CH 72

Hasumi Kanzaki woke up earlier than usual.

In fact, she had never worn makeup before, but that day she tried it for the first time.

“Huh, sister is all dressed up!　You have a date today, right?”

“I-Idiot!　No, it’s not!　I’m just going to see a movie with my friends!”

“But it’s just you and that handsome guy, right? Waa, I’m kind of jealous!”

“S-shut up!　Adults have adult relationships.”

As I was getting ready for the party, my mother came over to me.

“…… I never taught you how to apply makeup properly, did I? That’s not going to work. Here, let me do it.”

She took me by the shoulders and sat me down on the tatami mats.

She began to apply foundation to me with a familiar hand.

“First, you need to make a foundation.……”

I was somewhat bewildered by the unusual atmosphere.

Misa is looking at us with great interest.

“You have a date today, right?”

“Y-you got it wrong!　It’s not like that. We’re just writer friends.”

“Ara ara, you said you didn’t need any friends before.”

“…… Ugh. Besides, Shinjo-kun already has someone he likes.”

The two are not in a relationship yet. But I can tell just by looking at them that it’s a deep relationship.

Mom walked behind me and began to brush my hair.

Her hands were gentle and soft.

Her hands were rough from working with water, but that was a long time ago. They are fine now.

“Hasumi, you never know what love is going to be like until the end.….Your friend is important, and so are the people you love. You should worry a lot while you are young.”

“I-I don’t like him!”

I really don’t have any romantic feelings for Shinjo-kun. I’ve only met him a few times.

“Yes, yes. …… it’s ready. Go look in the mirror.”

My mother patted me on the back.

I tried to argue with her, but all I could do was mumble, and I couldn’t say anything.

I had no choice but to stand in front of the mirror and there I was, with my mouth half open.

“Uwa……, it doesn’t look like me.”

“Go ahead and try your best to bring Shinjo-kun down!”

“Go for it, sis!”

“Like I said, you got it wrong!!!”

I love peaceful exchanges like this.

I hope the happy days continue forever. No, I must do my best to keep it going.

I left the house with the two of them seeing me off.

It takes more than an hour to get to Tokyo.

My house is on the sea side of Kanagawa. It’s called Shonan, but it’s just a rural fishing port town.

It’s a strange place with a mix of old-fashioned houses and upscale residential areas, and a lot of yankees with high academic ability.

From such a place, I was swayed by train to the meeting place.

–Ugh, I’m getting nervous because mother says strange things …….

Shinjo-kun has only met me twice. Shinjo-kun, to me, he is just a writer …… friend.

So I don’t have any weird feelings for him. He is handsome, but a face is not what makes a man a man, right?

I like a manly man who is muscular and strong like my father.

I stop thinking about Shinjo and start writing the plot of my next piece of writing on my phone.

…… I can’t seem to get my writing done.

I’m fidgety and restless …….

I close my notes app and decide to read the novel.

But it still doesn’t work. I can’t calm down.

“……What the heck, geez. Haa…….”

I felt the train was going slower than usual.

I wanted to get there early and feel refreshed, but ……

I’ve arrived in front of the Green Window in Akihabara, the meeting place.

I had an hour until the appointed time. I was so nervous that I was sweating strangely.

Today’s special screening is at 3pm, but the three of us had planned to meet up in the morning, have dinner, look around an anime store, and go to a bookstore.

…… Anri was not with us …… and it was just the two of us.

T-this doesn’t really sound like a date …….

I took a deep breath.

I remember the look in Anri’s eyes as she gazed at Shinjo.

Besides, I remember Anri’s novel. “The Most Important Person in the World”.

That one was all about Shinjo-kun, wasn’t it?

At that time, I had it engraved in my mind.

I would never look at Shinjo-kun with strange feelings. Shinjo-kun is

Shinjo is a writer friend. There is absolutely no male-female relationship there. Don’t worry, I have a heart of steel.

Anri, I hope you are okay with your cold. …… Anri is my first friend.

In the e-mail, she said it’s not that bad, but I’m worried about her.

I want to ask Shinjo-kun to go visit her later, but I hope it won’t be too much trouble.

……It’s hard to be in pain.

“Fuu.……”

I sigh.

I think I’ll go into a cafe somewhere.

“Kanzaki-san?　You’re up early, I see.”

“Heh?　Shinjo-kun!　Wait, why are you already here!　It’s not even an hour ago!”

Shinjo-kun, dressed in plain clothes, was right in front of me.

I could feel my face turning red as I looked at him. I-It must be because I’m so embarrassed. Yes, it is. Mom shouldn’t have said such strange things to me!

“Well, I got here before time, so I thought I’d go to a coffee shop and write a novel or something.”

“Hey, Nyanta-sensei, don’t use polite expressions!　Hamumi is fine.”

“Aah, that’s right.……. I’m sorry, Hamumi. You don’t have to call me “sensei.””

I was kind of upset because my mother’s words came back to my mind.

“Hamumi, let’s go to the cafe for a little tea and then to the anime store. I’ll explain Anri’s condition there.”

The mention of Anri’s name brings me back to reality.

I am worried about Anri. Anri was supposed to be here.

“Y-yeah, she’s okay, right?”

“Don’t look so worried. You sound like me yesterday. Let’s just go into the store.”

Shinjo-kun naturally escorted me as he said that.

Standing next to him, I found that he was surprisingly tall, and his arms extending out from his shirt were surprisingly muscular.

“Hya, Hyai! L-Let’s go”

“—-?”

Shinjo told me that Anri’s condition was improving.

It seems that the forest school and the deadline for the book project had caused her to fall ill.

Shinjo-kun explained to me over a cup of coffee.

It’s a very stylish coffee shop.

I’m a country girl, so I honestly get nervous when I enter places like this.

Shinjo-kun didn’t seem nervous at all.

Uhm, normally 16-year-olds aren’t that calm.

“What’s wrong, Hamumi?”

“N-Nothing, I’m fine!　Cocoa is delicious.”

“Well, that’s good. I found this place on the Internet and was curious about it. They have good pancakes, too.”

“F-fmm, I mean, you’re a very nurturing person.”

“….No I’m not”

I think I might have stepped on a land mine. The atmosphere of Shinjo-kun changed a little.

Maybe it’s that, maybe it’s something with his family?

As I was thinking this, Shinjo-kun exhaled heavily and his expression relaxed.

“……I’m sure you’re right.”

For some reason, those words that he whispered resonated in my mind. It was the most mature expression I have ever seen on a person of his age.

Mitobe-sensei is very mature, but Shinjo-kun is not to be outdone.

I mean, that guy is a little crazy. ……

My heart is pounding.

What the hell is this guy!　Don’t make that face in front of anyone but Anri!

“Hmm, what’s the matter, Hamumi?　Oh, you want some of this?”

Shinjo-kun put his own pancake on his fork and tried to feed it to me.

I almost stopped thinking.

Wait a minute!

“Idiot, I’m not Anri-chan!　Put it on that plate.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, it’s my usual habit.……”

“As long as you understand. For crying out loud, mou….”

It was a heartbreaking start.

But the pancakes were so delicious. ……

Afterwards, conversation continues as we tour the streets of Akihabara.

Because we have common interests and a common goal, we never run out of things to talk about.

“I see, now I understand how Tetsuro was feeling at that moment.”

“Fufufun, that scene was super hard work!　It wasn’t in the plot, but it just came to me.”

“I write according to the plot, so I think it’s great that Hamumi is able to write instinctively. I mean, your experience as a writer is so different from mine.”

“Haa!?　What are you talking about!!”

I’ve learned something after talking to him for the past few hours.

He loves Anri. It’s not just half love. He would turn against the world for Anri’s sake.

Shinjo-kun is a natural, or perhaps a little off, as is Anri.

Well, I guess that’s why he can write novels.

I also have different sensibilities from my generation.

“Oh, there’s a poster of ‘Tetsuro’ over there. Let’s take a picture and send it to Anri.”

……It’s Anri again. It feels even better to be this clean.

As Shinjo-kun left me, an unknown woman came up to Shinjo-kun.

“Uhm, would you like to have tea?　I don’t know Akihabara well.”

“No, I don’t want to be solicited.”

……It was clearly a reverse intention. The woman was clearly a reverse snitch.

“Ooi, let’s take a picture together, Hamumi!”

“Haa, can’t be helped. Pose properly!”

I mean, Shinjo-kun doesn’t understand himself too well.

When he walks on the street, young women’s eyes are always on Shinjo-kun.

He has an aura of a good-looking man that could be described as a celebrity.

Anri says that he is good at sports and studying.

……How much of a monster is Shinjo?

I mean, I’m “still” better than him when it comes to novels, but there’s a chance he’ll pass me sooner or later.

I’m not really aware of it, but “Mike Saburo” is the only work that I, Hamumi Kanzaki, have been overwhelmed by.

“Hamumi?　Can I take a picture?”

“Yes, you may!　You’re too close!　Anri is going to be so mad at you!”

“I-Is that so?　S-sorry.”

“Geez, can’t be helped. I’ll take it with my phone. Come on, move away a little more!”

Shinjo-kun moved away a little.

I tried to close the distance between us. What I say and my body’s reaction are different.

I stop myself.

With a heart of steel, I took the distance between Shinjo-kun and me.

This is the proper distance between us.

Yeah, because we are just friends.……

I pretended not to notice the hazy feeling in my chest–