Volume 1 - CH 53

The moon shines in the night sky and shines dimly on us.

The occasional night breeze is chilly, perfect for cooling our heads.

It was probably a good thing that I lent Himekawa my parka.

“I was very anxious. I wondered if I would be able to survive after I left my home and Tendo-kun showed me around the lodgings. I was very anxious.”

Himekawa began to talk while looking at the moon in the sky.

“But after living with Tendo, my worries disappeared. We eat together and go shopping together. If anything, I’m having a lot of fun.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Himekawa, who speaks to me while looking up at the sky, is illuminated by the moonlight and seems so fantastic, beautiful, and precious.

Himekawa is indeed the daughter of a company president, can study well, and is pretty in appearance.

But she is still a girl. She must have experienced things that I can’t even imagine.

“When I was little, my father would kneel down and pat me on the head when I was crying or anxious.”

The president of a company? Sure, if it were my daughter, I might do that, but I just can’t imagine it for some reason.

“Was Himekawa’s father kind?”

“He was and still is kind. He’s just a little jealous or selfish.”

“I didn’t feel a trace of that when I met him the other day.”

“That may be so. I think he might have been a little harsh on Tendo-kun.”

Himekawa smiles a little. She must be thinking about her own father.

Isn’t there too much of a difference between her father when he is alone with her and when he isn’t?

“He really loves Himekawa, doesn’t he? Isn’t that why he says all kinds of things to you?”

“Yes, that’s right. That may be so. But when I was little, he used to pat me on the head a lot, but lately, he hasn’t done so at all.”

Himekawa suddenly looks at me. The wind blows, and her long hair is swept away.

She is looking at me with her little fingers, hanging her long hair back over her ears, and staring at me.

Well, which option is the best solution in this case?

Is she saying this in a roundabout way, or is she just reminiscing about the past?

If I give the wrong answer, I’m going to suffer a fatal blow.

I’m sure I’ll be incapacitated again. But I should say something.

It’s probably okay to say it, right?

“Do you want to sleep on my lap?”

Himekawa nodded silently in response to my comment and put her head on my lap.

I gently pat Himekawa’s head with my uninjured hand.

The moon seems larger than usual.

Himekawa is on my lap.

The moonlight shines on her profile, making her even more beautiful.

“It’s calming.”

I don’t feel calm at all.

“Yes, it does calm me down.”

“It’s warm. ……”

I’ve lost my cloak, so my upper body is suitably cold.

“I guess so. It’s warm.”

“I’m getting sleepier and sleepier as I do this.”

On the other hand, isn’t it making me drowsy?

“Yes, it does. I’m getting sleepy.”

“The moon is so beautiful.”

“Himekawa is also beautiful”

The moon is beautiful, but so are the stars.

“Tendo-kun, What did you say?”

What? What did I just say?

Suddenly, Himekawa lifts her head from my lap and brings her face close to my eyes.

What? Oh, no, what did I say?　

I was thinking about it so much that I might have said it out loud.

Himekawa puts her own hand on my hand.

Her hand is small, soft, and warm.

We look at each other, the moonlight shining on us.

For just a few seconds, a moment of silence passes. ……

“I, I, Tendo-kun, I li—”

—ring—ring—ring

The sound of a text message arriving rings out from my phone.

Who is it? Who sends a message at this hour?

“Oh, wait a minute.”

I pull my phone out of my pocket and tap the screen.

It was a message from Takayama. What’s so urgent?

{Yippo! How are you doing with your studies? Also, please ask who is the girl who is going to come with me to Nadeshiko! And tell me tomorrow! Please, my friend! Good night! It’s still cold outside, so don’t catch a cold!}

I was slightly annoyed, but just like that, I threw my phone into my pocket as if nothing had happened.

I took my eyes off the screen and looked at Himekawa, her expression was different from usual.

“I’m sorry, I just cut off the conversation. So, what’s up? What’s this ‘su’ thing you’re talking about?” [TLN: She was cut off when saying す (su)]

“Heh! Oh, Tendo, your ‘su’maho, who was it from?” [TLN: She bluffed it by saying smartphone using ス which also means ‘su’]

I’m sure Himekawa is curious about it too. The actuality of the fact that the message comes at this time of the day.

I told Himekawa the contents of the message and asked him who was coming.

“A message from Takayama-kun, isn’t it? I remember it. I will handle this matter personally by the end of the day tomorrow.”

There seems to be a slight spike in her voice, but, well, that’s not a problem.

The wind was stronger than before, and it was getting much colder.

“It’s getting very cold. I think it’s time to go to bed.”

“I guess so. Let’s go back to our room.”

We left the balcony and went back to our room.

We put our slightly chilled bodies under the covers and tried to fall asleep without saying a word to each other.

My consciousness is gradually fading away.

“I like…”

I thought I heard something.

The first thing you need to do is to make sure that you have a good understanding of what is going on in your life.

“Himekawa, did you say something?”

After a while, there was no answer. Maybe she is asleep?

Maybe I heard something, maybe I was talking in my sleep, maybe it was just my imagination.

My consciousness flew away as I stared at the everlasting light shining on the ceiling.

TLN: If you don’t understand my short explanation. Himekawa was cut off from saying すか (suki) in hiragana which means ‘like’, and covered it up by saying smartphone as スマホ (sumaho).