Even so, we are living in the present

Chapter 44 – Unexpected Meeting

In the souvenir shop that Kyosuke and Yuu stepped into, the standard lineup of plush dolls and other merchandise was on display.

“… Ah, there it is.”

After wandering around the store for a while, Yuu eventually came to a stop in front of a certain product as he was murmuring. His eyes were drawn to the fluffy cat-ear headbands, hats adorned with cat-ear, along with other wearable goods. Of all these, Yuu grabbed a white cat-ear headband and placed it on his head.

“Does it suit me…?”

He turned around, posing a question. Where on earth had he acquired that cute, sly upward gaze? There was no way it wouldn’t suit him.

“…”

Staring at the excessively cute partner with cat-ear, his rationality threatened to waver, causing him to involuntarily avert his gaze before looking at him again and nodding.

“Then, Kyosuke, try on the black cat…”

“N-No, wait.”

As Yuu was about to pick up a different-colored headband, Kyosuke hurriedly gripped his arm and asked him to stop.

“… Why?”

Although Yuu’s gaze over his shoulder was piercing, Kyosuke shook his head here and there.

“Seriously, that sort of thing doesn’t suit me.”

“Kyosuke, haven’t you ever heard of ‘gap moe‘?”

It referred to the gap of a masculine Kyosuke wearing cute cat-ear, but should his pride be lost here, wearing them would be inevitable. It would be an excruciating shame. He would have to somehow maneuver his way out of this.

“I heard of it before. I know, but… that doesn’t mean everything can be tolerated.”

“… Idiot…”

Following a small quarrel, Yuu reluctantly withdrew his outstretched hand while swearing. This time, Kyosuke went to the checkout, pulling the arm of his completely sulky partner.

“Kyosuke, you idiot, you idiot!”

Although he dared to cuss in a voice audible to those around them, it was practically no damage considering he was wearing a cat-ear headband. Furthermore, the person wearing the cat-ear was so cute that it gave the illusion that whatever he said would be fine. However, he soon snapped to his senses.

What if I say ‘cute’ here?

Even though he asked himself the question, the answer was simple. Kyosuke can imagine how his partner would react with murderous intent, thus keeping him dispassionate.

“Thank you for your purchase. Sir, if you would like to wear it as is, shall I remove the price tag?”

“Ah, yes, that would be great.”

When the clerk scanned the bar code on the headband that Yuu was still wearing on his head, Kyosuke nodded and responded with a wry smile plastered on his face to the clerk’s question. Having paid with Kyosuke’s credit card, they left the souvenir shop with the clerk greeting them with a business smile and asking them to come back again in the future.

Even Yuu, who had revealed grumpiness earlier, finally regained his good mood after a few compliments on how nice the headband matched him. “Now, shall we ride some kind of attraction next?,” that was when Kyosuke started to wonder.

“Ichinose…!”

In the midst of people passing by, Kyosuke looked around as he felt someone calling him. Eventually, his gaze met with a boy who seemed to be the same age as him, and the other person bowed to him. Kyosuke, however, had no recognition of the boy’s face, so he returned a nod as if to answer him.

Yuu turned a curious gaze upon Kyosuke.

While holding hands with his partner, Kyosuke felt as if he was being called by the look in the boy’s eyes, hence he walked up to the boy.

He had silver-dyed hair and a sharp look in his eyes, but still, he did not recollect him.

“… Um?”

“Oh, my name is Sakura Kouki, a freshman. The kanji are sa from 佐賀 (Saga, Japanese prefecture) and kura from 倉庫 (warehouse), which means Sakura.”

When he directed a question mark as if to ask his name, he was provided with a calm response.

“Sakura, huh? Excuse me, this is the first time I know of you.”

Although it was not that he had forgotten, his expression naturally turned bitter without any knowledge of the person he was dealing with.

“Please don’t worry about it. Since I only know you unilaterally.”

“I don’t remember doing anything so conspicuous that would make you know me one way or the other…”

It was embarrassing to be followed and he shot a glance at Yuu, but he shrugged his shoulders as if to say that he didn’t know him either.

Kouki observed the two of them staring at each other in turn before opening his mouth in a reserved manner.

“I’m still wondering which club to join… and I was actually considering joining the kendo club so I went on an observation visit the other day.”

So that’s how it is…

When Kyosuke heard why he knew him, he nodded several times as if he was convinced. Even though he was aware that several students had visited the facility for a tour, he had not been able to confirm their faces. But that would explain it.

“It was an unexpected coincidence, and so I called out to you. I’m sorry.”

“No, I don’t mind.”

Despite answering in this manner, he was struck by a slight sense of irritation as his clothes were pulled by Yuu.

“Are you alone?”

While walking in the direction Yuu wanted to go, he asked Kouki, but he shook his head.

“No, I’m here with my friend. He has just gone to the toilet.”

Apparently, he was waiting for his friend. If so, there was no way he was going to move.

“I see. Be careful not to get separated from him, goodbye.”

“Yes, thank you.”

After saying goodbye in a manner not to be rude, the corners of Kouki’s mouth lifted in a joyful smile as he thanked him.

He never dreamed that on this day, at this time, he would be crossing paths with a student from the same school in this spacious theme park.

With a renewed sense of how small the world is, he was led by the hand to follow Yuu, who expressed a desire to ride the coffee cups next.

Thus, as suggested by his partner, Kyosuke experienced for the first time the manually operated, high-speed spinning attraction, and ended up tasting the horror of having his semicircular canals go haywire.

It was a peaceful, merry, fairy-tale world.

Although the shuraba that would arise in such a theme park was lurking in the shadows, surely it was steadily creeping closer with each passing moment──

T/N:

Gap moe – To be attracted by the contrast between someone’s looks and their personality