Chapter 91 - Once it's Down the Throat
(1)
Around the Tokyo Landmark Tower.
Grill the ingredients until the cabbage wilts~♪
"...Should I do it?"
"I'm good. It would be terrible if I got a stain on your clothes, Airi~"
"..."
Once it's wilted, make a dike~♪
"..."
Pour in the dashi~♪
"Hey~"
Mix it all together~♪
"Toya-kun"
Finish it up and you're done~♪
"You look like you're having fun..."
Of course I am, it's the monjayaki I've been longing for~
"Am I... in the way?"
"Huh... why?"
I ask as I hand a spatula to Airi.
"Because the way I entered this world was strange... I thought it might be bad to interfere."
"What are you talking about? The joy of two people picking at one thing like this is exactly what makes being a couple worth it."
"Eh...? What did you just...?"
Eh? Did I say something wrong?
"I said it's what makes being a couple worth it."
"I can't believe it... to think I'd hear those words from Toya-kun. Oh no, I feel like I'm going to cry."
"Yeah, anyway, let's eat quickly, okay?"
"Mm♪"
Together with Airi, we use the spatulas to spread it thin, stick it together, and eat.
It's even better when we share the scorched bits.
"Delicious~♪"
"Mm~ it is delicious, isn't it♪"
It seems Airi is satisfied as well.
"Monja really is great~♪"
"Yeah, let's go eat it back home too. Monjayaki~"
It seems she took a liking to it.
If we can both feel happy, there's nothing better.
We always used to fight over food, but monjayaki is different.
I'm starting to think okonomiyaki might be good too.
Ordering different toppings and swapping them to eat. Wouldn't that be great!
"Airi, I feel like I could do anything as long as it's teppanyaki."
"Eh?"
"For example, like okonomiyaki, where we eat each other's."
"I don't want okonomiyaki. The aonori gets stuck in your teeth."
I see~ so that was the reason.
Well, I'll consider it a win just for discovering that monja is OK.
"I'm glad I endured it. I had given up, thinking that Toya-kun's love for food would never be surpassed by his love for me for the rest of my life."
"Eh...?"
"But I see I was properly loved too."
"Let's not have those gloomy conversations, okay? Right now, we enjoy the monja."
"Mm♪"
We finished it off, but I'm still hungry.
However, I must endure.
There's no way I'm ruining this happy mood by making Airi angry.
Let's honestly head for the Landmark Tower.
It's about a five-minute walk.
I walk while looking at my smartphone so I don't get lost this time.
Of course, my left hand is occupied by Airi.
Ah, we're here.
The ticket counter is on the 4th floor.
From there, it seems to be divided into two stages, the Skywalk and the Observation Deck... since we rarely get to come here, let's go up to the Skywalk.
It's high!
Just how far can you see?
Even I can't help but take a photo.
Then, Airi looks at the information board.
If we get separated, we'll get lost.
Airi also seems to be excited.
"There's a photo service downstairs. Shall we get one taken there?"
After getting a photo at the photo service, we move down to the observation deck.
There was a photo service there too.
Since we're at it, should we get one?
Just as we were about to buy souvenirs and head home, we ran into Kanna and the others.
Coincidences really do happen.
"Oh, Toya."
Watanabe-kun approached us.
We took a break at a cafe.
I heard from Watanabe-kun that they had been in Shibuya.
"Hmm."
"What's with the 'hmm', you..."
"Toya-kun, aren't you worried?"
Airi asked.
"I don't think so. Watanabe-kun said it himself, didn't he? 'I don't know what happened,' and that's everything. I think we shouldn't touch upon it until the person themselves wants to talk."
"I see, so you're saying leave me alone, huh."
It seems Kanna had been listening.
"If Kanna wants to talk, I'll listen, but if it's something you don't want to be asked about, I won't ask. That's all. I am worried. But there's such a thing as being meddlesome, right?"
"...Toya is so unfair..."
"Huh?"
"Fine, I'll talk when we get back. However, it's not a very pleasant story."
Listening to complaints is probably Makoto's role, but he's not here right now.
Hm? Makoto.
"Kanna, you don't have to force yourself to tell us; wouldn't it be better to just tell Makoto?"
"Do you not want to hear it? Don't tell me you don't even care?"
Kanna's expression becomes stern.
"Kanna, you can confide anything to Makoto-kun, right? I think that's probably what he means."
Airi follows up for him.
"Fine, since I've already involved you guys. Anyway, let's head back soon."
Saying that, Kanna stands up.
Following Kanna, we also began to walk.
(2)
Ai opens the door.
She is checking the situation outside.
One girl entered.
It's Emi.
"Did you run into anyone on the way?"
Ai asks.
"There was no one."
"Kanna!"
Ai calls my name.
I send a message to Toya.
After a while, someone knocks on the door.
Toya and the others enter in a trickle.
"I wonder if it's okay? Two days in a row..."
Isshy raises his voice anxiously.
"Once we've come this far, we're all in the same boat!"
Watanabe slaps Isshy on the back.
Isn't that just dragging Isshy into it too?
"Well, shall we hear it right away?"
Watanabe brought it up.
"Yeah, fine. It was the summer of my first year in middle school..."
Just as I was finally getting used to my classmates and such.
My eyes were drawn to one boy.
Aya Aoi, a member of the Basketball Club.
Aya had good looks and was tall.
He was the object of admiration for all female middle school students.
I was no exception.
However, being quiet back then, I couldn't suddenly confess.
Just watching from the shadows was enough.
Ah, he was receiving confessions constantly even back then. It might sound like I'm bragging.
Though not as much as Aya.
Whether she noticed my feelings or not, Yukari Shimotsuki... a girl who was my best friend, acted as a go-between for me and Aya in various ways.
The three of us often went out together.
We went out together on Christmas Eve, and spent New Year's Eve together.
When February came, it was Valentine's Day.
Together with Yukari, I made chocolates and gave them to Aya.
Adding a single word: "They're homemade."
I didn't notice it at the time.
That while he accepted Yukari's chocolates happily, he accepted mine as if it were a chore.
The relationship between my parents had reached the worst possible point.
Following a certain incident, a divorce had been decided.
It had been decided that my mother would take me in.
I figured it was better to be with my mother than to stay with that piece of trash.
Naturally, that meant returning to my hometown.
That's why I thought I'd confess on White Day and then leave.
Whether it went well or badly, it's better not to leave things lingering.
However, a conclusion that left things lingering awaited me.
"Sorry, I'm dating Shimotsuki."
Huh?
"What is that..."
"Yukari told me to get along with you. ...I didn't imagine you'd confess. You were so quiet."
Was I being looked down upon?
I thought she was my best friend, but I was being deceived?
Even though she encouraged me to do my best...
I called Yukari out.
"What were you thinking... I heard it from Aya."
"Ah, is that so..."
"Don't 'is that so' me! Were you two setting me up from the start!?"
I thought she'd give an excuse like "It wasn't like that."
But reality was cruel.
"Because I thought you were pitiful..."
I was completely looked down upon.
Stealing Aya from Yukari is impossible.
Go ahead and struggle all you want.
That's how it felt like she was saying it.
"Stop making a fool out of people!"
For the first time in my life, I was truly angry.
"I just thought of Kanna's sake..."
"Are you seriously saying you did that for my sake!? Isn't that just something you can say because you're in an overwhelmingly superior position?"
"I don't think of it that way."
"Then what were you thinking?"
It was an unbelievable statement.
"I seriously thought that if it were Kanna, I wouldn't mind giving Aya up. Since you'll be gone anyway."
Since I'll be gone?
"Is that your true feeling..."
"Ah!"
"Then I'll disappear just as you wish. See ya."
That's where my story ends.
"That's horrible, that Yukari person. Unforgivable!"
Ai is empathizing with my feelings.
"So that's why Kanna was so angry back then."
Airi reflects on her own situation.
"But that Aya guy is unforgivable too! I want to blow him away."
Saying that, Eita makes a punching motion.
Watanabe and Toya seem to be thinking about something else.
Toya finally opened his mouth.
"There are people who put lemon on fried chicken and people who don't, right?"
Food talk again?
Well, his food analogies are usually on point,
so I listened in silence.
"It's like people who want to enjoy the crispy texture can never understand the feelings of people who put lemon on it. Maybe Yukari-san had her own kind of consideration?"
"I'm telling you that's looking down on me."
"That's Aya-kun, isn't it? Like how it doesn't matter if you put lemon on it or not, it has nothing to do with the parsley that comes as a garnish."
Does he mean Aya trampled on Yukari's feelings?
"This isn't getting us anywhere. Once you've calmed down, would you be willing to try talking to Yukari-san? Otonashi-san."
Watanabe said this and handed over a slip of paper.
"I took it just in case. It seemed the other side was regretting it too, so wouldn't it be okay to at least hear them out?"
"I think it's fine not to, since you'll never meet again."
Airi seems to agree with my opinion.
"But I think dragging it for a lifetime is also not great. Like having a fish bone stuck in your throat."
"In that case, you say 'a weight off my chest'! You don't have to make everything about food!"
Airi's retorts to Toya have become practiced.
"But you know, if it were Makoto, I bet he'd definitely say 'don't run away'."
If it were Makoto?
"If it really bothers you, try calling Makoto. I bet he'll say the same thing."
"Fine, I'll try calling Makoto..."
"Then, shall we go to the boys' room?"
Ai said that, but I shook my head.
"It's a pain to keep calling you back, so I'm fine. I'll stay here."
Makoto's already back at the dorm, right?
"Hello, Kanna? You're early today?"
"Yeah, I have something to consult with you about..."
"What is it...?"
I told Makoto the sequence of events up until now.
"...I see."
Makoto said that and thought deeply for a while. And then...
"...I agree with Toya. Kanna, you're running away. You're deceiving yourself by blaming those two... because you don't want to accept the fact that you were rejected..."
"Are you trying to say I've convinced myself that I wasn't rejected because of my own fault?"
"...Don't lie to yourself, don't cheat. You should try facing it head-on once."
I'm running away?
Because I want someone to comfort me, I'm turning my eyes away from their side of the story?
"The one who is rewarded in the end is Kanna herself, who didn't run... With the current Kanna, you'll be fine, right? I'm with you. I'll let you rest as much as you want when you get back. If you're with me, you can look forward, right?"
"...I understand. But it's amazing, to think we understand each other this well just because we were a duo in soccer."
"It's not too late even now. Tell me to team up with you in soccer. Ah, no. I guess you're on a different level than Toya now."
"I think there's no player other than Makoto who can make the most of Toya."
"Well, you're going to call now, right? That Yukari-san person."
"Yeah, I'll report back by phone tomorrow when I return."
"Yeah, I'm praying for a good result."
"Later."
The call ended there.
"How was it?"
Airi asked.
"It was the same as Toya. 'Don't run away, don't choose the easy path. I'll let you rest as much as you want when you get back,' he said."
"So, are you going to call Yukari-san now?"
"Yeah, stop me if I seem like I'm going to go wild."
That meant please stay in this room.
Toya stood in the corner of the room, looked this way, and nodded.
I call the number on the memo I got from Watanabe.
"Hello?"
"It's me, Kanna."
"Ah, thank goodness~ you actually received it. There was something I had to apologize to Kanna for."
"What is it?"
"About that matter, Aya scolded me later. He said, 'That's why I told you to stop acting like you're playing with other people's feelings!'... But before I could apologize, Kanna, you transferred. I've been quite worried about it."
"Aya...?"
"Yup, it was all things I asked Aya to do! So Aya isn't at fault."
"So you admit that you're the one at fault?"
"Yeah... I admit that."
"Even now... are you still dating Aya?"
"Yeah, he's attending a high school in Niigata now, so it's a long-distance relationship."
"I see, so you weren't lying about that part."
"That's true. But I wasn't playing with you. I heard you were transferring, so I wanted to make a good final memory for you. I didn't think it would be taken that way."
I wonder why, but strangely, I wasn't angry.
Because I had it on speaker, everyone else heard the exchange too.
Ai was fuming alone, telling me to switch.
"I understand now. It was all my own assumption."
"Kanna... I'm truly sorry."
"It's fine now. I told you, right? I already have someone I'm dating now."
After several years, I finally feel refreshed.
Toya and the others were right.
"Can we meet again tomorrow? If we can, maybe over tea..."
"I told you, right? I'm only here for the school trip. I'm returning home tomorrow."
"I see, then we'll go to your place next time."
"I'll be waiting. Bye."
Saying that, I hung up the phone.
"Wait, why are you forgiving her! After you were that pissed off!"
When Ai said that, I was laughing.
"When I was told Aya wasn't at fault and that I was the one at fault, I didn't know where to aim the fist I'd raised..."
"That's just that Yukari girl acting like a tragic heroine!"
"Isn't that mutual?"
"But still..."
"That's enough, Ai. It seems Kanna has sorted things out in her heart."
Airi soothes Ai.
"I can't put it well, but I think there's no point in worrying about things that have passed. If both are happy, isn't that fine?"
Emi said.
That's true, Aya is no longer inside me. However, the thing that had remained as a grudge also vanished just now.
Should I send a message to Makoto too?
Come to think of it, what about Toya...?
Toya is standing in the corner of the room, looking at something through the window.
"Toya?"
"...Memories are like curry."
Huh?
Food talk again?
"It's spicy when you put it in your mouth, but once it's down the throat, only the memory that it was delicious remains."
...?
Does he think he used a good analogy?
However, he's not making a smug face.
He looked like he was lost in thought... but Airi, who was standing by the same window, approached Toya and gave his head a light smack.
"Curry after ramen!? You can eat at that chain store back home too! Endure it!"
Startled, I stand by the window and look at the scenery outside.
Then, bright yellow neon lights were illuminating the area.
This... idiot Toya. After telling someone else to make a phone call, the thing he was thinking about was curry!
"Wait, Katagiri-kun! Curry this time? What is wrong with your nerves!?"
Ai shouted.
"Isshy. Is Katagiri-kun always like that?"
Emi asks Isshy.
"Well, when he's spacing out, he's usually thinking about food? But he says good things by comparing them to food."
Isshy follows up wisely.
"I know that, but... I didn't think it would be to this extent..."
"Well, it's probably because he has that flaw of food that he's Toya, right!? No one is a perfect human."
What Watanabe says is aptly put.
Toya is fine as he is.
Just look at Airi a little more.
Apparently, Makoto has been looking at me this whole time.
Though lately, I feel like he's only looking at me with lewd eyes...
I want to tell the other boys too, turn your eyes toward your girlfriend a little more.
Just by doing that, she'll surely be happy.
While thinking such things and watching everyone chatting noisily.
Click, slam.
One intruder I had anticipated.
It's Mizuta-sensei.
"You boys, come with me. There's a huge uproar that you're not in your room."
"Damn it!"
Watanabe-kun lets out a voice.
Mizuta-sensei stops the boys who are hurriedly trying to go outside.
"Listen, don't come out until I say it's okay."
Saying that, Mizuta-sensei goes outside first.
"Alright... come out."
When Mizuta-sensei said that, the boys left the room.
It seems we escaped the trouble because it was decided (Toya's quick wit) that all the boys had gone to eat curry.
Should I treat them to curry next time?