Chapter 93 - The Place We Reached
(1)
Beep beep beep beep...
The alarm goes off.
I get up, turn off the alarm, and wake up Airi, who is sleeping next to me.
"Ah, good morning, Toya-kun. This is rare, you being the one to wake me up."
"I couldn't sleep, obviously. Thinking about Kanna coming in... I was right to set it for an hour ago."
"You set it that early? Then~..."
I restrain Airi as she tries to cling to me.
"Airi, put your clothes on quickly. You understood from last night, right? If we want to flirt, we can do it anytime."
"Hmm, you're so cold..."
Airi puts on her clothes while complaining. Naturally, it's her uniform.
Hmm? You're wondering what happened?
It's just a simple story: Airi and I were studying normally, and Airi started saying "I'm sleeping over today~!" as she always does, and after begging my mother and Airi's mother, permission was granted and she stayed over.
Finals are over, so we figured it would be a good way to relax.
Though I don't think this is how high schoolers are supposed to relax.
But the parents said it's fine, so it's fine, right?
After I put on my clothes, I prepare my things.
Before I knew it, Airi had finished dressing and headed toward the washroom.
Just as I thought, Maybe I should go downstairs?, Airi came back.
"Hmm? Where are you going?"
"No, I thought I'd eat breakfast..."
"Maya-san and the others are still asleep, you know?"
"Ah, that's right..."
Since it's earlier than usual, they're probably sleeping.
"What should we do until they wake up?"
Airi says this with a beaming smile.
Almost no options are left for me.
"...We don't have that much time, you know?"
"I don't care! I want to do it before I put on my makeup too."
"Won't your clothes get all wrinkled?"
"It's fine~"
Before I can even answer, Airi leaps at me.
Lately, I've stopped resisting.
Because Airi told me during the school trip that she accepts my habits.
Because she told me that just being by my side makes her happy.
Then, I wondered, What can I do for her?
I concluded that it must be responding to Airi's selfishness, to her wish to flirt with me.
If she's willing to accept my selfishness, it's fine for me to at least respond to Airi's delicate expectations.
Then, the gears clicked into place perfectly.
By accepting each other, things began to progress smoothly.
It became easier to enter that "world for just the two of us" Airi talks about.
Though the fact that she doesn't choose the time or place is the troublesome part.
For now, I'll accept Airi's time, and I whisper to her.
"We have to get ready soon."
"...Just a little longer."
"Kanna's going to arrive."
Airi begins her makeup while pouting slightly.
As I watch her intently, Airi looks back and speaks.
"I can't do it because I'm embarrassed when you stare at me like that."
"We're not in a relationship where you'd be embarrassed at this point, right?"
"That's just how it is~ Go wait outside for a bit."
"Then just do it in the washroom... don't push me."
Slam!
The master of the room is kicked out of the room.
After a while, a voice calls out, "Okay~"
When I open the door, there is Airi, fully prepared to go out.
"Shall we go to the dining room?"
Airi says this with a smile.
In the kitchen, Mother was moving about busily.
"Oh, Toya? You're early today."
"I couldn't sleep."
"Keep it in moderation, now~"
Mother brushes it off lightly as if nothing happened and returns to her work.
Moderation...
"Maya-san, I'll help too."
Airi places her things on a chair and heads to the kitchen.
"Oh? Are you sure? I feel bad~"
"It's a thank-you for letting me stay over. Besides, I want to learn the taste of Toya-kun's food."
"Toya will eat anything... he's an omnivore."
"But I think there are seasonings he likes."
"That's true~ Well then, first, there's a spare apron over there."
"Yes~"
"To think the time would come when I'd make a meal with Airi-chan~ I might be a bit naggy, so sorry about that~"
"If it's not like that, it won't be training~"
Training...
Isn't that a bit too early, no matter how you look at it?
As I watch the communication between Airi and Mother, Father wakes up.
"Oh? Toya... you're early today."
"I couldn't sleep."
"I see... make sure you do it within a range where you can take responsibility. Your father and I don't need grandchildren yet!"
I don't want children yet either.
"Why is Airi-chan standing in the kitchen today?"
"Apparently, it's bride training..."
"Did you propose!?"
Father is surprised.
Your voice is too loud, Father!?
"Was that it, Toya!? Then I'll have to be strict..."
No, please don't blow this out of proportion...
"That's not it~ But I guess it's half-correct. It's bride training~"
Airi, saying it's half-correct... no matter how I think about it, she's just a psychopath.
And so, the breakfast created by the collaboration of Airi and Mother was finished.
Airi and Mother also take their seats to eat.
I can't eat because I'm bothered by the two of them staring at me.
"Oh, this is surprisingly good. As expected of Airi-chan."
"Really? I added a little twist to that soup because Maya-san told me to."
"Yes, it's delicious! It's the taste of our home. Toya, you try some too!"
Told by Father, I taste the soup.
It's true, it's our home's taste.
"It's delicious..."
"I'm glad~. I incorporated it into today's bento side dishes too. Maya-san, please keep teaching me."
"I will~. I see~ so you've decided to marry into the Katagiri family."
I told you, she's fast.
Just then, the doorbell rings.
"Looks like Kanna is here."
When Airi says that, Mother goes to answer.
"Ossu. Toya."
"Good morning, Kanna..."
"Why do you have such a tired face so early in the morning? Wait, what's with that outfit, Airi!?"
Kanna is surprised.
"I had Maya-san teach me and made the bento and breakfast today♪ I was praised for it being delicious."
"Heh, seriously now..."
"Ah, I'll brew some coffee. Black is fine, right?"
"Yeah, thanks."
Kanna sits on the living room sofa.
"Toya, isn't it about time you got ready or things will get bad?"
I check the time. Has that much time passed already!?
After finishing my meal, I run to the washroom.
"I thought you two had been getting along well lately, but when did you get proposed to?"
"I haven't been yet, you know? Though I'm mentally prepared at any time."
"Airi... you intend to go to university, right? Wouldn't it be better after graduation?"
"It's fine to get engaged whenever, right? Though I think it'll be a while yet. Apparently, he has to save up three months' worth of salary."
"If you know that, isn't bride training a bit too early?"
"That's why it's preparation, I'm telling you. I have to properly grasp Toya-kun's preferences that have accumulated over ten-some years."
"I see... well, as long as Toya doesn't mind, it's fine."
"Lately, he forgives me no matter what I do~ so I've decided to forgive him no matter what he does too~ then it's like our intimacy increased~"
"Ah, I see. I'm jealous."
...I think I can head out now.
"I'm ready. Shall we go?"
(2)
"Katagiri, is there any sport you're bad at?"
These were the words spoken by Mizuta-sensei during HR.
"Pardon?"
"No, complaints have been coming from other classes saying 'He's too good at basketball, so it's not fair'..."
Ah, so that's it.
I'd probably say I'm bad at volleyball too, but I feel like it's not something I can't do. In that case, it has to be baseball.
"I'm bad at baseball."
"Then, you're on baseball."
"Sensei, that's cruel! You have to let Toya-kun do what he wants to do!"
Airi protested.
"I think so too. Besides, if he's the kind of person I imagine, he'll probably excel at baseball too."
Watanabe-kun also added his voice.
The so-called Watanabe squad all protested for me.
But...
"Those words are enough. I'll do baseball."
The day of the class match.
"I'll cheer for you today too," Airi said.
"Don't expect too much today. I'm really bad at it."
"Even so, I want to burn the image of a hardworking Toya-kun into my eyes."
I don't even intend to work hard, though...
"Thanks."
"Mm."
Defense was manageable. The position of fly balls seemed to flow in slow motion, and just as I tried to catch them, Igarashi-kun would follow up before me.
The problem was batting.
Hitting a small ball with such a thin stick... I did it.
However, it seemed my swing was bad, and it ended as a grounder to the pitcher.
The final inning. A bases-loaded chance for a comeback.
Standing there in the prime spot, despite having done absolutely nothing today, was close to a public execution.
"Of all people, Katagiri is last! It's over..."
Jeers flew even from my own teammates.
I told you I was bad at it, didn't I?
Thinking I can do anything is a mistake.
Watanabe-kun also said, "Every human has flaws."
At that moment, cheers reached my ears.
"Toya-kun, hang in there~!"
"Toya, if you hit it here, you'll clear your name!"
"Katagiri-kun, relax, relax."
"Katagiri-kun, knock it out of the park~ Come on, Eita too!!"
"It's just a class match... ow!"
"Someone is working hard, you shouldn't say it like that!"
The voices of five people enter my ears.
When I take my place in the batter's box, I try swinging the bat for now.
Yeah, is this how I should swing?
I confirm once more.
But the opposing pitcher is unmistakably a member of the baseball club.
After making me seal away basketball, isn't this a bit much?
Do they really want to win that badly~
The pitcher winds up.
Huh? What is this...
A moment where it feels like I alone have been left behind by time.
I can't hear the jeers around me.
I can only hear Airi's cheering.
The pitcher's movements look like extreme slow motion.
Ah, it seems it came at just the right timing.
My world.
To borrow Watanabe-kun's words, the world called the Zone.
The ball looks like slow motion.
I time my swing to match that ball.
I catch the ball with the core of the bat.
The hit flies toward left-center.
If there were a fence, it would have hit the fence directly.
However, the school ground has no fence.
It rolls on and on.
By the time the opposing center returned the ball, I had already kicked off from third base.
And then I step on home base.
"Toya-kun, amazing!!"
I can hear Airi's voice clearly.
Am I still in the Zone?
Or have I entered the world of two?
We won that game with a comeback.
"Toya, nice!"
Watanabe-kun pats my shoulder.
"Just ban Katagiri from class matches already!"
Such jeers are flying.
Whether they are jeers or screams.
Watanabe-kun placates the four girls who are confronting those jeers.
Even for Watanabe-kun, it must be tough alone.
I should help out too.
(3)
"Watanabe-kun said that, but that's just not right!"
Ai is indignant alone.
"Well, it's not right, it's just plain jealousy."
Kanna also seems to be dissatisfied.
"But Toya-kun really handles everything, doesn't he?"
Emi states her impressions alone.
"Did you know, Tosaka-san? That Katagiri-kun could play baseball."
Emi asked me.
"I was just told that he's bad at baseball, so not to expect him to excel~"
"That's his 'bad'!?"
That is...
"Apparently, it's that thing called the Zone."
Kanna answered instead.
"They call it the Zone, and apparently, it refers to a state of extreme concentration that occurs temporarily. I heard it from Watanabe."
"Is it Katagiri-kun's special ability?"
"Well, yeah. Also, I looked it up, and apparently Toya has a trait called Flow State, where he becomes immersed in one thing. That's why he looks like he handles everything. Entering his own world is probably due to those two traits."
Is it that thing where Toya-kun enters his own world...
"When someone with no motivation has such a special ability, it's a waste of a treasure."
"Don't tell him that. It's not like he got it because he wanted it."
"But it makes sense now. Toya-kun's potential depends on those Flow and Zone abilities."
"It's unknown how he acquired those abilities and how he manifests them. Especially with the Flow State, I almost think Toya doesn't even need it. He just makes Airi cry for no reason."
"I'm fine~"
I intervened.
"Airi-chan?"
Emi asks me.
"If he's in it while studying or something, that's one thing, but when he's just spacing out normally, he's probably thinking about food, so I decided to forcibly enter his world for him~"
"You can do something like that?"
"It's easy. First, I get on the same level as Toya-kun. Then, I get into Toya-kun's feelings. When I do that, I can somehow understand. What Toya-kun is thinking and what he's feeling."
"Airi is the only one who can do that."
I think Kanna is right.
I take pride in that.
I am the only one who can enter Toya-kun's world.
I alone am permitted to enter Toya-kun's world.
I believe that is the result of looking only at Toya-kun without giving up, even when I felt like throwing it all away until now.
The result of doing what I could.
The result of believing in feelings that didn't change, even though we clashed many times.
When I finished changing, I checked the time.
Ah, it's about time.
"Sorry, I'm going home first today~"
"Ah, right. I'm not going back to my place today anyway."
Kanna says this and waves her hand.
(4)
"I'm so envious of those two. I wonder if we'll be able to be like that someday."
Emi says this while watching Airi's retreating figure.
"You can't become that easily. It's a state they reached over five years."
I patted Emi's shoulder.
"Hmm, five years, huh~"
"But Emi, the time will come when you understand too. Though you'll probably have some painful experiences."
A place you finally reach after taking a detour and hurting each other.
There might be cases where it ends without ever reaching it.
Emi and Isshy aren't that tactful.
Even so, if they think about what they can do for the person they love, and for the person who loves them, they'll surely reach it.
"Well, it depends on Isshy and Emi."
"I'm putting in a fair amount of effort. I don't know about Isshy, though."
"What kind of effort are you putting in? I mean, have you gone on a date?"
Ai was asking Emi.
"Let's see, since coming back here, we've been busy with finals and such, so we weren't in a position to do that. However, messages and calls come at a fixed time every day."
Isshy is diligent too... but he lacks assertiveness.
"Then, will the first date be Christmas Eve? Emi, make sure you prepare properly..."
With Isshy, that's probably too much, honestly.
"Prepare what?"
"You know, for example..."
"Ai, they haven't even kissed yet, that's way too early."
"O-oh, I guess that's true."
From that exchange, she seemed to grasp the situation somehow.
"I-I don't remember falling for such a light person!!"
"I-It was a joke!"
Isshy, conquering Emi looks like it'll be tough.
(5)
Airi and I were in the station building.
Airi is holding clothes up to me, worrying.
"This one is good too~ ah, but this one is also hard to give up~"
"Hey."
"It's better to buy both a top and bottoms, right~? Ah, but shoes would be nice too~"
"Airi~"
"Yes?"
"What are you doing?"
"What do you mean, I'm picking out clothes?"
Airi asks back, looking puzzled.
"Is it my imagination that you're picking brands that look expensive?"
"Well~ we're high schoolers, I'll spend a little bit of money~"
I see...
I wonder if the contents of my wallet are okay?
"Alright, decided! This and this!! And shoes!"
"I bought winter clothes the other day, so you don't have to buy that much..."
"I haven't bought any!"
We're not on the same page at all.
While doing that, we reached the shoe store.
"Hmm, in Toya-kun's case, sneakers should be fine, right?"
She says this while examining the shoes.
"Alright, I've decided on these after all!"
Airi looks at me and asks.
"Toya-kun, what's your shoe size?"
"...26.5"
"Found them!"
Airi ran to buy the shoes.
I don't want to think about it, but could it be...
"Here, this is a present!"
Airi pushed the clothes and shoes onto me all at once.
As I thought...
"Happy Birthday~♪"
I held my head in my hands.
Seeing that, Airi asked anxiously.
"Did it not fit your taste?"
It's not a matter of that.
"Be a little happy~ Your girlfriend coordinated clothes for you~"
"Thank you."
"Say it honestly from the start."
"No, it's just that for Airi's birthday, I only gave something simple... so I feel bad."
"I'm happy just by you being with me."
Airi's innocent smile.
However, something doesn't sit right with me.
Was it really okay?
"Then, promise me. Go on a date in today's outfit on Eve."
"Is that enough?"
"Yes!"
Airi really is a good girl.
I think so deeply.
Did Airi-papa say it too?
"I want you to grant my daughter's delicate wishes," he did...
Airi isn't my daughter, but I feel like I understand now.
Airi has no greed.
She's greedy, but she has no greed.
She is grateful for delicate things.
If that's the case, I want to make Airi happy.
What should I do for her?
I take my smartphone and make a call.
"Hello, Mother, I don't need dinner tonight... yeah, I'll be home before it gets late. Also, Airi's probably staying over tonight..."
Airi wears a happy expression.
"And so, shall we eat something on the 4th floor before going home?"
"Yes♪"
Airi says this and clings to my arm.
I hope Airi's smile never ceases.