After enjoying the large bath for about an hour and putting on yukatas, Sudou and I each took a bottle of free mineral water from the refrigerated case in the changing room and poured it down our throats with our hands on our hips.
The cool water is sending shivers through my warmed up body.
"Alright, I'm ready to do this, Ayanokouji."
"It's about time, right?"
Because of the long bath, his face is a bit red.
Or maybe it's because he's nervous, imagining what's coming.
It's time to formally tell Horikita how he feels. Sudou drank up about half of the remaining water all at once.
"Puh! Time to go, then!"
As if going to a basketball match after this, he slapped his cheeks and fired himself up.
"So? What exactly are you going to do?" The time is just past 9:30 pm.
I don't think she's sleeping yet, but I'm sure many students are currently spending time in their rooms with their friends.
I don't see her having fun or making noise, but I wouldn't be surprised if Horikita is keeping a warm eye on the others.
"In the meantime, that's right... I'll call her on my phone."
Holding his cell phone, he walked through the curtain, and exited the men's bath... then, he immediately started the phone call.
"...oh, right, it's me. Where are you now?"
The call was quickly answered, so he hurriedly asked so.
"In the lobby? Okay, just wait there for a second. Um, I'll be right there, so."
Sudou, who hung up the call, had roughly breathed and looked at me as he walked out. "There's a corner in the lobby of the ryokan selling small souvenirs, right? She seems to be there."
"Don't confess right away, okay? There will be a lot of eyes in the lobby. Horikita will be troubled, too."
"I-I know."
Confession is a major event that must take into account not only the confessing side, but also the side being confessed to.
"But where should I confess..?"
"The corridor leading to the backyard, no one's coming there at this hour, right?"
There is a little wooden deck where you can enjoy the view from the backyard up the stairs leading to the elevated terrace.
However, we can't go out to the backyard after 9pm, so it shouldn't be crowded any more.
"Thanks, Ayanokouji, you're a good friend to have." He gave me a thumbs up, saying "nice", and laughed.
It was a very nervous smile, though.
When Sudou arrived at the lobby in a restless manner, it seemed that Horikita had stopped to see the souvenirs and waited nearby.
Meanwhile, I stopped at a blind spot at a distance. In the lobby, one employee and several students seem to be looking at souvenirs and sitting in a chair and laughing, and it is again clear that it is not a suitable place for confessions.
Somehow, after making a few gestures, Sudou seemed to have succeeded in summoning her to the corridor leading to the backyard, and the two of them headed there side by side.
Normally, it would be best to stop going after them here, but it would be annoying if Sudou got mad at me. Making my footsteps as quiet as possible, I followed them in order to see his "impressive appearance".
[TL Note 24 : I put "impressive appearance" in quotes because it's a very exaggerated expression so I think he might say it sarcastically, which the quotes will imply it to be.]
Shortly thereafter, the signs of other people disappeared as expected, and they stopped in the middle of the empty hallway.
"What's the matter?"
Horikita looked back, wondering.
I wonder if she bathed in the same way as we were just a while ago. Her hair glowed glossy enough to be seen in the dim lighting.
"It's okay here."
Sudou, whose imposing demeanor is his main selling point, is perhaps too nervous to speak loudly in front of the girl he likes.
At night, ryokan only have modest and gentle BGM and quiet talking voices, so he wants to avoid unexpected loud noises, even if there is no one around.
It's just about right.
"I am... I..."
Horikita leaned with curiosity at Sudou's hesitant attitude.
I don't see any particularly irritating or hasty attitudes at the moment.
Perhaps, this is also an indication of the relationship of trust that Horikita and Sudou have built up.
When we first met, Horikita would have rushed him to tell him what's on his mind.
Then, my phone vibrated. Even though it's in silent mode, it may still be heard in this silence.
[TL Note 25 : マナーモード, literally "Manner Mode", means silent mode.] Therefore, I immediately powered it off without even looking at the screen.
It doesn't seem like I was noticed. I'm safe, for now.
"Hey, Suzune. Am I...unusual?"
I thought he was going to make the confession right away, but Sudou asked that, as if trying to squeeze it out.
"I wonder how different I am from when I met you..."
"Are you still worried about the people around?"
"There is that, too."
He's talking while trying to build up the courage to confess to her.
At the same time, Sudou himself seems to have been aware of this.
"Right. Looking at it objectively, you've changed more than any one. Not in a bad way, but in a good way. I've been watching from the side for a long time, so I can be the one to guarantee that."
Those are Horikita's true feelings. No, not just Horikita's; I'm sure most people living in the school hold the same opinion.
"I, I see."
"But, don't be too proud. If I am to speak without hesitation, compared to your surroundings, you started out as a minus in the first place. Just because you gained a plus after that, don't think that you've become a better person than other people."
One's surroundings are misled and give high praise after the recoil from being a minus.
However, as Horikita said, the accumulated negative is not gone.
"That's right. No, you're definitely right."
Sudou was in low spirits after the harsh words, but he accepted them and firmly nodded.
"It's so embarrassing. All the stupid things that I've done."
Lateness, absences, written test results that were at the bottom of the class, verbal abuse and careless violence.
No matter how many times he looks back, the past will not change, and he will always be ashamed of the path he has taken.
"You seem to have a very humble heart, huh?"
Nodding, Horikita gently narrowed her eyes and smiled. I don't think she realizes this herself, but Horikita has also changed a lot. The magnitude of this change is not as great as Sudou's, of course.
"You don't hurt or embarrass others for no reason any more. It's okay."
Apparently, Horikita interpreted this as Sudou being unsure about his own growth and past, and asking her for advice.
I guess this was passed on to Sudou, who shook his head in a hurry.
"No, that ain't it, Suzune."
"No?"
"I...I...umm..."
As if recalling what he had declared to me, Sudou put out his right hand.
But the words didn't follow the motion, and only the stretched out hand kept in front of her.
"What? What's going o-"
Horikita, who couldn't understand, tried to question the meaning of his right hand. Then...
"I like you! Please date me!"
He was able to free himself from the embarrassment of suppressing his words, and was able to clearly say so.
He was too loud, but... all he can do now is to ignore that. In case anyone heard him, I can just stay here and protect him.
"Huh..?"
Horikita, who did not think even a little bit that she would be confessed to, is frozen in bewilderment.
"If you're going to date me, I want you to hold my right hand back!"
"Wait a bit... are, are you serious..?"
It was Horikita who was about to ask back, but she quickly retracted her words.
'This is some kind of joke, right?' She knew it was rude to say such a thing, as she could tell that Sudou's passion, motivation, and feelings were true.
Horikita closed her lips while staring at Sudou's right hand.
I expected an immediate response, but Horikita looked at his right hand and fell silent.
After that confession, the longer the silence continues, the more Sudou's heart rate will rise.
I'm sure it will be a painful time, not a pleasant one.
But, Horikita also deserves to be given some time to think. A confession does not consist of only one side's thoughts.
"Um..."
Eventually, things were sorted out in Horikita's mind, and she spoke slowly as if she had chosen a word to say.
"I've never thought I'd get a confession from someone."
Receiving Sudou's passionate feelings, how will Horikita respond?
Will she accept, or refuse?
Or will she defer it for later?
As the silence dragged on, Sudou's right arm began to tremble little by little.
Not because of his arm getting numb, but because of nerves and fear.
The frustration of not getting a response, whether it will be accepted or not.
Still believing that the hand he offered would be gripped back, Sudou kept his head down.
"Sudou-kun. Thank you for liking someone like me."
She expressed her gratitude. However, Horikita did not show a movement of gripping his right hand back.
"But, I'm sorry. I... I cannot answer your feelings."
That was the conclusion that Horikita came up with.
"Oh, I see... if it's okay... could you tell me the reason?"
Not able to raise his face, Sudou said so while keeping his right hand stiff.
"The reason... yes. It's not that I am dissatisfied with you or anything-" She started speaking, then stopped.
"To be honest, I've never been in love with anyone before. I still don't have that feeling, and I don't know what it's like. If I go out with you, after you told me that you like me, it's possible that I will like you with time, that's what I thought. But... I think I'm waiting for the moment when I might fall in love with someone out of instinct, without planning for it." As if confirming her own feelings, Horikita said so to Sudou.
That is the reason for the refusal.
She wishes to keep waiting for her first love.
I'm sure it's a hidden sentiment that no one else has to hear about.
"I see... thanks. Thanks for telling me that."
Perhaps because he was so firmly informed, Sudou did not persist.
"Your courage and feelings. You've firmly conveyed them."
Saying so, Horikita hurriedly grabbed his right hand, which was almost losing its strength.
"I have truly received your feelings. Thank you for liking someone like me."
Sudou's trembling right hand tells the whole story.
Thinking that it was about time, I decided to turn back.
In order to wait for them to come back after calming down, I'll look around in the souvenir corner.