Golden Time:Volume5 Chapter4
Status: Incomplete
35% completed (estimated)
Golden Time 5: Chapter 4
Chapter 4
The handsome guy was saying, "You have two options. Pick one."
"This harmless little thing I bought that for third year of middle school. This not so harmless little thing was given to me as a present from the boss, who said 'It looks good on you, so I bought it! Hm!'"
Naturally, he probably already had no choice but to choose the harmless Nakasan model.
"...Yana-ssan, didn't you think from the start 'He'd probably pick the dangerous one the boss gave me'...?"
"Perhaps. Surprisingly, you'd said it looked like you could wear it well."
"You're making too much of it. Ah, I'm glad you gave it to me here this evening. If you'd given it to me tomorrow, on site, I'd've had no choice but to wear it."
"Wouldn't it have been more entertaining that way?"
As for Mitsuo, he laughed happily at the two swimsuits he'd brought and placed in front of Banri.
He decided to borrow the aforementioned harmless one on the right. Plain deep blue, it was nothing more than simple and sober. Even trying to take it in hand and look at it closely, it was nothing special, truly innocuous. Shall we just call it a young man's school swimsuit? Because of its utter lack of design, it didn't feel particularly old-fashioned even though a few years had passed. It didn't give off that embarrassing feeling like it had been chosen for a middle-schooler. If he were go through and borrow this one, he felt it would be received warmly.
On the other hand, the left-hand one. The dangerous one. It was a Speedo. Even for the storage of one's average parts, the smooth, slippery cloth texture had so much trouble keeping its shape it was disgusting. The uneven features on the edge of standing out for all to see, glittering in shiny rainbow colors, it was truly and deeply disgusting.
Choosing this one for Mitsuo, the boss had grabbed it, handed it to the store clerk and paid the bill, his lustful gaze piercing Mitsuo the whole time. Mitsuo said he hasn't worn it yet, but it somehow felt like it was no longer pure. That's how disgusting it felt.
"Well, I'll borrow this for tomorrow, okay? I mean, I wonder if I should try it now as a test? I don't have anything to wear under the swimsuit, so if anything shows I'm sorry. Okay?"
"What, don't you have a supporter? I only enough for myself."
"Eh? And I can't just use nothing?"
"Well... it's always better to have something..."
Mitsuo looked concerned. Pushing up his hair, which appeared to be cut a little on the short side, eyebrows raised pensively, he was the very image of a young master of the martial arts. He stood on his knees, his glance keen like that of an eagle, or a falcon. Those eyes, that back, those tightened, narrow lips. Saying "We will ambush the enemy lord this evening and put him to the sword! Prepare yourselves!" as if they were prepared, hidden in some dark alley.
However, what he was doing right now was looking back and forth between his friend Banri's nether region and the two swimsuits.
"...It's come to me all at once! You can put on that seven-color speedo rather than the supporter. It's not as dangerous as what I'll be wearing tonight."
He handed the two swimsuits over to Banri.
"Dude! As you'd expect, old man, I trust you! I'll try one on top of the other! Then, if you don't mind, I'll take a look through that box. There's all sorts of stuff in there."
"Oh, thank you."
Of course, not wanting to expose himself before his friend in this not very spacious room, Banri took the two borrowed swimsuits and headed for the bathroom. All smiles, Mitsuo happily turned away from Banri and took down the box that been placed on a stool.
That figure behind him was a sturdy as a Greek sculpture. Beautiful, you might even say.
Turning on the bathroom light, he went inside, closed the door and took off his T-shirt. The difference between Mitsuo's style, which he had just observed, and his own body as reflected at the moment in the mirror, frankly could not be helped. In spite of being the same as humans, as men, as Japanese people and even about the same age, why were their shapes so different?
Mitsuo, who he was seeing clearly for the first time in a while, had become even more handsome than he had been even back when they were undergoing their exams. He knew that he continued to work for the Boss… that mysterious, overweight slave trafficker who prepared young people for events, however bizarre they seemed to be. As for the costs, the boss treated them as fringe benefits for his employees. He even invited them to the gym. For that reason, even more than before, his muscular appearance could be seen sculpted deeply and clearly, even through a simple T-shirt. He had a hunch he really could pass for a model.
Stripping down, the boyfriend changed into the swimming suit. Just how popular do those handsome guys on the beach get? To look at him, Two Dimensions possessed a surprisingly tall and slim figure. If the three guys were lined up in a row, he probably wouldn't compare well, and it would be embarrassing.
Looking down on his jeans as he undressed, Banri thought, 'I'm going to work out too!' It was already too late for tomorrow, but in any case for the next time. Of course, having been born male, though he wasn't talking about Kosshi-senpai's body, he wanted to be reasonably strong and bulked out. That is, if he was going to try on a swimming suit, there was no need to take off anything above that.
Tomorrow was the day they'd promised to go to the beach.
Banri didn't have a swimsuit.
He might have had one back at his home in Shizuoka, but he was reluctant to call and bother them with talk of returning home. Nonetheless, not having the extra money to go and buy a new one, he decided to ask Mitsuo if he had one he could borrow. Taking the opportunity to swap some contraband with him, this evening, Banri invited Mitsuo over to his room.
He'd hadn't seen Mitsuo's face since then.
That time being after he'd gone to Chinami's house. Since they'd spotted him and Linda entering into that izakaya the film studies group frequented.
...That shocked him. Really.
Taking off everything down to his shorts, one person nude and free. The shock of that day was brought back to his heart clearly and completely. Though he thought he was trying not to think about it anymore, the memory was still as vivid as ever.
The four of them at that time were at a loss for words. The looked at each other's faces like idiots, standing there in the street, frozen in place.
What came to Banri's mind at first was "What sort of a matchup is that?" Why were Mitsuo and Linda together, just the two of them? From the very start, didn't the two have nothing in common? Thinking that way, he immediately remembered. It was their part-time job. The job for the Boss. Banri had dropped out already, but Mitsuo had continued playing the "decorated hunk" for many events.
But when he thought about it, Mitsuo for a while now, strangely, gave the impression of getting along with Linda. ...Those two really became close to each other quickly. And to think that Mitsuo had such an ability to take action from the start.
Mitsuo was an exceptionally fine looking looking rascal, with a good character, but in his approach to the opposite sex, he was surprisingly clumsy and impatient. At the very least, that was the impression that had firmed up inside of Banri.
But even so, there was this situation.
Mitsuo and Linda looking quite friendly indeed, their faces close as they seemed to be enjoying themselves talking, the two of them entering the izakaya. They seemed to be developing a relationship without telling anyone, without letting anybody know.
Of course there was no way they could enter the same shop right after them. ...No, now that he thought about it, they might have been able to enter there. Separately, they was under no obligation to hold back, nor reason to do so. But at that time everyone was surprised, and they could not think it through calmly, so in the end they chose to take seats in a boring chain izakaya not far away.
For the time being, without even waiting for the toast he'd asked for, Banri was aware of his own heart shaking horribly at the spectacle he'd witnessed. The hand holding his beer mug was numb. He could hardly tell the flavor of the beer.
...What in the world was the connection between those two?
To Banri's eyes, it seemed a rather close relationship. Yanagisawa wasn't saying a thing about it. Neither was Linda. ...No, they had no particular reason to report to him. Besides, his relationship with Linda was nothing more than that between a senior and a junior in a club. They had no connection beyond that. And yet, wasn't it strange that he was feeling so upset?
Still, having been the means by which the two met, having a relationship without him knowing... that might be exaggerating, but at the least, it had developed to where the two would go out together to drink. Wasn't that fact something normally worth getting upset about?
It wasn't so much what he thought about Linda, he was simply surprised, that was all. Or rather, it was Mitsuo who surprised him. Where'd he get the ability to act with such stealth!? That's what it was. Really.
That's it. Besides, not everyone is surprised. Nobody who knew those two people would be surprised at them getting together.
So now, seeing that his shaking with all his might was not entirely unnatural, that it was not proof there were thoughts about Linda in his heart after all... Banri peeked over at Kouko, seated next to him in the box seat, to see her expression.
Kouko was peeking at Banri's expression too... no, she was glaring. She was looking at him so hard people would call it a glare.
He asked, "Eh, what?" and she replied "Eh, what is it?" back at him. When he asked, "No, what?" she said, "No, what?" Did he have an echo?
Perhaps she perceived that she was upset too when she saw that Banri was upset. That, plus something along the line of "Mitsuo!? With Linda-senpai!?"
Thinking about it, Banri figured he couldn't let Kouko know that he was upset over the matter after all. Even when you know there's nothing going on, being made to look at idiotic face of a boyfriend upset over such things could not be pleasant.
In fact, there was something between himself and Linda that he could not easily explain, and he had once before made Kouko cry. Overcoming it, she now continued to go out with him. As for Linda, she continued to associate with him as if this clumsy piece of junk human were nothing to be concerned about. For Banri, an immeasurable conflict and difficulty was down there, without a doubt. He had to respond to such faith and perseverance on the part of Kouko. For that reason, in this situation he could not show how upset he was.
Besides, even if Kouko realized that he was upset, she would not ask for the details. Certainly not now, with no intention of bringing up the crush she once had. Just as with Linda and himself, the past was the past. That was all. ...It was the same for both of them.
He thought that Kouko had to think so too.
The two of them still exchanging glances, Kouko held her peace and said nothing.
Wondering why it was that it seemed like the side who first averted their eyes was the loser, Banri also gazed Kouko's beautiful eyelashes, not moving, as if it were a test of willpower.
I'm not upset. I'm not remembering the past. Don't be suspicious that I might be remembering the past. I must not be suspicious that you're being suspicious that I might be remembering the past. Don't be suspicious that I'm suspicious that you're suspicious that I might be remembering... Cut that out! Really, stop it. Don't go thinking deeply about it.
Averting his eyes from Kouko's first, Banri forced himself not to think as he tried to stuff his cheeks with a Pollack omelette he'd brought with him. And at almost the same time, the heretofore silent Two Dimensions started to speak.
"...Were those two dating...?"
He said.
Plop, a chopstick's worth of omelette fell from Banri's chopsticks. He wasn't upset at what Two Dimensions said, but it was an unfortunate blunder. ...Truly.
He tried to pick it up with his fingers and finish eating it, but saying "Don't, Banri," Kouko pushed his hand away. She quickly wiped it up with a napkin.
The food lost to his sight, Banri said,
"...Shall we... just go and ask them point blank? We could call them up right now, if you'd like. Kinda like... 'We just spotted you two just now.'"
He tentatively tried making a suggestion of that sort.
Rather than giving free rein to his imagination, he though it would be simpler to just say what he plainly saw. In the spirit of "don't think."
Kouko was still watching Banri's face with a complicated expression, neither laughing nor criticizing him. Thinking he should say something, Two Dimensions got on board right away. Taking the iPhone he'd placed on the table,
"...Shall we do like that? Shall we? Shall we try that?"
He immediately started to set his finger to the screen, but it was Chinami who stopped his hand. Setting the iPhone down as it was before, she uttered one word: "Stop."
Chinami, who up to that point had said nothing particular but her order, was clutching her half mug with both hands like a small animal, he thought.
"We girls, ...urp"
When she came to herself, there was only one swallow left in her mug, and her lips were white with foam. She really drank fast with that too small body of hers.
"Excuse me for having burped. I've had a thought. Yana didn't say anything to us girls, not even to explain himself. So let's stop asking weird questions. Don't do unnecessary things from out of left field, and let's just be quiet for a while."
It was the grown-up thing to say. What's more, in an unusual turn of events, Kouko agreed. They wondered if she was still in movie mode.
"I agree with Ultrasonic. Let's forget what we just saw, zip our mouths, and quietly watch over Mitsuo as if nothing had happened."
"Ooh, well said, Kaga-cha."
"Shall we look for an ejected brainstem?"
"...-san, if you will. From now on we girls will be 'Watch Over Mitsuo Club'."
"For sure. To the club's formation, cheers!"
The two girls clacked their mugs together in a manly fashion, holding their second toast of the day. Her little finger elegantly extended, Kouko drank down her beer. Chinami's mug was empty long ago.
"Excuse me, another round please! ...You nice guys over there. How about it? Wanna join us?"
"Urp...! Another for me too! You'll join us, right? Of course you will."
As they had the employee take their empty mugs from them, the awkward Banri, the assistant going all out in the shadows, and the insecure leader behind the scenes Two Dimensions, both looking like henchmen from the very start, were unable to express any firm objection. Facing each other in the narrow box seating, the two guys had no choice but to nod and say "Yes" in unison. Besides, if they were to look at it from Mitsuo's point of view, he would probably not want to be told this and that. As you might expect.
And like that, two cups filled to the brim waited for the arrival of the two, and celebrated once more the formation of the group of four, saying "Cheers!" in chorus. The "Watch Over Mitsuo" club started their secret work...
"Hey, Banrii. Which of those guys is better?"
Come to think of it, wouldn't Chinami have known about Linda? I wasn't thinking of asking her to investigate at this late date, when we'd told her not to pry earlier.
"Banrii? Aren't you done changing clothes yet?"
Mitsuo, not knowing anything more, calling from the other side of the door like a boyfriend. Banri, who had been lost in thought, coming to and lifting his face,
"Eh? Excuse me, but what? What about?"
Stop thinking! Watch over Mitsuo! Opening the door with renewed determination, he stepped out from the narrow batch unit into the room. Then,
"Whoa!? Wha, what is this, Banri!? What's wrong!?"
"Ah! Sorry, I messed up!"
No good. He hadn't just come out fully nude, had he? Drawing back inside in a hurry and closing the door, putting on something thin at hand,
"Phew, Yana-ssan didn't get to see my pure, naked body."
"...Wa, wasn't even that quite a splendid degree of exposure!? Is that okay!?"
"What's that?"
Banri walked in front of Mitsuo wearing the rainbow boomerang. It was hardly different from being nude. At any rate, the one who was actually watching was me.
"So, you wanted to hear which one, didn't you? Hm? Which one? Eh? You going to take a look at the half naked old man?"
"I wanted to ask you about the cereal and such in that kitchen of yours, but... why suddenly are you suddenly looking at me so kindly... it's like I'm being enveloped."
"Is that what it seems like?"
His own figure reflected in the full length mirror was just like a poor version of Kojima Yoshio. Lowering his ability to think to where he was effectively insentient, Banri fell to all fours on the flooring and broke into a twisting dance "badda bum badda bum badda bum, yeah!"
"I wonder why... I have the feeling that even before I was born into this world I knew you would probably do that."
Mitsuo calmed waited, not stopping, not laughing, for Banri to finish with his dance. He thought it audacious in spite of being watched over from one side, but of course it was more than half a joke.
"Yeah, cereal. That's what I thought I'd share with you. Have some."
"Hurray! But will you have anything left for yourself? Is it okay to let me have so much?"
"I've got enough. It's fine, it's alright. Because they sent me so awfully much. I mean, it feels like our Mieko is now enthusiastically sending a portion for you too."
"Ah, then I'm really grateful. My noodle stockpile had just ran dry, so express my thanks to Mistress Mieko once more, without fail. Because she's always saving me."
"Aye aye, understood."
"Which reminds me. The next time you call home, could you pass me the line for a bit? Then I'll be able to say thanks directly. Ah, now if you don't mind... isn't it already late? It's gotten past nine."
While acting strangely like a well raised young man demonstrating his honesty, Mitsuo sat on the floor and stuffed the cereal boxes and instant noodles into the plastic bags he'd brought with him. Chuckling to himself, he looked really happy.
Mitsuo was from the start a childhood friend of Kouko's. They were from the same neighborhood, and had gone to the same private school. In short, he should have been a man in the same rich environment, blessed with the same level of richness, but because he had a dispute with his parents as to which college to attend, he was cut off from any assistance apart from tuition. Someday, he would announce a new style of clothing where when you look over your shoulder, there's nothing there at all behind... that's how poor he'd become, but...
"Which reminds me, Yana-ssan, are you still out of money? Lately they've been hiring for all sorts of part time jobs."
"Well, I suppose. They only give part-time pay, but the rent's always the same. It's huge, every month. But compared to before, it's a huge return to financial health for now. Thanks to that, I can even go to the beach! Oh I hope tomorrow's weather's nice."
Suddenly Mitsuo turned and looked back at the half-naked Banri. Turning his gaze sharply away from the dangerous boomerang curve he asked,
"Come to think of it, just why did you decide to go out of the blue like this? You just randomly talked and decided on this? I'm glad you accidentally chose a day I don't have to work. ...By accident."
"It wasn't all of a sudden. I'd promised her since before summer vacation that we'd go to the beach. I mean, weren't you there at that moment? Back when I first spoke after my fever broke."
"You're right. ...Ah, that's a shame, really. Even though back then Linda-senpai said she'd go too."
...Yeah, she did.
Earlier, when everybody had come to visit Banri when he'd fallen sick, was when they'd first talked about the beach. At that time, Mitsuo had included Linda amongst those who would be going. And Kouko too.
Who wasn't included...
"Oka-chan seemed lonely, so we had planned to cheer her up."
Oka Chinami must have been pleased to some extent with Mitsuo.
"...Chinami? Why?"
Banri was lost for a moment wondering whether it was a good idea to explain somebody's household circumstances. ...Separately, though she didn't seem to be hiding anything, was that all right? Leaving out the details, he cut to the chase.
"Well, with both of Oka-chan's parents returning to their hometown, starting next month she'll be living on her own. It was all of a sudden, so it seems the cleanup was quite a lot of work."
"Seriously? Weren't they from Fukuoka? ...Hey, is that so? I didn't know that."
"I suppose you haven't met them? Oka-chan said she hadn't been going out with you lately."
"...Though if that's how things were turning out, it would have been nice if she'd said something. I have more experience living alone, and I could give her some pointers."
He thought he'd been trying to say that. It wouldn't leave his mouth. But Banri thought so.
He thought that Chinami tried to tell Mitsuo about her tough situation. So she would have tried to get in contact with him, and to visit him. She tried to meet up.
But he thought that after being turned down, Chinami was probably just staring up at the ceiling by herself. The ceiling of "my house", becoming empty, quiet and abandoned. She was probably enduring this last lonely summer lying down on the rug.
"Well, but if it's Chinami, she's probably okay. She has a strong character. She probably has a lot in reserve yet. She's strong, and a winner by nature. She won't suffer from things like loneliness in her lifetime."
Mitsuo took a box of cereal in hand and looked over the nutritional information. Banri wondered if he ought to take it away, in large part because he disagreed with Mitsuo.
He wondered why this guy couldn't seem to think in any way other than "If it's Chinami, she'll be okay", "If it's Chinami, she won't be lonely." Banri thought it wasn't like that at all because of how the house looked, and from seeing Chinami's face in profile, gazing vacantly at the ceiling. Because of the deep shadow he'd seen in her large eyes when he said "lonely."
...As for Mitsuo, was that so? He hadn't seen it, so how could he know?
He hadn't seen Chinami that night, distanced from Mitsuo, crying that night with noodles on her face.
"Well, in that case when I see her tomorrow, shall I try talking with her a bit?"
"Yeah. ...Talk with her," Banri added strongly. "Seriously."
As a popular, cute, clever, even brash person, one of those chosen girls who had it all. Wearing an expression like "I am one of those girls!" she lived the good life. Her face said "I live the good life!"
But in fact, not having the strongest of characters that she was thought to have, she was seen by Banri to be "an awkward person who showed her weaknesses." Because of that, Chinami was perhaps at a loss. He thought she'd lost many things.
"But I wanted to invite Linda-senpai too. But because she told me that just now she was returning to her parent's home, I didn't try to call her."
"...Oh?"
On the one hand, this guy. Being watched over with care, Yanagisawa Mitsuo.
Up to now, though he never showed his face from being so crazy busy, when Linda-senpai was gone back home, he was readily available.
"...But really, is that really okay? One upperclassman in a bunch of freshmen might feel a little out of place. Besides, Yana-ssan, at that time you left Oka-chan out of the head count."
"...Well, I suppose there's that too. ...By the way, I wonder where Linda-senpai is from? Do you know?"
Answering "Well," Banri looked away for a bit. He saw himself in the dressing mirror once more.
However you looked at it, in the end he was half naked. He was in a borrowed boomerang, not at all skin-tight. If nothing else happened, it would quietly fall in only a few seconds.
"Hey, Banri."
Lifting the plastic bag to see whether it was torn or not, Mitsuo called out to Banri. Banri looked back at him.
"Just now, I've noticed one bit of manly behavior about you."
"......What?"
Smoothly standing up, Mitsuo answered "Who knows?" On his beautifully well ordered (to the point of seeming something made by hand) small face there was a smile. Just like a mean face he'd seen somewhere. It could even have been Kouko's big brother.
"If you aren't aware, then there's no point. You'll realize it someday, and when the day comes you see it face to face, we'll think about it together."
<~~35% Completed~~>
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