Episode Twenty-One
“Ame”
“…H-Hare…”
Our eyes met, and we murmured each other’s names.
Hinata Hare.
We were classmates in the oil painting course at the same seaside art university, friends.
I hadn’t seen her for a while. My heart swelled with nostalgia. To bump into an old friend in a place like this.
Did she feel the same? Hare came rushing towards me.
This might even lead to a hug. I stood up, taking a step forward to avoid spilling my mug.
Haru’s hand reached out.
Towards my collar.
Eh??
“You bastard, A-a-a-meeeee…!!”
“Eh, wha⁉︎ What⁉︎”
“The reunion! You ignored my messages, didn’t you?!!”
“A-a reunion? …Ah.”
I remembered.
Come to think of it, I’d received a notification about it a little while ago.
Back then, I was right in the middle of a death march, thinking “I’ll reply later” and then completely forgot about it, what with the Ibara situation too.
Haru snorted.
“Every single one of them. Whether it’s Ame or Hibari, if you can’t make it, at least reply and say so!”
“S-sorry. Work’s been crazy.”
“Ugh. Well, as long as you’re actually doing it properly.”
Haru’s hand left the back of my collar.
I took another look at Haru’s appearance.
A petite frame defiantly sporting a high-impact black bob with an inner colour. Sharp, slanted eyes. A sleek jawline.
An oversized down jacket and a T-shirt with English lettering suited her perfectly. Her denim trousers were a snug, just-right fit, and both feet were clad in Nike trainers.
She hadn’t changed, I thought. Haru was still Haru. She looked a little more grown-up than back then, but the aura she carried remained unchanged.
I believe she’s working in fashion now, isn’t she?
Haru stares intently at my face and says.
“You look better than I expected. Especially considering all that whining on social media.”
“Eh? Ah, could it be that the reunion…”
Was she worried about me, posting nothing but work-related grumbles because I was so busy, and invited me out?
Haru looks away.
“Nah. Just moved back from the sticks recently, so I just asked some random acquaintance.”
She really hasn’t changed.
Despite that blunt attitude, she’s also more considerate of friends than most.
Haru noticed my luggage.
“What’s that, anyway? A sleep aid pillow? Blimey, you still can’t sleep?”
“Ah, no. This isn’t mine.”
“Huh? Ah…”
Haru narrowed her eyes.
“A guy?”
“No.”
“A girl then?”
“No, but…⁉︎ Ah, no, maybe not. Not exactly, but…”
The way she phrased it just sounded like that, and if it did, the answer was no. Ibara and I weren’t like that.
“The only people who come pillow shopping with you are family or lovers. Ame’s family home is pretty rural, after all.”
“Well, that might be true, but… Ah, well, actually, this is a pillow for my sister who’s coming to stay soon…”
“Your sister? Didn’t you say your relationship was a bit… complicated?”
Blimey. Unlike my work colleagues, I do talk about family with my art school mates.
I should’ve just said it was for me.
I didn’t want to make them worry, so I ended up…
Haru peered at my face, going, “Hmm?”
“Suspicious. You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”
“Eh, um… No, I’m not—”
“Come on, come on, just tell me honestly. We’re the Weather Trio from the Oil Painting Course at the Art University, aren’t we?”
The Weather Trio was the name for the three of us: me, Haru, and another girl we hung out with a lot, Minami Kumogoromo.
It was none other than Haru who came up with the name. She was also the one who gave me my nickname, Ame.
I think it’s rather good taste. It hasn’t really gained much approval, though.
“But still… hmm, even if it’s Haru…”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. I won’t do anything bad, I promise.”
Her unexpectedly cute eyes sparkled with curiosity. Once she got like this, Haru was persistent.
As I hesitated over how to get out of this situation, I spotted Ibara at the far end of the floor, paper bag in hand.
Oh no.
If that girl came over now, it would definitely get awkward.
“L-later!”
“Huh?”
“We’ll talk later! Let’s have a drink together!”
“A drink? Well, I don’t mind. But Ame, you’re practically a teetotaler, aren’t you?”
“I can handle a little. There are some things harder to talk about when you’re sober…”
Like how I ended up letting a high school girl I met by chance stay at my place, and now we’re sharing a bed practically every night.
I don’t have the confidence to confess that without alcohol’s help.
“…Alright then. Next Friday, then. Work?”
“Things are quiet at the moment, so I should be free.”
“Right, I’ll chat with you later. Don’t ignore my messages this time.”
Waving flutteringly, Haru left the café. There was no escaping this now. She’d just have to steel herself.
Not that she was doing anything shameful she couldn’t tell Haru… Probably.
Just then, Ibara returned.
“Sorry, Shigure-san, I got held up longer than expected.”
Then, looking in the direction Haru had left, she asked.
“Weren’t you just talking to someone?”
“Ah, yes. A university friend.”
“Huh…”
Beyond the crowd, Haru’s back was visible. Had Ibara spotted her too?
“That person just now wasn’t the one from the drawing, was it?”
“Eh? Ah, no. That’s a different friend.”
The “old friend from my student days” I once drew on campus, who was so often at my place I even gave her a pillow as a gift, that wasn’t Haru.
Haru lived far from the university and wasn’t the type to readily accept favours from others. Surprisingly meticulous, actually.
“Oh, right. I’ll be late next Friday, so go ahead and take a bath first.”
“Eh?”
“Sorry, I said.”
“Going for drinks with that person from earlier.”
“…Well, yeah.”
“Huh.”
I felt an uncomfortably intense gaze. That’s why I said sorry.
“…Fine, I suppose. But can you actually drink, Shigure-san?”
“Well, a little bit.”
Well, as Haru said, I’m practically a lightweight.
Generally, two glasses of cider is about my limit.
Ibara narrowed her eyes.
“Don’t drink too much and get completely wasted, alright?”
“Ahaha, I know, I know. It’s fine, it’s fine.”
I’m twenty-four, after all, despite how I look.
I’m reasonably accustomed to drinking occasions and know my limits perfectly well.
It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m not a university student anymore, I’m not going to get completely wasted just like that.