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The High School Students’ Youth
A week has passed since Christmas, bringing us to January 3rd’s early morning. I was fixing my hair in front of the bathroom mirror, brushing my teeth while I was at it, when my little sister Kofuyu walked in with a severely disgruntled expression.
“Another date?”
“It’s our first shrine visit, more accurately.”
“Didn’t you head somewhere on New Year’s Eve?”
“We just ate soba together and came back right away, remember?”
“If it’s just a shrine visit, then Kofuyu can tag along, right?”
“You promised to meet up with Oguri-chan, no?”
“Yeah, but…”
“Get in the way of my date or meet up with your master, which one will it be?”
“Ah, you called it a date!”
“Choose, young one.”
“Ugh…Kofuyu will go with master!”
As I thought, she’s crazy for Oguri-chan. Well, I’m happy that she’s found herself a good friend, but Oguri-chan’s the reason why Kofuyu’s become such a sadist. I don’t even know how she achieved that, but it’s her duty to look after my sister now. And as I was filled with these thoughts, I heard the doorbell ringing.
“Oh crap, I’m late.”
I washed the wax off my hands and rushed to the front door.
“Yes?!”
‘This is Kamijou.’
“Coming!”
I answered the intercom, returned to my room to grab my jacket, and rushed back to the door.
“You’re too loud, Nanaya!”
Mom sat in the living room as she complained.
“Sorry, I’m off to the shrine!”
“What? Another date with Touka-chan? Aren’t you guys lovey-dovey?”
“O-Oh shut up!”
“Don’t be home too late!”
“Yes, yes, see you later!”
I called out to the living room as I put on my sneakers and left the living room. I was greeted by the freezing winter air, paired with pleasant sun rays.
“Sorry for the wait.”
I spotted Touka-san wearing a beautiful kimono.
“You didn’t have to rush like that.”
“I wouldn’t dare make you wait, Chief.”
“You’re calling me chief again!”
“Ah, sorry. Old habits die hard.”
“Seriously…when will you get rid of that subordinate mentality already…”
“Hehe.”
I closed the front door and lined up next to Touka-san.
“You look beautiful, Touka-san.”
“Yes, yes. I’m sure you say that to everybody.”
“Wha?! You’re the only person I’ll ever say it to!”
“Really?”
“Really!”
“Ehehe, thanks.”
So cute!
“Nanaya-kun, my hand feels so lonely.”
So cute! God damn cute!
“G-Go ahead.”
I offered her my right hand, which had Touka-san skip over to me, grabbing it with her own.
“Really, why are you still getting flustered?”
Cute!
“A-Are you not?”
“Hehe, a bit, maybe?”
Cute! Cute! Cute! Ah, going on a date with Touka-san is the best. I’ve always dreamed of having her as my girlfriend! Gaaah, I’m so happy!
“You seem to be in pain, Nanaya-kun. Are you okay?”
“I’m just too happy, I might die.”
“Really…you never change, do you.”
I was allowed to taste the greatest happiness this early in the morning, as we headed for the local shrine. Arriving there, we were greeted by a large crowd.
“So many people, huh?”
“Seems like it.”
It was barely past 10 am, and yet I saw a huge line reaching from the gate all the way to the shrine.
“Maybe we should get our fortunes first?”
“Sounds nice. Hopefully, I get a great blessing.”
“It better not give me bad luck right after we started dating, I might get depressed for real.”
“I-I’ll do my best!”
We passed by the shrine gate, heading for the smaller shed to the right, pulling a fortune each for 100 yen. Before opening it, I glanced at the chief.
“Ah, I got great luck.”
“You already opened it?!”
“…Should I not have?”
“I mean…enjoying the brief period before opening it is one of the biggest joys you can have!”
“What’s the big deal, really.”
“And you pulled a great luck one, too!”
That vending machine luck she previously showed had finally returned, huh? Seriously, what deeds did she complete in her previous life to be this blessed?
“All right, now it’s your turn, Nanaya-kun. Open it up. Up up up.”
“What happened to you? I need to mentally prepare myself.”
“Enough idle talk, open it up.”
She’s starting to piss me off!
“All right, then…”
I opened up my fortune slip, which revealed…[Good Luck].
“So average…that’s just like you.”
“Couldn’t you have phrased it a bit more nicely?!”
“What’s so bad about it? At least it’s not bad luck.”
“You’re not wrong, but it just feels so much worse after you pulled that great luck! It’s fortune harassment!”
“You always put everything on harassment, don’t you?”
“And you don’t understand the feelings of your subordinates, Chief!”
“Okay, chief harassment!”
“Chief harassment?!”
“Referring to an insensitive man who calls his girlfriend ‘Chief’.”
“Chief…No, Touka-san, could you repeat that?!”
“Huh…? The chief harassment part?”
“No, not that! After that!”
“Referring to an insensitive man who calls his girlfriend ‘Chief’…Is that it?”
“Hehehe~”
“Wh-What are you grinning for?!”
“Because…you called yourself my girlfriend, Touka-san.”
“You’re happy about that!? Y-You big dummy!”
She punched my shoulder like a kitten. Yep, you’re my girlfriend, Touka-san!
“Now that we have pulled our fortunes, should we line up for the shrine visit?” I asked.
“Yes, let’s.”
Touka-san and I lined up at the very end of the long waiting line that led up to the main building. The line did shrink a bit compared to before, though. While we were waiting, Touka-san spoke up.
“What are you going to wish for, Nanaya-kun?”
“Hm…That this year will be another good one, maybe?”
“Wow, so cliché, it’s almost admirable.”
“What’s wrong with that?!”
“A lot. You need to set up some personal goals, isn’t that what I always tell you?”
“We’re not at work, so just overlook it this once, won’t you? And what about you, do you have something particular to wish for?”
“Of course, I do~”
“Then tell me.”
“Hmmm…I wonder…” She snickered at me as the line moved forward.
“There’s nothing you’d lose, and hearing the plans and ambitions of one’s superior is always a great motivation for a subordinate.”
“Then, if you make sure to hold my hand so you don’t end up lost in this crowd, I might be willing to tell you!”
“I understand, I’ll hold onto your hand with all my might, Touka-san.”
We smiled at each other, as our hands overlapped…
“Woah! So many people! Oh no, what to do! And it’d be even worse if there were to be some couples blindly flirting around! Ah, I’m sorry, you two. Your hands bumped into mine, so could you let go?”
A small girl with a bob cut broke between us.
“…Oguri-chan.”
“Ah, Shimono-senpai, what a coincidence! And Kamijou-senpai seems to be with you! Why are you both swaying your arms up and down?”
Oguri-chan purposefully looked at our hands. And if she’s here, then that means…
“Ah, Onii-chan! What’s this? You wanna hold hands with Kofuyu? Okay, then!”
Kofuyu appeared out of thin air and latched onto my hand. She must have leaked the information about me and Touka-san coming here to Oguri-chan. However, they weren’t the only ones getting in the way…
“Oh? It’s Touka, what a coincidence! Your hand looks so lonely! Let Biwa hold it for you!”
The charismatic girl with the looks you wouldn’t expect on a holy shrine appeared from the crowd.
“B-Biwako, why are you here?” Touka-san seemed bewildered.
Biwako-senpai responded while embracing Oguri-chan’s shoulders.
“Why…Cause she’s on her first shrine visit of the year with OguOgu! Right, OguOgu?”
As if to answer that statement, Oguri-chan now wrapped her arm around Biwako-senpai’s shoulder.
“That’s right, Sakonji-senpai! We’re super-duper close! I happened to come here with Kofuyu-chan and Senpai, when we just happened to spot you two.”
Hey now, since when did those two end up this close? Especially Oguri-chan, she’d always keep a certain distance from Biwako-senpai.
“Touka, stop wasting time with Nananosuke, and let’s go to the stalls down the stairs!”
“Shimono-senpai, forget about Kamijou-senpai, and let’s eat some food with Kofuyu-chan!”
So they formed an alliance, right? She did say she’d try to get in our way, but to think she’d immediately jump into action. Right as I had given up hope, one of our guardians appeared.
“Hey, Biwako-chan, OguOgu! Don’t get in the way of their date!”
All you need is a reliable childhood friend.
“Naopon, Biwa thought we shook you off! You’re hella fast, huh?”
Leaving her junior alone for such vile schemes, what a senior you are!
“Yo, yo! Everyone’s gathered here, what’s the occasion?”
“Oh, Onikichi. Happy new year.”
Touka-san watched over the situation and let out a snicker.
“Oh yeah, we haven’t even seen each other since last year. Happy new year, everyone.” She said, exchanging New Year’s greetings with everyone.
Once things calmed down a bit, Nao opened her mouth.
“Biwako-chan, OguOgu, you two really don’t know when to give up, huh?”
“But, it ain’t fair that these two are allowed to spend time alone! Touka doesn’t just belong to Nananosuke.”
“That’s absolutely right, Sakonji-senpai. These two are still high school students, after all!”
“Well said, OguOgu! Oiii!”
“Oiii! Sakonji-senpai! Oiii!”
They’re like besties now! I glanced at Kofuyu next to me, who was grinning to herself.
“You told those two about my date with Touka-san, right?”
“Yeah. What about it?”
She doesn’t show a glimmer of guilt, huh? Seriously, this is why I didn’t want her to know about my date with Touka-san.
“I’m sorry, Touka-san. Kofuyu leaked it all again, so things turned noisy again.”
“It’s fine, I like having everyone around,” she said with a smile. “Okay, then let’s all line up for the shrine visit together!” She gave orders like a true superior.
*
I threw a 500 yen coin into the offerings box and clapped my hands together with everyone. It’s my first new year after traveling back in time. Counting in the years before Touka-san and I worked at the company, that’ll be 10 years now. Time is always moving forward. Once more, we all grow to become adults. Together with my newly found friends I have with me. I opened up one eye and glanced to my side. Touka-san was as beautiful as always, just like the last time we prayed at a shrine together. My heart skipped a beat. Be it the future or the past, my feelings won’t change. That I’m certain of.
*
We finished our shrine visit and headed down the stone stairs when Touka-san suddenly approached me.
“Nanaya-kun, do you know what I wished for when we went to the shrine last June?”
“I mean, that you want to go back to high school with me?”
“That’s one part of it, but there’s one more part.”
“Which would be?”
“That I could become a girl who can be lovey-dovey.”
“Ohhh.”
“What’s that reaction supposed to mean?!”
“The ‘Ohhh, it all makes sense’ reaction.”
“I see! Like a light bulb lit up above your head! I’ve experienced this before!”
“Err, what?”
“Gaah, you’re so annoying!”
“Haha, I’m sorry. So, what did you wish for just now?”
“Again, I’m not telling you.”
She never lets up, huh? Since I saw no other option, I gently grabbed her hand.
“Will you tell me now?”
“…Geez, you’re helpless.” Touka-san blushed and spoke with a bashful tone. “Do you really have to ask? I wished that we could always stay together.”
“How cliché.”
“What’s wrong with it? Even chlichés are important.”
“Indeed. That’s a request from me, too.”
“But don’t forget it was mine first.”
“Yes, I’ll always remember it.”
“And what did you wish for, Nanaya-kun?”
“Do you really have to ask? I wished that we could always stay together.”
“Ah! You copied me!”
“Haha!”
Holding hands, the two of us walked down the stairs, while I paid attention so that we wouldn’t accidentally let go.
“Hey, Nanacchi. Let’s grab something to eat!”
“You both come with us!”
“Ah! They’re holding hands! Biwa won’t allow that!”
“Right, Biwako-senpai?! Let’s stop them!”
“Master, Kofuyu will help you!”
I don’t have to become a man worthy of her. I don’t have to stand next to her…I just have to become a man who can make her happy. Surrounded by everyone, amidst these noisy days, that’s my one and only goal. This is my second youth. And this time, I’ll spend it with Touka-san and everyone else.
CClaw Translations 