Chapter 7


TL: Akabane


***


I came home in the middle of the night, then took a shower and went to sleep. Yet, I woke up around 7:00 in the morning. The day after a late night of drinking, sleep is inevitably shallow. The older I get, the more I feel it.


Waking up early on a day off when there is nothing to do is just a waste of time. I open the curtains and lie in bed again. After spending a few idle hours looking at the smartphone, I fall into a shallow sleep again.


The next thing that wakes me up is the sound of my phone. I did not recognize the number on the screen of my phone. The time was around nine o'clock.


"Yes, hello?"


I was never very good at making phone calls. I was nervous just picking it up, like when I was a new graduate. But I used it so much at work that it was a piece of cake to wake up from sleep and make up a voice. I rubbed my eyes and bit back a sore throat.


"--Eh."


The other party was the police. It was so unexpected. I wake up in an instant. I rushed to wake myself up.


I was terrified that I would be accused of a crime I did not remember. Of course, I had no idea. But I had Momo-chan's case. You never know what might happen in this world.


"Oh, you mean ......?"


My fears were unfounded. It's about something completely different. My driver's license was found as a lost item.


While we were talking, I checked my wallet and sure enough, it was gone. I can't recall where I dropped it. When I asked him where it had fallen, he told me it was "right by the convenience store."


It hit me immediately. That's when I smoked yesterday. I must have dropped it when I opened my wallet after shopping. A driver's license is a piece of personal information. I was honestly happy to see the goodwill of the company in delivering it so quickly.


But this is not the time to say, "I'm sorry I dropped it." I had to reflect on the fact that I dropped it. The police on the other side end of the line also told me to be careful in a rather serious tone, as there is a high risk of misuse. It's depressing to be lectured on a holiday. It's my own fault, though.


"Yes, yes ...... I understand. I will visit you in the morning."


They are keeping it at a nearby police station. I'm glad I did what I did, but I'm not in the mood to do it. I hung up the phone and sighed heavily.


It's been a month. This past month. Momo-chan has come forward with allegations of infatuation, told me she wants to quit, and of course I haven't heard from her for the rest period. I don't even know what I'm living for. I don't want to live, but I also don't want to die. I guess I will continue to live idly with such convenient thoughts.


I ate a piece of grilled fish and a rice ball that I bought at a convenience store yesterday. I ate them without thinking about anything in particular. It takes less than 10 minutes to the police box by bicycle. It was not far enough to take the train.


I felt a little bit of alcohol left in my mouth. If they found out that I came here by bicycle, I would be in trouble. The place to go was too bad. I had no choice but to walk.


I had been walking since yesterday. I thought my muscles might be sore, but they were not. It was only two days later that I started to feel the pain. I feel that I am getting old.


"It's so hot .........."


It was so hot that I let out a sigh of relief. It was only ten o'clock in the morning, but it was going to be even worse on the way home. I spin my legs mindlessly. Slowly.


By the time I arrived at the police station, I was completely drenched in sweat. I wiped it off with a towel from my bag and checked my hair to make sure it wasn't a mess. My hair was too straight to match my face.


It was surprisingly cool inside. The temperature of the air conditioner itself was not low, but I felt cool because I was sweating. It was enough to make me want to stay here for a while.


However, this place has a unique atmosphere. Just standing there was tiring.


"Um, excuse me. My name is Araki Shinki, and I dropped my driver's license."


As soon as I said that, the middle-aged policeman pulled out a file saying, "Hello." From the sound of his voice I heard, he was probably the same person who had called me.


"Just in case, do you have something to verify your identity?　Like an insurance card?"


"Oh, yes. I have it."


The photo on my driver's license had just been renewed the other day, so there was no difference. Of course, the policemen knew this, but it was a routine operation, so there was nothing they could do about it. If it turned out to be a different person, that would be a big problem.


I took out my insurance card from my wallet and filled in my name, address, and other information on the beneficiary form. I don't like ballpoint pens with thick tips because they are hard to write with.


"...... Yes. Indeed. Please be careful next time. It could lead to a leak of personal information."


"I'll keep that in mind."


I'm glad he's softer-spoken than I thought he would be. I get the impression that he is a father of two children at home. I don't really care about that. I put my driver's license in my wallet. I'm glad for the time being.


"Um, I'd like to call the person who picked it up to say thanks."


"Okay. I understand that there is no problem to give you their contact information, so please wait a moment."


This was the first time in my life that I had a lost and found delivered in this way. I had heard about it from time to time, but I knew I had to at least call to thank them.


He asked me if I wanted to use the police station phone, which I politely declined. I told him I would only call him once, and the officer laughed at that too.


He let me take down the number and I left the police station. I'd rather not come here again if at all possible. The man himself seemed nice, but I still couldn't get used to the atmosphere.


I looked at the area code, and it seemed to be a cell phone number. I guess that's not so surprising. In this day and age, it is rare to find a house with a landline phone. It is the same for me. How about my parents' house? I had never thought about it at all because I call my parents by my phone.


Oh well. I'm tired today. I'll have a drink from noon. It's my day off.


I bought some side dishes and a six-pack of beer at the supermarket on my way home, and went straight home. As soon as I got home, I turned on the air conditioner. I realized that it was past eleven o'clock. I decided to take a shower and then have a drink.


But first...


I took out the note I had in my wallet and typed it into my smartphone. I didn't want to call him to thank him after I'd had a drink. Let's finish this first and take a shower.


I'm used to making phone calls. I figure that since he is the kind of person who delivers my driver's license, I won't get involved in anything strange. The person who reports it also has to give personal information to the police, so at least he can't be a weirdo.


I type a quick message and press the dial-out button.


After about two seconds of ringing, I was connected.


"Yes, this is Yamamoto."


It was a woman's voice. A pretty voice. I was not told her name or anything, but I was glad to hear that there were some solid young girls out there.


"I'm sorry to call so suddenly. My name is Shinki, and I dropped my driver's license, but I see that you delivered it to the police ."


Then the woman says, "Ah!" she laughed shyly with a high pitched voice. She is a lovely good girl.


"I see you received it safely. I'm glad."


"It really helped. Thank you very much. I'm sorry I can only say this."


"Haha. No, no, no. Please don't worry about it."


If it were true, I would have given her a gift. But I don't think I'd have to ask for her address. The officer also told me that she didn't expect me to do that either.


It had been a while since I had felt "sincere goodwill." She don't want anything in return. It's just that I can't leave her alone. It's a kind world.


At any rate, I am glad that I was able to thank her. I didn't want to take up too much of the young girl's time, so I decided to end the call. But unexpectedly, she started talking to me.


"So your name is Shinki, is it?"


"Well, yes. That's right."


"Hmmm. I see."


She's asking me something strange. Of course, since she picked up my driver's license, it's not surprising that she knows my name. It's not something she would go out of her way to say to me.


But it's been a while since I've talked to a girl like this. Not counting Momo-chan. Why is it so exciting to talk to a girl on the phone? It's fun.


"How are you?"


"......... Yes?"


"Oh, no. Did you forget?"


It's sound as if I've met her once. The only girl I've ever met was either a friend from school or an ex-girlfriend.


Wait a minute. Suddenly, I remember what happened three minutes ago. Her name is Yamamoto. This name was familiar to me. Yes - it was at Izakaya.


"Mo, Mo, Mo, Momo-chan ......?!"


"It's been a while. Cheerleader."


Apparently, I had gotten the phone number of my idol.



PREV | NEXT