Alright, I’ll give her a call.
Put simply, I’ve already accomplished the goal of “seeing my father’s house,” after all, so I decide to consult Youko-chan for my plans hereafter.
From the recorded addresses, I select and dial.
—: Forwarding your call to the answering service center…
Kei: Huh……?
—: Please record your message after the tone. *pi~*
Kei: Ah, this is Hatou Kei speaking. I went to see my father’s house. It was kind of run down. And the bus comes through only once per hour, so I am currently waiting for the returning ride.
Kei: And so I thought I would call to give a report, but it seems that you’re not there, so I will call once again tonight. Good day.
Alright. I guess that about does it?
—: Recording failed. We are unable to take your message.
Kei: Eh!?
—: Please record your message again after the tone. *pi~*
Kei: Ehh!? Wait a min— no, I mean, umm… Hatou Kei speaking! I went to see my father’s house, and, umm, it was, umm……
—: “Run down,” you said…
Kei: Ah, yes, that was it— eh… huh?
Youko: Ppppfftt!
Kei: Wha-? Wai- what? Youko-chan?
Youko: Iyaaa~ Hato-chan, GAWD you’re funny!
So the answering service center was all a lie? I was fooled again, wasn’t I?
Youko: Ah~hhahahaha! Oww~ m-my stomach—!
Kei: ……Youko-chan, you’re laughing too much.
Youko: I don’t wanna laugh either, you know! I just ate and… when I laugh I…… oh, it hurts—! I’m dying—!
Kei: Well, you reap what you sow. I’m really hungry, okay?
Youko: Uhyahya! Yeah. I’ll stop laughing now. But before that, not that it’s anything to care about, but…
Kei: ……What?
Youko: Hato-chan, why use Keigo when you talk to an answering machine? (TN: Keigo – polite language. Normally, even if you’re friends with someone, you use Keigo when calling their house, since their parents might get your message. But, Kei was using Keigo for Youko’s cell phone, which is pointless.)
Kei: …………
It really was nothing to care about.
Kei: …and that’s what happened.
And so I summarized the events since last night and related them.
Except, anything involving that déjà vu and the accompanying pain was left out.
I don’t want to leave her any awkward worries, and it won’t help if she worries about me awkwardly. She’ll just say it’s because I’m tired. And I think it’s at least different from anything of that sort. Probably.
Youko: Well then, well then. It sounds like a pretty fun place to visit, so that’s good, right?
Kei: You think so?
Youko: Ghosts at the hotel, shape-shifting foxes at an old mansion… Don’t you think it has that “Summer~~~!” kinda feel?
Kei: I’ll pass on that kind of summer. I don’t like being scared. (TN: In Japan, summer is considered the season for ghost stories. Partly because the chills running down your spine keep you cool in the summer heat, and partly – or perhaps mostly – because of the Bon Festival.)
Youko: Yeah, you’re in the laughing group, eh, Hato-chan?
Kei: Yep. Please record Channel 4 from 5:30 to 6:00 on Sunday, if you don’t mind.
Youko: Yeah, yeah, roger—
Kei: Wah, come on…… it’s funny, you know.
Youko: Well, it is to you.
Youko: So, if you don’t want evening horror, how about a little something in the vein of a mysterious “girl meets boy” line, huh?
Kei: Heh?
Youko: Coming to meet under a green tree, a girl and a boy with the same name! And so they’re visited by one summer romance! Way to go, Hato-chan! Nice destiny!
Kei: Y-y-Youko-chan!?
Youko: In an all-girl’s school like ours, you don’t see many encounters like that. You gotta appreciate these things, you know.
Kei: But it wasn’t like that at all.
While it was mysterious, and green, he also told me I shouldn’t go back there.
Kei: I probably won’t see him again.
Youko: Really?
Kei: Yes, really. I’ve already seen my father’s house, and it takes at least half an hour from there, so I don’t really plan to go back.
And factoring in the wait for public transportation, all the more.
Youko: Then, what’re the chances of just meeting him in town?
Kei: I don’t really know, but it doesn’t look like there’s much to see by walking around.
Youko: No tourist hotspots or anything like that?
Kei: Who knows? It’s a pretty nice place for dipping in the hot spring and relaxing, though. The food’s good, too.
Youko: Hmmm……
Youko: ……In that case… Hato-chan.
Kei: Mm?
Youko: If you’re done with your business there, then you’ll just pile up the lodging fee if you stay, so why don’tcha come on home?
| せっかくだからもう少し | 帰ろうかな |
| After coming this far, I’ll stay a little longer. | Maybe I should go back. |