Life In The Reverse World

After leaving the restroom, Harutaki and Chouko didn’t immediately leave the station. Instead, they transferred trains and headed to their next destination.

After asking about her mother’s and great-grandmother’s preferences, he bought a box of Domyoji sakura mochi wrapped in Oshima cherry leaves, and a box of kuri-yaki from Kuraya.

Stuffing the gifts into his backpack, he was once again led along by Chouko to another famous sightseeing spot.

They exited Kawaramachi Station and, after walking for about three minutes, arrived at the Kamogawa River. Along the way, they picked up a box of mame-mochi as a snack.

To be honest, Harutaki had never felt much about the Kamogawa. What was there to see about a calm, unremarkable river?

But once he and Chouko sat on the stone embankment—

The blue river shimmering with reflected sky.

The distant mountain ranges merging with the horizon.

And the famously unspoken spacing between seated couples.

Though tourists and lovers passed by, tranquility still filled the entire world, broken only by the murmuring current that concealed the lovers’ whispered confessions.

Harutaki and Chouko simply enjoyed the rare peace of being in the mortal world, forgetting all worries. They relaxed as they watched pedestrians across the river, couples sitting with their knees drawn up, ducks skimming across the surface, and the terraced steps of water descending layer by layer from far to near.

Just leaning against each other in silence, time seemed to accelerate like a video set to fast-forward. Night fell abruptly, tearing the sky into brilliant swaths of blue, white, and golden red.

Far to the north, the mountain foothills met the reddening horizon, resembling the chocolate caramel pudding that Fuyuno loved most. It made Harutaki think of his younger sisters back in Tokyo, wondering what they might be having for dinner.

Without him there, it was probably curry again.

He picked up a piece of mame-mochi to eat, only for Chouko—still nestled in his arms—to snatch it first.

Like a cat proudly stealing prey from a tiger’s jaws, she tilted her head and flashed him a smug smile, chewing while mumbling something even she probably couldn’t understand.

“Mmm… mmm mmm?”

Gulp.

She swallowed and tried again.

“Phew… Harutaki-kun, are we really going back later?”

Harutaki sighed inwardly.

Even if she had changed, she still harbored a near-miraculous hope and longing toward him.

“Running away isn’t just shameful. It won’t solve anything.”

From his own past experiences, running away could even make things worse, piling on unimaginable psychological pressure.

Unless one was content to become a pitiful and laughable figure like Ah Q.

“You can make me do anything… just not go back to Suishoen…”

Thud.

“Ow!”

Chouko clutched her head and turned to complain, only to fall silent at the serious look on his face.

She knew she’d said the wrong thing.

Having grown up accustomed to scoldings and discipline, she could read expressions and atmosphere all too well.

“Why do you think I like you, Shihou?”

“F-F-cup breasts?”

“You saw right through me. How annoying.”

“Pfft…”

Unable to resist his exaggerated dejection, she burst into laughter.

“At first, I was attracted to your cute appearance. But beneath the seemingly pure and quiet heiress facade is a secretly passionate and lively other self…”

Smack.

She slapped his thigh lightly in protest, even if he wasn’t entirely wrong.

“I want to understand Shihou better. I want to touch her true heart. I want to have a sincere relationship with her.”

Even if he still couldn’t fully let go of Nogami.

He felt a flicker of guilt—but the resolve he had made couldn’t be changed on a whim.

Maybe, he thought, he’d felt this way from the very beginning. Perhaps that guilt pushed him to give the girl even more of his heart.

Love was always a messy ledger. The more clearly you tried to calculate it, the farther apart you grew.

“But what you’ve done for me is far more than that…”

Chouko murmured softly, resting her head against his shoulder, the faint scent of citrus shampoo drifting up.

“I just don’t want something beautiful to be sullied. I can’t stand to see true beauty covered in dust and hidden beneath mass-produced luxury fabrics.”

“Tch…”

She clicked her tongue, then turned to face him. Her full thighs pinned his waist, and with both hands she clapped his cheeks together like making a sandwich.

Her pale golden eyes—like the twilight hour itself—locked onto his.

“…You’re Hoshikawa Harutaki, right?!”

He nodded.

“Then why learn Izumi’s awkwardness of all things, you idiot!”

She continued fiercely,

“If you like someone, just say it!”

So this was a confession, wasn’t it?

Or perhaps… like today’s date, the first proper one.

“I like Shihou. I like your innocence and sincerity, your liveliness and playfulness, your elegance and poise, your willfulness and mischief… But what I love most is Shihou who has the courage to pursue something genuine.”

Though being confessed to while pinned down was admittedly a little strange.

“And what about Izumi?”

His heartbeat skipped.

“Uh… I like Shihou. And everyone.”

Her puffed-up cheeks made him nervous.

“What a shame. Sorry—I don’t like you, Harutaki-kun.”

“Huh?”

“Pfft… hahaha…”

She burst out laughing at his stunned expression. After catching her breath, she leaned over him with a triumphant grin.

“Of course I’m joking~”

Before he could react, she hugged him tightly, pressing him down.

“I like Harutaki-kun, and Izumi, and Sae, and Minako too! But… actually, I suuuuper love Harutaki-kun~♡”

Her whisper by his ear felt like a soft feather brushing his heartstrings.

He shivered, the warmth of her body, her faint fragrance, and a trace of lingering moisture flooding his senses.

Citrus really was sweet.

To Harutaki, kissing itself held no intrinsic pleasure. Scientifically speaking, dopamine required emotional foundation.

What intoxicated wasn’t the act—but the closeness, the feeling of no barriers between them.

Half a minute later, seeing Chouko’s heaving chest and flushed face, he joked,

“I suuuuper love F-cup breasts too~”

“Pervert…”

Though she complained, she only pressed herself closer, as if placing all her weight into his arms.

…

After lingering to admire the nighttime scenery of the Kamogawa a while longer, they left their quiet sanctuary.

They skipped dinner and returned to Shihou Suishoen, prepared to face her mother and great-grandmother.

The security guard at the gate, upon seeing them, looked unsurprised and silently opened it.

Harutaki showed no change on the surface, but inwardly he let out a long breath.

It seemed that both his sneaking into Suishoen and taking Chouko out for the day had been tacitly approved by her elders.

At the very least… he probably wouldn’t have to worry about being deliberately made things difficult for him next.