Chapter 82 - Date
(1)
Sunday morning.
A pleated skirt and denim.
I fix my hair.
I even tried something called "small-face makeup."
I check with Rie-chan over and over.
"Does my makeup look weird?"
"It's fine~"
I put on short boots and leave the house.
"I'm heading out!"
Last night, we had planned that today, the three of us—including Kanna—were supposed to study.
The timing is just bad~
It's not Kanna's fault, but why does her part-time job happen to be off today of all days?
No, this is a trial.
"Toya-kun, listen..."
"Toya, are you ready for the school trip?"
Kanna beat me to it...
"No, I mean, is there really anything to prepare?"
"...Toya. I hope I'm wrong, but you're not planning to spend the school trip moving around in your school uniform, are you?"
"Eh? Is that not the case!?"
I knew it; I thought Toya-kun would say that.
He hadn't even looked at the guidebook properly.
"Do you intend to make Airi feel ashamed!? You're going to be together!"
"No, I wasn't thinking about anything. There's nothing to worry about, right?"
"You were planning to walk around a theme park in your usual clothes?"
He just doesn't get it; that's just the kind of person Toya-kun is.
"Ugh, clothes that are easy to move in are better, right?"
"Pay a little more attention to your appearance!! ...Airi, you say something to him too."
Kanna passed the conversation to me.
I can say it now!
Thank you, Kanna.
"Toya-kun, shall we go buy some clothes tomorrow?"
"Huh?"
"It's okay, I won't pick anything too expensive!"
"That's a good idea, Toya! Let Airi pick them for you! In fact, just go!!"
Kanna gives me a push.
"O-okay, I get it."
Yay!!
And that's how it happened.
And so, it has come to pass that I'm having a date with Toya-kun for the first time in a while.
When I arrive at Toya-kun's house, I press the doorbell.
"Coming~, Airi-chan, right? Just a moment."
(2)
"Good morning, Toya-kun... wait, why are you still asleep!!"
I woke up to Airi's piercing voice.
Come to think of it, was I going shopping with Airi today?
I open my eyes.
For now, thinking I should get her back in a good mood, I try to hug Airi, but I hesitate for a moment.
What is with this level of determination from Airi?
She's more dressed up than usual, and her makeup is different too.
Somehow, her face looks smaller than usual.
If I were to just hug her carelessly like this, she'd definitely get angry.
"You're beautiful. You changed your makeup too."
This should be the right answer.
Correct.
Airi looks happy.
"Thank you."
"Anyway, I'm going to change, so go downstairs."
"Okay!"
Airi, who is even more excited than usual, lightly headed downstairs.
...For now, I'll wear the best thing I have.
When I go downstairs, Airi stands up and checks my appearance from top to bottom.
I feel like I'm undergoing a clothing inspection.
For the record, I'm wearing a hoodie, a checked shirt, and cargo pants.
"Well, this is about it. It's not that bad. I mean, you should always dress like this. It's completely different from usual!"
"Thanks, I'll just get ready for a bit, so wait for me."
Saying that, I go to the washroom and quickly fix my hair.
"Sorry to keep you waiting~. Shall we go?"
We came to a nearby shopping mall.
First, I'll fill my stomach with some fast food...
Poke
"Have you forgotten our purpose?"
Airi's freezing smile, which I haven't seen in a while.
"I haven't had breakfast yet..."
"After shopping."
Airi firmly grabs my arm and leads me into the shopping town.
Ah, I wanted to eat that new hamburger...
"Hmm... this one is a bit meh."
Whether Airi is treating me like a dress-up doll or something, she brings clothes one after another and holds them up to me.
Well, as long as Airi is having fun, that's fine.
Why do girls like spending so much time shopping?
Isn't it fine to just pick the one you feel is right by intuition?
Or just buy the clothes exactly as they are displayed on the mannequin.
Is there really a need to think about it?
"Alright, decided! This is the one!"
What she chose were several shirts, an outer garment... wait, how many pieces is she buying!?
"None of them are that expensive."
"Couldn't you have narrowed it down to one outfit?"
I mean, there are clearly winter clothes in there.
"Toya-kun hardly ever buys clothes, so it's better to buy them all at once."
Airi says with a smile.
Well, if that puts Airi in a good mood...
"Hey?"
"Wha~t?"
Airi replies while browsing through accessories and miscellaneous goods.
"You came to buy my clothes, right?"
"That's right~. Oh, these shoes might be good?"
We are strolling through the shopping town.
"Isn't our business finished already?"
Airi's movements stop abruptly.
Huh? Did I step on a landmine?
But Airi is smiling.
"You're so dense~. That was just an excuse."
"An excuse?"
"We haven't been on a date recently, have we? On a normal day off, other than Christmas and things like that."
Isn't just special days enough?
"I told you before. When Toya-kun treated me to a meal as a Valentine's return, I said 'this kind of atmosphere isn't bad'... I mean, I think it's a bit much that there's been no invitation for a date since then."
So, was Airi's purpose 'to go on a date'?
"This kind of atmosphere isn't bad. Enjoying shopping together is rare for Toya-kun, so it's refreshing."
Was I made to buy several sets of clothes because of that excuse?
Should I be angry here?
No, should I accept it?
"Airi. If that was the case, you could have just said so clearly."
"Would you have brought me along? Could you say it without saying it's a pain? I was scared. I thought we might fight again."
...The troubling part is that I can't say no.
"...If it's an invitation for a meal, I'd be happy to."
"That's all it is, right?"
Ugh!
"I'll accept that for what it is. I'll think of it as Toya-kun's individuality. But I want you to go along with my selfishness once in a while."
"In short, you want to go on a date?"
Airi nodded with a smile.
I look around.
Indeed, there are couples happily picking out accessories and goods.
More than that, my eyes went to couples eating ice cream...
If I said I wanted to eat champon here, she'd probably get angry, so I restrained myself.
Including the time for lunch, we walked around for about five hours.
I'm exhausted, as expected.
We stop by an ice cream shop for a break.
"Look, you have cream on your mouth."
Saying that, she wipes it with a handkerchief.
Finally, Airi looks around a bookstore.
I also look through the new manga releases.
One had come out, so I bought it.
A story about a middle school girl violinist who falls in love with a pianist.
When I held that book, a flicker of anxiety crossed my mind.
Is Airi's health okay?
Is she hiding some kind of incurable disease?
"Hey, Airi."
"Wha~t"
"You're healthy, right?"
"Huh?"
"No, I just wondered if you actually had an incurable disease or something..."
"Hae?"
"I just got a bit anxious."
"...There's no need to worry. I'm the picture of health. I mean, don't say such unlucky things."
"Sorry."
"Hmm, well then. As an apology, maybe you can accompany me to dinner?"
"Eh, my house is probably preparing something."
"It's okay. I told Maya-san this morning."
Was that her intention from the start?
We entered a pasta shop.
When in doubt, choose Italian.
I put those words into practice.
Even though they're both noodles, why is there such a difference between this and udon or ramen?
Airi looks satisfied.
...Well, whatever.
After that, when asked if we were going home, she suggested watching a late show before returning, but since there were no movies that particularly caught my interest, we decided to go home.
"That was fun~"
Airi seems to have been satisfied.
I was just tired, though.
If I said something like that, she'd probably start getting angry like a demon.
I'll just go along with it.
There's no need to do things that needlessly anger her.
"Yeah."
"Thank you for accompanying me."
"It was a date, right? There's no need to thank me. Rather, I'm the one who feels sorry for not noticing such a thing."
"Well, I'm the one who said we're on a date every day. It's difficult, isn't it? But this kind of thing is good once in a while, right?"
"...If you'd just invited me normally."
When I said that, Airi pouted a little.
"If I invited you normally, would you come along? Wouldn't you say it's a pain or that you'd rather spend time at home?"
Ugh!
I certainly sound like I'd say that.
But even so, if I'm invited this way every time...
Ah, is she telling me to be the one to invite her?
Should I invite her soon?
Or should I leave some time in between?
While I was thinking, Airi seemed to have misunderstood.
"Is it a pain after all?"
The tone of her voice has clearly dropped.
This is bad, I have to say something.
I said exactly what came to mind.
"Next time, I'll be the one to invite you."
For a moment, Airi's face brightened, but it immediately darkened.
"It's not good to say things like that on a whim, you know? It's just the pattern where you make me expect something and then..."
"That's not it, I just didn't know what timing would be best to invite you, and while I was worrying about it..."
When I said that, Airi laughed.
"Any time is fine. Just the fact that you invite me makes me happy. As long as it's an invitation from Toya-kun."
I see, any time is fine.
But won't she get bored if it's the same place every time?
That's what I think, but Airi seems to feel differently.
"If you put it that way, it's the same as when we're studying. Being together is what's important. You can just think of it as a bit of a breather once in a while."
I had been overthinking it.
The dazzling angel-like girl in front of me says that just being together is enough.
To keep that angel's smile from clouding, all I have to do is grant that one single wish.
Because my wish is to ensure her smile never clouds...
(3)
"You're lying..."
I was in despair.
The diagnosis from the doctor.
A leg injury.
It won't be healed by the next match.
My shoulders slumped.
"We'll need to think of strategies without Makoto."
A cold word from the coach who accompanied me.
"I will definitely play in the next match!"
I stood up instinctively.
Enduring the pain.
"Don't push yourself. Now might be important, but considering your future, I can't let you overdo it."
The coach soothes me.
Tears well up from frustration.
When I return to the dorm, I throw my belongings onto the bed.
"Dammit!!"
I slam the desk.
Should I tell Kanna?
It'll only cause Kanna unnecessary worry.
I can't let the teammates know.
Though it'll probably get out anyway.
There might be someone who thinks my turn to play will come around.
Considering that, it's only a matter of time before Kanna notices I'm not playing in the match.
If I'm going to make her worry anyway...
I want to vent a little to feel better.
Sorry, Kanna.
It's as if I'm using you just to feel better.
I time my call for when her part-time job is over and she's heading home.
"Hello, is that Makoto?"
"Ah, Kanna. Actually..."
I told Kanna what happened today.
At first, Kanna listened quietly, but as she listened, the way she gave her responses gradually changed.
And then...
"You idiot!! The coach is right! Just think about healing your injury for now!"
"But, it's the last chance to go to Nationals..."
"You still have the Inter-High, right?"
"That's true, but..."
"If you're going to advance to school through soccer, don't do something that throws your whole life away here!"
I figured I'd be told something like that.
I wondered if Kanna wouldn't understand either.
I didn't think she would understand.
"I knew Kanna wouldn't understand either."
When I said that, it seemed I touched Kanna's wrath.
"Did you think I was some cold-hearted woman who would say 'work hard and push yourself'? Too bad I couldn't meet your expectations."
Damn.
I regretted it, but it was too late.
"I didn't mean it in that sense..."
"It's the same thing you're saying. But listen, do you understand how I feel, knowing you're injured and told you can't play, yet there's nothing I can do for you?"
Would it have been better not to say anything?
"You're probably thinking 'I shouldn't have said anything' anyway, but do you understand how I'd feel if I found out later? Do you understand how I'd feel in despair, wondering if I'm not trusted that much?"
That, I understand. That's why I told her.
"I want to say thank you for telling me, but I'm so worried about you because you're reckless when it comes to yourself. I want to go to the dorm right now and tie you to the bed."
"Sorry, but I wanted you to understand the frustration..."
"I do. I'm anxious because I understand. That's why I'm intentionally saying this. Don't push yourself; there are still chances. Understand my frustration too, having to say that while understanding your frustration."
"...My bad. Sorry."
"I'm sorry I couldn't say it better. But I'm worried. Whether Makoto will become self-destructive, or if he'll do something else that throws his future away."
"That won't happen, I can't make Kanna worry any more than this."
I can't be a nuisance to Kanna.
"For now, just rest. Call me again if it gets hard. ...I'll call you too."
"Thank you."
"Well, see you tomorrow."
"Yeah."
And the call ended.
After that, a message arrived.
"Sorry I said too much earlier. I'm not good at encouraging people..."
That's so like Kanna.
On the contrary, it made me feel relieved.
Maybe I wanted Kanna to scold me.
"I'm relieved, Kanna really is the right fit for me. Thank you."
I replied with a message.
Ah, one more thing.
"Keep it a secret from Toya and Tosaka-san! I'm counting on you."
"Got it."
The reply came back immediately.
I'll entrust my final hope to my comrades.
Please... I'll make it in time for Nationals!
That wish was not granted...