Mizuto Irido: From a Distant Place
“What do you think?” Yume asked, raising her sleeves, showing me in her yukata.
Last year, she’d worn a white yukata with pink flowers on it, which had been more on the cute side of things, but this year, she was wearing one with more muted colors, which seemed a little more mature. Madoka-san was right when she said that something like this would suit Yume more now, especially after all that’d happened over the past year to both her and me. I decided to give her my candid opinion.
“I think you look beautiful.”
“You...really think so?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“It feels kinda like a cheap compliment when you just say it so easily like that.”
“So it’s a problem if I’m too honest with my opinions now?” What do you even want me to do?
“Hmm...” Madoka-san let out a sound of admiration, causing Yume to turn to her.
“What’s wrong?” Yume asked cautiously.
“It’s like the two of you have really mellowed out. Last year it was like you were crazy teenagers, but now it’s like you’ve grown up.”
“Y-You think so?” Yume asked.
“It makes me rethink how I act. You know, a lot of my friends call me immature.”
“O-Oh, that’s not...uh...”
“See? Even you think so!”
In Yume’s defense, Madoka-san only seems mature on the outside.
“Well, anyway, I’m glad you’re getting along so well, but I wanted to see the two of you acting all lovey-dovey and touchy-feely.”
“Why would we ever show you that side of us?” Yume asked.
“In other words, you act that way when nobody’s looking?”
Yume paused for a bit before answering. “No comment.”
“Oh?!” Madoka-san’s breathing became frantic, kind of like Isana’s. Then she wrapped her arm around Yume’s shoulders and began whispering. “Then I guess I’ll make sure you two can be alone during the festival so that you can be as lovey-dovey as you want to be.”
“Huh? I-It’s okay...”
“Aw, don’t be so cold. Oh, I’ll teach you how to fix your yukata so that even if it gets messed up, it won’t be a problem.”
“Wh-Why?”
“You’re really gonna make me say it out loud?”
Though they were whispering, I could easily hear their conversation. But as a gentleman, I pretended not to be able to hear them and checked my phone for what might’ve been the umpteenth time today. After my phone call with Kawanami, I’d sent him a message because I was worried, but I didn’t get a reply—not even a read receipt.
There was nothing normal about the way he was acting. I couldn’t even imagine what was going on with him right now. How could he be so bent out of shape from something as simple as his friend putting moves on him?
“No response yet?” Yume asked with a worried look on her face after finally having freed herself from Madoka-san.
Because of everything yesterday, I’d told Yume about my call with Kawanami. “Yeah, nothing. He’s usually pretty quick to respond...”
“I tried reaching out to Akatsuki-san too, but she hasn’t even read my messages... She usually answers immediately.”
“So both of them are ignoring messages?” Is this a continuation of what happened yesterday?
“Maybe they’re both just out having fun?” Yume suggested.
“But they should both be at their middle school class reunion.”
“Maybe they left together.”
“Sounds like something that’d happen at a mixer.”
“How would you know? Have you been?”
“Just saying in general,” I chuckled lightly.
I used to be annoyed by her acting this way, but now I found it endearing. “But if they were just having fun together, I don’t think Kawanami would’ve sounded so backed into a corner. He didn’t seem to be enjoying the situation he was in either.”
“You mean his friend from middle school hitting on him? There are people like him who feel the same way.”
“Just saying in general,” Yume chuckled lightly.
We were able to joke like this now. “But there was something bugging me about his story,” I said, tilting my head.
Yume tilted her head slightly as well. “Like what?”
“It’s just, something doesn’t add up, but I can’t put my finger on it...”
It was the same feeling I’d had about what he told me happened yesterday morning.
I couldn’t help but feel like there was some kind of contradiction somewhere...
“If it’s bothering you that much, I’ll try looking into it too and sharing what I find. Even if they’re not talking to us, maybe they’re talking to other people. I’m in touch with more people at our school than you.”
“Just barely.”
“Still more than you.”
Either way, this was happening far away from us here in the countryside. There was nothing we could directly do from here anyway.
Kogure Kawanami: Running Away to Osaka Part 1
Minami pulled me by the hand and took me onto a train at Sanjo Station. We were taking the express train to Yodoyabashi. Because we were right in the middle of the Obon season, the train was packed when we first got on, but most of the passengers got off at the next station, Gion Shijo, which opened up a lot of seats. As the train moved, Minami watched through the window as we passed through the dark tunnel.
“How far are we going?” I asked.
“As far as we can, for now,” Minami replied, looking at me.
“So, Osaka?”
Objectively, it wasn’t extremely far away, but it felt far enough away since it was the last stop. It was the end of the line—as far as these train tracks ran, at least. It was the end of the world that we as high schoolers were allowed to explore.
“We’ve never been to Osaka together, have we?” she asked.
“We haven’t... I’ve been with other people, though.”
“Yeah, whenever there’s a concert or something happening, we usually have to go to Osaka for it. But I’ve never actually really explored it outside of field trips,” Minami said cheerfully.
The way she was acting now was different from how wild she’d been yesterday, and how reserved she’d acted earlier today. She was being almost too normal, as if she’d gone back in time...and I found myself comforted by this. Wait, really? Me? Comfortable with Akatsuki Minami of all people? This felt wrong, like gears being forced to spin against each other. But for how I felt right now, I needed to cling to this feeling of comfort to stay sane.
The train rattled along the tracks until we left the tunnel and there was an announcement saying that we’d arrived in Shichijo.
“Kawanami, we’re here.”
Suddenly, I woke up at my shoulders being gently shaken. We’d reached the last station, Yodoyabashi. We got off the train, walked past the turnstiles and made our way from there into the Osaka metro station. Its underground tunnel seemed to continue forever. Minami looked at it and the stairs that led outside before turning to me.
“Now what?” she asked.
“You’re asking me? You brought me here.”
“True enough. Hmm...” As Minami tilted her head, my stomach made a noise. “Hungry?”
“Yeah...”
After all, I’d thrown up everything I’d eaten at karaoke. I hadn’t been in any state to eat before we got on the train. I wasn’t sure if sleeping on the train had helped me feel better, but right now, I felt pretty hungry.