Episode 13: “Not Like a Romantic Movie”
We watched a romance movie.
It was about the protagonist going back to the past and starting over with his girlfriend. In the finale, the audience was moved to tears. Hanazono sitting next to me was bawling. But I couldn’t cry.
I understood the flow of the story. But the nuances of emotion didn’t quite make sense to me. Counting the staff names in the end credits was more enjoyable.
As I awkwardly watched Hanazono cry, we moved to the cafe.
By the time we got to the cafe, Hanazono had completely regained her emotions. She said “I feel refreshed!” but wasn’t she sad? I tucked away my doubts and entered the cafe.
Today’s main event – the famous cafe with delicious juice. I was really looking forward to the tasty juice.
Even after entering the cafe, Hanazono was still hung up on the movie ending. I was more excited for our ordered juices to hurry up and arrive than talk about the finished movie.
“Seriously, the heroine was so pitiful, wasn’t she? The main guy was so annoying…”
“Is that so? What was wrong with it?”
” The protagonist is so hopeless, and the heroine sacrifices everything, and…”
” …I see, my prediction wasn’t wrong. The protagonist is indeed a hopeless guy.”
” Yeah, it wouldn’t be surprising if he gets stabbed.”
” S-So much… I’m starting to get a bit interested.”
” Huh? Didn’t you enjoy watching it with me!?”
” I understood the story, but I couldn’t quite grasp the subtle nuances of emotions.”
” Haa… Well, it can’t be helped. I’ll teach you then!”
” Very well, I appreciate that. Oh, the juices are here. Hanazono, here’s your juice.”
The waiter places the juices on the table. Even though we’re sitting apart, the aroma is extraordinary. Hanazono’s juice has a tropical flavor, while mine is a forest berry mix.
“You were looking forward to it, right? Just go ahead and drink.”
I nod and carefully bring the juice closer. The strong fragrance tickles my nostrils. It conjures an image of a forest, not the damp, survival-type forest I experienced. It’s a forest with a refreshing scent of tall trees, connected to a vast grassland.
I take a sip of the juice through the wide straw.
— I was overwhelmed by an immense shock.
I thought my brain cells were being destroyed. The balance of umami, sweetness, and richness is incredible. The base of blueberries and blackberries is likely domestic. They use natural spring water. The refreshing sensation that pierces through my throat after drinking is incredible. And there’s something like shaved ice hidden in the juice, providing a fantastic accent.
My meager vocabulary can’t adequately describe it.
“Delicious.”
Only that word came out.
Suddenly, I feel a strong gaze from Hanazono. I didn’t pay attention because I was engrossed in the juice, but she strangely had a reddish complexion.
“What’s wrong? Do you have a fever?”
“Oh, yeah, I just thought it’s been a while since I saw Tsuyoshi smiling, and…”
“I’m smiling? No, more importantly, have I not been smiling before?”
I run my hand over my face. Indeed, my mouth seems to be upturned, and I’m smiling.
“Well, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you genuinely smile. Your smiles were always forced.”
“I-Is that so…? Come to think of it, Hanazono, you’re also drinking juice and smiling.”
Blushing, Hanazono looks somewhat happy. This could be called a lovely smile. Hanazono, with a bright voice, says to me—
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“I felt my heart race seeing you smile, idiot.”
The always assertive and rebellious Hanazono looked like a sincere and adorable girl. I felt something more overwhelming than the impact of the juice. But, I don’t know what that something is. It’s okay not to know now. The time will come when I understand.
“By the way, where should we go next?”
Hanazono’s eyebrows twitch slightly. It’s a bit scary.
“Hey! We’ve only been in the cafe for twenty minutes! We should chat while discussing the movie we watched! …Remember when we had cake with Tanaka-san? We chatted then, right?”
— At that time, the conversation flowed, and we chatted so much that we forgot about time.
“Oh, uh, I apologize.”
That’s right. Maybe now we can take our time. …….
Hanazono happily starts a conversation with me. I respond with words even though they stumble out.
Time flows gently.
I felt a sense of tranquility—
After leaving the cafe, we headed to a miscellaneous goods store in the shopping center.
“Hey, do not sleep! We’re shopping!”
Having satisfied my thirst with juice, I started to feel sleepy. But, there are still events left.
“Well, we need to go shopping.”
“Yeah, we need to find a thank-you present for Tanaka-san! I’ve heard she’s been a great help at work, so we should show our appreciation!”
“Oh, I’d appreciate it if you could help me pick something, Hanazono.”
The shopping center was incredibly vast. With numerous stores around, it would have been impossible for me to shop alone.
“How about we check out the knick-knack store on the third floor?”
“Sounds good to me.”
The knick-knack store was filled with items that seemed appealing to girls. There were so many things, and their purposes were unclear to me.
“Tanaka-san is fashionable, right? Since it’s a thank-you for the cake, something not too expensive would be nice.”
“Oh, really? … What’s this?”
“This is a beauty roller. Hey, what are her hobbies?”
“I don’t know.”
“Hmm, then what does she like? Ah, this strap is cute! But it doesn’t seem like her style. How about bath salts?”
Hanazono picked up a small plushie strap and a package of bath salts.
“Oh, she did say she likes baths. Let’s get this, Hanazono.”
“Wait, hold on. We should think about various options before buying a present! See, that way it’ll be more thoughtful, right? So let’s browse around a bit more.”
“Yeah, sure. In that case, I’m curious about those dumbbells over there.”
“No, that’s not allowed! Let’s try going that way!”
Hanazono tried to take my hand like she used to. But halfway, she pulled back. I could see a hesitant expression fleetingly.
“Ahaha, Tanaka san would get mad, wouldn’t she?”
“Why would Tanaka get mad? If you wanted to hold hands, you could just hold them like before, right?”
“Well…I’m good for now. Look, this way, this way.”
Hanazono pulled her hand behind her back. I was a little concerned, but shopping took priority over that right now. We walked around the building. In addition to the general store, we also went into a clothing store and an accessory shop. Wherever we went, Hanazono explained things that women like to me.
Her expression looked happy…and a little sad. I wonder why?
After a long time going around the shopping mall, we ended up deciding to buy the stylish bath salts we found first.
The shop assistant wrapped up the bath salts nicely for us, and I put them in my bag. I suddenly felt the muscles in my face change. When I touched my face, I realized I was relaxing. Just thinking about giving someone a present made my emotions so rich.
Our shopping was done, now we just had to head home. Hanazono knew that too. Her feet walked towards the exit of the shopping center.
Hanazono had an expression like a little kid’s. It looked like the inside of a bus at the end of a school field trip that she had enjoyed.
…A field trip. I remembered my lonely junior high school field trips. I shook my head to stop thinking about myself.
–That’s when a whirlpool of memories rushed through my head. Memories of Hanazono.
[Hey, why don’t you know this!?]
[Idiot, this is the girl’s bathroom!]
[I want to go home with my friends, but I’m stuck taking care of you.]
[Hey, were you making fun of Tsuyoshi? I’m the only one allowed to make fun of him!!]
[Yes, yes, you ran as hard as you could. You didn’t cheat. I’ll make you rice balls today so cheer up…]
[Why aren’t you giving me a birthday present! Birthdays are very important days!]
[Huh? Going to the same high school?… O-Oh you look happy? No way, idiot!]
[Heya! Since today we’re high schoolers, do something about your messy hair!]
[Ah, your hair’s not messy anymore… Oh well, we’ll go eat ice cream together on the way home today!]
I stopped walking. I couldn’t stop the flowing memories.
“When I met Hanazono, during the sports festival, when I was bullied in class, when I became lonely during team assignments, when I was left behind during the field trip, when we went out together, when we explored the cultural festival together, when I confronted a girl trying to undermine Hanazono behind the scenes, when Hanazono scolded me, when I forgot her birthday—”
The blade of memories cuts through my heart. A heart of steel remains unscathed. But–
“Tsuyoshi? What’s wrong?”
“…Sorry, could you wait here for a moment?”
“Huh? Hey, where are you going!?”
“To the restroom.”
“Huh? Didn’t you just go!?”
“I’ll be right back.”
I started running through the shopping center.
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Thanks for the chapter. So it’s more putting it away in a container and sealing it shut. But now the seal’s broken.
A typo
>Suddenly, I feel a strong gaze from Hanazono. I didn’t pay attention because I was engrossed in the juice, but /he/ strangely had a reddish complexion.
/she/
fixed, thanks