CBGBE 08

Chapter – 08

Mini Trip ①

The wind blew refreshingly, gently brushing against my cheek. I took a few steps, looked around once more, and let out a meaningless sigh into the sky.

Today was a beautifully clear day. The faint traces of winter that had lingered before had completely vanished, and summer was beginning to show its face. The weather, as if symbolizing that in-between season of spring and summer, felt strangely poetic.

Feeling like stretching, I spread my arms wide to loosen up my stiff body. I’d been sitting for quite a while, so this felt really good.

Besides, the collaboration of the blue sky and the blue sea was absolutely gorgeous. As expected of one of the two major factions—mountains and sea.

“Yeah, I’m definitely a sea person.”

“I agree with you there. Well, mountains are full of bugs and damp, so they’re automatically out. The sea is what remains by process of elimination, though.”

“I think you’d come across as more endearing if you just said you like the sea.”

“Being called cute by Fuyunose-kun… I don’t think I’ll be able to be honest any time soon.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Standing with her arms crossed like a warrior, Kotori tucked her flowing hair behind her ear as if challenging the sea itself. What is with this person? Does she have to be tsundere toward nature itself, not just people?

“Still, what should we do now?”

“Yeah, what should we do?”

I muttered while gazing at the sea. Our words were quickly snatched away by the sea breeze and vanished.

—Today was a weekday.

Yes, we had missed our stop on the train.

—

◆ ◇ ◆

That was three hours ago.

I let out a yawn as I boarded the train and transferred at a relatively large station. This station was a hub where multiple lines intersected, and many students transferred here to get to their high school’s nearest stop.

As usual, I was transferring too. Wanting to sit down on the train as much as possible, I waited on the platform by the front cars, which were less crowded. The other students were on the opposite platform, near the rear cars closer to the station’s ticket gate for their school, so there were hardly any students from my school here.

With a screech, the train slid into the platform. Good, looks like it’s not too crowded today.

I stepped through the open doors and spotted two empty seats at the far end. I quickened my pace a little to sit down.

Just then, I made eye contact with her—she was holding onto a strap. She seemed to be heading for a seat as well, and for a moment, time stood still.

“Oh, Fuyunose-kun. What a coincidence.”

“Yeah.”

There were exactly two empty seats. We were the only ones standing in the car, so we might as well sit down, but…

“Go ahead and sit?”

“You should sit too, Kotori.”

Since sitting next to each other on the train meant being quite close, Kotori seemed reluctant. I didn’t really care, so I quickly sat down.

Leaving the seat next to me empty, of course.

“Fuyunose-kun, I didn’t know you could be so considerate. How surprising.”

“You know? I’m actually quite the gentleman.”

“Is that a joke about how that statement itself isn’t gentlemanly?”

“Your comebacks are brutal this early in the morning. I think I’m getting heartburn.”

“Whatever.”

With a *hmph*, she made her usual snort and grabbed the strap again. Kotori didn’t seem to have any intention of sitting next to me.

Suddenly, I made eye contact with a female high school student in the same car. She was wearing our school’s uniform, and she was glancing between me and Kotori while whispering to her friend.

“Hey, it’s those two!”

“Really! They’re going to school together. So it’s true they’re really a couple!”

“But they’re not sitting next to each other? Why would that be if they’re dating?”

It seemed Kotori could hear their conversation too. Her ears turned slightly red, and for some reason, she glared at me.

“I have no ulterior motives.”

“Whatever.”

Reluctantly, Kotori sat down next to me. She had a faint, pleasant scent, and I foolishly felt my heart skip a beat.

“If you move, it’s a penalty game.”

“Why?”

It can’t be helped. There isn’t enough space on the seats, so we’ll end up touching with the train’s swaying. She seemed to understand that, and while looking a little embarrassed, she refused to look in my direction at all.

What a stubborn person.

Lately, though, maybe because she’s been interacting with me and Higashikawa, her expression seems softer, and her sharpness seems to have dulled a little.

Then again, it’s just a feeling.

*”Train on Platform 2 is now departing…”*

At the conductor’s announcement, the train finally started moving. It would take a little over twenty minutes to reach the station nearest our school. Not a short time by any means.

There were students from our school watching, so I thought maybe we should have some kind of conversation, but…

“Why are you closing your eyes? Waiting for a kiss?”

“No! Ugh, I’m sleepy, so I’m going to sleep.”

She didn’t seem to have any intention of that. She probably wasn’t used to being this close to anyone—especially the opposite sex.

I interpreted her sitting next to me as her doing her best, so I decided to let it slide. Besides, I’m not a morning person either. My usual routine is to use this time to sleep as much as possible.

I closed my eyes too, and slowly let go of my consciousness while being gently rocked by the train.

—

—Sir.

—Wake up, sir!

“Sir!”

“Huh?”

“This is the end of the line. Please get off now.”

“Oh, s-sorry.”

Still half-asleep, I replied, and the conductor walked away. I blinked several times to regain my senses and finally woke up completely.

“Huh, where is this?”

As I tried to sit up, I noticed a weight on my shoulder.

“Mmm, mnh… just a little longer…”

Kotori was sleeping with an innocent, childlike expression, leaning her body against me. Her head rested on my shoulder, and she was still sleeping soundly.

“Hey, Kotori, wake up.”

“Stop it, you pervert, Fuyunose-kun—huh! What am I…?”

“What kind of dream were you having just now?”

She blinked a few times like me, made eye contact, and then grimaced.

“This is the worst. Waking up to Fuyunose-kun.”

“Sorry for being a pervert.”

We couldn’t stay here and cause trouble, so we got off the train for now. The scenery was unfamiliar. I looked at the station sign and realized this was the end of the line.

And then I fully grasped the fact that we had missed our stop by an incredible margin.

—

—And so, here we are in the present.

“Oh, so this place is famous for shirasu (whitebait).”

“Why are you trying to sightsee?”

“Well, we came all this way.”

“What about school?”

“It’s already ten. Even if we go now, it’s pointless.”

“…………”

I’d heard Kotori was a model student. Apparently, skipping school doesn’t sit well with her conscience.

I’m the type who enjoys the moment as it comes, so the “it can’t be helped” mentality had already kicked in. Since we rarely get a chance to come to a place like this, I decided to just wander around for a bit.

“Come on, let’s go.”

“…Haah, I suppose it can’t be helped.”

Kotori sighed in exasperation and fell into step beside me. If I wasn’t mistaken, she actually looked like she was having fun.