Our Dating Story: The Experienced You and The Inexperienced Me - Volume 6 - Chapter 5.2

“Then I wouldn’t have had to go on for so many years feeling this way...” she added.

The passersby walked some distance away from those two, turning around and watching the unfolding scene. Nisshi and I stood a bit away as well, but it felt like people were watching us too. It honestly made me uneasy.

The main pair here, however, seemed too preoccupied to care.

Icchi was flustered and was trying to process the situation. “Wait, so, could it be that... Even now, you still...love me...?” he asked.

A sharp look returned to Tanikita-san’s face once again. “Come on, are you stupid?! How many times are you gonna make me say it?! Why would I come here if I didn’t love you?! Look what you got me involved in... This is so embarrassing! How’re you gonna make it up to me?!”

Icchi’s face turned red in an instant.

And then...

“Huh?!” It just so happened that Tanikita-san had been sitting on his crotch. She lifted herself up in a hurry. “H-Hey, what’re you getting hard for?!”

“Oh, sorry...” Icchi replied, flustered.

Flushed, Tanikita-san shouted at him mercilessly. “You pervert! How depraved are you?!” In the next moment, she looked at Icchi with earnest eyes. “I love you...” she said deliriously before sealing his lips with hers.

Watching them kiss in public and in broad daylight, I held my breath. I couldn’t even bring myself to glance at Nisshi.

“I always wanted to do that,” Tanikita-san said after she’d pulled her face away from Icchi’s. She gazed at him—the look on her face seemed both painful and ecstatic.

Icchi blushed and looked back at her. His gaze was both dreamy and full of disbelief.

“W-Wait, Tanikita-san! That’s enough!” I said.

“Knock it off! Go home!” added Nisshi.

It kind of felt like they were about to get it on right here in public, so the two of us rushed in to pull Tanikita-san away from Icchi.

At some point, Chamotaro-san and her boyfriend had disappeared. No wonder.

“So, uh, I guess you two are dating now, right?” Nisshi asked a bit offhandedly.

Icchi had gotten up, and we were now standing out of people’s way, next to the trees that lined the street. It was relieving to finally escape public attention.

Icchi and Tanikita-san were looking at each other silently as if trying to read each other’s expressions. Judging by what they were like, the answer to Nisshi’s question could only be “yes.” With that in mind, I took Icchi’s left hand and Tanikita-san’s right and brought them together.

“There you go. Well, that’s that, I guess,” I said.

Now holding hands, the two glanced at each other and then averted their eyes. It was like they were in a trance. Their first kiss was probably still on their minds.

“I’m sure you’ve got a lot of things to talk about, so we’ll leave you two to it,” said Nisshi, pushing Icchi’s and Tanikita-san’s backs to get them to go on their way.

The two of them started walking along the sidewalk, still holding hands.

“Man, even Icchi’s got a girlfriend now...” said Nisshi, sounding unamused. He watched them walk off and disappear among the crowd of people on the sidewalk.

“Yeah...”

“Damn... Well, that was stupid.”

Despite what he’d said, I could tell from the expression on his face that he felt relieved.

Giving one last look at the backs of the pair fading into the distance while holding hands, I said, “May you be happy together.”

***

Akari: Thanks for today, Kashima-kun!

Akari: Don’t worry, I’ve already blocked all my “daddies”!

Akari: I’m so happy right now!

When I saw the messages I’d gotten from Tanikita-san on LINE that night...

“Yep, that’s the Tanikita-san I know.”

I couldn’t contain a somewhat strained smile when I saw that she was doing well.

***

Late the next afternoon, I went to see Sekiya-san off. It was Saturday, so I normally would’ve had a tutoring session to hold at this time, but fortunately, the student I would’ve been seeing had asked to hold our session on a different day.

Since this was so sudden and it was a busy travel season, Sekiya-san had apparently been unable to get a plane ticket for a flight that would take place at a fitting time of day. He’d decided to take the shinkansen instead.

I met up with him at Omiya Station.

“’Sup. Sorry to make you come all the way,” he said.

Yamana-san was already there with him. Just like yesterday, they must’ve been together all day today.

Sekiya-san only had a blue suitcase and a sling bag with him. It was almost like he was just going on a four-day trip.

As for Yamana-san, she wasn’t talking much. Her expression was more like someone at a wake.

Runa watched her best friend with anxiety in her eyes. “Nicole...”

Apparently, Yamana-san had asked Runa to come too because she wasn’t confident she could stay calm if she were left alone after seeing Sekiya-san off. That had naturally led to me coming as well.

“Guess it’s time to go to the platform,” said Sekiya-san.

“Yeah...” Yamana-san replied.

They weren’t talking much today. Maybe they didn’t know what to talk about at this point, given that the moment of their parting was close.

Sekiya-san’s shinkansen would leave shortly before 6 p.m. Apparently, it would take him to Hakodate, and he’d spend the night in a budget hotel there.

The four of us got through the station crowds typical of a spring break evening and arrived at the track for the shinkansen. Lines of passengers stretched from the marked lanes at the edge of the platform. Sekiya-san and Yamana-san stood at the end of one.

The train’s departure time was displayed on a sign above us, and it was drawing ever closer.

Yamana-san covered her mouth and started sobbing.

“Nicole...” Sekiya-san pulled her by the shoulders toward him. Naturally, he looked to be in pain himself.

I called Runa over and we moved away from the two somewhat.

Sekiya-san and Yamana-san leaned close together and quietly said something to each other. The latter sobbed every now and then. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

An announcement let us know that a train was arriving. The streamlined front car of a shinkansen approached while braking—the very shinkansen Sekiya-san was to board.

“Sekiya-san...” I let out.

We neared the entrance too, in order to say goodbye to Sekiya-san, who was about to get on.

“Be well,” I added.

“Sure. See you on summer break,” he replied. He waved broadly as if to dispel the melancholic mood.

At that point, Yamana-san broke into a crying fit and crouched down. “I can’t take it...” she said. “Summer is too far... It’s not even really spring yet...”

“Nicole.” Sekiya-san took her by the arm and pulled her up to her feet.

The people who’d lined up at the platform had all boarded the shinkansen already. Sekiya-san put his suitcase into the car and braced Yamana-san with both hands.

“Yamana,” he said quietly, stooping down and lining his face up with her disheveled, tear-stained face. “Come with me... I don’t want to be away from you.”

I’d never seen him look like this before. His usual composed and relaxed expression was nowhere to be seen—instead, it’d been replaced with a painful, begging look.

Yamana-san opened her eyes wide as if having had a revelation.

“Ah...” She opened her mouth, but she didn’t say anything else. Her lips only trembled in vain.

At that point, the mercilessly loud departure bell rang through the platform.

“Senpai...” Tears streamed down from Yamana-san’s eyes. “I...”

Then, with the voice of someone having difficulty breathing—like a drowning person at the mercy of the waves with the water parting to reveal their face for a moment so they can beg for help—she said...