Chapter 87 - First Love
(1)
"Good morning."
While pleasant greetings were being exchanged, I was being forced to make a grave decision.
Breakfast was buffet style, all-you-can-eat.
I do eat my vegetables properly, for the record; I'm a shiso dressing person.
But I found myself agonizing in front of the soup.
Miso soup or corn soup... what do I do!?
Thinking ahead, there's rice and bread... even if any egg dish is fine, it affects the other side dishes.
It is a momentous choice.
Is it okay to decide this so lightly?
"Hey, mind if I go ahead? You're blocking the way..."
"Ah, go right ahead."
I stepped out of the line for the time being.
Now, let me think slowly.
Speaking of breakfast staples, there's miso soup and rice.
However, the croissants—which I'd rarely get to eat at home—were tempting me.
How about Western food for once? they seemed to say...
But bread surprisingly doesn't keep you full for long.
If ramen were an option from the morning, I would have chosen it without hesitation.
Let's say I go with rice.
What about the side dishes?
Fish! Is it fish!?
Salmon! Or mackerel!
But sausages are also hard to pass up.
Isn't it fine to have sausages with rice?
Oh, now the rice faction is gaining the upper hand.
However, the temptation of the croissants is intense.
It's like the difference between the charming Kanna and the quiet Airi.
If Airi asked, "Are you abandoning me?" I'd hesitate, right? But then again, Kanna would be a waste.
Eh? Kanna belongs to Makoto, doesn't she?
It's a food metaphor.
By the way, there is no curry rice in the morning.
It's not that I hate curry.
I just hate eating curry in the morning and being told I smell like curry.
It's not just croissants; there's also toast, which I'm used to eating.
Jam, butter, margarine.
This is Hokkaido, so butter it is.
There are various types of bread.
By the way, I don't think there are savory breads in the morning.
Surely they don't have yakisoba bread.
Considering the dessert options—yogurt, jelly, fruits—maybe bread is better.
Airi and the others had something simple, just yogurt and black tea.
But it's all-you-can-eat.
I must eat as much as I can.
What do I do?
Even while I'm worrying, time is ticking away second by second.
Hmm, hmmm...
I've decided!!
There's only one way.
I'll take both!
The amount will be crazy, but I'll manage somehow...
Thinking that, I agonized over the soup again.
Consommé, corn potage, or potato potage... there's even a pumpkin one!
It's definitely corn potage, but the consommé looks delicious too... I'll try both of these as well...
Poke
"Of course you can't! I wondered why you weren't coming back... honestly, since the morning!"
"Breakfast can just be the usual..."
"Saying that, you two just put sauce on your yogurt, which is such a huge 'girl' appeal!"
"Is it wrong for a girl to appeal as a girl? Toya-kun?"
It's Airi's finishing-move smile...
"I want to hear it too. I'm very curious about what kind of image you usually have of us when you interact with us."
Even Kanna...
"B-but the croissants..."
"Then, have bread. Airi."
"Oka~y. You took corn potage for the soup, right?"
"I-if possible, toast and scrambled eggs too."
"Yes, yes."
"Ah, and rice too..."
Bonk
Ugh, that actually hurts.
"...and yogurt and fruit too."
"And for drinks~?"
"Grape juice and coffee..."
"Toya-kun drinks it black, right?"
"Yeah."
"...Here you go."
Airi handed me the tray with everything I ordered firmly placed on it.
The amount of bread isn't enough.
An additional order...
"Now, everyone is waiting, so let's go back to our seats."
And so, my dream morning time was abruptly snatched away.
When I sat down, everyone was waiting.
Huh? Ishihara-kun is only having yogurt too?
"He says he's too nervous to have an appetite."
Watanabe-kun answered for him.
Ah, I see. But...
"If you're too nervous, you'll mess up the real thing. If you don't eat properly, you'll collapse from anemia and it'll be no time for a confession, right?"
"Y-you're right. I'll go get a bit more."
"I'll also get some bread while I'm at it..."
Airi and Kanna are on either side of me.
My arms are being held firmly.
"Toya, that's enough for you, right?"
"Come to think of it, I think there were cornflakes too."
"It's enough, right?"
"...Yes."
Ishihara-kun returned.
He brought some bread and fruit.
"By the way, Toya, what were you doing last night? I sent a message but didn't get a reply."
"I was sleeping. I noticed this morning. I told Watanabe-kun and the others."
But is it okay? If it turns out no one was in the room, it'll be a commotion.
"If Toya-kun and the others were sleeping, they probably didn't notice, but the one doing the rounds for our class is Mizuta-sensei."
"And since he didn't come to unlock the door or anything, I thought this would work and came up with the plan."
Airi and Sashihara-san explained in turns.
"Are you sure we're okay with this?"
Watanabe-kun double-checked.
"There's no problem, right? Right?"
When Kanna confirmed with the two of them, they nodded.
"If anything happens, I'll stay behind,"
Ishihara-kun said modestly, and everyone simultaneously said no.
"Whether we're comforting Isshy or celebrating him, it's no good if the guest of honor isn't there."
At that moment, it flashed through my mind.
"I'll stay."
Ow. Don't pinch me, Airi.
"Toya-kun, you say you'll stay, but you're probably planning to go to the ramen shop, so that's not happening!"
It seems my flash of inspiration wasn't that great.
(2)
Today is also a perfect day for skiing.
As planned, we acted separately, and only Watanabe-kun and Ishihara-kun were to take the special lesson.
Since we weren't exactly there to enjoy skiing, we took the lift up and were relaxing on the beginner course.
"I wonder what Ishihara-kun is doing right now."
No matter how you look at it, there's no way he'd just confess suddenly.
"Hey, Katagiri. Want to bet? Whether it goes well or not?"
"Wait, Eita! I didn't egg him on with that intention! Can't you feel like supporting him seriously for once!?"
"I am. That's why 1,000 yen on success."
"That makes it sound like you're wishing for me to fail!"
"Gambling itself is wrong, Kiritani-kun."
"Still, I'm bored. I'm tired after skiing for two days."
"Say things like that after you've become as good as Katagiri-kun!"
"D-don't ask the impossible."
These two are really close.
They say the more people fight, the closer they are, and they really are close.
"I wonder if we look like that to people around us~?"
Airi stood beside me and spoke.
We probably do.
Even more than that.
Though whether we look like a couple is questionable.
I don't understand what Kanna meant by "you don't look like a couple."
Does it look like just friends messing around, or does it look like something like a married couple, as Airi said?
"Muu, ei!"
Airi pushed me from the side.
Eh, wait...
"Kya!"
Airi fell as if dragged down by me falling.
I didn't think we'd end up in this state on top of the snow.
"What are you doing?"
"Because~ you were in your own world again..."
Suddenly, our eyes met...
Just as there are times when I enter my own world alone, it was a moment where it felt as if time around us had stopped.
However, the coldness of the snow pulled me back to the real world.
Though Airi seemed to remain in that state.
If it were in a room like usual.
If we were alone, I would have accepted it, but right now is bad.
Airi, come back!
What should I do?
Her hands are cold.
Is it because the gloves are wet... this is it.
It seems my intuition really had grown dull.
I placed my hands on Airi's cheeks.
Airi seemed to have taken it in a different sense.
She was so absorbed that she forgot the coldness of the snow.
This is bad, if we're seen like this, no matter what...
"Airi—!!"
When Sashihara-san called Airi, Airi jumped.
And then she moved away from me.
"Honestly~ it's fine to enter your own little world, but think about the location a bit more."
"Sorry~ it's because Toya-kun invited me."
Eh? It's my fault...
"Look, Toya-kun, get up, get up."
Saying that, she reached out her hand.
I stood up on my own without using her hand.
Unaware that this act gave Airi anxiety.
It seems Sashihara-san, being of the same gender, noticed the abnormality before I did.
"Eita, let's go!"
"Eh? But those two are still—"
"Just hurry up!"
Sashihara-san pushed Kiritani-kun's back.
Then Kiritani-kun started sliding on his own.
"Wait, hold on! Uwaaaaaaaa!"
"Well, we'll go ahead then."
Sashihara-san waved to Airi and chased after Kiritani-kun.
"They're gone."
"Yeah."
"Shall we go too?"
"Let's talk a bit more..."
Talk about what?
"I'm sorry. You're angry, aren't you?"
Huh?
"I pushed you down, and I was the one pressing in. You're angry and blaming it on Toya-kun, right?"
"Why does it become that?"
"Because even when I reached out, you didn't take my hand!"
"That's because I thought it would be dangerous if I made Airi fall again."
"Can you swear that's really all?"
"What should I swear on?"
Even if told to swear on God, there are various gods.
Ah, I have one.
I took off my glove.
And showed the ring finger of my left hand.
"I swear on this."
"...Yeah. It seems I was seeing a victim delusion alone again. I'm hopeless."
It's hidden by the goggles, but I can tell.
Airi is crying right now, isn't she?
I think my intuition has returned a bit.
Then, I know what I should do now.
I released the bindings of the skis.
Why?
Because they're in the way, right?
I put my gloves back on.
Touching skis with bare hands is dangerous.
Airi, who apparently cannot read my actions at all.
She's just standing there blankly.
I stood in front of her and gently hugged her.
"Toya-kun!?"
"Let's do something even better when we get back... for now, endure with this."
"...Yeah!"
"I heard there's a phrase about a love that melts the slopes."
"...?"
"Shall we melt the slopes with our love?"
"...That's impossible."
Eh?
"Did you forget? You said we've surpassed the dimension of love and it's love."
Ah, that's right.
"I thought it was a special killer line, though."
"...I'm happy about the feeling. But it would be a nuisance to other customers, so you should stop melting the slopes. Besides..."
"Besides?"
"If it's us, we can cause global warming!"
I think that's also plenty dangerous.
(3)
We finished bathing and were on standby.
A signal should come to Katagiri-kun's smartphone.
I was in a complicated mood.
But I felt more refreshed than when I first saw her.
It's thanks to Katagiri-kun that I could feel this way.
Eat ramen before it gets soggy.
I never thought I'd be persuaded with food.
But it's true that he gave me a push.
Seeing Katagiri-kun flatten a large plate as if to say "Just eat some food and calm down" in the morning, I somehow calmed down.
Isn't Katagiri-kun more of a mood maker than people think?
While I was thinking that, Katagiri-kun's smartphone went piririn.
Katagiri-kun checked the phone and nodded toward Watanabe-kun.
"Alright, Watanabe squad, charge!!"
For the first time in my life, I came to a girls' room.
A nice scent of shampoo fills the air.
"Welcome~"
And it's also the first time I've been welcomed.
Otonashi-san was somehow different from my imagination.
It might be because her hair is down, but she looks like a truly neat girl, like a doll.
She sat a little on the edge of the bed, said "Yo!" and waved.
As I sat tucked by the door, my arms were grabbed by Otonashi-san and Sashihara-san, and I was dragged.
I was dragged to the center of the room and sat there in a fetal position.
"Well then, it looks like the bullying is about to start. Since you're the guest of honor, just sit on the bed or something."
Since Otonashi-san said that, I sat on the edge of the bed next to Otonashi-san.
"So, how was it?"
Otonashi-san seemed eager to hear the result.
"Now, now, tell it slowly without rushing. First... let's see, maybe from around when we were skiing... please listen."
Prompted by Watanabe-kun, I began to speak.
The story of today's ski training.
"Then, shall we ski in a line today too?"
Saying that, Iida-san started skiing.
I skied after her.
Despite how I look, I've improved a little.
I'm braking well.
Just when I thought I could do it, from behind...
"Oops, sorry."
Watanabe-kun pushed my back.
If I'm pushed that suddenly.
"Kya!"
I fell in a way that I clung to Iida-san's back.
"I-I'm sorry."
"It's okay!!"
Iida-san said, laughing.
We spent about an hour skiing up to the middle of the beginner course.
Beyond that was an area that overlapped with the advanced course Tosaka-san had skied.
"Hmm, I think both of you are okay to try it now, but what do you want to do?"
I don't want to show an uncool side of myself.
"On the beginner course..."
"Iida-san, if I can ski the advanced course, could you grant me one request?... is what Ishihara-kun is saying!!"
What are you saying, Watanabe-kun?
"Is that so? Ishihara-kun."
I looked at Watanabe-kun's face.
His expression was saying "Just do it!!".
"Yes!"
"I understand. Well, I'll go down first, so follow me later."
Saying that, Iida-san started skiing.
I couldn't do parallel turns like Katagiri-kun, but I managed to ski beautifully with stem turns.
It was going smoothly, but at the very end... there was a small child who had fallen in the path.
I couldn't avoid them completely.
The action I took then was to stop forcibly by falling myself.
The run ended in failure.
I threw away the chance Watanabe-kun gave me.
Pathetic.
The one who patted my shoulder as I hung my head was Iida-san.
"You couldn't ski to the end, but your final judgment was splendid. I think it's a good thing to do your best with your own skills... Pass."
"Eh?"
"Neither of you need my instruction anymore. Thank goodness~ everyone passed."
"U-um, then the request is..."
"Right, you worked hard until the end, so I'll listen. I don't know if I can grant it, though."
"U-um."
"Wait a second... Ishihara."
"?"
Iida-san looked at us curiously.
"Don't panic here, only one thing, and she said she doesn't know if she can grant it. Go for the safe bet..."
"Eat ramen before it gets soggy!! is what Katagiri-kun said."
"You... Fine. I'll be there to pick up the pieces. Go!"
"Yeah... Iida-san."
"Yes?"
"Please exchange message IDs with me!"
"Yeah, that's all the request is!?"
"Yes!... Is it no good?"
"It's fine~ I wondered what I'd do if you suddenly asked me to marry you."
I don't think that happens in high school.
Saying that, she took off her glove and took out her smartphone.
I also took off my glove and took out my smartphone.
At that moment, Watanabe-kun looked at Iida-san's hand and let out a gasp.
Wondering what was there, I also looked at Iida-san's hand.
Then, on the ring finger of Iida-san's left hand, there was a ring...
"Hmm? Ah, this. Everyone calls me Iida-san, but by next summer, I'll change to Sugiura."
Saying that, she laughed.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you. Well, shall we exchange IDs?"
Saying that, we shook our smartphones to exchange IDs.
"Well, it's about time, shall we go back?"
And that's the end of my story.
"So in the end, it was disappointing."
When Otonashi-san said that, I shook my head.
"Just getting the ID exchange is lucky. And I think it's thanks to Katagiri-kun that I could work hard this far."
When I said that, everyone looked at Katagiri-kun.
Katagiri-kun was spacing out.
Tosaka-san stood up silently and stood beside Katagiri-kun.
And in his ear.
"Genghis Khan is! OVER!!"
She screamed.
As if Katagiri-kun's switch had been flipped, his eyes blinked.
A simultaneous booing erupted.
"Toya! This idiot is thinking about food again even at this stage!"
"I can't believe Katagiri-kun! What were you thinking!"
"Is he the only one in the world of Genghis Khan? He doesn't understand Toya's world."
"Well, if you say it's like Toya, it's like Toya, but that was too much."
"I'm hungry, so it can't be helped..."
As if to say "can't be helped," Tosaka-san stood up, took a snack from her bag, and gave it to Katagiri-kun.
"Endure with that tonight."
Katagiri-kun ate it as if he had no choice.
I was envious of Katagiri-kun.
At the same time, I was envious of Tosaka-san too.
Because both of them looked happy from the bottom of their hearts.
While I was gazing at the two of them like that.
"Isshy, you okay? That's a bad pattern. There are plenty of better couples, you know? Don't be disillusioned."
Otonashi-san said.
"Then, what about Otonashi-san's boyfriend?"
"Hmm, mine just feels like a total pervert."
In that case...
"Is it that...?"
"Here, Eita, I'll give you this."
"Yay~"
It was a composition like a master feeding a puppy.
"Well, you'll understand someday too."
Otonashi-san, half-desperate, returned to her bed and operated her smartphone.
Is she sending a message to her boyfriend?
Message... ah, I have to send one too.
While I was touching my phone, Watanabe-kun approached.
"Oh, a message already? What are you sending?"
"Just sending a thank you."
"Thank you for taking care of me for two days. Thank you very much!" I sent.
A reply came immediately.
"No problem, see you~"
"That's an ID you worked hard to get. You've gotta be more aggressive."
"Iida-san is engaged. It's impossible."
"There's a word called 'breaking the engagement,' right?"
"The partner is an adult too."
"In that case. Now that one part is settled, it's about how to conquer Eguchi-san."
"Isn't that impossible during the school trip?"
Tosaka-san said.
"I know the message ID. Shall I tell Isshy?"
Sashihara-san flashed her smartphone.
"No, that kind of thing has to be heard from the person themselves."
"How serious. Then, I'll set it up for you during the Tokyo sightseeing tomorrow."
N-no, if it's sudden, the other person will be troubled... but she's already sent a message.
"The reply came. She says it's fine."
"Well done! You're a capable child, Sashihara!"
The moment Watanabe-kun screamed that.
Click, clack!
"What time do you think it is, you need to sleep... oh boy."
Mizuta-sensei was holding his head.
"Mizuta-sensei, what's wrong?"
The other teachers seemed to have noticed too.
Mizuta-sensei hurriedly closed the door and locked it.
He also put on the stopper.
"Mizuta-sensei, what happened!? Mizuta-sensei."
"I came in to warn you because you were making a racket, and the female students were in an indecent state... please leave this to me."
"...I understand."
He seemed to have gone to the other rooms.
"You've caused a real nuisance. I know it's a staple of school trips, but don't involve adults in troublesome matters."
Watanabe-kun and the others fell silent.
"Everyone except Watanabe and Ishihara were couples... spend the night here. Watanabe and Ishihara... it's probably unpleasant, but sleep in the empty beds."
"In that case, I'll..."
Watanabe-kun started to say he'd return to his room, but...
"Stop doing stupid things like returning to your room or sleeping on the floor. I'll come wake you up early tomorrow morning... don't increase the trouble any further."
"...Yes."
Watanabe-kun obeyed with a solemn expression.
"Now, go to sleep. Listen, absolutely do not make a noise!"
Everyone nodded.
Mizuta-sensei left the room.
"That was a surprise~"
"Right~ it's a good thing it was Mizuta-sensei."
"If it had been Kinashi-sensei, it would have been absolutely terrible."
"For now, shall we sleep?"
"Yeah. He said he'd come early tomorrow morning."
We each entered our assigned beds.
"So, are you going to send any additional messages?"
Watanabe-kun asked.
"No, I'll send them again after I get home."
"I see."
Watanabe-kun laughed.
The time I spent with you was like a dream.
My tiny, tiny first love.
Thinking such things, I fell asleep.