CH 14

My Future is Yours Alone

The bus stopped in front of the hospital. Shuuji Shiraishi got off, along with a number of other passengers.

It wasn’t that he was ill. He was here to meet Koutarou Seno, who worked here. It was faster for Shuuji to come meet Koutarou here than it was for him to wait for Koutarou to get home, so whenever the two of them went out for a date, it ended up being at the hospital. Today, too, they were going to wait until Koutarou was done with work, and then go out to a movie.

They always arranged to meet at whatever time the bus was scheduled to arrive, so Shuuji never had to wait long. Usually, Koutarou was waiting for him already when he got off the bus, but today was different.

Shuuji spotted Koutarou talking to a couple of young women. He couldn’t hear what they were talking about from here, but although the girls were smiling, Koutarou’s profile was expressionless.

“When your lover is popular, your worries are endless.”

Suddenly, he could hear a bantering voice from beside him. He knew who it was just from the voice, and when Shuuji turned, Nagasaki’s smiling face was standing there.

Nagasaki was clearly referring to Koutarou’s current situation, so Shuuji responded without much regard for time or place.

“Even though he hardly meets with anyone?”

“Hardly anyone isn’t no one. People still catch sight of him, even shut up in the meeting room like that. People can see him there, you know.”

“And so it ends up like this?”

He didn’t mean to blame Nagasaki, but seeing Koutarou brought to a halt like that did bring an unintentionally chilly note to Shuuji’s voice.

“Listen, it bothers me, too. I feel like he’s gotten so stylish lately, he looks like another person, you know? I get random gangs of ladies who figure out I know him and start pestering me about who is he, and can I introduce them to him,” Nagasaki answered, smiling wryly. This was a country hospital, so maybe Koutarou’s appearance stood out too much. It wasn’t unreasonable for women to get excited over him.

“Those women are like that, too?”

“Nah, those two didn’t come to me. They’re young, they’ve got enough self-confidence for a direct attack,” Nagasaki said admiringly, as he watched the women.

Both of them were probably in their mid-twenties. They were very different from each other, but quite beautiful, and stylish too. Shuuji nodded at Nagasaki’s comment about their self-confidence.

“The ones who come talk to you, Mr Nagasaki, I assume you refuse them all?”

“You are worried after all, then?” Nagasaki asked, calmly.

“Or maybe you just don’t want to cut into Koutarou’s working hours?”

– – –

Afterword

Good afternoon, pleased to meet you. I’m Ioka Itsuki. Thank you indeed for picking up “Scholar of the Sleeping Forest” this time.

This story is one I’ve wanted to write for quite a long time now. Years passed and I just wasn’t blessed with the right opportunity… I’m filled with so much emotion to be able to finally write it like this.

I tried to change the uke character a little, from when the first section was published in a magazine. As a result, I feel like the relationship between the two of them has become easier to convey. I’m wondering if people who’ve already read the magazine version will read this with fresh feelings, as those who never read the magazine version of course will.

To Koyamada Ami who drew the illustrations, thank you so much for these two wonderful people. This confident looking man who’s actually a delicate uke is so in line with how I’d imagined him that I was quite moved.

To the editor who graciously began working with me starting with this book, you have been a huge help. Thanks to your accurate advice, I was able to cleanly untangle my mess of a head.

And so, in the end, once more, to those who have been so kind as to pick up this book, please accept my greatest thanks, I am grateful.

2017 January Ioka Itsuki