Even so, we are living in the present

Chapter 45 – Sakura

“… Wait, Yuu… let’s take a short break…”

Having alighted from the coffee cup with wobbly steps, Kyosuke somehow managed to settle down on the bench with the support of his partner.

His complexion was pale and strained. Confronted by the figure that will probably take time to recover, Yuu, who stood in a daunting stance and folded his hands, sighed deeply in a deliberate manner.

“How pathetic.”

“It can’t be helped… Anyone can be incompetent at something… Ugh, this is sickening…”

Powerless to refute with the nausea that surged up within him, he held his mouth with the palm of his hand and laid his upper body down to rest as if he was about to collapse. While Kyosuke was on the verge of death, Yuu was unperturbed, irrespective of the amount of spinning in the coffee cup. It was unbelievable that he was the same person.

“… Why are you so unaffected by it?”

“I’m accustomed to it.”

Although the answer was given without further thought in response to the question that seemed to be a complaint, that was probably not the underlying reason. The dance lessons he has been devoting himself to day in and day out must have developed his physique to such an extent that even the spinning of a coffee cup could not faze him.

“Kyosuke, let’s ride the Ferris wheel this time.”

“… Ah, yeah…”

While relieved by his partner’s apparently thoughtful suggestion, a harsh moan escaped his lips just as he answered. He had never seen Kyosuke so weak before. With no idea what to do, Yuu took off the cat-ears he was wearing and set them on the other’s head, removing the headband for the time being.

“… It suits you.”

His tone of voice was as flat as ever, yet he sounded extremely content.

“…”

For goodness sake, he thought but found himself unable to muster up the energy to resist nor refute.

The only thing he could do was to stay there and not react to anything.

Without even touching his weakened state, Yuu pulled out his smartphone.

…?

While staring at the situation, wondering what he was up to, shortly afterwards came the sound of an unceremonious click of a shutter.

─​───────

About 30 minutes had passed.

After finally recovering, Kyosuke was sitting on a bench alongside Yuu. Unlike his former frail appearance, Kyosuke’s dignified face was restored.

Even so, he did not rise from the bench as he was still considering their next step.

Apart from the Ferris wheel, there were many other attractions. In any case, he would like to save the best for last. Therefore, he was searching for attractions aside from the Ferris wheel.

However, since Kyosuke had never actually experienced any of these attractions, the choice to choose from was challenging. After a little deliberation, Yuu spoke up.

“I want to ride the roller coaster.”

That was a suggestion beyond belief.

“Are you serious? You know what happened to me just now. If you’re going to ride, do it alone.”

The cacophony of occasional screams sent Kyosuke pale. Insisting on bitter memories of the coffee cups, he expressed a stern rejection against roller coasters. At the word ‘alone,’ his partner puffed out one cheek.

“No.”

I don’t want to do it alone. I want to be together. These honest words, assembled in a small voice, conveyed such feelings. In this case, Kyosuke’s attitude also changed.

“… That’s why, we do it later on.”

“! Okay…”

At the words he added in a natural manner, Yuu’s eyes widened once before he turned his head away and nodded, trying not to let his joy be perceived.

… How cute.

He muttered the words in his mind that can never be spoken out loud. Even with people passing before their eyes, a world of only the two of them was formed. It was just when such a peaceful moment was beginning to flow.

“Mr. Sakura!!” (佐倉さん)

Both Yuu and Kyosuke turned their attention to the familiar voice. There, they saw Kouki, whom they had encountered earlier.

Why was he there?

He looked desperate.

“Sakura…?”

It was not surprising that he was there. Nevertheless, Kyosuke was struck by an acute sense of uneasiness.

Sakura is calling “Mr. Sakura”?

To his own last name, he added “Mr.”.

No, he might have said, “Mr. Sakura” (桜さん).

He could have been saying another name which won’t be out of place.

Kyosuke tried to force himself to put it that way.

However──

“What are you doing here?”

Kouki turned his gaze to the person he was questioning.

“──!”

Kyosuke gulped.

What a coincidence.

There he was, on the same express bus, the man in the short-sleeved shirt and denim. Although he was sporting sunglasses, which he was not wearing at the time, it was undoubtedly the same man.

There was no sign of the woman who had boarded the bus with him. When the man spotted Kouki, his reaction was as if he could not mask his astonishment, and for some reason he looked around the area before saying something.

“Why are you here?”

Such a question would be nuanced.

“Didn’t you have a business meeting with an overseas business partner!?”

Again, Kouki’s voice resounded. That voice carried fury, not surprise. With a look of panic, the man cast glances around, but the people nearby passed by without paying him any attention.

Even after hearing all this, Kyosuke still had no grasp of the relevance of the relationship between the two men, but then the appearance of that woman further confounded him.

“Mitsuaki! Sorry to keep you waiting!”

The woman called out to the man, her voice echoing with a catlike tone. The man’s name was apparently “Mitsuaki”. He hugged the woman as she approached, a smile forming on his face.

Kouki’s face turned furious as the two became intimate with each other. Pointing at him, the woman asked the man.

“Oh? Who is this boy?”

“I don’t know him. Shall we go?”

Perhaps not wanting to be exposed, he answered plainly, put his arm around the woman’s waist, and walked quickly away.

Kouki stared at his back without uttering a word.

With the whole scene filled with a very unfavorable atmosphere, Kyosuke stared and listened attentively. His face was mystified, and he dropped his gaze to ponder.

… It’s futile, I don’t get it…

Even after contemplating it, he still could not ascertain what the relationship was between the three people he had just seen.

He was certain that they were related in some way, but…

Kyosuke groaned as he ran through his thoughts, and Yuu stared at him.

In fact, his red eye had been on Kyosuke for a long time.

After all, Kyosuke has been wearing the cat-ears headband on his head for some time now, even though the man himself has forgotten about it.

But Yuu won’t disclose it to him.

… It looks good on you.

All the while, Kyosuke was unaware that this was the only thing on Yuu’s mind.