Volume 4 Chapter 7 (1/2)
They say the population of Tokyo is going down, but I think overcrowding is a bigger problem in some areas than others, because there're tons of people in some places and almost no one in others
Really, if you go to place that's just a housing district, it's quiet, like the world just ended, so despite walking al I crossed paths as a stray cat
Maybeto hatsu of which, the postal services are probably on break, too, so the New Year's cards wouldn't be sent out today
The bus routes that were so clogged with traffic during work days only had a few household cars passing by, and even those cars were sparse, so the streets were quiet Even the air felt like it was trying to vanish
Only I aiting at the bus stop
I looked right, at the direction the bus was supposed to co
I lowered the shoulder-bag that hung over ht shoulder on the bench, and then sat down The timetable for New Year's was a sheet of dyer paper pasted over the usual plastic ti at it This bus route went between JR Station and the private railway tracks, and because it went through a nus and picked up and dropped off people from schools, apartments and hospitals, it rarely matched up with the schedules
(I wonder if father and otten to Yamanashi+ by now)
I cradled the box of pastry on ht it Because I was intruding in on soht three boxes of the sa one to me and one to Yuuki, and then departed These days, the number of department stores open on New Year's Day had increased
Yuuki departed one step ahead and was lightly packed I think all he took was a paper bag with the box of pastry Men have it easy
(Oh yeah, Yuuki said he was staying at Kobayashi+-kun's house?)
He's a lively, nice kid Well, we're the saly, in nee-san mode, and that reminded me of the New Year's card, the one with the familiar name
However
(Huh…?)
Because it was after a night's sleep, I couldn't re about the name, much less what kanji it may have been made up with
(Huess I'll start from ”A”)
Aikawa, Aizawa, Aida … Oh jeez this'll take forever
Just as I thought it probably wouldn't have started with an A, the bus ca plate on its front end
It was ot off at that stop, so I was able to find a seat
(Iida, Ikeuchi, Itakura-)
The roads were empty, so the bus went smoothly, like a monorail at an amusement park
(Ueki, Usami, Uchida, Umezu-)
The temple you could see fro from stretched-out, thin ropes, and you could even see the temple festival carts
The te on the circulation bus that left M Station and went to Lillian Girls' Academy, I wondered if that one was also like this on New Year's Temples dressed up on New Year's quite a bit, so it was a bit like Maria-sa the Maria festival
(Etou, Enatsu, Enoki, Endou-)
While I did that, the bus reached the north exit of M Station It usually took twenty minutes, but it only took at ot off the bus and looked around, I noticed there were still a lot of people wearing kimono, because it was still the first three days of the new year
(Oikawa, Ooki, Okano…)
-Ogasawara
My heart skipped Maybe I could see her today, I thought, and even ht, as I tried to cliasawara's O)
-Ogasawara Ogasawara Sachiko
It'd been a quick three months since we'd performed the sœur ritual Yet, I still didn't feel ”cal my sailor scarf tied had beco used to that But Sachiko-sama would always do the unexpected, and that would subsequently leave ure out how to respond
Walking while holdingone of the ribbons in my hair
Sachiko-saht not realize how I beco like that
There were many people in front of the convenience store I was told to wait at, but no one I recognized
(Did I arrive too early?)
There were more than twenty minutes left until the tiht come, in the meantime, I stood in front of the convenience store instead of waiting inside I wanted to see sonize quickly I wanted to welcome everyone
(Okuyaam, Osada, Oda, Onizuka)
I was bored, so I resu quiz
(-Onda)
But htly stirred It probably was from the A-line Just as I was about to start down the K's, the automatic door behind me whizzed open I tried to instinctively turn around, but the person who came out of the convenience store ay too fast, as that person embraced me
”Gyauh!”
”… You sound like the child of a monster”
Sounding exasperated, the ”degenerate” loosed her arms that had been wrapped around me from behind
”After all, you are a Lillian student, so you should at least tone that down to 'Kya'”
She didn't even need to look That voice, and the feel of those arms
”Rosa Gigantea-!”
When I spun around and knocked Rosa Gigantea's ar, so elated I was to see her It'd just been a week, but it felt so nostalgic
”Alright! Happy New Year's!”
Rosa Gigantea opened a bag of candy ht at this convenience store,” with its logo'd tape, then reached in, grabbed a handful and stuffed it into my pocket
”Ah, gochisousama”
I bowed
”Eat it whenever you feel like it”
”But how about everyone else's share?”
A handful of candy
”Oh don't worry about it, I bought it for Yumi, the sweets-lover”
Rosa Gigantea unwrapped a maccha candy, tossed it into herand smartly stuffed it into her own pocket I wondered if she'd bought the candy, and then didn't feel like holding onto it, leading to the sharing After all, she only had a s, so there was nowhere for her to put it
”What-?”
Rosa Gigantea glared back lightly, like she was scolding me, for my ill-mannered stare at her
”Ah, sorry, it's the first tiantea in casual clothes, so it feels like it's so really fresh”
”Mmm”
Maybe she took care of the hair ends today, because her features looked especially sharp She wore dark brown boots to go with her cara coat And she casually wrapped a condensed- really like an adult… or entleman from outside the country It was cool
”Yumi-chan, you look cute, your navy duffle coat suits you well”
”Eh, oh, hardly, I'antea's expensive coat”
What was I hurriedly returning a compliment for? And who uses such a cheap term like ”expensive” in such a situation, anyways? -As I depressed myself, I flicked my own forehead In this sort of situation, Sachiko-sama would just smile and say, ”Thank you”
But this was Rosa Gigantea ”Yup, it was expensive It's cashed my parents to buy it for me A combined Christift, too”
Rosa Gigantea was just as cheap I felt like I ith an associate
”But, dang, Yu is stuffed Do you have your pajae of clothes in there?”
She sniffed Gosh, she's totally like a perverted old man
”… Yes, I do”
Plus, s like that Personally, I thought Rosa Gigantea's setup was the bigger question Because ere sleeping over, and not at a hotel, but at a hoht?
”But you caht?”
I asked, while distancing antea
”Nope, I came by vroom vroom”
Vroo ”car” Gosh, an old antea really needed to pick
”But there's no bus froot driven by your parents? Hoonderful”
”What, Yumi-chan, you want to ride a car?”
(… No, that's not it…)
I think Rosa Gigantea's wrong, here But if I were to try to correct her, I'd end up confused, so I decided against it
Sa
Sa is Satou's as
Satou Sei -Also known as Rosa Gigantea
”Okay, let's get going, then”
When I reached into antea said that, despite it being before thetime
”Eh, what, but…”
I was about to ask about the other people, but she dragged ate
”Did I ever say anyone else was co?”
”Huh?”
”All I said was, let's go on a date”
”Eh!?”
”Fufufu Gotcha, Yumi-chan”
Rosa Giganteasound and terrified me
”B, but, didn't you say lodging…?”
I asked, frightened
”One stick is still called a carrot Two people is still lodging”
(Eek…)
”G, good bye”
I turned around
”Oh dear Do you think I'd actually let go of prey that easily?”
Rosa Gigantea grinned, as she dragged me back
”Yumi-chan, you're sooooo cuuuuuuute There there, let's go somewhere nice, with onee-san'
”Please have mercy!”
Usually this would be when Sachiko-sama showed up … However
”Searching for Sachiko is futile She's at hoht nooow”
”Then, seriously?”
”Yuht?”
”Stooooop”
I squirantea whispered intome like a doll
”Hey! Didn't Sachiko teach you? When you act like that, it just serves to please me”
(… She antea)
And I' scolded by Sachiko-sa?
”-Anyways, leaving sexual harassment at this…”
After touching antea either becao coer
”Let's get going”
I feel like I heard her say that just a o I hope this person doesn't intend to repeat every action since then
”Coo”
Rosa Gigantea went down the steps, first
”Yumi-chan, hurry up”
(Ahhh!)
That's when I realized The ti” and the second ”let's get going,” Rosa Gigantea intended to act innocently, like nothing ever happened
”Rosa Gigantea, you're sneaky!”
I caught up to Rosa Gigantea and lightly whacked her ar in my pocket
I won't be deceived by this!
Rosa Gigantea, under the guide of a ”date,” took me to the temple by the school
”Wow, Rosa Gigantea! Are you an ESPer!?”
”What are you saying?” We got off of the circulation bus and walked under the shrine archway As I expected, festival carts lined up either side of the shrine pathway The burning smell of soy sauce drifted in the air
”Squid? Or corn?”
”We can do that later, let's go pull our fortunes”
Rosa Gigantea was very far froious, so it was surprising, until I realized at least part of her reasoning was for ”checking out the goods” Because she went in line for the prettiest shrine est line
”So we really did go on a two-person date”
I mumbled, as we lined up for the fortunes For a moment I still had a sliver of hope that Yoshi+no-san and Rei-sa for us here
shi+
shi+mazu Yoshi+no
”Yoshi+no-chan and Rei are in Hakone for New Year's”
”Hakone?”
”With their families It was Yoshi+no-chan's wish, because she's healthy”
”Hakone?”