Chapter 72: Then… To the Aquarium?
Chapter 72: Then… To the Aquarium?
…
…
Twenty-something minutes? Or half an hour? Or maybe even longer.
With her cheek pressed warmly against his and an occasional murmur in his ear, and her chest pressed against his back, Himekoji Akito carried Kasumigaoka Utaha up the steep slope under these conditions.
Surprisingly, he didn’t feel tired at all.
On top of the high slope was a platform halfway up the mountain. Standing here, you could see half of Wagou City spread out below.
There were hardly any delays climbing up, but time had still slipped by unnoticed, pushing close to evening. Just then, the setting sun broke through, casting an orange-red blaze burning up the evening clouds, spreading their glow.
The clouds blazed with color, and the fading light shimmered intensely.
“It’s so grand…”
Himekoji clicked his tongue in admiration.
“Of course. Because… this is the very scene I wanted to show you,” the girl said, her hair cascading down like a waterfall onto Himekoji’s chest.
“Put me down now.”
She bit into Himekoji Akito’s ear as she spoke.
“Mm.
The instant the weight lifted from his back, Himekoji sighed with relief. Yet, within that same heartbeat, a strange feeling of emptiness washed over him.
“Hey, Hi-mekoji-kun,” Kasumigaoka, now off his back, suddenly stepped forward to stand beside him. Tucking the hair at her forehead aside, she asked softly, “have you heard of Lovers’ Slope?”
“Huh? What’s that? Some kind of city legend?”
“It’s very effective.”
Kasumigaoka suddenly turned her head to look at him.
“They say, before confessing to a girl, if you manage to carry her on your back all the way up this steep slope without stopping, then… your confession won’t be rejected.”
As she spoke, a gust of wind blew towards them. Right before Himekoji’s eyes, Kasumigaoka Utaha’s long hair began to flutter and stream outward.
The girl stood there beside him, eyes fixed steadily on his face.
…
“Hah…! As expected, it really, really matches the plot of the novel!”
Himekoji froze for two seconds. Then, suddenly seeming to snap out of it, he gave an exaggerated laugh, loudly bringing his fist down into his palm.
“Well, since it’s for research, Ms. Kasumi, I’ll go take some photos first!”
Hardly done speaking, Himekoji pulled a camera from his bag and dashed off several meters away.
“The setting sun slanting down… the composition really is fantastic!”
“Photographing good pictures for reference material is also an editor’s job, after all.”
Click, click. Snapping pictures a few meters away, Himekoji muttered to himself, loudly enough for Kasumigaoka to hear, like it was specifically meant for her.
The wind across the high platform had grown boisterous, though it wasn’t clear exactly when it had started.
Kasumigaoka suddenly remembered. At the end of April in Wagou City, the wind still held a bit of a chill once dusk changed to night.
Wearing only two thin layers, she stood alone at the edge of the platform, squeezing her arms tightly against herself.
…
“Editor-kun, I’m tired now.”
A very formal way to address him.
Was it just his imagination? The girl’s voice sounded tired in a way it never had before.
Himekoji clenched his lips, then relaxed them. Only then, the next moment, did he turn back to look at her, pretending not to understand.
“What’s wrong?”
The moment he asked, their eyes met for a fleeting instant —
Kasumigaoka Utaha’s eyes seemed to merge with the twilight, like beautiful, yet lonely fireflies flickering within the fading light of the setting sun.
“It’s nothing. I’m just tired… That’s all. So, let’s call a taxi to go back.”
The wind died down. The girl’s face was expressionless.
“Oh,” Himekoji replied, forcing a smile.
“You’re tired…? Then I’ll carry your bag.”
“I can carry my own bag.”
“Mm. Okay.”
…
He really was terrible. That’s what he was.
Himekoji Akito lowered his head, giving a bitter smile.
He knew. Of course, he knew.
He couldn’t respond to anyone’s expectations.
All he could do was try not to hurt anyone.
…
…
After dinner at a local specialty restaurant in Wagou City, at Himekoji’s suggestion, the two found a cafe to summarize the progress of the day’s research.
However, even though they were there to sum things up, Kasumigaoka just silently sipped her coffee. She didn’t look at Himekoji, not even once. Not a single word passed between them.
Hmm… I feel like I might have upset her…
Himekoji felt terribly awkward.
“Ms. Kasumi, we’ve spent the whole day researching. We’ve visited all the places around Wagou City we should. I think it’s time we discussed your new work.”
“Oh. And what did you think of Wagou City?”
Setting down her coffee, she lifted her eyelids, expressionless. Kasumigaoka seemed to finally be acknowledging Himekoji as a person worth talking to.
Holy… Such an honor!
Himekoji scrambled, racking his brain for every possible scrap of a complimentary description. “Aah! Wagou City is really great! Lots of amusement places, very convenient transportation…” he blurted, desperately thinking of any positive words he could use.
“I figured that’d probably be your impression.”
Kasumigaoka Utaha abruptly cut him off.
“In reality, Wagou City doesn’t really have any famous tourist spots or special local products. It’s just a suburban residential area conveniently reached by a single train from the capital region. Compared to other towns with actual character, it’s incredibly plain.”
“Huh?! How could that be? No matter what, this is Ms. Kasumi’s hometown, right? Setting the stage for your work in this town ought to let you write more easily.” Right now, Himekoji was just thinking about placating the person in front of him; his words came accompanied by an apologetic smile.
“While that is certainly part of the reason, it’s not all,” Kasumigaoka conceded.
The girl spoke softly.
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Because this city isn’t special at all, that’s why I chose it. My works are basically normal stories, love that’s not worth mentioning, ordinary schools and harems.”
Kasumigaoka Utaha rested her chin on her hand as she spoke, her gaze going past Himekoji Akito’s face, unfocused.
“So, this plain, normal city really suits my works.”
“I want to write a story about a girl who’s unhappy with her boring life and unchanging friendships but can’t do anything about it. In that ordinary city, this average girl meets a not-at-all-normal boy—you could even call him weird—and they fall in love.”
“I want to write that kind of story.”
…
“Clink.”
The spoon hit the edge of the cup, and Himekoji froze for a moment.
“Ms. Kasumi, did you… fall in love in this city? Like the people in your stories?”
“Yes, I did love someone.”
The girl dropped her gaze, then stared hard at the coffee.
She… loved someone?
Himekoji’s hand holding the spoon tightened without him noticing.
“Falling for a handsome young businessman I met someday, who makes hundreds of millions a year and lives in a fancy city apartment… and just loving him until I get a breakup fee worth billions.”
Wait! This sweet talk suddenly got kind of gross?
But for some reason, he actually felt a little relieved inside.
Oh… so this “love” wasn’t in the past tense or the present tense…
“Ms. Kasumi, is this the love you want? Isn’t it… too real?”
Himekoji picked his words carefully and asked gently.
“Someone so real shouldn’t dream, right?”
Kasumigaoka Utaha snapped her head up, looked right at Himekoji,
“I don’t dream because I’m the one who sets perfect traps so readers can dream—”
“The Evil God.”
This author, so confident and ready to say stuff like that, was really cool.
He truly hoped “Kasumi Utako” would always be that cool author forever.
He needed to keep his distance—to hold onto a space where he could keep admiring and looking up to her.
It might not have come up before, but Himekoji was a big fan of “Kasumi Utako.”
That’s why he always called her “Ms. Kasumi.”
…
“So, the Evil God… doesn’t get trapped in her own workings?”
The girl’s finger brushed past her lips on its own.
Then she answered firmly:
“No, if I had time for that, I’d rather sleep. Most days, for writing and studies, I only sleep two hours.”
Only a real, proper novelist could brag so lightly about not sleeping—it was really awesome.
Different from a fake like him, for sure.
“Tired. I’m sleeping face down, so don’t bug me.”
She said she’d sleep, and right away she was out like a light, no fuss at all.
“That’s way too darn fast!”
Himekoji didn’t even get to make a silly joke fast enough.
…
“Sir, sir… please wake up. I’m sorry, but our café is closing for the day.”
Himekoji got woken by the waiter while he was sprawled on the table.
After Kasumigaoka fell asleep, he’d rested his eyes a little too, not thinking he’d drop off hard and totally miss the time…
…
It took a real effort to finally wake up Senpai, who’d been deep in sweet sleep.
“What? Let me get a little more sleep!”
The girl pushed awake puffed out her cheeks, looking mad.
“More sleep? You slept past the last train, that’s what!”
“Huh? We can’t get back now?”
The just-woken girl still wouldn’t lift her head from the table. Bracing her dainty chin on her arm, she blinked, then out of nowhere suggested:
“So then… go to the Aquarium?”
“Who in the world would go there, hey!”