Chapter 1 Part 4
Afterward, we spent the entire day immersed in movies. By the evening, we ordered pizza and ate together as a group of five.
Before we knew it, it was already night.
"Well then, I guess we should be heading out soon."
"Yeah, it’s getting pretty late. We’ve got to get some sleep for tomorrow."
"I think I’ll do the same."
That’s right. Tomorrow was another school day, and the two of them had stayed up late to help us.
"Alright, understood."
"We’ll see you out."
The three of them started getting ready to leave, and Nagi and I saw them off at the entrance.
"So, Souta, see you tomorrow."
"Yeah. Thanks a lot, Eiji. And thanks to Nishizawa and Hayama too. I really got a lot of courage from you guys. If you three hadn’t been here, I probably wouldn’t have even thought about going to Nagi’s house."
Following me, Nagi also deeply bowed her head.
"I did something really awful to Souta-kun... and caused so much trouble for all of you. I’m truly sorry... and thank you so much."
Her words were a mix of regret, reflection, and gratitude.
Eiji and the others nodded in response.
"Yeah, no problem. I’ll leave Souta to you from now on."
"Don’t mention it! For me, I feel like I’ve gotten closer to Nagi-chan! Just try not to be too awkward about it!"
"… No problem. I didn’t want things to get awkward after finally getting to know you two. Let’s keep getting along."
Nagi raised her head and nodded with a smile.
"Yes! Thank you so much!"
It felt good. I was happy to be with Nagi like this again.
"Well, see you tomorrow."
"Yeah, see you tomorrow."
"See you. We’ll come over again to hang out with again."
"I will too. Nagi, see you tomorrow at school."
"Yes! See you tomorrow!"
We continued waving until their figures disappeared from sight.
After returning to the room with Nagi, I realized something.
"...We just saw them off normally, but when is Nagi going home?"
That’s right. I had forgotten about Nagi. Well, not forgotten, but rather, I hadn’t even considered it.
There was no sense of awkwardness with Nagi being beside me.
When I looked at her, she jolted slightly from hearing my words, and then stared at me.
"...Actually, I have one request."
Her face was red, and her eyes were just a little bit wet—probably from nervousness.
I nodded slowly, trying to ease her tension as much as I could.
"Yeah. Anything, just tell me."
With that, Nagi stared into my eyes and――――
"I want to stay over at your house tonight, Souta-kun."
She said that.
My mind struggled to keep up, and my thoughts came to a halt. A few moments passed before my brain started to process things.
"Wait, hold on. Staying over... but your luggage—"
As I spoke, I suddenly remembered. Nagi had brought her school bag with her—her bag for going to school.
"...Yes. Of course, I have my uniform, and I also brought my things for staying over."
"But... what about Souichirou-san and the others? Did you talk to them?"
"I told Mom... Actually, it was Mom who told me. She said, 'Why don’t you stay over today? I’ll let Dad know. I’ve already prepared your usual shampoo, toothbrush, and other things you'll need.'"
"...So that means..."
"Yes! I just got a message from Mom, and Dad gave his permission!"
Nagi beamed brightly, her face glowing like a sunflower. She seemed so happy, and it was clear that she hadn't considered that I might refuse... Honestly, I didn't really have a reason to refuse, except for one thing.
"...Alright. Stay as long as you'd like."
"Thank you so much!"
Nagi's face lit up even brighter, her joy shining through. As I watched her, I felt a sense of relief, but at the same time, I tightened my resolve.
The only thing on my mind was... whether my self-control would hold up.
No, it'll be fine. It'll be fine. I just need to stay composed.
★★★
"Souta-kun."
As I finished tidying up, Nagi called my name.
She was holding her bag tightly against her chest.
"I was wondering if I could use your bath... Would it be alright if I went first?"
"Hm? Ah, of course. I'll start filling the tub, so just wait a moment."
As I stood up, Nagi called my name again.
"Um, actually... There's one more thing I'd like to ask about the bath."
"...? "
Nagi looked at me shyly, fidgeting. I waited for the next part, wondering if this was the real reason she had called me.
"Well, actually... The horror movie we watched earlier turned out to be scarier than I thought. And... um, I heard that water sources can attract spirits, so..."
"...Ah, now that you mention it, I think I've heard that before."
A slight sense of unease crept up on me, and I felt a cold sweat running down my back.
"So... if possible, could you stay nearby and talk to me while I'm in the bath?"
At those words, I felt a sense of relief.
For a moment, I thought she might ask me to join her in the bath, but I had no reason to expect that from Nagi. At the same time, a little bit of embarrassment began to rise from deep within me.
What am I even thinking? Even if it’s Nagi, she wouldn't say something like that—
"Well, actually... I would prefer for you to join me, but... I thought it might be a little too soon."
So she would have liked to... but only a little?
Ah, I feel a little disappointed by that, and I don’t like it. I need to stay strong.
I took a moment to reflect on that, and then I looked into her blue eyes, which were waiting for my response.
"That much is totally fine."
"R-really?!"
"Yeah. But in that case, I'll be talking to you from the changing room."
"Yes! That’s perfect!"
It seemed like just being there to talk while she was in the bath wouldn't be a problem.
I nodded and walked over to turn on the water for the bath.
★★★
The sound of fabric rubbing against itself was harsh on my ears... My own heartbeat felt too loud.
Once the rustling sound ended, I heard the door to the bathroom creak open.
"Y-you can come in now."
After confirming that I heard the door close, I stepped into the changing room, and—
"...Ah."
I immediately turned my back.
The glass was frosted, but it wasn't completely opaque... I could still make out the faint outline of the interior. This meant I could discern Nagi's body shape. I was quick to turn away, and I had to give myself some credit for making that decision.
I continued walking backward, slowly, until I reached the shelf next to the bathroom.
Ah, my heart was so loud.
I closed my eyes and tried to think of something else—
"S-Souta-kun? Are you, um... still there?"
"Ah, yeah. I'm here."
—But I couldn't really concentrate. After all, the reason I came in was to talk to Nagi.
"U-um... Well, I’m going to wash my hair now, so... sorry, but..."
"I just need to keep talking, right?"
"Yes... Please."
"Got it."
I took a deep breath to calm myself, then spoke a little louder than usual, trying to speak over the sound of the shower.
"Alright then... Let’s talk about the future."
I wasn’t sure what to talk about at first, but then I decided. The future, of course—specifically, things I wanted to do with her.
"I’ve got a lot of places I want to go with you, Nagi."
It was a pleasant topic.
"I’d love to go to your performances again, and if there are any places you want to visit, I’ll go with you... And there’s something else too."
I hesitated just a bit, but I decided to say it.
"Sometime, I want you to come with me to my family’s house... It's a bit rural, but it’s a nice place. My mom and dad are good people, too. I want to introduce you to them."
Once I started talking, the words came more easily—stories from my childhood, about my family. I didn’t have many friends back then, but there were still things I enjoyed. I decided to leave out the sad stories for now.
As I spoke, time passed quickly.
"—Souta-kun."
"Ah, you're done?"
"Yes... Um, I have a question. How do you spend the end of the year? Do you go home?"
"Yeah, I do. I have to, otherwise my parents will come here, so that’s the plan."
For a moment, the only sound I heard was the shower running. She must have been thinking about something.
But it only lasted for a few seconds.
"—Would it be alright if I came with you?"
Her voice was slightly quieter than the sound of the shower... But it was still clear and easy to hear, and her words reached me without trouble.
Her response caught me completely off guard, and I hesitated for a moment.
"No, but... is it really okay? What about Souichirou-san and the others?"
"It's fine. But... well, next year, I want you to spend the end of the year with my family. Of course, it's okay if your mom and dad come too."
...That doesn’t sound too bad.
I may be just a high school student, and people might say I’m not in a position to be talking about these things, but I’ve become Nagi’s fiancé. I want to get along with Souichirou-san and the others.
"I also want to talk with your mom and dad. As soon as possible, if I can."
"...I see."
I wonder if she plans to talk about what happened yesterday and today. I don’t think it’s necessary, but knowing her personality, I’m sure she feels it’s something she should do.
"Also, I’m curious about the place where you were born and raised."
"I understand. I’ll invite you again when we’re heading home."
"Really?"
"Yeah. But you should talk to Souichirou-san and the others. And this might be unnecessary to say, but... make sure to spend proper time with your family."
"Of course! I love Papa, Mama, and Suzuka-san!"
Her words made me smile involuntarily as I continued talking.
I could hear the sound of Nagi washing her body and then soaking in the bath. As we kept talking—ping—my phone received a notification. I checked the screen for a moment, and my body froze.
"...Ah, Nagi."
"Yes? What is it?"
"I need to change the subject a bit. I’ve been contacting my parents every day—about how they’re doing, whether there’s been any trouble, things like that. They’re both worrywarts. When I’ve been unwell or mentally off, Mom’s come here to check on me."
"Hmm. That’s an important thing when you’re living alone."
"Yeah. I understood that, so I’ve always kept in touch. ...Well, I always did. Until yesterday."
—That’s right. Yesterday, with everything that happened, I just couldn’t focus on it. I did let them know I was okay earlier, though.
"My dad and mom are coming here soon, it seems."
I’ve made them worry. They were messaging me as if they might come as soon as tomorrow. I could tell them myself, but... this is something I shouldn’t decide on my own.
"Nagi, what do you want to do?"
"Let me explain it. When will they be coming?"
"I’ll tell them next Saturday, but... can you make it?"
"No problem."
Dad has work tomorrow, so I’ll convince him. If I tell him things are settled, he should understand. Nagi must be tired from everything too.
"Just know that you don’t need to worry. Both my dad and mom are understanding. If I explain your situation, they’ll definitely get it."
"...Yes. I’ll do my best to make them understand."
"No, I think they’ll probably agree to it right away... Just to be sure, I’ve already told my mom about you. So don’t worry about that. Dad should have heard about it from her too."
I've already told my mom about my friend Eiji and as well Nagi. So there's absolutely no problem.
Though the atmosphere became slightly tense, I wanted her to relax since she was in the bath. So, I decided to change the subject. This time, I asked Nagi where she wanted to go.
As we were talking, I suddenly noticed something.
In the basket near the entrance to the changing room, there were neatly folded clothes—Nagi's clothes.
At the very top of the clothes...
"Souta-kun? What's wrong?"
Her voice brought me back to my senses.
"N-Nothing..."
My voice came out a little higher than usual. I closed my eyes—trying my best to calm myself down.
Forcing my gaze away, I grabbed a towel from the shelf.
I then placed the towel over the clothes in the basket, trying not to look at it.
"Right, Nagi. How do you usually spend the New Year's holiday?"
As I returned to the conversation with Nagi, I couldn’t shake the image of what I had seen earlier. My heart kept pounding in an unsettling rhythm.
★★★