CH 52

I don't know, like I have the time to care about that.

Translated by Dawn

I don’t know, like I have the time to care about that.

I approached the gate of Mizutani’s house without hesitation.

It was morning, so it might be bothersome, but I couldn’t afford to worry about that right now.

I pressed the intercom without hesitation and waited for someone to answer.

After the sound of the doorbell, I waited for 2 seconds, then 3 seconds, but there was no response.

t was already past 7:30 in the morning. I thought someone would be awake by now…but was no one up at this hour? It was just my assumption, but I thought the Mizutani family were early risers.

Or perhaps… was it because it was me who was ringing the intercom?

It was sad that I couldn’t completely deny that possibility.

After all, I was treated as a nuisance by Mizutani’s mother.

It wouldn’t be strange for her to ignore me if someone like me showed up so boldly.

…Should I try ringing it again?

As soon as the thought crossed my mind, my hand moved swiftly.

I pressed the intercom once again and waited for a while.

As expected, there was no response.

Hmm… Are they really still asleep?

While pondering this, I circled around the Mizutani house and reached the backyard.

That was when I noticed a garage that likely belonged to the Mizutani family.

However, it was empty inside.

I wondered if they were out somewhere.

But where could they be going so early in the morning?

Were they participating in a piano competition?

Or maybe they were taking a day off and going on an outing for some relaxation?

But it was hard to imagine Mizutani’s mother taking Mizutani out on a trip on a day off…

…Not good.

There was no point in just moping around and thinking by myself like this.

But I did have a bad feeling, and I needed to take some action—any action.

As I looked around, I saw an elderly woman trying to enter the house next to the Mizutani residence.

She was dressed in running clothes with a visor, giving off a typical post-jogging appearance.

“Um… Excuse me.”

“…Who might you be?”

I mustered up the courage to speak, and she gave me a quizzical look.

Although I initiated the conversation, I wasn’t mentally prepared, and my response came out awkwardly.

“Ah, um, I’m Akito Aizawa. So, uh, I mean, I came here because I have something to discuss with your neighbor, Mizutani-san…”

“At such an early hour?”

“…………”

Yes, she was right. It was weird, wasn’t it? I would think the same if I were in her position.

…But seriously, how am I going to handle this?

As my brain spun into overdrive, the woman in front of me sighed, as if resigned, and asked with a hint of curiosity.

“Are you one of Karin-chan’s friends?”

“Th-that’s right. I’m friends with Karin-san, and we were supposed to hang out together this morning…”

As I shared my thoughts on the spot, the woman stared at me and then spoke.

“…I see. Well, that’s unfortunate, but it seems impossible today. When I was leaving my house, I happened to run into Karin-chan and Mizutani-san right here. They both seemed to be heading overseas.”

“Overseas!? Where are they going?”

“I think they mentioned something about France… Oh, but—”

The woman continued to chatter, but her words no longer reached my ears.

My thoughts raced through my mind, leaving no room to pay attention to the outside world.

—Could it be that, at this timing, they’re going abroad?

I recalled something Mizutani had mentioned in the past.

And now, hearing it from the woman, the two pieces connected, turning my intuition into certainty.

“Excuse me, do you know which airport they mentioned they were going to?”

“Well, I’m not sure about that. But for international flights, it’s probably Narita, right?”

“I see. Thank you so much! I’m in a bit of a hurry, so please excuse me!”

Abruptly cutting off the conversation, I bowed and rushed away from there.

I was aware it was rude to initiate a conversation and then leave like that.

But right now, time was of the essence.

I didn’t know when they would leave the airport.

—What am I going to do if I meet them at the airport? What should I say?

As I ran, a rational part of my brain reminded my excited self of these questions.

“I don’t know, like I have the time to care about that…!”

I deliberately voiced my response and continued running towards the station.

To an outsider, it might appear as if I were just a crazy person muttering to myself while running.

But it didn’t matter now.

As long as I could make it in time…!

Ignoring the pain in my lungs, I ran and finally arrived at the station.

Using my PASSMO card, just like when going to school, I passed through the ticket gate. However, I realized that my destination was outside the range covered by my commuter pass, so I charged about 1,000 yen at the ticket machine.

I’d spent quite a bit of money this month on festivals and other things, so my wallet was nearly empty.

Well, if worst came to worst, I could walk back from the airport.

It was not that far of a distance.

Compared to the pilgrimage, it should be much shorter. Not that I’d ever done a pilgrimage before.

On the opposite platform from my usual one, I waited for about two minutes before boarding the train.

Those two minutes felt at least ten times longer in my perception. When the train finally arrived at the platform…

—Finally, huh? Is there a delay or something?

I looked at my watch irritably and was surprised to realize that it was on time.

I’m really sorry, station staff.

Holding onto the overhead strap inside the train, I checked the flights departing from Narita to France.

There were indeed several flights available. If it was a close departure time, there’s one at 10:30 AM.

There were also flights departing in the afternoon, but it would be risky to assume they were on one of those.

Somehow, I found myself gazing out of the window.

Residential areas and a blue sky spread evenly.

Was Mizutani over there, in the far distance?

Please, make it in time.

In my heart, I silently prayed.

***

However, it seemed that in times like these, the gods could be really cruel.

“A personal accident…?”

About 20 minutes later, after getting off the train and reaching the transfer station, I was met with a crowded ticket gate and a despair-inducing message on the electronic display board: “The train is scheduled to resume service at 10:00.”

In a state of half-daze, I checked the current time on my smartphone.

It was a little past 8:00 AM. I didn’t know at what time Mizutani would pass through the airport, but if I were stuck here for another two hours, the chances of meeting at the airport would significantly decrease.

What should I do? Should I search for an alternative route?

In a panicked state, I quickly entered my current location and the destination into my smartphone and searched for alternative routes.

However, none of the routes looked promising.

It seemed that the delay on this line was affecting other lines as well.

Since my financial situation was limited, I couldn’t afford to take a taxi.

The alternative routes using other lines or buses were not ideal either, but given that the current line in front of me was not operating, I couldn’t afford to be picky—-

…No, there’s another option, right?

I remembered planning to transfer to the station three stops ahead on this line. If it was not too far of a distance, maybe I could make it faster by running…?

I entered my current location and the station two stops ahead on my smartphone.

The result… Bingo!

Although this route would still take some time, it was the best option considering money-saving. Well, if I disregard my physical stamina, that is.

“…I’m definitely going to have muscle soreness tomorrow.”

Muttering to myself, I started running without looking back.

I ran earlier, and I was running now.

It was tough for someone in the Homecoming Club, but if this was the best solution available to me, there was no other choice, right?

…It would be quite amusing if Mizutani’s destination turned out to be Haneda after all.