That night.
As promised, I walked home with Ichikawa, lost consciousness moderately as usual, and after returning, I was relaxing on the living room sofa again. The clock pointed to 10:00 PM.
Just like yesterday, Yuzu's feet were on my lap, and just like yesterday, Yuzu was reading that manga called ‘I Fell in Love Once More.’
“Are you still reading that? Isn’t your progress kind of slow? You’re still on volume 3.”
“No, this is my fourth time through.”
“What, seriously? Is it that interesting? That’s impressive...”
Even so, it seemed her concentration wasn't as high as yesterday since it was her fourth read; she placed the manga on her stomach and asked me a question.
“Hey, Tak-kun, you and Sako-chan are childhood friends, right?”
“Well, yeah...”
Being asked to confirm it again felt somewhat embarrassing.
“Thought so. Real childhood friends are like that, huh?”
Yuzu said, making a thoughtful face with a ‘hmm.’
“What are you talking about?”
“This manga is about falling in love with a childhood friend boy. It shows a lot of childhood friend-like situations, and I was wondering if stuff like that actually happens.”
“For example?”
“Let’s see... ‘walking home from high school together,’ ‘being at the house when you wake up in the morning,’ ‘going to the local fireworks festival together,’ ‘the girl carefully keeping a prize the boy won for her at a shooting gallery’... No, I’m the ‘I-Take-It-Back Girl.’ Whoa, Tak-kun and Sako-chan are doing all of them. It’s a reach! One more and it’s Bingo...!”
“What ‘Bingo’ are you talking about...?”
I gave the wide-eyed ‘I-Take-It-Back Girl’ a cold stare.
Besides, ‘being at the house when I wake up’ was your doing, wasn't it? And how do you know about the shooting gallery prize? Are you the type who remembers things from early childhood?
“And the last one... ‘Being at home at night talking to your sister when a phone call comes, being called out to the station, and for some reason being made to walk her to her house.’”
“What kind of specific situation is that...? That’s obviously—”
Not going to happen, I was about to say.
Right as if to say ‘I won't let you say it,’ my smartphone sitting on the table vibrated.
“Tak-kun, a call! Is it Amane-san again? No! It’s Sako-chan!”
Yuzu, who peeked at the phone, got all excited.
“You’ve got to be kidding...?”
She jerked her chin at me, signaling ‘Answer it.’ I haven't picked up yet, so you can speak normally, Yuzu-chan.
Urged on, I picked up the smartphone.
“...Hello?”
『Ah, Takuto. You picked up. Sorry, can you come to the station now?』
It was her usual style of asking a question without the tone rising at the end.
“...I can, but why?”
『It’s a bit of a pain to explain, but I want you to walk me to my house.』
“I thought so...”
If it had been for any other business, that would have been even more confusing.
『Huh? This is the first time I’ve ever asked for something like this.』
“No, it’s just that I have a book of prophecy here.”
『I have no idea what you’re talking about.』
“Yeah, I figured as much. Well, anyway, I’ll go.”
『Thank you. ...As always, thanks.』
After hanging up the phone while receiving repeated thanks, Yuzu peered into my face.
“...Bingo?”
“...Bingo.”
My sister expressed her joy by raising both hands with a ‘waa!’
“Amazing! What’s the prize?”
“No, in this case, shouldn't I be the one getting a prize? Sako and I are the ones who got the Bingo.”
“Can you buy me some Häagen-Dazs on the way back?”
Don’t naturally ignore my words.
“As if it would be something that expensive. Settle for a Calpis ice bar.”
“I loooove how you say that but then buy the Häagen-Dazs anyway!”
“Yeah, yeah...”
Giving up since no matter what I said it would be useless, I stood up.
...Listen, I know I’m just being used, okay? I’m doing this on purpose, on purpose.
I threw on a hoodie and headed to the station. It was mid-October, and it had finally started getting quite cold.
“Sako.”
I called out to the blonde girl fiddling with her phone outside the ticket gate.
“Ah, Takuto. Thanks.”
“Anyway, did you just get back? Isn’t it late?”
“Sorry.”
“No, even if you apologize to me...”
It’s not like I’m Sako-chan’s papa...
“I know it’s late, but Erina wouldn't let me go.”
“Ah, I see...”
Come to think of it, Erina-san did say she was going to skip club activities with Sako today.
“So, I contacted Papa... my father, and told him ‘I ended up having band practice after club.’”
“No, ‘Papa’ is fine.”
“I see.”
She tilted her head slightly, so I replied, “Yeah.”
“Well, if it’s Takuto, it’s fine. Um, Papa is soft when it comes to music. So he said, ‘Have Takuto-kun walk you home.’”
“Is that so...”
I’ve certainly been trusted a lot. Even though I’m so weak that if delinquents pick a fight with me, I’ll definitely lose.
“Well then, shall we go...?”
“Mhm.”
We left Ichinatsu Town Station and started trudging toward Sako’s house along a dark road with sparse streetlights.
“Anyway, it must be tough being dragged along until this late. Erina-san said she lives close to Kichijoji, so...”
I felt like Erina-san lived somewhere along the Inokashira Line.
“Erina said today might be the last after-school.”
“The last after-school...?”
What’s that? Is Erina-san graduating?
“I couldn't ask her what she meant, but I think... it means the last after-school where we can be normal.”
“What’s up with that...”
It’s probably because tomorrow is the day she hears the answer to her confession to Hazama. But I wonder if things really change that drastically because of it.
“...I kind of understand. Because things can... you know, crumble, with an important friend over something small.”
Sako spoke with difficulty, likely due to the nature of the topic. It’s not that she wanted to dig up the past. Reading her intent, I simply replied, “I see.”
“I,”
Sako whispered softly.
“I hope those two start dating.”
“...Is that so?”
“But I could never tell those two, ‘You should just date.’”
“I guess not.”
Regardless of Erina-san, it would be cruel and disrespectful toward Hazama.
“...I wonder if it really will be the last after-school.”
Just as I was struggling to find an answer to the words whispered in a lonely voice, we arrived in front of Sako’s detached house.
“Mm, we’re already here. ...Thank you, Takuto.”
“O-Oh...”
“Get home safely.”
Illuminated by the porch light, Sako gave a small wave and was about to open the door when,
“Sako,”
I called out to stop her.
“What?”
She took her hand off the door and looked back at me, tilting her head slightly.
“...About what you said earlier. That part about things crumbling with a friend over something small.”
“Ah, yeah.”
‘Continue,’ her gaze seemed to say as she stared at me.
“But... it went back to normal, right? In fact, it’s better than before.”
“............”
“Or at least, that’s what I think...”
Getting nervous because there was no reply, I inadvertently added some timid words.
“............”
“Umm, how about it...?”
Since there was still no answer, I kept rambling on, but after a short while, Sako let out a small ‘fufu’ and laughed out loud.
“If so, I’m happy. ...I’m glad.”
Apparently, she had been remembering the days we had overcome. Seeing her face become much gentler compared to just a moment ago, I felt relieved too.
“Thanks, Takuto. Thank you.”
“Sure.”
“...See ya.”
This time for real, Sako put her hand on the door to open it.
...Wait, huh?
At that moment, I hit upon a certain question.
“Hey, Sako.”
“What?”
In response to the second call, she turned toward me this time with her hand still on the door.
“Do I not need to see Sako’s dad? For, like, an alibi or something...?”
If that wasn't necessary, couldn't she have just come home alone and said, ‘Takuto walked me home’?
“Ah... Takuto is so easy to trick, it’s cute.”
“C-Cute...!?”
I was shaken by the first time I’d ever heard that word used to describe myself.
“I tricked you because I just wanted someone to listen to me for a bit. Tee-hee.”
“No, ‘tee-hee’ isn't something you say with such a expressionless face...”
Talk about a monotone delivery. Anyway, I was tricked...?
“Maybe I’m just good at deceiving people. After all, look,”
With a 0.something millimeter smug look, Sako smiled.
“I have a poker face, right?”
“Yeah, I guess so...”
No, that really is true...