[Warning 15+]
Part Three"―Seriously, Your Vibe Hasn't Changed a Bit Since the Old Days!"Chapter 93Well, I Didn't Know That
They headed out of the apartment right after that. Hayato just gave Himeko some random excuse to head out.
It was only a two-stop ride on the train from the nearest station.
The sun was still beating down on them, so they tried to stick to the shade of the trees along the main road as they made their way to the hospital.
"Huh, it's actually pretty close, though it's a bit of a trek if you're just walking. Oh, a bike could totally work, right?"
"Funny you mention that. Since my birthday's next month, I'm thinking about just getting my moped license. Even for a used one, I'm gonna have to find a part-time job first, though."
"Oh, right, we're first-year high schoolers now so we can totally start working part—wait, hold up. Hayato, your birthday is next month!?"
"Yeah, August 25th."
"Geez, you really should’l've mentioned that sooner..."
"My bad... ...wait, Haruki?"
Out of nowhere, Haruki just stopped dead in her tracks.
When Hayato turned back to see what was up, Haruki was just standing there with a forced smile, looking kind of bummed out.
"Man, I guess I really didn't know anything about you at all, huh?"
"...Now that you mention it, I don't know your birthday either, Haruki."
"March 14th. It's still a way off."
"So you're an early-year baby just like Himeko, then. Her birthday's January 7th."
"Oh, so Hime-chan was born early in the year too, huh?"
They started walking again, but the vibe was just... ...heavy.
The massive white hospital building loomed over Hayato and Haruki.
Every now and then, cars and buses would zoom past the silent pair, disappearing into the hospital grounds.
Right as they hit the front gate, Hayato stopped and aggressively scratched his head.
"Ugh, look... ...I might not have known your birthday, but I definitely know Haruki loves Ramune even though she's trash at opening the bottles."
"...Hayato?"
"I also know you're a sore loser, and when you're locked into a game, your whole body moves with the controller. I know you wander off to chase any bug or animal you see. And lately, I noticed you only step on the white stripes when you're crossing the street."
"Mya— Mya— Mya!?"
Haruki's face turned beet red in record time.
Hayato kept a straight face, even as he scowled, listing off all these childish habits he knew about Haruki. Naturally, she just got redder and redder.
"And then there was that time at Old Man Gen's sheep pen—"
"Stop! Enough! I get it already! If we're going there, I know all about the time Hayato tried to jump onto a rock in the river and slipped right in! Or when you got cocky blowing a bubble and it popped all over your face and hair! I even know you've been checking grocery store sales on your phone at school lately!"
"Whoa— hey! Haruki!?"
Now it was Hayato's turn to panic.
But once Hayato's eyes met Haruki's—who was still pouting with her cheeks puffed out—they both just burst out laughing.
"Haha, well, you know how it was. When we were brats, we were way too busy figuring out how to play every day to care about birthdays."
"Hehe, true. I guess we can just start filling in the blanks from here on out, right?"
"Yeah. I mean, it's not like we aren't gonna be together forever anyway."
"..."
"...Haruki?"
"Seriously, Hayato, you really pull off some crazy sneak attacks sometimes."
"Huh?"
Haruki suddenly let out this frustrated-sounding grumble, turned her head away, and practically jogged through the hospital gates.
Hayato was left standing there wondering if he'd said something weird, but when Haruki looked back at him, her face was back to normal.
"You coming?"
"Yeah."
◇◇◇
The hospital lobby was so huge, bright, and sterile that it felt almost fake. Hayato couldn't help but scowl.
Maybe it was because it was the weekend and the place was packed with visitors, but all Hayato could see were people who looked perfectly healthy.
"This way."
"U-Um, okay."
While Hayato headed toward the front desk with a practiced stride, Haruki was busy looking all around the place like she'd never seen anything like it.
Hayato breezed through the check-in and grabbed his visitor's badge, but just as he started heading for the elevator like he usually did, he stopped in his tracks. He looked back at Haruki, who was glancing back and forth between him and the reception desk, looking a bit lost.
"Oh, my bad. You gotta sign the visitor log over there and grab a badge—"
"Hayato, you.... ...you really always come here all by yourself, don't you?"
"Wait! That's..."
"Anyway, let me just go get checked in."
"...Yeah."
Having the truth pointed out like that made Hayato aggressively scratch his head. Since this whole thing also involved Himeko's situation, he didn't really know what to say.
A bit later, Haruki came back with her badge and looked Hayato right in the eye. Then, she flashed him a soft smile.
"Look, if talking about it would make things any easier for you, don't be afraid to lean on me. I can at least help you worry about it and carry some of that weight, okay?"
"...I'll hold you to that."
"It's a promise, okay?"
Then Haruki held out her pinky.
Despite Haruki's casual tone, her eyes were dead serious, meeting Hayato head-on.
Hayato felt himself getting swept up in Haruki's intensity as he hooked his pinky with hers. When Haruki let out a little giggle, Hayato's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't look away.
Hayato's mind was a total mess.
Thoughts about Himeko avoiding the visits, or the feeling that just linking pinkies wasn't nearly enough—everything was spinning in Hayato's head. Eventually, he realized they were just standing there in the middle of the way, blocking everyone.
"...Let's go."
"Yeah... ...whew, okay, I'm actually starting to get a little nervous."
Hayato forced the words out and was just about to turn away so Haruki wouldn't see the chaotic mess of expressions on his face, when it happened.
"What the heck are you doing here!?"
"Huh... ...ow!"
"Haruki?"
A voice he didn't recognize sliced right through Hayato's train of thought.
Hayato spun around to see some stranger gripping Haruki's arm with terrifying intensity.
Who the heck was this guy? What was going on? Before he could even process the questions, Hayato's body moved on its own.
"Hey! Get your hands off Haruki!"
"Hayato!"
"!"
Slap! The sharp sound echoed through the lobby.
Hayato swiped the guy's hand away with overkill force, then grabbed Haruki's arm—almost like he was overwriting where the guy had touched her—and pulled her close to shield her. The growl that ripped from his throat was so low it actually startled Haruki.
Hayato took a good look at the guy.
Total stranger.
He was a good-looking dude with a cool, refined face—tall, lean, and the kind of "pretty boy" who turned heads. But he looked at least twelve years older than them. Maybe thirty-something, maybe even older. Either way, he definitely wasn't in their age group.
Hayato scrutinized him, while Haruki just knit her brows and tilted her head, looking equally confused.
"No, wait, I just—"
Feeling Hayato's piercing, suspicious glare, the guy finally seemed to snap out of it and realize what he'd actually done.
Looking at how flustered and shaken he was, it was pretty clear that grabbing her had been a total impulse move on his part.
"Haruki, you know this guy?"
"Nope. Total stranger."
When Haruki shook her head, the guy's eyes went wide. He bowed his head low, looking incredibly guilty but also strangely dead-serious.
"I'm so sorry. I had the wrong person. You just... ...you give off the exact same vibe as someone I know. Please forgive me for suddenly grabbing your arm like that."
"U-Um, okay, I'm fine, really... ...eh, please, stand up straight!"
Once the guy looked up, Hayato gave Haruki this subtle, almost clinical look—like he was studying her—before muttering something under his breath.
"I see... ...thank you."
And just like that, the guy hauled *ss out of there as if nothing had even happened.
(...The heck was that guy's problem?)
Hayato watched the guy walk away with a look of pure suspicion. He couldn't quite put his finger on why, but he absolutely detested that guy. Without even thinking about it, he tightened his grip on Haruki's arm.
"...Hayato?"
"Whoa! My bad."
When Haruki looked up at Hayato all worried, he finally realized he was basically hugging her and holding her way too close. He scrambled to let go and back off.
"Oh... ...well, as long as everything's cool, I guess."
Was Hayato just imagining it, or did Haruki's voice sound a little heartbroken for a second there? Hayato aggressively scratched his head, trying to clear his cluttered thoughts, and nudged her forward.
"...Let's get moving. It’s on the 6th floor."
"Okay."
And with that, Hayato finally turned around and started walking for real.
Author's Notes:
Last update for this year (2020)! Glad I could squeeze it in.
The physical book (Light Novel) is coming out next year (2021), too. I'll be posting a year-in-review over in the activity reports.
Looking forward to your continued support! Meow!
∧,,∧
(,,・∀・)
～(_ｕ, uノ
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
If you like our work, please consider supporting us on Ko-fi. 🙏
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Donations are very much appreciated.
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They headed out of the apartment right after that. Hayato just gave Himeko some random excuse to head out.
It was only a two-stop ride on the train from the nearest station.
The sun was still beating down on them, so they tried to stick to the shade of the trees along the main road as they made their way to the hospital.
"Huh, it's actually pretty close, though it's a bit of a trek if you're just walking. Oh, a bike could totally work, right?"
"Funny you mention that. Since my birthday's next month, I'm thinking about just getting my moped license. Even for a used one, I'm gonna have to find a part-time job first, though."
"Oh, right, we're first-year high schoolers now so we can totally start working part—wait, hold up. Hayato, your birthday is next month!?"
"Yeah, August 25th."
"Geez, you really should’l've mentioned that sooner..."
"My bad... ...wait, Haruki?"
Out of nowhere, Haruki just stopped dead in her tracks.
When Hayato turned back to see what was up, Haruki was just standing there with a forced smile, looking kind of bummed out.
"Man, I guess I really didn't know anything about you at all, huh?"
"...Now that you mention it, I don't know your birthday either, Haruki."
"March 14th. It's still a way off."
"So you're an early-year baby just like Himeko, then. Her birthday's January 7th."
"Oh, so Hime-chan was born early in the year too, huh?"
They started walking again, but the vibe was just... ...heavy.
The massive white hospital building loomed over Hayato and Haruki.
Every now and then, cars and buses would zoom past the silent pair, disappearing into the hospital grounds.
Right as they hit the front gate, Hayato stopped and aggressively scratched his head.
"Ugh, look... ...I might not have known your birthday, but I definitely know Haruki loves Ramune even though she's trash at opening the bottles."
"...Hayato?"
"I also know you're a sore loser, and when you're locked into a game, your whole body moves with the controller. I know you wander off to chase any bug or animal you see. And lately, I noticed you only step on the white stripes when you're crossing the street."
"Mya— Mya— Mya!?"
Haruki's face turned beet red in record time.
Hayato kept a straight face, even as he scowled, listing off all these childish habits he knew about Haruki. Naturally, she just got redder and redder.
"And then there was that time at Old Man Gen's sheep pen—"
"Stop! Enough! I get it already! If we're going there, I know all about the time Hayato tried to jump onto a rock in the river and slipped right in! Or when you got cocky blowing a bubble and it popped all over your face and hair! I even know you've been checking grocery store sales on your phone at school lately!"
"Whoa— hey! Haruki!?"
Now it was Hayato's turn to panic.
But once Hayato's eyes met Haruki's—who was still pouting with her cheeks puffed out—they both just burst out laughing.
"Haha, well, you know how it was. When we were brats, we were way too busy figuring out how to play every day to care about birthdays."
"Hehe, true. I guess we can just start filling in the blanks from here on out, right?"
"Yeah. I mean, it's not like we aren't gonna be together forever anyway."
"..."
"...Haruki?"
"Seriously, Hayato, you really pull off some crazy sneak attacks sometimes."
"Huh?"
Haruki suddenly let out this frustrated-sounding grumble, turned her head away, and practically jogged through the hospital gates.
Hayato was left standing there wondering if he'd said something weird, but when Haruki looked back at him, her face was back to normal.
"You coming?"
"Yeah."
◇◇◇
The hospital lobby was so huge, bright, and sterile that it felt almost fake. Hayato couldn't help but scowl.
Maybe it was because it was the weekend and the place was packed with visitors, but all Hayato could see were people who looked perfectly healthy.
"This way."
"U-Um, okay."
While Hayato headed toward the front desk with a practiced stride, Haruki was busy looking all around the place like she'd never seen anything like it.
Hayato breezed through the check-in and grabbed his visitor's badge, but just as he started heading for the elevator like he usually did, he stopped in his tracks. He looked back at Haruki, who was glancing back and forth between him and the reception desk, looking a bit lost.
"Oh, my bad. You gotta sign the visitor log over there and grab a badge—"
"Hayato, you.... ...you really always come here all by yourself, don't you?"
"Wait! That's..."
"Anyway, let me just go get checked in."
"...Yeah."
Having the truth pointed out like that made Hayato aggressively scratch his head. Since this whole thing also involved Himeko's situation, he didn't really know what to say.
A bit later, Haruki came back with her badge and looked Hayato right in the eye. Then, she flashed him a soft smile.
"Look, if talking about it would make things any easier for you, don't be afraid to lean on me. I can at least help you worry about it and carry some of that weight, okay?"
"...I'll hold you to that."
"It's a promise, okay?"
Then Haruki held out her pinky.
Despite Haruki's casual tone, her eyes were dead serious, meeting Hayato head-on.
Hayato felt himself getting swept up in Haruki's intensity as he hooked his pinky with hers. When Haruki let out a little giggle, Hayato's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't look away.
Hayato's mind was a total mess.
Thoughts about Himeko avoiding the visits, or the feeling that just linking pinkies wasn't nearly enough—everything was spinning in Hayato's head. Eventually, he realized they were just standing there in the middle of the way, blocking everyone.
"...Let's go."
"Yeah... ...whew, okay, I'm actually starting to get a little nervous."
Hayato forced the words out and was just about to turn away so Haruki wouldn't see the chaotic mess of expressions on his face, when it happened.
"What the heck are you doing here!?"
"Huh... ...ow!"
"Haruki?"
A voice he didn't recognize sliced right through Hayato's train of thought.
Hayato spun around to see some stranger gripping Haruki's arm with terrifying intensity.
Who the heck was this guy? What was going on? Before he could even process the questions, Hayato's body moved on its own.
"Hey! Get your hands off Haruki!"
"Hayato!"
"!"
Slap! The sharp sound echoed through the lobby.
Hayato swiped the guy's hand away with overkill force, then grabbed Haruki's arm—almost like he was overwriting where the guy had touched her—and pulled her close to shield her. The growl that ripped from his throat was so low it actually startled Haruki.
Hayato took a good look at the guy.
Total stranger.
He was a good-looking dude with a cool, refined face—tall, lean, and the kind of "pretty boy" who turned heads. But he looked at least twelve years older than them. Maybe thirty-something, maybe even older. Either way, he definitely wasn't in their age group.
Hayato scrutinized him, while Haruki just knit her brows and tilted her head, looking equally confused.
"No, wait, I just—"
Feeling Hayato's piercing, suspicious glare, the guy finally seemed to snap out of it and realize what he'd actually done.
Looking at how flustered and shaken he was, it was pretty clear that grabbing her had been a total impulse move on his part.
"Haruki, you know this guy?"
"Nope. Total stranger."
When Haruki shook her head, the guy's eyes went wide. He bowed his head low, looking incredibly guilty but also strangely dead-serious.
"I'm so sorry. I had the wrong person. You just... ...you give off the exact same vibe as someone I know. Please forgive me for suddenly grabbing your arm like that."
"U-Um, okay, I'm fine, really... ...eh, please, stand up straight!"
Once the guy looked up, Hayato gave Haruki this subtle, almost clinical look—like he was studying her—before muttering something under his breath.
"I see... ...thank you."
And just like that, the guy hauled *ss out of there as if nothing had even happened.
(...The heck was that guy's problem?)
Hayato watched the guy walk away with a look of pure suspicion. He couldn't quite put his finger on why, but he absolutely detested that guy. Without even thinking about it, he tightened his grip on Haruki's arm.
"...Hayato?"
"Whoa! My bad."
When Haruki looked up at Hayato all worried, he finally realized he was basically hugging her and holding her way too close. He scrambled to let go and back off.
"Oh... ...well, as long as everything's cool, I guess."
Was Hayato just imagining it, or did Haruki's voice sound a little heartbroken for a second there? Hayato aggressively scratched his head, trying to clear his cluttered thoughts, and nudged her forward.
"...Let's get moving. It’s on the 6th floor."
"Okay."
And with that, Hayato finally turned around and started walking for real.
Author's Notes:
Last update for this year (2020)! Glad I could squeeze it in.
The physical book (Light Novel) is coming out next year (2021), too. I'll be posting a year-in-review over in the activity reports.
Looking forward to your continued support! Meow!
∧,,∧
(,,・∀・)
～(_ｕ, uノ
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
If you like our work, please consider supporting us on Ko-fi. 🙏
Support Us: https://ko-fi.com/ninjacross
Donations are very much appreciated.
Your donations really support us to finish this novel from here until the end, so please consider to support us.
Follow Our Official WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaRa6nHCsU9OAB0U370F
Read in other languages: