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Chapter 4 – Reunion With an Old Friend \nVolume 1\n<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\n\n\n
Leaving the shopping mall,\n\n
The groceries I just bought are in my hand. We walked along the paved road together.\n
I wonder how long it’s been since I’ve gone out like this with Sayaka. I don’t think we’ve been out recently.\n
Sayaka’s steps were light. It must be because of the treatment I gave her. Unlike when she was shopping, she was bouncing her feet forward from time to time.\n\n
“Hey, what are you making for lunch?”\n
It was already past 1:00 p.m. My father was probably hungry.\n
“I think I’ll make yakisoba. I bought some cabbage and it’s just right.”\n
“Sounds good.”\n
Neither my father nor Sayaka can cook. I’ve tried to teach them, but they never really improved. I feel doubtful now that they had any intention of learning in the first place.\n\n
“Why don’t you try to make it yourself sometime?”\n
But Sayaka shook her head.\n
“It’s too much trouble. I have to study too.”\n
“Really?'”\n
“Really, really. I’m the type of person who gets motivated at the last minute.'”\n\n
Sayaka’s grades are in the middle of the scale. Although there are some fluctuations, her scores are generally near average. It’s a natural result of not originally aiming for the top.\n
“Shitty brother is too serious. You don’t have to get first place every time. I’d get tired if I did.”\n
“It’s not that hard if you work hard everyday. High school kids don’t study as much as they think they do.”\n
“Are you boasting?”\n
“That’s not what I meant. I’m just saying that you should study hard every day.”\n\n
I don’t study ten hours a day like a university examinee, either. I only spend four hours at my desk studying. Even so, if I concentrate and work hard, I can keep the top rank in my grade.\n\n
“I don’t want to study even for an hour, and I definitely don’t want to study every day. Okay? There are so many fun things to do in high school. You have to do what you can only do now.”\n
“Is that game or games or maybe games?\n
“Yeah, yeah.”\n
I think she probably spends as much time playing games as I do studying in a day.\n
“Do you enjoy studying all the time?”\n
Sayaka asked.\n
I didn’t hesitate to answer that question.\n\n
It is fun.\n
There are many hard times, but I still enjoy it. There is a part of me that is pushing myself. There is also the part of me that keeps running and trying hard to escape.\n
But for me, I think this is the best I can do.\n
Even today was fun. It’s been a while since I had a date with my sister. Arguing over trivial things and taking care of Sayaka was fun.\n
I believe that this kind of everyday life that seems so natural is a precious thing that I must continue to protect.\n\n
“I’m feeling fulfilled every day.”\n
My reply was met with a suspicious look from Sayaka.\n\n
“Well, that’s okay. My shitty brother is strange.”\n\n
I too think that might be true.\n\n
As we were talking, we reached the vicinity of the house.\n\n
It was a little chilly today. Whenever the wind blows, a chill runs down my skin from the nape of my neck. It was already starting to get deep into autumn. Under the cloudy sky, the air was thick with dullness.\n\n
When the house came into view, Sayaka stopped in her tracks.\n
What’s wrong? I was about to ask that when I noticed that there was someone in front of the house.\n
My heart jumped. I was familiar with the face of the person there.\n
Long, slender legs. Slender body. He was standing there with his hands in the pockets of his jeans.\n
Sharp eyes peeked out from his profile. His face was still clear in my memory.\n\n
“That guy. ……”\n
Sayaka’s mumbling was blown up into the sky by the cold wind.\n
The red-haired man exhaled heavily in front of the intercom.\n
I approached him without making a sound.\n
The figure came into clear view. My body stiffened. Five meters, four meters, three meters. I passed by Sayaka and still kept moving forward.\n\n
…I wonder what words I should say to him.\n
–It was four years ago that we played together. Since then, we never had a chance to talk.\n
When the distance was less than a meter, the man noticed my presence.\n
When he saw my face, his eyes widened in surprise.\n
Our eyes met. And at that moment, all the memories of four years ago came flooding back.\n
I felt nostalgic. I realized that even though the months had passed, this guy’s presence hadn’t diminished much in my mind.\n
The man said,\n
“It’s been a long time.”\n
I replied.\n
“Yeah, it’s been a while.”\n
Maybe I should have pretended I didn’t know him. I could have ignored him and stayed inside the house.\n
But I couldn’t bring myself to do that because the guilt I felt in the past was once again in my mind.\n
…… Not much has changed.\n
That was the first thing I felt when I talked to him after a long time.\n
It is not much different from the way I felt when we were talking back then. Maybe he thinks so too.\n
Why did he come to see me after all this time?\n
It wasn’t a coincidence that he approached Sayaka the other day. He was approaching with a clear intention.\n
When I thought about it, he said to me,\n
“You don’t seem to have changed much.”\n
For some reason, I found myself feeling relieved by those words.\n\n
The man, Hiroyoshi Yamazaki, was smiling a little.\n\n
<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\nTN: Huh…. Where’s the fluff….\n\n