Chapter 30: 30

Chapter 30

Courage To Convey and Courage To Accept

 

TLN: Enjoy the chapter~

 

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Aikawa-san closed distance to me with Her pouty, soft lips that seemed to be glowing brightly in the reflection of the setting sun.

 

“…Nu.”

 

However, Aikawa-san gently pulled her lips back while looking at my confused face. Right after that, she grabbed my shoulder tightly and we stared at each other for a few seconds.

 

“Umm… I-Is there something wrong?”

 

Ignoring my confusion, she jumped onto my chest and wrapped herself around me gently.

 

“Wha!?”

 

I was bewildered by what just suddenly happened.

 

“….”

 

Both of our bodies were so close to each other that I could feel the soft texture of her arms, body, and her breasts along with a gentle warmth

 

Her ragged breath, the smooth fabric of her dress, and her flushed face.

 

All of this was transmitted directly to my sense of hearing, touch, and sight, as the pace of my heartbeat reached its peak.

 

“…ki.”

 

Aikawa-san opened her mouth just a little bit and continued to say the same words.

 

The first half of the word was a bit too low to be heard, but the only thing that could be heard clearly was the single word “Ki”.

 

A sweet, clear, and beautiful voice. It was so gentle that it naturally calmed me down, even in this situation where my heart would normally be beating out of control.

 

Then I realized that more than a month had passed since I met her.

 

Until now, she never opened her mouth when anyone spoke to her, instead she would just… quietly nod with no expression or make a small sound.

 

She had been keeping her distance from people, never opening her mouth, but now she slightly opened it.

 

“Aikawa-san, just now… did you just speak?”

“…Mhn.”

 

Aikawa-san’s face was buried on my chest, so the sound reverberated and a muffled voice came back to me.

 

“By the way, what’s with all this sudden hugging and stuff…?”

 

I couldn’t see Aikawa-san’s expression, but all I could tell was that both our bodies were on fire. Aikawa-san’s exposed arms were dyed bright red.

 

“…!”

 

She moved away from me as if in a hurry and dropped her straw hat on the ground in the process.

 

I’m not sure if it’s because of the sun, but her cheeks were bright red and flushed.

 

(I-I knew it, Aikawa-san is…)

 

If this kind of thing keeps happening, even the most insensitive person like me would notice it.

 

She hugged me all of the sudden, held my hand, and only smiled when I was with her.

 

She sounded cheerful when I was with her, and only when I was with her… she seemed to be having so much fun.

 

 

『You look so cool, Ryu.』

 

 

What if those words were not flattery at all?

 

The moment I thought of that, the daily life of Aikawa-san came to my mind like a running lantern.

 

“Aikawa-san, perhaps, are you…”

“Tsu….”

 

When I scratched my cheek and started to talk, Aikawa-san let out a huffy, inarticulate voice.

 

Aikawa-san looked away and covered her ever-reddening cheeks with her straw hat again.

 

“Umm, Aikawa-san…”

 

There was no reply from her.

 

“…Can I ask you something weird?”

“U-Uun…”

 

Aikawa-san then slowly shook her head while looking up at me.

 

For the first time in my life, I felt a strange sensation, and I slowly pressed my chest. Before I knew it, my heart, which had been beating so loudly earlier, was now beating in a steady rhythm.

 

“I see… then, I won’t ask about it “

“Mhn…”

 

When I said this, she exhaled on my shoulder as if relieved. The only sound was the whirring of the gondola, and silence fell between us.

 

“”….””

 

After that, Aikawa-san quietly sat back down to her original position.

 

We faced each other again and continued to look at the scenery of the amusement park as the sun began to set without exchanging a word for a while.

 

“…Aikawa-san, why don’t you try to say something else?”

 

I found myself asking this question.

 

I was so happy that she opened her mouth so much… and I was so glad that I could hear her voice.

 

“I-I thought it sounded beautiful. It was kind of like a mother’s voice.”

 

I meant kind, but I guess mother was a bit of an odd word to use.

 

When I said that honestly, Aikawa-san held her mouth and shook her shoulders as if trying to hold in her laughter.

 

“….”

 

However, Aikawa-san’s mouth never opened again.

 

I could tell that she was holding her throat and trying hard to speak, but… it was a little difficult for her.

 

(Ah, that’s right… she hasn’t been able to open her mouth for a few years now.)

 

I’ll never forget the look of frustration on her face when we went to the crepe shop. Aikawa-san still didn’t seem to feel it, and her cheeks slowly relaxed as she touched her throat.

 

“Aikawa-san… that’s great, isn’t it?”

 

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By the time I noticed, tears were pooling around Aikawa-san’s eyes. She slowly rubbed her reddened eyes with her thin arms to prevent the tears from overflowing.

 

“W-Wait a minute… I’ll move over there…”

 

When I stood up, Aikawa-san turned her eyes towards me and her shoulders shook.

 

“Nuu…”

 

I walked over to Aikawa-san and stroked her head a little roughly. I looked directly at her face, which was hotter than usual, and spoke softly to her.

 

“…Glad for you.”

 

I just wanted to give her a pat right now.

 

I knew Aikawa-san’s hardships and pains better than anyone else, because I was close to her.

 

She was bullied, isolated, and forced to live an inconvenient life.

 

I don’t know what happened to Aikawa-san in the past. Maybe it was trauma, maybe it was shock, or maybe it was something else.

 

However, because of that, Aikawa-san was unable to open her mouth.

 

“…Un.”

 

Aikawa-san smiled, seemingly happy from the bottom of her heart. Then tears pool in the corners of her eyes again.

 

“I’m really… glad for you.”

 

When I touched her hair and a single tear trickled down her cheek. Perhaps this triggered her to bury her face in my chest and began to weep quietly, smearing her tears on my shirt.

 

Aikawa-san sips her nose and sobs quietly.

 

Even at a time like this, she couldn’t open her mouth, and I could see the irrationality and bitterness that prevents her from crying like a child, and it makes my eyes wet a little too.

 

Her face was slightly contorted, and her cheeks were wet. I couldn’t imagine her crying face from her usual appearance.

 

(For the first time… I finally heard her voice.)

 

Even if it’s just one word, even if it’s just a little bit… She was able to break free from the spell called illness.

 

I could tell that Aikawa-san was going through a lot of hardships that I couldn’t even imagine. Even in the short time we spent together, she would sometimes turn her face down in pain.

 

“…Nuu…”

 

The sound of her sobbing suddenly reminded me of something that happened a long time ago.

 

 

It was a chilly winter day.

 

I traced the memories I had dug up and projected the images in my mind.

 

What appeared in the images were the three people and a girl with peach hair who was shaking her body as if she was scared.

 

“I didn’t know that was what you meant…”

 

Was it… Aikawa-san who was being bullied by those three at that time?

 

I couldn’t tell because I was only watching from halfway through it, but I could clearly hear the sound of a slap. As I recall, that’s where I got the courage to try to stop the bullying.

 

It was fortunate that I happened to be nearby, but if not the harassment might have continued to escalate.

 

If the “bullying” against Ms. Aikawa had spread to the entire school year, she… might not be here anymore.

 

(But… now, Aikawa-san is still here.)

 

Her weak cries, which seemed to disappear in an instant if I took my eyes off her. I grabbed her fingers, which were as delicate as a glass work, and slowly intertwined them with my own.

 

“Aikawa-san… y-you likes this, right?”

“…Mhn.”

 

I felt like if I didn’t hold on to her, she would disappear. I couldn’t help but cry, but I gently wiped my tears with my handkerchief so that she wouldn’t see them.

 

“Uuu…nuu…”

 

I continued to slowly stroke her silky peach hair until Aikawa-san stopped crying.

 

Then the time it took for the Ferris wheel to complete its round seemed strangely long.

 

——

 

When I got home, I opened the chat app on my phone.

 

Since I had just been chatting with Aikawa-san, I decided to look back at it.

 

『The Director was very happy.』

『I’ll start my voice test tomorrow.』

『Thank you, Ryu.』

 

The name “Director” had appeared several times in the past.

 

I think it probably refers to the Director of the hospital there.

 

Aikawa-san told me many other things as well.

 

She told me that her family was very happy and that they were going to have grilled meat today to celebrate.

 

“I wonder what she’s going to say at that moment?”

 

Probably four or five character words, judging from the way her mouth moved. I didn’t hear anything in the first half of the sentence and only heard a few words in the second half, but I was quite curious.

 

“Words that end in ‘ki,’ huh…?”

 

I thought for a moment. She was trying to tell me something… because in the end, it was related to Aikawa-san’s hug.

 

 

Perhaps…. Aikawa-san does like me, after all….?

 

 

The reason why she spoke to me on that rainy day probably came from that connection.

 

“Seriously…? I-it shouldn’t be right?”

 

I slam my forehead against the wall and accept the impossible reality. Then a four character word emerges in my mind.

 

(Da-i-su-ki…)¹

 

Judging the way her mouth moves… this was it. The moment I thought about that, steam rose above my head.

 

(Uwaaaaaah…. It cannot be, right…?)

 

In the end, I didn’t sleep a wink until the morning and spent the rest of the day in turmoil.

 

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TLN 1: As I said in the last chapter, Daisuki(大好き) means “I love/like you” in Japanese.

 

AND OMYGHAD >/////<

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