Brought to you by Noir

Edited by Aeri (Senzang)

…I don’t know. But it was not a bad feeling. That’s why I feel frustrated. The distance which was only a few steps between me and Hiyori felt farther than what it should be.

Also, when you think about it, my relationship with Hiyori was indeed a strange one. She contemplates a lot, but is serious and gentle. She feels a bit out of ordinary, but in the game, she resembles a fellow evil minded smelly old man. Other than that, she is a girl who is 3 months younger than me. Perhaps, that was the distance between the current me and her, separating us.

That somehow felt incredibly awkward and weird.

Perhaps I was struck by emotions that made my chest tighten up, so when I tried to shake them off, my pace naturally became quicker. Then, inevitably, as it was different from the original pace, the present distance between me and Hiyori widened even more.

“…!”

However, as if not wanting to be left behind, Hiyori started sprinting to close up the distance. 

Nonetheless, the distance after that still remained the same as it was before. 

… It was the same distance as when we started to walk together sometime ago. 

“” … “”

Something has begun to change. 

But that distance hasn’t changed yet.

The trip back home remained silent. 

I wanted to say something. 

But I didn’t know what to say.

I wonder if Hiyori was also finding it as frustrating as me?

I felt a sign of restlessness from behind— even I couldn’t keep my calm intact.

It was ludicrous. We were just incredibly clumsy.

And in the end, nothing occurred— even nothing that could make something happen now nor even in the future, as we get home.

“…I’m back home.”

“…home.”

We took off our shoes silently together. There is quite an awkward atmosphere right now.

I wondered if it would be fine to leave it as it is; such impatience continued to amplify.

“Hiyori…”

“…!”

When she was starting to climb up the stairs, her shoulders suddenly trembled as she stopped midway and looked back.

“Ah…No…that…”

I couldn’t face the silent back. In the first place, I called out due to my feelings clumping together. I didn’t think about what I would say.

“…Nothing”

“…Un.”

Leaving only a small voice of reply, Hiyori returned to her room. I could do nothing but only watch over her. I felt my awkward decision making becoming an obstruction in my path.

I went up the stairs after Hiyori had already left. 

My gait felt heavy, and my weakened appearance looked no less than utterly stupid.

“Haa~a”

When I laid down on the bed with my uniform still on, a sigh escaped my mouth as if to mock me. 

I don’t want things to go on like this, I want to do something about it— those feelings continue to increase, while remaining unmanifest and idle. Even if I think about it, the answer does not come. Eventually, my consciousness is swallowed by darkness and everything starts subsiding. Ah, I guess I was just sleepy…―

… After that, I had a dream.

A small fashionable girl was in front of me — She was Hiyori at the time we first met. Next to her was Yaeko. With lots of big luggage. 

It seemed like a dream when she moved into our house.

At that time, I was not sure how to address Hiyori. When I thought about it, I felt like I only said “hey” or something alike to call her attention. 

Why did I not come to call her “Hiyori” …?

It was a difficult age for both me and Hiyori. Even so, I think we were trying to play out something by ourselves at first. But in the living room, Hiyori would only continue reading books while I would continue playing games. I didn’t know what to talk to her about. It made me frustrated and eventually―

“Nn.”

“…Eh?”

“Nu!”

“A—me?”

That’s right. I’m going to give you this game console so that…

― *Kon kon.

Apparently, I really did fall asleep.

The window had begun to turn red. It seems that I didn’t sleep that long

―- *Kon kon.

There seems to be a weird sound. Looks like this was what had awoken me, and probably due to just waking up, my head somehow does not work that well.

―- *Kon kon.

A~h, I can hear that from the door I guess.――

“Can you listen!”

“U~wah!?”

It was Hiyori’s voice. But a loud voice that I had never heard from her before.

I was so surprised that—

*Thud 

I slipped onto the floor right off my bed.

“A—Are you okay?”

“…Ah, it hurts… Yeah I’m o—kay…”

When I opened the door while still surprised, there stood the unexpected figure of Hiyori.

“…Hiyori?”

“Nn!”

Unlike usual, she had her hair down. The shiny hair with wet feather-like glossy color was neatly combed, its tip cutely kept loose and wavy like a habit-hair. Her dress was also a cherry-colored one piece that was squeezed at the high-waist as I saw the other day. Perhaps because she was in the house, she had taken off her jacket, and thus her shoulders, which were sleeveless, were completely exposed and looked dazzling. 

She was wearing a short skirt which I don’t usually see, and was holding its hem with her hand anxiously. And, when you look closely, she also seemed to have applied some make-up.

It was the figure of Hiyori that I met that day as Philia-san.

Her cheeks were flushed and she looked shy, but her eyes conveyed to me a feeling of strong will, that she’ll go to any extent.

―Fighting clothes. To change into an appearance going into a battle, something reminded me of such words.

Being exposed to that fighting spirit, I became stunned.

“Su~fuu~n”

She took a deep breath and while putting her small fist in front of her chest, she muttered “Okay!” She faced me with her spirit.

I was drawn into her so naturally that even my muscles became relaxed looking at her.

“Gaemu.”

“…Eh?”

“Wi—Will you play games with me!?”

[TL: ugh… Cute..]

“…Eh… A.. A~aa.”

I received unexpected words from Hiyori as if she were going to set up a big gaming event of the generation from here on now.

But she must have been serious. 

She must have been really serious. The Hiyori in front of me was blushing red all the way till her ears, tears forming at the corners of her eyes, and her shoulders quivering.

― Is it something worth putting forth with that much spirit? Somehow, I could feel the end of my mouth loosening up involuntarily.

“Well, I’ll wait!”

“…I understand.”

After saying that much, she tried to run to her room quickly in order to escape, but in that process of hurry, I saw that figure of Hiyori who got hit hard at the door, screamed “Pyaa!”.

… ha ha. Somehow, it has become all so foolish to be worried about various things.

I set up my PC while listening to the noisy falling sounds that leaked from the room next door.

“So Slow!”

“I launched it right away, and I was sleeping.”

“I’ve been waiting for another hour! And if you kept it on, it wouldn’t have taken that long!”

“Don’t ask for the impossible now.”

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