C16 – Unlucky Summer Vacation ◇ Hiria

The cicadas were chirping. It was morning.

It was the morning of summer vacation.

Even though it was summer vacation, I didn’t have much to do. For the past few days, I’ve just been watching stupid comedy movies on video-on-demand all day long.

The day started with a really bad chain of events, with everything going wrong.

First of all, my father told me that he was going to a work-related party where the whole family would be staying overnight and that I should come too. I don’t want to go to a party. It’s the kind of party where you don’t even get a bowl of beef. I’m sick of it.

“There’s nothing to do even if I go!　You can go without me!”

I was half pissed off and ran out of the house, lying that I had plans to hang out with my friends. It’s a pain even for a day trip, but an overnight stay is horrible.

I came out of the house wearing my sister’s hand-me-down dress, or perhaps a dress that had become mine before she had even worn it once. All my clothes are hand-me-downs like this. I’m a lot shorter than my sister, so the length is a little longer, but oddly enough, the waist is perfect.

I thought about where to kill time and decided to explore the station I had gotten off at once before and play by myself. It’s important to switch things up. Okay, let’s play.

I arrived at the station and looked around the shopping district.

The sky was blue with clouds. The chirping of the cicadas.

It was a painfully bright summer vacation morning.

I bought and ate some fried buns on the street, and went into a grocery store without any reason, and had a great time. The last time I came here, there was a tofu shop selling tofu on a cart, but I couldn’t find it today. Oh well, I’ll definitely buy some from the natto shop.

After a short walk through the shopping district, it started to rain. Heavy rain. From this point on, my day, which I thought I’d managed to change, began to look very doubtful.

I hadn’t thought about the rain at all, so I didn’t have an umbrella with me, and I was soaked in no time.

Ugh, my clothes are a little transparent. I had to go to the convenience store and buy an umbrella. I found a sign that looked like one in the opposite direction of the road I came from, and when I hurried to it, I found that it had gone out of business.

When I finally entered the convenience store, which for some reason I could not find only when I was looking for it, the rain had stopped. I was left alone, soaking wet, in a place far from the station.

I guess I’ll just have to go home. As I was walking along, a lump of raindrops from the streetlight hit my forehead. I really have no reflexes.

As I staggered along, rubbing my eyes because I couldn’t see what was in front of me, the fence of a nearby building was broken, and I caught my shoulder opening on it, causing my dress to tear a little with an unpleasant screeching sound.

I couldn’t believe it.

I feel like I’m not keeping up very well. Even though I had come a long way. The chain of misfortunes was so long that it was like a comedy. But I was still able to smile at this point.

My weak smile froze when I realized that a strange man was following me. That guy with the hat, he’s moving along for quite a distance, but he has been following me. Probably. This is not funny.

Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but I feel weird. So I’ll just lose him. So I started to walk faster, and I twisted my foot on a step and fell. I scraped my calf on the ground, and a thin layer of blood oozed out.

My heart was racing…Ah, this might be the kind of thing that would swell later.

I managed to hold back the pain and staggered to my feet. As I did so, that suspicious uncle followed me as if he were chasing me. I felt really uncomfortable.

I couldn’t wait for him to give up. Considering the narrow, deserted road that leads back to the station, I’d like to get rid of him sooner.

When I entered the coffee shop I saw that man was staring at me through the window. But eventually, he walked in and sat down at the nearest available seat.

What should I do? This is definitely a dangerous person.

I tried to call home, but my family was away at a party, so there was no one there.

There were probably many ways I could have done this, but I was in such a hurry that I felt like I couldn’t even think straight.

I wanted to rely on someone. But there was no one I could rely on. When I thought of this, a person came to my mind.

I remembered what Nekura-kun had almost said to me once when I told him about this city.

He said, “That’s my neighborhood.”

In the first place, I thought he lived in this city, which is why I came here to visit him today.

I want to see you, Nekura-kun. I need your help.

I don’t need you to do anything, just be with me right now. I’m afraid and I’m scared. I wonder if he will come if I call him. So I took out my phone.

I don’t even know her face. I can’t do this.

It’s possible that the friendship we’ve made till now will come to nothing.

Still, Nekura-kun is the only friend I have.

I made a text and tried to click the send button.

That uncle was still staring at me, but suddenly he held up his phone. Maybe he was taking a picture. The thought gave me goosebumps. In disgust, I left my seat and hurried out of the store.

Why are you following me again? It’s really disgusting.

The blood rushed to my head, and I hurriedly walked around in a mess, trying to get around without going anywhere. I looked around for a police box or something, but I was in such a hurry that I couldn’t find it, and I ended up on a slightly deserted street.

The sound of footsteps behind me suddenly increased in pace.

When I turned around, I saw that uncle approaching at a fast pace. I wanted to run as well, but I was exhausted and my twisted leg was hurting. I could only stagger forward.

If I kept going like this, he would catch up with me.

Just as my mind went blank, a cart slid into space between him and me with such force that it hit him in the stomach and legs and he stopped with a “gefu.”

After that, a tofu maker with a scarf on his head came and stood between me and the pervert.

“Don’t come any closer. I’ll call the police!”

The tofu maker blew his trumpet menacingly.

The pervert stared at the tofu maker.

The Tofu man pulled out a nobori that he had plugged into the cart and held it up. Regardless of whether it was a weapon or not, the man clicked his tongue and went away. The tofu shop owner and I watched motionlessly until the pervert was out of sight.

 (TN: Nobori – It’s a Japanese banner)

A breeze blew, and the tofu shop’s nobori swayed.

I collapsed to my knees on the spot.

The tofu shop owner let out a “ha~” and put the nobori back in place. Then he called out to me.

“Saionji-san, are you okay?”

“Eh.”

The person who removed his scarf and revealed himself was Sakura-kun.

“T, thank you ……!　Thank you!”

“Are you okay…?　Did he do something to you?”

Sakura-kun looked at me with pained eyes as my clothes were torn and my calves were bleeding. He might be imagining something more than what happened.

“Ah, He was just chasing me the whole time, he didn’t do anything to me.”

“That’s good…”

“I’m sorry. Can you give me your hand?”

I sank back and couldn’t get up. When I reached out, Sakura-kun wiped his hands on his apron and then helped me up.

My legs were throbbing with pain.

“What are you doing… dressed like that?”

“Part-time job. Do you want to go to the police?”

“…I want to go home now…”

I thought it would be better to go to the police if I could, but I was too exhausted and didn’t want to be detained any longer today. There was no damage after all, and I don’t think they could do anything about it.

I glanced at Sakura-kun.

A classmate that I don’t get along with much, if at all. The idol of the school year. And he’s working part-time. There’s no way I can rely on this person anymore. It’s a good thing that he was able to get rid of the pervert.

I said, “Well, thank you so much,” bowed and started to walk away.

My foot was throbbing. After I calmed down, it started to hurt more and more. I staggered a little.

After a while, I heard a rattle behind me, and when I turned around, Sakura-kun was chasing after me.

“Sa, Saionji-san, aren’t you going to call someone from home?　You should call them. I’ll wait with you until they come.”

I shook my head in silence. I felt like I was going to cry if I said anything. I bit my lip. I bowed and started walking towards the station.

“Wait… You’re bleeding… I don’t know what happened to your clothes… but I can’t leave you alone.”

“Bu, but…”

Sakura-kun grabbed my hand as if he had made a bold move. Then, in an instant, he quickly let go. He looked me straight in the eye and said, “I’m sorry”.

“Saionji-san, you may hate me, but just for now, let me help you…”

“…….”

My heart was filled with so many thoughts and feelings, yet I couldn’t think straight, only tears came out.

Sakura-kun said, “This way,” and pulled the cart toward the station. When I still couldn’t move, he left the cart and came back.

“I’m sorry, I’ll be touching you.”

He pulled me by the wrist and I started to stagger.

“My feet hurt…”

I moaned and he let go of my hand. Then he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed somewhere. He said something like, “Good work,” so maybe he’s calling his part-time job.

The wind blew again, and I was in a daze, not picking up his words from the middle of the call.

Sakura-kun, who had hung up the phone, looked at me again.

“Look, Saionji-san, I know you’re not going to like this very much, but it’s faster if I give you a piggyback ride…”

“Uu….. I’m heavy and damp. It’s unpleasant right, I’m sorry.”

I said in a nasal voice and hugged Sakura-kun who got into a piggyback position and piggybacked me.

“It won’t be long. Just be patient.”

After being told that, we reached our destination in less than five minutes. I thought we were going to the station, but he dropped me off a little before.

When I looked up, there was an old store in front of me.

It said, “Shokudo Sakura” (Restaurant Sakura) on it.

Sakura-kun opened the door and went inside, where he was greeted by a cheerful “Irasshaimase”. (TN: Welcome)

“Oh my Souji, what happened to your part-time job?”

“Mom, I’m going to take over the store, so can you give her a bath?　Also, her foot is hurt.”

“Oh my, her clothes are torn. Souji, don’t tell me you…”

“That’s not me!　I didn’t ask what happened, but we’re classmates!”

Sakura-kun said, and I was driven to his house by car, which seemed to be a short distance from the store.

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TN: Hero time…!

IMPATIENT MTL READER

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