vrcanaries Ch. 87.2 - Cherry Blossoms Pt2
Ch. 87.2 - Cherry Blossoms Pt2
Following her gaze, he thought that though they were all cherry blossoms, those at Chidorigafuchi seemed deeper, redder in color.Even after seeing them again and again on the way to and from school, even after enjoying a picnic beneath them in Kitanomaru Park not long ago,
Different times, different places, different companions, the feelings they stirred were never the same.
He thought of Shirasagi-senpai, who often sat beneath cherry trees by the stream, watching petals drift along the water. What thoughts lay hidden beneath her icy exterior?
If it were Nogami, Shihou, Sanada, or Sae, how would they feel, what would they do, watching the cherry blossoms fall like this?
Nogami would probably flash a wicked grin, kick the cherry tree a few times, delighting in the petal-snowstorm, then proudly seek praise from him.
Shihou would run and jump like a child over ground carpeted in blossoms, scoop up petals and throw them skyward, or sneak some down the back of his collar, just like a winter snow prank.
Sanada might pinch a petal and murmur seductive lines in a sultry voice, then burst into laughter at his flustered reaction, pulling everyone else in to tease him.
As for Sae… she’d definitely start craving sakura mochi or sakura-flavored sweets.
As he imagined each vivid scene, a sense of happiness quietly welled up in his heart.
So what about him?
What would he do now, holding Ayaka in his arms?
And what was Ayaka thinking, being held like this by him?
“You’re just Harutaki right now…”
Ayaka muttered softly, her words vague and indistinct.
“Just as Ayaka and Harutaki, just once, it’s a necessary step for date practice…”
Being a little selfish is fine too, right?
He thought that since the girl had already gently closed her eyes and offered an invitation, making a lady wait at a moment like this would be terribly ungentlemanly.
“Mm…”
“……”
“?……??……”
“?……??……”
Like a startled cat, Ayaka jolted violently, then scrambled in a fluster to the other end of the boat. Gripping the edge, she glared at him viciously, as if she’d jump straight into the water if he made even one more move.
“Wh–who told you to… do that?!”
“Wasn’t that what you wanted, Ayaka?”
Watching her rub her lips hard with the back of her hand, he couldn’t help but laugh.
Even without checking his pulse or chest, he could clearly feel his heart pounding like a high-revving engine.
“And besides, being a little selfish is okay, right?”
“Y–you you you, why are you so skilled at this?! Why are you this skilled?!”
Ayaka recalled that suffocating sensation just now, like she was drowning, her head and heart stirred into a thick, dizzy mess,
No matter how she resisted, the invader named Harutaki effortlessly dissolved everything, even turning her force against itself with exquisite finesse. Or perhaps it was more like an overwhelming gravitational pull, a black hole, until in the end, it almost felt like she was the one taking the initiative.
And the biggest problem was,
Wasn’t that idiot Harutaki supposed to be a first-timer too?!
“I swear, this really is my first time~”
Harutaki thought to himself that kisses like the kind he’d had with Nogami, where they’d pull away the instant their lips touched, could be temporarily expelled from the category of real kissing.
Even so, despite his outward composure, his heart was still in turmoil,
No matter how many times he’d kissed before, those flirtatious, almost routine kisses had done little more than ignite desire. They had never once brought about this kind of racing heartbeat, this bittersweet aftertaste rising in his chest, like what he felt with Nogami, or with Ayaka.
Perhaps this was what love felt like.
The grassy banks on both sides were lush and green, set off against the drooping pink cherry blossoms hanging in midair.
Rustle.
Rustle.
A spring breeze swept suddenly through the scene, like invisible hands brushing the cherry trees along the shore, sending petals scattering down. They spun lightly as they fell, drifting at five centimeters per second, like ballet dancers touching the water with their toes, or mayflies rising and falling with the shimmering ripples…
Unwilling to disturb that tranquility, he paddled to guide the boat backward. But just as he leaned back, by sheer coincidence, a few cherry blossom petals fell straight into his mouth.
Sour, sweet, with a hint of bitterness. He chewed thoughtfully, and it tasted exactly like how he’d always imagined first love to taste.
Cherry blossoms really were a wondrous kind of flower, he thought. Not as intense and overbearing as roses, nor as vividly seductive as peach blossoms, plain at first glance, yet quietly elegant, carrying a pure affection and gentle happiness.
“Cherry blossoms really are wonderful.”
They bloom in spring, the season of beginnings, displaying an unrivaled beauty, yet even so, they leave behind an impression of warmth without contention.
Like a first-love girl in a dream, veiled in thin mist, quiet and pure. Before one even realizes what love is, they leave behind the most beautiful, the vaguest, and yet the most unforgettable longing.
“…Want to try the sakura mochi and salted cherry blossoms I made?”
Ayaka suddenly spoke, bringing up a way to taste that imagined cherry-blossom flavor, and preserve its fragrance.
“I think I ate Mom’s once, a long time ago.”
“It’s a secret recipe passed down in the Hoshikawa family. I tried learning it from Mom when I was little.”
That sounded suspiciously like a tourist scam pitching local specialties.
But still,
“Ayaka will definitely become a great mom someday.”
“A g–great mom… h–having kids and stuff… guuu, idiot Harutaki, your standards are way too weird, okay?!”
……
[Literature Club – Kohara-senpai]: Sorry, Sato. Tomorrow’s get-together has to be canceled ????♂️
—Read
[Sato]: Eh? Did something come up on your end, senpai? What about everyone else? ????
—Read
[Literature Club – Kohara-senpai]: Some got dragged off by their parents for trips, some got sent to cram school… As for me, haha, my girlfriend says I never take her on dates and is threatening to break up with me, so I’ve gotta go smooth things over. Really sorry, Sato, we even said we’d treat you for working so hard over the holidays.
—Read
[Sato]: It’s okay, it’s okay ???? I understand. Everyone’s busy, me included…
—Read
[Literature Club – Kohara-senpai]: As long as you don’t mind ????~ Now that you’re free from cram school, take a good day off and rest.
—Read
[Sato]: Yes! Thank you for your concern, Senpai!
—Unread
After putting his phone down, Sato let out a long sigh, staring blankly at the pure white ceiling. Only when his eyes began to feel dry did he blink, as if returning from some distant reverie.
Cram school was off for the day, the teacher had business.
The club and university senpai had also been forced to cancel their plans due to their own troubles and unexpected events.
So how was he supposed to spend the last day of Golden Week?
Keep studying guidebooks and grinding practice problems, then reward himself with some FC2 afterward?
…Wasn’t he forgetting something important?
He wracked his brain, then suddenly froze.
It had been quite a while since Chouko last messaged him on LINE.
“Quite a while” was only about five days, but compared to how she used to message him almost daily, it was a world of difference.
He flipped over onto his stomach, hugging his phone. After unlocking it, he opened the green app and tapped into the pinned chat at the top.
[Chouko]: I’m really going to a mixer, you know~ Hehe. Onii, I heard there was a handsome ace from the soccer club there, totally different from gloomy you, a real normie! ????✨
—Read
That brat Chouko…
Just looking at the black text on the white screen, he could vividly imagine her mischievous tone and that nasty grin she wore when pulling pranks.
But after the initial irritation, he let out a sigh.
Yeah… he was just a gloomy bookworm who did nothing but study.
Compared to athletic normies, he barely even had a presence in class. If it weren’t for the literature club senpai looking out for him, he’d be no different from the invisible nobodies at the very bottom,
He’d even been bullied before, all because of that rumor that spread through the school: “The top beauty among first-years likes a certain senpai.”
Thankfully, his gloomy persona worked in his favor, his bullies never believed Chouko would like a nerd like him, and they left him alone after a few days.
Sighing again, his gaze drifted upward to the time in the top-right corner.
May 4th, 21:41.
If it was a holiday, Chouko probably wasn’t asleep yet, right?
With an uneasy heart, he tried sending her a message.
[Sato]: Are you there?
—Unread
About a minute later, the unread mark finally changed to read, but…
A bitter taste spread in his mouth.
In the past, Chouko would reply almost instantly.
Maybe she was washing up? Or being good and studying hard, right?
He tried to comfort himself, convincing himself that things like “NTR” or “falling into depravity” only happened in manga and doujinshi.
Chouko hadn’t changed for years, she’d even followed him all the way to Tokyo. Holding on just a bit longer wouldn’t be a problem, right!
[Chouko]: You there? ????❓
—Read
[Chouko]: Hmph, so Onii still remembers he has a Chouko, huh?
—Read
“Heh…”
Seeing her messages, Sato’s lips curled upward uncontrollably. But he didn’t dare look in a mirror, nor did he dare turn on the phone’s front camera,
He was afraid of seeing just how bitter his smile had become.
[Sato]: I’m sorry, I’m really sorry! Truly sorry! ????♂️????♂️????♂️
—Read
[Chouko]: Tch. If apologies worked, what would compensation be for? ????????
—Read
Compensation…?
He pondered what he could possibly give her, but no matter how he thought about it, even buying her a box of Tokyo Banana would probably empty his wallet.
(Tokyo Banana(cake) is Tokyo’s most famous souvenir and a favorite among tourists, also widely mocked as the worst souvenir, since it doesn’t even taste as good as convenience-store cake.)
Senpai dinners were just too frequent!
Every time he paid his share, even if the food was delicious, seeing the remaining balance afterward made his heart ache.
[Chouko]: That soccer senpai from the mixer was really handsome~ Tall, muscular, and super attentive, kept bringing me snacks and juice! ????????
—Read
What the heck?!
Those so-called normies were basically just scumbags with ulterior motives!
Relying on good looks and a fit body, flaunting their sports-club status, messing around with relationships everywhere…
But… but what if Chouko had been fooled too?!
Staring at her last message, his fingers trembled over the virtual keyboard, unable to press a single key.
He was terrified that once he asked, the answer he’d receive from Chouko would be a confirmation.
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