Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 6 - Chapter 3.4

  GOING HOME IN THE MORNING

“………… Annnnd we spent the night ……” I mutter under my breath.

The morning sun is brighter than I thought in Sakuranomiya.

I leave the hotel bright and early by myself before the streets get crowded and hurry to the station.

There’s a twinge of guilt that comes from going home in the morning, and I’m living it.

Not to mention my heart has been aching since last night.

Mix those feelings together, and I feel less than good right now.

“Spent the night at a love hotel with a girl in junior high …… Slept hard-core for hours and hours, too ……”

Big Sis was the first to make cute little snoozing noises and woke up later than I did this morning.

Even I, with all my problems getting to sleep recently, had several solid hours of shut-eye without taking any medicine.

My heart may be a mess thanks to last night, but my head is clear.

“…… Is it because being with her brings back memories? …… Hmm.”

Memories of the days when rank, fame and money didn’t mean anything.

When personal relationships and love lives didn’t get in the way.

Just playing Shogi all day was the best thing in the world. My childhood.

It very well could be that Big Sis reminds me of the best time in my life.

Maybe it’s not just me, but both of us …… 

“Well, one thing’s for sure. That was the last time we’ll ever sleep together.”

Big Sis told me, point-blank, that she “hates” me.

The only reason she dragged me into that hotel and tried to do …… that was because she thought it would make her better at Shogi. Nothing more.

“Looks like Shogi is all I’ve got after all ……”

Without Shogi, Big Sis and I have nothing in common.

Why would we?

We have conflicting personalities, like totally different things and weren’t even born in the same town. Our opinions never line up after watching a movie together. Actually, we end up fighting about it. And I always lose.

There’s literally nothing between us other than Shogi.

As long as that’s true, there’s nothing to spark other feelings when Shogi isn’t involved …… 

––– …… At the very least, I know that Big Sis feels nothing.

I know, but …… I still misread the signals, got my hopes up …… 

“Ahhhhhhh …… This is humiliating!”

The morning air cools my burning face as I walk alone to the station.

Big Sis and I are leaving the hotel at different times on purpose.

Since we get so much attention as it is, it would be headline news if someone saw the two of us coming out of a hotel together. Being too careful is just about right.

“At the station.”

“I’ll take the train that leaves in five minutes all the way home.”

“Please leave the hotel once I’m on the train.”

“Make sure no one sees you when you leave!”

I send Big Sis several messages while standing on the platform. They get marked as “read” almost instantly.

She responds with one word, “Understood.”

…… I stare at the screen for a few minutes, hoping against hope that she might have more to say. But nothing ever came.

“Well …… It’d be good to set up an alibi before the train gets here.”

This time I pressed the call button.

After several tries, it finally goes through.

“Ah, morning, Asuka. Sorry for leaving like that last night.”

“Uh ………… S-Sorry, too ……”

“No, no. Asuka, you and Mr. Oishi did nothing wrong. The problem was with us.”

“I, uh …… see ……”

“Which is why I’m calling you so early …… I’ve got a favor to ask.”

“?”

Asuka answers with confused silence.

This is embarrassing, but it’s better to get it over with in one go like ripping off a Band-Aid.

“Big Sis and I ended up spending the night at a hotel in Sakuranomiya, but I’d like you to say we were at your place if anyone asks, okay? Tell them the practice session lasted all night and she and I left at different times. Would you do that for me?”

That was quite the admission if I do say so myself.

But, this has to be done …… Asuka didn’t respond, so I push a little harder.

“Sorry to put you in this position. Oh, and if you’d tell your father what happened, it’d help me a lot.”

Saying it all in one breath, I wait for her answer.

“…………”

Wait.

“…………”

…… Wait.

“…………”

It’s been at least a minute, but she hasn’t said a thing.

“Asuka? Are you there? Asuk–––.”

“YEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK~~~~~~~~~~~!!”

“?!”

“T-Together, overnight ……… Haaa ~~~~~~~! Yeeekkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk~~~!”

“A-Asuka, what’s wrong?!”

The ever-so-quiet Asuka is going off like a siren?!

A really loud one, too. Loud enough to scare the businessmen lining up around me on the train platform. Now they’re all staring.

“S-Sss-Sorry ……! …… But, uh, um …… Yeeeekkkkkkkkkk~~~~~~!!”

“Well, that’s how it is!!”

I hang up, pressing the end call button in a panic.

Asuka’s voice was so loud that now I’m the center of attention. Who knows what’ll happen if any Shogi fans see me at Sakuranomiya Station this early in the morning.

That’s when the train happens to arrive, and I scramble inside.

I breathe a big sigh of relief as soon as it leaves the station. T-That almost gave me a heart attack …… 

“M-Maybe she’s new to volume control because she’s always so quiet ……”

Asuka’s super scream got my heart racing and it’s not slowing down.

That father of hers would never, ever let her go out on a date …… Which means she wouldn’t have a chance to build up resistance …… Not that seeing naked men has any effect on her …… 

“Hmm …… Yeah, she’s got the wrong idea.”

Although, it’s not like she’d believed me if I told her everything directly.

“After that happened last night, Big Sis and I stayed at a love hotel in Sakuranomiya where she put on a skimpy sailor-style school uniform that happened to be there, before using me as a body pillow on a huge bed. We slept there together, but nothing frisky happened. Actually, I didn’t put a finger on her and we left the hotel at different times but seriously nothing happened, just slept together, that’s all.”

“Yep! She won’t believe a word.”

That story has got an almost refreshing what the hell are you talking about feel to it.

“…… Yeah, I need to hide the fact that we spent the night at a hotel.”

The good news is that I only need to keep two people quiet, and neither of them are all that interested in what’s going on in other people’s lives. Rumors shouldn’t spread.

That’s the lucky part, but …… 

“…… Considering how Asuka reacted …… If … if Ai ever found out ……!”

I-I’m too scared to think about it …… 

Compared to the frightened, jittery wreck I’ve turned into, the voice that came over the intercom to announce our arrival at Fukushima station sounded stone-cold.