We neared the counter in front of the photo booths.
"Hey, what are you kids doing? You can't go in with an all-boys group!"
"Ngrk! Uh, um. S-sorry…" As the nine-to-one odds had predicted, the oddly casual arcade staff member blocked us decisively. I'd expected nothing less of the great Zaimokuza.
"I knew it…"
"…Ah-ha-ha, oh well."
This outcome had been quite foreseeable, and so, not particularly surprised, Totsuka and I exchanged a glance.
But a moment later, a miracle occurred. "Sorry about that. It's okay, go on through." The arcade guy indifferently prodded Zaimokuza away from the booths and opened up the way for us. Zaimokuza was as docile as a cat picked up by the scruff of his neck as he was dragged away.
"…I—I wonder why?" Totsuka blinked his big eyes in confusion, but the reason for our admittance was unquestionably his appearance.
"…Who knows? Anyway, we're in, so let's go."
"Y-yeah…" Though Totsuka didn't look quite convinced, he followed me in.
Inside the photo booth area was a wide variety of machines. Frankly, every last one of them was covered in sparkles and hearts and words like beauty, flower, butterfly, or style and radiating a vibe like something out of Tokyo's red-light district. The curtains and the bodies of the units hosted photos, too, like sample images or something. All the subjects looked like models, and they all had exactly the same face. Seriously scary stuff. Why do these teenyboppers all have the same facial structure? I can't tell them apart except by their hair or clothing. Is this like real-life same-face syndrome or what?
"Whoa… They all look like hoes…" These images made even Miura seem modest and demure, never mind Yuigahama. I guess this was what they meant by a world unknown to you. Seriously scary stuff.
"Hmm, maybe this one? Are you okay with this one, Hachiman?" "…Oh, sure." Suddenly, they all seemed perfect.
We entered the booth, and Totsuka turned his full attention to reading the instructions. "Um, 'kay. Choose a background… Yeah, looks like this will work," he said, and he pulled my hand, taking a few steps backward.
"H-huh? What, is it starting? What do we do now? Agh, I can't see!"
Suddenly, the flash went off. Oh, so Tien Shinhan isn't the only one who can use Solar Flare. So both Goku and Purikura can use it, too?
"One more time!" chimed the dopey electronic voice, and my retinas burned a few more times. We're borrowing your move, Tien Shinhan! "Aaaall done! Go outside the booth and decorate your photos!"
"Decorating, huh…?" said Totsuka. "I wonder what we should draw." We pulled back the booth curtains and went over to the drawing station. A countdown on the screen ticked down the time we had left for embellishments. "'Confirm that this is your picture'… Okay…" Totsuka opened the photo, and it popped up onto the screen. "Whwhoa! Is that a ghost in the photo?!" He was so surprised that he grabbed my arm.
Whoa, y-you startled me there. Calming my racing heart, I peered at this so-called ghost photo, and indeed there was part of a man's vengeful countenance in the frame.
Wait, that was Zaimokuza.
We drew back the curtains in search of him, and there he was crouching underneath.
"Oh, so it was you, Zaimokuza." Totsuka sighed in relief.
"What are you doing…?" I asked.
"Heh-hem. I infiltrated the premises on my hands and knees that I might not be noticed. And you seemed so intimate with Master Totsuka, I thought I'd ruin your pictures by photobombing them! How do you like that?! I have turned your beloved photos into nothing more than a disappointment!"
"Hey, doesn't saying that about yourself make you feel sad?"
"…Heh, I overcame that paltry level of sadness back during the photo sales from the class field trip. Girls cried just because I was in their pictures."
Whoa, he's got some serious emotional land mines… "Oh. Um, well. S-sorry, Zaimokuza."
"Oh, don't worry about it," Zaimokuza said, but he was quietly wiping tears from the corners of his eyes.
It wasn't his fault, though. Blame whoever decided to sell the photos in the first place. "That photo sale causes nothing but misery, anyway. They should cancel the whole system. Sometimes when you secretly buy a photo of a girl you like, everyone finds out, and then they treat you like a creep."
"…Th-that's creepy even to me," Zaimokuza remarked.
"H-Hachiman…w-we'll take lots of photos together from now on, okay? I'll try to be with you as much as I can." Totsuka swiftly swooped in to make me feel better.
I-is it that weird…? I thought it was fairly normal for a middle schooler, though…
Meanwhile, the drawing timer ran out, and the photos got printed.
"We look so pale…" said Totsuka.
"The filters really are impressive…," I replied.
"They are. But seeing you sparkle like that is fearsome indeed," commented Zaimokuza. "You're glittering so valiantly, and yet your eyes alone are polluted and foul…"
Well, the photo seemed to be a lesson in how excessive light would wash out a subject. The extreme flash turned even the photobombing Zaimokuza a fair white. Totsuka in particular looked like a prettier girl than any actual female could dream of becoming.
"Okay, here you go. This is yours, Hachiman." Totsuka deftly cut the photos apart and handed them to us. "And for you, too, Zaimokuza."
"F-fwaa? I—I can have these?"
"Hmm? Yeah." The smile on Totsuka's face sparkled even brighter than the photo booth flash.
Zaimokuza's response was a teary one. "Er-hem. Th-then I shall accept." He received the photos with the utmost care, gazing at them with pleasure.
I looked at the glossy little papers in my hands as well. Apparently, Totsuka had only barely squeaked in a few embellishments before the drawing time ran out, because only three of the photos had any writing on them. One of the photos read Gym class pairbros in Totsuka's slightly rounded characters. I guess he liked that title… There was another one that said Best friends!
"Hmph. That description does not suit Hachiman and myself, though," said Zaimokuza.
"No, it doesn't," I agreed.
"Really?" Totsuka tilted his head quizzically. "It seems like it would." "Actually, I'm really more of a Ribbon kind of guy," I said.
"Indeed. Kodocha is particularly superb," replied Zaimokuza.
"Yeah, the ending of the manga really gets you."
"What? The anime is clearly superior."
Zaimokuza and I both clicked our tongues and exchanged fiery glares.
"What'd you just say?" I demanded.
"You heard me."
While we were busy with our staring contest and preparing for imminent war, Totsuka giggled. "You really are best friends."
"Yeah, no…"
"Ba-humph! Agreed."
"Well, whatever. Totsuka's got this really cute smile on his face right now, so I'll forgive you. Listen, I'm bringing the manga on Monday, so you'd better read it and then write me an apology."
"Hmph. Then I shall bring the DVDs, too, so prepare thyself to write a report on that." Zaimokuza turned away with a snort and slipped the tiny photo in his hand into his wallet. "Ugh, if you hadn't caused such ado, Hachiman, we would have had the time to draw on the photos. We only got to do two. You'd better choose volleyball for gym next month in atonement for your sins. If you don't, I'll end up alone."
"Uh, I don't want to do running, and I planned to pick volleyball anyway. Wait…two?" Was that right? I was about to check when I sensed a tug at the cuff of my shirt.
I found Totsuka going "Shh!" with a finger to his lips. He quietly uncurled his fingers to reveal the last photo with writing on it. It said Hachiman and Saika. It was a little embarrassing. Actually, it was too much for me to handle. Zaimokuza has got to be jealous over this right now.
"Oh, it's late already. I have to get going," said Totsuka.
"Right, your lessons." Oh yeah. He came here to kill time before his lessons. I felt kinda bad, considering how this hadn't done much to cheer him up.
"Then I'm gonna head out. It looks like you're feeling better."
"Huh?"
"Because you've been down lately. I wanted to cheer you up."
"Totsuka…" Now that he mentioned it, I seemed to remember Komachi saying the same thing this morning. My little sister is weird in general, so I didn't really pay attention, but Totsuka has common sense, so if he was saying the same thing, it was cause for concern.
"I don't really know what happened, but…I like it best when you're your normal self, Hachiman." Totsuka checked the time on his cell phone, said, "Bye, let's hang out again later!" and dashed off. Right before he vanished from sight, he spun around and gave me a big wave. I raised my hand up high as well in reply.
"Hmph. Master Totsuka is so kind, even though there's no value in being nice to you."
"Huh? What was that? You were still there? And I don't want to hear that from you."
"Ba-humph. I would expect nothing less from my comrade Master Totsuka. He's worthy of admiration."
"…Do you think you and Totsuka are friends?"
"Huh? W-we're not…?"
"I don't know. Don't freak out just because I suggested it." Zaimokuza's really been breaking character a lot lately. Is he okay?
"Oh, hey! What're you doing? You can't be in there, you know!" came the informal and stupid-sounding call of the arcade guy.
"Ngh, alas, I must withdraw! Farewell! Mon dieu!"
"I don't think that means what you think it means…"
After that imbecilic exchange, Zaimokuza and I fled the scene. From the corner of my eye, I could see the staff hemming in Zaimokuza.
Totsuka was right. Brooding and stressing wasn't very like Hachiman Hikigaya. My style had always been to just give up on anything bad enough to stress over. Don't hesitate. Just act like nothing happened. Changing your attitude only when there's some incident is insincere and wrong.
Before I got on my bicycle, I slipped the glossy paper in my hand into my wallet. I'd buy a frame or something and set it out somewhere.
3 Yukino Yukinoshita really does love cats.
Saturday is the mightiest day of the week. It's unshakably, overwhelmingly superior. Not only is it a day off of school, the following day is also a day off, like some kind of Super Saiyan bargain sale. I love Saturday so much, I think in the future I'd like my whole week to be like a bunch of Saturdays. On Sundays, you get depressed, thinking, School again tomorrow, huh…, so that day is no good.
Just out of bed and still feeling groggy, I blearily skimmed the morning newspaper. Kobo was amazing today. Actually, Kobo was the only thing I read. Once I was done catching up on the news, that is to say Kobo, I checked the coupon flyers as per usual. If I found something cheap, I'd circle it in red and hand it to Komachi, and then she'd note it on the shopping list, and either my mom or Komachi would go out to buy it.
But then the particularly sparkly lettering in the flyer caught my eye. Given the amount of light radiating from the page, I wouldn't have been surprised to learn this font had inspired the word photon.
"K-Komachi! Look, look at this! The Tokyo Cat and Dog Show is happening now!" I snatched it up and thrust it high above my head. It was like a scene from some lion-related musical, so I let out an appropriate roar. U-Ra-Ra! Wait, that's Beetlebomb.
"No way! Really? Yes! Nice work finding that, Bro!"
"Ha-ha-ha! Praise me, praise me more!"
"Eeek, you're so cool! You're amazing, Bro!"
"…Cram it, you two. You're too loud." Our mother crawled out from her bedroom like a golem and intoned a curse. She had bedhead, her glasses were sliding down her nose, and the bags under her eyes appeared to be permanent residents.
"S-sorry…," I apologized, and our mother gave a little nod before returning to her room. She was apparently going back to sleep for a while… It must be rough being a career woman. When I find a wife to support me, I'll treat her with sympathy and kindness. That's what it means to be a superleech who transcends leechdom.
She rested her hand on the door and then turned back to us. "Hey. You can go out, but be careful of cars. It's like a sauna out there, and drivers are grumpy, so there's bound to be more accidents. Don't ride your bicycle with Komachi on the back."
"I know. I won't let Komachi get into any danger." My parents' love for my sister is profound. It's partly because she's a girl, but she also does a lot of chores, she handles everything like a pro, and she's even cute to boot, so she's like their little treasure.
The eldest son of the family, on the other hand, was apparently not.
Even then, my mother was sighing wearily at me. "Agh… You dummy.
It's you I'm worried about."
"…Huh?" I found myself tearing up. I'd never imagined she would spare so much concern for my sake… She doesn't wake me up in the morning, she only gives me a five-hundred-yen coin for lunch, and sometimes she buys me those weird-looking shirts they sell in the neighborhood, so I thought for sure she didn't love me. Still, why does she buy me such disappointing clothes? That's bordering on deliberate harassment.
Still…the bond between mother and child is a wondrous thing. My eyes stung a little. "M-Mom…"
"I really do worry. If you get Komachi hurt, your father will kill you." "D-Dad…" I found myself upset.
Speaking of Dad, he would still be deep in torpid slumber, lost in the world of dreams. In his eyes, I really was nothing. I knew quite well how much he loved Komachi, and to me he was practically hostile. All he ever said to me was useless stuff like Watch out for badger games, or If a girl hits on you, she really just wants to make you buy paintings, or Futures trading is generally fraud, or Get a job and you lose. That stuff was mostly based off his own experiences, so I couldn't ignore his rambling, making the whole thing especially excruciating.
When I left, I'd make sure to slam the door as hard as I could to disturb his sleep.
"We're taking the bus, don't worry. Oh, so I need money for it." Komachi trotted over toward our mom.
"Yeah, yeah. How much is a round trip again?" our mom asked.
"Um…" Komachi began counting on her fingers. Hey, one way is one hundred and fifty yen, and a round trip is three hundred yen. What do you need to use your fingers for?
"It's three hundred yen." I ended up replying before Komachi finished her calculations.
Our mother replied, "Okay," and pulled the change out of her wallet. "Here you go, then. Three hundred yen." "Thanks!" Komachi chirped.
"U-um, Mom… I'm going, too…" I asked meekly, like I was Masuo talking to his mother-in-law.
"Oh, you need some, too?" Reacting like she'd only just realized, our mother took out some more coins.
"Oh, and I'm eating out for lunch, so I need money for food!" Komachi swooped in on the opportunity.
"Huh? I guess I have no choice, then…" As requested, our mother withdrew a couple of bills and handed them to her daughter.
Whoa, nice work, Komachi. But my normal lunch money is five hundred yen, so why does she get a thousand when she asks, Mom?
"Thanks! Let's go, Bro."
"Yeah."
"Okay, see you later." Our mother sleepily sent us off and disappeared back into the bedroom. Good night, Mom.
When I left the house, I rallied all the strength in my body and slammed the door with everything I had. May this thunder reach you! Good morning, Dad!
From our house, it took about fifteen minutes by bus to get to Makuhari Messe for the Tokyo Cat and Dog Show. Even though it's called the Tokyo Cat and Dog Show, it's actually held in Chiba, so watch out for that. You're bound to screw up and end up at the Tokyo Big Sight.
There was a modest horde at the venue, and some of them had brought their pets. It was packed, so Komachi and I reached out to each other to hold hands. We weren't having a lovey-dovey date or anything; we'd just gone out a lot together since we were kids, so it was an old habit. Komachi hummed and swung my arm back and forth. Hey, you're gonna dislocate my shoulder.
Maybe it was her clothes, but that day Komachi seemed sunnier and perkier than usual. She had paired a bordered tank top with an offthe-shoulder top made of pink jersey cloth, and she wore low-rise shorts that ended high on the thigh. Along with a carefree, bubbly, first-rate smile. I'm proud to be seen with her wherever we go. Not that anyone's allowed to look.
Anyway, the Tokyo Cat and Dog Show is basically an exhibition and market for cats, dogs, and other pets. They also have some rarer animals on display, so it can be fun. Admission is free, so it's an event to be reckoned with. Chiba really is the best.
The moment we set foot in the convention center, Komachi immediately started pointing and bouncing. "Wow, Bro! Penguins! There's a whole bunch of penguins walking around! They're so cute!"
"Yeah… That reminds me, the word penguin originates from Latin, and it apparently means 'obese.' If you think about it, it kinda looks like a bunch of paunchy salarymen are visiting for business."
"A-aww… Suddenly, they're not cute anymore…" Dejected, Komachi lowered her arm and admonished me with a look. "I didn't need to know that. Now every time I see penguins, the word obese will pop up in my head…," she muttered.
Complaining to me isn't gonna help, though. Go whine to the guy who first named penguins.
"Listen, Bro, you can't say that kind of thing when you're on a date. If a girl says, 'That's so cute!' you have to answer, 'Yeah, but you're cuter.'"
"…That's stupid." You'd think all that hot air would be bad for an Antarctic native.
"Whatever, man! I'm not really being serious. I just keep saying the word cute to emphasize how cute I am."
"Not a very cute ploy, though…" This isn't a conversation we should be having in such a heartwarming place with all these dogs and cats and penguins around.
"I'm just getting back at you for running your mouth! Anyway, c'mon, c'mon! Let's hurry up and look around," Komachi insisted, yanking my arm as she broke into a run.
"Hey, don't take off all of a sudden—you'll pull me over."
This area looked to be the bird zone, and an ostentatious polychrome world of parrots, cockatiels, and more unfurled before us. There was yellow and red and green… The plumage of every single bird was aggressively bedaubed in primary colors, gaudy and vibrant. When they spread their wings, feathers fluttered into the air, catching the light.
But within that flood of striking color, the most beguiling of all was the black of a girl's hair. She held a Tokyo Cat and Dog Show booklet in one hand, and every time she glanced about, her twin pigtails swayed.
"Is that…Yukino?" Apparently, Komachi had noticed, too.
Or rather, few people were as distinctive as she was, so she'd attracted considerable attention. She wore a long cream-colored cardigan unbuttoned over an airy and modest summer dress with a ribbon cinching it just under her bust. It made her look gentler than usual. With each step she took, the simple sandals on her bare feet tapped on the floor with a clear and light sound. She seemed completely oblivious to how many people were staring at her, though, as she was searching around for something with the same chilly expression she always wore in the club. She checked the hall display number and then dropped her gaze to her booklet. She looked around again, then back to the pamphlet, before letting out a short, resigned sigh.
What's with her? Is she lost?
Yukinoshita snapped the booklet shut, as if she'd made up her mind about something, and briskly marched straight toward a wall.
"Hey. There's nothing but a wall that way," I called out to her, unable to just watch.
Yukinoshita met my call with a glare of naked suspicion. Scary! But when she realized it was me, curiosity replaced skepticism, and she walked toward us. "Oh, what a rare animal."
"Don't greet me by calling me a Homo sapiens. You're trying to negate my personhood, aren't you?"
"But it's not incorrect to call you that, now is it?"
"Technically, but you can only take that so far…" The first words out of her mouth had identified me as order: primate, species: human. She couldn't be more correct, biologically speaking, but as a greeting it was of the lowest order. "Why are you heading toward a wall?" I asked.
"…I'm lost." Her eyes mourned her failure, and her tone suggested admitting that was agony and so she planned to commit ritual suicide right there. With no attempt to hide her annoyance, she studied the booklet she'd opened up once more.
"Uh, I don't think this place is big enough to get lost in, though…"
I wonder if she just has a poor sense of direction. Well, sometimes you can get lost even with a map. Especially when a building has a sort of samey-looking design everywhere, maps are kind of useless. Like at Comiket, or the Shinjuku subway station. And Umeda Station. That one's so bad you'll end up stranded if you don't carry a sheet of graph paper to map it all out.
"Yukino! Hello!"
"Oh, so Komachi is with you, huh? Hello."
"I didn't expect to see you here, though. Did you come to see something?"
"…Yes. Well, um, various things."
I bet it's cats… She even has a big red circle around where it says
"Cat Corner."
Yukino detected my gaze and quietly folded the booklet as if nothing had happened. "H-Hyeek… Ahem, Hikigaya, why are you here?" She tried to act calm, but she just stammered all over the place.
Withstanding the urge to mock her mercilessly, I pretended not to notice. 'Cause if I said something, she'd just return it to me fivefold. "I come here every year with my sister."
"And we got our cat here!" Komachi added.
As Komachi said, we originally got our cat, Kamakura, right here at this show. Though he is quite the feisty feline, he does have a certificate of pedigree. Komachi had said she wanted him, so her wish was instantly granted. I felt sorry for our dad coming all the way to Makuhari Messe just to pay for him.
Yukinoshita looked at Komachi and me and back again with a faint smile. That was the second time. She'd smiled like that once before. "You two seem as close as ever."
"Not really. This is more of an obligatory annual function," I replied.
"I see… Good-bye, then."
"Yeah, see you." We both avoided escalating the interaction and said our farewells.
"Hey! Wait, hold on, hold on! Yukino. I finally got the chance to see you again, so let's go check things out together!" Komachi caught
Yukinoshita's sleeve as she started her escape and tugged her back. "When I'm with my brother, all he does is make these downer comments. I'd have more fun with you," Komachi urged as she continued pulling enthusiastically at Yukinoshita's sleeve.
"Y-you would?" Yukinoshita replied, taking a step back.
"I would, I would! Come on, come on!"
"Wouldn't it be a bother? …Hikigaya's presence, I mean." She excluded me as if it was the obvious thing to do.
"You jerk," I said. "What're you talking about? When it comes to group activities, I usually just keep quiet. I won't be in the way at all." "You give new meaning to the phrase blending in with your surroundings. It's an amazing talent, in a way…" The expression on Yukinoshita's face was one of neither astonishment nor exasperation. Well, actually, when there's some quiet guy in the group doing his own inconspicuous thing, everyone acts supercareful around him, though. "…All right. Let's go around together, then. Is there anything in particular you want to see? And…if there isn't…"
"Yeah… Since we're here, let's go check out something really unusual!" Komachi clapped her hands as if she'd struck gold.
"…I have no idea if you're perceptive or simply clueless," I said.
"Huh? What?" Komachi tilted her head, puzzled.
"…I'm fine with that. Haah…" Yukinoshita sighed in resignation.
Well, uh, you know. Sorry about my sister.
Though Komachi had said she wanted to check out something rare, space was obviously limited, so there wouldn't be anything big. That being the case, the bird zone was the best equipped. It was probably because birds were relatively uncommon and didn't take up much space.
We walked away from the colorful tropical-themed booth and emerged by a tremendously cool display. Beyond a dramatic metal railing were sharp beaks, sharp claws, and gallant silhouettes with sturdy wings and tails.
"L-look! Komachi! It's an eagle! A hawk! A falcon! Sweet… I want one…" They're so cool… I automatically stopped and leaned forward over the railing. If you've been plagued by M-2 syndrome even once, then you're bound to be drawn to their majesty. The American military probably has an especially acute case of this affliction.
But apparently, Komachi couldn't comprehend how cool they were and just whined. "What? They're not cute! You sound like an M-2 case."
"Hey, you idiot. What are you talking about? They're cute. See how they tilt their heads? C'mon." I turned around, attempting to persuade her, but Komachi was already halfway to the next area. Meanie.
"They're not cute…but I think they're majestic and beautiful." That reply came not from my stone-hearted sister but from Yukinoshita, surprisingly enough. It seemed she was telling the truth, too, as she touched the railing and moved beside me for a better angle.
"Whoa! So you get how cool they are? They appeal to your inner middle schooler, don't they?"
"…I cannot fathom what you're talking about."
Ngh, so a maiden cannot grasp their glory… Whoops, that was close. I almost turned into Zaimokuza.
M-2 syndrome is a condition with no cure,
an illness of the mind.
(excess syllable)
A poem from Hachiman's soul. By the way, the seasonal word there is M-2 syndrome. This term evokes the verdant spring.
We left the bird zone behind in favor of the small-animal area. This section included pets like hamsters, rabbits, and ferrets. This sort of place was right up Komachi's alley. In the petting corner, she fussed over the little critters, cooing and squeeing and awwing with no indication she would ever leave.
And then there was Yukinoshita. She did try skritching and fluffing them, but after a little bit, her head tilted to a bemused angle. Apparently, the texture wasn't quite what she'd sought. She's surprisingly picky about this stuff…
By the way, when I approached the little bundles of fur, they all scurried away. …I can't believe it. Even these guys hate me. "Komachi, let's move on."
"Eeek! I could totally step on them! They're so cute! Huh? Oh, you can go on ahead. I'm gonna hang out here some more."
"Okay…" That isn't a very cute reason to find something cute. Is she okay? But Komachi had given me permission to move on, so I decided to do so. If memory served, the next area had the dogs, and after that would be the cat zone. "Okay, Yukinoshita. The section after the next one is the cats. Sorry, but you keep an eye on Komachi for me."
"I don't really mind, but Komachi isn't that young anymore. Don't you think such a measure would be excessive?"
"That's not what I meant—keep an eye on her so she doesn't smush anything."
"I'm not gonna smush them! Oh, Yukino, it's okay if you want to go check out the cats."
"R-really? Th-then, I might as well…," Yukinoshita said, already partway to her feet. Just how badly do you want to see those cats? "Well then, let's go." And then, without a glance to spare for me, she forged ahead to the next area, blind to everything around her. But the moment the letters reading DOG ZONE entered her field of vision, she twitched.
"Is something wrong?" I asked.
"No…" Yukinoshita casually decelerated and slid behind my back, making me walk in front of her.
Oh no, she's caught me from behind! She's gonna kill me! I thought, but she made no move to attack. Oh, the dogs. She's kinda scared of them, isn't she? "Just so you know, it's nothing but puppies here." This event was partly a commercial enterprise, so the sections for common pets like cats and dogs mostly had babies. It was sad, but that's business.
I didn't know if my words had any effect on Yukinoshita, but she avoided my eyes anyway. "I guess if it's puppies… J-just so you know, it's not like I'm frightened of dogs, you know. Um…I'm just…rather uncomfortable around them."
"That's generally called 'being scared of dogs.'"
"That interpretation is within the margin of error."
Is that so? Well, if she says she's okay, then whatever.
"Are you…a dog person, Hikigaya?"
"I'm a nothing person. I don't affiliate myself with any kind of label." The truly stalwart don't run with a group. Being alone is like standing against the whole world. Me versus the world. It's almost like I'm Steven Seagal. From a Seagal perspective, I'm super-Seagal.
But Yukinoshita refused to endorse my self-identification. "Maybe that's because no one wants to be affiliated with you."
"Yeah, you're right, more or less. And I'm fine with that, so let's go." She really was right, so I couldn't argue. All I'd get from a debate with Yukinoshita was cuts and burns, so I neatly nipped that conversation in the bud.
When I began walking, I heard Yukinoshita mumble behind me, "I thought for sure you were a dog person, though…"
"What? Why?" I turned around to ask.
"…You were so desperate." Yukinoshita's reply was elusive.
When did Yukinoshita see me eager to do anything? I could only recall one time, so it was probably that. The tennis match over Totsuka. It was true—I had been burning to win, that time. I'd thrown my heart and soul into helping Totsuka. I mean, he was so cute. He had been trembling like a Chihuahua that day, indeed like a puppy. So I guess it would be correct to say that I'm a Totsuka person. I like Totsuka, you know.
Scratching my head, thinking, I dunno, I felt Yukinoshita nudge my shoulder.
"Could you walk faster?"
"Oh, 'kay." Thus impelled, I passed through a cheap gate bearing the words DOG ZONE. Inside was an area crowded with a multitude of cages. It was like two or three pet shops fused into one. Dogs were indeed in high demand, and there were a lot of visitors. Aside from the popular small breeds like Chihuahuas, miniature dachshunds, mameshiba dogs, and corgis, a range of standard breeds like labs, retrievers, beagles, and bulldogs could be found. The dogs on display were all top pedigrees raised by breeders, with titles like Grand Champion or Festival Nominee or Monde Selection or Good Design, though how much weight the designations carried was difficult to tell with one glance.
From the moment we'd entered the dog zone, Yukinoshita had clammed up. She was so quiet, I began wondering if she was still breathing. The area around us bustled with so much activity that a single person's silence stood out as particularly troubling. Actually, everything else was just too boisterous. Particularly that woman squealing and snapping a stream of photos.
…Wait, that's Miss Hiratsuka. I'll pretend I didn't see her. C'mon,
Miss H.… You finally got a day off, so go on a date or something… Well, on the other side is the cat zone, so I guess we'll just head straight through, I thought.
But the moment I did, a tiny gasp escaped Yukinoshita. The apparent cause was an area labeled TRIMMING CORNER, spelled out in English.
"Huh? What? Are they editing photos?" I asked.
"No, it means they're maintaining the dogs' coats and grooming them to make their fur glossy. The English word grooming is also commonly used."
Grooming, huh…? Like Jaja Uma Grooming Up? Totally famous manga.
While my train of thought took a detour to the four sisters of the Watarai ranch, Yukinoshita continued her explanation with some impatience. "Basically, it's a dog beauty parlor."
"Huh? Is that a thing? Sounds fancy. Does Tsunayoshi have a hand in this, too?"
"And it seems there's not only grooming but obedience classes as well. Why don't you sign up?" She casually branded me as a dog as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Whatever, I was used to it.
As we exchanged our petty repartee, one particular long-haired miniature dachshund finished up its brushing session and trotted out, yawning. Hey, where's its owner?
"Hey, hey! Sablé! Wait, you've ruined your collar!"
The leashless mini dachshund acknowledged the yell and then insouciantly ignored it. And then it scampered toward the exit—that is to say, us—like a frightened rabbit. Though it was a dog. "H-Hikigaya…th-that dog…," Yukinoshita stammered, rattled and bewildered. Her eyes darted around the room, her hands fidgeting and flailing in the air.
…This didn't happen every day. I was kind of getting a kick out of it, so I was tempted to just brush her off, but it'd be a pain if she made a scene.
"C'mere." I grabbed the dog by the scruff of the neck. My cat despises me and is always running away from me, so I'm practiced in nabbing pets. My training had not been in vain.
The dog implored me with sad eyes at first, but then it suddenly raised its head and started sniffing and vigorously licking my fingers.
Startled, I instinctively released it. "Waagh! It slobbered all over me…"
"Oh, you idiot. If you let go…," Yukinoshita said, disconcerted.
But the dog didn't break for the exit and instead gallivanted around my ankles before abruptly rolling onto its back. It showed its tummy and panted, tongue lolling.
What's with this dog? Isn't it being a little too friendly with me?
"This dog is…" Yukinoshita took cover behind my back, quietly peeking around at the dog.
Come on, I don't think the animal is that scary.
"S-Sablé! Sorry he's bothering you." The owner rushed over to us and scooped up the dog in a flash with a rapid-fire bow. The bun on the girl's head flopped a little.
"Oh, Yuigahama," Yukinoshita said.
"Hwa?" came the owner's reply, raising her head with a baffled expression. The hairstyle, the voice, the mannerisms… It was indubitably Yui Yuigahama. "Huh? Y-Yukinon?" Her head mechanically rotated on its axis to me at Yukinoshita's side. "H-huh? What? Hikki? And Yukinon?" Yuigahama looked from Yukinoshita to me and back again, utterly mystified. "Huh? Huh?" "'Sup," I greeted.
"Oh. H-hi…," she replied. A very odd silence descended upon the two of us. Whoa, this is uncomfortable…
While this peculiar atmosphere hovered over us, the dog in Yuigahama's arms yipped. Yukinoshita twitched, and while she didn't hide in my shadow, she did close the distance between us very slightly. She apparently intended to use me as a meat shield should there be any danger.
"…U-uh…um…" Yuigahama gently stroked her dog's head as her gaze wandered around the area between me and Yukinoshita—as if she were measuring just what was between us.
"What a coincidence, running into you here," Yukinoshita said, and Yuigahama jumped a little.
"Y-yeah. Why are you and Hikki…together? Um…it's kinda…unusual to see you two together, like…"
Maybe it was because we hadn't interacted in a few days, but
Yuigahama seemed distant, somehow, even with Yukinoshita. Avoiding eye contact with Yukinoshita, she squeezed the dog in her arms tight.
She could ask why all she wanted, but really we'd just happened to bump into each other, so there was nothing going on. Yukinoshita and I just sort of looked at each other, and we both ended up saying the same thing.
"No reason."
Yuigahama cut off any further explanation. "Oh, never mind, actually! Forget it—it's okay. It's nothing… You're out together on a weekend, so it's obvious what's going on, isn't it? I see… I wonder why I never noticed? I thought picking up on social cues was the only thing I was good at…" She forced a smile to her eyes and struggled to make her lips follow suit with a slightly hoarse "Ah-ha-ha…"
Is she making some kind of weird assumption here? Like, does she think Yukinoshita and I are going out or something? Well, if you gave it even a moment's thought, you'd recognize immediately that would never happen. But claiming We're not going out would sound kinda, well, dumb, and sorta self-conscious, and just against my sense of aesthetics.
A misunderstanding is a misunderstanding. It is not the truth. And as long as I know the truth, that's enough for me. I don't care what anyone else believes… The more you try to correct a mix-up, the more people misinterpret it and make things worse. I'd given up on that.
The dog in Yuigahama's arms whined a sad Hween? up at its owner. Yuigahama muttered, "It's okay…" as she petted its head. "S-see you then. I'll be going…" Yuigahama wilted and, still downcast, began walking away.
Yukinoshita stopped her. "Yuigahama." Her voice resounded loud and clear within the bustle of the hall. That sound was the only thing that reached my ears, as if all other activity around us was behind an invisible barrier.
Yuigahama lifted her head and automatically turned toward Yukinoshita.
"I need to talk to you about us, so could you come to the clubroom on Monday?" the twin-tailed girl asked.
"Oh… Ah-ha-ha… I don't know…if I really want to hear it… Um, like, it'd be kinda meaningless at this point, since, like, I can't do anything, anyway…," Yuigahama said as if she were embarrassed. Beneath her gentle tone and troubled smile was a clear no.
Faltering in the face of Yuigahama's rejection, Yukinoshita's gaze lowered slightly. For a moment, I imagined the volume of the din around us had increased. Yukinoshita spoke hesitantly into the tumultuous racket, as if the words were escaping her. "…I'm not the kind of person who can say things like this without some effort, but…I do want to say this properly."
"…Yeah." Yuigahama's dull response was neither refusal nor acceptance. She momentarily regarded Yukinoshita with some doubt but found something else to look at almost immediately. Then she spun on her heel and strode away. Yukinoshita and I silently watched her leave as her tiny, hunched frame disappeared into the surging throng.
I asked Yukinoshita next to me, "Hey. What do you want to talk to Yuigahama about?"
"Do you know what the eighteenth of June is?" Yukinoshita scrutinized me as if this was a test. Her face approached mine so suddenly, I reflexively retreated a step.
"…Well, I know it's not a holiday."
Upon discovering I had no idea, she puffed out her chest just a little proudly and replied, "It's Yuigahama's birthday… I think."
"Really? …Huh? You 'think'?"
"I haven't confirmed it from the source." No surprise there, with her communication skills. "So I want to celebrate her birthday. Even if she will no longer come to the Service Club…I want to express my sincere gratitude for everything she's done for us," Yukinoshita announced as she delicately dropped her gaze, clearly self-conscious. "I see." Thanks to her personality and general perfection, Yukinoshita had been incessantly victimized by the flames of jealousy. Yuigahama was most certainly the first friend she'd ever had. I think she was being honest when she said she was thankful. Though her voice was tinged with resignation, she probably didn't want to lose that friendship.
Agh… This is probably because of something I said to Yuigahama after all, huh? Mildly guilty, I glanced at Yukinoshita. She noticed and squirmed with some discomfort. Oh, she's probably gonna go, Don't look, you're creeping me out or something, I thought, shifting my attention elsewhere before she could say anything.
She cleared her throat, her cheeks slightly red. "Hey, Hikigaya…"
"Uh-huh?" When I turned around to face her, Yukinoshita was clenching her hands to her chest. I guess that audible gulp meant she was anxious. As if trying to redirect attention from her flushed cheeks, she looked through her lashes at me with moist eyes. This was enough to unnerve even me.
Yukinoshita whispered faintly, thinly, as if the words were struggling to leave her throat. "U-um…would you go out with me?"
"…Huh?"
4 Komachi Hikigaya is shrewdly scheming.
It was Sunday. The clear skies provided a brief respite from the rainy season. This was the day of my rendezvous with Yukinoshita. The time was just about ten o'clock on the dot.
I supposed I'd showed up rather early. Apparently, this drastic event had thrown me out of whack. I can't believe I actually heard Yukino Yukinoshita say, I want you to go out with me.
What do I do…? I guess I should turn her down after all. I was confused when she asked me that… The ludicrousness of Yukinoshita's invitation had robbed me of my capacity for rational judgment. I was resisting the urge to clutch my head and yell out Gwaaaaagh! when someone called from behind me.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Yukino Yukinoshita ambled unhurriedly toward me, bringing a refreshing gust of wind along with her. The soft-looking fabric of her skirt gave her a particularly feminine presence. Her ponytails, dancing lightly on the wind, were tied higher on her head than usual. Perhaps that was her weekend style.
"…I haven't been here that long."
"I see. That's good. Well then, let's go." Adjusting the rattan-weave purse on her shoulder, Yukinoshita scanned the area for someone else.
"Komachi just stopped by a convenience store. Wait just a sec."
"I see… I feel bad for making her accompany us on a weekend, though."
"We don't have much choice. If you and I were to get a birthday present for Yuigahama by ourselves, we'd inevitably come up with something awful. Plus, Komachi was happy to come, so it's no big deal."
"Well, I hope you're right…"
And here's the big reveal. What the heck—is this World Great TV?
When Yukinoshita had asked me to go out with her, she'd just wanted me to help her buy Yuigahama a birthday present. And I wasn't even the one she was after. Komachi was who she really wanted.
Well, her logic was sound. Any other time, we would probably rely on Yuigahama for a task like this, but since the present was for Yuigahama, we obviously couldn't solicit her help. And Yukinoshita didn't associate with many people, so Komachi was likely her only other option.
We lingered in silence for about two minutes, and then Komachi returned. Maybe it was because we were joining Yukinoshita today, but Komachi's clothing was rather reserved compared to normal. A summer vest covered a short-sleeved blouse, and underneath that she wore a pleated skirt, knee socks, and loafers on her feet. With that ensemble, she could pass for a classy young rich girl. The newsboy cap sitting lightly atop her head made for a jaunty image. She clasped a plastic bottle of tea in her hands.
"Hey, it's Yukino! Hello!"
"I'm sorry for requesting you to come all this way on a weekend," Yukinoshita apologized.
"No, no! I want to get Yui a birthday present, too, and I'm looking forward to hanging out with you." Komachi grinned brightly. She was quite fond of Yukinoshita in her own way, so I figured she was being honest. But man, ditzy girls do go for Yukinoshita, don't they? Of the people I know, she's the second most popular with girls after Hayama.
"The train's coming soon, so let's go." I urged the pair on, and we strolled toward the turnstiles.
Our destination for the day is famous as a popular date spot for high schoolers in Chiba: the beloved Tokyo Bay LaLaport mall. It's the largest hangout spot in the prefecture, with a variety of shops, a movie theater, and an event hall. In sum, the kind of place I would never go.
The interior of the train was fairly packed. We grabbed onto the handholds above us, and the train shook us around for about five minutes. If it had just been me and Yukinoshita, we probably would have remained silent, but since Komachi was accompanying us that day, she tried several different tactics to start a conversation with the other girl. "Have you already decided what to buy, Yukino?"
"…No. I considered a number of things, but I'm just not certain," Yukinoshita said and huffed a small sigh.
I guess Yukinoshita had been browsing that magazine in the clubroom the other day for ideas. I doubted the two girls would have similar tastes.
"Plus, I've never received a birthday present from a friend, so…" Yukinoshita let the comment slip with a melancholic expression.
The remark turned Komachi's expression slightly despondent as well, and silence fell. She struggled to find something else to discuss.
"Hmph, you really are something. Unlike me—I've actually gotten one before."
"Huh? You're kidding," said Yukinoshita.
What a discourteous way to express your surprise. "I'm not. Why would I fake something like that now?"
Yukinoshita nodded her appreciation of my response. "You're right… That was an injudicious way of putting it. I apologize. I can't doubt you all the time. From now on, my faith in your pathetic nature will never falter."
"Hey, if you think that's a compliment, you're sorely mistaken."
"So what was the present? Would you mind telling me, for my information?" she inquired.
"Corn…"
Yukinoshita's big eyes blinked. "Huh?" she replied, as if her ears had deceived her. "C-corn…"
"What was that?"
"Listen! His family was a bunch of farmers. And FYI, it was really good! My mom steamed it for me!"
"B-Bro, you don't have to get all teary eyed…," said Komachi.
I'm not crying. I am absolutely not crying. This is, you know, my eyes are just watering. "Yeah, back during the summer vacation in fourth grade…"
"Here comes an anecdote…," Komachi commented wearily, but Yukinoshita prompted me to continue with a dip of her head.
"Takatsu came to my house because our mothers were friends or something. It was the first time a classmate had ever visited for my birthday, so I was all worked up. When I opened the front door, he handed me a mysterious object wrapped in newspaper, still straddling his five-speed mountain bike.
"'Today's your birthday, right? My mom told me to give this to you,' he said.
"I replied, 'Th-thanks…'
"...
"'...W-will you come in?'
"'Huh? Uh, I already promised I'd go play at Shin's house.'
"'O-oh…' What the heck. I wasn't invited. I'd thought Shin was my friend, too, so by then I was about to cry.
"Takatsu was like, 'Bye!' and pedaled off on his mountain bike. When I opened the package, I found fresh corn, beaded with the morning dew. Before I could stop it, a salty drop splashed onto the corn, followed by another and another…" I thus concluded my tale.
Yukinoshita sighed softly. "Ultimately, you've never actually received a present from a friend, have you?"
"…You're right! Takatsu and I weren't friends!" I realized I'd been living a lie for the past seven years. Now I was doubting if Shin had been my friend, too.
I guess wringing out the screams of my soul had touched
Yukinoshita, if her distant gaze was any indication. "It's true, though," she mumbled. "Sometimes you acquire relationships through your parents' friendships. The adults gather their children together while they're busy talking… I really wished they wouldn't do that."
"Yeah, they totally did. Kids' clubs and after-school day care were rough. I barely got along with kids my own age, and other grades were there, too. I whiled away the time reading alone… I did pick up quite a few good books thanks to that, though, so it all worked out in the end."
"Most of my memories are of reading, too… I've always enjoyed the literary arts, so it was time pleasantly spent."
"Wh-whoa! I can't believe this good weather!" Komachi exclaimed. Unable to take the suffocating gloom anymore, I suppose, she suddenly found the scenery outside the window particularly fascinating. The blue sky was clear as far as the eye could see, heralding the beginning of summer.
Looks like today's gonna be a hot one.
Immediately after leaving Minami-Funabashi Station, there's an IKEA on the left-hand side. It's a trendy furniture store and one of the more popular spots around here. This region has always had a reputation as a recreation hotspot, and it used to have a giant maze, and after that, an indoor ski hill. This is past tense, of course, because they're no longer there.
Time really does fly. It feels like it's been no time at all, and here I am on the road to adulthood.
Their catchphrase, "Come with no gear at all!" is so nostalgic now. These days it calls to mind unprotected sex. Time really does fly. It feels like it's been no time at all, and here I am on the road to adulthood…
The pedestrian bridge connected directly to an entrance of the shopping mall.
Yukinoshita folded her arms, mulling over the facility map inside the mall. "I'm surprised… It's quite large."
"Yeah," replied Komachi. "It's sorta separated into a bunch of different zones, so it's best to narrow down what you're looking for."
I don't know exactly how big this mall is, but it is the biggest one around here. If you meander around aimlessly, you'll use up the whole day. If we were going to hang out here, we needed to formulate a concrete plan. "That means we need to prioritize efficiency in our search," I said. "I'll take this area." I indicated the right side of the map.
Yukinoshita pointed to the left. "All right, then I'll handle the opposite side."
Great, now we've halved the work. Once we assigned Komachi her target area for maximum efficiency, it'd be perfect. "Then you do this part in the back, Komachi."
"Hold it! " Komachi yanked my finger off the map.
"What? And you're hurting my finger…," I whined.
Komachi sighed at me with a dramatic American shrug, like, Man, this guy just doesn't get it.
Hey, that attitude is obnoxious, you know.
Apparently, I wasn't the only baffled member of our group, since Yukinoshita cocked her head and questioned Komachi. "Is there some kind of problem?"
"You and my brother have to stop automatically doing everything solo. We all got together for this, so why don't we shop around as a group? We can give each other advice that way, so it's better."
"But then we won't be able to consider all the options…," said Yukinoshita.
"That's fine! In my opinion, considering Yui's tastes, we'll be good if we just stick to this area," Komachi said as she took one of the pamphlets from the shelf underneath the map and opened it up. She indicated a block farther in on the first floor hosting a number of shops with names like Love Craft or Lisa Lisa and other things that sounded like cosmic horror or somewhere you'd learn the art of Ripple. I guess the target consumers for that particular cluster of enterprise were teen girls.
"Let's go, then," I said, and Yukinoshita nodded with no objections, either.
And thus, we set off.
The girly district was two or three sections ahead. Along the way, the shops lining the passage sold men's goods, stuff for an indeterminate audience, miscellaneous items, and products from such a multitude of brands as to leave you in awe.
By force of circumstances, I had taken the lead, but usually, I would never visit an enormous shopping mall like this, so I had no idea if we were going the right way. Yukinoshita swiveled her head this way and that, curiously observing our environs with equal uncertainty. But her expression displayed nothing but calm smiles, and at the very least she didn't seem bored. Occasionally, she would stop to inspect some of the wares, but the moment store staff approached, she sensed their impending presence and quietly left.
…Oh, I know that feeling. I really wish they wouldn't try to talk to me when I'm picking out clothes. The employees of clothing stores really ought to learn the art of picking up a loner's Don't talk to me aura. It would be great for business.
Eventually, we reached a fork where we could continue to either the right or left block. On each side was an up escalator. Remembering the map from earlier, I turned back to Komachi and gestured to the right. "Komachi, we just keep going straight down that way, right?" But Komachi wasn't there. "H-huh?" I searched for her everywhere but found nothing.
What I did see was Yukinoshita solemnly squishing a weird stuffed panda with fiendish eyes, sharp claws, and glittering fangs. The plump panda bear was Ginnie the Grue, a popular character from Tokyo Destiny Land. "Grue's Bamboo Hunt" is such a popular attraction, you're bound to wait two or three hours to get in.
Tokyo Destiny Land is a popular and well-known place. Funny enough, it's both the pride of Chiba and a source of deep shame for bearing the name Tokyo despite its location in Chiba. I'm told that it was built in Maihama because that sounds like "Miami Beach" or something. This concludes the Chiba prefecture lesson for today.
"Yukinoshita," I called.
She returned the plush to the shelf without a word and coolly swept back her hair. What? she silently challenged.
Uh, well…nothing, really… Considering her behavior during the recent incident with the cat, not teasing her about this would be the correct choice. "Have you seen Komachi? I think she ran off somewhere."
"Now that you mention it, no, I haven't. Why don't you try calling her?"
"Yeah." I immediately did just that. I was greeted yet again by the unfamiliar jingle. Seriously, why did her cell phone sing? Though the call did go through, Komachi didn't pick up. After I'd waited for a full two loops, I gave up and ended it. "She's not picking up…"
While I had been busy contacting my sister, Yukinoshita's bags had increased by one. Along with her initial rattan-weave purse, she was also grasping a kitschy primary-colored plastic bag. So she bought it, huh…? She must have noticed my mild shock, but she pretended not to as she stuffed her purchase into her purse. In an attempt to steer us back on track, she suggested, "Perhaps Komachi found something that caught her attention. It is indeed tempting to pause for a glance when there's such a wealth of goods on display."
"Yeah, just like you." My gaze moved toward her purse.
Yukinoshita suddenly cleared her throat. "Anyway, Komachi knows our destination, so we should just meet her there. There's no point in dawdling around here."
"Yeah, you're right."
I sent a text to Komachi saying, Call me, you idiot. We're headed to that area you showed us, and decided to move on.
"…So we go right and then straight ahead, right?" I asked to confirm.
But Yukinoshita just stared blankly back. "Wasn't it left?" The correct answer was right.