CH ss - 5

The summer of the third year of junior high school – it was so hot that I hated to go outside.

This time of year is extremely important for students preparing for entrance exams, and it is said that “He who conquers the summer conquers the exam.”

It is such an important time of the year, but …….

“Huh, Kotone’s guy. Why do you ask me to do the shopping? ……”

I look at the large amount of ice cream in my cold storage bag and sigh.

I wondered if they were going to send some to some club activities. The amount of food was so heavy that it seemed like a waste of time.

But if it was just ice cream, I wouldn’t have been so disappointed.

The reason for this was the huge load I was carrying in my other hand.

Today, I went shopping at a local shopping mall, which was having a lucky draw called the “Summer Thanksgiving Festival”.

It was a simple game that you could play if you brought receipts of 3,000 yen or more, and the prizes ranged from children’s toys and daily necessities to travel, shopping coupons and so on.

I had two such receipts with me.

One was a receipt for ice cream that I had bought in bulk.

The other one was for ……, something Kotone forgot to do.

No, probably, but she was too embarrassed to do it.

It was a pretty crowded place, and she probably didn’t want to stand out.

Yes, Kotone is usually a bit of a jerk, but she’s really withdrawn and shy.

Everything she does is to hide her shyness, and it often backfires.

For example, her conversation is a little slow because of her shyness, and the glaring look in her eyes is to hide the fact that her face is loosening up after a happy event……

As a result, people around her tend to misunderstand her very easily.

As a result, people are scared of her. She is also known as the ” Ice Queen ” …….

She’s still fine when she’s with me or Wakamiya…….

In fact, when she’s with me, she’s honest and cute……

Oh no, my face is smiling …….

“Oops…….”

I shook my head from side to side to calm myself down. Then I slapped my cheeks with both hands to keep from smirking.

“It’s really heavy, by the way. Why do I have to win a barbecue set? ……”

I’m sure I’m lucky in the draw, but it’s hard to carry a heavy weight under this hot sun.

I’m sweating profusely, and my body is sticky and uncomfortable…….

I can’t wait to get home and take a shower.

When I was thinking about this, I thought I heard the voice of a child crying.

“……mm?”

I looked in the direction of the voice and saw a little boy crouched on a bridge where a small stream flowed.

The boy was peeking at the river from the bridge and muttering, “Ugh, my …… my toy ……,” as he struggled to squeeze it out in a raspy voice.

I see……..

When I saw the situation, I knew what had happened to the kid, I knew everything.

But there was nothing I could do.

I wanted to do something to help him, but it was nearly impossible to find what he had dropped in the river.

Even if I could find it, if it was an electronic device that was dropped, it would definitely be damaged.

The only thing I can do is to comfort the kid and take him back to his parents…….

…… Okay, let’s move.

Just as I was thinking this, I saw a figure approaching the child before I did.

I stopped and looked at him carefully.

If the child was about to be kidnapped or involved in some other crime, I would help him.

But the approaching figure gave me a strange sense of déjà vu and he bent down to sit in front of the child.

“Is that …… Tokiwagi?”

–Towa Tokiwagi

He’s a bit of a celebrity at our school. He’s not famous in a bad way.

I just don’t know. He’s famous because he’s unidentifiable.

He is always alone and never talks to anyone. And when he does…

“Tokiwagi. They’re prepping for a science experiment in the next class.”

“Okay.”

And that’s about it.

He is always unsociable, never smiles, and only responds blandly with the bare minimum of words.

Although Tokiwagi has no communication skills, his grades are not bad.

He is a good student, and even ranks high in his grade.

But I really don’t know what he’s thinking.

What’s his favorite food?

What are his hobbies?

I don’t know any of those things.

That’s why he is “unidentified”.

He is considered to be a mysterious person.

I was in the same class as him, and we had played together a countable number of times when we were in elementary school.

But since then, we haven’t really talked much, and even though we are in the same class, we don’t get involved unless we have something to do.

But since I’m on the class council, I do communicate with him…….

He’s so casual.

As I was remembering this, I heard Tokiwagi talking to the child and what he said.

“I just happened to pick it up when I was cleaning. …… Isn’t this yours, by any chance?”

I listened carefully to the faint sound of Tokiwagi’s voice.

“Is this my ……?”

“I picked it up right near you, didn’t I? Oh, maybe you didn’t want it?”

“… Are you sure you don’t want …… to take it?”

“You don’t have to worry about it, it’s yours from the start.”

The boy who responded to the voice rounded his eyes and his expression brightened as if a flower had bloomed.

“There it is!”

“That’s good. Well, let’s just see if it’s broken. …… It looks okay.”

“Yeah! Thank you, big brother, but are you really sure?”

“Oh. Don’t worry about it, it was just a coincidence. I’m glad I found it, though.”

“When I dropped it in the river, I thought I’d never find it. …… Thank God.”

“Haha, you’re lucky. But next time, don’t drop it. Be careful when you play with it.”

The boy had a big smile on his face and nodded his head. When Tokiwagi asked him to leave, he said, “Bye!” Tokiwagi watched him walk away.

Tokiwagi did not see him off, but walked off in the opposite direction of the boy.

In other words, the direction I’m …… in.

–I and Tokiwagi, our eyes meeting precisely.

Tokiwagi’s face twisted awkwardly for a moment, then he gave a big sigh and walked past me as if he didn’t notice me.

“Ignoring me when our eyes meet!?”

Oh, no.

I’m afraid I’ve gone overboard …….

He sighed and stopped in his tracks.

“You know peeping Tom is a bad thing…….”

“Who wouldn’t be curious if someone suspicious was talking to a child!?”

When I said this sarcastically, Tokiwagi chuckled in agreement, “Well, you’re right.”

“Tokiwagi, you did the lottery, right? That was one of the prizes, wasn’t it?”

“No, no, no. There’s no way I’m going to aim for one prize. It’s inefficient.”

“Or maybe you just happened to win one and gave it to him.”

“No, no, no. I just happened to pick it up when it came down the stream. It’s just the kid’s luck.”

“Hmm, but you know what? In the first place, the toy you just gave him is a popular nurturing game, right? I think it’s called “Tamagotchi”. Normally, if you drop it in the water, it’s out, right?”

“Oh ……, it’s really durable, isn’t it? It’s the latest in modern technology, and civilization has evolved so much.”

You are too bad at making things interesting.

I shouted in my mind.

It’s a bit of a mystery whether he thinks he’s hiding it with this …….

Is it possible that he is a natural?

“And your clothes are kind of wet. …… Oh, that. You got them wet at a nearby park. You think if they’re wet, the kid will would believe you…”

“You’re an idiot ……. No one covers themselves with water. This is just the result of an action……”

“Oh. Well, let’s just call it that.”

“Something about ……. don’t you think it’s ridiculous ……?”

Tokiwagi shrugged his shoulders and sighed.

“No. But, Tokiwagi, wouldn’t it be suspicious if a wet man like that suddenly approached you?”

“Oh ……, I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Are you serious……”

Tokiwagi wiped his head with a handkerchief. The handkerchief was rather small considering a junior high school student would have one.

“Do you want me to lend you a towel? I live close by.”

“No, thanks. I have a handkerchief given to me by a gentleman.”

“A gentleman~.”

I guess some people noticed what Tokiwagi was doing, just like me.

Well, I don’t know how Tokiwagi himself perceives it…….

“Well, what were you going to do if the kid disappeared? If he had disappeared, you wouldn’t have been able to give it to him.”

“Well, that happens then.”

“Well, then………, you didn’t plan for this.”

“Well, yeah.”

He looked up at the sky and looked a little sad.

To be honest, I was surprised to see this kind of expression on his face, since I usually only saw him looking unenthusiastic.

“I was wondering when I was a kid, all I could do was look up at the sky and cry at times like this.”

“Yeah? Well, I guess there are times when all a child can do is cry…….”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

The resigned, pessimistic …… and strangely enlightened atmosphere bothered me, but I couldn’t ask him about it.

I guess Tokiwagi had his own thoughts about the current situation.

“But why bother giving it away?”

“Why bother? I just happened to get a toy that I didn’t need and I gave it to the kid. This is…”

“Yeah?”

“It’s just a little thing I do.”

Tokiwagi answered in a boring tone.

When a person is in trouble, we all have times when we think, “Maybe I can help”.

However, how many people choose to help a stranger even if they don’t know them?

I’m sure there are not that many.

Most of us are too calculating to genuinely and accurately help those in need.”Should I go?” “Should I wait and see?” “I’ll be embarrassed if they refuse.”

This is the reason why I keep a wait-and-see attitude. It was inevitable that such psychology would come into play.

But I don’t think Tokiwagi is thinking about that. Yes, it’s purely …….

I can’t do that…….

When I saw Tokiwagi scratching his head awkwardly in front of me, I chuckled.

“When …… No, Towa is a good guy.”

He twitched at my words and gave me a dubious look.

“What, why are you suddenly calling me by my first …… name?”

“That’s fine. Don’t worry about it! I mean, don’t you want to be called by your name?”

“No, it’s ……. I’m just surprised that you know my name.”

“We go to the same school, so I should at least remember your name. Besides, you know me too.”

“Don’t compare a stone lying around with a celebrity like Kato-san.”

“I’ve got a good memory.”

“Wow. It’s strange that you can remember a stone lying on the side of the road. ……”

Towa said in a dumbfounded manner, but his expression seemed to be relaxed.

“Hey! Why don’t we go out for a bite to eat? I’ll pay for it.”

“I don’t care. I don’t want to be around other people.”

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s go!”

“Don’t rub shoulders with me! You’re getting too familiar!”

I forcefully take the reluctant Towa along with me.

By the way, it was three months after this day that Towa started to call me by my name.