“I’m home.”
I climbed off Kano’s bike at my house and stepped inside. I now had to pack for a Kano-led mini-trip.
But before that, there was one thing I absolutely had to do. Skip this and things would get messy — top priority.
I kicked off my shoes at the entryway, went to the living room where Mom was watching TV and lounging, and addressed her.
“Mom, I’m back.”
“Oh, welcome home, Yuito. So you’re going on a trip with Kano-chan, huh?”
“Yeah. And thanks to one specific someone giving careless permission, it’s an overnight.”
I added a little jab. As a parent, you should not be approving overnight trips between members of the opposite sex that could lead to inappropriate relations. (Granted, the chance of anything happening between Kano and me is roughly zero.)
“I don’t know where you’re going, but enjoy it — and bring back a souvenir.”
“Mom you really never change…”
I couldn’t tell whether she missed the jab or just didn’t care. She was smiling away. Her sunny mood disarmed me, and I got straight to business.
”…About this trip — can you keep it from my brother?”
“Yeah, telling Ayato — who’s crazy about Kano-chan — probably isn’t the best move.”
If my brother got wind of me and Kano going on an overnight trip together, there would be blood. So pinning Mom down on this with a strict gag order was non-negotiable.
“No joke, he might literally half-kill me, so don’t say a word, please.”
“Got it. I don’t want to see my two cute sons in a bloody fight either.”
“Counting on you.”
A little anxiety lingered, but I’d have to trust her. I went to my room, dumped unnecessary stuff out of my school backpack, and packed what I’d need for an overnight.
Once I was ready I slipped back out quickly. My brother should still be at club practice, but on the off chance he came home early and we ran into each other it’d be a problem.
“Sorry to keep you.”
“Let’s get going. We’ll take the bike to the station and then catch a train.”
“Wait — are you packed for an overnight too?”
I was about to take the helmet she handed me and sit on the tandem seat when this thought hit me. We’d been together nonstop since the bookstore — she hadn’t been home.
“Yep. I keep an overnight kit in the rear box, so we’re good.”
“You carry one around at all times?”
“I sometimes go to a friend’s place to hang and just end up staying over, so I keep one ready.”
A bit weird, but okay — that explanation made sense. Unlike me, Kano has plenty of friends, so spontaneous stayovers happen.
She confirmed I was on with helmet, then took off. After a while we got to the station, parked the bike, and walked into the concourse.
“So I still haven’t asked where we’re going. Where exactly am I being abducted to?”
“Abducted is a strong word. Today’s mini-trip destination is Hakone. I suddenly wanted to see Lake Ashi.”
“Hakone… that’s about a two-hour ride, right?”
“Right. We’ll go to Shinjuku first, then transfer to the Romance Car and ride straight through, no more transfers.”
I hadn’t been to Hakone since I was a kid. We passed through the gate and headed for the Shinjuku-bound platform, then boarded.
”…You really are popular as ever, huh, Kano-san.”
“What’s that all of a sudden?”
“The looks people are giving you — they’re intense.”
Kano, with her beauty and figure, was monopolizing every male gaze on the train. The men were giving me — sitting next to her — looks of resentment and jealousy. Acutely uncomfortable.
“Ah, that. It happens too much for me to notice.”
“I’d love to be able to say that line just once in my life.”
Realistically, with my standard-issue face, I’m never going to draw the kind of attention she does.
“I’m sure you already know this too, Yuito — being popular is genuinely hard.”
“You’ve had a rough ride, I know…”
“Yeah. Random jealousy, hostility — please spare me.”
There’s an underside to popularity: legions of haters, of which Kano was no exception. Things had gotten manageable, but in elementary school she’d been bullied pretty badly.
She’s tough now, but there were times back then when she was driven to the brink of being unable to go to school.
For what it’s worth, my brother had been bullied too — not to the same degree, but it had happened. So popularity is not necessarily synonymous with happiness.