A sea with a shore on the other side
“Well, we’ve accomplished our goal, haven’t we?”
After leaving the general store, Hayashi said with a hint of reluctance.
“So, what do we do now?”
“Well, it’s still a bit early to head back, right?”
Checking the clock, it was still before two in the afternoon. The train ride here took an hour. Considering it’d take another hour to get back, heading home now felt like a bit of a waste.
“That’s surprising.”
“What is?”
“I thought you’d be the lazy type who’d suggest going home already.”
“What kind of person do you think I am?”
Isn’t that a bit harsh? If we were somewhere else, I might just cause a scene, you know? What kind of scene, you ask? A tantrum, that’s what. Me crying and screaming would be quite the sight. And since it’s so unbecoming for my age, it’d be downright embarrassing.
“Sorry, sorry. So, what should we do from here?”
Hayashi said.
“Good question. Now that I think about it, we haven’t gone anywhere you wanted to visit today.”
“Huh, really?”
“The beef tongue restaurant and the general store were both my picks, weren’t they?”
“…Oh, yeah, you’re right.”
Hayashi nodded lazily. From her attitude, it seemed like she had no intention of visiting her own choice of place if she could just coast along like this.
“So, is there anywhere you want to go?”
“…Hmm.”
“Nothing comes to mind?”
I regretted rushing her a bit after saying that. There was still plenty of time, and there was no real need to hurry her.
“…Well, let’s just walk and think about it.”
“Sorry.”
“No need to apologize. It’s just a bit surprising. I thought you’d be into places like this.”
“…Well, I don’t dislike them. It’s just that I came to most of these spots right after moving to Tokyo.”
Come to think of it, Hayashi’s ex-boyfriend was apparently a working adult. Dating someone with a job probably meant he covered the expenses, and they could’ve gone on farther trips. In that case, coming to Yokohama now might not feel all that exciting anymore.
“For now, how about we hit up some classic spots?”
“Like the Red Brick Warehouse or Yamashita Park?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“…Now that you mention it, you like the sea, don’t you?”
Hayashi said. I tilted my head, not because I disliked the sea, but because I was curious where she got that idea from.
“Oh, it’s from your video site history. You watch those ocean wave videos to fall asleep, don’t you?”
These days, if you search for things like “sleep aid ocean waves” on video sites, you can find hours-long videos of nothing but wave sounds. I started listening to them to sleep around the time I entered university.
There wasn’t any particular reason. Well, if I had to say… it was the anxiety about whether I’d survive adult life, whether I’d make friends in college, whether I’d avoid flunking out. With all those worries piling up, I started having trouble falling asleep at night.
…Okay, there’s a ton of reasons.
Anyway, that’s why I went looking for ways to sleep better and found those videos.
By the way, wave sounds are just the beginner level. My personal recommendation?
The sound of a sleeper train in motion.
It gives you a slight travel vibe, and it’s surprisingly quiet for a train, making it super relaxing to sleep to.
Pair it with a hot eye mask, and it’s perfection.
“…Snooping through someone’s watch history, huh?”
Well, I had my suspicions when I lent her my tablet. I’m not going to make a big deal out of it now. That comment was just me playing along.
“Oh, come on. It’s not like I’m ratting you out for watching naughty videos.”
“True enough.”
I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t mention anything about that.
“Anyway, let’s go see the sea. You like it, don’t you?”
“You’re too naive, Hayashi. Sure, I like the sea.”
I said with a smug look. Hayashi’s aura was already screaming, Oh, here comes the annoying guy.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“A sea with a shore on the other side isn’t a real sea.”
“Yup, there’s the annoying guy.”
“The sea is about the waves, sure, but it’s also about something farther out.
Staring at the horizon is part of the fun. On a windy winter day, you can even see the horizon trembling.
Sure, you trade that for sand blowing in your eyes, but still.
A sea where you can see the opposite shore is already docked points. That means Tokyo Bay’s a no-go. It’s dirty and smells bad, too.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let’s go already.”
Ignoring my protests, Hayashi grabbed me and started walking. What kind of person doesn’t even listen to others? Even I get mad sometimes, you know. …Well, this doesn’t count as one of those times, so it’s no big deal.
“Wow, it’s beautiful.”
At Yamashita Park, Hayashi gripped the railing, gazing at the sea with a cool, refreshed look. It’s the middle of summer, so that probably added to the refreshing vibe.
“Come on, you too.”
“…Alright.”
“What? Still hung up on the whole opposite-shore thing?”
“Whether there’s a shore or not is just a demerit. It doesn’t mean the whole thing’s a bust.”
In other words, it’s still fun. The fact that it doesn’t sound like it is just my contrarian nature at work.
“You’re so not honest with yourself.”
“My bad.”
“No, it’s fine… I just tried imagining an honest version of you, and it felt kinda creepy.”
“Is that so?”
Come to think of it, Hayashi’s been awfully talkative today.
Why is that? She hasn’t gone to a single place she wanted to visit today.
…Maybe it’s not about where she goes, but who she’s with. Could she be the type who finds joy in the company rather than the destination?
Nah, probably not.
If that were true, it’d mean she’s enjoying today… enjoying now because she’s been going around with me.
Back in high school, she probably hated me.
Sure, through this little outing, she might’ve revised her opinion of me a bit, but there’s no way the feelings built up over three years could completely change in just a few weeks.
“…Hey, Yamamoto?”
“Hm?”
“…Wanna go on a boat?”
Hayashi was smiling.
An early post to say thank you for ranking #1 in the daily genre charts.
Seriously, thank you so much.
Please keep the ratings, bookmarks, and comments coming!!!
