Volume 3 - Me, Her, and a Pair of Wings
Chapter 7
“Phew… we finally arrived... It was really tough, wasn’t it, you two?... You did well, Hajime-kun.”
Misaki-san said. She, along with Yuuji-san, helped us unload Chinatsu’s luggage from the roof rack. Chinatsu and I stepped out of their van and thanked them.
The reason they were here was because, after everything that happened, I had asked Yuuji-san for a favor. He and his wife Misaki-san owned a relatively large vehicle, probably because they sometimes transported store supplies. Knowing that I lived alone, they had always told me to call if I ever needed urgent help. Remembering this, even though I knew it was somewhat impolite, I called them, and both of them came right away.
Fortunately, when we went to Chinatsu’s apartment, there were no signs of her father being there. While we didn’t know the details, we guessed he had probably returned to their current home. From there, we packed the essentials Chinatsu needed for school and some clothes into a travel bag, and then Chinatsu and I headed to my place in Yuuji-san and Misaki-san’s van.
Neither of them asked any questions, and I was hesitant to divulge too much about someone else’s family issues, but since they have been quite a great help to Chinatsu, and I also trusted them, I decided to give them a brief explanation on the way. Yuuji-san drove while I sat in the passenger seat to give him directions, and Chinatsu and Misaki-san sat in the back. Chinatsu began to share her family situation. Yuuji-san, as usual, didn’t say much but nodded silently, while Misaki-san seemed quite excited, probably because Chinatsu described me in an overly flattering way. Listening to their animated conversation from the back seat was a bit embarrassing.
And so, we return to the time Misaki-san said her first few comments.
In any case, the move, albeit a temporary one, was successfully completed.
◇◆
Inside the house, Chinatsu and I placed her luggage on the floor. Although there wasn’t much to say about the layout of the house, I figured we needed to decide where Chinatsu would stay. As I started thinking about this, the reality that Chinatsu would be staying and not going back to her home set in, and my heart began to race. Trying to keep calm, I made a suggestion.
“For now, would you like to use Miho’s room, Chinatsu? The guest room is a bit cluttered with storage, and we might need to buy a few things.”
“H-hmm...”
“Chinatsu?”
“..…”
Her response seemed a bit unclear. Maybe she preferred the guest room over a room with Miho’s belongings? I called her name again, but she seemed distracted and wasn’t taking off her shoes in the entrance.
“Uh, is something wrong?”
“Hey... Hajime…”
“Yes?”
Looking concerned, I spoke to her again, and she looked at me with a very serious expression.
“I... I know I’m inexperienced, but please take care of me!”
Suddenly, she bowed her head, her ears turning red. Her gesture was so adorably earnest that I couldn't help but—
“—Pfft, hahahahaha!”
Laughter bubbled up from deep inside me, and I couldn’t stop it.
—I see, so it wasn’t just me.
“Hey, what’s so funny, huh?!”
Chinatsu uttered with a red face, clearly flustered as she stood on the doorway.
“Sorry, sorry! …Haha, but really, now? We just packed your stuff, had a long chat with Misaki-san and Yuuji-san, and now, in my house where you’ve been to many times already, you’re saying that?”
“I-I can’t help it! You know that… just up until now, it wasn’t just the two of us alone. But now, with all my school stuff and clothes here, and you, talking about which room and all that, it suddenly feels real… On top of that, why do you seem so calm about it!?”
As she spoke, her embarrassment turned to frustration. I apologized and tried to suppress myself from laughing again before picking up her luggage and saying,
"Welcome, Chinatsu... Honestly, I was incredibly nervous too, but knowing how you, who was preparing your things so calmly earlier, were just as nervous as me, I just couldn’t hold my laughter. And, you know, it made me happy too.”
“...Unfair.”
She said as she lightly punched my stomach before whispering a soft ‘I’ll be in your care.’
◇◆
After pulling ourselves together and bringing in all the luggage, Chinatsu and I sat in the living room as usual. We each poured coffee into our cups, and while I liked slowly sipping my coffee hot, Chinatsu liked hers with plenty of milk and only drinking it once it was warm. Although this is quite random, while I always place my cup anywhere on the table, Chinatsu always places hers on the same spot, to the point where a faint coffee cup ring could be seen on it. Even before being in our current relationship, I had felt that the mark was like a small but significant connection between us, a detail I had never tried to erase and a secret I didn’t want Chinatsu to know.
Our relationship had evolved from classmates who had never spoken to each other, to friends, and then from friends to lovers. That being said, the first problem we needed to consider was how we should be acting towards each other at school from now on.
“To be honest, I’d like to tell everyone that you are my boyfriend. But more than that...”
“Yes?”
I nodded, as Chinatsu struggled to find the right words. Of course, I knew she wasn’t embarrassed that I was her boyfriend; there was another reason why she didn't want to make it public.
—It was for my own sake.
The moment Chinatsu and I entered the world of high school, our worlds diverged. This was the result of the choices we had made and the paths we had taken. I chose to stay quiet and avoided connections, while Chinatsu’s was full of interactions she managed expertly. And both of us knew how damaging unsubstantiated rumors could be.
Just then, Chinatsu spoke up.
“You know, I feel the most comfortable when I’m with you, Hajime. And more than anything, I liked how I can be myself when I am around you... strange, isn’t it? I felt that myself’s version of trying to live my life for my own sake is far cuter than the version where I always pretend just to have everyone like me.”
"It’s unfair how you can call yourself cute without it sounding awkward at all."
“What’s unfair is how you always like to tease me, but the way you express it seems to be as if you’re showering me with compliments and at the same time, making me feel loved, you know?”
We bantered playfully, words flowing easily between us.
Was this one of those moments? A scene from novels, anime, or games where lovers flirted and teased each other? It was surreal to think it was happening to me.
“...It’s kind of scary, you know.”
In the midst of our light-hearted exchange, Chinatsu shared her true feelings. We often opened up to each other in moments like these.
“You’re quite popular, after all.”
“Well, to be honest, I think if people found out I had a boyfriend, they would be coming in droves, making us suffer under a lot of pressure, both in a good and bad way.”
“Yeah.”
It’s fine for me, though.
Such words were definitely how I could sum up what I’m feeling at the moment, but—
“Honestly, I’d like to think it wouldn’t affect our relationship at all. But it would probably wear us down.”
“Yeah.”
She’s right. Human willpower is often no match for persistent and unseen negativity. Before you know it, you might give up on something, just as I once did.
Giving up on Chinatsu was unthinkable for me. But I knew that the strain would cause us to lose something, whether it be time, energy, or relationships with other people.
“That’s why I don’t want anyone to come between us.”
“When you put it like that, it sounds like you’ve turned into a yandere girlfriend. But honestly, it makes me really happy.”
"Geez, there you go again, saying things like that. But… yeah, that’s how it is. So, is it okay if we keep things as they are for now?”
“Yes… Thank you, Chinatsu.”
“There’s no need to thank me. Also, I don’t want to lie… so if someone asks or if I get a confession, I’ll just say I already have someone important.”
While that, in itself, might cause a stir, Chinatsu thought that if she denied every possibility of her important someone being one of the boys that is popular among all the girls, there wouldn’t be any problems. I knew she considered my feelings and that I might feel down if she were suddenly confessed to or if someone asked if she had a boyfriend and she denied it. The fact that she didn't want to lie about it, instead of just brushing it off, was a kindness I couldn't help but love deeply.
Thus, we decided on how we’d handle our relationship at school.
—But someday.
When I don’t feel an ounce of hesitation, when I can properly stand beside her without feeling worn down from all the judgment, when I can properly have that resolve—I would properly tell Chinatsu myself.
For now, though, I’ll cherish this time and carve that promise in my heart.
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Bonus Chapter (1/10)
