episode_0049

I left class 1-4 and walked to my own class, located immediately to the right.

Iroha will go on his own.

The hallway is quiet.

Because the midterm exams are now completely over.

There is no choice.

The exam is over and it’s time for students to return to their daily lives.

Grumble-

1-5 Let’s open the door.

I saw Inaba doing something.

Her personal items are in her hands, as if she is preparing for the baseball team’s activities to begin again soon.

Shota is nowhere to be seen.

It was stuck like a piece of gum? What’s going on

I guess he went first.

“Are you still in school, Inaba?”

“Hmm..? Sasaki?”

“W. I also just finished proctoring the test”

I approached her.

Inaba’s hands appear to be busy, as if he is trying to maintain equipment that he has not been able to maintain.

“You look busy”

“Hihi. If you don’t handle it, it will break down quickly”

Soon, you can see him lowering his head again to groom himself.

Old items.

I see a herd riding on it.

Because fixtures are fixtures.

The quality of what you get from school is probably going to be poor.

hmm.

Still, it’s bad…?

I knew that Inaba was having trouble with his parents due to academic issues.

I didn’t know it would be like this.

Inaba must have felt me looking closely at the equipment and covered the desk with his body.

“Ah..? Don’t look at my clothes!”

I see Inaba’s face flushed with embarrassment.

Umm.

That’s what it’s like to speak up.

Inaba’s reaction was so violent.

You seem sensitive.

It’s not polite to ask something like this… Besides, it’s not polite.

“This isn’t like that”

“I haven’t said anything yet..? Do you know what I’m thinking, Inaba?”

“…Ha, anyway!”

He must have been offended by my gloomy eyes.

Inaba fell down and opened his mouth in a low voice.

“Grandma bought this…this”

“Grandma..?”

“Yes… they gave it to me as an entrance gift before I entered elementary school”

“…”

“That’s what I said. Sasaki, it’s not like that”

Inaba stopped grooming.

“It’s old..I know.”

Torn stitches.

Frayed leather.

“Ehehe. But… I couldn’t… throw it away… with my own hands…”

“…”

“Hihi, yes..although now it is different from the beginning..it is old and worn..but still”

Sasaki looked at Inaba.

A look lost in memory, as if remembering something.

“Grandma too. What should I do if I go to a store and don’t tell my granddaughter’s age?”

Inaba raised his head.

Suddenly, a soft smile appeared on her lips.

Inaba, you really liked your grandmother…?

“When you went to the store, you must have been there as usual! Naughty store owner!”

Now, Inaba’s small hands rise above the gloves.

“Hihi. Thanks to you, it wasn’t until I entered high school that a glove fit my hand for the first time”

The size is perfect for Inaba’s hand on the glove.

Definitely… If my grandmother had bought this before, Inaba wouldn’t have been able to wear it at a younger age.

“So, hehe, I have gloves, but I keep them at home all the time, but I have never tried them on my hands. Sasaki”

“..um”

“Thanks to that, I don’t think I could give up on baseball”

Gently, Inaba sweeps his glove down.

“I want to play…I want to rest…but…hehe”

“If you come home and see this glove on your desk…”

“.. My heart.. hehe.. damn.. ah, it hurts… ”

“I promised my grandmother…I put my finger on it…I promised…”

I slowly raised my head.

Promise…

“Hihi, so this time… I definitely have to go to Koshien.”

“If I delay any longer, I don’t think I’ll be able to keep my promise”

There is a story that did not appear in the original work.

My eyes grew dim.

As far as I know… Inaba is leaving this area…

Except for the training camp…there’s never been one.

That’s cruel

“If you go to Koshien for the first time. Sasaki”

“I will definitely wear this. And I want to throw it. I can see my grandmother”

“Grandma said her daughter was this amazing. I want to show that I grew up nicely”

It was hard to listen to.

Her hands trembled slightly.

“ㄱ, Modern… Ah, no matter how much I trim it… I guess time can’t be helped… hehe”

Inaba closed his eyes while pressing the worn and worn part.

“Ehehe, was it too dark…”

“So, it’s my No. 1 treasure. With this, with this, I will definitely achieve it”

“It’s a precious item..Inaba”

“Yes..”

Inabae Sasaki, who was concentrating on grooming again, brought a chair next to him.

I just looked at Inaba, who was sitting next to me, concentrating with his arms crossed.

Time passes little by little.

The blue sky where the sun was shining… until it gradually turned yellow…

Inaba’s busy hands continued without rest.

Clumsy but crooked needles are carved into the worn leather.

New thread goes into the torn stitch and tightens it tightly.

It looks like he was so engrossed that he couldn’t even feel the time.

It seemed like he didn’t feel that I was next to him.

By the time Inaba’s hand stopped, the sky had completely darkened.

“It’s done..hihi”

Inaba stretches a little.

He stood up shaking his head from side to side and our eyes met.

“..Oh? Sasaki, haven’t you gone home yet? It’s very late”

Inaba looked out the window and opened his mouth.

“Um…so…”

“What is that, Sasaki”

“Just..just looking at it…is it good?”

“..hehe, the sunset at our academy is pretty.”

I can see his face getting hot.

Despite what I said, he understood what I was saying.

I completely scrapped my original plan for today.

Because it was late.

I wanted to chat with Inaba and buy her something delicious…

Well… I don’t think this is bad either.

Although it was old unlike before.

It doesn’t look as worn now as it did when it first appeared, thanks to the oiling and careful handling.

Or…maybe I’m just being stupid.

Sasaki took his eyes off the softly shining gloves.

“But Sasaki..? Did you leave anything behind? Heehee”

Inaba doesn’t seem to think about the assumption that I was always by his side.

It wasn’t just one or two hours.

In general, it would be normal to come here now while doing other business.

“I left it behind…you know”

“?”

I thought about it.

This is impulsive.

That’s not a good idea.

On the way out after eating on a Saturday date day

I did it to set the mood and give Inaba a necklace under the street trees.

okay.

It never occurred to me or even thought about giving something like this in a school that was nothing like this.

It was like that.

Huh yeah

This is not rational at all.

You might regret it when you get home.

Sasaki took out a small box he had kept inside his suit.

An old wooden box.

I always carried this in my arms.

It’s a bit hard to keep it in the house, as it’s a valuable item made of platinum.

I carried it around because of the anxiety that is unique to Koreans.

I was fortunate for this moment.

Are you lucky..?

A question mark appeared in Inaba’s eyes on the wood carving he took out of his pocket.

He seemed puzzled.

A face that has not yet noticed what is contained here.

I walked over and carefully placed the wood carving box on her hand.

I do not know.

“What is this? Wooden box?”

“Well…”

“Can I open it? Hehe”

Because I want to see her…smile.

Because I want to see surprises.

“Open it”

Inaba’s hand slowly grasps the wood carving box and opens the lid.

slowly.

“Hmm..? Is it a necklace?”

“I just bought it because I saw it.”

Sasaki smiled at Inaba, who was tilting his head as he could still only see the form.

“Uh..uh..this..I’ve seen this somewhere.. I think it’s like that..hehe”

“You said it last time. Necklace”

Light comes in through the sunset window.

The white platinum metal contained within turns red.

As if it was spreading through Inaba’s hand…her face turned red.

It’s heating up.

“Heehee..this is strange..”

“Inaba. You told me your favorite design last time”

Tuk-

Tuk-

Something falls on the back of my hand.

Something cold and warm.

Wet her hands.

It’s been 10 years since this necklace fell from her.

Rugged appearance.

There won’t be any special features.

Inaba recognized me right away without me having to tell him anything.

With your body, not your head.

Inaba, who was carefully rubbing the surface of the box with his fingers, opened his mouth.

“Ah…Sasaki, I’m sorry…it’s strange…when I look at it…my heart hurts…”

“…House, what’s in the house… boo, obviously… uh, my mom sold it a while ago… this… it can’t be the same thing, but I was expecting it for no reason…”

I saw Inaba.

I see him constantly wiping his eyes with his sleeve, embarrassed by the moisture on his face.

I didn’t want to see Inaba cry.

He continued speaking immediately.

I felt like I would just look at the box forever.

“.. It wasn’t that hard to get it. Inaba.. So… stop crying now.. Take it out ”

Inaba took out a necklace from the box.

Carefully stroking the surface, Inaba slowly turned the necklace over.

It’s like an instinctive behavior rather than a conscious one.

Inaba’s eyes slowly widen.

A slight metal groove that can be felt on the finger.

H& C

initial.

The English letters in front of her grandmother’s name.

This is Fumiko Chiyo.

HOMIKO CHIO

Time froze.

“So what I want to say is Inaba um…”

She made eye contact.

Cheeks stained red.

Eyes stained red.

I was so embarrassed that I blurted out a rude… expression on her face.

“I picked it up…you…take it.”

My face heated up.

Flirting done openly.

This is a low-quality word that is not even used in this day and age.

Like Iroha said, it’s really not even Ada.

I wonder if Inaba felt that too.

A smile slowly formed on my lips.

“Foot..what is that…Sasaki”

“That…”

Inaba packed his bag and stood up.

And then he held my hand.

“What are you doing…let’s go”

“Where..?”

“If you’ve set a task… hehe… shouldn’t you escort it all the way to the end? ”

＊＊＊

Tiring-

Sasaki was dragged by Inaba’s hand and looked at the screen of his cell phone.

I can see how many messages have arrived.

-Loco Moco: Ugh… I have… ‘Daitz’. I… have prepared a gift╰( ･ ᗜ ･ )╯

-Loco Moco: I was going to give it to you right after the midterm exam?!…♪(´ε｀*)But I forgot about it.

-Loco Moco: I can’t see that I’m not home yet… Σ(‘◉⌓◉’) What should I do..?

-Loco Moco: Help me!

Not long after sending the text, the [Read] indicator appears.

‘Loco Moco’ was happy and sent messages one after another.

-Loco Moco: ദ്ദി *´꒳`*)ﾉ⁾⁾ It’s here! also. I guess we have something in common haha

-Loco Moco: So what do you think?

-Loco Moco: Should I give it to you now..? Or should I give it to you on the weekend…? (๑•̀ㅁ•́๑)

Sasaki looked at Inaba.

Then he moved his hand and responded to the text message that had just arrived.

-Deitz: Well…I think.

-Loco Moco: (。╹‿ ╹ 。) Yes!

-Deitz: I think it’s better to end it today.

-Loco Moco: Ha, but I couldn’t see it at home…?٩(๑˃̌ۿ˂̌๑)۶

-Loco Moco: I’m still standing in front of the house… I don’t even know when I’ll come…

Are you still near your house?

-Daitz: Think carefully about ‘Loco Moco’

-Daitz: That kind of effort…lol

-Deitz: Wouldn’t it be more touching..? It’s an experience.

Sasaki turned off the power button on his cell phone.

A necklace with a design similar to mine.

I’m curious about Inaba’s expression when he gets the necklace back home.