Chapter 5: 4

Chapter 4 - Just Because You Met Someone Doesn't Mean It Will Work Out

 

 

On a day when it wasn't raining, I, an ordinary man, stood on the platform of Sannomiya Station with a woman's beige umbrella.

The time was 17:50.

Only 10 minutes remained until the appointed time.

I knew Hikari would probably be late because she was Hikari, but I couldn't help but feel nervous during this waiting time.

It's not that I have any regrets about Hikari, or am nervous just because I'm going to see her, or anything like that.

It's just that it's already winter, so I'm cold and restless. As you can see, I'm rubbing my hands together, and warming my cold nose with my breath.

My body is moving restlessly, but my mind is calm.

That's why, when I saw the light coming out of the ticket gates right in front of me, I was completely casual.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, you came early."

"You're the one who's late."

"That's rude. Look at your watch. There are even 10 minutes left."

"I thought your watch was broken. It's not like you came on time anyway."

"What?! How many times did you oversleep when we were dating?!"

"Only twice! You're the one who's rarely on time! You were always five to several minutes late afterward!"

"Well, i-it's------"

The stares from the people around stung me.

A group of students who were standing not far from us looked at us with amusement.

"Ah... I'm embarrassed, let's move"

"Ah! -----!"

I pulled Hikari's arm and left the station.

It was getting dark in early winter. It was already too dark to see the sunset outside, and car headlights and shop signboards illuminated the street.

A large truck advertised a high-income part-time job over the loudspeaker. There is the sound of the train and the voices of many people talking.

"What are you pulling?"

"Oh, sorry."

I let go of her arm, which was still in my grasp and apologized.

"Come on, let's finish it now."

She said and extended her hand that I had just released towards me.

I didn't quite understand what she meant, so I grabbed her hand again and squeezed it for a moment.

"Heh? You're so smart, why suddenly become so stupid like that?"

"......?"

"The umbrella! Umbrella!"

"Oh ...... umbrella."

"I don't know what kind of thought process you're going through...."

"Well, I understand that you're suddenly talking like that!"

"Huh?! That's the reason why we came here today! That's it!"

I was so lost in thought about this meeting that I forgot the main purpose.

But if I had told her honestly, she would have said, "What are you talking about? If you thought that I was your ex, you wouldn't have a head full of regrets, right? Do you still love me?" so I wouldn't have said it.

"Sorry, I was daydreaming. Here."

When I handed her the umbrella I was carrying, I felt that Hikari's expression softened a little.

She must have appreciated it.

"The handle is a bit warm. It's your body heat, disgusting."

"Aren't you going too far?"

"It feels uncomfortable. Besides, I shouldn't have had any reason to come to Sannomiya today, but I had to take the train here instead."

She suddenly started complaining.

But, this was something that had to be done.

"If you hadn't brought my umbrella home by accident, I wouldn't have needed to come here."

"Sorry. But this already happened."

"It's precisely because it happened that I had to come all this way."

Hikari began walking away from the station, heading towards the city center in the opposite direction.

"Then, come with me for dinner."

"Ah!"

If I come with her, will she think that I still have feelings for her?

No, it was Hikari who asked me to come with her in the first place.

But in this case, if I didn't have any feelings for her, the right thing to do would be to say no and answer, "Why?"

"Hey."

Hikari stopped and turned to me, and said with the same expression as Enji when he teased me.

"Do you perhaps think of me as the opposite sex? We're exes, aren't we? Do you still have feelings for me, so you can't easily follow me?"

"What? What are you talking about? I don't see you as a woman at all."

"Then, come with me. I don't want to have dinner with you, but I want to eat Korean food right now. I can't go in there alone, and since you're right in front of me, so at least atone for making me leave the house today."

"Meaning?"

"I would have stayed home all day if I didn't have to do this today."

"You sociopath."

"Ugh!"

Finally, the two of us started walking in the city center.

In winter, when it gets dark, there is more illumination.

Even a simple pedestrian bridge was decorated with elaborate decorations, and the two colors of blue and white fascinated us.

Speaking of illuminations, I think the most popular way to see them is as a couple.

A couple is walking in front of me right now, their eyes glowing even though it's just a pedestrian bridge.

"Look, Ma-kun! How pretty!"

"Girls like this kind of thing, don't they?"

"You're so cold, Ma-kun. Aren't you moved by something like this?"

"Well, I think it's beautiful."

Why are women so romantic?

Illumination is just a bunch of lights. If you look closely, you can see many small bulbs, and it's strange.

At the entrance of Center Street, where McDonald's and Uniqlo are lined up, a boy was playing an acoustic guitar, and I walked past him on Center Street.

Sometimes I see this kid here.

Over a year ago, when I was with Hikari, I stopped to listen to him.

--- "Do you have a request?"

--- "I want to hear Sunflower Promise!"

We were the only audience at that time. Now, he was surrounded by people, and he didn't seem to lack people to request songs.

"Looks like he's already popular."

"...... True."

I said "already popular" instead of "becoming popular" because it has the hidden meaning that many people have found out our secret.

I wasn't thinking so deeply when I said it.

We turned the road from the center to the side and came to a street filled with restaurants called Ikuta Street.

When I walk on this street at night, I'm always accosted by people who say to me.

"Is Onii-san looking for a pub or something?"

A person wearing tight skinny jeans followed us and invited us into the pub.

Yes, there are many catchers on this street.

"My grandfather, who has passed away, told me not to follow a woman who caught me and suddenly pushed her breasts into my chest."

If you don't say no firmly, they will follow you for at least 500 meters without a care in the world.

"So ...... but I'm not a suspicious person!"

Oops, this person is a very high-level enemy. I felt as if I was being told, "You can't escape from me!"

"Sorry, we've already eaten and we're also still teenagers."

"Oh, I see! Then, excuse me!"

Then, Hikari quickly followed up.

These guys would indeed retaliate if we told them we'd already eaten since what they were selling was alcohol. But by using the word "teenager", she was trying to keep them from being able to talk further with us.

The catcher walked away in his tights to find another target.

I wondered why all the catchers who wore tight skinny jeans always had such beautiful legs.

"So, your grandfather is dead...."

"No, he's still fine."

"I'm very surprised. .......Please don't bring up death even if it's a joke......"

"My mom says he does radio exercises every morning with explosions."

Hikari had come to visit a few times when I lived at home, so she was close to my family.

When I told my mom that Hikari and I had broken up, she was probably much sadder than anyone else. That was proof of how much she liked Hikari.

"I can't believe that such a warm family could give birth to a cold person like you. Could it be that you were thrown into the river and then picked up?"

"You know, you shouldn't say things like that, even if it's a joke. Besides, if that's what I was, my grandmother should have picked me up. But there are no old ladies washing clothes in the Imadoki River."

"In that case, your name is Shoutarou. Congratulations, I can't prove the theory that you were picked up from the river."

"I was born to warm and kind parents, and I inherited that from them."

"What? But you lack affection. Maybe you left it in your mother's belly. You need to be born again."

"Just say you want me to die, will you?"

"Huh? You can't be so blatant, okay?"

We spat venom at each other when we opened our mouths, but we still walked side by side.

Our destination was the Korean restaurant Hikari had requested. And as was usually the case, we didn't go straight to the restaurant.

We, or rather, Hikari, were still not quite sure.

"Wow, the smell of the yakiniku restaurant I just passed by is tempting me...."

I did smell the fragrant aroma of meat cooked over a charcoal fire when I passed by the yakiniku restaurant, but I thought it was the Korean food she wanted to eat.

"Wow, they opened a sushi restaurant here too...."

"What? Do you want sushi or yakiniku?"

Her eyes were shining, but she managed to keep heading to the Korean restaurant. I also tried to go to a Korean restaurant. But then.....

"Hey, what are you doing?"

I was surprised at the fact that Hikari hadn't left the front of the sushi restaurant.

Her body was in front of the sushi restaurant, but her eyes and nose were in the yakiniku restaurant, and her toes were in the Korean restaurant. She's a mess. Well, what the hell, I'll just have to instigate her as I did in the past.

"Take a good look at the sushi restaurant. I'm sure it must be expensive."

"Mmm ....... I agree."

"And just think, most Korean restaurants are just like barbecue restaurants. They have meat, they also have that cheeseball you like."

"Mmm ....... I guess so."

"Then, why don't we just go to the Korean restaurant we were going to go to in the first place?"

Moreover, the Korean restaurant we were going to was one that Hikari and I had visited before, and I had a pretty good idea of what they had to offer.

I'm sure they have.......

"They also have meat sushi. They even have chanja which I love."

"......"

Her eyes shone, she was almost drooling, and then suddenly she looked at me with a grim expression on her face.

I didn't say anything that she liked or hated, but why .......?

"What?"

"Well, I said I wanted to eat Korean food from the beginning."

"......? Yes, I know."

"So, it's not because I fell for your seduction or anything, Dad! I decided to go to a Korean restaurant on my own!"

"Huh?! Weren't you crazy about yakiniku and sushi just now?!"

"Shut up! I'll be there soon! You'd better follow me quickly!"

"That ...... bitch."

...... Seriously, she's an annoying ex.

 

***

 

I went down the stairs to the basement room and entered a Parisian-style restaurant with neon lights.

"Welcome!"

I was greeted with a cheerful greeting by a cute woman worthy of a Korean idol.

Just like earlier, she was very thin.

"Let me show you around!"

All the seats are private rooms, but from the sound of it, it seems like there are a lot of customers here.

I could hear the noise, which is forbidden in some restaurants, and to be honest, this was difficult for me, who doesn't like this kind of thing.

"I wish I could be as skinny as that waitress, I wonder what I'd have to eat to become like her."

In your case, you shouldn't eat anything.

She's still skinny anyway. I'm sure if she fixes her stupid eating habits, she'll be as skinny as Cinderella.

"You used to hate this kind of atmosphere, right?"

"Oh, you remember it well apparently."

"It was quieter the last time I was here, maybe they were having a party with a dividing wall."

"Well, it's up to them what they do. Since they came to the same restaurant, so I can't complain."

Hikari said "Hmmm." she checked her watch and pointed to the stairs she had entered.

"We could go to another restaurant, you know? Like yakiniku or sushi."

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"Huh? Do you mind?"

My face, which had been so indifferent, changed in that instant.

"What? I'm not trying to be nice to you or anything, Dad! Don't ge-er!"

"Yeah, yeah. But really, I'm fine here. I just got a friend who's noisier and looks like a dog. So I'm used to it."

"Oh, yeah?! Is he cute?"

"What are you talking about? He's not cute, he's disgusting."

"Don't say that."

"Ah, but most people probably think she's cute. It's like she's favored by older people."

Well, since it's Enji, I'm sure he's popular regardless of age.......

"...----I understand."

"Why are you asking that? You never asked me anything about my friends back then."

"I used to be able to know the contents of your friends without having to ask you. That doesn't mean I'm still interested in you or anything."

"How did you find out? You didn't secretly look at my cell phone or anything, right?"

"Of course not! We go to the same high school and you never hang out unless you have something to do! And since you're always with me, so I must have known even if I didn't want to!"

"Oh, that makes sense."

Thinking back, we met in high school and hit it off right from the start. We were so close that we could be called best friends, and we were always together.

So people around us were always asking when we were going to date, and eventually, we started seeing each other as the opposite sex.

Until then, I just wanted to be with her, but once I realized it, I couldn't stop and I couldn't treat her as a friend anymore.

"I think ..... I also know everything about you......."

"Iyuh, disgusting. Can you stop using expressions like that?"

"Don't call me disgusting or I'll cry! If I cry, I'll go back to my grandmother's house!"

"Yes, yes. Cupcupcup."

Now, I don't even know what I'm thinking anymore, who I'm with, what food I like, or how much I eat like a fool.

I used to know these things, but after a year passed, I realized how much things had changed.

---Toktok.

I heard a knock on the door of the private room while I was thinking about it.

The partygoers who had held the party earlier seemed to have left. The atmosphere in the restaurant became quieter.

"Excuse me! I'd like to order a drink first!"

I was surprised when a flirtatious Onii-san came to take my order eagerly.

"Oh, by the way, do you drink alcohol?"

We were still teenagers when we broke up, so we didn't know each other's drinking habits.

I don't think many people in their 20s ever drink, but if they don't feel up to it, they'll stop drinking. But I think some people are more addicted than others.

I'm an indoor person with a dark heart, but alcohol suits my tastes.

[TL: The point is that I'm a homebody].

I always assumed that I wouldn't be good at it because I felt that drinking had a strong image of "Paripi".

(TL: Party People or Party kids.)

But when Enji asked me for a drink, I was surprised to find that it tasted good.

But I also discovered that......

"I usually drink, but I have my first period tomorrow, so I'll skip it."

"You usually drink? That's surprising. In that case, I'll have orange juice, waiter."

"I'll have some oolong tea."

"Yes! Please use your tablet for the food menu! Excuse me!"

Well, I guess he's more than just an athletic type of guy.

"You don't have to order soft drinks to suit me, you know."

"Huh? It's not like I'm adjusting to you. I also have the first period tomorrow. Don't get me wrong."

Yes, this is the tsundere heroine that appears in many rom-com movies.

It's funny, they look cute in the manga, but when you see them in real life, you can't help but hate them.

"Yes, yes..."

"Don't say it twice! I'm so angry!"

Hikari's cheeks puffed up, but her mood improved once she saw the food menu on the tablet. I could tell from the expression on her face that she was in a good mood.

Her mood was still the same as before.

"Well, ....."

"......?"

"If we have a chance another day, why don't we have a drink on that day?"

Hikari looked down at her tablet and said this, her mouth open in embarrassment.

"Yes, that's fine too."

"Well, not today, maybe next time...."

I thought there would be no such thing as next time.

But miraculously, we met again, and I happened to bring the umbrella home, so we met again.

No, when I said "goodbye." I wanted to see her again.

Even if I did, I don't think we would be able to return to our old relationship.

"----Hikari."

"......What?"

I don't know what her face looks like now since her face is hidden by the tablet, but I have to tell her.

I have to tell her. .....

"Show me the menu too."

"Oh."

 

***

All the food we ordered arrived.

Cheeseball, Chanja, Sushi, Cheese Grilled Chicken, Naengmyeon, Kimbap.

"Hmm." I thought while looking at the plates lined up.

"Hey!"

"What?

"Can you eat all this?"

"I'm sure there's plenty of room in my stomach."

By the way, I ordered a small plate of chanja and gimbap. While everything else was ordered by Hikari.

What I ordered was quite small for an average man's meal. But I'm not a small eater.

I calculated that Hikari would order more than she could eat, and I would be left to deal with the leftovers.

"Let me ask you this, did you skip lunch?"

"No, no. I even ate dessert if I must say so."

"Okay."

Hikari may not have a satiety center, which every human has.

That's why she ate like a fool. Or rather, she was a fool.

Then later, she would stop eating like an idiot and say, "Ugh, that was disgusting."

"Haa....."

"Well, what can I say, the rest ...... is yours."

I was surprised that she still had the desire to eat.

She was far from being full.

"Alright then......"

The cheeseball in front of my eyes looks delicious, and I can't help it....

"I still want to eat!!!"

As soon as I was about to snatch her food, she changed her mind and forcefully threw the cheeseball into her mouth.

I wonder how attached she is to her food?

"Don't rush, the food won't run away......"

Hikari was still looking at the tablet even after all the food was gone. It's a good thing I took it away from her because if she had eaten any more, she probably would have died.

"Yup, it's over. You won't be able to move anymore."

"Atsu... hm~! No~!"

Are you still a kid?

Going out to eat with Hikari, aside from the fear of being forced to eat an unreasonable amount of her leftovers, there was still something else to be afraid of.

I'm afraid of the bill.....

I looked at the slip with the same trepidation as when I heard the cracker.

"Haa....."

"Why? You barely ate at all, so I'll pay for it."

"No, no, it's embarrassing to see a woman paying the bill...."

"You ..... have high self-esteem, don't you?"

"No, I think you're the one who's a bit arrogant."

"What? Goman? What character is that?"

"No, that's enough."

In the end, we ended up splitting the bill, partly due to my insistence.

Hikari, who had insisted on paying for everything, turned pale when she saw the bill and accepted my offer.

Next time, please think carefully about what you want to eat.

"Ah, delicious!"

"You still have a stupid stomach, don't you?"

"Don't call me stupid, or I'll get angry!"

After we left the restaurant, we knew where we were going.

If we were still a couple, there must be some kind of event ahead.

We could go to karaoke, sit in the park and chat, or disappear into a neon-lit building after a romp. .......That's it.

But we were exes with a fragile relationship. I think the closest we came was being friends who knew each other better than anyone else.

"Are we going home?"

"Sure."

We headed straight for the station. Back to our respective homes.

"Well, by the way..."

"......?"

Hikari, who was exhaling into her hands to keep out the cold, started talking as if she was talking about tomorrow's weather.

"Hey, have you met someone on the app yet?"

"What? Why all of a sudden?"

"Just asking."

What came to mind was Kokoro, the university's very communicative madonna. I've never met or even gotten along with anyone other than her.

"Well, I just met someone from the same university."

"Oh, yeah? What's he like?"

"What's she like? Well, nothing out of the ordinary. She seems to be an idol on campus."

"I bet you're not interested in anyone else, are you? ...... She must be cute if they treat her like an idol."

"Well, I see."

I know it's not good to stay silent for a few minutes until you arrive at the station, and I understand that you want to talk about something. But I don't know why it was my love life that came up.

No, it was because we met again through a dating app, so of course, the topic came up.

There was a brief silence, and I started talking without thinking of anything in particular to fill the void.

"What about you?

"Nothing."

"Hey, you're not going to let me be the only one to answer, are you? You're cheating."

"There was one person who was matched with me. I'm not good at connecting with many people at once. He's a nice guy, and I'm thinking of quitting the dating app."

"Hmmm ...... have you met him?"

"Not yet."

"Is he cool?"

"Well, she looks pretty good in her picture."

"......"

"......"

I have reunited with Hikari again, dated her once, and met her again to return her umbrella.

I thought that the one I wanted to be with again was Hikari, even though I hated her.

Even today, our conversations are full of arguments, but somehow, it's fun.

"We've reached the station."

"Ah, yes."

But even if I thought about it, it was already too late.

Just like I met new people, Hikari will also definitely meet new people.

Unlike me, who can't get my ex out of my mind, Hikari has already forgotten her feelings.

I should move on with my life and meet someone new, someone like Kokoro-san, and get rid of this lame regret.

I don't mean to say that I still love Hikari. It's just that, when I imagine her with someone else, I feel a little disturbed.

"Alright then."

"Okay, bye. Thank you for halving the bill."

"O-Oh."

I didn't wave at Hikari as she boarded the train in front of me, but only said a few words there.

We no longer have the kind of relationship where I have to wave goodbye or walk her home because I'm worried about her.

We can think of each other as people who know and understand each other.

It's not easy to find someone who can do that.

So, let's end it now.

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