Volume 1 - CH 2.5

Chapter 2 - Progress (Part 5)

A soft pink fabric decorated with small ribbons as if it were a single flower. The overall shape is an upside down triangle. This is something you don't usually see, but on the rare occasion when the skirt is shimmering, you can see it.

"What are you looking at so seriously?"

My head was hit. The sound was quite jarring, even though it was my own head... .......

"Answer me, Kuromine-kun! Or I'll really hit your head!"

"Can you say that before you hit me?"

"Because it won't be like that next time!"

"I'm sorry. ......."

She was very angry, so I could only bow my head.

After all, it was an accident. I didn't see it on purpose.

After returning home with Hoshimiya, we spent time together casually, not doing anything special.

It was around 9 p.m. when we heard the sound of rain falling outside.

I noticed the clothes left on the balcony and hurriedly picked them up, and in my right hand I found a pair of panties.

"Hurry up and give them back to me!"

The panties were forcibly removed by an angry Hoshimiya......

"Listen, Hoshimiya."

"...... What?"

She gave me a sharp look. Hiiekk!

"As long as men and women live together, accidents like this are inevitable."

"But even so, you don't have to look at it closely, right?"

"............"

"I wonder why you keep quiet! All boys are like that. ...."

"If you bring that up, then Hoshimiya has seen my underwear, too."

"Yeah, but that's ...... washing and ironing and stuff, right?"

"But you played with them. You pulled them up and stretched them, didn't you?"

"............"

"Why didn't you answer?"

As if to shield himself from my gaze, Hoshimiya lowered his head and grabbed his underwear with both hands.

"Hoshimiya?"

"I'm a girl and you're a boy."

"That's sexism, isn't it?"

[TL: A form of prejudice or discrimination against another group that has gender or sex differences].

"B-But! You don't mind if I touch your pants, do you, Kuromine-kun?"

"No, it's embarrassing, but..."

"But what?"

"But since Hoshimiya is acting so normal, I guess I don't have to worry about it."

"Um... that's right. From now on, it might be better if we discuss things, including this."

Hoshimiya was right. We had established roles and rules for living together, but we avoided talking about things like this that made us aware of our sexuality.

We had held back, but we had also become accustomed to this lifestyle, and maybe we had let our guard down a little. That was the first time I touched Hoshimiya's panties.

"Come to think of it, how long do I have to stay here?"

I remembered that we hadn't even decided that yet.

"Depends on the stalker, I guess. Don't you ...... want to stay with me?"

"............"

"Kuromine-kun?"

She would definitely be sad if I said no, especially since Hoshimiya had a worried expression when she conveyed those feelings. How should I answer her?

As for me, I think I want to continue my current life forever.

But what about Hoshimiya? She shows no signs of disliking living with me, but I still don't know what his true feelings are.

And I don't even know who Hoshimiya likes. She doesn't seem to know whether she loves him or not. Well, the person she likes seems to be me. Kana said that too.

But until I get confirmation from her, I cannot make any rash decisions.

If the person Hoshimiya is interested in is ...., wait, the person she's interested in? It must be the student next door, Horikawa! He's handsome and the ace of the soccer club.

............

I wish handsome people who play soccer would die. I mean, I know he's cool, but ....

Horikawa is just the answer to my fantasy.

"If you don't want to stay with me, let me know. I don't want to tie you down, Kuromine-kun...."

"I don't mind staying here."

"Really?"

"That's right! I get good food here anyway, and Hoshimiya is very nice to me!"

"Really?! From what you say, it's like you're a pet yourself."

"I'm just kidding ....... it's really fun to live with Hoshimiya."

"S-So, yeah... it's fun to live with me ............ hehehe."

Hoshimiya unintentionally let out a happy smile that looked cute...

As I looked at Hoshimiya and felt my heart beating fast, my cell phone rang from my pants pocket. I took it out and looked at the screen. It was from Yono's mother.

What was going on? It was very unusual for me to receive a call from Yono's mother.

Out of curiosity, I tapped the reply button.

"......Yes, how can I help you?"

|| "Riku-kun? Is Yono there?"

"Yono? I'm not at home right now. ......Is Yono not home yet?"

|| "Yes ....... Yono, she hasn't come home yet. I haven't heard from her either. ......."

"It's almost ten o'clock, isn't it? Why isn't he home yet? ......"

|| "I tried to contact Yono's friends, but no one seems to know. I didn't expect Riku-kun not to know either. ......I wonder where she went."

The tension was palpable. Had she been involved in an incident?

Just thinking about it made my blood run cold.

|| In that case, thank you, Riku-kun. I'll talk to the police now."

"Yes. ......."

Even after the call ended, my heart was still racing. I couldn't stop worrying. I hadn't talked to Yono at all lately. That's why I was even more worried about what he was doing right now.

Originally, I always felt anxious when Yono was not by my side.

But lately, my life with Hoshimiya has been so fulfilling that I don't feel such anxiety anymore....

"What's wrong?"

"I heard that Yono hasn't come home yet. She's not with her friends either."

"No way ......., especially since it's raining pretty hard outside."

"......Sorry, but I have to go out for a while."

"Are you going to look for Harukaze-san?"

"Yes. I thought I wouldn't be able to find her even if I ran around looking for her, but..."

"Okay. I know I should probably stop you, but ...... you can use the umbrella on the porch. Be careful."

I said, "Thanks," and hurried to the front door.

I grabbed the umbrella, opened the door and ran out.

It was darker than I expected and it was hard to see the intensity of the rain.

However, the echoing sound of the rain hitting hard on the roof of the bicycle parking lot showed that it was quite strong. It seemed like it would hurt if the water hit my skin directly.

"On a rainy day like this. I don't think she's outside. Then ...."

Is she in a store somewhere or at a friend's house that her mother doesn't know about?

Worst case scenario, she was involved in an incident....

"......!"

I couldn't get rid of my bad thoughts. What if something ...... happens to Yono......?!

I jumped down the stairs.

I opened my umbrella and started running, not caring about my wet feet.

The water seeped into my socks. But ...... I didn't care.

First, let's get on the train and go near Yono's house.

Then I'll look for her in the places I know in order.

"...Eh?"

As I walked along the side of the road, stepping over puddles, I saw a strange sight.

Someone was sitting under a telephone pole. She was sitting on her knees, clutching her tiny body.

The light was dim, so I couldn't see her clearly, but from the atmosphere, she looked like a woman.

But her presence was so small that I thought, "Could she be a ghost?"

It's a bit unusual for someone to sit alone in the middle of the night when it's raining like this.

Normally, I would at least try to talk to her, but for now, I put Yono first.

I kept running without stopping, and when I saw that person from the side, I got tangled up and almost fell.

"Huh? Yono!"

"............Riku-chan?"

The person sitting under the telephone pole, exposed to the rain, is my childhood friend.

Of course, her whole body was soaked. Her hair was stuck to her head, and her water-soaked uniform looked heavy. More importantly, it was her eyes.

The eyes that should be sparkling and bright became cloudy like dirty glass beads. These are the eyes of a dead person. They are not the eyes of a living person.

"Yono ......., what are ...... doing?! What are you doing here?!"

"......W-what did ...... I do?"

"Yono!"

I knelt down in front of Yono and grabbed both of his shoulders.

They were very cold and shaking slightly.

Thinking it was bad, I put my umbrella on his head.

The rain pelted me like a shotgun.

My face was in so much pain that I couldn't even make an expression, but I couldn't worry about that.

"......Riku-chan, you're going to get wet, aren't you?"

"It's okay, I'm fine! Yono ......, what are you doing here?!"

"What am I doing here .....?"

What happened to her?

"...... There's something ...... but I wonder if it's really like that..."

"......Yono?"

Yono, who was looking at me intently, began to speak words with bluish purple lips.

"Today, I realized ...... many things and thought ...... many things."

"Okay, okay ...... let's go for shelter."

"Riku-chan, are you happy?"

"...... Huh?"

"Are you happy ...... with Ayana-chan?"

"What do you mean?"

I really didn't understand the meaning and intention of this question.

I didn't understand.

"At first ...... I thought that if Riku-chan ...... still likes me, then that means ........ I ignored Riku-chan's goodwill, didn't I ....?"

"Eh...?"

"I apologize for saying such a terrible thing ....... I apologize for not seeing you as the opposite sex. If I were you, I would definitely .... suicide......"

"Tsk."

What helpless and soulful words.

The drops from Yono's eyes, were they raindrops falling from his forehead or tears coming from his eyes?

"...... If you're happy with Ayana-chan ...... you can forget about me ...... I'm fine ......... "

Saying that with a fragile voice, Yono slowly closed his eyelids.

The next moment, she fell down helplessly as his consciousness was cut off.

"......Yono? Hang in there! Yono!"

"............"

She did not answer.

The only sound was the rain hitting my umbrella.