[Warning 15+]
Part Six
―With the Same Energy as Before, Wearin' a Smile
Chapter 212
Advice Request from an Unexpected Someone
―With the Same Energy as Before, Wearin' a Smile
Chapter 212
Advice Request from an Unexpected Someone
The veil of night, lowered as if chasin' down the fast-settin' sun, had grown completely dark and deep, while the colorful leaves illuminated by the streetlights occasionally sang out in a lively rustle, as if mirrorin' Saki's mood.
On the way back from the Kirishima Residence, Saki walked with a light step alongside Haruki. Naturally, what filled her mind was the High School Cultural Festival for both Hayato and Haruki.
Saki wasn't quite like Himeko, but her first impression upon hearin' about her Middle School's Cultural Festival was that it was surprisin'ly plain.
To be honest, it was a bit of a letdown. Especially since movin' here, Saki had frequently seen lively, excitin' scenes straight out of manga and TV dramas.
However, the high school both Hayato and Haruki talked about over dinner was totally different. Right there was a world just like the stories Saki had always longed for and dreamed about.
Imaginin' what it would be like to visit that world, it was only natural for Saki's heart to leap with excitement.
"Man, a Cultural Festival... ...I can't wait."
"Gasp! Eh, yeah. Right, totally."
Saki initiated a convo with Haruki beside her to share the hype, but the response she got back sounded dazed and totally out of it.
It looked like Haruki was deep in thought about somethin'.
"Haruki-san...?"
Since they were super hyped about it right up until leavin' the Kirishima Residence, Saki tilted her head in wonder. Haruki groaned out a hesitant "Hmm..." with furrowed brows, cautiously openin' her mouth.
"Hime-chan is... ...popular with boys, right?"
"...Huh?"
Stoppin' in her tracks at those words, Saki blinked in surprise.
Himeko bein' popular with boys.
That had never even crossed Saki's mind.
Tryin' to picture Himeko at school, Saki had never heard any romantic rumors about Himeko—just images of Himeko constantly gettin' teased by the other girls, startin' with Torigai Honoka.
While Himeko loved romance drama gossip in manga and TV shows, she herself wasn't interested in that kind of stuff yet. Anyone could tell just by watchin' how Himeko usually acted. Haruki should know that too.
Unable to figure out the point of the sudden question, Saki stared right into her eyes, until Haruki eventually turned forward, resumed walkin', and started speakin' haltin'ly.
"I mean, a lot of people from other schools come to Cultural Festivals lookin' for hookups, right? Hime-chan's cute, cheerful, and kinda defenseless, so I can't help but worry about boys like that hittin' on her."
"Oh... ...if someone Hime-chan just hit it off with whispers 'Okonomiyaki' or 'Choco banana', she'd probably follow them blindly..."
"Right?"
"Fufu, totally."
Picturin' that scene all too easily, they exchanged looks of mingled trouble and exasperation, sharin' a laugh. Haruki's worry was totally valid.
Yet at the same time, there was one thing Saki felt absolutely certain about.
"But if it's Hime-chan, she'll be totally fine."
"...Eh?"
This time, it was Haruki's turn to blink in surprise.
Watchin' Haruki's face, Saki pondered over her bestie (Himeko).
Sure, Himeko could be shy around strangers, was prone to forgettin' stuff and makin' blunders, got easily distracted by anythin' shiny, and did things at her own sweet pace.
"Hime-chan's way tougher on the inside than you'd think. Plus, she sees right through malice and refuses to back down."
"...Hime-chan does?"
"Yeah, totally. From what I heard, since Hime-chan stands out, people used to whisper insults like 'She's gettin' ahead of herself' as they passed by, mimicked her whenever she acted like a country bumpkin, or tried givin' her weird nicknames. But word is she brushed all of that right off."
"I see..."
Yeah, the girl named Himeko was strong at her core.
Himeko could clearly say no to things she didn't like. Even back when she was little, when her Mom collapsed and she was at rock bottom, in the end, she pulled herself back up on her own two feet.
It was precisely because Saki had watched her bestie stick to her guns without ever waverin' that Saki found the courage to take the leap and move to the big city, and even now, Himeko was a constant source of inspiration.
So Saki gave Haruki a firm nod with a confident smile, puttin' her heart into reassurin' Haruki that everythin' was gonna be just fine.
◆
Partin' ways with Haruki at the entrance of the apartment building, Saki walked into her place and flipped on the lights. As her muttered "I'm home" echoed hollowly through the empty room, it hit her all over again—like it or not—that she was all alone.
It'd been over a month since Saki moved here, but she still couldn't get used to this specific moment. A sharp pang of loneliness seeped into her chest.
"...Oh."
Right then, almost as if perfectly timed, Saki's smartphone buzzed with a notification. Lookin' at the screen reflexively, it was from her Dad.
'Look how big he's gotten.'
Along with those words was a photo of Tsukushi sleepin' blissfully with his belly exposed, crammed snugly inside his favorite cardboard box. Next to it was another photo attached from back when he was still tiny and fit with room to spare.
In the nearly two months since comin' to the Murao Household, Tsukushi had grown quite a bit.
That said, Tsukushi was still very much a kitten. Lately, the proportion of weanin' food had reportedly increased, so he'd undoubtedly keep growing bigger and bigger from here on out.
Saki let out a soft smile, postin' the photo to the group chat with the caption 'Here's today's Tsukushi,' before headin' off to take a shower while changin' out of her school uniform.
Ever since movin' in, preppin' a proper bath had felt like a hassle, so Saki usually settled for quick showers, but with fall deepenin' lately, she was startin' to crave a hot soak in the tub.
Leavin' the bathroom, Saki quickly changed into her usual yukata and checked her smartphone on the desk, which was signalin' a notification.
Thinkin' it was a reaction to Tsukushi's photo, Saki unlocked the screen, only for her relaxed grin to freeze solid at the message from an unexpected sender.
Satō Airi.
A wildly popular model, and a stunnin' girl whose contact info Saki had exchanged without even knowin' her real identity at the time.
The way they met was purely coincidental.
It felt audacious to even call Airi an acquaintance.
They lived in completely different worlds to begin with.
What on Earth could it be? Why message me?
Saki's thoughts spun in circles, and from sheer panic, her heart thudded furiously against her chest, almost to the point of pain.
With tremblin' fingers, Saki timidly tapped the screen.
'Um, there's somethin' I'd like to ask or consult you about regardin' the Cultural Festival. Do you have a moment?'
Suddenly, a chill ran down Saki's spine, as if an icicle had been jammed right into her back.
Then Saki recalled her earlier convo with Haruki.
—A lot of people from other schools come lookin' for hookups.
And how Airi had mentioned someone she liked before.
Airi gave Saki head a light shake. That couldn't possibly apply to Airi... ...right?
However, MOMO's little bro Kazuki—who was close with Airi both professionally and personally—seemed to know Hayato as well.
There's no way, Saki thought.
Besides, judgin' by her tone, Airi's feelings of affection were clearly long-standin', so Saki desperately denied the thought.
Starin' at the screen, Saki's fingertips hovered indecisively as she tried to compose a reply.
Saki's mind was a complete mess.
Then Haruki's words, 'Hime-chan is... ...popular with boys, right?' flashed back in Saki's mind.
Was Hayato popular?
...Saki didn't know. She'd never thought about that before.
Yet word was that in the big city, aggressive girls makin' bold moves weren't all that rare.
Imaginin' Hayato bein' hit on by girls, the knot of anxiety in Saki's chest kept swellin' bigger and bigger.
So, driven solely by the desperate urge to dispel that apprehension, Saki tapped the call button to Airi.
'—Oh.'
"Um, hello—."
Author's Notes:
Meow~.