Translated: Sei, MTL-sensei-tachi
Edited: Sei, Grammarly no Danna
Thank you for your support Saylesma, La Fayette and Joshua Berry
Chapter 3 | Load | Remake our Life!
Part 6
This time, our destination is Tsuruga in Fukui Prefecture.
It's not too far from Osaka, taking about three hours to get there. Plus, Kiryu-san recommended it because there's a campground where you can enjoy the seafood market and barbecue.
"Seriously, it's such a hidden gem! Most folks from the art school head to Wakayama or other areas like that, but Fukui isn't that far, and above all, the seafood is absolutely amazing, it's the best, I tell you~"
Kiryu-san was in high spirits as he drove, launching into a passionate speech about how wonderful Fukui is. Had he always been such a big fan of Fukui?
"I had no idea you knew so much about Fukui. Was it really that great when you went before?"
I figured he must have had a great experience, since he was praising it so much,
"No, it's my first time going there."
"...Hah?"
"I've got this friend from Fukui, and I remember him raving about how awesome it was~. So I'm super excited too!"
The car instantly filled with an uneasy atmosphere.
"Oi oi, are you sure about this? He said he has never been there."
When Tsurayuki looked suspicious,
"Considering what's happened so far, I have a bad feeling about this."
Kawasegawa completely agrees.
"Everyone's such a worrier! If you say that, then all the food sites and travel guides are useless since they're all new, right? It'll be fine!"
No, those are the very sites that have authentic reviews and testimonials.
"Well, unusually enough, he did some research beforehand, or rather, he asked other friends about the reputation and stuff, so let’s just go for now."
This was also unusual, but Hiyama-san followed up. We all agreed, "If that's the case," and stopped worrying about it.
It's true, Kiryu-san changed a little after becoming a working adult. He stopped suddenly suggesting weird games to me, started making his own reservations for drinking parties, and completely stopped begging the girls in the club to cosplay (though part of that was because Hiyama-san's supervision got stricter).
So maybe I could trust him a little......
"Areh?"
Just 10 kilometers from Tsuruga, a sharp crackling sound began echoing on the windshield.
"Uhm, it's starting to rain."
"Eh? That's ridiculous! I checked the weather forecast carefully. It said it'd be sunny all day today, with no chance of rain at all."
Kiryu-san looked slightly flustered.
But the sound of the rain was only getting stronger, and the sky, which had been interspersed with sunny patches just a moment ago, had suddenly turned into a completely overcast gray sky.
"The weather forecast says that there is a 90% chance of precipitation with rain from noon."
While checking the weather forecast on his phone, Tsurayuki murmurs softly.
"Y-You're kidding me! I definitely checked the forecast yesterday! It said it would be sunny all day there."
As Kiryuu-san protested, Hiyama-san seemed to notice something and said,
"You know, maybe... just maybe."
"Yes?"
"You were looking at the weather forecast for the Osaka area?"
Ah... he exclaimed, realizing the situation, followed by a silence that enveloped everyone.
After a while, probably 2 or 3 minutes, Kiryu-san said in a faint voice,
"...Sorry, I was checking the weather for the Osaka area."
The car was filled with sighs "Ha~". What everyone had expected had become reality.
"Areh...... What's that sound?"
"Something's crackling outside the car."
Nanako and Shinoaki, who had been sleeping in the backseat, seemed to have woken up to the sound of the rain.
The car fell silent. We exchanged wry smiles, thinking “We're screwed,” while a fierce battle raged between the driver's seat and the passenger seat.
From anyone's perspective, the offensive was Hiyama-san in the passenger seat, while Kiryu-san's life in the driver's seat was hanging by a thread.
A huge, huge sigh escaped from the passenger seat, then,
"You're getting punished later after we get out of the car."
"Ye~es......"
Hiyama-san's deep, resonant voice and Kiryu-san's hoarse whisper.
Ah, it felt strangely nostalgic, it was the usual scene.
——— read on seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———
Part 7
In the end, the BBQ area we had reserved was unusable due to the rain, so we asked the people at the seafood market to check for covered BBQ facilities and contacted them.
The fact that it was a weekday and raining actually worked in our favor, and we managed to get permission to use it without a reservation.
"It worked out. Seven people should be fine. Two hours from now is no problem."
Everyone let out a sigh of relief. It seemed that we had managed to avoid the situation of having traveled three hours to get there and then going home without doing anything.
For the time being, the problem had been resolved, so as I was packing the seafood I had bought into the trunk of my car, I called out to Kiryu-san.
"I'm glad things worked out, Kiryu-san."
Usually, he'd respond with something like, "I'm so grateful for my skill in bringing Hasshi back here," or "It's this incredible luck that makes me who I am, you know," but.
"Mm...I'm really sorry."
What came back was a surprisingly dejected, uncharacteristic response.
"U-Uhm."
Unable to hide my confusion, Hiyama-san tapped me on the shoulder from behind,
"Thanks. Sorry we always end up relying on you at the last minute, Hashiba-kun."
"It's fine. More importantly, are you okay, Kiryu-san? You really seem down."
Hiyama-san glanced at Kiryu-san and gave a wry smile,
"Well, it seems like today, at least, he really wanted to show us how solid he is."
"Eh...?"
Kiryu-san himself quickly got into the driver's seat and started the engine. It seemed like he was trying to avoid our conversation.
"We've been relying on Hashiba-kun for so long. After graduating, he felt like he had to get his act together, and then this mess happened. Seems like he really got depressed about it."
"I wish he didn't have to worry about that."
When it came to still cameras and editing, I really relied on Kiryu-san for the technical aspects.
So, I figured I could handle the preparation and planning, the areas I'm actually good at, if he'd just let me take care of them.
(I suppose he had his own thoughts about it.)
So he was determined to make a strong finish, but there was a small mistake there. I could imagine how bitterly disappointed he must have felt.
Thinking about Kiryu-san going to pick up the rental car all excited, I suddenly felt a little sad.
"It's probably not often we all go out together like this again."
Gazing up at the pitch-black night sky as the rain fell, Hiyama-san murmured wistfully.
Right, gatherings with this many people will definitely become less common from now on. Or rather, it wouldn't be surprising if this were the last one.
I thought maybe everyone made time in their busy schedules because they somehow understood that too.
"Well then, let's go."
"Yes."
I quickly got into the car, and the van, feeling a little heavy, slowly drove down the coastline at night.
It seemed as though we were already a little reluctant to leave.
——— read on seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———
Part 8
It was a blessing in disguise that the barbecue area was a nice spot.
The facilities were new and clean, and we were grateful for the large roof that kept the rain out.
"Thank goodness. This way we can enjoy it regardless of the weath..."
Just as I was starting to speak, Kiryu's voice exploded beside me.
"Uooooh~! This is it, I've been looking forward to this~!!"
The somber mood from just moments ago vanished as excitement surged over the barbecue setup, and preparations began in earnest.
Kiryu-san tightened the strings of his apron tightly and vigorously,
"Alright! Now I'm going to start chopping up this seafood!"
He said something like a popular YouTuber in the future who should never know exists.
"Hasshi, I'm gonna crack open every single one of these clams!"
"Yes, please do."
"Crack 'em open!"
"Eh, uhm, please do it."
Our eyes met. Setting aside the overflowing enthusiasm, his eyes clearly said, "Actually, I don't really get it, so please explain."
"Uhm, well, I'll be handling this, so Kiryu-san, please give everyone instructions."
"I-I see, Sorry about that! I'll leave it to you then!"
With a wry smile, I began prying open the oyster shells with my special knife.
Kiryu-san carried a cardboard box from the car, set it down at the edge of the kitchen area, and said,
"Shinoaki-chan, Nanako-chan, and Kawasegawa-chan!"
After calling over the three junior girls,
"The three of you, grab these vegetables and slice them up quickly!"
"Y-Yes!"
"Got it~!"
Nanako and Shinoaki immediately answered cheerfully, but Kawasegawa alone picked up an onion and stared at it intently.
"K-Kawasegawa-chan, is there something...?"
Ever since that incident at the previous school festival, Kiryu-san has been completely at her mercy. He approaches her with the utmost humility,
"Are there any specific instructions for how to cut the vegetables?"
"Heh?"
"The question is what kind of barbecue concept you have in mind. For example, with eggplant, whether you grill it whole or cut it up makes a big difference. With bell peppers, whether you cut them in half or quarters depends on the concept. Ah, there's also king oyster mushrooms. Even with these, whether you slice them lengthwise as is or wrap them in foil changes things. So if you just vaguely ask me to cut them, I don't have enough information to decide. Besides......"
"H-Hiih, I'll leave that to Kawasegawa-chan! Ah, Tsurayuki-kun, let's start a fire together, start a fire!!"
"Y-Yeah, got it!"
Trying to escape the questioning, he grabbed Tsurayuki, who happened to be nearby, and headed toward the fire-starting area.
"Hey, we're not done yet! If you don't ask about the concept for the time being, the work will be done next!"
"I-I'll leave it to you! I'll leave everything to you, dear customer, so I won't intrude any further and please forgive me!"
Kiryu-san was running away from Kawasegawa's pursuit, spouting off polite language that sounded fake, probably something he'd picked up while at a client's office. I watched this familiar scene unfold, chuckling to myself.
"I'll help you."
Hiyama-san picked up an oyster from beside me and began opening it in the same way.
"Thank you. Kiryu-san, I'm glad he is feeling better."
"Right. He really likes festivals."
Kiryu-san was desperately fanning the burning charcoal with his hand fan, and Hiyama-san and I watched him from a short distance away.
"That guy is, you know."
Hiyama-san muttered while looking at Kiryu-san.
"No matter how much I know it's a dream, I'm just looking for a way not to wake up. I got mad at him at the time, telling him that's why he'd been in college for years, but now I think I understand how he felt."
"Yes, me too."
"It was fun, wasn't it? I'm sure there'll be fun times ahead, but they'll probably be completely different from the fun we're having right now."
Hiyama-san put her hand to her eyes for a moment. I, too, felt something well up inside me, and was silent for a moment.
"Let's start cutting it up. There's still meat and stuff left."
"Ah, that's right. That guy got carried away and bought a mountain of it, so we better hurry."
This festival will end today. It was a very fun, yet somewhat lonely day, and it passed by in the blink of an eye.
——— read on seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———
Part 9
Ironically, by the time the barbecue ended, the rain had completely stopped. Kiryu-san kept lamenting, “My luck has run out,” and “If this were the Edo period, I'd have committed seppuku,” but everyone had a fun day in the end, and I think it all worked out for the best.
After packing up the equipment and cleaning up, I realized it was already quite late at night. I hurriedly got into the car and drove off on the nighttime expressway toward Osaka.
The road was a little wet, but not to the point where it felt unsafe. I drove through the darkness at the legal speed limit, keeping a close eye on the speed.
At the start of the drive, everyone was chatting about their impressions of the day, but by the time the car entered Kyoto, nearly everyone had fallen asleep.
"It's been ages since we made such a noise, hasn't it."
From the driver's seat, I glanced in the rearview mirror to check on the backseat. Perfectly, almost all of them had their eyes closed, sleeping soundly with contented snores.
"Not only was there a lot of noise, but there was also a lot of alcohol. The two men and Nanako were especially bad."
Kawasegawa, who was sitting in the passenger seat, glanced at the back seat in amazement.
"Unya...Hmm...Eiko, are you already asleep..."
"I'm awake. Nanako, just go to sleep."
"Nn, mou...Eiko, don't talk like a mother...Suuh..."
Nanako, who had been teetering on the edge of sleep, seemed to have finally reached her limit. Soon enough, she began breathing softly like everyone else.
"Thanks for staying up, Kawasegawa. Looks like I won't get sleepy after all."
"I figured as much, so I skipped the drinks too. But you have to make it up to me another time, okay."
"M...Mm, well."
I give a somewhat indecisive reply.
Recently, I got the chance to go drinking with Kawasegawa, but honestly, her drinking habits weren't great considering how calm she usually is.
Getting drunk and lecturing me is just the beginning. The next stage is her constantly putting herself down, and if you try to comfort her, she gets angry at that. Finally, she ends up muttering complaints about something nonstop while collapsing face-down on the table and falling asleep. That's the three-step Kawasegawa drinking cycle.
By that point, I'd sigh, pay the bill, and carry her on my back all the way to her apartment, while she kept complaining the whole time. I had to unlock the door, throw her inside, and make sure she locked it from the inside, it was quite a process.
Just once, I accidentally said something like, "It's a pain to always have to look for the key in Kawasegawa's clothes or bag," so she started saying things like, "I'll make a spare key for you!" and "I'll hang it around my waist like a zoo attendant!" So I basically resolved to become her servant without mentioning anything about her drinking habits.
Well, I still want to repay the kindness I received today.
Before we left, we'd been talking about Takenaka-san, but once the drinking started, Nanako brought it all back up again, completely drunk. If Kawasegawa hadn't come to the rescue at just the right moment, things might have gotten really bad.
"Thanks for stepping in when I was talking with Nanako."
"You're welcome. Hey, I should probably ask this just in case."
Kawasegawa looked at me with a slightly scary expression and said,
"Nothing's going on with that Takenaka girl, right?"
"No, no, no, really nothing. We just work at the same part-time job, so we spend more time talking. To be honest, I don't even know where she lives."
Though my somewhat rapid-fire speech made it sound a bit unnatural, Kawasegawa simply replied, “Okay,” looking satisfied.
"Hashiba, you've changed, haven't you? Ever since you started working part-time, your speech has gotten a bit more youthful, and all you ever talk about is games."
"Is that so?"
It's true the conversation might have naturally turned that way. But since the time we spend together has changed in the first place, it seems inevitable.
If we're each walking our own paths, isn't that a wonderful thing? Yes, I'm sure that's what Kawasegawa said too.
"Are you mad?"
"I'm not mad. Sorry if I always seem like I am."
Well, it is pretty much her usual reaction, though.
"...But I did think about it a little."
"About what?"
"It's not about that girl specifically, but how easily relationships change over time."
I just nodded obediently, "Mm."
"We've all accepted it, we understand it in our heads, and we're not passive or like, 'It can't be helped,' but we're all looking firmly ahead and walking our own separate paths. It's a very happy thing, and I don't think that's the case for everyone.
I really think so.
This isn't just limited to art universities, but even at regular universities and other schools, it's possible to drop out, drag out a comfortable relationship, or have to go into overtime multiple times.
Dreams will eventually end. That's why it's so important to build a solid foundation so that when that happens, you can stand firm.
"And yet, I can't help but think about it. It's the same with Hashiba. When someone changes, I start to dislike the part of myself that hasn't changed. Or to put it more bluntly, I find myself wishing no one else would change either. People who look toward the future all sparkly and bright start to annoy me. I want to grab their hem and pull them down. I'm terrible."
I couldn't say a single word in reply.
That was me just a little while ago, toward everyone in the share house, and it was also me from the world ten years later where I originally belonged.
"In my first and second years, I was always running around like crazy. I was shooting with Hashiba and everyone else, working on productions, and hanging out in clubs like this. But when I became an upperclassman, the atmosphere changed completely. I thought I'd accepted that that was just how it was, but I couldn't help but feel lonely."
I shouldn't have been distracted while driving, but I stole a quick glance at her profile.
Her face looked lonely, almost as if she might cry, but even so, she didn't seem to be filled with regret.
"I hate saying "Let's stay together like this forever" because it's impossible, but I understand the feeling of saying it out loud. I never wanted to understand something like that. I can't help thinking that if I'm going to feel this way, it would have been better if we had started from scratch."
The car keeps moving forward. Without stopping, it continues driving to bring this festival to an end.
If we wanted to, there are plenty of ways to extend it. If we said, “The car's acting up, let's take a little break,” then the fun times would come back again.
Pull over at a service area, wake everyone up, browse souvenirs again, reminisce about today's memories, buy coffee outside and talk while gazing at the night sky, and then, and then.
But the end will come again. The longer the time stretches out, the harder it becomes. Because the joy of the beginning is an equal exchange for the sadness of the end.
"I don't know if I can put it into words."
I mutter to myself while gripping the steering wheel.
"If you've reached a point where you can feel lonely, I think that's actually a happy thing. If you only ever gained things you could afford to lose, then the time before that was just full of holes. But if it sparkled so brightly you didn't want to lose it, then maybe you spent your time well."
I continue talking, remembering the time I originally was there.
Looking back now, I can see those days as memories and experiences, but there was a time when I thought it wouldn't matter if I lost them.
It was only after I went back to that future that I was able to see everything in a positive light. It was after I heard the words spoken by the girl sitting beside me now.
"You know, there's not a single useless thing in this world, right?"
I could see that Kawasegawa's gaze was turned towards me.
I didn't look at her, but I'm sure it was her usual expression, angry and frustrated all at once.
"It's frustrating, to hear that from you."
"Even I sometimes get caught up in hopeless thoughts, but those words helped me put everything into perspective. I'm so grateful."
Kawasegawa was silent. Even if she had spoken, I'm sure she would have said something like "What?" or "You're so noisy" to hide her embarrassment.
The car continued straight down the night road. Inside the car, with nothing to be heard except the sound of everyone's sleeping breathing, I was remembering what happened last year.
When we all went to Shirahama, Kawasegawa unexpectedly opened up about herself. She had tried to avoid joining in the fun because she knew she'd feel lonely afterward, but she changed her mind and decided to try to join in as much as possible.
Right now, she is facing that very loneliness.
"Hey, Kawasegawa."
As soon as I opened my mouth, the usual response came,
"What?"
A slightly bossy, yet embarrassed voice was heard in reply.
"I remember what you said when we went to Shirahama."
There was no reply. I thought it was okay.
"Do you regret hanging out with everyone?"
I decided to ask that question.
"............"
I hoped she would firmly deny it, with that expectation in mind.
Kawasegawa didn't answer right away. She remained silent, staring intently at the scenery before us. It seemed as though she was chewing over my question again and again inside her head, recalling it over and over.
Gradually, her expression softened.
"No, I didn't."
She took a deep breath,
"I don't regret it."
"I see."
It wasn't in her usual firm tone. But by saying it so clearly, it strengthened my resolve to look ahead.
"3rd year, huh?"
I muttered to myself.
"Yeah, we are already in the third-year."
The two years I'd spent so thoroughly came to an end. For me, my second year of university was filled with many special events, but before I knew it, I had moved on to the second half.
The navigation system gave me instructions to turn around the fork 500 meters away. When I turned the steering wheel, the car slowly curved to the left, and the road I was driving on slowly moved away.
From this point on, I can no longer see beyond the straight road. I don't know yet what's around the bend.
(I have to live my life wisely.)
A chance for a remake, something I'd never have been given if I'd just lived an ordinary life.
In a distant memory, I feel like someone once told me about it. But now, I can't recall what it was or who it was from.
Perhaps even the memory of rewinding these past 10 years will disappear completely at some point.
But for now, I still have memories with everyone. I still have memories of the time we spent together.
(I won't forget. I'll carry these memories with me into the future.)
Even if my environment changes little by little, the important things will surely remain.
I burned the faces of the people lined up behind me, and the profile of Kawasegawa next to me, into my mind.
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