Episode Forty-Two
“──Well, I suppose it’s fine. No need to rush things.”
Hibari-san said this to me, who had fallen silent, with a matter-of-fact air.
“It’s the status quo answer, after all. The time between starting to date and bedding someone varies from person to person. Some take three years, others three hours.”
“But we’ve already slept together, haven’t we?”
“But the agreement was just sleeping together, right? Then I think that’s fine. My girlfriend six years ago loved cuddling up to sleep, but she wasn’t so keen on sex.”
“What we’re talking about now isn’t kinks or play styles, it’s whether you’re prepared to accept a schoolgirl into your life.”
“Is preparation even necessary? It’s fine, isn’t it? If she’s all fluffy and soft, just let her be fluffy and soft. It’s not like she’ll get pregnant or anything. Not every relationship has a neat label either.”
Leaving me behind, the two of them just kept escalating things on their own.
“Actually, you’re getting sidetracked. The point is that poor schoolgirl’s being kept hanging. I’m saying you should take responsibility for making her fall for you and give her a clear yes or no.”
“That’s why I’m saying putting it on hold is one answer. Love takes different forms for different people, right? Do you really know what that girl wants, Haru? It’s fine to keep her hanging. Getting laid after being kept in suspense for three weeks feels amazing.”
“I’m not talking about play, dammit! I’m not saying you should actually get involved with a minor! Keeping someone hanging is about their mental state! It’s pitiful to leave them in limbo!”
“Forcing a conclusion is just going to make both of you miserable. If you feel sorry for the schoolgirl being all worked up because she’s sleeping with Ame-chan, why not just help her relieve her sexual tension? Give her a little assistance or something.”
“You idiot! How could I possibly do that with someone I’m not even dating… What?!”
“You could. Do you know what a fuck buddy is, Haru-chan?”
“Not everyone has a love hotel for a brain like you!!”
Just as Haru shouted that, a university-aged chap nervously approached, stammering, “D-Drinks are ready…” He brought my lychee oolong.
“Um, sorry, there are other customers here…”
“…Sorry.”
“Apologies.”
Haru and Hibari-san bowed together. The waiter, who hadn’t done anything wrong, muttered “excuse me” and left the table.
With the tension finally easing, Haru let out a long sigh.
“Well, it all comes down to how things go, doesn’t it? Whether we make a clean break or just let it slide.”
“Exactly. That’s what I meant.”
“Bullshit.”
Haru snapped. But it was true.
This was solely my problem.
Sooner or later, I’d have to face it. Where our relationship was headed.
And my own feelings too.
“By the way,” Hibari-san leaned forward.
“I still haven’t seen the face of this rumoured schoolgirl, you know.”
“Ugh.”
Well, that was bound to happen. Given the flow of this conversation, it was inevitable.
“Fine, but don’t go blabbing about it.”
“I know, I know.”
I handed Hibari-san my phone, displaying the photo of Ibara.
“Whoa!” Hibari-san’s excitement level shot up a notch.
“Eh, wow. She really is cute. She’s got the kind of face Ame-chan would like, doesn’t she?”
“Yeah, right?”
Oh dear, that’s the reaction I expected.
“…Hmm?”
Suddenly, Hibari-san frowned.
She scrutinised my iPhone, squinting and staring intently.
“Hmm? I feel like I’ve seen this face somewhere before. I’m sure it’s an idol’s—”
“It’s probably just a coincidence!”
I hastily retrieved my phone.
Dangerous. Right, Hibari-san was the sort who regularly checked out idols and such. After all, this person absolutely adores cute girls.
“Well, they say there are three people in the world who look alike!”
“Hmm… Well, I suppose so. But there really was an idol who looked just like her. She was in a group called ‘Charles’, though she’s graduated now.”
“Oh, really?”
Well, she was the real deal, of course.
“I wasn’t a huge fan or anything, but I’d occasionally see fan art and stuff.”
“Fan art?”
“Like portraits, or illustrations themed around her? You know. ‘Charles’ is an idol group themed around fairy tales, so there’s loads of that sort of thing.”
“Huh… Interesting idol group…”
“You’re just a pseudo-otaku who doesn’t know the original work properly but spends all their time hunting down fan creations.”
“Shut up, Haru-chan. Look, like this one.”
With that, Hibari-san showed me an illustration of two girls pressed tightly together, their hands overlapping.
It was skilful. Though more manga-style, it captured their features perfectly.
That’s why I recognised it instantly. One of the girls was Ibara-chan.
And the other one was—
“This one’s Ibara-chan, who’s graduated, and this one’s the centre,—”
“Haibara Yōme.”
“Oh, you know her?”
“Ah.”
Oops.
I’d seen her before on ‘Charles’ SNS, so I just blurted it out.
“Well, it was just by chance.”
“Well, she is the centre with the most exposure. That’s right. Haibara Yōme-chan. The one themed after Cinderella.”
All the idols in ‘Charles’ are themed after Charles Perrault’s fairy tales.
Cinderella’s Haibara Yōme is a classic idol with short black hair.
Though, in the illustration, her hair was longer. Her facial features looked the same, though.
“Well, the photo I saw had short hair—”
“That might have been quite a while ago. She seems to be growing it out; it’s about this length now.”
Ah, I see. That explains it.
I must have scrolled back quite far on her SNS back then, so the short hair impression stuck in my mind.
“There’s this one too, and this one as well.”
Each time Hibari-san’s finger slid across the screen, a new illustration appeared.
And every single one depicted both Ibara and Hime together.
Most were just them posing together, but some had rather suggestive compositions.
Hugging from the front, exchanging meaningful glances, and even kissing cheeks.
“Um, Hibari-san. Isn’t this a bit… odd? This is fan art of a graduate, right?”
Considering that, not a single illustration of Ibara alone appeared.
“Ah, sorry about that. The people I follow are basically all ship-推し (shipping-focused) fans.”
“Ship-推し?”
“Yeah. For ‘Charles’, the most popular pairing is still Himeiba.”
“Himeiba?”
“Ah, the pairing tag for Hime-chan × Ibara-chan. Basically, it’s the tag used by people spewing out their fantasies and illustrations of these two being all lovey-dovey.”
“…Flirting…”
“These two were really close until Ibara-chan graduated. They often posted dating videos. They were naturally close on stage too.”
“………………Huh…”
“There were even rumours they were seriously dating. Wouldn’t that be lovely? I’d love to be sandwiched between them.”
“Kumoko, you’ll get killed by the fans.”
Haru’s retort went right over my head.
Huh, really?
Come to think of it, they did say they were close. Never heard it was that serious though…….
…………
Huh, Himeiba. First time hearing that.
Not that it matters.
The sound of it isn’t great though.
Huh.