Chapter 65 - Airi Tosaka
(1)
Ding-dong
"Coming—"
Maya-san's voice comes through the intercom.
"It's Tosaka."
"Oh, you're early today. Just a moment."
Then the door opens.
"Welcome, Airi-chan."
Maya-san greets me.
"Good morning. Where is Toya-kun?"
"...The usual. I wish he'd learn to wake up a little earlier~"
Yes!
"Excuse me."
Saying that, I enter the house and quietly climb the stairs.
I give a light knock.
No response.
He's still sleeping.
I gently open the door to find Toya-kun still sleeping comfortably.
I approach the bed and quietly take out my smartphone.
And then, Toya-kun's sleeping face...
Click
Toya-kun still doesn't wake up.
For now, I try opening the curtains.
Still doesn't wake up.
I try peeling back the duvet.
Yep, he doesn't wake up.
Hmm, shall I try this!
I lie down next to Toya-kun and hug him.
He hugs me back naturally.
Lately, he doesn't wake up from just this.
I whisper in his ear.
"Hey. Wake up. It's beautiful weather."
And then, a little nip on the earlobe!
"○▼※△☆▲※◎★●!?"
He lets out an incoherent cry and leaps awake.
It really worked.
I looked it up on the internet, you know.
"Wake me up more normally..."
It seems it was unpopular with Toya-kun.
"Would a kiss have been better?"
"I'm fine, I can wake up on my own... wait, it's too early!"
Toya-kun protests while looking at the clock.
I explain the reason to him.
I operate my phone and show the screen to Toya-kun.
"I really wanted this, you know~"
"Wait... you..."
"Well then, I'll head downstairs first."
After confirming Toya-kun was wide awake, I left the room.
(2)
Final exams start today.
Unlike those up until middle school, final exams are held over four days because the number of subjects increases.
Grades are announced as rankings for each class.
And then, the final day of tests.
"It's over—"
Kanna and Toya-kun slump over their desks.
Almost everyone feels the same way.
"Good work everyone~"
I call out to the two of them.
"Why do you have so much energy, Airi?"
I want to ask the opposite.
"Why do you get so tired?"
The two of them look at each other and sigh.
"Typical Airi, or something like that,"
Kanna mutters.
Did I say something strange?
"Right then, time to go home and get ready for my part-time job."
"Kanna, are your grades okay with you doing nothing but part-time jobs?"
"Probably fine. Toya's predictions were spot on."
Toya-kun is good at that kind of thing, isn't he?
"Alright! To celebrate the end of tests today, let's have udon..."
Thump!
I hit Toya-kun on the head.
"You have to go home and review..."
"Reviewing won't raise my grades."
"You have to review properly to memorize things~"
"I'll do it properly when I get home, so please, I beg you."
"It's a promise that you'll do it when you get home!"
"Thanks, Airi! I love you!"
He only says it at times like this.
We ate udon, went home, and reviewed the problems at Toya-kun's house.
It seems Toya-kun's predictions really were correct.
As expected, Toya-kun's intuition is sharp at times like this.
I wish he would apply that sharp intuition to other things too.
"Looks like I'll be okay this time."
"I agree."
Toya-kun sprawls out in a star shape with a sigh.
"You can't sleep."
"I know."
Saying that, he sits up and looks at the problems again.
Suddenly, a question occurred to me.
"Toya-kun, you asked me before, 'Don't you have any dreams for the future?' right?"
"Hmm? Ah, sorry, I must have been out of it then."
"No, that's not it. Do you have any dreams for the future, Toya-kun?"
"Eh? Let's see... go to university, then get a job..."
"Are you okay with such an ordinary choice? Right now, you could take a different path... like becoming a soccer player, for example."
"It's too late for that. I have far too little stamina."
"What will you study at university?"
"I've never thought about it. I thought about going to the local university... Airi, were you going to the same university as me?"
"Yes."
"Hmm... what should I become?"
Toya-kun began to worry.
Then he threw a question at me.
"Was Airi's dream to be my bride?"
"Yes!"
"Um... what are you going to do until you marry me?"
"Eh?"
"You aren't thinking of getting a job at the same workplace, are you?"
Surely that would be impossible.
"I'll do bride training at home♪"
"Isn't that a waste after going all the way to university?"
"That's not true. There's meaning in spending campus life together with Toya-kun."
"Is that how it is... Then, maybe I'll do that too."
"Eh?"
"Enjoy campus life with Airi. Then I'll think about where to work."
"I see."
"First, though, it's a matter of whether I can get into the same university."
Toya-kun says this and laughs.
It's okay. I'm with you.
Because we are absolutely going to the same university!
(3)
The results of the final exams are announced.
1st place is Tosaka-san.
2nd place is Ijuin-san.
And 3rd place is me.
"You were so close, Yoshie-chan."
Sashihara-san called out to me.
"Well, putting Ijuin-san aside as a special case, you didn't want to lose to Tosaka-san, right?"
Kudo-san joined in.
It's true that losing to Ijuin-san might be inevitable, but losing to Tosaka-san is somehow frustrating.
I mean, when does she even study?
She's always clinging to Katagiri-kun.
I wonder if she has some kind of trick?
Tosaka-san is smart, but her athletic ability is also high, and she's beautiful.
When we were playing volleyball during the class match, Tosaka-san kept firing powerful jump serves right onto the line.
"Airi, did you play volleyball!?"
"No. I was just imitating a manga I saw at Toya-kun's house~"
She was having that conversation with Otonashi-san.
I even felt that the word "genius" existed specifically for Tosaka-san.
"But she must have at least one weakness."
"Right~ she's too perfect, it's scary."
"Shall we investigate?"
"Let's do it, let's do it."
Sashihara-san and Kudo-san are talking about such things.
They're just being petty and trying to harass her.
I can only imagine such a pathetic scene.
"What about you, Yoshie-chan?"
"...I'll do it."
I might have just been matching their mood, but somewhere in my heart, I might have been jealous of her talent too.
Investigation results.
Airi Tosaka.
Smart.
Good athletic nerves.
Appearance is cute and popular with boys, but for some reason, she chose Katagiri-kun.
Hates bugs.
Bad with horror and screaming-type attractions.
.........
......
...
There are no weaknesses that feel like actual weaknesses.
Rather, I feel like the parts that seem like weaknesses actually raise her points as a girl.
"Hmm... is she truly flawless?"
"I really want to make her cry somehow."
...Um, hasn't the goal changed?
They were getting along so well during the overnight training, girls really are scary.
Well, these two might not actually hate Tosaka-san, but might just be strongly curious.
I wish they would direct that curiosity in a different direction.
"Hmm, how about stealing Katagiri-kun away?"
"That's fine, but I can't. I have a boyfriend."
"Now that you mention it, I have one too..."
The two of them stare at me.
Eh? Me?
I think it's a bit much to push such a cruel woman's role onto someone else, don't you think?
"Yoshie-chan, you don't have a boyfriend right now, do you?"
Forget "right now," I haven't had one since the day I was born.
"Just a little confession would be fine..."
Do I have to use my first confession for a prank?
"There's no actual need to date him."
"But I wonder why Katagiri-kun?"
"He was a bit cool during the class match, but as for dating...?"
"Maybe she's holding some kind of weakness over him."
"Ah! That's possible, very possible."
"And so, Yoshie-chan!"
"Please!"
I ended up being entrusted with the unsightly mission of digging out weaknesses, rather than reaching the major event of confessing.
(4)
"I have something important to talk about. After school, on the rooftop. Yoshie Morishita."
I was handed such a note from a girl.
I wonder what this "important talk" is?
Well, these things are usually...
No, this is bad!
She's going to make Airi cry again.
That said, now that I've accepted it, I feel it would be pitiful to ignore it.
"Airi, go home first, I have a little errand."
"Eh? An errand?"
"It'll probably be over quickly."
"If it'll be over quickly, I'll wait~"
"I'm going home first. I have my part-time job,"
Kanna says and leaves.
"Then, I'll finish up quickly and be back."
A gaze pierces me from behind.
She followed me again, just like back in Chu-2.
Good grief...
With heavy steps, I head to the designated place.
There stood Morishita-san, her semi-long hair fluttering.
The number of gazes has increased by one.
It's probably Kanna.
She followed out of curiosity.
"What's the talk?"
I spoke to Morishita-san.
"Um... I'll ask you straight! Are you holding some kind of weakness over Tosaka-san?"
Excuse me?
"That's the 'important talk'?"
Morishita-san nodded in silence.
What a complete letdown.
"Do you have some kind of grudge against Airi?"
"No, not particularly... just out of curiosity."
"Did you think I'd tell someone who wants to know out of curiosity?"
"I want to know! Why is someone like Tosaka-san dating an ordinary person like Katagiri-kun? I thought maybe you were holding some kind of weakness over her."
"Is that your true feeling?"
"Yes."
"Then, I'll tell you. What Airi is bad with is probably..."
Clatter!
A sound is made.
Turning around, Airi was approaching.
Is it a slap again, like that time?
"Airi, don't misunderstand, it's just..."
"Toya-kun, be quiet."
This is bad, she's angry.
"Morishita-san, I don't know who told you to do this, but that kind of thing isn't good."
Airi speaks with a resolute attitude.
"I'm sorry."
She's already crying, Morishita-san.
"If I let you go home like this, Morishita-san will be blamed... I'll tell you my weakness."
"Eh?"
Morishita-san looks up.
Then, Airi grabs my arm.
"My weakness is Toya-kun. I think I'd be seriously depressed if Toya-kun were taken away."
As I thought... I knew she'd say that.
"When we were in middle school, I was always anxious. Because Toya-kun himself, who was my emotional support, was wavering. But now I'm fine. I have the confidence that I won't give Toya-kun to anyone. As long as Toya-kun is with me, I'm fine no matter what happens."
"I see... that's enviable. That kind of thing."
"You'll be able to do it too someday, Morishita-san."
Then, suddenly, rain began to fall in sprinkles.
Come to think of it, the weather forecast for today was rain.
"Let's get inside quickly. Both of you."
When I said that, the two of them went inside.
(5)
By the time it was time to go home, it was raining in earnest.
As I was preparing to go home, putting on a raincoat and wrapping my bag in a plastic bag, a sudden clap of thunder echoed.
Airi, who was also wearing a raincoat, for some reason let out a "Kyaa!" and hugged me.
"...Airi, are you bad with thunder?"
When I said that, Airi stuck out her tongue and answered.
"You know, I thought maybe it would be better to create something like a weakness?"
"...You just want to hug me, don't you?"
"Uuu... you're only calm at times like this."
"...You can hug me as much as you want once we get home."
"Yay!"
"In exchange..."
"No detours, okay? We're wearing raincoats."
"...I get it."
Things Airi is bad with: screaming rides, horror, bugs, reptiles...
Quite ordinary.
However, she is always resolute. Even if she were being bullied.
But if she has a weakness... it's probably me, isn't it?
The cause of Airi's anxiety (T/N: possible typo in source — original reads 愛莉が無く) is usually me.
I'm glad I could hear Airi's true feelings.
"By the way, Toya-kun?"
Airi called out from behind.
"What?"
"Why would you try to be alone with a girl without telling me~"
Ah!
"I thought you'd worry if I told you."
"I'll worry even more if you don't tell me."
"I'll be careful from now on."
"Then it's fine."
I really have to be careful...