Chapter 50: Greeting together with my childhood friend

Greeting together with my childhood friend

Looking out of the shinkansen window, I gaze absentmindedly at the scenery.

The urban skyline quickly transforms into mountains, trees, and fields, and as we approach a station, the landscape is gradually overtaken by sterile buildings.

The unremarkable view inexplicably induces drowsiness.

It’s a journey of over three hours to Aya’s rural station.

Deciding to avert my eyes from the fading scenery outside, I close my eyelids for a while.

“…Next stop, please remember to…”

A familiar station name is announced, and I open my eyes.

Apparently, I’ve slept for more than three hours. The world outside the window has already been painted in the hues of evening.

I alight from the shinkansen, having arrived at my destination in an instant.

Exiting the shinkansen’s ticket gate, I find myself in a spacious terminal station. I remember that from here, I’ll need to switch to a local line and reach Aya’s nearest station in about an hour.

As I search for the gate to the local line, my gaze is drawn to the bus rotary in the distance.

Seated on a bench in the rotary is a girl with short, chestnut hair. Aya, furrowing her brows, is engrossed in her smartphone.

I close the distance between us to where my hand can almost touch her and call out.

“Aya, you came to pick me up.”

“W-Whoa, you surprised me.”

Aya’s shoulders twitch, and she looks up at me with wide eyes.

This work is hosted on mananovel.com

“Boyan, I told you to message me when you arrived at the station.”

“Did you?”

“I did.”

I take out my smartphone from my pocket and check. Indeed, there’s a message from Aya.

“Sorry, I slept through the entire shinkansen ride.”

Aya widens her eyes even further, then bursts into giggles.

“As much of a sleepyhead as ever, Boyan.”

She stands up, approaching me until we’re at the familiar distance of childhood friends.

Aya is dressed in a plain navy hoodie and black cutoff shorts, exuding a casual vibe. She’s rolled up the hoodie’s sleeves to her elbows, revealing her slender arms.

Perhaps due to the slightly oversized hoodie, her collarbones peek out from the neck, while her generous cleavage presses against the fabric. Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

Really, her figure is huggable no matter when you see her.

And…

“…Boyan, are you still half-asleep?”

As I space out while looking at her, Aya shoots me a puzzled look. Somehow, she seems more mature than before, her plump lips appearing more alluring.

—She’s gotten incredibly cute recently, hasn’t she?

I recall the words Kanappe said earlier.

“That’s true.”

“Huh, what?”

Perhaps noticing due to not having seen each other in a while or because of these past few days, Aya’s eyes are now different from before.

“Because I think Aya is cute.”

I accidentally let my honest thoughts slip.

“Ugh…”

Aya freezes while looking up at me. It seems she’s still not accustomed to responding in these situations.

—Compliment her lips.

A firm command comes from my intuition.

“Your lips, are you wearing something on them? I’ve never seen that color, but it suits you a lot.”

“…Ah, thanks.”

Aya’s expression finally breaks, and she shyly smiles.

After a long time, it’s making me blush too. Overflowing feelings cause a traffic jam in my chest, resulting in silence… a kind of feeling like that.

I unconsciously reach out towards her delicious-looking lips.

But Aya awkwardly lowers her gaze and shifts her eyes only slightly.

I follow her line of sight and find Aya’s father’s car parked in the bus rotary.

I reluctantly give up on the kiss of reunion.

“Aya, sorry for keeping your dad waiting.”

“Uh, yeah, Hiroto tagged along.”

“Oh, he’s here, huh?”

- - - -

Aya’s father smiles shyly. It’s been a while since I met him, ever since we announced our engagement at the family restaurant.

“Hey, Boyan.”

“Thanks for coming to pick me up.”

Aya’s father chuckles awkwardly. This is the first time I’ve seen him since the engagement announcement.

“Hi, Boyan.”

“Hiroto, thanks to you too.”

“Nah, I was free anyway.”

“I told Hiroto he could stay home.”

Aya, sitting next to me in the backseat, mutters discontentedly.

“But Aya, if I hadn’t rushed you, you’d probably still be in the bathroom, having a staring contest with the mirror.”

“…Noisy.”

Seems like Aya got pumped up to come pick me up.

Somehow, it’s really heartwarming.

“Boyan, from here to Grandpa’s house, it’ll take over an hour. You can go ahead and sleep.”

Aya, who’s still a bit sulking, gently touches my upper arm.

“I’m not sleepy anymore. More importantly, tell me all about it. I want to hear about what’s going on too.”

“Yeah, sure.”

As Aya breaks into a full smile, the car starts moving.

Inside the car, Aya and I never ran out of things to talk about.

It’s not like silence would be awkward between the two of us, but we continued to chat, filling the gaps of the past few days.

“Oh, look, we used to play with Grandpa in that river.”

“Really?”

Aya points out of the window. The large river shimmers in the almost setting sun.

“There’s a shrine over there, you know? They have a grand festival in the summer, and people from other prefectures come to see it.”

There’s a torii gate at the foot of the mountain, and within the dense trees, the main shrine is visible. It’s like a different world, with a mysterious aura.

Aya’s hometown is nestled in the mountains. The whole village is surrounded by forests, and most of the area is farmland. It’s like the picturesque countryside that anyone would imagine upon hearing the word ‘countryside’.

Although it might sound boring to put it that way, when I watch Aya enthusiastically guide me, it somehow seems like a wonderful and exciting place.

“Oh, we’re almost there. That house with the reddish roof is Grandpa’s.”

“It’s big.”

Getting out of the car, the house seems even larger.

It’s like they’ve renovated a traditional Japanese house, and it’s about three times the size of a regular house. And in the spacious yard that’s probably as big as an elementary school’s playground, there’s a vegetable garden and storage sheds lined up. There’s enough space left over for a game of catch.

“Grandpa lives here all alone.”

“Is that so?”

Following Aya’s slightly lonely figure, I pass through the half-open sliding door. The entrance space, which you might call a dirt floor area, is big enough to fit a car.

“I apologize for barging in.”

“Oh, Boyan, welcome.”

From the kitchen that’s connected to the dirt floor area, Aya’s mother comes out.

“Sorry for dropping in so suddenly.”

“Hehe, I was surprised, but it’s fine as long as it’s you, Boyan.”

My mysterious sense of trust still seems to be intact.

“And this child was making a fuss earlier, saying she really wanted Boyan to come.”

Aya’s mother turns her cheerful face toward Aya.

“I wasn’t making a fuss.”

“Are you sure about that?”

Aya lets out a sigh at her mother’s cheerful behavior. Her mother is still as bright as ever.

“Well, come on in, Boyan. The feast will begin soon.”

“Feast?”

Stepping inside after taking off my shoes, I find a large tatami-floored room with three low tables lined up vertically. Several dishes are already placed on them.

“Although Grandpa is still in the hospital, they’re holding a celebration in advance and all the relatives are gathering.”

“That’s quite something.”

“Our relatives are all energetic… Well, come this way.”

Guided by Aya, I cross the large room and find a six-tatami mat room divided by sliding doors.

“This will be your room, Boyan. Oh, just leave your stuff there.”

“And what about you, Aya?”

“We’ll be on the second floor.”

“I see.”

“Hehe, since you’ll be the only one downstairs in the middle of the night, be careful not to wet the bed because you can’t hold it.”

Aya teases me with a smile.

Whether it’s because it’s her own home or because she enjoys showing me around her home, she seems more excited than usual.

I remember back when we were in elementary school, and I stayed over at Aya’s house for the first time. Even then, she was proudly showing me around her house.

“Hey, Boyan.”

“Hmm?”

“Let’s go greet Grandma together.”

“Oh, right.”

Aya looks at the other tatami room, where an impressive Buddhist altar is placed. In the photo, a graceful middle-aged woman is smiling.

In the room filled with the calming scent of incense, we sit side by side. As we put our hands together in front of the altar, I greet her in my heart, saying, “I’ll be in your care for a while.”

“…You know, my Grandma passed away when I was little.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, Grandpa has been alone since then.”

“I see.”

“Even now… Grandpa often talks about Grandma with a fond smile.”

“Indeed, she was a beautiful person.”

“You think so?”

Aya smiles happily, as if it’s about herself.

“Yeah, her eyes resemble yours.”

“Y-You think so…?”

When it comes to herself, it’s amusing how she still get embarrassed like this.

Suddenly, I sensed a car stopping outside the house.

The sound of a car door closing came and Aya stood up.

“Oh, Haru-kun might be back.”

“Haru-kun…”

“Yeah, it’s your first time meeting, right? He’s my cousin.”

Returning to the large room with Aya, we looked out the window. I locked eyes with a man walking through the spacious yard.

“Welcome back, Haru-kun. Need help?”

“Nah, I’m good.”

This guy, carrying beer cans in both hands wrapped in a plastic bag, can be summed up as handsome.

Like Aya, he has wavy chestnut hair that reaches his shoulders. With balanced facial features, he wears stylish yet dignified glasses.

At first glance, he might seem laid-back, but his clothing and demeanor are somehow put together, giving off an air of sincerity.

Aya opened the window to the large room and Haru-kun placed his bags on the veranda.

“Hey there, Boyan-kun, right? I heard about you from Aya-chan. Feel free to relax… not that this is my house or anything.”

“Thank you.”

I gave a slight bow, and a smile formed in the curvature behind his glasses.

Up close, he’s quite muscular. His height… maybe a bit shorter than me?

“Aya-chan, is your aunt here?”

“She is. Should I call her?”

“Yeah, please. I need her to see this stuff she asked for.”

“Sure thing.”

As Aya went to the kitchen, Haru-kun gazed after her, his expression gentle. His gaze seems to hold something more than what one would give to a cousin.

“Um, Boyan-kun, are you Aya-chan’s boyfriend?”

“Yes, I’m her boyfriend.”

“I see, I see. You’re taking care of her then. Aya-chan, is she having a good time at school?”

“Yes, she always seems to enjoy it.”

“That’s good. Aya-chan may seem tough, but she’s actually quite delicate.”

“True.”

“Well then, let’s get along well from now on… is that okay?”

Haru-kun extended his hand for a handshake and I accepted.

“Yes, I’d like that.”

He’s got a firm grip, likely from engaging in sports.

“…Yeah, Boyan-kun, you’re a good one. You’re pretty composed.”

“Is that so?”

“It is. Most people would feel a bit nervous in a situation like this.”

Somehow, I sense that Haru-kun is cautioning me.

In a normal situation, the appearance of a handsome cousin who seems to have some interest in Aya would make me more cautious or anxious.

But all I have is a rather superficial impression, like ‘Aya’s relatives seem to have good looks’.

Because my intuition hasn’t issued any warnings.

Haru-kun won’t make Aya unhappy or hinder our future together.

I have that conviction.

“Good to know.”

“Hmm? Oh yeah… I’m pretty easy to talk to, don’t you think? Most people would be nervous.”

It seems Haru-kun thinks his friendly nature is easing my tension.

He’s got a somewhat defiant smile. I respond with a smile as well.

“Yeah, it’s good that you seem kind.”

Honestly, I was a bit anxious until we met.

But meeting him and gaining confidence that everything is alright feels really good.

So, I want to get along well as relatives and continue to be close.

“Hehe, now, Boyan-kun, would you help me out too? There’s still a lot of stuff in the car.”

I sense his desire for me to see the car up close. Indeed, the large, black sports car looks stylish and cool. Probably an SUV, and it looks quite expensive.

“Yes, the car is impressive.”

I replied genuinely and put on the sandals by the veranda, heading towards the car.