Chapter 20: A Love Story And A Night Alone


TL: Akabane


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Sasaki, sitting on the bed in her room, receives the ticket with her mouth hanging open.


"Makishima wants to going out ...... me?　Why?"


"Why? There's no particular reason. ...... If you don't want to...."


"I'll go!　I'm free tomorrow!"


Sasaki replies with a bite.


Was Sasaki surprisingly a soccer fan?


Or was she hooked after watching today's game?


......Well, it doesn't matter anyway.


"So, is this a pro?　Is this a professional match?"


Sasaki tilts her head as she looks at the ticket.


From there .......


"Hmm. .......?"


"I can't help it if you don't know!"


I let out a sigh, and Sasaki gets angry.


"Come on, explain it to me so I can understand."


"Explain ......?　Let's see, there is a Japanese professional soccer league called the N-League, right?"


"Yeah, I've heard of it."


"The top of the N League is the N1 League, and tomorrow we are going to watch a game of Tokyo Frontier, which belongs to the N1 League."


"Tokyo, Frontier...... Makishima likes that team?"


"Oh, yeah. I'm from Yamanashi, but I've liked Tokyo Frontier for a long time."


I even chose Tokyo Frontier junior youth team (a training organization for junior high school students), which he loved, rather than the local team in Yamanashi.


However, after that, I was not promoted to the youth team (a developmental organization for high school students) above the Jr. youth team, so I reluctantly entered Toyama's old powerhouse "Seishin Gakuen High School" with a sports recommendation.


"Well, Aihara said you like Tokyo Frontier, too."


"Heh ...... so if I had said no, would you have asked Aihara out?"


"No?　If Sasaki couldn't make it, I was going to give the other ticket to a guy in the soccer club, right?"


Aihara seems to be a grueling supporter of Tokyo Frontier, she seems to buy season seats and be behind the goal every game (grueling territory, basically standing), so she doesn't seem interested in SS seats or anything like that.


"What's wrong?"


"N-Nothing...?"


"What's with that smirk on your face?"


"I'm not grinning."


Sasaki got up from the bed and carefully put the ticket in his wallet.


"I understand most of the soccer thing!　If the game starts after noon, I'm going home tomorrow. Let's meet up somewhere after we both get ready, okay?"


"Okay. Can we meet at the station in front of the university?"


"Yes!"


Sasaki was in a better mood than I had imagined, and I was relieved.


Asking a girl out is such a calorie-demanding thing to do. (It's times like this that I respect Azaki.)


With tomorrow's plans set, we get ready for bed.


"First, we need a place to sleep. ....... Sasaki, you take the bed."


Before I could say anything, Sasaki was spreading out cosmetics and mirrors on the bed.


"What?　You want me in bed?"


"Hey, that was your plan all along. Don't you know anything about discretion?"


"Because I thought Makishima would give it to me..."


"What's the matter with you?"


Well, that's all right. I took out the futon that Azaki uses when he stays over and spread it out.


"I'll sleep on this futon. Don't fall off the bed."


"Huh?　I'm going to spread out the futon that I use to go to sleep.


"I don't think so. What if you get another concussion?"


Sasaki says, "Hmmm," and smirks the whole time.


I'm really pissed off. Should I call her a cab and have her go home?


"Hey, Makishima. Do you have a new toothbrush?"


"Toothbrush?"


"Yeah, I forgot to buy a new one since I threw away my portable one the other day."


"If you need a new one, I think there's one on the sink."


I came with Sasaki to the sink and handed her a brand new toothbrush from the shelf.


"Is this okay?"


"Yeah, thanks."


Since I came all this way, I put toothpaste on my own toothbrush and then handed the toothpaste to Sasaki.


"It might be a little spicy, is that okay?"


"I don't mind, it's fine."


We naturally lined up in front of the sink and brushed our teeth together.


We did this in the flow of things, like a ...... couple.


I looked at Sasaki in the mirror on the sink and she was looking at me through the mirror too.


Our eyes met and I immediately looked away, but Sasaki kept staring at me.


"Nun, nunda yo (what is it?)."


"...... Nundo atahi ni mihabatte wa na na (Why are we brushing our teeth together?)."


"......"


"......"


The air became so coy that I couldn't stand it anymore, so I gargled first, finished brushing my teeth, and quickly got under the covers.


Sasaki came back into the room, following behind me.


"Makishima, are you going to bed already?"


"Yes, I'm going to bed!"


"Well, since we're staying over, let's talk some more!"


"It's not a girl's night, ......!"


Sasaki sat on the bed holding a pillow and looked down at me lying on the futon.


Sasaki's raw legs brushed against my arm, and I could catch a glimpse of her side through the sleeves of her overstuffed T-shirt.


"Don't you have something you want to ask me?"


"What do I want to ask you ......?"


"I'll answer anything you want to ask me right now."


What I want to ask?


I can't come up with that kind of topic all of a sudden.


"Well, let's see ......?　So, do you want to talk about your first love?"


"First love⁈"


"What's wrong?　Anything, right?　You're not going to tell me you can't answer that, aren't you?"


"Mm-mm... ......"


Sasaki buried her face in the pillow she was holding with both hands.


Phew. Even the quintessential Sasaki, love stories--.


"When I was in high school...."


"You're really going to talk about it?!"


"Heh?　Because you want to hear about it, don't you?　My first love."


"Well, I was curious."


I wondered if Sasaki had ever had a first love. ......


I listened to Sasaki's story with mixed feelings.


"When I was in high school, I went away for work, and I was interested in a boy I saw there. ......"


"Wait. Your first love was in high school?"


"Is it bad?!"


"Not really."


"...So, you could say I've grown to like that boy. He looks cool and has a stoic impression...but I've never spoken to him, and I've never met him..."


"Did you give up...?"


"No! I'm not giving up!"


She gives me a desperate look from the pillow she had buried her face in, only her eyes that I can see.


I see ...... Sasaki, there's someone you really like?


That's right. Even though she's older, Sasaki is also a 20-year-old college student.


I thought Sasaki had a mental age of 15, so I didn't think she was in love or anything.


"Oh, I see. I hope you find, you know, that boy."


"...... yeah."


I don't know how I can talk about it, but I'm getting embarrassed to talk about my first love.


"What about Makishima?"


"Me?"


"Tell me about your first love, Makishima."


"...... Okay. Sasaki told me everything without deceiving me, so as a man, I have to tell you too."


I sit up once and sit on my knees and make up my mind.


"......Yes, my first love was when I was four years old."


"Four years old⁈"


"Oh. My first love was my college girl sister who lived next door."


"Wow. ......."


After that I went on to tell her about my first love, a local (now 35 years old, married) sister who lived in the house next door.


"...... Makishima is just plain creepy."


"Why not!　I was serious too, I told you about my first love!"


"Do you still love that older sister?"


"No, I don't. She's a married woman. I don't really have any feelings for ...... her right now. I was in a boys' school for three years, so I don't know if I can in love anymore."


"Yeah, what's that?"


Our first love talk ended with both of us becoming silent.


Sasaki started taking care of her skin, and I was lying on the futon, looking at a soccer magazine.


What was that .......


We just ended up having an exposé contest with each other.


No one was getting anything out of it.


After Sasaki finished taking care of her skin, I got up and turned off the light.


"I'm looking forward to tomorrow."


"I don't know anything about soccer, so you'll have to teach me a lot, okay?"


"Okay."


"......Good night, Makishima."


"Good night, Sasaki."


A long day with Sasaki was over.




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In the next soccer-watching part, there is a new development that will be related to this work ......!


See you tomorrow!


* Thanks for the first place (for about a week) in the romantic comedy week and day!!!


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