<Author's Comment>
This is a story set between the time the lyrics for Kyousou were completed and the school festival.
After finishing the practice for the amane performance group at the studio, Sako and I were swayed by the train as we returned to Ichinatsu Town.
As we stepped onto the station platform,
"Iii-shiyaaa-kiiimooooo—"
That familiar song (?) echoed from the road along the tracks all the way to the platform.
(It doesn't really matter, but don't you think 'Iii-shiyaaa-kiiimooooo—' could be played back in Erina-san's voice? No? Not really? Okay, never mind then.)
"Roasted sweet potato."
Sako pointed beyond the fence.
"Yeah, I guess it's already September..."
I ended up giving a reply that sounded like an old man.
"Takuto, let's eat some."
"Nah, I'm good. I won't be able to eat dinner."
"Just come on."
With that, Sako grabbed my sleeve and started marching toward the ticket gate.
Exiting the gate and leaving the station building, I watched Sako’s profile from a slight angle behind her as she headed straight toward the scent of roasted sweet potatoes. I could see the corners of her mouth turning up just a little.
"Sako, did you always like roasted sweet potatoes this much?"
"Yeah."
Sako stopped when I asked.
With the setting sun at her back, she looked back at me and tilted her head slightly.
"Takuto, don't you remember?"
"Remember what?"
When I asked back, Sako curled her lips into a slight pout, muttered a small "I see," and started walking slowly again. My sleeve was still held by her grumpy left hand.
"Remember that potato digging event in early elementary school? The one where everyone dug up sweet potatoes."
"Ah, yeah, we did have something like that..."
How nostalgic. We definitely had an event where the whole grade went to a field somewhere, pulled up potatoes like that 'Giant Turnip' picture book, and got covered in mud.
"And then, after we got back to school, we made a bonfire and ate the roasted potatoes together, right?"
"Yeah, I kind of remember that."
When I said that, Sako gave a small nod while looking ahead.
"I think that was the first time I ever ate a roasted sweet potato, and it was so delicious that I finished mine immediately. You see, I was small back then, so the teacher gave me a tiny one."
"I told you, don't call them 'the teacher' like that..."
I don't think many students call elementary school teachers 'senkou', but I understood what Sako was saying.
Even though Sako is a bit on the tall side for a girl now, she used to be quite small and was always near the front when lined up by height.
"Since I was finished and had nothing to do, I was staring intently at Takuto while he was eating."
Wait, don't watch people eat just to kill time...
"Then, Takuto noticed me looking and asked, 'Want some potato?'"
"Huh..."
What's that? How kind of me.
"When I asked if it was okay, another boy in class came over. Thinking back, he probably wanted more too. He told me that if I ate too many sweet potatoes... well... that 'thing' would come out."
"That thing...?"
What 'thing'? A ghost?
"If you eat a lot of sweet potatoes, that 'thing' that comes out..."
She looked awkward as she hid her mouth with her blonde hair.
"Ah..."
I see. Don't suddenly act all shy now; it makes it sound unnecessarily lewd instead...
As I made a fed-up face,
"I mean, do you really not remember? Even after I've said this much?"
She glared at me.
"Ah, yeah... I don't?"
"Hmph."
She shut her mouth after that.
"...Wait, what? What happened to the potato in the end?"
"I don't know."
"There's no way you don't know, right?"
Sako looked away and sped up again. Even though I didn't particularly want to eat roasted sweet potato, I quickened my pace to keep up with her.
Before long, we reached the roasted sweet potato truck.
"Mister, one roasted sweet potato, please."
Sako said as she handed a 500-yen coin to the owner, who looked more like a grandpa than just a 'mister'.
"Coming right up! You're a real beauty, young lady! I'll give you this biggest one as a service."
"Thank you."
Sako accepted it without a smile despite the compliment, while the grandpa smiled at her like someone doting on a cat that wouldn't warm up to them.
"Sorry, her communication skills are a bit..."
"I definitely don't want to hear that from Takuto."
I soothed the grumpy Sako as we thanked the old man and started to leave the truck.
"Young man," he called out.
"Y-Yes?"
The sweet potato vendor gave me a bright smile, gave a thumbs up, and declared,
"Don't ever let her go, okay?"
...Wait, that's a really sensitive topic right now!
"Mister, you say some good things."
Sako gave a rare, mischievous grin as she replied with something awkward.
"Thanks for the potato!"
I couldn't stand the embarrassment, so I pushed Sako's back and hurried away from there.
We both sat down on a marble bench along the road.
"'On the way home from school, watching the trains pass by many times... watching the sun set on the platform'..."
Sako Hasu was... singing something...
It seemed her previous bad mood hadn't just settled because she got the potato; she had suddenly become quite cheerful. Well, that's good then.
While singing, Sako peeled back the aluminum foil and opened her mouth wide.
"Hey, Sako...!"
I realized it too late. Before I could stop her, Sako bit into the roasted sweet potato.
"Hot!"
She stuck out the tip of her tongue.
"Sako, you have a sensitive tongue, so blow on it before you eat..."
"...Yeah, thanks."
"No, I'm not looking for thanks..."
Even though she burned her tongue, Sakosh's face was flushed. Is she okay?
"Hey, Takuto, you eat some too."
"I'm fine. Yuzu will scold me if I can't eat dinner..."
"Just eat it."
As she said that, she thrust the half-eaten potato toward me.
"I mean, this is... originally..."
"Originally, what?"
"Ah, no..."
I was about to say it's an indirect kiss, but I felt like bringing up 'indirect' things now would spark a conversation about 'direct' things, so I kept my mouth shut.
Did her bad mood return because I was being awkward? Her expression became slightly grumpy again.
"Even though you care about stuff like that, you don't remember that day we went potato digging," she accused me. Stuff like what...?
"No, I mean, you can't expect me to remember every single scene from daily life when we were that small..."
"It wasn't just a scene from daily life."
With a sullen expression, she said,
"It was my first indirect kiss."
"O-Oh...?"
While feeling confused, I asked,
"So... so, Sako, you ate my potato back then?"
When I asked for confirmation—not that it mattered much now—Sako gave a firm nod.
"That's why I want to return the favor. Take a bite."
Her gaze was unusually serious.
"Alright, I'll have a bite..."
I bowed my head slightly and took a bite from the spot Sako offered.
"Hot..."
The fluffy texture almost burned my tongue too, but as expected of a roasted sweet potato, after one bite...
"It's good..."
"I'm glad. I was able to return it."
Sako looked satisfied as she watched me chew the fluffy potato.
"What? The potato? Did you really want to return it that badly?"
I asked with a furrowed brow.
"That too, but that's not it... You really don't remember at all."
She tilted her head in disbelief.
"I said I'm sorry..."
When I apologized, Sako shook her head as if to say it was fine.
"Back then, Takuto, you said something."
"What did I say?"
"'Even if Sako farts, it won't change the fact that we're friends, so just eat it.'"
"Ah, I see..."
What's that? Young Takuto-kun was quite the suave guy. ...Wait, was he?
"And because of that, the nickname the girls gave you was the Sweet Potato Prince."
"Wait, seriously?"
Sako nodded.
It was a shocking new fact from ten years ago. Well, I guess it's better than being called the Fart Prince... No, it's not really better.
"So, don't worry. I'm the same way."
"About what?"
"No matter what you're like from now on,"
Sako said in a gentle voice.
"It won't change the fact that I'm your friend."
The autumn evening sun shone gently and strongly upon Sako as she smiled with heartfelt happiness.