"
"Did you forget what you said?"
"Huh?"
"You said you'd let me spoil you when tomorrow comes."
...So that's it.
"What should I do then?"
"How about playing a game? You have nothing to watch on TV and you're bored anyway, right?"
I do as Airi says and play a game.
A newly bought FPS game.
I play to get a bit into the campaign mode.
I suddenly notice Airi is captivated by the screen.
She notices me looking at her and hurriedly looks back at her laptop.
"What's wrong?"
"Ugh... the story seems interesting, so I end up watching."
"Then I'll play after you finish your work."
"I'm already done."
"Then what are you doing?"
I look at Airi's laptop.
She was playing an online game.
"I'm bored, but I want to be spoiled by Toya-kun after midnight... Eek!"
I princess-carry Airi and lay her on the bed.
I turn off the TV and dim the lights.
"I said after midnight~"
"It's already past midnight."
"Oh, it really is."
Airi says after looking at the clock.
"Toya-kun."
"What?"
"It's been a while since we went on a trip."
"Yeah, it has."
Since we went to China in September, I guess. Setting aside whether that can be called a trip.
"Let's make lots more memories again."
"Yeah, let's."
There are still many problems piled up and nothing is solved.
But during this holiday, I'll focus on making memories with Airi.
That's what I thought that night.