24 - The Distance of Holding Hands

RAW

The end credits roll on the screen.

Haruto thought to himself that it would be nice if the end credits continued forever as he watched them.

He dropped his gaze to his left hand.

Looking at Ayaka's right hand and his hand, which was held together like lovers', Haruto tried his best to keep his expression from relaxing.

Holding hands with a cute girl.

It would be impossible for a normal high school boy not to grin at something that everyone wants.

Soon the end credits finished, and the lights came on in the theater as they had at the beginning, brightening the surroundings.

The audience, who had remained until the end, all stood up at once and headed for the exit.

The sound of the other audience members' footsteps and the comments people were making about the movie made the theater suddenly noisy.

"... Shall we sit down a little longer?"

"... Yeah"

If we head to the exit now, it will be crowded, so we might have to let go of our hands.

If possible, he would like to hold her hand for a little longer.

Thinking this, Haruto suggests that they continue to sit like this until the people around thin out.

Ayaka was a little embarrassed, but she nodded and agreed.

(Tojo-san feels the same way... I hope.)

He doesn't want to let go of her hand.

If that's a mutual feeling.

As Haruto watches the crowd gradually thin out, he occasionally checks Ayaka's reaction and tries to guess her feelings.

(I wonder what she thinks of me...)

From the fact that they are holding hands, he can tell that she likes him.

Even if she says she uses it to avoid men, she probably wouldn't hold hands with someone she doesn't like.

But still, if asked if she likes him, he isn't sure.

(For some reason, Tojo-san seems like a bit of an airhead...)

Although they've only known each other for a short time, Haruto believes that Ayaka is likely to be an airhead based on their interactions so far.

(She mistook love for like and confessed, and was rejected... it's entirely possible...)

Imagining a scene where he finally confesses and is rejected with, "Eh? I'm sorry, I like you, Otsuki-kun, but only as a friend...", Haruto takes mental damage without even realizing it.

(I'll still be going to Tojo-san's house to help with the housekeeping, so confessing and being rejected would be living hell...)

I want to avoid that future at all costs.

While he was thinking about this, almost everyone had left the theater.

"Shall we leave now?"

"Yeah."

After Ayaka nodded, Haruto stood first and gently took her hand to help her stand.

"Thanks..."

"No, no."

Haruto blushes and looks away at Ayaka's cuteness as she bashfully thanks him.

"Shall we go out then?"

"Yes."

The two hold hands and head to the theater exit.

Waiting for the crowd to thin out was worth it, as the two exit the theater smoothly without letting go of each other's hands, and leave the movie theater.

"Um, do you want to stop by a cafe or something?"

"Yes..."

"Is there a cafe you want to go to?"

"Hmm, what about Otsuki?"

"If Tojo-san doesn't have any preferences, I think we'll go here."

Haruto says, bringing up the homepage of a cafe he looked up yesterday on his smartphone and showing it to Ayaka.

"So you looked it up. Thank you."

As Ayaka says this, she leans forward a little and looks at Haruto's smartphone.

Since he is holding Ayaka's hand, he inevitably holds his smartphone in the hand opposite hers.

Perhaps because of this, or perhaps thanks to it, the distance between Ayaka and Haruto has narrowed, and their shoulders are touching.

"This has a stylish atmosphere. I like this place too."

"R-Really? Then let's go here."

"Yeah!"

Ayaka looks at Haruto's smartphone from close range.

As she peers at the screen, her hair, which reaches down to the middle of her back, flows smoothly.

Her beautiful hair shines flaxen in the sunlight.

She makes the gesture of tucking it behind her ear with the hand she is not holding.

The gesture of a woman tucking her hair behind her ear.

It is one of the most attractive female gestures that men find appealing.

As expected, Haruto's heart is startled by Ayaka's gesture.

Her slender white hand tucking her hair behind her ear.

With her hair tucked behind her ear, Haruto could catch a glimpse of her neck.

Haruto fought desperately to keep his gaze from being sucked in, as if by a black hole.

Haruto and Ayaka were still walking through the station building holding hands as if they were lovers.

The people around them almost always looked at Ayaka.

Then, after that, their eyes turned to Haruto as if they were appraising him.

To people who didn't know anything about them, the two of them would only look like a couple.

It was only natural, since they were holding hands as lovers.

And now, Haruto was being appraised by complete strangers, wondering what kind of man Ayaka's boyfriend was, a beautiful girl like no other.

Normally, he might have found those stares unpleasant.

However, right now Haruto didn't care about such stares.

That's because Ayaka, walking next to him, was so close that he didn't have time to think about it.

They weren't holding hands at the beginning of the day, so naturally they were quite far apart.

And after they held hands.

Before they held hands like lovers, even when they were holding hands like a normal handshake, they weren't so close that they were even conscious of it.

But now that they were holding hands like lovers, they were very close.

How close? It was natural for their shoulders to touch. In fact, they were so close that from time to time, a very soft sensation brushed against Haruto's elbow.

When holding hands like lovers, you hold each other's arms inward while holding hands, so it was natural for them to be that close, but for Haruto, this distance was a little, no, quite nerve-wracking.

(If Tojo were his real girlfriend, it would probably feel a little different...)

Thinking about this, Haruto glanced at Ayaka beside him.

It seemed she was embarrassed to walk around holding hands like lovers, as she was blushing all the way up to her ears.

However, it seemed she had no intention of stopping, as her hand remained tightly held.

Holding hands like lovers, the two of them blush as they arrive at the cafe.

"Welcome. Let me show you to your seat."

The waitress at the entrance guides Haruto and Ayaka inside the cafe.

"Please take a seat here."

The waitress shows them to their seat.

It's by the window, and a beautiful cityscape spreads out outside.

"Wow! What a beautiful view, Otsuki!"

"Yeah, it is."

This cafe is on the top floor of the station building, one floor below the movie floor.

Therefore, the view from the window is quite good, and at night you can enjoy the night view.

Ayaka is happy with the view from the high floor, and Haruto smiles naturally.

"Shall we sit down?"

"Yeah! Ah."

Just as they were about to sit down, Ayaka exclaims as if she has just realized something.

Then, she looks down at her right hand.

Her hand is holding Haruto's.

"You have to let go of my hand."

"Yeah, I guess so."

They slowly open their palms and release their lover's hold.

Their palms part for the first time in several hours.

The warmth that had been there just a moment ago. Haruto feels a little lonely as his palms lose that warmth.

"Here's the cold water. Please call me when you've decided what to order. I'll be off then."

Once they're seated, the waitress places two cups of water on the table, bows politely, and leaves.

The waitress has a lovely smile on her face, as if to say, "I was treated to something wonderful. Thank you for the meal."

"I'll have black coffee, but what about you, Tojo?"

"I think I'll have iced cafe au lait."

"Okay. Anything else?"

"No, it's fine."

"Okay."

After deciding on the order, Haruto called the waitress from earlier and placed his order.

Then again, she greeted him with a lovely smile, which made Haruto feel a little embarrassed.

After ordering, Haruto took a quick sip of cold water to moisten his throat, which had been dry from the tension.

Ayaka said to him.

"What did you think of the movie, Otsuki-kun? Was it interesting?"

"Eh? Ah, well... I guess it was. I think it's a movie that will stay in your memory forever."

Because he was holding Ayaka's hand, he couldn't say that he didn't remember anything at all, so he answered a little vaguely.

"What did you think, Tojo-san?"

"It was really interesting! But..."

"But?"

"Well... I guess I didn't really understand... the story from halfway through."

The halfway through was probably when Haruto carried out his revenge.

"Is that so..."

"Yeah... but I think I'll never forget this movie either."

Ayaka said this with a bashful look on her face.

Haruto felt his heart pounding as he watched her smile.

"... We're in the same boat."

"Yeah... we're in the same boat."

After the two of them spoke shyly to each other, there was a moment of silence.

"Um, by the way. The date for the zoo."

"Oh, yeah! That's right. We need to decide on that."

Ayaka nodded as if she'd remembered something when Haruto said that.

If anything, the movie was just an afterthought, and this was the main topic, but it seemed she'd forgotten about it until now.

Haruto gives a wry smile at Ayaka.

"Is there a zoo you want to go to, Tojo-san?"

"I think we want to go somewhere where we can interact with animals."

"That's true."

Haruto nods in agreement with Ayaka's opinion.

The idea of going to the zoo first came up when Ayaka was excited to see some puppies at a home improvement store.

"Um, it's not exactly a zoo, but how about we go to Animal Crossing Park?"

"Oh, that might be good."

Ayaka agrees with Haruto's suggestion.

"Animal Crossing Park" is a vast nature-themed park that has an area where you can interact with animals, an athletic area with lots of play equipment, and a water play area that's perfect for the scorching heat that continues day after day.

"Ryota will be joining us this time, so I think it would be fun if we could play a variety of different games so he won't get bored."

"Yes, yes! That's true."

"Also, there's a grassy area here, so we could bring a packed lunch and lay a sheet on the grass to eat."

"Yes! That's a great idea!"

Ayaka agrees with a bright look on her face.

"So, is it settled that we'll go to Animal Crossing Park?"

"Yes! That's settled! Now the only thing left is the date. When is it okay for you, Otsuki?"

"Yes. Anytime is fine, but the day after tomorrow is my day off."

"Oh, that's right."

Ayaka looks a little apologetic when she hears Haruto say part-time job.

"Can I have you come to my house on my days off too?"

Haruto's part-time job is as a housekeeper for the Tojo family.

So, after coming to the Tojo family tomorrow, he'll be coming to the Tojo family the day after that.

Incidentally, he has a part-time shift the following day as well. Two days in a row.

So starting tomorrow, Haruto will be coming to the Tojo house for four days in a row.

"No, no, it's no problem at all."

"Really? If you don't want to, just tell me."

"Not at all! I'm looking forward to hanging out with you and Ryota."

"I'm sure Ryota will be so happy if I tell him that Otsuki said that."

The two of them laugh together, imagining Ryota's reaction.

"Then I'll make lunch on the day and pick you up from Tojo's house in the morning."

Ayaka shook her head at Haruto's words.

"I feel bad asking you to make lunch. Otsuki-kun, you're not doing the housekeeping that day, so I'll make the lunch."

"No, it's okay. I don't hate cooking."

"But..."

Ayaka looks apologetic.

After thinking for a moment, she looks as if she's suddenly had an idea.

"Then, how about we make lunch together in the morning?"

"Oh, that's a good idea. Let's do that."

"Yeah!"

Ayaka nods happily.

And so, the two of them decided to make lunch together the day after tomorrow, and then take Ryota and go to Animal Crossing Park.