Seishun Buta Yarou Series - Volume 13 - Chapter 4.3

3

With a quick word to Ikumi, Sakuta hopped back in the cab and told the driver to take them to the parking garage by the station.

The taxi drove them back the way they’d come.

“That the garage you mean?” the driver asked, pointing at a five- or six-story building up ahead.

“Yeah, stop in front of that.”

The car pulled over.

“Akagi, I will pay you back.”

“I know.”

Even as she spoke, Sakuta and Takumi were out the door. They ran into the garage, hit the button for the elevator, and jumped aboard.

They rode that all the way to the roof.

“You went to Motomachi on my birthday?”

“She made me shop for your present.”

“Jealous.”

“Go yourself next time.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Takumi nodded firmly—and a ding signaled their arrival.

As the doors opened, they saw the rooftop lot.

There were four or five cars belonging to the car-share service.

Lights on one of them flashed.

It was the same compact Nene had used the last time.

The engine was on, and it was pulling out.

Nene Iwamizawa was in the driver’s seat, dressed in her miniskirt Santa outfit.

“There!”

But the car was already on its way out.

They’d blown it. They’d arrived a moment too late.

As Sakuta’s spirits sagged—Takumi took off running.

“Nene!” he yelled, chasing the car down the ramp.

He called her name again, closing the distance—and catching up with the car.

“Wait, Nene!”

When the car didn’t stop, he jumped out in front of it.

Arms outstretched.

Not a rational action.

“Fukuyama, don’t!” Sakuta yelled, scared.

Expecting an impact, he looked away.

And the brake lights flashed red.

The car stopped an inch away.

Too close for comfort.

Oblivious to Sakuta’s palpitations, Takumi was still blocking the car’s passage.

“Nene, hear me out!”

Pleading with the driver, remorse in his voice.

Her door opened.

The Santa boots appeared first. Then her legs, her knees. Takumi followed the line up.

Then her red-and-white-clad body appeared. Takumi’s gaze continued to rise. He was clearly seeing all of her.

Nene was studying his face intently.

The door slammed shut.

Sakuta moved past and stood next to Takumi. Nene shot him an irritated look.

But only for a second.

Her eyes were soon back on Takumi.

“I’m surprised anyone else can see me,” she said.

“I’m not just anyone else! It’s me, Takumi!”

“And you would be…?” Nene asked, her face blank.

That made Takumi freeze. His eyes were wide with shock. Sakuta had warned him of this; he’d tried to steel himself. But coming face-to-face with it still shook him. Part of him had hoped she would still remember. He hadn’t managed to let go of that vain wish—but now those hopes were dashed.

“……You really don’t know me,” Takumi said, looking crestfallen.

Nene looked at Sakuta. “You know this guy?” she asked. “What’s he talking about?”

“This is Takumi Fukuyama. Nene Iwamizawa’s boyfriend.”

“Nothing you’re saying makes sense. I don’t know who this is.”

She was looking at Takumi again.

“And like I keep asking, who is Nene Iwamizawa? I’m Touko Kirishima.”

She declared this in no uncertain terms.

How were they supposed to take her denials?

Sakuta had not dealt with anything like this and couldn’t figure out what to say to either one of them.

Takumi was the first to break the silence.

“……Fine,” he said. It was unclear what part of this was fine. “If you say so, Nene, I believe you.”

His head shot back up, and he looked her right in the eye. Nene might not recognize him, but he wasn’t running from that.

“……”

Takumi’s behavior seemed to rattle her a bit.

“Do you have a minute to chat?” he asked, sounding like his usual self.

“Not really,” she said, but she wasn’t saying no.

“Thanks,” Takumi said, taking that as a yes.

His fingers toyed with the end of his scarf.

“Nene gave me this,” he said. “My first birthday after we started dating.”

“It’s a mess.”

“I’ve been wearing it for five winters straight.”

“That’s a long time.”

They were having a conversation, but with wildly different enthusiasm levels. Takumi was speaking with emotion, and Nene with indifference.

“Nene gave it to me, so it matters. Like a good luck charm—I can’t bring myself to replace it. I wore this to my exams.”

“Did it pay off?”

“I failed the first try. Went ronin for a year, failed the second, too.”

Takumi winced at the memory.

“Nene started saying the scarf was bad luck and I should throw it out. That might’ve been the biggest fight we’ve ever had.”

“Uh-huh.”

“But I guess talking about old times doesn’t mean much to you.”

“We’re talking about your girlfriend, yes?”

Nene didn’t bat an eye. No emotional response.

“You don’t remember me staying over for a few days while I was sitting exams?”

“Nope.”

“Or how I found the scarf in the garbage when I woke up?”

“Nope.”

“Or how we had another fight when I fished it out?”

“Nope.”

No matter what he said or how he said it, Nene repeated the same words, in the same tone, like a prerecorded message. She didn’t know what he was talking about, didn’t care what he said, and didn’t remember him. Her cheeks, and brows, stayed put. Nene Iwamizawa was nowhere inside her. This was all too obvious. Takumi heard the message loud and clear. But he didn’t give up.

“So you wouldn’t know I wore the scarf to the third set of exams without telling Nene.”

“And the result?”

“I passed.”

“Congrats.”

The least emotional utterance of that word Sakuta had ever heard.

Takumi’s lips curled, and he laughed at himself despite it all.

“Azusagawa told me…”

“What?”

“You bought me a new scarf.”

“News to me.”

“And you came to the airport to give it to me. Sorry I couldn’t see you.”

“……”

“I don’t care if you don’t know me. I forgot you for most of the year, Nene. Serves me right you forget me, too.”

“……”

“But I won’t forget you again. I won’t give up until you remember me. However long it takes.”

“So?” Nene asked, meeting his eye.

No more emotions than she’d started with.

“Huh?” Takumi replied, lost.

“What are you talking about?” she asked, checking her phone. Bored. “Sorry, I’m out of time.”

She turned toward the car.

“It’s simple,” Takumi said.

Nene grabbed the door handle.

“I, Takumi Fukuyama, love Nene Iwamizawa.”

Nene’s hand stopped, not pulling the handle.

“I forgot you all year long, so maybe you’ve already dumped me. If you have—then let me ask you out again.”

“……”

She didn’t respond.

She just stood there, grasping the handle.

“If you haven’t dumped me, then…let’s keep this thing going.”

“……”

Only silence answered.

“……”

Then she turned to look at him.

Her lips quivered.

“Why…?”

Her whisper almost inaudible.

“Why…?”

This one a bit louder, but still awfully quiet.

“Because I love you, Nene.”

Takumi put his feelings in words, speaking softly, slowly, but with infinite warmth. It sounded like he was feeling out his own emotions.

“Don’t…you lie to me,” Nene said, her head down. Was her voice shaking?

“I’m not.”

“You don’t mean that…!”

This time her voice definitely shook. Her shoulders, too—and probably her heart.

“I mean it!” Takumi insisted.

“How can you love me? I’m a disaster!”

A sudden burst of anger.

Her voice so loud it echoed.

A cry that grabbed your heart and squeezed it tight.

“I was so sure about my move to Tokyo! But I didn’t get any extra jobs! I’ve just got my name on the agency rolls, a model in name alone!”

“……”

This outpouring of emotion took Takumi’s words away.

And Sakuta’s.

It felt like Nene’s gloom was pressing down upon them.

She was a different person.

Same face, but someone he didn’t know was wearing that miniskirt Santa outfit.

“I thought I could do it! I thought I could be someone! But look at me. Look at the mess I made! I failed so hard that the best I could be was a fake Touko Kirishima!”

“…You’re Nene, right?” Takumi said. “Nene!”

She looked up, smiling feebly.

“Go on—laugh at me. I’m nobody!”

“I’d never do that!”

Takumi sounded legit mad himself. Not at Nene, of course. At himself, for not being there for her, at everything that drove her to this.

“……Just leave me alone.”

“I’ll laugh at anyone who laughs at you, Nene. Deal?”

“Sorry, Takumi. Nene Iwamizawa’s got nothing! My only option is to become Touko Kirishima.”

“I’m in love with you, Nene. Stay who you are!”

“But who am I?!”

“……”

That made him hesitate.

“If I knew who I was, none of this would have happened!”

“Still!”

Takumi started to respond emotionally.

But she just glared at him.

“I need to think I have it better than most,” she spat. “I might be a mess, but I still want to be someone!”

“……”

That shut Takumi down.

There was a very weighty silence.

But it did not last long.

Sakuta spoke up.

“See? You do know.”

“……”

Nene’s glare was like daggers.

“You know yourself perfectly well.”

“……”

“That was very Nene Iwamizawa. If you wanna be someone, go out and do it. Announce it or whatever.”

“Is that all you’ve got to say?” she asked with a scowl.

“I’m not done yet, no.”

“……”

Nene frowned. Clearly finding it hard to believe he could be so blunt. Sakuta pretended not to notice.

“You said you’ve got nothing, but that is some conceited bullshit.”

That one rattled even Takumi.

“…What are you driving at?” Nene snapped, not even concealing her irritation.

Being called conceited generally evokes that response.

“Iwamizawa, you’ve got Fukuyama,” Sakuta said, looking her right in the eye. “You’ve got someone you love who loves you back.”

He never broke eye contact.

And neither did she.

“……”

She didn’t reject his words. Didn’t take issue with them. Just listened.

“You can’t call a life like that a failure. You’ve got love.”

“…Is that all you’ve got to say?”

“Yep!”

He said this so cheerily Nene’s shoulders quivered. She wasn’t stifling her fury—but choking back a chuckle. She failed and a peal of laugher escaped.

“You, of all people? Going on about love?!”

Nene clapped her hands, clutched her stomach, and doubled over with laughter.

Takumi’s smile was rather forced.

When she recovered, Nene sniffed.

“Coming from you, that’s just sheer spite!”

Takumi nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, you’re just rubbing it in, man.”

“But fair enough. Look at things that way, and life would be a lot more fun.”

Nene wasn’t speaking to either of them, really. It was more like she was exploring her own feelings.

“So I guess I’ll put up with Takumi a while longer.”

This was almost a whisper.

But Sakuta heard it.

And so did Takumi.

“Whew!” he said, slumping to the ground.

“Oh, get up,” Nene said, holding out both hands. Takumi took them, and she pulled him upright.

“Things worked out?” Ikumi asked. She was right next to Sakuta.

“Can you see her, Akagi?”

“I can. A smiling miniskirt Santa.”

“Then that settles it.”

Sakuta was surprised by the relief in his voice. The threat to Mai should be gone now. The trip to Hokkaido had paid off. Happy endings.

“Wait,” Nene said, turning toward him, her expression grave. “I don’t think this is over.”

“What do you mean?”

They’d just solved the whole “Nene Iwamizawa calling herself Touko Kirishima” thing.

What else was there?

“I’m not the only one.”

“Huh?”

“There are more Touko Kirishimas.”

The was the last thing he’d expected to hear.

He understood her words.

But not what she meant by them. His mind wasn’t keeping up.

But he didn’t hesitate.

There were other Touko Kirishimas.

Mai was still in danger.

The moment he fully comprehended that, he turned and ran for the elevator.

“Azusagawa!” Takumi yelled.

“Sorry, in a hurry!” he said, not turning back.

“Where you going?”

“To Mai!”

“Then get in!” Nene yelled. “I’ll drive you!”

He stopped.

And turned around. Nene was getting into the car. Takumi was half in the passenger seat.

“Thanks!” he said and grabbed the back door.

He saw Ikumi hovering on the far side and said “Akagi, you come, too” as he climbed in.

She sat down a second later. Their doors closed as one. By the time they had their seat belts on, the car was pulling out.

“Tsujido, right?”

“Yeah.”

The navigator already had the destination plugged in.