Chapter 17: CH 17

If we connected together, it would be a little less scary, maybe.

Translated by Dawn

If we connected together, it would be a little less scary, maybe.

After a quick tour of Africa Park, we finally came to the Insectarium.

With a large silver grasshopper object by my side, we made our way to the front of the main building of the Insectarium.

From a short distance away, Shuji and Ogura waved at us with smiles.

“See you later, you two!”

“Have fun!”

Hey, Shuji. That’s usually used when you want to go but can’t.

I thought it was strange to say that after he had avoided the situation himself.

Mizutani nodded honestly and looked at me next to her.

“Then, let’s go.”

“Y-yeah. …let’s go.”

Regardless, the two of them see us off, and Mizutani and I step into the main building.

“Wow. Glow worms. It says ‘luminous larvae’.”

“…Really? The larvae are glowing?”

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the sensitivity to think it was beautiful.

I could feel my face twitching.

“Hey, look, Aizawa. This one is really glowing!”

“Yeah, it sure is.”

Mizutani, who was unusually excited, beckoned me to come closer and put my face close to the glass wall.

It was still better that there was a glass wall between us and the insects…but there was something about seeing them with my own eyes that made me feel a bit uneasy.

But this was only the beginning.

After seeing all the insects in the main building, we left the building and went to the insect ecology garden.

The name “ecology garden” already gave me a bad premonition, but my premonition came true.

Mizutani looked at the guide map in the Ecology Garden with a serious face.

“The big greenhouse is just up ahead. Let’s see…it says, ‘Lots of butterflies are flying around freely.’ Could it be that we can actually touch the butterflies? If so, that would be amazing.”

“…Freely?”

I was already in a cold sweat at that point, but there was no way Mizutani would have noticed.

Mizutani was moving ahead with me, who was thinking that it was amazing in a different way.

Once inside the greenhouse, I found plants growing densely on both sides of the undulating path.

Just as the sign said, colorful butterflies were fluttering about.

Oh no. Butterflies are no good for me.

Because think about it.

People said their wings were beautiful, but if you traced it back to the original form of that larva, you’d know what I mean.

Think of it flying around with wings, didn’t it look really creepy?

“…wow. Look at this one, it’s got really beautiful wings.”

“I-I guess.”

“Does that one like to stay in the low places?”

“…well, I don’t know.”

“What’s wrong with this one… Aizawa.”

Suddenly, Mizutani shifted her eyes from the flitting butterflies to me.

“What’s wrong?”

“You look pale.”

“…is that what it looks like to Mizutani?”

“Are you afraid of insects, Aizawa?”

“…..”

“…..”

“…..”

After a silent staring contest, I turned away from Mizutani.

Apparently, I was completely exposed.

Mizutani sighed and then turned her half-lidded eyes toward me.

“Why didn’t you tell me the truth earlier?”

“…I forgot that I’m not good with insects.”

I would say to myself that it was a very bitter answer.

But I couldn’t tell her the real reason.

I guess she must have realized that it was a lie.

Mizutani looked at me suspiciously, “Hmmm…?” and stared at me.

No good. Wasn’t there a better reason?

While I was fully rotating my brain, Mizutani looked into my face.

“You’re just being nice to me, or something?”

“.….”

Why was she so sharp only in these situations?

Could it be that she had some kind of wild intuition?

I scratched my head in embarrassment.

Then Mizutani held out her hand to me.

“…..?”

What did she mean by this right hand?

Comparing Mizutani’s hand to her face, she turned away and said.

“Give me your hand quickly.”

“No, I mean, why?”

“…If we connected together, it would be a little less scary, maybe.”

At that moment, maybe it was just my imagination, but—-

I thought I saw Mizutani blush just a little, just a little bit.

For a moment, I was so taken by the look on her face that my reaction was delayed.

Next, I felt a gradual warming from the core of my body.

No good, my face was getting red too.

I hurriedly turned my face away from Mizutani.

“…This is not a haunted house though.”

“Then, do you want to stop?”

“No, but, you know, maybe it’ll work…”

“…in short?”

“…I wouldn’t mind giving it a try.”

“Fufu, that’s nice of you to be so honest.”

I held out my hand and Mizutani took it.

This was, come to think of it, the second time I held her hand.

The first time was under certain circumstances, so I could say that this was the first time.

“…Sorry, Mizutani. I’m sorry for being a bother.”

“I thought you said thank you’s were more appreciated at times like this.”

A mischievous smile appeared on Mizutani’s face.

“…Right, thank you.”

Mizutani’s hands were cold and soft.

They were so delicately made that I could not believe they were human hands like mine.

When I hold her hand, my consciousness naturally turned to it.

I almost make a mistake.

I wondered if we were actually really dating.

Shaking my head to banish the ridiculous thought, I end up worrying about the butterflies flying by.

“Sorry, maybe things are still too tough, after all.”

“…Don’t worry.”

I let go of Mizutani’s hand and twisted around to avoid the butterflies flying by.

Mizutani was looking at me like this from the side, almost bursting into laughter.

*****

“See you later, you two!”

“Have a safe trip home!”

After parting with Shuji and the others at the station we used to meet up.

“Well, we should go, too.”

“Un.”

I walked out with Mizutani and took the escalator up to the platform.

I found Shuji and his girlfriend sitting side by side on the opposite platform.

They waved at me from the other side, so I lightly waved back.

The train came toward Shuji and Ogura first.

The doors closed and the train left.

The chairs they had been sitting in earlier were empty now.

“I’m kind of tired today.”

“I know.”

Sitting side by side in their chairs, we said half-heartedly, as if we were complaining.

Mizutani next to me agreed, then continued,

“It was fun, though.”

“…well, I won’t deny it.”

I somehow looked up at the sky.

The color was a mixture of madder red and the original blue, with the blue still prevailing.

It must be because the days were getting longer these days.

I suddenly remembered something.

Ogura seemed to notice our relationship, didn’t she?

Maybe I should tell Mizutani about it.

I looked around somewhat, made sure I didn’t see any familiar faces, and then told Mizutani about my earlier conversation with Ogura. Mizutani listened to the end with a calm face and then said something.

“Natsuki will be fine, I’m sure. At least I don’t think she meant it maliciously.”

“I think so too, but…wait, when did you start calling her by her name?”

“Yeah. It’s because Natsuki also called me by my first name.”

“Well…that’s good.”

“Yeah, I’m glad.”

Mizutani nodded her head, smiling.

For some reason, I felt my heart squeeze.