Ch.48Chapter 8. About the Future (1)

The long rainy season had finally ended.

Of course, there were final exams too.

I wouldn’t say I did particularly well.

I don’t study that much anyway. It would be strange to say I studied during the exam period when I was busy running around doing part-time jobs.

But I thought I could probably avoid failing, at least.

The difficulty seemed similar to the midterms.

If my grades had been in danger, Teacher Suzuki would certainly have called me in. Since she didn’t, I probably got similar scores to last time.

In Japan, summer vacation runs from the end of July to the end of August.

The first culture shock I experienced when reading Japanese light novels was this vacation period.

Summer vacation isn’t that different from Korea.

But in Japan, school starts in early April. Students attend classes for nearly four months from April to July, then after about a month of summer vacation, the second semester begins.

In Korea, winter vacation would also be about a month long, with a brief return to school in late January, then quickly finishing the semester before a short spring break, after which students advance to the next grade.

Even further back, when I was in elementary school, winter vacation was longer, though I’m not sure how it is these days.

Well, this is Japan, and it’s 2004.

The Korean academic calendar in this era probably follows the same schedule I experienced in 2004.

Who knows? Just as Japan has yokai, Korea might have its own monsters that shamans hunt down.

Anyway.

In Japan, the third Monday of July is Marine Day, a national holiday.

This year, Marine Day fell on July 19th. Summer vacation started two days later on Wednesday, the 21st.

And this holiday was perfect for me since I don’t work on Mondays.

With vacation starting in two days and the semester nearly over, there was no need to study. It was an ideal holiday to just relax and do nothing.

It’s hot outside. If I went out dressed like this, I’d just end up having to wash my clothes again.

“…”

I turned the fan toward my face and listened to the loud motor sound and wind noise characteristic of old fans, along with the TV sound adjusted slightly louder.

I didn’t turn it on because I wanted to watch anything in particular—I just didn’t want complete silence when I had nothing to do.

It seemed like some drama rerun was playing, but I hadn’t seen the previous episodes and had no intention of following it, so I wasn’t particularly interested.

“…”

Mmmm—mmmm—mmmm—I could hear cicadas singing.

Come to think of it, I often heard cicadas singing in my childhood too. When I was very young, my friends and I would carry cheap plastic insect collection containers from stationery stores to catch cicadas.

Looking back, these creatures spend years underground only to emerge and live for just a few weeks, and we happily caught them. Thinking about it now makes me feel a bit sorry.

No, wait.

Someone once said that cicada sounds are actually for mating.

So they’re just hanging on trees, enthusiastically singing their mating songs like horny birds. Some will find mates, have offspring, and die.

Thinking of it that way, those cicada sounds aren’t much different from the sounds of popular kids having fun dancing at clubs.

I’ve never been to a club in my life.

My feelings of guilt instantly disappeared.

“…Haa.”

After lying around blankly, I just got up and sat.

Somehow I didn’t even feel like playing games.

Right. This habit developed when I was working. Due to my job, I exercised regularly to maintain my physical strength, but age is unbeatable, and as time passed, I spent more time just lying in my room after work.

I probably didn’t notice the cicada sounds in summer because I was cooped up inside. Even when I wasn’t enjoying summer, cicadas were still hanging on trees, singing their mating songs.

Not just cicadas, but probably the same for Christmas and other holidays too.

I didn’t pay attention to carols either. I didn’t care about Chuseok or New Year’s.

I often couldn’t take time off work, but more than that, holidays lost their meaning to me after I turned twenty-eight.

On TV, a pretty actress was confessing to a handsome man. They were both attractive, but honestly, a bit outdated by my standards. That’s probably because I know the styling methods of celebrities 20 years in the future.

After staring blankly at that confession scene, I just turned off the TV.

Then I got up.

“Right. It feels a bit unfair to just let it pass like this.”

Yes, unfair.

I’m a teenager.

A teenage high school girl, at that.

If the only advantage I’ve gained in this body is becoming a high school girl, shouldn’t I at least enjoy that?

With that thought, I headed to the shower.

*

Now, what should I do?

I thought about calling Yuka, but she has a family.

Her relationship with her father and grandfather didn’t seem bad, so I should let her enjoy her day off with her family.

The same goes for Shii.

As for others… well, I’ve never called them first, so I’m not sure.

Alright.

Then today I’ll go out alone.

I took out casual clothes from the drawer and put them on, along with socks.

Just worn-out jeans and a slightly flowy short-sleeved T-shirt.

After dressing appropriately and tying my hair at the ends, I put on my shoes.

Then I went outside and walked toward Omiya Station, immediately regretting it.

I had underestimated the Japanese summer sun. It was beating down much more intensely than I expected, and it was sweltering.

But I didn’t want to go back home. That would make showering and getting dressed pointless.

On my way to Omiya Station, I wondered where to go.

The sea, perhaps?

Since it’s Marine Day.

I wasn’t planning to swim, so I thought I’d just head to Tokyo Bay.

Though the subway ride would take over an hour.

*

So I headed to Odaiba.

Rainbow Bridge was impressive, but honestly not as pretty as I’d imagined. Probably because it was still midday.

The sky was clear and blue, and the sea was even deeper blue. Strangely, what came to mind wasn’t the seaside but the Han River.

It wasn’t homesickness or anything, just the atmosphere.

After staring blankly at the sea and bridge for a while, I found a nearby café and went in.

I ordered the cheapest drink and cooled off while looking outside.

It was a short holiday. The rainy season seemed to be over, with just a few clouds in the sky and no sign of sudden rain. Everyone visible through the window looked happy.

“…”

Without saying a word, I just kept drinking my beverage. It was iced tea. It tasted like the bottled iced tea sold at convenience stores.

I should have bought the coffee that was the same price. I regretted it a bit.

After blankly looking out the window for about an hour, the sunlight was still intense.

But I felt like I might be overstaying my welcome, and I didn’t want to buy anything else, so I just went back outside.

Walking silently down the street, I realized something.

I don’t have anything I want to do.

This is quite bleak. I’m still a teenager, after all.

In my previous life, I was an adult with a job. As long as I didn’t get fired, I could just keep working there. That job is what brought me here, but in a way, I lived according to my purpose until the end.

But here, I had to set goals from scratch.

Suddenly everything seemed dark.

When I was in high school, I didn’t worry much. I thought high school and college were still far away.

But having gone through it, the teenage years are frighteningly short. The remaining part of life is actually much longer.

I needed to make plans and study to survive in this country too.

“…I’ve thought about wanting to be a student again, but…”

Should I aim for the same profession I had before?

I’m not sure if it’s possible with this body.

Walking absentmindedly with a somewhat dazed expression, I found myself quite far from the sea I had initially wanted to see.

Hmm…

This feels empty.

Come to think of it, I didn’t have enough money to properly enjoy myself anywhere. And even if I did, I was alone.

Just as I was wondering if I should go back, my phone in my pocket rang.

I took out the phone that had rung briefly and saw I had an email.

[What are you doing?]

I blinked a few times while looking at the phone screen. It was hard to see in the bright sunlight, so I went into a nearby convenience store.

The email was from Miura.

That was… a bit unusual.

Miura and I were friends, but not the kind who called each other out to hang out on weekends.

I often went home alone after school. Mostly because of my part-time job.

[Just at Odaiba]

[Why? Is something wrong?]

I could almost hear the concern in her voice.

Tokyo Bay… though it’s called a bay, it’s right next to a major city.

Many people commit suicide at the Han River, so it might be similar in Tokyo. I’m not sure how many places there are to jump from, as I’m not a native Tokyoite.

People can drown in bathtubs too, so I suppose the sea would increase the probability of death.

[Because it’s Marine Day]

My answer must have been too random, as there was no reply for a while.

Why?

It’s in the middle of summer, and it’s called “Marine Day.” Couldn’t families gather and go to the beach?

Though if that were the purpose, they probably wouldn’t come to Tokyo Bay.

[With friends?]

[Alone]

Again, it took a while for a reply, so I grabbed a small bottle of water from the convenience store refrigerator and took it to the counter.

After handing over a few coins and receiving the water bottle, I was heading outside when I saw a somewhat hesitant email.

[Would you like to hang out together today?]

“…”

I stared at that message for a while, then typed with the water bottle tucked under my arm.

[Sure.]

Well, this is Minato Ward.

We can meet up quickly.

*

Miura and friends in casual clothes.

Come to think of it, I think this is the first time I’m seeing them like this.

Even when we were all fighting after school, we were all wearing the same uniforms. Well, it’s not something I would have seen unless we met separately like this.

Miura surprisingly had a similar style to mine. However, her jeans looked definitely more expensive than mine—I’m not exactly sure “why” they looked more expensive—and her top had a flowy fabric hanging down from below the chest, like a dress hem.

If Miura was “lightly dressed,” I was more “casually thrown together.”

“Wow, you need to buy some clothes first.”

Fukuda, who said that outright while looking at me, was wearing very short denim shorts that boldly showed her legs, and a top that was close to a crop top. I say “close to” a crop top because it barely covered her body.

Just enough that a bit of skin showed when she moved around.

Her shoulders were quite exposed too, showing her bra straps. They were black.

I thought she needed a bit more fabric, but I didn’t say it out loud. That would sound too much like a stuffy old person.

Yamashita, who was quietly looking at me, was wearing a skirt that came down to just above her knees and a sleeveless top.

It was an outfit that could look a bit lively compared to her expressionless face, but with Yamashita just standing there without any expression, even that outfit somehow looked stern. It was as if her expression consumed her fashion.

“Harumi!”

Miura slapped Fukuda’s arm after she immediately commented on my clothes, and Fukuda stuck out her tongue slightly.

Well… I can’t argue.

I can’t wear a uniform 365 days a year, so I just bought something on sale.

I never had fashion sense anyway.

“But I’m serious. Kurosawa, no matter what, that hairstyle with those clothes just doesn’t work.”

“…Really?”

Now that my hairstyle was being criticized too, I asked back.

For reference, this hairstyle was done by Fukuda. She didn’t do much, but she tied the ends of my hair. This hair tie is also what she gave me then.

“For starters.”

Fukuda stepped up to me and tucked the hair falling over the middle of my face behind my ear.

“This much makes it so much better, right? No, more than that, you did a ponytail well last time, so why don’t you do it normally?”

Because it’s troublesome.

Tying the ends of my hair is less inconvenient this way. My morning time is too precious to put more effort into it.

“Alright. Let’s go look at clothes right now. Have you had lunch?”

“Not yet…”

“We haven’t eaten either. Actually, it’s way past our usual lunchtime and we’re starving. So let’s eat first.”

Well, if that’s the case.

Actually, I hadn’t planned on lunch, but I have enough to pay for my share.

As long as we’re not eating at a 5-star hotel buffet.

*

And we ended up having lunch at a 5-star hotel buffet.

Wait, why?

Even for rich girls, isn’t this a bit excessive for lunch?

Of course, there was a “lunch special” sign at the entrance, but it still seemed too special a price for a single meal.

For reference, the money in my pocket isn’t unlimited.

I can afford one meal, though I’d have to be a bit frugal afterward and check my balance.

But I didn’t plan to spend much money, so I didn’t have much cash in my pocket.

To be honest, I was wondering if I could even buy one outfit after lunch and shopping.

Usually with buffets, you’re already paying the moment you enter, so it was too late for these worries.

“Here.”

As I hesitated while following the three of them in, an empty plate was suddenly thrust at me.

It was Yamashita.

Yamashita was holding the plate as if she might hit my neck with it and offering it to me.

“…Okay.”

I steeled myself and took the plate.

Let’s eat first.

Once I’m in, saying “I didn’t eat so I won’t pay” would just make me a nuisance.

I can borrow money from Miura… or one of the others, and pay them back later. It would be a bit embarrassing, but—

“Don’t worry.”

As if she already knew what I was thinking, Yamashita spoke.

“…Huh?”

“I’ll pay.”

Yamashita said just that and coolly turned away.

Her back seemed to shine.

So, she’s saying she’ll pay for my meal.

I gulped.

I hadn’t eaten properly since morning. All I’d had was the iced tea from the café earlier and the small bottle of water I bought at the convenience store.

So…

I probably had plenty of room in my stomach.

With my worries eased, all kinds of food smells rushed into my nose.

The smell of grilling meat was particularly fragrant.

“Oh, right. That’s right.”

Fukuda tapped my shoulder and said.

“They grill steaks over there too. That’s also all-you-can-eat, so eat as much as you want.”

Is that possible?

As I looked with a blank expression to where Fukuda was pointing, there were indeed people busily grilling steaks.

“Today Yuu-chan is treating us.”

“Yamashita is?”

“Yes. Seems like something good happened to her.”

Fukuda said with a happy smile.

Wait, she’s just treating us to a place like this?

…Do rich kids always treat each other to meals like this? I’ve never been wealthy enough to know.

But if that’s the case, I can eat without worry.

Seeing my determined expression, Fukuda gave a wry smile.

*

After a hearty meal.

As is always the case with buffets, no matter how much you plan to eat, you can only manage a few plates.

This time was no different. I ate “two plates full of meat” and half a plate of dessert before nearly collapsing.

If I ate any more, it would definitely come back up.

Besides me, Fukuda and Miura seemed to have eaten more than usual too, as they all sat with their hands on their stomachs, leaning back in their chairs.

Yamashita was still fine since she had taken just the right amount from the beginning.

“Can we really shop properly like this?”

“That’s why I said to eat moderately.”

Yamashita responded to Miura’s mumbling.

“No, but with so much delicious food, it’s unreasonable to stop halfway.”

Fukuda objected to Yamashita’s words. I silently supported Fukuda.

“But it’s strange to put one piece of every food on your plate just to try everything.”

Hearing Yamashita’s words, I reflected on myself.

I was definitely a bit foolish.

“It’ll be fine. If we tighten up a bit when trying clothes on, they’ll be about our usual size.”

“…”

Hearing Fukuda speak nonchalantly, Yamashita sighed deeply in disbelief.

“Kurosawa.”

Yamashita called me.

“Yes.”

“Are you okay?”

“…Yes.”

Actually, I think it might be good to walk around a bit.