That evening.
I arrived home as usual with a bento box, a beer, and the black coffee I bought for Ippei in hand.
*Meow!!*
“Haha! Welcome home, Kuro. Something good happened today.”
*Meow, meow!!*
Kuro greeted me with joy and also emitted cute smiles and meows.
The unexpected kiss from Ippei still lingered. The sensation and warmth from that moment made me happy and embarrassed. Yet, surely, I would forget Ippei’s face again by tomorrow.
Why can’t I remember it? I don’t even understand it myself… Why?
I put the black coffee back in the fridge with those thoughts in mind, intending to give it to him next time, and then I decided to wash away today’s fatigue and the warmth I didn’t want to forget from Ippei with a shower.
* * *
“Kuro? I want to introduce you to Ippei too.”
*Meow?*
“I mean, I want you to meet my family. You’ve been hearing about Ippei a lot lately, haven’t you?”
*Meow, meow!!*
“Haha! Hey, that tickles!!”
It was at that moment, while enjoying dinner and beer with Kuro, playing around, that I couldn’t hide my surprise at the notification on my phone.
[Kisaragi Ippei]
[Sorry for today. Work has finally finished safely, but it seems like there are still a few things to take care of… I really want to see you soon.]
At night… a time when I never received any messages from Ippei before. Why now…? But since he messaged me, I had to reply…
[Thanks. I felt relieved once things settled down a bit. And I was surprised to receive a message from you at night.]
I typed as I pleased. In over a month, I never received a reply at night. So why did I receive a message today? Only Ippei knows the answer to that.
[I really worried about you, didn’t I? Actually, my girlfriend went back to her parents’ house for a week starting today.]
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
So that’s what it was… That’s why he could contact me at this late hour. While I’m happy to receive the message, it would be a lie to say I’m not feeling a bit sad.
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I wonder if Ippei also wants to be with me…?
And I still want to know your feelings, which I haven’t heard yet. I didn’t want to miss this chance, so I decided to express my sincere feelings to Ippei in writing.
[If you don’t have any plans alone, how about we meet this weekend, just the two of us?]
* * *
I don’t know when Ippei spends time alone or when he can move freely. But one thing I can say is that I can move freely at any time.
I wonder what kind of reply I’ll get… Now that I think about it, it’s right in the middle of the Obon holiday this weekend. I can’t help but wonder if there’s no way he doesn’t have plans, and behind my faint hope, I can’t help but fear rejection.
I wait for Ippei’s reply with a nervous expression. And then a message arrives on my phone.
[Yeah, it’s Obon, but are you sure it’s okay? I’m alone since I already finished work before Obon…]
I wasn’t refused. And Ippei’s kindness in always caring about me and contacting me. So, there’s only one answer I can give.
[Yeah, it’s fine. Actually, I want to see you. I’m alone too.]
[Oh, I see… If you’re okay with it, I’d like to meet you too!]
[Yeah, I want to see you too. It’s not often we get this chance, so I want to spend it together.]
[Yes! Thank you! Due to today’s mistake, I might not be able to finish until the middle of the week, but I’ll do my best while looking forward to seeing you!]
[Yeah, let’s both work hard until the weekend, okay? … Don’t push yourself too hard, though.]
[Yes! I’ll do my best! … I’m looking forward to it… Yeah, I’m really looking forward to it!]
I could have asked for his phone number and wanted to hear his voice right away. But I didn’t wish for that. No, just thinking about it, I felt happy knowing that this alone would be enough if the need ever arose…
I’ll see you this weekend. And I can meet you in a different space than usual. For me right now, that alone is happiness.
[I’m looking forward to it too!]
[Hehe… Yuta-san, are you smiling right now?]
[What!? How did you know?]
[Hehe, you’re just your usual self.]
[What do you mean!?]
[That’s what I mean!]
We exchanged such trivial conversations for the first time at night, only known to the two of us. Until now, I had always forgotten Ippei’s face by morning, but if we can exchange messages for such a long night like this, I surely won’t forget…
And as I exchanged messages with Ippei, even my cat Kuro, who had been watching me smile, cuddled up to me and fell asleep peacefully.
Yes, even though we had work the next day, we continued exchanging messages late into the night, spending our own enjoyable time together.
* * *
And so the weekend arrived.
Even though the contact from Ippei had been intermittent due to his busy schedule during the week, we managed to find time to plan our weekend.
[I’ll be waiting here for you at ten!]
We had already decided on a meeting place with Ippei and made a promise to pick each other up. Despite having such intense exchanges, I still couldn’t remember Ippei’s face…
But even so, it didn’t bother me. Because if I could see you, I could quickly remember the beloved face I had forgotten and spend a happy time with you.
“Kuro? I’m going to meet Ippei today.”
*Meow!? Meow!?*
“Haha, it’s okay! I’ll come back safely.”
*Meow, Meow!!*
After finishing my preparations, I made that promise to Kuro and headed to the meeting place with the set of snacks I had bought earlier, ready to meet Ippei.
* * *
The designated meeting place was the nearest station, a little away from the street corner in Sapporo.
It wasn’t an unfamiliar station, and it was a place I could find even without navigation. But my nerves driving there couldn’t settle down.
This was a different Ippei from the one I usually meet. Not the Ippei always in a suit. I would see his casual clothes and his usual appearance.
What might be ordinary in a normal romance isn’t necessarily ordinary for us now.
And perhaps because I hadn’t fully heard Ippei’s true feelings yet, my feelings were unsettled in many ways.
After arriving at the meeting place with such restless feelings, Ippei noticed my car as he waved at me, who usually arrives after me, with a cute yet somehow dignified smile.
Ippei’s first appearance in casual clothes.
Perhaps because it was hot, he wore black shorts, revealing his slender legs. And over a white shirt, he wore a light blue-striped shirt neatly.
It was all very simple, yet everything seemed to blend with Ippei, and he carried it off brilliantly. Ippei, who always gave off a refreshing yet somewhat sweet and mature vibe, remained unchanged even in casual wear.
“Yuta-san! Good morning!”
“Oh, good morning. Did I keep you waiting?”
“Huh!? No, I wasn’t waiting! You’re right on time! Just as expected from a type A!”
“Hey, hey, are you making fun of me?”
“Haha! No, I’m not! I know Yuta-san is always waiting for me.”
I found myself at a loss for words.
I thought you were teasing me, but somehow I felt that you were truly seeing me.
[I know.]
I couldn’t help but feel ecstatic when you accepted and understood the side of me that I’ve only shown you and put it into words. Does that mean you understand even that?
And with every word you utter, I find myself more and more enchanted by you. Do you even realize that?
“Alright, alright! Anyway, it’s hot, so hurry up and get in the passenger seat.”
“Haha! Understood, I’ll intrude then.”
Despite my attempt to act tough out of embarrassment, you sit in the passenger seat as always, emitting your usual refreshing scent.
No matter how much I pretend to be tough, no matter how much you captivate my heart, I love this space. I want to cherish this space with you. That feeling hasn’t changed at all.
“Alright, let’s go?”
“Yes! I’ll go anywhere with you!!”
With Ippei’s smile and those words, I grip the steering wheel and begin steering our date.
