Toradora! (Español):Volumen2 Capitulo6
Capítulo 6
"La capitán con el brazo que da miedo, Kushieda Minori!"
"¡De veras! La 'Bala Vuelta' que dominó la región Kantou no es solo para verse!"
"El buen cocinero con la cara malosa, Takasu Ryuuji!"
"S, si... Solo puedo quedar hasta las cinco, hay una oferta de tiempo limitado de pollo hoy."
"La que tiene el nombre mas fuerte está para ayudar, Aisaka Taiga!"
"..."
"---Y al fin soy yo, Kitamura Yuusaku! Todos presentes y contados!"
Volteando y indicando con su dedo, el Kitamura contaba cada uno y entonces se cerró el puñete. Aun el Kitamura, normalmente ocupado, estaba tomando un descanso de sus actividades de clubes hoy, y parecía que había conseguido permiso especial para dejar al lado sus deberes del consejo de estudiantes.
Estaba las cuatro de la tarde, y no quedaban otros estudiantes en la aula. El puesto del sol iluminaba a tres personas sentadas alrededor del Kitamura como si fueron sus servientes, y la Ami, quien estaba parada un poco aparte de él.
"Ahora pues", el Kitamura se puso un aspecto como de jefe de la mesa directiva al comenzar de hablar en su voz penetrante.
"Comenzando de una vez, vamos a implementar la estratégia que hicimos ayer. Entonces, la Kushieda, la Aisaka y yo estaremos a cargo de fotografiar al acosador. Estaremos usando una cámara digital, y por si acaso, estaremos tomando fotos con nuestros celulares también. Por si acaso, el Takasu quedará al lado de la Ami."
Levantando su mano, el Ryuuji pidió el permiso del Kitamura antes de hablar.
"...No sería mejor si tu y yo fuéramos a tomar las fotos mientras las dos chicas le siguiera a la Kawashima?"
Aparte de la Taiga, él sintía que la manera que todo estaba planeado era demasiado peligrosa para la Minori. Sin embargo, el Kitamura simplemente rechazó la sugerencia del Ryuuji.
"No realmente, porque si algo fuera a pasar y fuéramos esparcidos mientras estamos tomando fotos, entonces sería bien mal simplemente dejar a la chicas a solas. Si seamos descubiertos mientras estamos haciendo este tipo de cosa, es posible que las cosas se harán fuera de control. En el evento no muy probable que algo sí pasa, serás capáz de protegerle a la Ami con tu aspecto feroz."
"Entiendo mas o menos, pero... yo seriamente no tengo confianza cuando llega a pelear."
Mirando a sus puñetes, que nunca habían sido dirigidos contra ninguna persona en toda su vida, el Ryuuji hacía soniditos un poco de pobrecito. Pero, la Ami se mudó al lado de él y envolvió uno de sus brazos con las dos manos suyas.
"Saldrá bien! Si sea Takasu-kun, de veras siento que puedo confiar en ti! Porque creo que definitivamente me protegerás!"
“Um…Ah…Eh?!”
Sorprendido por su acercamento repentino, el Ryuuji ni podía hablar. Él no estaba seguro de cómo debería de escaparse. Tratando de jalar su brazo así atrapado suavemente, y moviéndose incómodamente ya sentía suficiente de indecente que salió con la cara enrojecida. Hacía parecer la mirada pentrante de la Taiga práctivamente cómodo en comparasión.
"Ya pues. Entonces comenzamos. No tenemos ninguna idea de dónde estarás espiado, entonces una vez que pasemos donde se guardan los zapatos, el Takasu y la Ami saldrán primeros. Entonces tomaremos la ruta que planificamos ayer, y mantendremos contacto por cellular."
Al mandato del Kitamura, salieron de la aula uno tras otro y comenzaron caminando por el pasadizo. Entonces,
"...Tu, justo ¿qué es eso?"
Ryuuji salió notando algo extraño por el cuello del vestido de la Taiga mientras ella caminaba delante de él.
"Solo estoy llevándolo como precaución... Me trae memorias, llevando esta cosa conmigo."
Mientras los labios de la Taiga se pusieron chuecos, apenas una vista de algo que parecía como un palo de madera se veía por aberturas en su cabello. Pensando, '¿Qué en el mundo será?', él trataba de jalarlo un poquito para verlo mejor.
"...Si comienzes de mostrar esa cosa, entonces llegará a ser un problema."
"Entiendo. Por eso dije que era una precaución."
Con cuidado metió la manija de la espada de madera que había visto por accidente de nuevo por debajo del cuello de su chaqueta. Ahh, las memorias... esa noche en la primavera, cuando casí se murió por ello... Si miraba bien cuidadosamente, se podía ver que de veras había algo por su espalda excepcionalmente derecha. Pero no era tan visible porque su espalda estaba tapada por su cabello largo.
"...Mas bien, Ryuuji..."
Extrañamente, la Taiga bajó su voz y estaba mirándole con sus ojos grandes. Ella estaba todavía manteniendo esa espada de madera escondida tras su espalda.
“Hm?”
"De veras eres un perro pervertido sin esperanzas, ¿no?... Justo ahorita, haciendo esa cara, enfermo del amor... Eres tan infiel, estoy avergonzada de ser tu dueño, seriamente."
"Qu... ¿De qué estás hablando...?"
Aunque él le preguntaba de qué estaba hablando, él estaba porsupuesto bien conciente de qué quería decir. La Taiga simplemente dejaba un suspiro largo a la cara del Ryuuji.
"Estás poniéndote bien amistoso con la Kawáshima Ami... Bien, ¿no está bien eso? Estás abandonando rápidamente a la Minorin y pegándote a una chica simpática quien te trata bien. Eres ese tipo de chico, ¿no? Tomaré eso en cuenta."
"Eso, tu... malentiendes algo."
"No sé en cuanto a eso. Bueno, es tu vida. No me voy a preocuparme con tus concupicencias."
"...Justo ¿qué demonios estás diciendo?"
Dejando escapar un sonido de molestia, por fin dió una sonrisa malosa. Volteó, llena de desprecio, antes que por fin salió a buen paso para dejar al Ryuuji detrás, y, con su cabello largo como una neblina moviendo detrás de ella, ella se movió para pegarse bien a la Minori, quien estaba caminando un poco adelante.
"Oye, si no es la Taiga-chan. Estás bien simpática hoy también."
Mientras la Taiga estaba prácticamente ronroneando y acercándose a ella, la Minori estaba tocando el punto de la espada de madera, la cual estaba apenas escondida por el borde de la falda de la Taiga, de un modo que parecía como si estuviera tocándo el trasero de la Taiga.
"Estás llevando algo bien duro, ¿no?"
"No se puede estar demasiado preparada."
...El Ryuuji miraba sin darse cuenta, no... mas bien, estaba ofendido. Aunque la Taiga siempre estaba llamándole el perro pervertido, ¿no eran ellas que eran mucho mas pervertidas?
Además, la Taiga estaba bastante cruel con sus comentarios, aun para ella. ¿Qué había hecho para merecerlo? Y entonces se había largardo antes que tuviera la oportunidad para responder---
"Takasu-kun, ¿está algo mal?"
"Ah... No, no es nada."
Antes que lo supiera, la Ami había aparecido al lado de él con su cara sonriente, y estaba haciéndole nervioso. Mientras estaban caminando lado a lado cercanos suficiente que sus hombros podían tocar, su enojo estaba lentamente apartándose de él. Mas bien, él estaba comenzando a sentirse extrañamente inpaciente.
De todos modos, la chica con el nombre Kawáshima Ami repentinamente estaba demasiado cercana a él--- recitando la razón por lo cual su cara calentaba, el Ryuuji se levantó la vista de la Ami mientras se torció sus labios a la forma de un 'V' de cabeza.
Mientras estaban caminando tranquilamente por el vecindario inmediato,
"Entonces, les pedí que me dejaran probar la de rosada. Pero los empleados de la tienda, sabes, dijeron que la blanca definitivamente quedaría mejor para la Ami-chan, que solo blanco haría bien, entonces me exigieron llevar la tejida. Y entonces estuve, como, blanco de veras ¿estará bien? Eso es lo que comenzaba a sentir, pero entonces pensé en la tejida que había comprado el otro día, que quizás era blanca, mm, bueno, en realidad parecía mas como plomo claro que blanco... ¿Podría haber sido color base? ¿Quizás era base?"
La Ami simplemente seguía y seguía con su cuenta de hacer compras mientras sonreía grandemente. Eso era probablemente su parecer de "cabeza de aire".
"Takasu-kun, ¿estás escuchando?"
"...Si."
"La blanca o la rosada, ¿cuál escogería el Takasu-kun?"
"...Bueno, para mi llevar rosada sería..."
"Eso no lo es! Estuve hablando para mi!"
"¿Así?"
Ahahahaha---- hahaha, haha, ha...
Justo entonces, el Ryuuji llegó a entender las intenciones verdaderas del Kitamura. Ese chico quien había esperado que la Taiga llegara a ser amigas con la Ami. No había hada mal con sus lentes al fin.
"Me gusta ir de compras para ropa del estilo occidental."
Quizás estaba tratando de borrar los eventos de ayer de su memoria. Hablando como una chiquilla un poco ingreída, la Ami estaba mostrando su sonrisa angélica. Pero, mas bien que ésta Ami, él pensaba que la Ami verdadera quien estaría tirando miradas malosas a la Taiga era mucho mejor. La Ami que había botado sus zapatos llenos de renacuajos al borde del río mientras tiraba juramentos era mucho mas fácil para entender.
Tratar con la Ami pretenciosa era difícil y daba un poco de miedo, entonces salía él sientiendo que estaba mirando a algo peligroso y difícil para anticipar. Por cuestión de la cara falsa.
Sus pretenciones era algo como hielo delgado--- Habiendo pasado por el hielo al agua, su ser honesto debe de estar ahogando de preocupación, entonces ¿por qué esconderlo? No importa si sea su personalidad buena o mala (bueno, probablemente era mala), pero cuando él consideraba cómo ella estaba tratando de esconder su ser verdadero aun después de que fue expúesto, él salió pensando por qué ella iría tan lejos para hacer algo tan inalcanzable.
"Ah, tu teléfono está sonando."
La uña, como una conchita, del dedo de la Ami estaba puntando a su celular, el cual había estado vibrando en su bolsillo, posiblemente por un buen rato. Él se lo abrió de una vez.
"...Alo?"
"Takasu! ¿Cómo está la situación por allá?"
Él contestó la voz fuerte del Kitamura de modo aburrido.
"Sin cambio. ¿Qué en cuanto a tu lado?"
"Lo encontramos de una vez. Él está caminando para quince metros detrás de Uds. dos. Estamos quedando cerca y siguiéndole."
"Takasu-kun, ¿Es Yuusaku? Cambie, cambie!"
La Ami extendió su mano y se tomó el cellular del Ryuuji.
"Hola~, ¿Es Yuusaku? Si, estoy bien. Takasu-kun está acá, de todos modos! Um, sabes, estoy un poco cansada de caminar... Si, OK... Ah, ¿de veras? Entonces haremos justo eso!"
Decidiendo por si misma terminar la llamada, cerró al cellular.
"Yuusaku, sabes, dijo que entremos alguna tienda. En algún lugar que sirve te, y que nos sentemos en una silla al lado de la ventana."
La Ami hablaba mientras sonreía de felicidad.
"¿Habrá una tienda tal por acá? Lléveme allá, porfavor."
"Un lugar que sirve te como dices... Está cerca, ¿puedes ver ese letrero por allá, mas adelante en la calle?"
Aunque sentía que sería completamente inaguantable ir para te en una café con la Ami, él no podía hacer nada en cuanto a ello si así fueran los órdenes del Kitamura. El Ryuuji indicó el letrero redondo, principalmente verde, justo delante de ellos.
"Ah, si no será un Starbucks! Entonces de veras hay uno por acá, eso sí está bien, hace tiempo que no he bebido latte!"
"De veras parece como un Starbucks? Eso es..."
"...Hm?... ¿Qué?... Eh?"
Mientras acercaron cada vez mas, la cabeza de la Ami progresivamente se puso de costado, sospechosa. De cierto, el letrero parecía igualito al de la cadena norteamericana de café. La forma redonda, el borde verde, el imágen difícil para discernir de algo humanoide---
"Es, esto es..."
---Pero aquella imágen era del viejo que era el dueno de la tienda.
"Sudou Coffee Bar... Normalmente lo llamamos Sudoba..."
"...Geh..."
Sonó el timbre.
Sonando el timbre, algo que probablemente sería considerado fuero de lo común actualmente, el Ryuuji y la Ami entraron a Sudoba. Sin embargo, adivinó que lo interior fue deseñado para parecer al Starbucks original. El lugar era de autoservicio, pero las empleadas, chicas universitarias, estaban sentadas en sillones bien cómodos de parecer. Pero yo era como si fuera vacía de ningún modo la tienda.
"Ehh... Sudoba... Tiene un ambiente bien bueno..."
Mirando la sala, la Ami asintía la cabeza mientras parecía intrigada. Levantándose de un asiento para la ventana había un tío.
"Ohh! Si no es el hijo de la Mirano-chan!"
Llamó al Ryuuji de modo familiar. Con el corazón quebrantado por su divorcio la primavera pasada, el Inage-san era un cliente regular de Bishamonten-kuni.
"Ah, hola."
"Uwa~, ¿qué es esto?! Hoy has traido contigo otra mujer simpática... ¿Dejaste de salir con esa chica pequeña y asustadiza? Dime, la dejaste, ¿no es así? Bueno, eso está bien. Un segundo matrimonio... o mas bien, una nueva nóvea..."
"No es así, lo tienes completamente equivocado. Kawáshima, ve adelante y siéntate al lado de él como hay espacio. Te traeré algo que tomar."
"S~i"
"Qué simpática~", "Eres una chica tan bonita~", "Te pareces a esa actriz, Anna Kawáshima~", "Si~", "Se te debe decir eso a menudo~" ...Dando su espalda a su conversación ligera, el Ryuuji fue a la caja.
"Bienvenidos a Sudobucks!"
Aun la manera que la empleada (quien estaba llevando un mandil verde sobre un polo negro) decía el nombre de la tienda fue estandardizado. Del menu, que estaba mas o menos normal considerando que ellos fueron tan lejos copiando, el Ryuuji pedió café americano y entonces volvió al asiento donde la Ami estaba esperando.
"Estás bien con café, ¿no?"
"Sí. Este lugar parece bastante cómodo... casi me siento como hacer mis tareas."
Con su cuerpo hundiéndose en el sillón, parecía que la Ami había llegado a ser completamente la presa de Sudobucks. De veras, de veras, toda la gente de este pueblo quiere a Sudoba. Estaba claro que aunque esperaran cien años, un Starbucks verdadero no iba a aparecer por acá.
"Aun se puede conseguirte un poco de torta. Es hecho a mano por mi hija."
"...Torta... Torta es... De veras quiero comer, pero..."
Resistiendo la tentación, la Ami de terca lo negó, sacudiendo su cabeza de lado a lado. Quizás inconcientemente, sus manos estaban sobre su estómago. ¿Será por el pellizcón de la Minori el otro día? Sin tratar de alentarle mas, el Ryuuji sacó su cellular y llamó al Kitamura.
"Oye, la Kawáshima y yo estamos en Sudoba ya."
"Ah, ya confirmamos tu entrada, roger! Sudoba es una tienda bien buena."
Si si, moviendo la cabeza de acuerdo, como un compadre local.
"Ese acosador está todavía siguiéndoles, mirando a la ventana. Está escondido en la entrada del edificio al otro lado de la intersección. Quédense tranquilos por un ratito."
"Entendido."
Cuando él se cerró su teléfono, la Ami de una vez le preguntó en cuanto a la conversación.
"Entonces, ¿qué dijo Yuusaku?"
"Ese hombre, está escondido por el edificio al frente. Debemos esperar acá por un ratito."
"...Geh. Que miedo... Entonces de veras está mirándonos."
Justo cuando la Ami comenzó a esconderse detrás de la cortina, de una vez volvió a su postura original, diciendo "Ah, tienes razón".
"Si me escondo así, entonces no hay razón por lo que estamos haciendo, ¿no?"
"Sí, sí, si él no tome algunas fotos entonces tampoco podremos sacar las fotos nuestros."
"...Yo sé, pero... no me gusta... da miedo..."
La Ami miraba hacía abajo mientras torció su cara bonita un poco.
"Bueno, de veras está sospechoso. Él está tomando fotos de ti, sin permiso, para algún propósito desconocido."
"Eso tanto es verdad, pero lo realmente espantoso no se limita a eso. Hace rato, ese hombre puso algunas de las fotos que había tomado secretamente en nuestro busón... Eso seriamente dió miedo."
"T, tu busón?! Eso quiere decir que avanzó hasta tu puerta delantera! Eso es..."
Moviéndose la mano como si fuera diciendo "No, eso no lo es" al Ryuuji que ya no tenía voz, la Ami se puso una cara aun mas angustiada.
"El hecho que podría venir a mi casa nos daba nervios, porsupuesto, pero las fotos mismas eran igual de problema, a mi opinión. Eran de cuando estuve afuera haciendo compras en la vuelta de mi trabajo, y, bueno... estuve haciendo caras de malvada, así me parecía. No importaba cómo las miraba, tuve la cara de matona. Viéndolas me hizo sentir seriamente enferma... como, ¿es ésta de veras yo?! ¿Soy de veras tan mala?! Así me sentía."
El Ryuuji estaba pensando que eso no era tanto un problema, como ella era hermosa de todos modos.
"Horrible, era seriamente demasiado despreciable... esa cara. Realmente no me gustaba. La odiaba... no quise que nada tal se viera."
Parecía que la Ami, quien estaba hablando mientras se torcía los labios como si estuviera para escupir, sinceramente no podía permitar tal cosa. Pero, aunque sería mal para el Ryuuji decirlo, se dejaría ser ganado en cuanto a tal tipo de preocupación.
"Si vayas a hablar como eso, entonces mira, simplemente mírame. Kawáshima, cuando me viste de primera vez, estabas pensando 'delinquente', ¿no? No es simplemente que parezco como si tuviere un mal carácter, pero no-conocidos pasándome en la calle hablan así de mi tras mi espalda. Todavía lo tienes fácil, porque en todo caso la gente te llama simpática y tales cosas cuando te ven."
"Bueno, Takasu-kun también puede tratar ponerse una cara simpática."
"¿Cómo haría eso yo?"
"Trate esto. Mientras estás creyendo seriamente 'Estoy simpático! Tan simpático!', haz esto."
Ella se levantó ambos manos a su cara con sus dedos indices extendidos, se hizo los ojos mas cerrados con una sonrisa suave, y se puso su cabeza pequeña de costado de un modo bonita. Pensando a si mismo, 'Hazlo, no lo dudes ya', el Ryuuji trató de ponerse mejor.
"¿Así?"
Siguiendo su ejemplo, el trataba de sonreir.
"...Buh!"
La Ami tozeó el café que estaba en medio de tomar. Pareciendo afligida por un rato, seguía tozeando con fuerza.
"...~, ...Qu, ...Geh...Ta...Taka..., tos, tos!"
"...Ya se exáctamente lo que quieres decir. En realidad, ya lo sabía de antemano."
Desesperadamente agarrando su boca con la sirvilleta que había sacado, la Ami estaba al punto de lágrimas. Su cara estaba roja de tozear, estaba apoyándose contra la mesa, y parecía tener problemas de respirar, pero sin embargo pudo de alguna manera puntarle al Ryuuji con su dedo.
"D, da miedo... Tos... Es casi... una atracción de horror!"
"Ya, ya dije que sabía eso!"
Su reacción era mas o menos lo que esperaba, pero todavía, realmente se sentía herido. No estaba diciendo esto porque estaba herido, pero,
"...Solo quiero decirte, pero estabas haciendo el mismo tipo de cosa, sabes. Puede ser que tienes un parecer simpático, pero esentialmente, la manera que te portas da miedo y es casi horrorífico casi del mismo modo."
"Haa~, pensaba que estuve para morir! No hay modo, Takasu-kun, ¿cómo puede tener algo que ver conmigo?!"
Kahaha... Considerando cómo ella se reió, entretenida, y se refirió a él de esa manera, no podía contenerse con solo eso.
"Es lo mismo. No quise decirlo, pero cuando te cambiaste tan repentinamente ayer, era diez minutos de horror. No la parte cuando la Kawáshima de repente se puso enojada, pero después, cuando te portaste como estabas perfectamente bien."
Porsupuesto, no mencionó que ya sabía de su carácter verdadero desde la primera vez que se conocieron, pero--- no, puede ser que ya había dicho demasiado ya, pero ya era demasiado tarde para retraerlo todo. Ahora que él había dicho tanto, no iba a parar hasta que hubiera dicho todo lo que necesitaba decir.
"Debes de cortar el acto. Todo será expuesto rápidamente. No sé si piensas que el acto que haces es simpático o algo, pero si lo fueras a ver, no es nada de que sentirías bien."
Él salió yendo hasta ese punto en su discurso,
"...Kawáshima...?"
Al fin, había dicho demasiado, probablemente--- Por fin miró a la expresión de la Ami.
La Ami quedaba sonriendo, ...con una sonrisa artificial, angélicamente buena, estaba mirando fijamente al Ryuuji. Sin mostrar señas de inestabilidad emocional, estaba forzando a su cara completa que sonrie.
"¿Es esto en cuanto a ayer? ¿Qué? ---Esas cosas que estás diciendo, es tan fácil como respirar para mi. No voy dejarme vencida si sea solo esto, ¿sabes?"
El Ryuuji ni estaba seguro si la mirada que le estaba dirigiendo fue fría o caliente. Había solo una cosa de la cual estaba seguro: no importaba qué él trataba de decir, o cuáles palabras él usaba, nada le iba a penetrar a esta chica tras su máscara de hierro.
"Sabes, no puedo sin esta cara. Eso yo lo conozco mejor."
"U...mm..."
Él no sabía cómo responder. Pero, no parecía como la Ami estaba realmente esperando algún tipo de respuesta. Ella seguía hablando, todavía sonriendo.
---...Mas para traducirse por abajo...---
“Whether or not there’s any meaning or value, that kind of thing and how things are remain two separate matters. I’m pretty sure there wasn’t any yesterday. No meaning or value. What happened was…Maybe I was just feeling negative because of that annoying midget? That midget’s face when she’s sticking near Takasu-kun, it’s too amusing. The only reason I mention it is because it makes me want to act recklessly like that…The tadpoles were outside my expectations though.”
“…Sorry, I kind of…I don’t really understand, but…Did I say too much?”
“Hmm? What are you talking about? Was Takasu-kun speaking to me about something? I don’t remember, not~ at~ all.”
As Ami’s eyes turned wide as if she was mystified, Ryūji held his breath for a bit. She was going to stubbornly continue hiding her real self, this girl.
“Come on, what’s with that face? You don’t need to think so hard. This, you know, it’s strategy. It’s a strategy where saying weird things makes people think about me…There’s really no meaning in it.”
“…Seriously, I just don’t get you.”
When Ryūji said that, Ami cutely tilted her head and laughed some more as if satisfied.
“Fine fine, it’s okay if you don’t. Come on, I’m an airhead after all.”
If it’s fine not to understand…If that’s the case, then he seriously wouldn’t think about it anymore. Ryūji shrugged and looking at the two-sided self-proclaimed airhead, he pretended to drink his coffee.
Eventually, he estimated at least ten minutes must have passed without them really having a conversation. Ryūji’s cell phone shook in vibrating mode.
‘“Hello, Takasu? We’ve got a bit of a problem. It looks like that guy wasn’t able to take any good pictures of Ami from where he was, so he gave up and started reading manga while waiting for you guys to leave the shop. It was no good having you guys go in there; could you go ahead and leave?”’
“Yeah, understood.”
Explaining the situation to Ami, they quickly put away their trays before leaving Sudoba. It seemed like Kitamura and the others had confirmed their exit from somewhere nearby.
‘“Sorry. So just like we originally planned, travel northwest along the highway and head to the park.”’
“Roger…Kawashima, let’s walk this way.”
Side by side with Ami, Ryūji was just about to start casually walking again,
‘“Also---I have one more unfortunate thing to report. We’ve lost Kushieda.”’
“…Wha?!”
He instinctively stopped walking.
The one who thought this up? All ready? She left before they even did anything?
After Ryūji unthinkingly yelled out in surprise, Ami looked at him with her eyes widened…No good, if he didn’t pretend things were okay, the stalker guy might become suspicious.
“Wh,…why?”
‘“She got a message from her work about an emergency, someone got a cold and they needed help. She might have been in danger of being fired because the guy who hired her was crying that if Kushieda didn’t come, it would be his neck, so while the guy was crying, she left the battlefield…Kushieda said, let’s meet again, and also that she was really sorry…We lost such a good soldier…”’
Ryūji gulpingly held his breath. Minori had left the front lines, so then in other words that meant,
“…T, then, right now, it’s just you and Taiga by yourselves…”
‘“Aisaka is doing fine.”’
“Le, let me speak with Taiga for a moment, it’s an emergency!”
A second later,
‘“…~”’
Breathing that seemed to be on the verge of tears without saying anything was flooding the phone. It was Taiga.
“Ta, Taiga…Are you okay?!”
‘“…U…Uh.”’
She didn’t seem okay---Ryūji violently scratched his head. To be all alone with Kitamura, that wasn’t a situation that Taiga could handle right now. Even though she would normally just end up petrified from being nearby, now they were walking together alone…He wouldn’t be surprised if Taiga was on the verge of death.
“Hey, pull yourself together! Are you guys talking?! Is there a problem?!”
‘“…I’m,…I’m,”’
“You…feel alright?!”
‘“I’m nervou,”’
Suddenly the call got cut short.
“Eh…Ehh?!”
Thinking "What the heck", Ryūji just looked blankly at his phone. Clumsy in even normal situations, Taiga was alone with Kitamura too nervous to even speak, and then while they’re following the stalker, the phone suddenly cuts out…His worry, it was infinite.
“Hey, what’s wrong? Wasn’t that Yūsaku and the others just now? Bad reception?”
“Y, yeah…For some reason it just cut out all of a sudden…”
“Why don’t you try calling back from over here?”
Nodding at Ami’s reasonable advice, he tried calling back, but all he heard was, “The phone you are trying to reach is currently not available…”. He tried once more with no change, so with a sigh he put the phone into his pocket.
“Can’t get through? To Yūsaku and the others?”
“A, anyway, Kushieda left, and it seems like Taiga’s not doing so well…What the heck’s going on, seriously…Maybe I’ll try calling again. No wait, maybe we’re still out of range for reception…”
He noticed Ami suddenly stare up at him.
“…Wh, what?”
Ami didn’t say a word.
Different from the look of fearing the stalking man, it was more like a gaze that was trying to search Ryūji’s inner self. Such a clear yet thoroughly serene look made it hard for him to remain calm---
“Wh, what is it?”
“…Nothing special…”
With a breath and a faint smile, she relinquished him from that stare. He felt like he had been saved.
“It’s just that I was thinking. Takasu-kun, you really seem quite kind. Especially when it comes to that kid.”
Before he could ask her who she meant by that kid, his phone vibrated in his pocket. It looked like they had finally gotten some reception as he pressed the talk button,
“Hey.”
‘“Uh~…Uh~…”’
“…Ta, Taiga?!”
He instinctively pressed the phone against his ear with all his might. Wondering just what happened on the other end of the line, he could hear Taiga’s sobbing voice.
“Hey, what’s wrong?!”
‘“Ki, Kitamura has…~”’
“Did something happen to Kitamura?!”
At those words, Ami instantly turned to look up at Ryūji’s face.
‘“Kitamura fell into a ditch!”’
“D,…A ditch?!”
‘“Just now, we were shaken off at a crosswalk, and then when he ran hastily to catch up, he ended up falling into a ditch in the gutter…Kitamura got all messed up and he said to leave him behind…!”’
“Huh?!”
‘“And, and then, I was told to go find a good spot and he made me take the digital camera…~…Now, I’m all alone…!”’
While Ryūji was thinking this was ridiculous, he could hear on the other end just faintly…Aisaka~, be careful~…That faraway voice definitely belonged to Kitamura.
‘“…Ooh, just what the heck am I doing this sort of thing for, I don’t even know…”’
“D, don’t cry! Umm, that’s right…Y, yeah…Anyway, ummm.”
‘“Ah!”’
“What happened?!”
Halting his steps reflexively, he held his breath. Just now, Taiga had screamed.
‘“…Oh,…There was a sign…”’
Hearing her calm voice, he started to relax for the moment thinking everything was okay, but,
‘“I fell into a ditch too. Today is just, horrible…My whole body’s messy, the camera’s messy too…The plan’s a failure, I’m ending the transmission.”’
“Eh…Ehh?! Taiga?! Hey, Taiga!...She, she hung up…”
---What the heck?
Ryūji was struck speechless, just staring at the phone after the call had ended. Just what did she mean by a ditch? Were there even any around? Was it that easy to fall into one? A ditch, she said…A ditch…
“What’s wrong with Yūsaku and the others?! Did something happen?!"
Even if he didn’t really get it, he had to try explaining it to her nevertheless. Resolutely, Ryūji turned to Ami who was looking up at him worriedly.
“…They were annihilated. Kitamura and Taiga both fell into a ditch.”
“…Huh? A, a ditch?”
They stood there blankly looking at one another. It hadn’t even been an hour since they started and now the two who were remaining didn’t have any place to go anymore. '
“…”
Ami’s shoulders trembled. At almost the exact same time, Ryūji reflexively turned around.
The stalker guy who had shaken off Kitamura and Taiga was standing only a few meters away. He most likely hadn’t even considered the possibility that he had been marked earlier; his face looked calm as he held a cell phone in one hand, and he was making a face like he was just going through his mail---But the camera flash indicator on his phone continued to glow. He was probably taking video.
“L, let’s go…”
Furrowing her brow, Ami dropped her earlier expression and started moving forward swiftly. Somewhat confused, Ryūji also started running with her, naively thinking that just maybe they wouldn’t be followed, but,
“Wa…~, what the heck, this guy…”
Unabashedly, that man was running after them while holding up his cell phone camera.
Since there weren’t any other people around, that guy probably thought that if it was just Ryūji, even if something were to happen he could handle it.
While they were running, Ryūji started thinking. Why was it that in normal situations he was always considered terrifying, but now when he needed it, his glare was having no effect? Now he was even being treated lightly like this? When he tried looking over his shoulder, he got his answer. Dazedly, the man was looking at his phone’s screen while probably only concerned with recording Ami, so he likely wrote off Ryūji as just some brat---That might have been true, but---That guy was looking down on him. If only he could have glared with the harsh eyes he had inherited from his father (a yakuza), maybe the situation could have improved.
“What do we do, he’s still following us!”
At Ami’s nearly hysteric voice, Ryūji's chest tightened. If they didn’t deal with this somehow, then they wouldn’t be able to return to a normal peaceful life.
“Umm…The closest policebox from here is…Ah, damn, he’s right behind us! If we can just make it to a policebox!”
“Geez, enough…!”
Ami’s pitiful voice trembled as she was on the verge of tears.
“Why do I have to go through all this?! It’s all that guy’s fault things are so messed up! Yūsaku might have even gotten hurt…Geez, what are we supposed to do now?!”
If only it had been Kitamura who still remained, he probably would have charged right in and taken care of things. He was the kind of idiot who might fall into ditches, but his bravery and sense of justice were genuine. So he probably would have made sure not to allow a situation where a girl would cry like this---At least, if only that had been the case.
Ryūji at the very least tried to redouble his efforts, wanting to take Ami’s hand as she ran. However, it seemed she was oblivious to his attempt as she ran desperately, and Ryūji couldn’t even catch her balled up hand. While he couldn’t catch her and couldn’t protect her, the trembling in Ami’s voice continued to become more and more pronounced.
“Because of that insignificant creep, I went so far as to take a break from work, move, and transfer schools…! And yet, I still have to put up with the same stuff after all! What the heck…If it’s like this, then in the end I’m just running away again. No matter where I try to go, I’ll just be chased down again…What the heck am I supposed to do?!”
“Ka, Kawashima!”
With her agitation steadily increasing, Ami’s voice started getting louder, becoming shriller as if she was about to snap. Her voice that should have been trembling on the verge of tears seemed to suddenly be overtaken by anger.
“Hey, that guy can hear you!...If you get too excited…”
“That’s just it, isn’t it irritating?!”
Snarlingly, Ami’s voice snapped.
“It’s that creep’s fault, that I’m irritated, that I’m stressed, and that I end up eating pastries and other things, you know?! And now I’m even flabby?! If it’s like this, I might seriously have to quit modeling…What the heck’s up with that?! Huh?! No way~! That’s too much, isn’t it?! But this fleshiness…This sort of…My stomach…is flabby?!”
Looking at her from the corner of his eye, Ryūji muffled a yelp and held his breath. Her expression that had been tearful until just recently had changed; her lips upturned, the blood vessels in her temple pulsed, both her eyes narrowed, her nose crinkled, and she bared her fangs like the Chihuahua she really was…Ami’s real nature, the very thing itself.
“That brute…Damn it…Is Ami-chan going to lose to that detestable creep?!”
It appeared. Ami-chan appeared.
“For me, for Ami-chan to, lose, to that weirdo, and be, all messed up…! Ah~…Damn~…That brute~…How irritating~…Ami-chan is so pissed…”
“Ka, Kawashima…Hey, wait…”
“Takasu-kun, you said it before, right…To stop with the act, you told me that just a moment ago. I get it. I’ll stop. Ami-chan will stop already. I’ll stop, I’ll stop, I, will, stop! I’ll live with this bad-natured look.”
“Wai, hey, that’s…not what I…”
“Shut up! That midget, Taiga Aisaka didn’t lose to that guy! Ami-chan isn’t going to just keep on suffering this endlessly! Even if he’s a guy, I’ll teach him a lesson! As an actress’s daughter---don’t take me lightly!”
Next to the speechless Ryūji, Ami suddenly did an about-face. When he wondered about her turning around,
“Uooooo~!"
Aiming at the man who was chasing after them, Ami went all out and started a fierce forward dash. With Ami brandishing her school bag in her hand and twisting her face to resemble that of a demon,
“Huh?! Ehh?!”
It wasn’t surprising that the man would start to flee. The hunter and the hunted had switched roles all of a sudden,
“Stop right there, you--------~!”
Chasing after the man who was desperate to get away, Ami continued to heckle him heavily. Of course, Ryūji had no choice but to run after her,
“Idiot! Stop it! Calm down! I might look like this, but I seriously think fighting is wrong!”
However, it seemed like she was too far gone to hear anything Ryūji was saying. Seeing the man escape into the park,
“O~rya~!
She took a shortcut by jumping the shrubbery with a magnificent fawn-like leap and got ahead of him, and as the finisher,
“Take this!”
She flung her bag. The rectangular bag twirled in midair as it flew a short distance,
“Ugah!”
It hit the running man’s legs. Dropping his bag, the man dove face first into the sandpit.
Ami immediately picked up the cellphone the man had dropped,
“…Haa…haa…haa…!”
Still looking like a demon while catching her breath, she didn’t say anything, but there was a cracking sound as she started breaking the phone right in half.
“A, ahh…”
Filled with fear, the man pulled back as Ami threw the two remaining pieces onto the ground next to him. Then she continued,
“Haa…You still have it, don’t you…Images of Ami-chan…Hand it over…The digital…camera…Hey! Hurry up and hand it over!”
“…It’s, it’s over there…”
The man trembled as he pointed to the contents of his bag that had spilled out all over the ground. There certainly was a latest model digital camera lying over there, and Ami stooped down and picked it up. Examining it for a while and trying out various buttons, Ami was probably trying to clear the data as she fiddled with it, but,
“S, stop it! You’re going to break it!”
“…Haa…haa…”
The man who must have not fully considered the situation sounded like he was getting irritated. While breathing raggedly, Ami held the camera by the strap,
“Ei!”
Spinning it around and around, she finally used the momentum to slam the camera into a concrete bench.
“Waaaah!”
While the man’s wail resounded, the camera was nevertheless state of the art, after all. It wouldn’t break from just one or two collisions (well, Ryūji wondered if the insides were holding up), but,
“Ei! Ei! Ei!...Ya!”
Being cruelly bashed over and over, it finally made a clear cracking sound as Ami subjected it to treatment it shouldn’t have to endure. But she just kept beating it like that any number of times,
“There! Take! That! I’ll break it…Break…Shatter into pieces…I, will, destroy, itttt~!
---She had probably been building up a lot of stress. She continued to vandalize the camera repeatedly like that while holding onto the strap until it completely lost any resemblance to an actual camera. Half buried in the sandpit, the man was silently crying. Faced with such a hellish scene, Ryūji didn’t even know what to say.
“U~, u~, my camera is…”
“Now then…I wonder, what should I break next…? For some reason, Ami-chan’s starting enjoy this? Ehh?”
Continuously stomping all over the remains of the wrecked digital camera with her feet, Ami cruelly smirked and laughed.
“Hey, can I break this? Is it all right if Ami-chan breaks everything? You listening? Why don’t you answer? Should I break you too, just like this?”
“Please, please forgive me already!”
Kneeling in the sandpit, the man raised both of his trembling hands and clasped them together.
“…How about if I promise not to hang around Ami-chan anymore?”
“I’ve had it with the vows!”
Becoming unusually child-like, the man’s tearful voice was echoing unsightly.
“After you’ve shown such a demon-like appearance, I’m already over and done with you. I don’t consider Ami-chan my angel anymore! A liar, you’re seriously a demon! You’re completely black! You’re such a fraud, and I don’t want to have anything to do with you anymore! The cute angelic Ami-chan, there really never was anyone like that~! Ami-cha~n! Or rather I should say, why are you together with such a frightening delinquent, though I only just now noticed~?!”
“Are you talking about me when you say delinquent…?”
It seemed like, even more than having his cellphone or his camera broken, it was having his dream broken that was the most difficult thing to bear. Without putting up any sort of fight, he just kept speaking and crying shamefully.---Like for example, he wasn’t the ‘seriously’ dangerous kind of fellow who would brandish a knife over his head, so Ami was really lucky for that. So then, the man’s final words were as follows.
“You, your personality is horrible!”
“What are you talking about?”
With a cold reply, Ami pulled out a hand-mirror from her uniform’s pocket as if she had just remembered. Then gazing at herself and smiling laughingly, she struck a cutesy pose.
“Ami-chan is just cute like this
. Personality or whatever doesn’t matter
.”
---She had maintained a show of strength while they left the park and as far as the first street corner.
“Come on, go ahead and sit! Right there, just move that newspaper!"
“…U…U…~”
After having practically dragged her along, he was trying to get Ami to sit on a cushion, but,
“My, my fingers won’t let go~.”
Ami spoke in a crying voice and looked up at Ryūji. Her fingers that were gripping Ryūji’s arm had stiffened up, and now she seemed unable to remove them by herself.
“Ease up, it’s fine if you do it slowly.”
They were in the 2DK Takasu residence that was being gently lit by the setting sun. Sitting on the warm tatami mat, Ami desperately concentrated on calming her breathing while closing her eyes.
It was a good thing that they were able to break the stalker’s fascination, but---They had been walking along the sidewalk when, as they turned the corner, Ami suddenly fell to her knees. She explained, “That…That was so scary!”
Her body had trembled and her eyes had become teary before her nervousness made her completely stiffen up, so she had to hold onto Ryūji as she walked since she couldn’t even stand on her own. She was in a sorry condition that she couldn’t handle alone, where even her parched lips had started to tremble.
Once they made it out of the park, the Takasu residence was nearby. So lending her his support, he had taken her to his house.
“Yasuko, that idiot, where did she go?”
Having made Ami sit down on the cushion in the living room and now standing in the kitchen, Ryūji looked troubled as he scanned the silent household. He seriously hadn’t thought there would be no one around. If he had known that it would be this way, he would have called a taxi and sent Ami home. To bring a crying girl to his empty house, that kind of thing wasn’t like Ryūji at all. Even if it was a girl who wasn’t crying, it would probably still be impossible. Taiga? She was a special case.
Anyway, trying to calm Ami down, he put a little honey into some milk he had heated on the stove and brought it over to her.
“Th, thanks…”
“There’s plenty more if you want seconds. If you don’t like sweet things, then tea or coffee…Well, you just drank coffee a little while ago, didn’t you?”
“…Don’t worry, this is fine…”
Taking a sip, Ami finally gave one long sigh.
“It’s delicious…Hey, can I add some more sugar?”
“I’ve only got honey, if that’s okay.”
She nodded, and he carefully poured some honey into the cup she was holding. As he was stirring the milk with a spoon, Ami’s lips finally shifted into a faint smile.
“…How unexpected. Takasu-kun, do you drink this kind of stuff?”
“No, not really. But Taiga likes to drink this sort of thing.”
After he accidentally said that, Ryūji noticed Ami was looking up at him.
“…Taiga. Takasu-kun, you always call Taiga Aisaka by her first name, don’t you?”
“I just say it because it’s too strange to act differently…”
It wasn’t really an excuse; that is, there wasn’t any reason to try and come up with an excuse---It was more of a preface.
“We happen to live next to one another, and she lives alone, and with just my mother and me, it’s practically like living alone, so…Well, some way or another…Things like helping with chores…Eating meals together...It’s kind of like we’ve become siblings…”
“…Fuu. Is that so?”
He wasn’t sure if she really understood or not, but Ami didn’t ask anymore about it,
“This is seriously tasty. I’ll have to try this at my house next time.”
Holding the cup of hot milk flavored with honey in both hands, she continued to take her time drinking it in small sips.
“How are you feeling?”
Simply swiveling her eyes upwards at his questioning voice, she shyly smiled while keeping the cup to her lips. Then, she suddenly turned off to the side,
“Ah man…I’m so embarrassed! Even after I had thoroughly decided! Or so I had thought at least…After all, I still ended up falling apart and trembling.”
“I think that’s only natural. You know, I, the moment you started running at him, I was pretty much trembling already. Seriously, you were really lucky that he didn’t do anything violent.”
“…Sorry.”
Ami finally turned around and placed the now empty cup onto the dining table. Her face was tinted orange by light from the setting sun, and her light brown eyes were similarly turned a transparent amber.
“I can hardly believe it myself...It would have killed my mom if she found out about me doing something so risky. Just maybe, it might have been Taiga Aisaka’s influence? Yesterday when we were at the river bank, I saw her easily chase away that stalker creep…So, I quickly became embarrassed about how I had been so frightened. Somehow…It kind of felt like I was losing to her or something…”
“…Taiga’s not really what I would call normal, so I don’t think you should be using her as your standard.”
“The Palmtop Tiger. Right? I heard from Maya-chan and the others…Fufu, it’s too perfect, that name. Maybe if I compete with the Palmtop Tiger, even I could strengthen myself a bit.”
“…Kawashima, you’re already a tough enough girl to begin with.”
“Me, tough? Haha, I’m just twisted. I’ll even say it myself, but Ami-chan is a seriously twisted person, black to the core, an ill-mannered girl---Takasu-kun probably also thinks so, after yesterday…Maybe even earlier than that. I probably can’t change your opinion anymore anyway.”
Shrugging her shoulders, Ami smiled, but it wasn’t the same as the façade she would usually wear. Her eyes were lively with a hint of arrogance, her mouth had a slight twist that might have seemed cruel, and there was no trace of that angelic purity. Instead, she was sly and merciless, seeming really bad as her expression was thoroughly embedded with a pride that didn’t care about anyone, and yet,…it was beautiful. Just as strong as his desire to criticize her was a feeling of attraction---
“Ah…I had forgotten. About those two who had fallen into ditches.”
“If Yūsaku’s there, they’ll be fine.”
That’s not necessarily true. But looking at Ami’s expression, even after he had finally remembered about those two, his worry was slowly vanishing.
Her smiling face eventually began to stiffen, and Ami calmly held her breath. It seemed like she was dealing with an indistinct pain.
“…That girl, she’s a good kid, isn’t she?”
“By that girl…Do you mean Taiga?”
Without answering him, Ami hung her head.
“…Like with that stalker guy from just now…It’s easy to become liked by a guy like that. Since I’m made out to be cute in the pictures and on television, most people would come to like me…Because, come on, Ami-chan is super cute.”
She said the last part jokingly, but Ryūji didn’t feel like laughing. Seeing the stiffness of Ami’s face as she stopped speaking, he just couldn’t bring himself to laugh.
“…In the same way, it’s just as easy to be hated. You say that the Ami-chan you guys normally see isn’t really me,…that I should be my natural self. But if I do that, you’ll all come to hate me.”
Without thinking about it, Ryūji had turned away from her eyes that were full of self-derision. She looked pitiful and he couldn’t bear to watch---if he were to tell her something like that, she’d probably feel even more hurt.
“…Come on, don’t say such a thing.”
“But it’s true. It’s like with that guy just now. It’s difficult to like me when I’m being myself. That’s all. So that girl…I’m jealous of Taiga Aisaka. She doesn’t hide her feelings even a little. And despite her recklessness, Takasu-kun doesn’t hate her at all. That’s kind of,…no, that’s really vexing. Because I wanted to see her feeling vexed, I tried to steal Takasu-kun from her, but I totally wasn’t able to do it. That was a first. Why was that? I wondered. Ami-chan is cuter, so why? How was Ami-chan not better? Isn’t such a pattern impossible? Isn’t it unacceptable? So like that…she’s different from me?…I wondered…I guess I was feeling jealous of her.”
Ryūji inconspicuously sighed.
So Ami was feeling jealous of Taiga like this. Taiga was jealous of Ami, to the point where she had even huddled down and sobbed all alone. They each coveted what the other one possessed. It was probably because they felt that way that they couldn’t get along with one another. Their feelings would always be in conflict, so to have a kind and cuddly relationship like the one Taiga and Minori shared, such a thing would be absolutely impossible. There was really no helping that. Definitely.
However, there was only one thing that he wanted to say on behalf of Taiga. It was regarding the part that Taiga, who had been described as ‘not hiding her feelings’, hadn’t made known to anyone besides Ryūji and was desperately trying to change.
“…Kawashima, you have Kitamura, don’t you?”
“Yūsaku?”
“That guy, he really worries about you and treats you dearly. I’m sure he’d accept you for who you are; he even went so far as to fall into a ditch for you, after all.”
“…You’re right. But…Yūsaku is a no-go.”
A bit of her hair shifted for that moment, hiding Ami’s face from Ryūji.
“Yūsaku already has ‘one girl he really likes’ after all.”
“…Eh?”
His thinking stopped.
Ryūji suddenly remembered who Kitamura had confessed to almost immediately after being admitted to the school---Taiga. However, Kitamura had clearly told Taiga that they should just remain friends. Regardless of whether or not Taiga accepted that, there didn’t seem to be any indication that she was the girl he liked. At least, not presently. So then who was it? If it was someone close, then Minori? Or maybe Maya? Or possibly---
“Takasu-kun…”
Startled, his heart jumped.
Bending down like a cat, Ami had silently brought her face up close. He could smell milk on her breath, and unable to even look her in the face, he tried crawling backwards. However, his back almost immediately ran into the wall.
Ami didn’t move any closer.
Instead of getting closer, she seemed to be slowly drawing him in with her moist amber eyes---
“…Takasu-kun, if I, showed you the real me…what would you do?”
“W, what, you say.”
“…Would you, fall for me?”
The world fell silent.
Ryūji’s leg inadvertently hit the dining table, and amidst the silence, the empty cup rolled onto the tatami mat.
The distance between their two faces, all that separated them was five centimeters.
Leaving it as a joke at the last moment, Ami’s lips finally upturned into a smile.
“---No~t, I was joking. Did I make your heart race?”
…Or at least, it should have been.
“Oh my…”
To consider it all a joke, it seemed like only the two who were directly involved would accept that. At the sound of several filled plastic bags being dropped onto tatami mat, Ryūji nearly jumped.
Turning around reflexively, Ami ended up on top of the lower half of Ryūji’s body.
Reflexively facing the same way, Ryūji was holding her waist calmly.
“…Yacchan…Could this have been on purpose?...That is…When I went shopping and while Kitamura-kun and Taiga-chan had fallen into ditches…So then…Umm…A~h, what should I do?!”
In a pose resembling Munch’s The Scream, Yasuko had both her hands against her natural face and was bending her body restlessly back and forth.
Behind her in the entrance hall drenched with muddy water, Kitamura looked horrible as he pushed his twisted glasses up the bridge of his nose and was standing using a wooden sword as a crutch.
The similarly drenched Taiga---
“…No way…”
Taiga was being carried on Kitamura’s back, and with only that, she fell silent and just had her eyes wide open.
In the corner of the room unheeded by anyone, Inko-chan who had unexpectedly seen everything was lightly shedding feathers from all over his body.
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