After pushing Marin off his lap and taking out his phone from his pocket, Takashi saw that the call was from Eriri.
This surprised him a lot.
He thought she would never contact him again.
"Who is it?"
Marin noticed Takashi pausing in surprise and curiously leaned over.
"Get away."
Takashi pushed her head to the side, then stood up and walked toward a secluded corner to answer the call.
"Who's calling, acting all mysterious?"
Marin muttered discontentedly.
Ootani Shota fanned himself with his hand. "Probably Kamikawa Narii?"
"Must be another check-up call," Tanaka Kota teased.
Hearing the two of them, Marin frowned slightly, then turned to look at Ootani Shota and Tanaka Kota.
"Ootani-kun, Tanaka-kun, who's this Kamikawa Narii you're talking about?"
Finding a quiet, unnoticed corner, Takashi adjusted his voice slightly. He thought back to every painful mory from his past life before slowly speaking, "Hello?"
His voice carried a heavy sadness, mixed with a slight hoarseness if one listened carefully.
"Takashi."
Takashi had intended to sound sorrowful to stir up Eriri's sympathy and maybe squeeze a few more gold coins out of her.
But the mont Eriri spoke, her painful, exhausted voice instantly killed that thought.
"Where are you?"
…
"Where are you?"
Just those three simple words made a faint smile appear on Eriri's lips.
In that instant, even the pain stabbing her stomach like a thousand needles seed to ease a little.
"Takashi, are you worried about ?"
To Eriri, she hadn't even said anything yet, and Watanabe Takashi had already sensed sothing wrong.
What did that an?
It ant that Watanabe Takashi still cared about her.
That he liked her.
"I'm just used to it at this point."
Takashi really wanted to reply that way.
It had nothing to do with feelings—just pure muscle mory from being a simp for so long.
Surely everyone here could understand that feeling.
Besides, after she threw so many gold coins at him, wasn't it only right to show a little concern for the benefactor?
When you deposit money in a bank, even they send a holiday greeting.
So worrying about his benefactor's health was perfectly reasonable, right?
"Where are you? What happened?"
Takashi asked again.
He hadn't seen Eriri's booth at the convention after it had been taken down, so he had no idea where she had gone.
"I'm at, ah—"
Eriri had only managed two words when a sharp, intense pain suddenly gripped her stomach, as if an invisible hand was squeezing it hard.
She crouched on the ground, gasping for air.
After a long while, once the pain slightly subsided, Eriri, pale-faced and panting heavily, managed to say,
"Huff... huff... I-I'm at Ikebukuro Station, right outside the concert hall near the convention."
After waiting for a mont without hearing any response, Eriri instinctively called out, "Takashi?"
Still no reply.
Puzzled, she looked at her phone, only to realize that the screen had already gone black at so point.
Staring at the darkened screen, a wave of loneliness engulfed her, making her hands and feet ice-cold, draining away the last bit of warmth she had left.
…
"That idiot definitely didn't charge her phone last night."
Takashi listened to the "the number you have dialed is powered off" ssage and rubbed his temples in frustration, instantly guessing the reason.
He knew Eriri too well.
Unless a low-battery warning popped up, she would never think to charge her phone.
Almost every night before bed, Takashi would remind her—charge it, charge it.
Even after so long, she still hadn't ford the habit.
He missed one night of reminding her, and she already forgot.
"If your phone's almost dead, say the important stuff first, damn it!"
Takashi was genuinely pissed.
He didn't even know if Eriri was still at the venue, much less her exact location. How the hell was he supposed to find her?
"Takashi, is sothing wrong?"
"Need help?"
Seeing Takashi return with a serious expression, Ootani Shota and Tanaka Kota quickly asked.
"My friend's sick. I'm going to the hospital to check on her. That's it for today."
Since he didn't know exactly what condition Eriri was in, he didn't dare waste any ti.
"I'll send you the photos once I finish editing them."
"Oh, right. Tanaka, Ootani, could you guys return the borrowed equipnt for ? Also, tell the senpai I'm sorry I can't join him for dinner tonight."
As he spoke, Takashi packed up his backpack.
"Got it."
"Leave it to us. You go ahead."
Takashi patted the two on their shoulders. "Thanks. I'll treat you to a al next ti."
With that, he left without looking back.
"Takashi..."
Marin instinctively called out.
But Takashi never turned around, just like when he had returned earlier, never once sparing her a glance.
'Is that Kamikawa Narii really that important to you?'
Standing in place, Marin watched Takashi's decisive departure, feeling a bit upset.
Marin was staring at Takashi, while Wakana was watching Marin.
Seeing this scene—'She looks at him, he looks at her'—Tanaka Kota could already sll the scent of an upcoming White Album-style love triangle.
…
The evening sun slowly sank below the horizon, and white birds lazily circled in the distance.
Crouched on the ground, Eriri stared blankly at the setting sun disappearing, the lonely feeling in her heart fading like the red clouds vanishing into the darkness.
At the entrance of the concert hall, there was already no one in sight.
The cold night wind blowing from the sea stirred Eriri's fine, golden hair like scattered sand, lightly lifting her skirt and slipping into her collar and sleeves.
Eriri shrank her neck and hugged herself even tighter.
She didn't care about her skirt being lifted.
Like a lost child waiting obediently in place for her parents to find her, her sapphire-like beautiful eyes stared firmly ahead, waiting for Watanabe Takashi to co and get her.
Just like in fairy tales where the one who protects the princess must be the knight, Watanabe Takashi would surely find her, even though she hadn't told him exactly where she was.
The wind swept by, stirring the fallen leaves with a rustling sound.
In Eriri's joyful gaze, a black-haired boy wearing glasses appeared in her line of sight, panting heavily.
The evening breeze lifted the hair on his forehead.
Step by step, the boy walked up to her. His expression was awful, probably wanting to scold her, but in the end, what he said carried a helpless tenderness.
"Don't make worry!"
Then, the boy reached out his hand.
The mont he reached out, the surrounding streetlights seed to light up all at once as if by prior agreent.
"I'm here to take you ho. Let's go."
Eriri's nose turned sour, and the flood of emotions she had been holding back since yesterday finally burst forth at that mont.
"Takashi..."
Eriri threw herself—no, it would be more accurate to say she crashed into Watanabe Takashi's arms.
"I thought you didn't want anymore."
Takashi looked down at the crying blonde girl in his arms, his feelings heavy and complicated.
At this mont, she wasn't seeing him as a stand-in for Aki Tomoya.
It was clear that Aki Tomoya had beco his stand-in instead.
Everything was completely upside down.
___
20 Advanced Chapters available on p@ tr eon (.) com/HalflingFics
Also, please point out my mistakes in the comnt, thank you!
Don't forget to leave a review too~
Check out the other translations too
___
Reviews
All reviews (0)