Author's Notes:
Happy New Year. Thank you for continuing to support me in 2023.
Let's continue.
TL Note: The Author has been removed this notes now, but yeah as the message suggests, this is the first chapter that published in 2023.
Chapter 197Autumn Sky
The next day after the events of that day, which was one agony after another, began with my laziness to get up. I woke up in the morning drenched in sweat from the fever caused by my injury, and I had to take a bath in the evening, which was a difficult task even for me. I spent all my energy in the morning, filled my stomach with a bowl of rice porridge that Mom cooked for me, took painkillers and antipyretics, fell asleep from the side effects, and woke up after sleeping again, and this was how my day went today.
"Oh, what is it, huh...?"
On the bed, I mumbled vaguely with sleepy eyes. Ever since I enrolled in high school, I have fainted at school in the winter, and I was severely injured in the fall, which is what made me unwell. It was so weird... ...because my body was like a high-spec zombie that had bounced back so many times from Big Sis' senseless wrestling moves and was so powerful that it had even mastered the technique of sealing its moves.
"Um...?"
My smartphone vibrated. I had indeed put it under my pillow since I woke up.
By now it was already late afternoon. When I started to open my smartphone, there were already nearly twenty message notifications accumulated. Yesterday, my class had a disbanding party, and there was an update from a group that had nothing to do with me. When I opened the messaging app, I found that I had received messages from several people addressed to me personally.
[Because you'll want to see it. So take care of yourself.]
"Oh..."
From Iihoshi-san, the Class Rep, there was a video of a karaoke session. When I played it again, it showed Natsukawa singing with both hands holding the microphone. This is it, this is what I've been looking for. This time, I can fight Big Sis again...!
[Listen, don't forget to say thank you to me, okay!]
"There's also here..."
A similar video also came from Yamazaki. This time, not only was there Natsukawa, but Ashida was also in the video. After all, he's my friend...! He's done the best job he's ever done since I've known him. I'll buy him a drink next time.
"...Huh?"
And now there's also Matsuda. We had a flat relationship, just sitting close to each other and hardly ever talking, but for some reason, he sent me a video of Natsukawa singing. It was a video from a different perspective than the previous two. He had taken the trouble to register as a friend and send it to me personally, and I wasn't sure if he cared or not. ...He's a nice boy.
Then there's Yasuda, Iwata, Ogami, and some girls who also sent me a video of Natsukawa singing... ...Hey, you guys? Did you record this video just out of the goodness of your heart? Somehow, I can feel your inferiority complex from that video. Don't you have any videos from low angles?
I felt like they were sending me secret messages, and I knew that they cared about me as much as Matsuda did. ...How does it feel to have fingerprints sticking to the screen of my smartphone?
"...!"
As I looked at the other messengers with murderous intent, a name caught my eye. The name listed was Ichinose Yuu. He was Ichinose-san's big bro, aka Bear-san-senpai.
[She's at peace now. It would be good if you could contact her if you have time.]
"..."
His words made him sound a bit desperate for some reason. His words seemed like those of a big bro, not those of a senpai. This shows that he cares about his little sis.
Last night, after finishing my call with Natsukawa, I sent Ichinose-san a message and said that I apologized for making her worried. Not long after that, I got an incoming call from Ichinose-san, but we could barely talk to each other. All I could hear from the other end of the line was Ichinose-san's voice stammering and speaking in a tearful, faint state. Honestly, I couldn't hear her at all.
"I didn't expect that she would cry over that...."
I sent a message to Ichinose-san's big bro, a senpai, and a colleague, and he responded. According to him, Ichinose-san was very shocked and worried by the news of my injury. I was very surprised by this unexpected situation. She told Natsukawa that she had a shift at a part-time job, which was probably a lie because it was different from the shift Ichinose-san had told me before.
"...Huh?"
Somewhat nervously, I wrote a message to Ichinose-san, [Hello, is it okay if we call each other right now?] I asked. Then after about a minute, she replied [Yeah.]. I replied, [Okay, I'll call you.] and pressed the call button. I heard a familiar tone, then a ping, and realized that our call was connected.
"Um, ...it's been quite a while since we called yesterday, huh, Ichinose-san?"
[...H-Hello.]
"Are you feeling better now?"
[Y-Yeah...]
Ichinose-san spoke to me as quietly as possible. She did the same as when I first started communicating with her back in the day when we had just started working together as fellow part-timers at the second-hand bookstore. It felt like nostalgia. The voice that came back seemed to be a call to wake me up from my sleep.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay? Because I think I've made you worry."
[N-No, I'm the one who should be sorry... ...I can't say anything to you...]
"It's my fault because I got injured, so you don't have to worry about it, okay?"
[...]
"Look, can't we just talk...?"
An awkward atmosphere could be heard from the end of this phone call. It was as if we were returning to the time when we finally started communicating while working part-time. We weren't close enough to say that we were comfortable, but to some extent, we should have lost the awkwardness.
Crushing her shyness with my shyness wouldn't make our relationship any closer. So, I took a step forward, prepared for the consequences.
"I'm glad that you're worried about me, though... Is that... ...enough to make you cry?"
[...!?]
I asked her in a rather playful manner, but without the nuance of teasing her. This way, I could find out Ichinose-san's true intentions. I can't afford to be misunderstood.
[...Is your injury already fine?]
"Um, I'm fine already, you know!"
The topic of this conversation suddenly switched, and I was unintentionally surprised. Although I was a bit confused, I just answered that I was fine and tried to stay strong. In reality, I was struggling in some aspects of daily life, but I was also a boy. I don't want to complain about it to a girl.
[—That's all... ...That's what I couldn't... ...tell you yesterday.]
"Eh?"
[I'm sorry.]
A question mark suddenly appeared in my mind. There was nothing wrong with Ichinose-san. Whether or not Ichinose-san, who was not a party to the incident, cared about my injury or not was up to Ichinose-san. Honestly, I didn't feel bad about being greeted with a [Good morning.] at the end of the vacation without a second thought. It's not that I'm friends with Ichinose-san just in exchange for her kindness. This wasn't about friendship or any other bond.
"That's very kind of you, Ichinose-san."
[—I-It's not like that...!]
"Eh?"
Surprised by the unexpected denial, I asked her. I knew Ichinose-san's kindness from the way she handled the books. Sometimes it may have morphed into weakness, but without that kindness, Ichinose-san would not be where she is today. This is an important element that has shaped Ichinose-san's attitude. It might be unconvincing and unreasonable to say that Ichinose-san does not have that kindness now.
[When I first heard that Sajou-kun was rushed to the hospital, I was very disappointed. 'Our promise to go shopping together tomorrow will be canceled.' I thought.]
"..."
[I hate myself because I can only think about myself like that. ...Although I tried to call Sajou-kun, I didn't know what to say or when to tell you....]
"Um, Ichinose-san..."
[I would love to visit you, but I don't know which hospital you were rushed to... ...or where your home is... ...and I don't know anything about you, ...I don't know anything about you, Sajou-kun...!]
"Ichinose-san!"
[I'm sorry...! I'm sorry, I can't do anything about it...!]
"..."
What sounded like a scream was Ichinose-san's chaotic emotions. I think that's what happened. She couldn't explain her feelings, she didn't know what to do, and she felt that she was helpless. This is especially true when we're in a dilemma between feeling selfish and caring for others. I've also felt similar frustrations. I remember all I could do at the time was keep my head down.
Even so, Ichinose-san put those feelings into words and conveyed them to me. Honestly, I thought it was amazing. If we're clumsy, we won't be able to put our feelings into words. On the other hand, if we're dexterous, we try to digest it within ourselves. That must be very, very difficult.
"I'm happy, very happy."
[...Eh...?]
"You were looking forward to our date today, huh?"
[Eh...!? Oh...!]
Normally, this would be the moment to accept that this was not a date. The damage power contained in that one word Natsukawa threw out was so great that it caused continuous damage to my heart until now and I almost threw up. But as Ichinose-san shed tears and revealed [I want us to go on a date!] Wow! (*She didn't say that)", my chest felt warm. I'm sure tomorrow my left hand will heal like a prank in a manga.
"Isn't that so?"
[No, it's not like that. It's not entirely true, though...!]
"I will make up for it, I promise."
[Yeah...]
"Then — I'm sorry about today. Now let me rest for a while, okay."
[O-Okay...]
In the end, I was the one who had to cancel the date. Is it really okay for me to postpone a date with a girl who is as good as her partner? Maybe Ichinose-san was a nice enough girl if it wasn't a working relationship....?
"See you tomorrow at school."
[O-Okay, ...See you again.]
"Bye then."
After saying that and a short pause, I hung up the phone call.
I felt fine at the moment. I felt sorry for Ichinose-san, who still sounded agitated, but I felt so calm that I forgot about the pain in my left hand. It was probably just a side effect of the medicine or something. I can have sweet dreams now, and to get well quickly, I'll take a nap once more — Eh?
"..."
"...Good afternoon."
"...Oh, um, good afternoon."
The smartphone in my hand fell around the armpit of my navy blue T-shirt, and my throat finally moved from the impact. However, before I could continue my words, the commentator — Natsukawa, who stepped in from the entrance of the room, placed what looked like an eco-bag carried in her right hand on the bedside table with a blank expression on her face.
"Natsukawa, why are you here...?"
"This is... ...my visit."
"Yeah, thank you. ...Oh, you don't have to go to that extent."
From inside the eco-bag, there was a regular pudding, an isotonic drink, a vegetable juice box, and an onigiri — Onigiri! Wrapped in plastic wrap! Are those onigiri handmade by Natsukawa!?
"Um, here you go..."
Whether this was a dream or reality, as I tried to confirm who made this onigiri, my wandering eyes alternately looked at Natsukawa, who didn't seem to be the Goddess of Commentary, and as I tried to confirm who was holding my hand, I slowly felt heat spread to my left hand.
"This is..."
"N-Natsukawa...?"
Natsukawa, who didn't want to raise her hand wrapped my left hand with both of her hands, then looked up and stared painfully at the sore part of my body, which was colored red. Needless to say, the greatness of this treatment was so overwhelming that it was difficult to see it from another person's POV because it was treated in such an unusual way. I felt that my skin regeneration could be accelerated just by Natsukawa's gaze alone.
"...Do you feel pain?"
"Yeah, ...even with painkillers, it still hurts a little."
"...You are careless."
"No, I'm not. I am. I just lack confidence sometimes...."
Forgive me for calling you an invader. You are a goddess. I will continue to revere you for the rest of my life. Well, let's decorate the altar in our room together. Let us pray every day with this onigiri as our sacred object, and with my supernatural powers to realize Natsukawa will forever be number one in the zodiac forecast. Rejoice, October-born humans from all over the country.
"I'm so... ...sorry."
"Huh...?"
"Take care of yourself, okay."
"Wait, Natsukawa?!"
Natsukawa immediately left my room with an empty eco-bag in her hand. Before I had time to catch up with her, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. It was so fast that there was no time to catch up.
"...'I'm so sorry.', huh?"
Is she still denying it as a "date"? Regardless, it was an expression and tone of voice that was too fragile. I guess it wasn't enough to make Natsukawa suffer. If that's the case, what exactly is she apologizing for?
[─I'm so sorry. Right now... I'm not interested in things like lovey-dovey....]
"...Fufu, I'm used to these words."
How many times do I have to hear those words? How many times did I force Natsukawa to show such a sad expression?
My heart is swaying, changing, and shifting. As one thing I understood, another mystery deepened. Inflicting injury on behalf of someone useless to help me see the autumn sky.
TL Note: Actually the author also give an information about an anime promotional campaign, but now, he already removed it. Let's talk about the other things, okay? Yeah, the flag for Ichinose-san have been wave, and such rivalry between her and Aika will become a thing in the future chapters, more possible than any other girls in this story. What do you think about this possibility?
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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