ALL NOVEL Chapter 63
The way one spent the Obon season varied from person to person. Some obviously spent it with family, some spent it alone, and others spent it with friends. And although it wasn’t custom for this time of year, it wasn’t unusual for some to visit the graves of their family members who had passed away during this season.
“Yaaawn~.”
Despite that, Ryuichi was rubbing his eyes sleepily in the morning. It was past ten o’clock, quite late, but he had come home a little late last night because of his part-time job.
“…Ain’t got nothin’ to do.”
For Ryuichi, who lived alone, it was no different than any other day. He’d gone grave-visiting the other day, so he had no plans to go again. It was then that Ryuichi, having thought that far, gave a wry smile.
“Not so long ago, I wouldn’t have thought about grave-visiting at all. I guess I really have changed, huh.”
Ryuichi laughed, thinking that he would one day visit their graves again.
Well then, feeling bored and having nothing to do, Ryuichi picked up his phone.
“………”
He’d had no particular intention of meeting anyone or asking anyone out, but apparently there was someone else who was just as bored as Ryuichi.
“Makoto, huh.”
He’d received a message from Makoto, asking if he was free and wanted to go somewhere. Ryuichi laughed and replied, “Where the hell do you want to go?” Then, he immediately changed into his casual clothes and went outside.
“…So hot.”
It was only natural that it’d be hot outside in the blazing sun. When Ryuichi arrived at the station where he was to meet Makoto, he found that he was in the middle of picking up a couple of women. The two women were talking happily with Makoto, and it actually made Ryuichi impressed as to how skilled he was.
“Hey, what are you picking up women for when you’ve called me up?”
“Ooh, you’re here, Ryuichi.”
Now that he had a closer look at them, he could tell that the two women were adults. They were seemingly blushing due to having been hit on by a high school student, but they still didn’t seem to be too displeased, and in addition to Makoto, they also looked at Ryuichi interestedly.
“You know, I think he might be more of my type.”
“Really? I’m…”
It seemed that one of the women was interested in Ryuichi. However, Ryuichi was not interested in the women at all, so he did not want to spend time with them. Makoto, knowing this as well, came up to Ryuichi’s side and apologized to the girls for taking up their time.
“Was it okay for you to do that?”
“Yeah. Besides, I was just killing time with them.”
Ryuichi then started walking with Makoto. Ryuichi didn’t have a specific place to go in mind, and when he usually met up with Makoto, his best friend, on a holiday like this, they just hung out in the city.
“Not too long ago, me and you would’ve just gone hunting for girls and devouring them in bed, eh?”
“That’s so wrong…isn’t something I can say, huh.”
Even now, Ryuichi still couldn’t refute or rebut his past. When he, Makoto, and even Kaname were together, the three would often pick up girls together, and it wasn’t uncommon for them to have one-night stands on those occasions and have relations with the girls.
“I remember you giving me pointers on all kinds of things.”
“Really? I can’t really remember,” Ryuichi replied.
Even if Ryuichi had given him some sort of advice, Makoto had quickly gotten accustomed to handling women, and since he had excellent looks, he didn’t seem likely to have any trouble with women in the first place.
“Ooh, I like ones like her, y’know?”
“Ah?”
While walking through the city, Makoto turned his attention to a girl.
The girl, who was probably a high school student and looked to be around the same age as Ryuichi and his friends, was a little plain looking and gave off a slightly gloomy-like atmosphere. Her face, which was well suited to her round glasses, could be described as that of a bookworm girl, and in any case, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that she lived in a completely different world than Ryuichi and his friends; that was just how inconspicuous of a girl she was.
“Don’t you think dyeing a girl like her sounds nice?”
“…That’s so like you to say.”
It was true that there was a kind of immorality in dyeing and corrupting a plain girl. It was the same thing as dyeing a girl like Shizuna into a gal like Chisa, but Ryuichi smiled bitterly, because in the end, for Ryuichi, the best Shizuna was the Shizuna he had now, so he couldn’t really sympathize with Makoto.
Makoto told Ryuichi that he’d go talk to her for a bit and walked to the girl in question.
“…What’s the point in inviting me out, then?”
He was exactly right. Ryuichi sighed and wondered why he had gone out of his way to accept his invitation in the middle of this stupidly hot day, and why he had to watch him pick girls up. He could have just left like that without saying a word to him, but that would have left him back at square one with boredom, so he had no choice but to go along with him.
“Ah, she’s all red in the face.”
Apparently, the girl herself was aware that she was plain. The expression on her face was not one of disgust, but rather of bewilderment as to why someone like her was being hit on. Of course, Makoto, a skilled player with women, toyed around with her with his sweet words, and Ryuichi felt a little bit sorry for the girl who was being hit on.
“……?”
However, Makoto returned soon after. The girl was still staring at Makoto with a flushed face, though… Ryuichi asked him what had happened.
“What happened?”
“It looks like she has a boyfriend, so I gave up.”
“…Hmm?”
Ryuichi decided not to tell him that despite that, the girl was staring at him quite passionately. After that, they went to kill some time bowling and singing at a karaoke bar, and although it was a flowerless time in the absence of women, Ryuichi thought that this kind of thing was also nice every now and then.
He found it questionable how Makoto tried to pick up women every time, but it seemed even he had the decency to ask if they had a boyfriend first.
“Hey, Ryuichi. Try hitting on some girls, too.”
“Why, though?”
He had no idea how many times this made it, but he had absolutely no intention of picking up girls anymore. He may walk around town and admire some pretty girls, but he had no interest in them at all because he’d gotten to know a woman who was even more wonderful than them.
“…Oh.”
At that moment, he spotted the rear figures of two very familiar people. They were both looking at some accessories and conversing with each other amicably, which made him think that they really were good friends.
“…Wait, is that…?”
Apparently, Makoto also noticed. Both were dressed in summery attire, one showing some skin while not losing her innocent air, and the other in full navel-displaying style, showing off her outstanding figure without hesitation.
“If I gotta pick up girls, I’d obviously go for them.”
“…You’d snag them for sure, huh?”
“Well, cos I already know them,” Ryuichi laughed. He sneakily approached them to avoid detection, but they both turned around at once as if they had noticed Ryuichi standing behind them.
“Whoops…”
“Oh my, Ryuichi?”
“Ryuichi-kun?”
Ryuichi was taken aback, wondering how they had known. The two people he’d approached were Chisa and Satsuki, both of whom smiled in surprise at Ryuichi’s sudden appearance behind them.
“What’s wrong?”
“Were you perhaps…hoping we’d spend time with you?”
“I ain’t no child, y’know?”
Ryuichi responded as such to their teasing words. Pointing at Makoto, who was watching the proceedings behind him, he confessed that he had tried to hit on them. Since he’d finished what he’d come to do, he was about to turn his back and leave the two right then and there, but of course, that was impossible.
“Wait a minute, Ryuichi. Are you just going to call out to these two beautiful women and leave it at that?”
“Beautiful women or not, you’re so cold to us even though you’ve run into us, Ryuichi-kun.”
Chisa firmly grabbed him by his shoulders, and Satsuki modestly grabbed him by the hand. He had a feeling this would’ve happened, and seeing things indeed go as such made Ryuichi smile wryly as he returned to Makoto with the two of them.
“I’m back.”
“Hi, Makoto-kun.”
“Hi there.”
“…You.”
Well, obviously Makoto would be troubled if he brought two women like this. However, both Chisa and Satsuki understood that Ryuichi was hanging out with Makoto today and immediately let go of his body.
“Well, you two enjoy your time together, alright?”
“That’s right. Though it pains me to leave you, I’ll leave it at this for today.”
No sooner had they separated their bodies than they brought their faces close to his once more and kissed him on the cheek. Chisa was satisfied that she had done it, while Satsuki smiled a little while showing some embarrassment, and the girls left. Incidentally, since they were in the middle of the city, they were seen by passersby, who were both jealous and envious of him.
“…Seriously, you’re incredible, Ryuichi.”
“The hell you talkin’ about?”
The lingering scent and sensation on his cheeks felt pleasant. After that, Ryuichi spent some time walking around the city with Makoto again.
And, speaking of summer, it was the season of beaches. The day when he and Shizuna went to the sea, albeit a nearby one, had finally come.