Day 100

＃　＃　＃

December 25th. Christmas. Holy night. Nativity festival. Holy Birth. Noel.

It doesn’t matter how you say it, but it’s a big event day of the year.

Normally, I will stay in my warm house and play with my tablet, or play some video games.

Unfortunately, I have plans this year.

I’ll meet up with Kouhai-chan.

100 days ago, strictly 103 days ago, Kouhai-chan talked to me for the first time. At that time, I didn’t think I would be deeply involved with her.

First of all, it was based on the premise of “no love”.

We meet every day, talk silly things, and do “today’s question”. When I noticed it, the second semester was over and it is now Christmas.

I will have a conversation with her at our usual position on the train and chat with her on LINE at night.

Until I met her, I only had few opportunities to talk with girls, or even talk with other people this much. Now, Kouhai-chan has already become something common in my life.

There was no day when I didn’t get involved with her at all for the last 100 days, huh?

Saying that I am closer to her even if compared with Twitter is too much, but maybe she already beat the web novel sites. According to frequency, okay.

I changed my clothes while thinking about those things and finished preparing myself to go out.

… By the way, where and when will we meet today?

Now that I think of it, Kouhai-chan only said that we will meet in the morning, and we hadn’t decided on the details at all.

Well, there is a smartphone, and we should be able to manage somehow.

I’ve changed my clothes, and I am ready to go out. I don’t want to laze at home now.

「I’m going now.」

「Oh my, it’s today, eh? I thought you will go out tomorrow.」

When I left my room and told my mother in the living room, she replied back as if making fun of me.

「What?」

「It’s okay if you miss the last train home today.」

「What for?」

Her agitating wording makes me feel strange.

「Ah, but be careful with what you have to be careful about. I won’t be able to take care of your baby, okay?」

「No, that…」

「Well, have a safe trip.」

My mother informed me one-sidedly and closed the door in front of me. From the other side, I can hear the sound of her washing the dishes we used for breakfast.

Seriously… Kouhai-chan and I don’t have that kind of relationship. It’s… not like we are going to do that anyway.

As I wear my clothes while shaking my head and I’m about to open the front gate, there is someone standing there.

Nn?

「Fuu… Haa…」

She closed her eyes, stretched her hands, and took a deep breath.

Just how concentrated was she that she didn’t notice the sound of the door opening?

Right. Kouhai-chan was standing in front of my intercom.

「Good morning.」

Once I called out to her, Kouhai-chan’s body jumped.

「Senpai?!」

＊　＊　＊

December 12th.

I was glad that senpai had promised to have a date with me today.

Yesterday morning, our LINE message harmonized so brilliantly that I didn’t bother asking him,「When will we meet?」

After thinking about it, I decided that I would be able to meet with senpai immediately if I came to his house early in the morning. Senpai was a sleepyhead after all.

And on Christmas day, I got up as usual, dressed up, and arrived at senpai’s place. Of course, I had informed his mother about this.

Even so.

Even so, when I tried to ring the doorbell of his house, I was so nervous. My heart was pounding so hard.

To calm myself, I took a deep breath.

Why did I feel this nervous? Really…

「Good morning.」

At that time, I was surprised that the person I was thinking about called out from next to me.

「Senpai!?」

「You look like a pigeon who’s been shot by a peashooter.」

「Did you ever shoot a pigeon with peashooter?」

「I don’t even have peashooter.」

「What is it called again? AK?」

「That’s real gun. The pigeon will pop off, so let’s stop this.」

Fufufu.

Somehow, I had calmed down a little bit.

「That’s really unsettling, eh.」

「No, it’s you…」

＃　＃　＃

We started to walk to the nearest station we always used.

「It’s Christmas, senpai.」

「Yeah.」

Kouhai-chan probably took a deep breath to ease her nervousness just now. Needless to say, I woke up early today because I was also nervous.

When she started talking about Christmas, I couldn’t immediately find any words to reply to her.

「It’s ‘silent night’, right?」

「Yes.」

「It also mean that someone named ‘night’ is a silent guy, right?」

「Ah, you’re right.」

「See?」

Look, the conversation stopped again.

Did we become conversation beginners? What happened to our hundred days training?

After that, we tried to keep talking, but our conversations kept stopping repeatedly. After a while, we arrived at the station.

＊　＊　＊

Really. Senpai and I were both no good. I didn’t know what happened to us, though.

It couldn’t be helped then.

「Senpai.」

I stopped right before the entrance of the station building.

「What is it?」

Next to me was a vending machine.

Right. When I first talked to senpai, he bought me a can of juice.

「Please buy me a can of juice.」

「Eh? Why?」

「Rather than to take a rest, we need to start over.」

「Well, it’s not like I don’t get what you mean. But go buy it on your own.」

Muu…

Normally, I’ll buy it on my own too. It’s onlynot like I’m always asking him to buy me things.

He could at least buy me a can of juice at this vending machine, right? No way, he didn’t forget about our first meeting, right?

「I came to pick senpai up today. So treat me.」

「It’s not like I asked you to do that…」

Senpai whispered, but he took out his wallet. Ehehe.

「Can I order whatever I want?」

「Ah. It’s cold, so I want warm milk tea.」

「You’re really carefree…」

It can’t be helped. The weather is cold.

「Here.」

Since I wanted to start over, I told him to buy me a drink to turn the switch over. Now that I noticed it, we returned to our usual atmosphere.

How could I say this? It’s not like those ‘I really really really really like you’ feeling, but more like the usual teasing feeling.

Before I knew, I started to really like this atmosphere.

「Thank you very much.」

I shook the warm plastic bottle and opened it, then drank a gulp of the milk tea.

「Do you want to drink, senpai?」

I pointed the opened bottle towards senpai.

「Then I’ll have a sip.」

「Eh?」

In the midst of my shock, senpai took away the plastic bottle from my loose grip.

Then he had a gulp.

「It’s sweet.」

Senpai said, his ears bright red.

He did this two days ago as well, didn’t he?

「Uh…」

「You asked me to drink it, so why are you getting embarrassed?」

「You’re noisy, senpai. Shut up.」

「Yes, yes.」

I was supposed to tease senpai. Why did it become like this?

＃　＃　＃

I did something that embarrassed me so much, but Kouhai-chan was even more embarrassed than I was, so this should be my win.

The awkward atmosphere also returned to normal somehow.

It took a while for both of us to recover, but we got on the usual train to the school from the usual station, just like how we always did. The time was different than usual, but it was just small details.

We stood in the usual place as usual. The seats were empty, but I couldn’t calm down if we didn’t stand like this.

Kouhai-chan stood next to the door, leaning at the edge of the seat. I grabbed the handrail next to me. After all, this was a perfect position.

「I never thought I would go to school during the winter break. Not to say, I’m going with senpai.」

「Yeah.」

It was truly unexpected.

「Well, let’s leave that aside. Kouhai-chan.」

「Yes.」

I looked straight at Kouhai-chan and started talking.

「I have something to say, and also my today’s question.」

「Sure.」

「I think you already know, but I, towards Kouhai-chan… no, towards Komeyama Maharu-san, I…」

This is embarrassing.

I felt like my heart was pounding hard in my chest.

「I love you, in the romantic sense.」

「Yes.」

There was no surprise on Kouhai-chan’s face. After changing the school rules, it would be too strange if she didn’t notice my feelings, though.

「Regarding that, I have a question. Kouhai-chan, what do you think of me, in a romantic sense?」

「Isn’t that clear already?」

Kouhai-chan smiled and said this.

「I love you.」

Happiness overflowed from my chest.

＊　＊　＊

In the usual place, the train where people were scarce in the daytime.

The confession wasn’t romantic at all, but I was so happy that I couldn’t compare it to all of the confessions I had received until now.

Now then, it’s my turn.

「Senpai.」

Not good. Just by calling him, I felt like grinning.

「Iguchi Keita-senpai. I also have a question for today.」

「Yeah.」

「Senpai, will you go out with me?」

Senpai was trying to suppress his grin as well, but he failed. He nodded vigorously.

「It would be my pleasure.」

Um.

I wonder if it’s okay for us to be this happy on a train?

I felt so shy that I took a step closer to senpai in front of me.

「Nn?」

Just like that, I stretched my back a little and hugged senpai. Ehe.

His body was larger than mine and a bit stiff, even over the coat. It reminded me that he was a boy after all.

「I really love you, senpai.」

「I really love you too.」

Every time I said “love”, mysterious happiness swelled out from my body.

Actually, I really wanted to do this more. But we were on the train, so we couldn’t be that lovey-dovey here.

「We’ll do more than this in a quieter place.」

I whispered so in senpai’s ears before releasing him.

「You…」

「Why do you look surprised?」

「It’s because Kouhai-chan is saying something weird.」

「I think I said something that is common sense, though?」

I didn’t tell him what we were going to do after this.

「Well, you’re right…」

「Ah, but we can hold hands, right? Senpai.」

「Eh?」

「Come on, give me your hand.」

I pulled senpai’s left hand, and entangled his fingers with my right hand.

We gripped each other’s hand tightly. When I turned towards senpai next to me, our eyes met. I reflexively smiled. Ehehe.

From now on, please take care of me forever, senpai.

The things I know about my senpai – 100

He likes me. I like him too.