This is part one of the after story that takes place two years after the school trip they took in middle school.

Also, it looks like Ise Katsura is coming out with a rebuild/rewrite of the Onani Master Kurosawa story in novel form, which will be hitting bookstores in late August. It will be ret.i.tled “Catcher in the Toilet”. Cool stuff!

Current completion status: 100% Complete!

My thoughts: 4459 words… ffff translating giant blocks of text sucks. Now I know how those people doing VN / light novels / games feel….

It was a refreshing morning on my day off. I was heckled by a complaint that came through my cell phone.

“Take me with you-!”

It was such a threatening att.i.tude that I involuntarily pulled the cell phone away from my ear due to Sugawa’s shouting. Her selfish mannerism wasn’t a recent occurence, but at the very least, she could have seen me off in a more kindly manner on the morning of my departure.

“You tell me to take you with me, but right now, aren’t you running out of money? And besides, I had already planned this trip a long time ago with Takigawa and the rest of them…”

“That’s why I’m unable to take this! Why the h.e.l.l didn’t you talk to me about something so important!? When did you become so high and mighty that you could secretly run off with your buddies and enjoy a fun trip together, b.a.s.t.a.r.d?!”

Sugawa’s anger didn’t show any signs of abating, and even now sounded like the screech from a reverberating microphone. In one way or another, I wanted to calm her down, but if things went on like this, it looked like I was going to be late for our designated a.s.sembly time. Right now, it’s about the time I should be leaving my house.

“I’m sorry Sugawa, I’ll listen to your complaints over e-mails later, so… what kind of souvenirs are nice?”

“You… is it your plan to get on my good side by getting me a souvenir?! You can’t fool me, can’t fool me!”

Sugawa continued on with things like “Don’t f.u.c.k with me! We’re breaking up! We’re breaking up!”, and before I could say a single word in return, she hung up. All that remained was a robotic sounding tone.

“A lover’s quarrel this early in the morning? Sheesh…and it’s not even 8:00 yet? Put yourself in my shoes; you’d want to rest easy on the morning of your day off, right?”

As I tied my shoelaces in the doorway, I got a p.r.i.c.kling feeling in my back that made me realize I was still in my pajamas. Although today is supposed to be a fun-filled day, I had this sinking feeling inside me from even before I left.

When I arrived at the station where we were meeting, I saw that everyone except me was already there.

“You’re slow-, Mister Coordinator is late-”

Takigawa waved her hand and invited me into the circle. Next to her was Nagaoka with his familiar smile, and off to each side of them stood Kitahara and Pizza-ta, who each stood there in a manner reminiscent of a bodhisattva statue.

“Sorry, I had a quarrel as I was leaving my house…sorry to make you guys wait. Good morning, everyone.”

As I bowed my head slightly, I was able to see all the faces in turn of the former year 3, cla.s.s 3, D group, that I had not seen for a while. It was the first time I had seen everybody since the beginning of the new school term.

Takigawa’s lovely figure was steadily improving, and Nagaoka seemed to be growing a natural perm that resembled cotton candy. And, although he was still wearing those ill-fitting street gang-like clothes, Pizza-ta was thinner than the last time I saw him.

The meeting with everyone to plan for this trip didn’t really take place that long ago. It was about two weeks ago, or thereabouts.

In spite of that, after not having seen everyone for a little while, I got the feeling that everyone had changed just a little. At our age, for both males and females, people grow up and change in the blink of an eye.

Was Kitahara the only person who hasn’t really changed at all?

Even though it seems as though her cla.s.smates have called her “Kitahara-senpai” since her first year of high school, she still has a squirrel-like figure, and wears a sour expression on her face that I can’t quite read. It looks like she hasn’t grown at all.

Nevertheless, in this short time, no matter how much we’ve appeared to have grown up; the one thing that hasn’t changed is the atmosphere that we’ve had since middle school.

—When he’s around, somehow, I feel a little more relieved.

“Hmm, since Kurosawa-dono has now arrived, let us promptly head towards Osaka! … Ah, but before that!”

Suddenly raising his fist as if he were trying to pierce the heavens, and then quickly lowering it, Nagaoka said this:

“We are now the “former” third year, cla.s.s three… and strictly speaking, Magistel-dono was not part of group D. This Dan is not the S.O.S.-Dan any more, so don’t we need a new name!?”

But it appeared that it was only Kitahara and I that found this to be absolutely stupid. Takigawa and Pizza-ta were tapping their fingers to their mouths as if they had encountered a difficult math problem, and thinking earnestly about a new team name. Why were Kitahara and I always in the minority?

Clapping her hands together, Takigawa was the first to announce a candidate for our team name.

“Ah, hey, hey, how does this sound?”

“Hohoho, what is it?”

“…The Order of the Black Knights!!”

Hey, hey, Takigawa. I don’t know the origins of that name, but it sounds kind of uncool… think of something more ordinary. My mind was muttering “No way”, but it seems that I was once again in the minority.

“Splendid!”

Nagaoka clapped his hands, and with that one word, our team name was quickly decided. At any rate, with this naming sense… it seemed that Takigawa’s senses were becoming more like Nagaoka’s, down to her very core. This is alarming.

Thus, the former year 3, cla.s.s 3, D group, then S.O.S.-Dan, and now Order of the Black Knights, rode the bullet train, and set out for Osaka. It’s just a day in the middle of the Golden Week that followed the start of our second year in high school.

On our school trip two years ago, we only stayed for two days and one night at the place we visited – a short trip. This is the dream that a single young girl once had envisioned; and at that time, a dream that I once had, too. Two years was a long time. I’m really glad that I could finally greet this day safe and sound.

We rocked around inside trains for three hours.

After riding the bullet train, and then the subway, the Order of the Black Knights arrived at the Tenpou Mountain Harbor Village at Osaka Harbor. It was the first time we had seen this place in two years. It was just as I had envisioned; the color of the sky was even the same as two years ago – a clear day without a cloud in sight.

“Ooh-! This scenery is so nostalgic! It brings back those fleeting memories from middle school~”

Now that I think about it, the Nagaoka of two years ago also was exhilarated and frolicking around like a little child. As usual, the expressions on Kitahara and Pizza-ta’s faces remained unchanged.

“Ehh~, so that’s Osaka Harbor. It’s my first time seeing it, so it’s a fresh new experience.”

Takigawa quickly linked arms with Nagaoka as soon as she stepped outside, without any hesitation. As I thought, her eyes had brightened up and were sparkling.

Now that I think about it, on the school trip’s second day, when we split up into groups, Takigawa had gone with Misaki-san to visit another district. My only memories of the second day consisted of: first, how boring it was; and second, that troublesome business that Kitagawa had proposed to me.

“Now then! Where shall we visit? The aquarium? Or will it be the shopping mall?”

At any rate, Nagaoka seemed to be in high spirits.

I was quickly becoming tired due to having to sit in those uncomfortable train seats for so many hours. At last, I could breathe some fresh air. I wanted to take a short break here.

As I was thinking about that, Pizza-ta interrupted by timidly voicing his opinion to Nagaoka and Takigawa, who looked as if they were about to run off.

“Uh, um… It’s noon time right now, s-so why don’t we go to a restaurant…”

I agreed. Until now, I had never been grateful toward Pizza-ta.

We ate lunch at a Chinese restaurant, and then went to the aquarium. As we pa.s.sed through a tunnel that ran through the tank, we saw brilliantly colored fish.

To tell the truth, a guy like me, who has no interest in the mysteries of the natural world, was kind of bored on this second trip to the aquarium. On top of that, since it was a holiday, there were a lot of other people around, and the clamor of the crowd made my ears hurt. As I thought; I was better suited to the atmosphere of a library than to a huge facility like this.

However, seeing Nagaoka and Takigawa smiling and running around happily, curiously looking at different species, one could almost stomach the boredom and the rabble of the crowd.

This is the second time that I’ve felt this way.

Surely, when you’re on a trip, you don’t really need a goal or those kind of emotions. You’re always with your friends, and you’ll always do something a little different each time. That’s enough to make the trip interesting.

“Well then, next up is the ferris wheel! Magistel-dono, let’s ride it together~”

“Of course-. Let’s get a nice view of the scenery of Osaka–”

Exiting the aquarium, this lovey-dovey couple led us towards the ferris wheel, their voices full of enthusiasm.

Right behind them were us three; Kitahara and I wound up staring at Pizza-ta’s sweat-soaked back as we walked in a line.

On the short path to the ferris wheel, I whispered into Kitahara’s ear something I had been thinking about previously.

“Kitahara, are we riding together again?”

She shook her head like a dog trying to dry itself by shaking water off its back.

“Why the h.e.l.l do I have to ride the ferris wheel with Kurosawa-kun a second time?”

“That’s what I thought. I had a feeling you’d say that. Well, you’re riding with Pizza-ta, then.”

“Eh?”

“You don’t want to ride with me, right? If that’s the case, then come ride together with Pizza-ta. It looks like Nagaoka and Takigawa are riding together. I’ll just wait outside.”

As I said that, Kitahara showed me the first girlish expression she had made all day. It was a really nasty look.

“Why the h.e.l.l does it have to be like that?! Why can’t all three of us just ride?”

“With Pizza-ta? Three people? Don’t be ridiculous. We’d surpa.s.s the weight capacity and the ferris wheel might stop.”

“That wouldn’t happen! …I’m being serious.”

Well, since it looks like my little speech contained more or less a few unpleasant truths, it looks like I won’t be able to talk my way out of it. It can’t be helped; it looks like my objective won’t be achieved.

“…Do you really hate Pizza-ta that much?”

After I asked that, Kitahara pondered it over, and hung her head in shame.

“It’s not as if… I hate him… But, even now, occasionally he makes me feel disgusted. At the aquarium earlier, when I was walking in front of Seki-kun, I sensed him staring at my a.s.s. Of course, I’m thankful that he’s always kind to me, but… Ahh, he stinks like sweat… so gross…”

Ah, Pizza-ta, you rascal, now that’s something that could be called admirable. To an extent, I can sympathize with that irresistible urge. In regards to males who can perfectly understand their own conduct and set it aside, you could say they’ve got quite some nerve coming this far doing such rude things. From middle school onwards, I understood; however, I couldn’t think of Kitahara as anything but a person that had been shaken down to her very core.

I’m so glad that our conversation never reached Pizza-ta’s ears. I’m already used to being abused and insulted by Sugawa, but if Takigawa did something like that to me, I’d probably never recover.

“Well, just endure it for a little while. Please, Kitahara, just ride the ferris wheel with Pizza-ta.”

If I abase myself, then this time Kitahara will look at me with eyes full of blame.

“…What’s with you? Why are you obsessing over Seki-kun and me?”

I was a loss for words as to how I would explain this. In the end, I replied with this.

“Just because.”

“…..You’re weird.”

I don’t know if that was a signal of her agreement or not, but soon after, Kitahara left my side and walked towards Pizza-ta.

This crazy idea that I proposed… It appears that everything got settled the way it was supposed to be, so I clapped my chest in relief.

Back in the winter of my third year of middle school, I stood in front of everybody in my cla.s.s and apologized for my crimes. But, to one person, even though he was a close friend of mine, I had kept a terrible secret hidden from him.

During our school trip, I did a terrible thing to Pizza-ta.

That’s why, all the more, I want to give him some good memories of this trip.

The baskets in which everyone rode steadily climbed higher. I went to a bench nearby to sit down and kill some time.

My idle hands opened and closed my cell phone a number of times.

There wasn’t any indication that Sugawa had sent a reply to the e-mail I had sent her. Although I knew that it was a meaningless action, I kept checking my Mailbox, and the display kept showing “You have no new mail”. It looks like I’ve really p.i.s.sed off Sugawa this time.

It’s not as if I had some ulterior motives or a guilty conscience; I had not meant to hide the fact that I was going on this trip from Sugawa. It’s just that I kind of, for some reason or another, missed the chance to tell her about it.

Even though we’re supposed to be dating, it’s not like we keep in touch with each other every day. I don’t really understand her schedule completely, either. To begin with, even though we’ve been going out for five months, we haven’t even kissed or so much as held hands yet. If things continue on like this, I won’t ever be able to ask to touch those voluptuous b.o.o.bs that make me drool when I start thinking about them.

We’re still at that stage.

Even so, I don’t think she seems the type to get exasperated over such trivial things like that.

“I just don’t understand a girl’s heart…”

Those words just kind of popped out of my mouth. They sounded like something someone who is satisfied with their life would say. They made me laugh, even though I’m just a dim, introverted son of a b.i.t.c.h…

Before long, everyone got off the ferris wheel in groups.

“How was it? Was it fun?”

As I asked, Takigawa put on a forced smile and replied, “Uh, yeah. The view was great.”

…Something’s strange here.

I felt a new sense of awkwardness that was not present in the girl that was here fifteen minutes ago. Even Nagaoka, whose trademark was a smiling face, somehow had an awkward laugh. These guys were so lively before they got on the ferris wheel. I don’t think they have a fear of heights or anything, either.

Looking at them now, they seemed like complete strangers compared to earlier. It looked like I’d be hearing a sigh at any moment. They looked almost as if heavy clouds were floating over the tops of their heads.

…What in the world happened on that ferris wheel?

On the other hand, Kitahara and Pizza-ta had on the same expressionless faces as if they were drawn from a painting. I wanted to ask them if they had felt any emotions at all.

On the way to our next destination, I tentatively whispered to Kitahara, asking about her thoughts. As I had expected, she bluntly answered like a certain actress, “Nothing in particular.” However, I could not hide my surprise at the next words that came out of her mouth.

“…Seki-kun is moving to Kyoto next year.”

“Eh?”

Somehow, I felt apprehensive, as though some strong power had firmly gripped my chest.

“…Why is he doing that?”

“Beats me. Seems like there’s a famous animation company in Kyoto. He told me he’s going to attend a pro training school. I don’t really know the specifics. Why don’t you ask him yourself?”

Incidentally, I looked at the back of Pizza-ta, who was walking a few steps in front of Kitahara and me. His back hadn’t changed from the usual, and was drenched in sweat. However, from that, I couldn’t really read what was in his heart.

I’m pretty sure that Nagaoka and Takigawa don’t know that Pizza-ta is going to leave his hometown. If he tells anyone else, it’ll have already reached my ears already, anyways.

I wonder what kind of emotion drove Pizza-ta to confess this to Kitahara.

I wanted to ask him about it, but with something this important, there’s no way I could use this second hand information as a basis for the questions.

Ever since they got off the ferris wheel: Somehow, the situation between Nagaoka and Takigawa had taken a turn for the worse, and Pizza-ta was hiding an important matter in his heart with a straight face…

——–From the way things are looking, it appears that this trip is not going to end up a happy trip.

As the evening continued at American Village (Amerikamura), and we made a round trip toward Dotonbori, the way Nagaoka and Takigawa behaved seemed strange. Although they were clingy as they walked around everywhere, it seemed almost like an awkward, amateurish performance. If you asked me to tell you in concrete terms what was wrong with them, I wouldn’t be able to reply. However, to my eyes, I could clearly see that there was something different about those two.

On the school trip, it seems that Takigawa’s group came to American Village on the second day, and they spent the day window shopping around the Horie District. Despite that, even though this time we weren’t bound by restrictions like on the school trip, she still decided to come to American Village.

“There’s a store that’s selling pastry twists on the corner that caught my eye. Pizza-ta, want to go buy some?”

“Nah, I’ll pa.s.s… I’m on a diet…”

“Oh. Pizza-ta, there’s a guy vending some black people’s hiphop clothes there. Don’t you like that kind of stuff?”

“I’ll pa.s.s… Nowadays the brats in j.a.pan won’t even wear BAPE and Stussy….”

s.h.i.t. Even after talking to Pizza-ta, he won’t expand the topic of conversation. And seriously, he’s the type of guy that talked about fashion… How should I put this; normally, striking up a conversation wouldn’t be a problem, but with Pizza-ta, he’s a guy that won’t really get caught up in the conversation even when you’re consciously trying to pull him in.

Having said this, Nagaoka and Takigawa had an atmosphere around them that made careless conversation difficult, and Kitahara was unsociable, as usual. What the h.e.l.l should I do about this?

If Sugawa had come here, she would feel pretty much at home, and be in high spirits…

When I thought of that, I started to miss her.

As it got dark, we went to the Food Theme Park in Dotonburi and ate okonomiyaki; afterwards, we went to the hotel. It was there that I saw a rare sight.

…Nagaoka and Takigawa having an argument.

That night, we stayed in a hotel in which we had made reservations. In contrast to its cheapness as a student-oriented payment plan, it was a good hotel. The cramped and dirty rooms typical of such were nowhere to be found.

It looks like we can get a good, peaceful night’s sleep here.

Or so I thought. Even after lights out, I couldn’t really fall asleep.

Even though my mind and body were both exhausted from such an early start, the tension from thinking about the matters concerning Nagaoka and Pizza-ta kept me from falling asleep.

In the end, as we pa.s.sed into the next day, I ended up not receiving a reply from Sugawa. That also kind of bothered me.

The more I thought about trying to sleep, the more I couldn’t calm myself down. I ended up flopping around on top of my bed a bunch of times. At last a curtain dropped in my brain, and my senses started to fade out. At that instant, I heard a rustling sound next to me. I opened my eyes halfway to see Nagaoka getting up from his bed.

At first I thought that he was going to the toilet, so I kept quiet and was going to overlook it, but it seems that Nagaoka had a different objective in mind. He took gentle steps in order not to wake Pizza-ta and me, opened the door, and headed out into the hallway.

When I looked at the sub-display of the cell phone at my bedside, I saw that it was around 1 A.M. That rascal Nagaoka, he was faking sleep and waiting for me and Pizza-ta to fall asleep.

I was curious, so I followed Nagaoka out of the room. I didn’t see his figure in the hallway, but it’s likely that he went to the first floor lobby, so I’ll ride the elevator and give it a try.

As I got off the elevator and rounded the corner to the entrance, for some reason I saw Kitahara there. By all rights, she should be in her room with Takigawa. However, she was wearing an ill-fitting yukata that dragged on the ground, and clinging to the wall almost as if she were a spy.

“Hey Kitahara, what are you doing ther-…”

As I spoke out and drew closer to her, she put a finger to her mouth and checked me with a short, “SHH!”

“Takigawa-san and Nagaoka-kun are in the lobby. If you speak up, they’ll notice.”

Eavesdropping is in bad taste. Although, isn’t that what I came here to do in the first place?

“Takigawa-san suddenly got up in the middle of the night and left the room. I was curious, so I followed her,” is how Kitahara explained this situation. Good lord, our first thoughts were exactly the same.

I poked my head out from behind Kitahara to get a better peek at the lobby facing the entrance. Takigawa and Nagaoka sat facing each other at one of the corner round tables that were evenly lined up. They both had on serious faces, and for some reason looked like they were having an argument.

“What’s going on here?”

As I asked in a quiet voice, Kitahara rammed her elbow lightly into my side.

“If you take a look, you’ll understand. And, don’t get so close to me, it grosses me out.”

“Ah, uh… my bad.”

As you say, I’ll make a little distance, and concentrate on listening.

Aside from the receptionist in the entrance, there were no other signs of life in the lobby; the sounds that reached my ears was only a sudden burst of salon music. Then, I clearly heard Nagaoka and Takigawa’s conversation off in the distance.

“I… I don’t want this! I don’t want to be separated from Takigawa-dono!”

“I’ve told you so many times already, it’s not like we’re breaking up. It’s not like we’ll never see each other again…”

“B, but!”

Things aren’t looking so good.

After listening for a little while, I got a grasp on the situation.

It seems that, this afternoon on the ferris wheel, Takigawa made the same sort of confession as Pizza-ta. In other words, at the same time as her high school graduation, she was going to move to another prefecture.

Similar to Pizza-ta’s desire to become an animator, Takigawa also had a dream that in the future she would be able to get a job related to fashion and accessories. To make that dream come true, it seems she is going to move somewhere where she can learn at a higher level. However, it looks like her lover Nagaoka doesn’t approve.

A negotiation between love and dreams, eh? I see, now I understand a little why things felt so awkward this afternoon.

“What do you think?”

The yukata-dragging Kitahara suddenly asked this to me.

As for me… hmm.

If I was standing in their place, then it’d be easy to understand. If Sugawa had said the same thing that Takigawa did, I wouldn’t have the confidence to honestly support that dream. If she went somewhere far away that I didn’t know, I wouldn’t just be lonely. I’d be tormented by unfathomable grief.

If we lived apart, the string that bound us together now would undoubtely break someday. I could see her getting with another guy on a whim in a new location. I didn’t have any confidence that I would be able to tie up her feelings.

“I would support Takigawa’s dream. But, I also understand Nagaoka’s feelings.”

——Besides, if Takigawa left, I’d be sad.

After I replied, Kitahara put on a bored-looking face and said this.

“…I agree with Takigawa-san. Serves him right. Seeing if those two break up will be quite a spectacle.”

…This girl’s intense.

Does she still have some lingering feelings about being turned down, and for this guy that was stolen from her? Well, I didn’t really think that was the case, but… At any rate, rather than not being honest, I couldn’t think of it as any more than just a warped way of reasoning.

“I’m tired of watching, and I need to pee, so I’m going back to my room. Kurosawa-kun, be careful not to stay up too late…”

After saying that, Kitahara patted me on the shoulder and walked in the direction of the elevator. She may be sarcastic, but she was probably thinking that it was probably better not to eavesdrop excessively on our friends’ private conversation any more than this.

I followed Kitahara, and shortly thereafter rode the elevator.

Although, once I returned to the room, I was constantly worrying about why Nagaoka had not come back, and couldn’t really sleep.

In the end, Nagaoka and I finally ended up falling asleep around 2:30 A.M.

END OF PART ONE