Life In The Reverse World

14:31. There were still forty-four minutes left before the 15:15 screening.

Harutaki and his sister Ayaka did not follow Chouko to Keio Department Store. After a brief discussion, the two of them agreed to head east instead, choosing Isetan(store), which was a bit closer to Toho Cinemas.

Glance. Glance. Glance.

As the siblings walked hand in hand out of Shinjuku Station and onto the streets, they drew the attention of passersby as usual. But compared to that feeling of being watched by everyone, the two of them in Shinjuku were more like the Tone River flowing into the Pacific. A river that could affect the lives of tens of thousands upstream became no different from a tiny drop of water once it merged with the sea.

This was the liveliest and most famous commercial district in all of Tokyo. Pedestrians, alone or in pairs, hurried toward their own destinations, eyes forward, expressions serious, as though the surrounding prosperity had nothing to do with them at all.

Groups of fashionably dressed young people gathered by the roadside, chatting animatedly about whatever caught their interest, laughter breaking out from time to time. It was as if the entire area had turned into their personal little worlds, nothing like the typically reserved and cautious demeanor Japanese tended to show in public.

Harutaki walked on, occasionally turning his head to glance at the grand, refined shop windows on his left, where all kinds of luxurious goods were on display.

Immersed in Shinjuku’s atmosphere, and unconsciously matching the pace of the strangers around them, both he and Ayaka gradually quickened their steps.

The past month has really been long.

Feeling the fast-paced energy rushing toward him, he let out a quiet breath.

In just one month, he had gone from being openly hostile with Nogami to forming a tacit little group, from an on-and-off closeness with Shihou to feeling inexplicably empty after being apart for only a short while.

It had only been a month, yet it felt like he had experienced more than in his entire three years of high school.

Normally, the siblings lived in Minato Ward, an area that felt nothing like a bustling metropolis. Their lives revolved around school, so it was easy for Shinjuku’s almost otherworldly atmosphere to influence them, stirring up vague, inexplicable emotions.

“It’s already been a month. Since idiot Harutaki started changing…”

Ayaka, as expected, was affected too. Faced with the aura of this fast-paced lifestyle, she felt a sense of disconnection from her previous life.

This was not an atmosphere created by crowds alone, but a kind of “chemical reaction” born from many different factors intertwining.

Compared to Shinjuku, Minato Ward was comfortable for daily living, but it inevitably felt slower, to the point that residential areas could sometimes give the illusion of being out in the countryside.

“I feel kind of… um…”

Ayaka puffed out her cheeks, thinking about how to put her feelings into words.

“Standing on the streets of Shinjuku feels like waking up from a dream, right?”

To be honest, Harutaki felt the same.

Even though he had visited bustling shopping districts like this before, walking through the streets now with an unguarded, empty state of mind gave him a completely different experience.

The first time he went to Shibuya, it felt like stepping into a “new world,” so unfamiliar it made him tense and uneasy.

The second time, he had come to Shinjuku with Shihou, but instead of this kind of vibrant commercial area, they had gone somewhere that could perhaps be called its “dark side.”

“C-can you… hold on a little tighter…”

Ayaka moved closer to Harutaki on her own, as if afraid that, just like the slow-paced life before, he might be torn away by this fast rhythm that swallowed up and blended all individuality.

In truth, this was her first time in Shinjuku.

No, rather than that, most of what she had experienced today was probably a first for her, Hoshikawa Ayaka.

Her first time at an amusement park, first roller coaster, first haunted house, first picnic, first time feeding food to a boy and being fed in return, and her first kiss.

Everything felt like a dream. Compared to the bleak, lightless days of the past few years, it was so wonderful it hardly felt real.

Ayaka had never wanted to wake up from this sweet dream so far removed from “reality.” After the morning’s “date practice,” she wanted even less to let go of the happiness right in front of her.

“Ow… that hurts! Idiot Harutaki, why did you pinch me?!”

Clutching her cheek, she glared angrily at Harutaki walking on her right.

“If it hurts, then it means you’re not dreaming.”

Harutaki could tell exactly what Ayaka was worried about. Just like him, she was afraid that one day she would wake up to find that everything had been nothing more than a dream.

In only a month, he had completely forgotten how dissatisfied and resentful he had been when this new life first began, let alone Ayaka, who had finally escaped her role as a full-time caretaker.

“Don’t worry. When spring passes, summer comes. When summer ends, autumn begins. And when autumn turns to winter, spring won’t be far behind. The Hoshikawa family has spring(Harutaki), summer(Ayaka), autumn(Chiaki), and winter(Fuyuno) all together, so what’s there to worry about?”

Understanding her feelings, Harutaki used the seasons embedded in the four siblings’ names to comfort her.

The four seasons were never meant to be separated.

“Later, help me pick out a few cool outfits, and we also need to buy some gifts for Chiaki and Fuyuno.”

Thinking of the other two sisters back home, a slightly strange illusion surfaced in his mind.

“Ayaka usually acts just like a mom. When you think about it, doesn’t this feel like a dad and mom sneaking out to the park and mall for some alone time, leaving the kids behind?”

Smack.

“What do you mean dad and mom… tch, I’m only a first-year high school girl!”

Ayaka slapped Harutaki’s shoulder in embarrassment and anger.

“There are plenty of people here who get married and have kids at sixteen, right?”

Smack.

Smack.

Ayaka hit him twice more.

“T-that kind of thing isn’t okay right now…”

“Should I be amazed at how randomly you project yourself into this, or impressed that you can see an arm and immediately imagine a naked body?”

Smack.

“You’d better reflect on yourself for constantly talking about inappropriate topics with your sister.”

But as for having children… she thought, if it were her stepbrother, maybe it would actually be fine.

About three minutes later, the two of them arrived at the entrance of their destination.

Looking up at Isetan’s imposing, classically European-style building, Harutaki felt that walking a few hundred extra meters had already been worth it.

He had seen photos online beforehand, but standing beneath it now, he could truly feel the charm born from the fusion of classical architecture and modern fashion.

“Um… Ayaka, do you think we should also buy something for Nogami and the others?”

“What if Nogami-senpai asks where you bought it, and why you came all the way to Shinjuku?”

And besides, the way he said “Nogami and the others” made Ayaka curious. Could it be that her idiot brother had more popularity with girls than she knew about?

She believed her brother was handsome and capable, so being popular was only natural. Still, Harutaki being too popular was definitely not part of her vision of a happy family future.

“I came all the way to Shinjuku just to buy you a gift?”

“That’s a textbook scumbag answer.”

Ayaka roasted him mercilessly.

After that, they first went to the men’s section in an annex and bought one set of sportswear and two casual outfits. Then they picked out small pendants that could be hung on backpacks or keychains for Chiaki and Fuyuno.

Nogami, Sae, Sanada, and Shihou. Harutaki carefully chose reasonably priced gifts for all four of them.

Gift-giving was something that required finesse. If it was too expensive, it made people uncomfortable. Too cheap, and it felt insincere.

At 14:58, after sending all their purchases home, Harutaki and Ayaka left Isetan and headed for Toho Cinemas.

……

Among the surrounding high-rise buildings, the Toho Cinemas building stood out. Its silver-gray, sci-fi-inspired design, combined with the massive Godzilla statue beside it, made it a true landmark of the area.

After entering the first floor of the cinema building, Harutaki had expected the lobby to be packed. In reality, aside from the counters and self-service ticket machines, there were not that many people.

“Should we buy something to eat?”

As he operated the machine to pick up the tickets, Ayaka tugged on his sleeve to ask.

Food?

What were you supposed to buy when watching a romance movie on a date?

In Harutaki’s mind, it did not matter for sci-fi or action films, but eating sticky popcorn during a romance movie felt like asking for trouble.

Still…

“Let’s get two cups of juice. Ayaka, could you handle that?”

Drinks were fine.

So, at 15:13, with two minutes left before the movie started, the two of them each holding a drink, pushed open the heavy soundproof doors of their assigned theater.

When he had followed “Onii” Sato to buy tickets earlier, Harutaki had already noticed that the remaining seats were all in the back row near the exit. No matter how he chose, there would definitely be at least one seat next to Shihou.

After entering the theater, illuminated by the screen’s advertisements, he easily found Shihou’s seat.

Perfect. Close to the aisle, and just right for him to sit between Ayaka and Shihou.

…

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