CH 35

Chapter 35: When You Think About It, Childhood Friends Talking To Each Other Through The Window Is A Nuisance To The Neighbors, Isn't It?

TL: Akabane

***

Ayashiro lays out the snacks on the dining table and make a toast. The snack was cheese fondue with Japanese broth. It's really tasty. It goes well with bread, vegetables, and ham. Ayashiro is really versatile. I'd rather know what she can't do.

"Why did you miss the last train today?"

"I was going to enter an essay contest, and I was writing it in the lab of a professor I know, and before I knew it, it was this late of night. It's a silly story, isn't it?"

"Wow. A thesis competition, huh? You've been working hard since the first year."

There are many essay competitions and discussion groups for university students. Some are for job hunting, some are for club activities, and some are for NPOs. Most of them are not worth the effort, so most of the conscious people don't participate. It is often the people who are really working hard who participate. And Ayashiro smiles as she drinks her beer.

"Not as much as you. You've been doing a lot of things lately, haven't you? Milan and Yuzuriha are both being targeted by that Hagiri, aren't they? You're going to fight, aren't you? With him?"

"Well, yeah. I can handle it on my own, but I can't leave those two alone."

"I see. I'm glad to hear that. I like them. So it's reassuring to know that you're protecting them. Fufufu... Hey, you know what? Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"What's the connection between you, Hagiri, and Ririse Igarashi?

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you that."

I didn't want to lie to Ayashiro. A while ago, I would have made up some random made-up story. Now I can't do that anymore.

"Yes, you're right. I have a theory. You're actually a childhood friends with those two."

"Haha. What's that? That sounds like a manga. Go on."

"You are the third childhood friend who has been forgotten by those two. In fact, you and Ririse Igarashi were promised to be married when you were young, but she forgot and you are the only one who remembers it. In fact, you think she made a marriage promise to Hagiri. What do you think? Isn't it a reasonable reason for you to have hatred for Hagiri and love/hate for Igarashi Ririse?"

"Haha! That's good! That's it! If only it were like that! That would be great! Hahaha! Hahaha!"

I couldn't help but laugh. I think it's an interesting change of pace for a temp love comedy. If I were the rival of a romantic comedy with Hagiri as the main character, this story would be the best. But the fact is simpler. There are two people who are destined to be together, and I am just the guy who happens to be in the middle of it. There is no fate between me and my wife. There is no fate, no destiny. There is no nice love story that would get ratings. Everything is just an ordinary and boring encounter. Even the reason why I fell in love with my wife is just the same as any shady person would do.

"So the story of you, Hagiri, and Ririse Igarashi is simpler and more boring than that?"

"That's right. There is only a story so boring and tedious that I feel ashamed to bother telling it. There's nothing cool about fate or destiny. It's just a matter of my personal feelings."

If I give up my attachment to my wife, that's the end of the story, that's all there is to it.

"I see. Then I won't ask. I haven't said much about myself either. You don't really think so, hmm? That I kept my origins and attributes a secret?"

"Not really. I'm not man enough to complain about a girl's makeup. Do what you want. But don't resent me if you change your nails and I don't notice."

"Haha. If you don't notice the difference in the nail polish. I'll scratch you like a cat! Meow!"

Ayashiro stroked my cheek, curling the fingers of her right hand like a cat's hand. The tickling sensation was very pleasant.

"My mother is a first generation Hispanic American immigrant. She and her parents immigrated to the U.S. for economic reasons from their home country in Latin America. She met my father, who had studied in the U.S., and they married and came to Japan. It's hard to move back and forth."

"Wow. That's quite a complicated background. Is that why you don't want to talk about your roots?"

"Yes. It's a pain in the ass to talk about it. Even if I told ordinary Japanese people about my complicated roots, they wouldn't understand me. But I like my name. Himena is a Spanish name. But it doesn't sound too strange in Japanese either."

"That's true. When I first heard it, it didn't sound strange to me, except for the accent."

"By the way, the alphabet is spelled X-i-m-e-n-a. Isn't it cool that the first letter is X?"

"Awww, that's so middle-aged! That's perfect for Ayashiro-sensei! Hahaha!"

"Right! Hahahaha, wow!!!!"

The two of us giggle. And the silly talk continues from there.

***Don't we talk about things that seem logical when we're having a drink together? During the silly talk!***

"Okay? In other words, jurisprudence is the culmination of the wisdom of mankind's sex! That's why the pie judges are so full of tits! And the law is full of tits!"

"So, if you get half-assed in court, you're guilty as hell!"

"That's what I mean! Oh, by the way, our university has a mix of modern and traditional buildings. I think that's a good thing."

"Yes, everything mixes together. In other words, the university is a place where students come to merge."

"Combine wow, come study! Apologize to all the non-homosexuals who can't merge! Hahahaha!"

"By the way, how's my car? That'll give you plenty of room for camping and stuff, right?"

"That's a good idea. Let's all go camping together during the summer vacation! By the way, I'm going to pour a shot of tequila on the one who tries to make a fire and can't and makes excuses why she's a virgin!"

"No bet, Milan will never be able to make a fire, and Yuzuriha will make a fire and get all "humanities" on her! Giggle, giggle!"

"That's funny! By the way, I'd like to ask science majors, is there an end to the universe?"

"Sorry, only God knows the answer to that question. And to be honest, I'm the type of person who does science just because I want to build things, so I'm just an ordinary science student. Talking about science with a serious and romantic attitude is harassment!"

"Speaking of which, why did you choose architecture?"

"Well, I failed art school and worked as a construction worker in Sapporo for a while after high school. I happened to be involved in the construction of a cool designer property. I thought, "This is it!" I thought the architecture was an art. So I worked as a construction worker, went to prep school, and got into this place."

"Oh, my God. It's very impressive and interesting."

"Yeah, right? I'm not proud of it, but I'm licensed to operate a shoveler and other heavy construction equipment! I've done all kinds of construction, and I'm certified in all kinds of construction!"

"I'm not proud of it! Haha! But you did your best, so I'll give you a pat on the back!"

It was really a lot of stupid talk. Before I knew it, it was around two o'clock.

[Hagiri's POV]

Ririse, on the other side of the window, was flitting from one room to the other as usual. My house and Riri's house are next door to each other, and our rooms face each other by the window. We are close enough that we could cross over if we wanted to. Until I was in junior high school, Riri would often come over to this side of the house through the window.

"I'm so disappointed already! I thought there would be no math or anything like that when I got to college, but it's just some kind of liberal arts math that's normal! Vectors are just arrows! Why do they want to do so many calculations! Don't you think so too, Chusho!"

"Well, the sciences require math. I mean, I thought there was no math too. Why did you choose architecture.... I told you that you should have gone for literature or something like that."

Riri hates math. It's not that she can't do math. Her grades were good. But she always complains about limits and calculus. When it came to complex numbers, she would say things like, "They don't exist in my universe." I don't understand why she chose to go into the sciences. I tried to persuade her to go into the humanities, but she stubbornly refused. Basically, she listens to me, but sometimes she gets upset when I get out of control.

"So! I bought a calculator to do some calculations, and then I happened to run into Kato and her friends, who were in my first year high school class, at the store! So, you don't want the expensive school food? I asked her, but she said she was going to the bakery today! I hadn't been to a bakery yet, so I thought it would be a good idea and we went together and it was delicious! Melon bread and bean buns! And pudding!"

"Pudding at a bakery?"

"Yes! Pudding is delicious! I want to make pudding in a bucket someday!"

"Well, why don't you make it for our family vacation during Golden Week? We're going to the mountains this year, so why don't we try it on the riverbank?"

This year's Golden Week family trip is a joint trip between our family and Riri's family. I was not involved in the planning. I know that Riri's parents want to bring me and Riri together. My parents seem to be on board, too.

"Eh? Hmmm. Come to think of it, it's almost Golden Week. Hey, Chusho. Aren't you going to make up with Tokiwa before you go on vacation?"

The name of someone I don't like came up. We were never friends to begin with.

"He and I don't get along."

"Isn't it always Chusho's way to get along even with someone you don't get along with? Tokiwa is not a bad person. He's a good person."

It is often said that when a woman is a good person, she is a person who doesn't care about anything, but even so, this is unusual for Riri. Riri doesn't talk about boys much. She is basically uninterested in love and men. That's why Kanahisa Tokiwa, who is talked about, is an extremely not nice person ・・・・・・.

"I told you. He is not a good person. Don't get close to him. It won't end well."

"But Chusho, you went to see Tokiwa and Milan at the theater the other night, didn't you? You're interested in Tokiwa, aren't you?"

Riri smiles at me, as if she's teasing me. I envy her good-naturedness. I've been thrown off my pace by that Kanahisa Tokiwa ever since the entrance ceremony.

"I was just worried about Izumi. It would be a disaster if I were to be influenced by his bad influence."

I nailed him, just in case. I showed him that I was always ready to get back the valuable talent that is Milan Izumi. But being around him, things inevitably went out of kilter.

"Milan was beautiful at that time, wasn't she? So you didn't need to worry about her, but you did? I feel like an idiot."

Riri spat that out in a terribly cold voice, though she kept her smile on her face. Unusual. Is she angry with her Izumi counterpart? It's true that she's been out of my life and has not been with Riri recently. Riri was fond of Izumi. The two of them spent time chatting amiably at dinners with dignitaries. Does she feel betrayed? Or...? No, let's not pry. Riri is a moody person. Her interest changes quickly. It's okay to leave her alone. There would be no fruit if I chatted with her any longer.

"Riri. It's already two o'clock in the evening before I know it. You have morning practice for the cheerleading club tomorrow, don't you? You'd better go to bed."

"Hmm. I guess so. Well then, good night. Bye bye."

Riri didn't make any fuss and immediately closed the window and curtains. I close the window and curtains too. Then I go to my desk and start up my PC.

"Hey, Hagiri. Why she care so much about Tokiwa? Doesn't she care about that guy?"

I hear a voice from the bed. Tomoe wakes up and hugs me from behind. It seems that Tomoe had been pretending to be asleep and listening to the conversation between me and Riri. She seems to be aware of her position, just not showing herself in front of Riri, but it's unpleasant.

"You were listening to me? That's in bad taste."

I don't turn to Tomoe, nor do I shake off the hug, but turn my head to the monitor. There I saw a report analyzing the results of various background checks on Kanahisa Tokiwa and his current relationship with Milan Izumi and Yuzuriha Momiji from various angles.

"I just heard it. I mean, Tokiwa is not a big guy! He's just a small guy who's jealous of Hagiri in medical school! He blows all kinds of bad stuff about the circle to Riri! It was really annoying! Riri is so sweet that she takes him seriously right away. That's all."

"But what he says about the circle is true. That medical school's intercollegiate tennis club is just a place to meet people. Or is it a market? Men are attracted by the social status of the medical school brand and the high status of the chair. The women are just a very primitive and fearless mating behavior, akin to herding monkeys, in exchange for the sexual allure of their own bodies. It's ridiculous."

"Yeah...but he's making fun of Hagiri and the others..."

"I don't care. It doesn't matter. And if you look at it objectively, the stupid person is probably me, not him. I'm aware of that. I've decided to be a martyr to my dream."

There is definitely a clear hatred in his eyes when he looks at me. I often see men who have fallen in love with Riri look at me that way. I thought he was one of them, but he has only a very ambiguous attitude toward Riri. That irritates me. I can't read his motives. I can't decide what to do. And yet, he has two of the people I need to make my dream come true. Especially, the loss of Momiji Yuzuriha is quite severe.

"Hey, Hagiri. I'm sure Tokiwa is in the way, right? Then, you know what? Let's make up a scandal like we always do! If we can get him expelled for that..."

"If we do that, he'll come to kill me for sure."

"Oh.... What's that? You're joking... right?"

Tomoe is puzzled. But this is what I think she doesn't understand. A woman with bad intuition. That's why this girl can't win against Riri.

"I'm not kidding. I'm sure he would try to eliminate me immediately by violent means if I crossed the line. I could see it in his eyes. He is not sane. He is a restrained beast."

So my fight with him and I have to be gentlemanly with each other, and we have to keep it on a legal line of destruction. I have never fought an opponent like this before. I've crossed many dangerous bridges with yakuza and half-wit opponents, but he is much more dangerous. Riri attracts guys like this right away.

"If it weren't for Riri...this wouldn't have happened..."

I muttered in a whisper that even Tomoe couldn't hear. But that was my true feelings.