[Warning 15+]
Part One~She Only Acts Like Her Old Self When She's with Me... Wait, Hold Up!~Chapter 15If Only He Had That…
It had been raining since first thing in the morning.
The steady drizzle that had been coming down since last night was spreading a pretty gloomy vibe. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who actually wanted to go to work or school on a day like this.
"Ugh! My hair just won't behave!"
Even at the Kirishima Residence, voices were being raised in protest against the morning gloom.
With Himeko's complaining acting as his background music, Hayato prepped their lunches, thinking to himself, "Yep, the usual."
The menu was just some frozen fried chicken Hayato could heat in the microwave, some leftover burdock and carrot stir-fry from last night's dinner, and a few cherry tomatoes on the side.
"Ugh, I seriously hate rainy days! My hair gets all frizzy and poofy, but then the top goes totally flat!"
"I actually kind of like it. At least I don't have to worry about being dragged out to help with the crops during a drought."
"Big Bro, we don't even have a farm here anymore…"
"O-Oh yeah, that's right."
"Anyway, hmm, the app says the rain's gonna let up after noon. Maybe I should just take a folding umbrella so I don't leave it behind on the way home."
"A smartphone?"
"Yeah. It's pretty accurate and super handy."
"I see. So it's that useful, huh."
"It’s rare for you to actually be interested in something like that."
"…Haruki chewed me out, asking why I didn't have one."
"Oh, because of Haru-chan…"
Himeko nodded over and over like she'd finally figured something out, crossing her arms. She looked at Hayato with eyes that were half-judgmental and half-exasperated.
"Listen up, okay, Big Bro? Smartphones are basically a survival tool in this day and age. Just like every house has a fridge, or every farm has a tractor, it's totally normal for every person to have one. The fact that you don't have one is actually what's weird."
"For real…? …Is it really that big of a deal…?"
"I mean, back in Tsukinose, we usually only got one bar of service anyway. But it's still super handy. I'm texting Saki-chan every single day."
"Oh, with Murao-san."
Murao Saki. A rarity in Tsukinose for being in their age group, Saki was Himeko's classmate and close friend.
Saki was a quiet, soft-spoken girl who'd played with Himeko since they were little. But whenever Hayato got close, Saki'd instantly hide behind Himeko's shadow. He just saw Saki as his little sis' incredibly shy friend—that was his whole take on her. For Himeko, though, Saki was an irreplaceable childhood friend.
(I see...)
Himeko and Murao Saki had been torn apart by this move. The distance between Tsukinose and this city took several hours by car. It wasn't the kind of distance where you could just pop over to say hi.
For Hayato and Himeko, who didn't have driver's licenses or cars, it was a gap that would take an entire day just to bridge. For young kids, that kind of distance could feel like saying goodbye forever.
But even so, Himeko was still staying in touch. It might just be a thin connection through a palm-sized device, but Hayato could definitely feel that the two of them were still linked.
"I see… …Is Murao-san doing okay?"
"Hmm, same as always? Oh, but Saki-chan seemed pretty concerned about you, Big Bro… …Did you do something?"
"Huh? Me? If anything, Murao-san always acted like she couldn't stand being around me."
"True, right? Hmm, ever since we were kids, that girl always acted weird whenever you were around, Big Bro. Maybe it's just a gut-level dislike?"
"Knock it off, Himeko. That actually hurts a little."
"Aha! Fine, I'll talk you up a bit and tell Saki-chan some good things about you as an appeal, Big Bro."
"Please do."
With that, Himeko started typing a message to Saki.
Watching Himeko, Hayato couldn't help but wonder—if they'd had smartphones or stayed connected with Haruki back when they were kids, would their future have turned out differently?
Still typing away, Himeko spoke up again.
"I think Haru-chan was really happy to run into you again after all this time, too, Big Bro. You're still friends, right? I'm sure there's a ton of catching up to do, and Haru-chan probably wants to talk to you way more than Haru-chan lets on."
"You think…? …Maybe you're right."
To be honest, Hayato still didn't get why Haruki had yelled at him like that yesterday.
Now that Hayato thought about it, his life was full of things he didn't know or understand about Haruki.
The fact that Haruki was actually a girl, the fact that she made dioramas—who knows what other misunderstandings or missed connections were out there. But even so, to Hayato, Haruki was a special and irreplaceable childhood buddy.
(If I had a smartphone, maybe we'd finally be able to understand each other a bit better…)
And so, Hayato officially started looking into getting a smartphone of his own.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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