After school, I headed to the second library after seeing the message that Hiria-chan got in first.
Hiria-chan, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, said cheerfully, “I’ve made a friend!”. When she’s happy, I’m also soothed. I’m glad.
“It’s a girl from another class, but we get along really well.”
“Why Hiria-chan didn’t have one before is more of a mystery to me. I’m really glad.”
“Ah, that’s fine! I haven’t heard from you lately, how have you been?”
“I read Hiria-chan’s email, burst out laughing, and submerged my phone in the bath with the force of it.”
“Ah, I-is that so?”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t buy a new one. I left a note here just in case.”
“Eh? Where?”
I felt Hiria-chan stand up on the other side of the room.
“It’s on the bookshelf over there, on the shelf where you can see it when you stand up.”
She seemed to be searching for a while but eventually found it.
“Oh! It’s true! There it is! It’s popping out fancily, like a bent bookmark.”
“In the end, you didn’t notice it huh…”
“I mean, Nekura-kun, from my perspective, I can’t see the top of this section of the book very well. The spine, or rather the author’s name, is right in front of me.”
“Ah.. sorry.”
I made the mistake of putting it where I could see it most easily.
“You’re taller than I thought you’d be…”
“N-no, I’m not even two meters, which is pretty common.”
I don’t know why I declare that I’m not 2 meters tall, even though I’m not expected to be. I should probably mention that I’m not muscular, but then I thought of something else to say first.
“That’s right. Thanks for the cookies.”
“Eh, ah! Yes!”
“Soybean (daisu)!”
“Soybean?”
“I stepped on the ‘S’ because I didn’t notice it. But I ate it properly. It was really good.”
“Eh, Ah… S … DAI…SU?”
For some reason, the response I got was not great. There was a bit of silence. I wondered if I had said something unnecessary, and as I thought about it, I heard Hiria-chan shuffling around on the other side of the room.
A few moments later, with a voice saying, “Ah, there it is,” two small plastic items were thrown from the top of the bookshelf.
I caught one with each hand and saw that it was a cookie with the letters “K” and “I” on it.
“I don’t think it can be eaten anymore… Actually, with those, it is complete.”
“Eh, where does this go on the DAISU?”
“Not Soyabean (Daisu), but ‘DAISU’ and then ‘KI’.”
“h-huh?”
“Daisuki.” (TN: Love/like it/you a lot)
“you mean, soybean?”
“No, Nekura-kun.”
“Eh…”
“I like you, Nekura-kun.”
I thought about the meaning of the word for a while and then a “Higu?” kind of hiccup came out.
“When I couldn’t see you anymore, I understood that it was better to tell you.”
I like you.
Like?
I was dazed. As my eyes were turning blank, Warako-chan quickly appeared. She hit me on the head with a powerful slap.
[Gross! You’re too creepy Souji-kun! She’s just talking as a friend, but what are you getting excited about! You made me vomit straws even though… I can’t usually vomit! You’re gonna get reported!]
I-I know. Without even knowing my face or name, it’s crazy to think that she’s talking about romantic love.
“Nekura-kun?”
“Ha, yes! I’m alive.”
“Is it weird to do that without even knowing your face or your name?…”
“You can be friends without knowing face or name.”
“…What about being lovers?”
“…”
O, Oi! Warako-chan! Warako-chan?
The story flow seems to be different from our expectations… What should I…?
Whenever it becomes inconvenient, warako-chan goes back to being just a straw girl and goes cathartically silent.
Eventually, Hiria-chan started apologizing, “S-sorry!”, and I replied, “Uwa, I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” and apologized to her.
“Ah, The sorry just now wasn’t meant as a reply! I’m saying sorry for my silence! I’m sorry I couldn’t run my brain around fast enough! I’m sorry I was born! That’s what I meant by sorry!”
“U-understood…”
“M-me too …Hiria-chan…”
That was all I could say, but I couldn’t vocalize the rest.
But as I was thinking that I would be able to convey the idea with ” Me too”, I received a request that she wants to hear the rest as well.
I tried to form my mouth into that shape several times, but when I tried to make a sound, my cheek muscles instantly stiffened.
I made a few puppet-like movements on the spot and exhaled.
“Hiria-chan, I’m ashamed to admit it, but I’ve never told a girl that I liked her.”
“Mm. Even I haven’t told a guy before.”
“…I can’t do this without practicing beforehand. It’s too embarrassing. I’m picturing it… but I’m too nervous to say it.”
My face is hot to the ears. I wondered if I could get a break from this for today. As I was thinking this, I heard Hiria-chan’s voice going, “Hmmm” as she started thinking.
“Then let’s practice.”
“Eh, practice?”
“Yes, I’ll say it, and you repeat it back to me.”
“Ye-yes?”
As I wondered what she meant, she said slowly and clearly in a cute voice:
“I like Nekura-kun.”
“…”
“I like Nekura-kun a lot!”
Damn. My mind had gone blank again. Does this mean I should respond back in the same way?
“…sh”
I couldn’t make a sound. I couldn’t speak at all, I thought there was something stuck in my throat.
“I like you the most in the world, Nekura-kun!”
“…Gga”
“I like you, Nekura-kun! I like you a lot!”
“…su!” (TN: su from suki which means “love you”)
“You’re amazing, Nekura-kun! You can say “Su”! You’re so cool!”
I’m being spoiled like crazy.
Only a one-year-old or the current me would be praised for saying the word “Su”.
The sweet torture continued from there.
“I like the way you talk, Nekura-kun.”
“Hi-su.”
“But most of all, I like your personality.”
“Hiri…ch…”
My brain is getting more and more debauched, and I can’t even say her name anymore, which I usually can. “Great, Great.. You’re almost there. It’s amazing”. I was overly encouraged again.
The bookshelves were a row of large wooden ones, but there was only one simple, small pipe one on the aisle side. The bookshelves were also full of books, but they were high enough to block the view.
Hiria-chan suddenly said, “Ah, that’s right,” and pulled out two books from the bottom shelf of the small pipe bookcase. Then she pulled out three more small books with their spines facing me. This left me with a hollow space. In this position, she can’t see my face, unless she peeked in. But if she wanted to go to the trouble of doing that, she could just pull out the middle book.
As I was looking at it, a beautiful, thin, white hand came out of it.
Kosodenote. No, this is not the time to be associating names with youkai. (TN: Kosodenote: A youkai that manifests as ghostly hand)
“Yes, shake hands.”
“Sh-shake hands?”
I repeated it back.
Hiria-chan impatiently twitched her hands there.
“A-Are you sure?”
“Is there anything wrong with this in this situation? I’m on all fours. It’s hard. Hurry up.”
“Wait a minute.”
I scrubbed my hands on the edge of my uniform.
But the sweaty palms kept coming back, so I had to keep scrubbing.
Hiria-chan’s fluttering hands began to bang on the floor. Oh no. She’s getting impatient.
“S-sorry…”
“Enough with the apologies! Do it now.”
“Sorry about this…”
Gently, I put my hand over hers and she squeezed it tightly.
Soft… And small.
I tried to let go immediately, but it was squeezed tightly.
“H-hiria-chan…?”
“Physical substance is there… You really do exist…”
“Yes, I do. Sorry.”
“I like you…”
I can’t remember anything after that moment when the girl I like held my hand and said: “I like you”.
My consciousness exploded.
My consciousness flew high into the sky, drifted through space, and fell onto the ocean in Florida, shimmering, scattering, and dissolving.
The ocean was shining and sparkling so beautifully.
Dazzling.
So beautiful.
Florida is the best.
This is my memory of that day.
After school, I headed to the second library after seeing the message that Hiria-chan got in first.
Hiria-chan, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, said cheerfully, “I’ve made a friend!”. When she’s happy, I’m also soothed. I’m glad.
“It’s a girl from another class, but we get along really well.”
“Why Hiria-chan didn’t have one before is more of a mystery to me. I’m really glad.”
“Ah, that’s fine! I haven’t heard from you lately, how have you been?”
“I read Hiria-chan’s email, burst out laughing, and submerged my phone in the bath with the force of it.”
“Ah, I-is that so?”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t buy a new one. I left a note here just in case.”
“Eh? Where?”
I felt Hiria-chan stand up on the other side of the room.
“It’s on the bookshelf over there, on the shelf where you can see it when you stand up.”
She seemed to be searching for a while but eventually found it.
“Oh! It’s true! There it is! It’s popping out fancily, like a bent bookmark.”
“In the end, you didn’t notice it huh…”
“I mean, Nekura-kun, from my perspective, I can’t see the top of this section of the book very well. The spine, or rather the author’s name, is right in front of me.”
“Ah.. sorry.”
I made the mistake of putting it where I could see it most easily.
“You’re taller than I thought you’d be…”
“N-no, I’m not even two meters, which is pretty common.”
I don’t know why I declare that I’m not 2 meters tall, even though I’m not expected to be. I should probably mention that I’m not muscular, but then I thought of something else to say first.
“That’s right. Thanks for the cookies.”
“Eh, ah! Yes!”
“Soybean (daisu)!”
“Soybean?”
“I stepped on the ‘S’ because I didn’t notice it. But I ate it properly. It was really good.”
“Eh, Ah… S … DAI…SU?”
For some reason, the response I got was not great. There was a bit of silence. I wondered if I had said something unnecessary, and as I thought about it, I heard Hiria-chan shuffling around on the other side of the room.
A few moments later, with a voice saying, “Ah, there it is,” two small plastic items were thrown from the top of the bookshelf.
I caught one with each hand and saw that it was a cookie with the letters “K” and “I” on it.
“I don’t think it can be eaten anymore… Actually, with those, it is complete.”
“Eh, where does this go on the DAISU?”
“Not Soyabean (Daisu), but ‘DAISU’ and then ‘KI’.”
“h-huh?”
“Daisuki.” (TN: Love/like it/you a lot)
“you mean, soybean?”
“No, Nekura-kun.”
“Eh…”
“I like you, Nekura-kun.”
I thought about the meaning of the word for a while and then a “Higu?” kind of hiccup came out.
“When I couldn’t see you anymore, I understood that it was better to tell you.”
I like you.
Like?
I was dazed. As my eyes were turning blank, Warako-chan quickly appeared. She hit me on the head with a powerful slap.
[Gross! You’re too creepy Souji-kun! She’s just talking as a friend, but what are you getting excited about! You made me vomit straws even though… I can’t usually vomit! You’re gonna get reported!]
I-I know. Without even knowing my face or name, it’s crazy to think that she’s talking about romantic love.
“Nekura-kun?”
“Ha, yes! I’m alive.”
“Is it weird to do that without even knowing your face or your name?…”
“You can be friends without knowing face or name.”
“…What about being lovers?”
“…”
O, Oi! Warako-chan! Warako-chan?
The story flow seems to be different from our expectations… What should I…?
Whenever it becomes inconvenient, warako-chan goes back to being just a straw girl and goes cathartically silent.
Eventually, Hiria-chan started apologizing, “S-sorry!”, and I replied, “Uwa, I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” and apologized to her.
“Ah, The sorry just now wasn’t meant as a reply! I’m saying sorry for my silence! I’m sorry I couldn’t run my brain around fast enough! I’m sorry I was born! That’s what I meant by sorry!”
“U-understood…”
“M-me too …Hiria-chan…”
That was all I could say, but I couldn’t vocalize the rest.
But as I was thinking that I would be able to convey the idea with ” Me too”, I received a request that she wants to hear the rest as well.
I tried to form my mouth into that shape several times, but when I tried to make a sound, my cheek muscles instantly stiffened.
I made a few puppet-like movements on the spot and exhaled.
“Hiria-chan, I’m ashamed to admit it, but I’ve never told a girl that I liked her.”
“Mm. Even I haven’t told a guy before.”
“…I can’t do this without practicing beforehand. It’s too embarrassing. I’m picturing it… but I’m too nervous to say it.”
My face is hot to the ears. I wondered if I could get a break from this for today. As I was thinking this, I heard Hiria-chan’s voice going, “Hmmm” as she started thinking.
“Then let’s practice.”
“Eh, practice?”
“Yes, I’ll say it, and you repeat it back to me.”
“Ye-yes?”
As I wondered what she meant, she said slowly and clearly in a cute voice:
“I like Nekura-kun.”
“…”
“I like Nekura-kun a lot!”
Damn. My mind had gone blank again. Does this mean I should respond back in the same way?
“…sh”
I couldn’t make a sound. I couldn’t speak at all, I thought there was something stuck in my throat.
“I like you the most in the world, Nekura-kun!”
“…Gga”
“I like you, Nekura-kun! I like you a lot!”
“…su!” (TN: su from suki which means “love you”)
“You’re amazing, Nekura-kun! You can say “Su”! You’re so cool!”
I’m being spoiled like crazy.
Only a one-year-old or the current me would be praised for saying the word “Su”.
The sweet torture continued from there.
“I like the way you talk, Nekura-kun.”
“Hi-su.”
“But most of all, I like your personality.”
“Hiri…ch…”
My brain is getting more and more debauched, and I can’t even say her name anymore, which I usually can. “Great, Great.. You’re almost there. It’s amazing”. I was overly encouraged again.
The bookshelves were a row of large wooden ones, but there was only one simple, small pipe one on the aisle side. The bookshelves were also full of books, but they were high enough to block the view.
Hiria-chan suddenly said, “Ah, that’s right,” and pulled out two books from the bottom shelf of the small pipe bookcase. Then she pulled out three more small books with their spines facing me. This left me with a hollow space. In this position, she can’t see my face, unless she peeked in. But if she wanted to go to the trouble of doing that, she could just pull out the middle book.
As I was looking at it, a beautiful, thin, white hand came out of it.
Kosodenote. No, this is not the time to be associating names with youkai. (TN: Kosodenote: A youkai that manifests as ghostly hand)
“Yes, shake hands.”
“Sh-shake hands?”
I repeated it back.
Hiria-chan impatiently twitched her hands there.
“A-Are you sure?”
“Is there anything wrong with this in this situation? I’m on all fours. It’s hard. Hurry up.”
“Wait a minute.”
I scrubbed my hands on the edge of my uniform.
But the sweaty palms kept coming back, so I had to keep scrubbing.
Hiria-chan’s fluttering hands began to bang on the floor. Oh no. She’s getting impatient.
“S-sorry…”
“Enough with the apologies! Do it now.”
“Sorry about this…”
Gently, I put my hand over hers and she squeezed it tightly.
Soft… And small.
I tried to let go immediately, but it was squeezed tightly.
“H-hiria-chan…?”
“Physical substance is there… You really do exist…”
“Yes, I do. Sorry.”
“I like you…”
I can’t remember anything after that moment when the girl I like held my hand and said: “I like you”.
My consciousness exploded.
My consciousness flew high into the sky, drifted through space, and fell onto the ocean in Florida, shimmering, scattering, and dissolving.
The ocean was shining and sparkling so beautifully.
Dazzling.
So beautiful.
Florida is the best.
This is my memory of that day.
