Chapter 5: CH 5

Once In a Lifetime

If we went through the main street we would stand out, so we took a different route to the station.

“………”

As we passed through the ticket gate, Takane-san pulled out a watch from her bag to check the time.

From what little I could see, it had a picture of an animal character on the dial. It was a cute design, to say the least, and I found it surprisingly adorable.

“It’s almost time for your train to arrive.”

I wondered whether it would be okay if I just dropped her off at this point. But after thinking about what happened earlier, I realised I would have to see her off until she got on the train.

“Then, let’s go to the platform.”

“……”

Takane-san was in some kind of a panic – she seemed to be concerned about getting in the line with the least people to buy the ticket.

“I thought I’d check out one of the stores in the station. They sell some of my family’s favorite pastries.”

“…… Is it cream puffs? I always see a line out that door.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Now that I’ve said it, I felt obliged to buy one. I was sure my family would be happy to see me bringing back cream puffs, so I would just leave it at that.

As I bought the admission ticket, Takane-san followed quietly behind me.

“………”

I felt uncomfortable being watched so closely – and when I turned around, I saw Takane-san taking out her wallet.

“Don’t worry about it, my duty is to make sure Takane-san gets on the train safely.”

“But…..”

“I wish I could reassure you that I’m fine, but I don’t think that’s possible.”

We had barely been able to talk so far, and I didn’t think Takane-san would be able to change her mind anytime soon.

Takane-san looked a little troubled. She didn’t put her purse away, but kept staring at me.

“…… I want to make sure these things are done properly.”

Takane-san had some coins in her wallet, but she pulled out her card.

“Well….. Takane-san, can I take the coins?”

” …Can’t I just use my card?”

“You can’t. I’d be troubled if you used that.”

“Ahh- I guess so. I’m sorry, I’m not in the habit of carrying money around with me, only some coins as  I’m sure I’ll need the change in the cafeteria. I’ll come prepared tomorrow.”

“That makes it sound like I’m threatening you to bring me money…”

“No, it’s not like that–That’s not what I meant…..”

As I watched Takane-san getting increasingly flustered, I smiled apologetically.

“….Do you think I was being naive?”

“I’m sorry, just a little. But I’m not laughing at you in a bad way.”

“If not in a bad way…then why did you laugh?”

“I thought you were very sincere, Takane-san.”

“……Well, that’s not …… a bad thing, is it?

“It’s not. It’s only a hundred yen, you don’t have to return it.”

“It doesn’t matter how much it is, because money is important.”

I realised I liked her sincerity. She was just getting to know me, so it was a bit risky to give me her card.

“This isn’t a credit card. It’s charged with the amount of my allowance.”

“I see… But it’s okay. You should get going while you’ve still got the time.”

“…… Oh.”

Takane-san looked at the electronic board and shouted. Apparently, the latest train had already left.

“We’ll have to make sure we don’t miss the next one. We’d better get going then.”

“Yeah….. Sorry.”

“I’m not busy, so I’m fine, but what about you, Takane-san? Do you have any errands to do?”

“I have some lessons to do, but if I catch the next train, I can make it.”

I remembered what she had said in the classroom. I guess she was actually planning to go home and take a break before she started learning.

As I passed through the ticket gate, I saw that it was the rush hour for going home, and there were quite a lot of people. I thought that I might get separated from Takane-san, but she was following me from behind firmly.

“…… Oh, um, Takane-san?”

“I’m sorry. There were so many people, I felt like we were about to get separated.”

When we got through the crowd, Takane-san was pinching my elbow again. She quickly removed her hand, and looked down apologetically.

“…… It’s embarrassing, isn’t it? Being grabbed in public?”

Takane-san was still anxious, and that was why she was holding on to me. If that was the case, I needed to say something to make her feel at ease.

“I’m not going to leave you, so don’t worry.”

“…….”

I was not sure why I said something so embarrassing and cheesy.

Maybe it was because I was distracted, but I said something that I normally wouldn’t have said. You could hold on to my arm as much as you want, or something like —Wait, no. That didn’t make it any less frivolous.

“…… I understand. I will follow you so as not to lose sight of you.”

At the station that I would use countless times in the future, we were having a conversation as if we were going on some kind of adventure.

This time, my smile turned more natural than before. Takane-san also looked up  now and smiled sincerely.

The way she brushed her hair back from her cheeks was just too picturesque.

This was the second time today that I had been caught staring at her. She always acted calmly, so her smile, which she rarely showed, left a strong impression on me.

I was pretty sure this was the only time I could talk to Takane-san like this.

After today, we wouldn’t be talking to each other, even at school. We had always been that way, so it was only natural that we stayed that way.

We made it to the platform and it was only a few minutes until the next train arrived.

I thought about what we should talk about at the end, but all I could think of was mundane small talk.

“…Huh?”

I turned around and didn’t see Takane-san. She said she was going to follow me from behind. Just when I was thinking that, I was pulled by the sleeve of my uniform again. I turned around and saw Takane-san standing there.

“Here…..have this on your way home.”

“Oh…Thanks.”

What Takane-san offered me was a can of coffee. Even though it was April, it was still a bit hot and humid today. To be honest, I was happy to have a cold drink.

“Again, I’d like to thank you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me today…”

“That’s alright. If you have any more problems, I’ll be more than happy to help you, if that’s okay with you. Oh, and about today’s incident, you should probably talk to our teacher soon.”

“Yes. Next time, I’ll see that it doesn’t come to —“

Just as she was speaking, an announcement sounded on the platform. From the tracks, I could see a train moving towards us.

“…… Thank you very, very much. See you tomorrow, Senda-kun.”

“See you tomorrow, Takane-san.”

Takane-san raised a small hand and gave me a sly smile, then boarded the arriving train.

From the inside of the train, Takane-san was looking at me. Eventually the train began to move and we waved to each other one last time.

When the train was far  away, I opened the lid of the canned coffee I had been given and took a sip. It was cool and refreshing and the sweetness was just right for now.

I went to the bookstore to buy the book I had put on hold, and when I returned home on my bike, which I had parked nearby, I found that my sister had come home first.

“So, did you come back without asking for her contact information?”

She asked me while eating the cream puffs I had bought her. Even though I gave her my favorite food, she grilled me with questions about what happened today as she didn’t want to let me go that easily.

“Ruru-Nee, you’ve got some cream on your mouth.”

“Don’t worry about that. Nakkun, In that kind of situation, the boy should be the one to ask for her contact information. That way, she might be relieved to talk to Nakkun.”

“No, what are you talking about….?”

“You saved her from a pushy senior, right? There might be times when she suddenly remembers that and feels anxious. And if Nakkun told her that you’re there for her, she would fall in love with you, won’t she?”

“No.”

“Eh?”

Grumbling, my sister almost reached for the second cream puff, but left some for our parents. She barely seemed to be able to maintain her dignity.

My sister came up behind me from where I was sitting on the couch in the living room and put her hand on my shoulder. This was her attitude when she still had to ask me something.

“Nakkun, is there anything else you’re not telling me?”

“Huh..?”

“You seem to be in a good mood, but sometimes you look depressed, you know? If it’s okay with you, I can give you some advice.”

“I’m not asking my sister for advice at this age.”

“Ahh.. I take it from the way you said it that something happened with Kiri-Chan. Am I right?”

How did she… I admit that I didn’t behave as normally as I would but I finally realized how scary a girl’s intuition could be.

” Or maybe you’re not sure whether you’re more interested in Takane-san or Kiri-Chan?”

“……I was dumped by Asatani-san today.”

I thought I said it as smoothly as I could, but I could hear my voice sounding depressed.

“Maybe it’s just Nakkun who misunderstood it… Did Kiri-Chan really say it?”

“She said that she was glad that I’m her friend. It meant that… right?”

“Oh… But that makes me think that Nakkun is being seen as a man.”

“She said it in a roundabout way. Just being her friend is… totally fine with me.”

“You’re putting up with so much again. You’ve always been like that, haven’t you, Nakkun?”

“…I can’t look shocked or anything like that. That’s why, I just want to be normal.”

The hand on my shoulder left my body for a moment. When I looked behind me, I saw my sister with her arms outstretched and ready.

“Ruru-Nee, at your age, it’s really …..”

“Tch… In this kind of situation, you should be spoiled by your sister.”

“Don’t click your tongue…and anyway, I’m not depressed, and Takane-san is just a classmate.”

“That’s not up to you, is it? You’ve only been in high school for a week, so you have to cherish every encounter. It’s called ‘once in a lifetime’, right?”

When I saw her being so positive, I couldn’t help but feel a little happy. She was an infinitely generous sister to have.

“Ahh…that made you smile. Now if you can watch Kiri-Chan on TV and not get upset, you’ll pass.”

“You know… I felt like I wanted to thank you before but now you’ve ruined it.”

“Well, you can still show your gratitude by cleaning the bathroom. I’ll go prepare dinner.”

My sister pulled her hair up with a scrunchie, put on an apron and went to the kitchen.

Ruruka Senda, that was her full name. She forbidden me from calling her with her full name because she said it sounded glittery.

My sister may be like that, but she was sensitive to any change in my behavior. I really didn’t think I should talk about me being dumped so easily, but I felt a little better after talking about it.

“Thank you, Ruru-Nee.”

“What?”

“It’s nothing.”

I headed for the bathroom to clean up. On the way there, I checked my phone for the first time in several hours and noticed that Asatani-san had contacted me.

(Oh no…, wasn’t this the time when I was at the station?)

I didn’t know what it was about, but the missed call was still there.

I couldn’t guess what Asatani-san was thinking at all. She hardly contacted me when I was her boyfriend, so what kind of change of heart was she having now?

I replied with  ‘Sorry, what’s up?’, but she didn’t read my message that day and I had to spend the night feeling troubled.