Volume 1 - CH 30

—Pipipipi.

It’s the sound of my alarm, which goes off at the same time every morning.

I rummage around in my futon, searching for my phone by hand, and stop the alarm.

It’s morning.

I wake up as usual, get dressed, wash my face in the kitchen, and head for the front door.

I put on my shoes and head out for a jog alone.

Then, as usual, I had breakfast, locked the front door, and headed for school.

The morning started the same as usual, and I got on the train to go to school the same as usual.

When I entered the classroom, it was the same scene as usual.

I sit in my seat as usual, listen to music, pick up my reference book and flip through the pages.

Nothing to worry about, it’s the same as usual.

Homeroom is over and classes are about to begin.

Only one thing is different from usual.

It is that Takayama in the back seat is absent again today.

I don’t know if he got a complication or not, but I’m sure another day of peace will pass by.

Suddenly, I look at Himekawa’s seat.

Himekawa, who should be there, is not there today.

The classroom door opens just as the third period is about to begin.

It was a little early for the teacher to arrive.

Entering the classroom was Himekawa, wearing the same school uniform as usual.

Holding the same bag in her hand, she took her seat without looking at us.

—Gararararara

“Okay, class is about to start. All of you are here.”

Thus, as usual, classes end and it is after school.

Himekawa’s seat is already empty.

After school, I went to a bookstore in the shopping district. Not buying anything in particular, I stopped by a game arcade alone, which I usually don’t go to.

Several high school students are sitting on chairs with bundles of cards in their hands, contemplating the deck.

I look around and see students in uniforms and young men and women in plain clothes here and there.

I put coins into a gun-action game machine and started to play.

Little by little, my life was running out, and the next thing I knew, the words “Game Over” were on the screen.

It was fun, but I didn’t feel good.

Riding the train and listening to music, I headed home.

On the way home, I am approached by an old man or woman in the shopping district, but I give them a perfunctory reply and head straight home.

Somehow, I feel the urge not to go home.

But I have no choice but to go home. It is the only place I can go back to.

With heavy legs going left and right, I headed home with the park at my side.

Was my house this far from the station? It felt so far away.

I open the front door and take off my shoes. After washing my hands and gargling in the bathroom, I throw my bag into my room.

Without changing my clothes, I lay down on the sofa in the living room. It’s been hot all day.

I have to get ready for a bath and dinner.

Alone on the sofa, I doze off and think about what I’m going to do later.

—Cold!

Suddenly I felt something cold on my cheek.

“Welcome back. You’re a little late.”

When I opened my eyes, Himekawa was standing there.

In her hand, she held out a cold plastic bottle.

“I’m home. I went to the shopping district for a while and came back.”

Himekawa is sitting next to me on the sofa, already dressed in her casual clothes and looking relaxed.

“Take off your uniform, or it will get wrinkled.”

I got up from my sleep and sat down on the sofa.

“Well, let’s get changed quickly.

I put the plastic bottle on the table and went back to my room.

When I returned to the living room after getting dressed, I found Himekawa lying on the sofa reading a magazine.

“I would never be able to do this if I were at my parents’ house. Like, I could sleep on the couch and read magazines.”

“I wonder. I used to read comic books with a snack in my hand while lying on the floor at home.”

Himekawa smiles at me as she gets up from the sofa and puts the magazine on the table.

I sit down next to Himekawa, open the lid of the plastic bottle she gave me, and take a sip.

Ah, it’s so good!

“Let’s see. Once again, I look forward to working with you from now on.”

Himekawa bows her head. It’s not that I did anything.

It was Himekawa herself who decided to do what she did.

“There is no need to bow down to me.　Well, I’d like to thank you again for your kindness to me as well.”

I bowed my head as well.

And when I lifted my head, my eyes met Himekawa’s. We were both smiling a little.

Were we smiling at each other a little? I’m sure I had a smile on my face.

“Well then, in celebration of me standing on my own today, I’m going to cook dinner!

Himekawa stands up from the sofa and rolls her arms up, flames in her eyes.

It’s burning. The Himekawa who is getting laid is different from the image of a young lady I had created on my own up until now, she seems like a girl.

“As a celebration, I’ll help you too.”

I can’t give in here either. No matter what, we must cook together.

I got up from the sofa, rolled up my arms the same way Himekawa did, and we both headed for the kitchen.

What was Himekawa going to cook? I was curious, so I asked Himekawa while opening the refrigerator.

“Hey, you said it was a celebration, but what were you planning to cook?”

Himekawa replies as she prepares a cutting board and knife in the sink and a pot and pan on the stove.

“Of course, it’s meat and potatoes!”

“Why, ‘Of course, it’s meat and potatoes!’ Why?”

When I say celebration, it sounds like steak, beef stew, chicken on the bone, and a lot of other things. ……

“Because it’s my specialty!”

“Yes, you’re right. Himekawa’s specialty is meat and potatoes.”

Let’s not think too much about it.

I take out the ingredients from the refrigerator and hand them to Himekawa.

When I handed her the carrots, our hands touched each other.

If I had been the old me, I might have been nervous and immediately pulled my hand away from Himekawa’s. But now I am not the old me.

But I am not the man I used to be.

She returns to her task, seemingly unconcerned about the hand that touched her.

Peeling potatoes. When I look at Himekawa, I think her cheeks are a little red.

It is probably because she is seriously engaged in cooking. It was a heartwarming sight.

“Te-Tendo-kun, Is everything all right,”

What? Me peeling potatoes?

“Hmm? I do not mind.”

“I see…”

Himekawa’s hand is a little suspicious, but she is using the knife better than the other day.

Yes, she’s grown up. The teacher is happy.

A few dozen minutes later, a delicious-looking meal is lined up on the table.

Since I was mostly there to support her today, Himekawa made almost all of the food.

Now, the actual meal!

“”Itadakmasu””

Originally, it should be “kanpai!” I wondered if it would be a good idea to do something like that.　But we decided to have a normal meal.

I took a potato and put it in my mouth. Yes, it’s very tasty.

“How do you like it?”

“Hmm? It’s good as usual. Here.”

I took a small potato with my chopsticks and brought it in front of Himekawa.

Himekawa took a bite of the potato I picked up and ate it in one bite.

“Yeah, it seems okay.”

“Right? This stew is good for a first-time cook.”

“It’s a relief to have a meal that I can eat with peace of mind!”

“I don’t mean to say it’s a relief, but it’s a fun meal when it’s just the two of us.”

Once I said it, there was no going back.

I felt like I had just said something awkward without thinking about it.

The meal proceeded in silence. Oh, is this what you call awkwardness?

Was my comment unexpected to Himekawa? I had to talk to her about something.

“Yes, that’s right!　A lot happened yesterday, it was tough, wasn’t it!”

“Yes, it was! I was still having a hard time after that.”

And so our conversation turned to yesterday, and we began to talk to each other about yesterday.