Chapter 82A Dream of the Dreams
I can't forget the back view of Ashida coming home with her shoulders swaying. My ears are red from seeing a side of Natsukawa that I rarely see, but how come she's so excited after club activities? I have so many questions, it feels unreal, I still feel like I'm dreaming.
And also right now, I'm alone with Natsukawa again.
"Kei..., she's a bit excited, huh?"
Whose fault do you think it is? My sanity is also being drained right now. I felt like I was walking alone with my favorite idol. I've used up all my luck this year, haven't I? Can I live peacefully from tomorrow?
"Natsukawa is almost the same. I've never seen you jump on Ashida before."
"T-That's... I was just imitating Airi."
What the heck is that? So cute.
I don't know how many times she's been cute today, but come to think of it, this isn't the first time I've found her cute like that. We met a long time ago, but Natsukawa has always been cute (common sense). I thought I might have gotten used to cute girls these days, but now I'm convinced.
The boys can't get used to having beautiful girls around them forever.
"...Speaking of Airi-chan, did you let Ashida meet her earlier?"
"Yeah, in May, together with the other Volleyball Club members."
"Volleyball Club? You have no relationship with the other Volleyball Club members except Ashida, haven't you?"
"It gets crowded when we all get together. Kei is the shortest amongst them."
"Are you serious...?"
Ashida is as tall as I thought... ...As expected of a Volleyball Club member, an advantage that would be useful in a match. Well, I have never seen Ashida play volleyball in a match myself. There was no way I was going to watch her alone. When I happened to run into Ashida during a break time a few days ago and she ran away quickly from me, saying "Don't get too close to me, because I'm sweaty and stinky!".
"That was the first time I let Airi meet people related to me."
"Is she happy?"
"She was very happy when they hugged her. She had a "Who?" expression on her face the whole time. She's so cute..."
"...?"
Natsukawa talks a lot even to me when she talks about Airi-chan. It made me so happy about it that I was about to throw money at her, but sometimes she imitated Airi-chan's voice while chatting and that was illegal. When a beautiful girl imitates the voice of a toddler, I feel like I'm witnessing something I shouldn't. My puberty... This is stimulating my puberty!
"...? What's wrong?"
"N-No, it's nothing."
Natsukawa didn't seem to notice that... ...No, isn't that a good thing? I can't imagine her realizing how perfectly cute she is... and I think she'll have a dominating personality like that young lady Shinonome whatsoever. Or she'll distance herself from all boys altogether.
That would make Airi-chan worry, wouldn't it? They'll probably say that she's more cute and pretty than Natsukawa. Will she grow up to be a very spoiled and tolerant girl, or will she grow up to be an arbitrary young lady... Hmm, I'm getting worried. It's not my position to say this.
"Airi is cute, but what about Wataru's Big Sis? She's pretty, wasn't she a cute big sis when she was little?"
"Is she pretty...? As I recall, she's already a little general."
"A-A little general...?"
Natsukawa giggled. That's when the conversation about sisters and sibling relationships started. Airi-chan had been trending since before summer vacation, so there wasn't much to ask her about it. I was hoping that Natsukawa, who loves her little sis, would talk about her affection for Airi-chan, but the conversation shifted to questions about Big Sis. I only talked about my grudge and hatred for that b*tch of a big sis.
Natsukawa smiled. I was glad that she laughed after hearing my story, and before I knew it, I was proudly telling several anecdotes. I felt like they were just sad stories, but I didn't care about that kind of thing.
Eventually, we came to a fork in the road after our walk. As I approached a familiar street, I suddenly realized my current situation. Can't I talk to Natsukawa normally...? Before this, most of the time, she would run away if I tried to talk to her. Even though I finally had the chance to talk to her normally, why I felt dizzy and confused...?
"..."
"Oh... ...I'm going this way, on the left."
"Oh... ...That's right."
It felt like a dream. This is the happiest time I've ever spent with Natsukawa. I don't want this time to end. I can't help but think so.
As we parted, Natsukawa stopped after walking a bit, then turned around halfway. She looked at me as if she was waiting for something. Her eyes, which were staring straight ahead, seemed to be filled with hopes for me.
...What else can I say? "Then, I'll go straight this way" is that it? What should I do about such an obvious statement? Why are you so nervous right now...?
What does Natsukawa want...? It wasn't me or Ashida who created this kind of situation, but it was Natsukawa herself. What does Natsukawa want...? I'm sure she told us before. What did Natsukawa say?
—Oh, that's right.
"...Then, I'll send you a message later."
"Yeah, see you later."
What is this? Ah here it is, Natsukawa smiled. That's the right way. It's not a confusing fake smile like when we went home together and I caught up with them earlier. It's completely different, the fake and the real ones, as our gazes meet. Everything I felt with my senses seemed to be the right answer.
Natsukawa turned her back to me. As her face disappeared from my sight, I felt a relief in my chest, as if I were alive again. I couldn't understand this, as it was completely at odds with my feelings for Natsukawa.
Even so, this sense of regret was still the same as back then.
♦
When I came out of the bathroom, I found a notification on my smartphone screen saying that I had been invited to a group chat. I thought, "Are you serious?" and I hurriedly looked at the contents. It seems that Ashida created the group chat and she invited me and Natsukawa. For some reason, there was already some sort of group name displayed.
'K and the Siscons.'
Is she picking a fight with us?
Huh, I'm a siscon? Are you calling me a siscon because you're at a loss for words? Putting Natsukawa aside... ...but it's me, you know? Huh, you make me laugh... I can remain innocent when looking at Big Sis' helpless figure.
I accepted the invitation to join the group.
[Who are the siscons?]
[Aichi admitted it, didn't she?]
[I am a siscon, huh.]
I forgot that I'm a siscon. Gosh, I can't see Big Sis' face anymore. It was to the point that my knees were trembling as we stared at each other. Without realizing it, I found myself bowing my head, and I did love her.
Eh, is Natsukawa reading our chat? Can't I exchange messages with Natsukawa legally? "Legally" is a terrible word. How special is Natsukawa, I wonder?
[Wataru, you're on good terms with your big sis.]
You called her your big sis-in-law... ...No, it's just "big sis", huh? It's just an optical illusion, I must be tired. Is it just my imagination that Natsukawa looks a bit happy? I wonder if she's like this... ...when she sends a message, but hey, what the heck, I'm getting excited.
[We were close enough that we shared a hamburger for dinner.]
[I could see the relationship between Sajocchi and his big sis in one shot...]
[(*´꒳`*)]
Natsukawa-san, I vaguely realized this before we parted ways on the way home, but you do like to talk about me and Big Sis, don't you? What's with the cute emoticons? Did you put it up on purpose? It's very imaginative. The possibilities of social networking are endless. And Big Sis, thank you for your support all these years.
[I feel the same way about Airi.]
[Tell us more about it! Aichi, tell us more!]
[Wait, Natsukawa, I hope you wait.]
[No way!]
Oh my... ...what's with these childish little feelings! A girl who is usually not too selfish, turns out to be a bit selfish behind the scenes, huh... ...It's not too much to tickle a guy's heart! Go to sleep, let's sleep. I want to put my feet up more than I've ever wanted to in my life.
Meanwhile, Natsukawa kept telling me about the day I played with Airi-chan. She liked the way I lowered my head and devoted myself as a horse, that's the gist of it.
No, no, were you worried that I was tired back then...? ...I mean, you were laughing inside, weren't you? It was horrible... ...why!? ...Why do I suddenly want to play horse again...?
[Hoho... ...Given what happened today, I wonder if Sajocchi likes younger girls?]
[Eh, is he also into Airi...?]
I don't know where you guys got that conclusion from.
Well, this is not a good development... ...Wait, let's think about this rather seriously. Actually, what about me...? ...How about we put Airi-chan aside for now, do I like younger girls or not?
What kind of younger girls are around me? Recently, there's only Sasaki-san. I always thought she was older than me, but... ...I think my impression of her as a college girl might have faded as I saw her wearing a middle school uniform. Because it had such a strong impact, I couldn't get rid of that figure in my mind...
But, what do I think? She's younger than me, so she has the vibe of an innocent girl, but even so, she's too mature. She's very charming. Even though I knew it in my mind, she didn't feel younger than me. I feel that we live in different worlds, so I don't think it's right to include Sasaki-san in the general 'younger girl' category.
Who else...? Why did Inatomi-senpai's face pop into my mind instead? Wow, she popped into my head faster than anyone I know. I'm going to stroke her head in my imagination... ...Wait a minute, can you step aside, Mita-senpai?
Who else is there? Sasaki's little sis, Yuki-chan...? What's Yuki-chan? What do I think about Yuki-chan? She's different. I'm not telling this to anyone. I wonder if I would feel the same way if I had a little sister.
....
[What kind of girl would you guys put in the 'younger' category?]
[Huh?]
[Huh?]
...Huh?
Author's Note: Huh?
TL Note: Actually, there's an extra chapter after this chapter, but because it's an 'LN-only' chapter we're not going to bring it here. If you want to read the extra chapter you have to support the official English translation of the LN Vol. 3 and purchase it when it's available.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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