Even so, we are living in the present

Chapter 55 – Reunion

Well, what do I do now?

Although it was nice to be outside of the dance school, he had no particular destination in mind. At first, he considered heading home, only to stop and turn around, staring at the closed door. As if his heart and body had been separated, Yuu found himself in the reality of not being able to move the way he desired, and he was pleading for him to “leave” unbearably. His voice carried such a grief-stricken tone that it refused to present Kyosuke with any other alternative but to comply. Hence, here he stood, all alone.

… Should I go home?

In all likelihood, the lesson will not end anytime soon. At any rate, there was no telling what time it would be, yet he felt uncomfortable returning to the classroom he had just left.

It wasn’t that he was intimidated to approach the classroom. However, the only thing was that this was an unworkable decision for Kyosuke, who was first and foremost conscious of Yuu’s feelings. And so, he started walking home. The breeze that drifted silently was warm and oblivious to Kyosuke’s state of mind. The air was tranquil and serene, and summer was upon him.

“…”

After walking a short distance, he came to a stop when he spotted a narrow path on his left side, one that he would never forget.

I wonder how Saiki is doing.

While staring at the field path that extended far into the distance, he was struck by the thought of Tomoya. It has been a while since they last met.

Since the accident, we’ve been in cordial relations, right?

When reminded of this, his face naturally broke out in a smile. Initially depressed, even Yuu gradually became accustomed to his presence. It was said that Yuu, who consistently lacked interest in other people, was worried about Tomoya and reacted positively on learning that he would be substituting for Tomoya as the broadcaster for the sports festival. While reminiscing about the recent past, a large motorcycle approached from the distance with a heavy bass sound.

“…”

With the engine noise so loud that it sent tremors through his eardrums, Kyosuke strained to look at it and encountered a familiar vehicle. Despite the fact that he could not make out the face of the rider because of the helmet, he had a vague notion of who that rider might be. Then, before entering a narrow street, the motorcycle stopped in front of Kyosuke with a sudden brake. Judging from the plastic bag on the handlebars, it appeared that the rider had gone shopping of some sort.

“Oh, it’s Kyosuke, isn’t it? What are you doing?”

Removing his helmet with his long legs on the ground and speaking in a low voice, the man was exactly as Kyosuke had assumed.

“It’s been a while, Natsume.”

“Are you alone? What happened to Yuu?”

When the other party questioned why Yuu was not with him as usual, Kyosuke cast his gaze towards the dance school and uttered the answer.

“Right now, he’s in the middle of a dance lesson.”

“Dance? Is this the school?”

As if to confirm, he pointed his finger and Kyosuke nodded at the tip of his finger.

“Yes.”

Kyosuke answered immediately, but Natsume folded his hands and lifted one corner of his mouth.

“Are you the only one going home?”

His countenance tightened at the question, which was true in a way, and he slowly tore his glance away before nodding.

“… Well, there are circumstances…”

“Hmm, circumstances huh…”

Natsume’s eyes narrowed quizzically at the awkward reluctance to answer, and after watching his expression for a while, trying to figure out what he was thinking, he got off the bike, retrieved another helmet from the back, and offered it to Kyosuke as if an idea had crossed his mind.

“… Are you coming?”

“Eh?”

While Kyosuke was at a loss for a proper response to this abrupt invitation, Natsume arched an eyebrow and pressed the helmet to Kyosuke’s chest.

“Like I said, are you coming?”

When asked to confirm again, Kyosuke lowered his sight to the helmet that had been forcefully handed to him.

“Eh, but──”

“Ah? Are you messing with me?”

Even after the second question, his indecisive answer was interrupted by a voice that sounded intimidating, prompting him to nod half-heartedly, unable to resist the other party’s pressure.

“… No, I’m sorry.”

“Get on.”

With a satisfied smile at Kyosuke, who was compelled to concede, he put on his own helmet, propped himself up on his bike, and gestured to the back with his thumb.

There was no room for rebuttal.

Kyosuke silently obeyed him, donned the helmet, and climbed over to the back seat.

─​───────

After driving for a while on the narrow road, the motorcycle drew to a halt as it entered a broad lot directly after turning onto a side street in the middle of the route. Natsume turned off the engine and got off, and Kyosuke followed him, stepping onto the unfamiliar property.

“Welcome to the Saiki family.”

Apart from the welcoming words uttered by Natsume, he took a sweeping view of the area. Surrounded by a fence, the site was spacious. Agricultural machines lay in the garage, and there was a warehouse as well as a large house with a solemn, purely Japanese-style structure. Kyosuke was struck dumbfounded by the magnificent sight before his eyes.

“… Oi, what kind of a face are you making?”

When Kyosuke remained unresponsive, Natsume half-smiled and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Ah, no, I’m sorry.”

“Hmm.”

When he snapped to his senses, he immediately apologized and was laughed at again.

“Forget it, just go inside. If I don’t get back soon, Tomoya will be worried.”

“Eh…”

Is Saiki discharged from the hospital?

“Ah? Have I not mentioned it?”

When Natsume lifted an eyebrow and shot the question at him, Kyosuke instantly retraced his memory to ascertain whether or not he had been informed of it, but he certainly couldn’t recollect it.

“I haven’t heard anything…”

“Oh, I see.”

Deciding that Kyosuke’s answer was not false, Natsume was convinced that the various aspects of the hospitalization were classified information and therefore had not been passed on to the other party. Although Kyosuke was related to it, Natsume concluded that it would be a disclosure if he shared the information with Kyosuke in his position as a public figure, thus he refrained from divulging the truth.

“Tomoya has recently returned home after his recovery. He will probably be ready to go back to school after the summer vacation. Of course, it will be under my supervision.”

There were many questions that arose in Kyosuke’s mind, such as what happened to Tomoya, but Natsume had the look of not entertaining any questions, rendering him speechless.

“Natsume, about your university?”

Instead, he uttered a question to the other party.

“I’m all done with correspondence, so there’s no problem.”

Answering in a mild tone of voice, he unlocked the front door. The door opened sideways with a rattling sound.

“… Excuse me.”

Following Natsume’s lead, he uttered a few reserved words, then quietly shut the door and removed his shoes. After going up the spacious entrance hallway, they proceeded to the living room, strolling down a corridor lined with neatly wood-grained floors. As he drew nearer, the sound of what was likely a television set grew in volume.

When he reached it, he found someone watching TV with his back to the entrance, resting his cheek on the large living room table. By the back of his head, Kyosuke can immediately tell who that was. With his brightly dyed, straight hair, he turned around when he noticed Natsume approaching.

“Ah, big brother, welcome back…? Eh, Ichinose?”

At one point, he shifted his gaze to Natsume, but immediately moved to Kyosuke and tilted his head. He rolled his eyes and blinked repeatedly, not masking his amazement at Kyosuke’s presence.

“Saiki…”

“Ichinose!”

With a snap and a cheery expression, Tomoya stood up with his hands on the carpet and made his way over to Kyosuke.

“It’s been a long time!”

“Yeah, it’s been a while.”

“How are you?”

“Oh.”

Seeing no change in his behavior, Kyosuke was clueless as to how to respond, so he gave a safe answer. Observing the awkwardness of the situation, Natsume placed a plastic bag on the table and gently patted Tomoya’s head to distract him from Kyosuke.

“Tomoya, I’m going upstairs to talk with Kyosuke about Yuu, so you can stay here and watch TV while you eat the pudding I bought for you. If you need anything else, let me know.”

“Hmm, okay.”

After giving a straightforward response to Natsume’s words, he hugged his beloved brother once more tightly, then sat down in front of the table again and began to open the lid of the pudding.

“…”

When Kyosuke heard the word “pudding,” the first image that popped into his head was that of Yuu. Natsume stared at his brother, who was in a fine mood as he began watching TV again, before regarding Kyosuke, who stayed silent.

“You go upstairs first. I’ll get you a drink.”

“… Yes, excuse me.”

Seeing how mature and obedient he was, Natsume’s expression changed again.

“You’re still as formal as ever… well, that’s okay. The room with sliding doors is on the left side of the staircase.”

It was not that he was being formal, it was merely that he felt that Natsume was so much superior to him, which of course he never revealed it.

“Yes, I understand.”

With his unchanged demeanor, Kyosuke left the living room with a single word of approval.