CH 18

18. On the smartphone

I started reading the fountain park information displayed on my smartphone.

It seemed to be a place with a large fountain in the expansive grass area, which seemed to be the origin of the name of the fountain park.

Especially on holidays, it was said to be crowded with families, and also, it seemed to be a popular spot in spring and autumn when it was easy for families to spend time together.

Though it wasn’t really “me”, I sure visited the place in elementary school, still, I’ve never thought there would be such a nice place nearby.

And I guess, the owner of this body has an interest in that kind of place?

When I launched the software to measure the distance, on the screen, it was displayed that it would be around 30 minutes on foot from my house.

In my memory, I was having a hard time arriving there, but probably because I was still a child.

“Nee-san, do you remember, how long it took to go to the fountain park?”

I asked Sis, who was still reminiscing about the past.

“Eh? Ah… I was a kid back then.”

“Yes, I think Nee-san went there for a “walking trip” too, right?”

“Well, about an hour? But, I should have gone through the checkpoint at that time, so maybe I made a detour a little… ah, I remember now! I crossed the road then walked along the sidewalk.”

“Sidewalk huh, I see …”

There were many sidewalks around the Special Ward where cars and bicycles couldn’t enter.

Ah, me too, I may have passed that too, that’s why it was long huh…

“There is a bus that goes right to the fountain park, but using the subway, you may need… a little detour.”

“Nah, I think I’ll walk, so it’s okay.”

There was one subway that would go circling around the Special Wad and one that was a shortcut from the west to the east.

In a way, it was just like drawing a “no entry” mark.

The subway was often difficult to use, but the bus network made up most of the transportation.

If it still felt inconvenient, you could call an unmanned taxi with your smartphone, thus, there wouldn’t be any trouble moving around.

“By the way, can I know the location information of Nee-san and Mom?”

I’ve no memory of using such an app.

“I’m sure, it’s been installed on the phone? Haven’t you used it?”

“… I don’t think, it’s been installed.”

Until now, “Taketo Souya” didn’t seem to care where his mother or sister was.

So, there was no memory of using such a location tracking app with the smartphone.

“Want me to set it up for you?”

“Yes. Can you please?”

When I handed over my smartphone, Sis operated it a little and returned it. 

She’s so used to it.

“Since the app was installed, I just put the icon on the first page. And the setting, I put it ‘Off’ for now. When you turn it on, our location information will appear on the map screen.”

“Thank you”

For some time, Mom and Sis could always find out where I was.

It would be big trouble if I got kidnapped after all.

But, I explored the memory, wondering about the private life of men, it seemed that this was the norm in this world.

Within the Special Ward, thanks to the surveillance cameras and this location tracking, it was unlikely that you would be involved in a strange incident, and even if you were kidnapped, they could rely on this information to search.

By the way, there was no point even if you turned off the power of the smartphone. The location information would be still read accurately.

Yeah, in here, men truly had no private life.

The fact that I went to the northern forest today, Sis also knew that.

However, since I had been out there every day these days, so Sis and Mom wouldn’t expect that I was talking to the Goddess there.

“Hey, if you want to, I can check the information about the fountain park for you.”

“No, it’s okay… more than that, where was the laminator?”

“Laminator? The thing to apply the transparent film on the document with heat?”

“Yes. I want to use it for a while.”

“Since no one usually uses it, I think it’s stored inside the utility room…”

“Thank you. I’ll try to find it myself. Nee-san can just go back to study hard.”

“Y-yeah, thanks… I’ll do my best”

Sis looked at me with a confused look, but soon went upstairs to resume studying.

Women’s Universities in the Special Ward are very popular too.

I hope that she does her best not to go to a university outside the special ward.

◇

Early the next morning, I prepared to start jogging.

It was just a daily routine for me.

I really wanted to practice karate, but it would be too sudden of a change, I didn’t want to be suspicious after all.

So, for the time being, I decided just do jogging, flexible exercises, and yoga.

“… Yeah, I should buy sportswear soon.”

I searched in the wardrobe, but I couldn’t find any suitable clothes for exercise.

It seemed that ‘he’ had always been a complete indoor person.

Anyway, I wore a jersey I got a few years ago and after a while of jogging, my breath became easier.

The physical specs didn’t seem to be that bad, and the body used to move more than expected.

The body wasn’t blessed with the opportunity to exercise a lot, but if it trained well, I felt like it would be able to go to a considerable extent.

This time, I took two breaks and ran 10 kilometers in total.

Without considering the break, it would have been 55 minutes of run.

For the first time, and it’s good at this pace… alright, my aim now will be to run for less than 50 minutes without a break.

From the number of stride frequencies and the stride length, it’s probably not too difficult to run a kilometer in 5 minutes.

“But, my muscles and joints are just…”

Since it is unknown how far I can push myself, I can be overwhelmed, it’s necessary to consult with the body and get the hang of my limit.

…it’s surprisingly fun to train this body.

After taking a shower and changing clothes, I went to school.

At school, some girls in the class sent me a look.

Or rather, everyone came early today.

Most of the girls were here even though it was more than 20 minutes before the start.

So diligent! As expected, someone clever has a different way of thinking.

When I got to my seat, the girls started making noises.

There, I remembered.

“Good morning everyone. If anyone has written a self-introduction, could you please show it to me?”

―― RATTLE!! RATTLE!!

The girls of the other classes who were walking in the corridor were surprised,

“Hiiii!!!?”

Their reaction was the same as a dog taking a walk freaking out at the shutter sound. Though, that was surely bad for the heart. In that situation, I would have freaked out too.

Anyway, all the girls brought a report sheet in their hands.

Perhaps it was decided in advance, they lined up in front of me, bowed politely, and handed it with both hands.

What is it, why do I feel like I’m in some awarding ceremony?

“Somehow it’s thick… hm? It’s bound? And this one, it’s colored?”

Something different from what I think is mixed, such as using special paper and printing photos. 

Is it possible to do so much in just one night?

Or rather, what’s with this large amount?

“Eh? Everyone? I thought I said only for those outside the special ward?”

All the girls were now in the classroom.

“I live in the special ward. Surely, everyone from the special ward has the same thought, but anyway, I wrote this voluntarily.”

“Aaah……”

I see.

They must’ve thought this was a good opportunity for a boy to remember themselves.

But… I wonder if I have to read all this before deciding on the group…

In total, it’ll be more than 100,000 characters… These are no longer self-introductions, but a memoir or a novel!

I mean, did you really write it all alone? You must have divided your work at home, right?

When I was thinking about what to do with the mountainous self-introductions, the girls in the surroundings began to gaze at me.

“First of all, I guess… I should divide into those from the special ward and those from outside?”

It was just impossible to read everything here, and yesterday I already said I wanted the girls from outside the Special Ward. So those girls would be prioritized.

In any case, I started the sorting work while scanning the contents.