[Warning 15+]
Part Four
"―From Now On, You Better Treat Me with That Same Energy, Too!"
Chapter 125
Nikaidō, Haruki
"―From Now On, You Better Treat Me with That Same Energy, Too!"
Chapter 125
Nikaidō, Haruki
"D*mmit! That freakin' Haruki!"
Hayato was pedalin' like a madman, chain rattlin' like crazy as he tore down the narrow path through the paddy fields.
Unlike the city, these raw dirt roads lined with red spider lilies weren't paved for crap, so Hayato's bike was shakin' and rattlin' with every bump.
And even though the path was narrow as heck, it just kept stretchin' on forever. One wrong move and Hayato'd be face-down in a ditch or a rice paddy.
"Whoa—cr*p! That was close!"
Outta nowhere, a long, skinny brown critter darted out from the paddy field, makin' Hayato slam on the brakes. He brought the bike to a skidding halt, kickin' up a cloud of dust. It was a weasel.
The weasel looked just as shocked as Hayato was, freezin' up for a split second as they locked eyes before it bolted off toward the mountains.
Typical day in Tsukinose, honestly.
But Hayato just stood there watchin' it all go down like he was spaced out, feelin' like he was lookin' at somethin' from a million miles away.
"...Right. I keep forgettin' I'm back in the countryside."
Then, Hayato let out a long-*ss sigh.
Scratched his head like a total mess, lookin' awkward as heck, and flashed a self-mocking grin as Hayato pulled himself back together.
Hayato was headin' for the supply store attached to the Tsukinose Veggie Shipping Co-op.
They had plenty of veggies, sure, but when it came to fresh stuff like meat or fish, everyone was at the mercy of the mobile supermarket that rolled through three times a week.
Today wasn't one of those days. It wasn't like the city where you can just grab whatever you want, whenever you want.
Hayato took a quick look around.
No concrete jungles here—just mountains covered in thick-*ss trees, with utility poles lined up in the gaps of the flatlands.
Instead of neat rows of houses, it was just fields and paddies as far as the eye could see. Instead of cars and crowds, all Hayato could hear was the breathin' of bugs and animals.
This was the same view Hayato'd seen every single day until like, two months ago.
But now, it felt weirdly alien to Hayato, like some gears in his head weren't linin' up right.
Guess Hayato's senses had changed a heck of a lot in such a short time.
Haruki's face—the literal poster child for that change—popped into Hayato's head, and he placed a hand over his heart.
"...."
Then, with a dead-serious look on his face, Hayato swerved and headed toward a certain spot.
◇◇◇
If you head up toward the foothills, you'll find this massive, old-school Japanese house with these ancient-lookin' storehouses that scream "Old money," even for Tsukinose. Just like the vibe it gives off, it used to be the manor of a wealthy landlord who ruled over this whole area back in the day.
But despite its grand appearance, the place is fallin' apart in some spots, and you can even see some busted window glass. The yard is a total mess of overgrown weeds, with zero signs of anyone livin' there. Fact is, nobody’s set foot in this place for five years now. Houses go to rot real fast when they're left empty like that.
"Come to think of it, Haruki was always super stubborn about never showin' me this place..."
Hayato started lookin' back on the old days.
Hayato'd spent so much time runnin' around all over Tsukinose with Haruki.
They didn't just tear through the mountains and rivers out in nature; They'd also play video games in his room or hang out with Himeko, playin' with dolls, blocks, and drawin' pictures.
But all of that always happened over at the Kirishima Residence.
Back then, Hayato never even thought twice about it. If he ever said, "Man, I wanna check out Haruki's house," Haruki'd just hit him with, "Naw, Hayato's house is better since Hime-chan's there." He just rolled with it, thinkin' that made sense.
Hayato shifted his gaze to a certain section of the mountain.
Only that one spot had been half-heartedly cleared of trees, and since the color was different from the rest of the mountain, it stood out like a sore thumb—like someone spilled ink on a piece of white calligraphy paper.
"'The Battlefield of Rocks and Pillars', huh..."
That place was basically a big-*ss plaza with giant rocks scattered around and concrete floors with rows of decaying pillars lined up like some ancient temple. Hayato had memories of comin' here during summer for major water gun fights.
Nothin' special, really. It was just the ruins of some development project that got scrapped back during the bubble economy. Most likely, they were plannin' to build a hotel or a golf course or somethin'.
And apparently, the ones behind the whole thing were Haruki's Grandparents.
The Nikaidōs had already gone totally broke way before Hayato was even born, and they didn't really vibe with the other villagers much.
Word is there was a lot of drama inside Tsukinose back then regarding the push for that development, but Hayato didn't know the full story.
Then, five years ago, they finally got buried in debt they couldn't pay back, their land and house were foreclosed, and they vanished like they were skippin' town in the dead of night.
"Nikaidō, Haruki..."
Hayato went out of his way to say the name out loud.
Hayato knit his brows together in a deep frown.
Back then, Hayato was just a kid, so he didn't know jack.
As long as Hayato could hang out with Haruki, that was all that mattered.
Plus, in all Hayato's memories, Haruki was always smiling.
But no matter what Haruki meant to Hayato, the fact remains that she's the granddaughter of this total wreck of a house in front of him.
What kind of looks was Haruki gettin' from everyone in Tsukinose, though?
There's no way Haruki didn't realize it. Hayato also didn't get why Haruki decided to stay at Saki's place instead of his.
Hayato thought back to when they were on the train comin' here.
Himeko was whinin', talkin' about how "I'm stoked to see Saki-chan, but there's zero fun spots in Tsukinose," while Haruki was gushing about fishin' in the river, splashin' in the streams, catchin' beetles in the mountains, and how she wanted everyone to get together for a BBQ.
Haruki had that same mischievous grin she'd had since they were little kids—the one she'd been wearin' ever since they reunited.
But behind that bright face that always made everyone else smile too, just how much cr*p was Haruki actually carryin' around?
Suddenly, Hayato remembered the first time he ever met Haruki, back when she was just sittin' there, huggin' her knees.
That image overlapped with Haruki's lonely face when she said, "Well, I'm an only child," before disappearin' into that dark house; Her shakin' shoulders when she muttered, "Even though I'm waitin' here like a good girl"; and that voice of hers—like she was holdin' somethin' back—when she yelled out "'Shut up, shut the heck up, just get lost!'" at the pool the other day.
Hayato bet even right now....
"Oh, d*mmit, I just don't get it anymore..."
The more Hayato thought about it, the more his head became a total mess.
And despite bolting outta the house 'cause things got awkward, now Hayato actually wanted to see Haruki's face. He felt like a total clown.
"Man, that Haruki is just―"
The words Hayato spat out to vent the frustration in his chest were immediately snatched away and carried off by a gust of wind blowin' down from the mountains.
Then Hayato bunched up his shirt with the hand pressed against his chest, leavin' it all wrinkled as he turned on his heel.
Author's Notes:
Tenbin [LN] Volume 2 is officially out!
They say the first week is make-or-break. This weekend is definitely gonna be the big hurdle.
So please, I'm beggin' you guys, show some love and support...!
I'm actually headin' to Melonbooks tomorrow myself to snag a copy that comes with the tapestry!
Also, "Kōno Hiyori and Hanai Miharu's Light Novel Party Talk!" went off without a hitch.
The two of 'em acted out some picked-out scenes and talked about all the best parts—it turned out to be a k*ller show. It's up on the K*dokawa Anime Channel archives, so if you missed the stream, definitely go check it out.
I popped into the chat too, but to put it mildly, it felt like some kinda public execution, haha. Plus, SunsunSun-san from Roshidere, Ōyama Juna-sensei from the manga side, and Raru Bird-san from the High Elf series were all chillin' there too, which cranked up my secondhand embarrassment by like 30% (poker face).
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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