Tsun’s Dere × Pon’s Kotsu

“Hey, Yamamoto-kun?”

It was just a little before I ended up heading home.

Kasahara, riding on my back, gave a gentle smile and wrapped both arms around my neck.

A midsummer night. Despite the heat that made sweat bead on my forehead, the rise in body temperature from Kasahara clinging to me wasn’t unpleasant. If anything, it felt oddly comforting.

“Can you guess what I’m thinking about right now?”

Kasahara’s question was so vague it was nearly impossible to answer.

Probably nothing to do with the last train. Even if Kasahara was thinking about letting me stay over at her place, and I somehow guessed it, she’d likely deny it. She’d brush it off, saying she wasn’t thinking about that at all.

“Sorry for the uncomfortable ride.”

“Uncomfortable? Not at all. If anything, your back’s gotten a bit broader since high school.”

“I stopped working out, so I can’t think of any reason it’d get bigger.”

“Did you gain weight?”

“Well, Hayashi’s cooking is pretty damn good.”

“Haha! You’re being tamed quite nicely, huh?”

Lately, I’ve been going for walks in the morning when I wake up early, but I guess that’s not enough to keep the weight off.

The only other time I carried Kasahara on my back was back in high school, during gym class when she sprained her ankle and I took her home.

Back then, I was at the peak of my training, so my back was probably broader than it is now, no question.

“Maybe it just feels that way since it’s been a while.”

Kasahara rested her face against the back of my head.

Bit by bit, her body pressed closer to mine. I wasn’t feeling weird about it. Probably.

“It’s because you barely carried me back in high school.”

“Huh? You’re blaming me now?”

“Yup!”

“…Did you want me to carry you more back then?”

“…Hmm, I wonder?”

Whether that’s true or not, it’s a bit of a harsh response.

I felt a little down.

And then, I realized.

Talking with her like this, feeling happy, laughing, getting bummed out.

The relationship we have now is different from back then. But it doesn’t feel like the relationship itself has changed all that much.

If anything… I feel like I can be more natural with her now.

This moment, this time with her, feels so precious I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

…If I slowed my pace a bit, would Kasahara notice the change in me?

It’s past the time for the last train.

If that’s the case, does it really matter how long it takes to get home now?

That’s right.

The last train.

…Since earlier, Kasahara’s been making me hyper-aware that I missed the last train.

What’s her intention…?

Just something she was curious about? With her, that’s possible. She’s always making suggestive comments like that.

…But.

But, what if…?

What if it was her way of giving herself an excuse to let me stay over…?

If that’s the case.

Then I…

“Hey, Kasahara?”

“Hey, Yamamoto-kun?”

Our voices, calling out to each other, overlapped.

After a brief silence, we smiled at each other.

“You go first.”

“No, you go first!”

Kasahara poked my cheek. I had no way to retaliate. Even if I did, I wouldn’t.

“…How about we say it together?”

“…Alright.”

We both took a deep breath.

What I wanted to say right here, right now.

It was nothing other than what comes next.

Missing the last train and being in this situation.

What I was going to do now.

I wanted to tell her that.

I had a feeling.

I thought, maybe, what she was about to say to me was the same thing.

“I’ll walk home.”

“You’re gonna walk home tonight, right?”

Just as I thought.

I couldn’t help but laugh, keeping my voice low enough not to disturb the quiet residential street.

“You’re the one who made me miss the last train, and now you say that?”

“You said the same thing, didn’t you? Besides…”

“You’re worried about Hayashi, right?”

“Yeah.”

“You really care about Hayashi, don’t you?”

Even for someone like me, who rarely feels jealous, I couldn’t help but feel a slight pang.

“…Right now, you’re the only one who can support Meg.”

She hasn’t told her yet.

That Hayashi reconciled with her estranged parents.

And it’s all thanks to Kasahara, who set things in motion.

“You’re not getting much in return, are you?”

I muttered.

Right now, Kasahara’s going through a lot for Hayashi’s sake. But for some reason, the two of them seem to be on slightly awkward terms.

I felt a bit of sympathy for her unrewarded efforts.

“It’s not like I’m not getting anything out of it. I’m actually pretty fulfilled right now.”

“But…”

“I don’t have any regrets.”

Kasahara smiled. Her cheerful voice carried no trace of a lie.

“If you’re satisfied, it’d be tacky for me to say anything more.”

“Exactly! I like how you get that, Yamamoto-kun.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

We kept chatting for a while after that, keeping our voices low as we walked through the residential area.

When we reached Kasahara’s apartment, we parted ways.

…Once before, when I visited her place with Hayashi.

We stopped by the supermarket and walked from my place to hers. It took thirty minutes.

It’s not an impossible distance to walk.

It’s not… a distance I can’t make it back from.

So why is it so hard to take that first step?

Maybe, deep down, I wanted to stay at Kasahara’s place, just the two of us.

Of course, I’d never tell anyone that.

I’m taking that thought to the grave.

After a thirty-minute walk, I made it home.

…Hayashi.

My roommate.

Is she already asleep?

The lights in the room were still on.

But it’s usually around the time she’d be sleeping.

“I’m home.”

I said it quietly.

I walked softly to the living room.

Hayashi was still awake.

“…Sorry. Did you stay up waiting for me?”

Hayashi was lying on the bed, hugging a pillow, staring blankly at the TV.

On closer inspection, the pillow she was holding was mine. Maybe she was half-asleep.

“Ugh, what a hassle. Thanks to you, I went through hell.”

Thinking about it, today’s whole mess started because Hayashi held my cleaning supplies hostage. A little grumbling should be forgiven.

“If possible, don’t pull that kind of ruthless blackmail again, okay?”

I took off my socks and tossed them into the washing machine.

I headed to the living room to grab my pajamas, planning to take a shower.

“…Hayashi?”

As I passed through the living room, I noticed.

My roommate hadn’t said a word since I got back.

Hayashi…

Her eyes were open.

Her hands, clutching the pillow, were moving slightly.

But when I looked at her face, she buried it in the pillow.

She seemed fully conscious.

So why was she ignoring me?

“Sorry about today…”

Her voice was muffled, face still buried in the pillow.

…I’d never heard words like that from the Hayashi of our high school days.

“You don’t need to apologize. You did it for me, didn’t you?”

“…Idiot.”

“Huh?”

“Why didn’t you come home sooner…?”

“Uh?”

From an apology to a sudden complaint.

I let out a weird noise without meaning to.

“Why’d you go to that stupid mixer? Come home earlier. Don’t make me worry like that…”

“Oh, uh, sorry…”

“Why are you apologizing, idiot…?”

“Huh…?”

What am I supposed to do then?

For a while after that, I kept trying to comfort a strangely downcast Hayashi.

Chapter Five is done. Doing a serious rom-com, lol.

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