Volume 2 - CH 3

Volume 2, Chapter 3: People Of The Past Vs. People Of Today

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Call out

Shortly after I left Hareyama inside the classroom, I received call from Grandma.

I stopped walking and answered as I found myself a seat nearby.

"Then, Ikuto-chan, I'll leave it to you."

"Yeah, got it."

"Tomorrow or the day after is fine. Whichever is convenient to you, Ikuto-chan."

"Either day is okay with me... Ah, but I did have to go visit Grandpa's dojo."

"You don't really have to go there every week, don't you? You don't want to be in the same place with a withering old man."

"That old man is withering? He might not be youthful anymore, but he was still surely energetic."

If such a guy was fading away, I wondered just how he was back in his heyday.

Rather, it seemed that Gouto-jiichan was the one who developed Earth Road Pharmaceutical to the company it was now today.

"Hey, stop it, you old geezer ―― Who are you talking to? Ikuto? Is that Ikuto?!"

"...Grandma? Somehow, I could hear Grandpa's voice..."

"Ikuto-chan, please wait for a moment, okay ―― first of all, you smell like dead grass and trees."

"..."

"I've been listening since a while, and where are you going with Ikuto? ―― It doesn't matter to you, old fart."

"..."

Grandma was usually very ladylike, but she changed sometimes when it came to dealing with Grandpa.

I guess that would mean they were close...but for some reason, I couldn't picture them getting along.

They had been together for many years, though. This kind of exchange might have been normal for them.

"It's about your phone, right?! You're going to get a new phone?! I'm going, too! I'll buy a phone!"

"Is that Grandpa? Oh yeah, I never actually exchanged words with Grandpa on the phone."

"Save those words for when you're eternally asleep. You don't even know how to use them ―― Huh?! You just want to monopolize Ikuto!"

Eternally asleep...you shouldn't say those kinds of thing at that age. But I wondered how long this exchange was going to last... Also, Grandpa's voice was loud.

"Can you please not interrupt this date with my grandson ―― He's also my grandson! And, that's why I'll join you!"

"I'm fine with either way, too~."

I looked outside in a daze with the phone still on my ear, thinking that this might go on for quite some time.

It was still bright outside, but if this was going to take long, I thought I might as well start packing up.

And this phone call, which I initially thought was supposed to be quick, was also starting to drag on a bit.

"You meet each other every week ―― Not as grandson and grandfather, but as mentor and disciple!"

I move away from my spot as I listened to their endless bickering.

And just when I arrived at the stairs and took a step down.

"Jimichi-kun? Good ―― oh, you're in a phone call?"

A beautiful voice sounded behind me, different from the two voices from earlier.

One ear was wrecked by the old couple's quarrel, but my other ear picked it up.

I turned around and there stood a beautiful person befitting of that beautiful voice.

"What's the matter, Yukinaga-senpai?"

"You're still in a call, though...is that okay?"

"Ah, it's fine. It's kind of like some background music."

"So, you were listening to music."

It was far from music, but their arguments were interesting, so maybe it was something a bit like that.

Although, did this senpai really believe I was listening to music with my phone directly on my ear?

At the very least, I would buy earphones since the noise would bother the surroundings.

"Jimichi-kun, it's about the purchase of a phone I requested you the other day."

"Hm? Ah, there was that kind of thing."

"...Could it be you forgot?"

"No, it's not like that."

Her pretty eyes sharpened into a slit. Perhaps Yukinaga-senpai didn't like to be lied to or have her promises be broken.

It wasn't that I forgot, just that I didn't think she was actually going to choose me.

"Are you fine with me?"

"If our schedules don't line up, I'll find someone else."

"Got it, then for the meantime..."

"Right, here."

Yukinaga-senpai then held out her phone. It was a very old-fashioned model, but there were neither scratches nor stains on it, I could tell that she had taken good care of it.

A strap was attached to such a phone.

"How cute, this bear strap."

"Right?! It's a limited item... You could still make it if you register now."

I had this image of a cool and composed senpai, but it had collapsed now.

Her eyes shone, and she looked like a kid talking about her favorite thing. I wondered how much she liked bears.

"Fufu...cute."

"S-shut up. You should hurry up now."

"You mean for the bear strap?"

"...You’re resentful."

I see, I seemed to have found Senpai's weakness. I thought she had nothing to be shameful of, but perhaps she was shier than I thought.

"This is the first time I've held a flip phone."

"Everyone has smartphones now. I feel a bit embarrassed."

"Number...and address...here."

"Address...? Oh, that phone had an address?"

"Senpai, have you ever sent an email?"

When saw her email address, I saw that it was the default, randomly generated one. It contained a mishmash of numbers and letters, with not a single hint of girlishness to it at all.

This brought me back memories. His address changed...oh, this guy must have broken up with another girl! How many times have I told you not to anniversaries and other stuff like that in your address, you idiot.

...I remembered my mother saying something like that. Just to be clear, I knew nothing about this.

"I usually just used phone calls instead..."

"I-is that so."

It was a struggle to operate something I wasn't used to. Furthermore, entering an address with a random assortment of characters was a pain.

There might have been a better way, but I already entered half the information because I had patiently typed it all in.

"Ah...Ikuto-senpai."

Coming from the direction where the first years were was Shigure in her gym uniform.

The sight of her heaving up her body atop the stairs as best as she could was somewhat amusing.

Her short, bobbed hair, in contrast with Yukinaga-senpai’s, was a perfect fit for her face.

"Oh, Airi."

"Like I told you, I'm Airi...wait, Airi?!"

"Sorry sorry, just kidding, Shigure."

"I-I dont mind...if you use my first name, though..."

Was that really fine, though? I didn't see any form of disgust from her as she held her head down, but it might be possible that she was standing up for her upperclassman instead.

Additionally, I thought she was the type who couldn't say what she wanted to properly.

"You don't need to say something you don't like, you know?"

"D-don't treat me like a child..."

"Avoid following people strangers, okay?"

"Please don't treat me like a child!"

Shigure's face turned red and she got angry. It was worth teasing her in a different way than Azumi.

Also, I found this situation interesting. I should keep teasing her a bit more.

"Shigure! Snacks are up to 300 yen ―― ugh?!"

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen.

I turned around to where the pain was, wondering if I had been stung by a bee, only to find Yukinaga-senpai's long, slender fingers pinching my side.

"Senpai? It hurts..."

"It's good to have fun, but register my address first."

Senpai hurried me to resume typing. With all that commotion earlier, it was a secret that I mistakenly erased everything I typed earlier with an accidental tap.

Shigure then suddenly looked reproachful and glared at me.

"Ikuto-senpai, what were you doing since a while ago with that relic?”

"You're the one who's a relic..."

Yukinaga-senpai reacted to Shigure's remark in a stunned manner.

Although, that 'relic' remark was funny. Because she said something amusing, I mishandled the phone again, and now my input was gone, again.

"That's the kind of phone old people used back in the day, right?"

"O-old people...You, what's your name?"

Hey, stop. I glanced at Senpai, but it looked she was a bit irritated.

Maybe Shigure didn't mean any offense in that. Although by any chance, was Shigure someone who couldn't read the room?

"Um, my name is Shigure Airi."

"Is that so. I'm Mutsuki Yukinaga."

"I know, our student council president...right?"

Good, I was almost done. But really, numbers and letters in a random order took quite a long time to input.

"So, then? Did Shigure-san have business with us?"

"Um, I just went back to my classroom to pick up a few things I forgot..."

"I see, then you can move along, okay? Us old-timers are busy."

"D-did I make you mad about something...?"

Please don't take the liberty of labelling me a person of the past. I wouldn't go so far to say I was that knowledgeable, but I was more of a now person.

There, I was finally done typing.

"Senpai, I'm done adding you."

"Oh, thank you. Well then, let's go."

"Huh? To where?"

"Don't make me say it. Hurry up."

Why did this person say such a thing with a triumphant expression on her face?

To begin with, I made no promises with Senpai. And yet, she grabbed on to my arm and tried taking me somewhere.

"P-please wait, Ikuto-senpai!”

My other arm was grabbed by Shigure. There wasn't that much force to it, but it was competing against Yukinaga-senpai's pull.

It hurt. Just a bit, though. Or rather, the two of them scared me.

"Shigure-san, can you let go?"

"S-senpai! Please exchange numbers with me, too..."

A senpai with intimidating eyes and a weak but courageous kouhai.

A senpai who was childish, and a kouhai with a childish expression despite her asking not to treat her like a child.

"Do you have your smartphone with you?"

"Eh? I do have my smartphone in my bag..."

"Then, you won't be able to exchange numbers, you know? Are you telling us to wait until you go and get it?"

"...Even if don't have it with me, I can still register Senpai, though? As long as I memorize the number and the ID."

"I-I knew that."

"Oh~, is that really true~?"

A senpai who was behaving strangely and a kouhai who was grinning. I felt uncomfortable being sandwiched between them.

In the end, it was decided that I would add Shigure as well.

"―― There Senpai, I finished adding you."

"Got it, I'll send you a message later."

"Was this how you send an email...I wonder...oh?"

"Senpai, what's wrong?

"No, I think I just saw someone over there..."

"Maybe it was your imagination?"

"You unreasonable hag!"

"That's my line, you old fart."

Well, it seemed like the two were still at it.