CH 5

Then Marin started to talk about what she had been doing.

Even though she was trying to hold back her speech, she couldn’t help but speak in a way that made it difficult to proceed.

However, Yō didn’t rush her, but only asked her questions and gave her advice when she wanted to swallow her words.

Marin was surprised, but strangely comforted by Yō’s attitude, which made her feel like a different person than usual.

(Truly, what a strange person…)

Marin was looking at Yō’s face with a sideways glance, as if to steal a glance at his face staring into the sunset.

Although she was surprised by what Yō had just said, he did not seem to be interested in her at all.

So, Marin couldn’t understand why he was going along with her so much.

In the first place, she knew that Yō was not the kind of person who would do something like this for her.

That was why it was even more strange.

Before she knew it, the more they talked, Marin’s puddle had gone down.

So Marin smiled at Yō as if she was in trouble.

“I’m fine now.”

This is the end of it, she told Yō.

But Yō took her words in a different way.

“I’ll keep my promise, then. Do you mind if we come home late?”

“Eh…?”

Marin was puzzled by Yō’s question and thought about it.

Late to come back to the house― Marin saw that it was not just an invitation.

So she looked into Yō’s eyes to see what was going on, but he just stared back at her, and she couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

But his eyes were serious, and he did not seem to have any evil intentions.

Marin thought for a moment and slowly opened her mouth.

“I guess it’s okay… I’m the only one who’s always at home…”

The answer was not because she had received a favor from Yō.

It was just an answer to try to believe in Yō, and her feeling guilty for making him go along so far for her.

Yō’s eyebrows twitched for a moment when he heard Marin’s words, but he didn’t go into them.

Instead, he turned his back to Marin.

“I want to move to a new place, so please follow me. I’ll pay for your transportation fees.”

“Transportation fees…?”

Marin tilted her head in response to Yō’s casual remark.

Where on earth are we going to go?― She wondered, as he began to make a phone call on his phone and already called for a cab.

“U-umm, Hazakura-kun…? You’re not trying to take me somewhere strange, are you…?”

Since she had no idea where they were going, Marin became wary of him.

Marin, who had thought of trusting him earlier, now regretted it a little.

“Don’t worry, I’ll just take you to a good place.”

And when Yō replied to Marin’s question with a blank expression, Marin’s anxiety only increased further.

◆

The two of them took a cab for an hour, and after another ten minutes of walking, they finally arrived at their destination.

To be honest, Marin was feeling quite tired at this point, and since she had been forced to walk along a deserted road, her anxiety was increasing.

But then―

“Beautiful…”

The fatigue and anxiety she had felt earlier disappeared in an instant when Marin saw the panoramic view from where they had arrived.

Spreading in front of Yō and Marin was a collection of light emanating from the densely packed buildings.

Their current location was on a hill, a sight that could only be seen from a distance and high above.

The beauty of it was like an illumination, Marin thought.

“Did you like it?”

“Yes…!”

When he called out to Marin, who was admiring the collection of lights, she turned her smile to Yō, which everyone could admire.

Seeing her beautiful smile blending in with the beautiful scenery, Yō realized that his heart was beating fast.

(Ahh… this fellow is like a picture perfect…)

Yō loves beautiful things more than anything else.

He will go to any length to see it.

He used to think that this scenery was the most beautiful thing, but now he discovered that he could see even more beautiful things by adding other elements to it.

It was at this point that Yō became unusually interested in other people.

“This place, where are we…?”

Marin didn’t even know that Yō was thinking about such things, and asked him with a woozy expression and voice.

On the other hand, Yō opened his mouth while holding his neck with his right hand.

“Ahh… it’s a hidden spot in my hometown. The only people who know about this place are me and one other person, Akimi, who just found out about it.”

“I see, it certainly is a hidden spot… Anyway, I think this place is quite far from the school, do you commute from very far away?”

Marin, who was transfixed by the beautiful scene, was caught off guard by Yō’s words and couldn’t help but poke her head in.

However, Yō did not respond to her.

“…”

Marin didn’t say anything either about the fact that Yō didn’t answer, but decided to keep quiet and let the beautiful scene burn in her eyes.

She was a very perceptive person.

She knew that there was something wrong with Yō ever since their first-year, and the fact that he went to a high school far away from his hometown probably contributed to her conclusion.

They both fell silent for a little while, and a moment of silence passed between them.

At first, Yō felt a little uncomfortable, but as he looked at this beautiful scene, he didn’t mind.

On the contrary, he felt strangely happy as he occasionally looked at Marin’s face as well.

He thought it was okay to stay like this until Marin was satisfied, but that time was broken by Marin.

“―Is Hazakura-kun trying to make me forget about Haru-kun by showing me this beautiful scene?”