Episode 193: The Birthday Date

Sunday.

The day has finally arrived.

My part-time jobs are all finished, I managed to save even more than I expected, and I bought the present.

The plan started on a whim, but I think the result is pretty good.

Now I just have to enjoy today’s date as much as possible and give her this at the end.

I wonder if Satsukawa-san will be happy… I’m really looking forward to seeing that.

Throb…

「…ugh」

Honestly, I think my right hand is at its limit. It’s finally reached the point where it hurts even when I’m not doing anything. I can feel the pain even now, but maybe it’s too much of a pose to think of it as a badge of honor…

Either way, I want to let it rest for a while.

Glancing at the table, a neatly wrapped box enters my field of vision. The contents are, of course, the locket pendant, and I’ve already put in a photo of my choice for now. After I give it to her, Satsukawa-san can put in whatever photo she likes.

I didn’t have this photo on me, but the content is very meaningful.

I decided it was perfect for this occasion, so I’m really grateful to Mayumi-san…

Rewinding the clock a little…

「Takanashi-san, have you decided on the photo for the pendant?」

「No, to be honest, I didn’t know what would be best, so I was thinking of leaving it up to Sara-san.」

「It’s a special present, so you should use a photo you like, Takanashi-san.」

「I just couldn’t find a photo that seemed quite right…」

I’d looked it up on my own, and it seemed that locket pendants are usually for photos of family or lovers. The thought of putting in a photo of myself crossed my mind for a second, but that felt way too self-conscious.

「Oh, in that case, how about this?」

Following that conversation, the photo Mayumi-san sent me on RAIN is the one inside now.

I don’t know when she took it, but it’s a photo of me hugging Satsukawa-san on that hill that night.

It was night, but the place was lit up, so the picture is actually quite clear.

The moment Satsukawa-san jumped into my arms after hearing my confession… I’ll never forget that moment as long as I live.

I hesitated for a bit, thinking about letting Satsukawa-san choose, but in the end, I decided to put that one in.

…………

Now, it’s about time to head out.

It’s still early for our meeting, but in more ways than one, I have no intention of making Satsukawa-san wait.

I pick up the box from the table, wrap it in a cloth just in case, and put it in my bag. I don’t want the wrapping to get ruined even a little bit.

Alright… this is the culmination of my part-time life!

When I get to the station and check the time, there’s still an hour before the meeting. But an hour goes by in a flash. Just thinking about Sara-san made me feel so happy that I probably looked like a weirdo to the people around me.

As I sat there, periodically watching the path Sara-san would take to get to the station while eagerly awaiting her arrival, my vision suddenly went black.

「Fufu… guess who?」

With my vision blocked, my ears and physical senses seemed to sharpen.

While Sara-san whispered adorably in my ear, I could feel the blissful sensation of her weight pressed against my back.

Combined with the joy of her finally arriving, I couldn’t stop myself from grinning.

「Sara-san…」

When I called out her name, the hands covering my eyes were pulled away, and for a second I was blinded by the sudden light.

「Yes, well done. A reward for Kazunari-san for getting it right!」

Sara-san, who had quickly circled around to my front, leaned in close as if to hug me.

Chu…

Sara-san pulled away after kissing my cheek, and I could finally see her face.

Sara-san seems to have put even more effort into her look today than usual.

She wore a cute white shirt with frills and a collar tied like a ribbon. Her skirt was a high-waisted black long skirt, and her hair was styled a bit differently, flowing toward her chest. The hat perched on her head was, of course, the one I gave her.

Yeah, it’s clear as day that she coordinated her whole outfit to my tastes. I’ve heard it from Sara-san herself and from Natsumi-senpai that she used to prefer plain clothes. Knowing she started wearing clothes like this specifically for me makes me even happier.

「Sara-san, today’s outfit looks really good on you too. You’re cute.」

I told her exactly what I was feeling. I wish I could praise her more skillfully, but unfortunately, this is the best I can do.

「Thank you very much! I’m happy you’re pleased, Kazunari-san!」

Even with my plain compliment, Sara-san looked delighted. Maybe she even picked up on the feelings I couldn’t put into words.

「…Whoa, look at that girl.」

「…That’s insane, she could give idols a run for their money…」

「…Wait, is that guy with her?」

「…They’re totally unbalanced.」

………I knew this would happen from the start, but to people who don’t know us, I guess that’s all I am. In terms of looks, someone would have to be a male idol or a guy like Hayato to match Sara-san.

But I don’t need to feel any inferiority. If I thought of myself that way, it’d be an insult to Sara-san for falling in love with me. It doesn’t matter what the people around us think; how Sara-san feels about me is everything.

「Sara-san, shall we go?」

「Yes, I’ll be counting on you to escort me today, okay?」

Sara-san smiled and naturally leaned against me, linking her arm with mine.

She pressed her face against my arm and let out a happy「Fufu…」.

「…Tch.」

「…Normies.」

And they were just making fun of me a second ago.

Of course, I don’t feel any anger. In the face of Sara-san’s smile, those outsiders don’t feel like anything more than pebbles on the side of the road…

As we headed toward the ticket gates, I pulled two tickets from my pocket.

「Sara-san, here.」

「Thank you very much.」

When I handed her the train ticket, Sara-san accepted it simply.

We both have SAICA cards, but since I decided that I’m paying for everything today, I bought paper tickets.

I thought she might hold back, but knowing her, she probably thought about not embarrassing me… or something like that.

After waiting on the platform for a few minutes, we boarded the train. Since it was Sunday, it wasn’t crowded like a morning commute, but it was still a bit full.

Sitting was obviously out of the question, but I had another reason for securing a spot in the corner near the door and having Sara-san stand against the wall. I took a position that blocked her from view.

The reason was that the second we got on the train, guys started staring at her. She’d frowned uncomfortably, so I decided to block their line of sight.

I worried if she felt cramped being sandwiched between me and the wall, so I asked「Are you okay?」.

「Yes. Ah, but…」

She leaned into me as if she were hugging me.

「If you don’t mind, let’s stay like this…」

Sara-san looked truly happy as she looked up at me.

「「「「「 Tch… 」」」」」

I almost laughed at the way a chorus of tongue-clicks echoed out, even though I’m sure they hadn’t planned it.

If you worry about other people’s jealousy, you’ll never be able to date someone like Sara-san.

「Whoa…」

When we passed through the gate of the main building, the first thing we saw was an underwater tunnel. Dolphins were swimming around gracefully, and Sara-san let out a gasp at the sight.

As she followed the dolphins with her eyes and moved closer to the glass, one of them stopped right by her, seemingly trying to get her attention by nudging the tank.

「Fufu… are you talking to me?」

The dreamlike sight of Sara-san, radiating a Goddess-like aura, combined with the dolphin made even the surrounding guests freeze in a daze.

I made sure to capture the scene on my phone while also burning it into my own memory.

「Does the dolphin like that Onee-chan?」

「I guess so, maybe that dolphin is a boy.」

Hearing that conversation between a parent and child, Sara-san made a slightly troubled expression and spoke to the dolphin.

「I’m sorry, I’m not interested in anyone except the one I’ve chosen in my heart.」

I don’t know if the dolphin actually understood her, but it swayed its body as if giving a reply before swimming off again.

Maybe she noticed I was filming, because Sara-san turned a bit red and jogged over to me, clinging to my arm and hiding her face.

「Honestly… this is embarrassing…」

「No, really, you looked beautiful.」

「…Mean.」

Even though we’d only just entered, we continued on while being exposed to the warm smiles of families and the murderous glares of the men.

We followed the route, looking at each tank one by one.

Sara-san was acting like a kid again, and her excitement made me feel happy just watching her.

Eventually, we reached a space partitioned off by a black curtain. According to the route, it seemed we were allowed inside…

「Is it alright to enter here?」

As if answering her question, other guests stepped out from behind the curtain.

Looks like we can go in after all.

「Let’s go in.」

「Yes!」

…………

「「…………」」

The two of us stood there in silence, as if we’d lost our voices.

A massive tank, much taller than us, was filled with a huge number of pale, glowing jellyfish drifting aimlessly, creating an indescribably mystical scene.

As we were being moved by the sight, Sara-san reached out and grabbed my hand as if it were a reflex while she stared at the tank.

「……ugh」

I desperately fought to keep from making a sound.

Luckily, Sara-san was captivated by the tank and didn’t notice my reaction.

Endure it, me! Don’t make a sound!

As she settled into holding my hand, I felt the pain start to subside along with it.

Phew… I can manage this.

「I never really had an opinion on jellyfish before, but they create such a mystical sight, don’t they?」

「Yeah, I’m so moved I can’t even put it into words.」

I feigned composure as I replied, and Sara-san looked at my face happily before her expression turned to one of confusion.

「Oh? Kazunari-san, don’t move, okay?」

She took a handkerchief from her bag with one hand and wiped the sweat from my forehead.

I’d been sweating without even realizing it. It was probably a cold sweat from the pain…

「There, that’s better. Was it hot?」

「I didn’t even notice it myself.」

「Is that so? Well, shall we head out of here for now?」

With that, Sara-san gripped my hand again.

「………ugh」

「…?」

I panicked for a second thinking she noticed, but Sara-san’s gaze wasn’t on my face, but on my hand.

「……u. Come on, Kazunari-san, let’s keep moving.」

Hearing Sara-san’s voice as she regained her composure, I felt a wave of relief that she hadn’t seen my face.

「(The palm of his hand is hard… and I felt something like a bump or swelling… could he be injured? I’m sure it’s for my sake… Kazunari-san… No, right now, I haven’t noticed anything yet!)」