Yokozawa_no_baai - Short Story

8/2/2019 Yokozawa_no_baai - Short Story

1/11

Title:Sekai-ichiHatsukoi~TheCaseofYokozawaTakafumi,aShortStory

Author:FujisakiMiyako(originalwork:NakamuraShungiku)

Translator:fencer_xofSeptemberScanlations


2/11

Hiyohadbeenmakingquiteafusssincesometimebeforeinfrontofthetelevision,

watchingthevideostreamingacrossthescreenwhichshowedtheearlierFieldDay

festivitiesasrecordedwithahand-heldvideocamerathatKirishimahadborrowed.

Ah,looklook!!Thereyouare,Oniichan!

Yeah yeah, I seeYokozawa grimaced,glancingoff tothe side tocatchsightof

himselfonscreen,standingatthestartline.Lookingathimselflikethis,itwaseasy

tosee hewasagooddecadeyounger thanmostofthe otherfatherswhodbeen

standing beside hima fact made all the more embarrassing by how

uncharacteristicallyfireduphedbeenatthetime.

Oniichan~!Doyourbest~!!

Whatdoyoumeandoyourbest?Youknowhowitturnsout!

Ohcomeon,Itdoesnthurttocheeryouon!Ahareyoublushing,Oniichan??

No. Of course he wasnt; it was only that he couldnt stand this. The reason

Yokozawa hadparticipated in theparent-guardianobstaclerace in the first place

hadbeenbecauseKirishimahadbeensaddledwithsomeworkhecouldntgetoutof

atthelastminute.WhileHiyorihadntprotestedonebitevenafterherfatherhad

informedherhe couldnttakepart inherschoolsFieldDayactivities,shedbeen

overjoyedtolearnthatYokozawawouldgoinhisstead.

Once hed offered to participate, though, Yokozawahad vowed that hewouldnt

embarrasshimself,andso,welloutofsightofKirishimaorHiyori,Yokozawahad

beenrunninglapseverymorninganddoingabitofmuscletrainingtoprepforthis

day.

In the end, Kirishima had finished lunchingwith his author in time tomake the

afternoonprogram,buthecouldhardlyrundressedashewasinasuitanddress

shoes,soYokozawastillhadtotakepart.

Atthesoundofthepistol,Yokozawahadtakenoffatadash,clearingtheobstaclesonebyoneandeasilybecomingthefirsttoreachasmalltablewhereseveralcards

lay face down. Without hesitating, he picked up the card nearest his feetand

reflexively glanced in a certain direction. Immediately afterward, though, he

recoveredhissensesandshiftedinplacetofacetheoppositedirection,takingoff

runningagain.


3/11

Kyaa!!Oniichan,youresocool!

YokozawawasnowoffandrunningtowardswhereHiyoriwassittingwiththeother

5thgraders.Leaningdown,heliftedupHiyorifromwhereshesatonthefrontrow

and took off again towardswhere the teachers acting as judges were stationed,

runningwith all hismight. After having them stamp his card as proof that hed

clearedthetask,hethenheadedforthegoal,leavingtheotherparticipantsinthe

dustashecrossedthefinishline.Hiyori,whoseeyeshadgonewidewithsurprise

when Yokozawa had scooped her up, was all grins, thrilled that Yokozawa had

managedtonabfirstplace.

YouwereamazingOniichan!Butyoureallygavemeastartwhenyoupickedme

up!

IdidnthavemuchchoiceinthematterIhadtojustgrabyouandgo!

Hehe,yup!Allmyfriendsweretotallyjealous,too!TheysaidIwaslikeaprincess!

JustasYokozawaallowedhimselfamomentofreliefathisimagedisappearingfrom

thescreen,though,Kirishimacutinwiththeonequestionhe absolutelydidntwant

to entertain right now: That reminds mewhat was written on that card

anyways?

Thatsasecret.

What?Whatsitmattertellme!HeyHiyo,whatdiditsay?

Canttellyou,Papa!ItsmineandOniichanslittlesecret~!AndIvegotplanswith

Yuki-chantomorrow,soImofftobed!Gnight!

Whatthehelltellme!Whyreyoutwomessingaroundlikethis?

YouheardHiyoits a secret. I cant tell you.Yokozawa had pasted ona calm,

superiorexpression,butinsidehewasbreakingoutincoldsweat,allnerves.

ThecardhadhadYourMostImportantPersonwrittenonit.

Yokozawaassumedithadbeenphrasedthusintendingfortheparentwhopickedit

upto run andgrabtheirchild,but themomentYokozawahadreadthosewords,

withoutthinking,hedsoughtoutKirishimainthecrowd.


4/11

Whenyoupickedupthatcard,thoughdidntyouglanceupatmeforasecond?

Nno.IwaslookingforHiyo.

Wellyouwerentgoingtofindherlookingintheparentsseats.

Iknowthat!Ijustmadeamistakewasall.Therewasnowayinhellhewasgoing

toletKirishimaknowthatthefirstpersonYokozawahadthoughtofwhenheread

mostimportantpersonwashim.AtYokozawashesitation,Kirishimadidntletupon

hisinvestigationonebit,though.

Isitperhapsthatyoudontwantmetoknowwhatwaswrittenonthatcard?

ItsnotthatImtellingyou,itwasnothing!Dontgetbentoutofshapeaboutit

ah,Hiyo,isntitalmosttimeforyoutobeinbed?Dontthinkjustbecauseitsthe

weekendyoucanstayuppastyourbedtime.Gobrushyourteeth.

Alreadydone!Sora-chan~letsgotobed!

Athearinghisnamecalled,Sorataliftedhisheadupfromwherehedbeencurledup

onthe sofa, then jumpeddown and followedHiyori into her room.The two had

becomequiteclose,behavingasiftheydbeenfriendsforthelongesttime.

SeeingYokozawawatchingthepairheadofftogetherwithasoftsmileonhisface,

Kirishimajumpedinwithalowvoice,Youtriedtogivemetheslipjustnow,didnt

you?ButImustsayIfindthishesitationofyoursrathersuspicious

YokozawaflinchedasKirishimahitthenailonthehead.Whythehellareyouso

obsessedwith thatstupid cardanyways?Itsagag for anelementaryschoolfield

day

Becausenowmysensorsaregoingoff.

Huh?Whatsthatsupposedtomean?Idontgetyouatall.

YokozawashiftedawayfromKirishima,movingasiftograbhisemptybeercan

butsubsequentlyfoundhisarmspinnedbehindhisback.Tryingtorunaway,are

we?

Iamnot!Iwastryingtogetmybeerisall!

Fessup.


5/11

No.Way.

IfyoudontImafraidIllhavetokissitoutofyou.

WhatthehellkindofthreatisthTwistingaroundinastonishmentathowmuch

theysoundedlikeaflirtycouplejustnow,Yokozawaquicklyfoundhislipscaptured

justasKirishimahadsworn.Hisbreathwastakenawaybythekissashislipswere

practicallymolested.Whatareyoudoing?

I just assumed that not confessing was your way of saying you wanted to be

kissed.

Dontjustmakeyourownassumptionslikethat!

Didyounotlikeit?

Thatsnotsomethingyoudoouthereintheopen.Itwasonethingiftheydbeenin

Kirishimasbedroombutthiswasthelivingroomwheretheysharedmealsand

played with Hiyori. He didnt want to associate anything other than a normal,

everydayatmospherewiththisplace.

Ah~itsfine.Hiyorifallsasleepquick.

Itsnotfine.Itsimportanttomakedistinctionsinthistypeofsituation.Maybeitd

be fine tonightbut you never know when something might go wrong in the

future.

Yousurearehard-headedwhenitcomestostufflikethisthoughIgottasayIlove

thataboutyou.

.

Justashewaswonderingifheshouldshyawayfromthelipsthathaddrawnclose

again,though,Hiyorisvoicedriftedin:Papa!

.?! Yokozawa torehimself away fromKirishima just astheir lipshad been

abouttobrush.Fortunately,theydbeennearlysittingonthefloorbynowandhad

thusbeenshieldedfromviewbythesofa,sotherewasnowayHiyorihadspotted

them.


6/11

AstarkcontrasttoYokozawa,whowastryingtokeephisheartfromfeelingasifit

wereabouttoleapfromhisthroat,Kirishimapastedonacool,unruffledexpression.

Whatsup?

Fidgetingwithherself,HiyoriapproachedKirishima,whodslowlysituatedhimself

backsittingproperlyonthesofa.UmmdoyouthinkyoucangetapictureofYuki-

chanfromthevideowetook?

Sureshe should just call usup tomorrowand letmeknowwhere to grab the

image.Illteachyouhowtousethecamerassoftware.

Yay!Thanks,Papa!IlltextYuki-chanandletherknow,then!Gnightyoutwo!Her

worriesdispelled,Hiyoriflashedthemabrightsmileandreturnedtoherroom.

Yokozawareleasedthebreathhedbeenholdingatthesuddeninterruptionandfelt

thetensionflowfromhisbody.Hefeltasifhedjustlostagoodtenyearsoffhislife

fromthepastfiveminutes.

Whew,thatwasacloseone~

YokozawatossedaglaretowardsKirishima,whodespitehiswordsdidntseemto

befeelingonebitworriedintheleast.Dontgivemethatcloseoneshit.ThatswhyI

said we cant do that kind of thing out here! He kept his complaints toa softer

registertoensurethatHiyorididntoverhearthem.

At this, Kirishima crouched low to bring his face closer to Yokozawas, offering

almostinawhisper,Youweretotallyupforit,though.

Whowas!Buthisvisionblurredwhenheadmittedtohimselfthattheaccusation

wasnot entirely unfounded. If hed truly not wanted it, he could have easily

protestedmuchmorefiercely.

So?Shallwecontinuewhereweleftoff?

Likehell!Yokozawasnapped,tonesharp,andshruggedoffthehandKirishimahadlaidonhisshoulder.

Allrightthen,thatconcludesthismonthsprint-rundecisionmeeting.Thankyou

verymuch,andIlookforwardtoseeingyouallagainnextmonth.


7/11

AsYokozawacalled themeeting to a close, all members present rose from their

seats to leave. Todaysmeeting had woundupgoing relatively smoothly, ending

withlittleinthewayoftroublesorissues.

Castingaglancedownathiswatch,Yokozawanotedthattheydfinishedremarkably

early.Withthis,hecouldnowbeassuredofachanceto talk,andheglancedoverat

Kirishima,whowasseateddiagonallyacrossfromhim.

!

ButeventhoughtypicallyKirishimawouldbetheonetomeethiseyesandstareat

Yokozawauntilhegrewuncomfortableandturnedaway,thistimeitwas Kirishima

who firstavertedhis gazeadding insult to injury bydartingout of themeeting

roomwithanincomprehensiblebitterexpression.

Shit,hegotaway

Didyousaysomething?AtYokozawasmutteredcurse,Henmiseatedathisside

turnedapuzzledfaceupathim.

Justtalkingtomyself.Canyoutakecareoftherestonyourown?

Well,yes,butareyougoingsomewhere?

Yeah,sorry;takethesedocumentsandheadonbackwithoutme.Andwiththat

vagueexcuse,hestoodinplaceandmovedtochasedownKirishima.Whatthehell

ishisproblem

Kirishimadbeenactingstrangeallmorning.Hedtakeeveryopportunityhehadto

glanceoveratYokozawabuthehadntoncemadeamovetoactuallycomearound

and bother him inperson.Yokozawahad hoped that,with the meeting finished,

theydfinallyhaveachancetotalk,buttheguyhadonceagaingivenhimtheslip.

Shuffling down the hallwaypastseveral othercoworkers, hefinally caught upto

Kirishima,standingaloneinfrontoftheelevator.Oi!

Kirishimaturnedaroundathisvoice,buthisusualsmilewasnowheretobeseen.

Hm?Whatisit?Itwasaltogetherquiteunsettling.

Weneedtotalk.


8/11

Thencanitwait?Ivegotplansrightnow.

Yokozawa felt a pang of irritation rise up within him at the way Kirishima

purposefullyglanceddownathiswatch.Themeetingfinishedearly;surelyyouve

gotatleasttenminutesfree.

IjustrememberedsomethingIhadtodo,so

Givemeabreakgetinhere.Andbeforeanyonecouldtrytostopthem,heshoved

Kirishima into the nearest freemeeting room.Shuttingthedoorbehindthem,he

placedhimselfdirectlyinfrontofitsoKirishimacouldntrunaway.

Whatthehellareyoubeingallpushyfor?

Thatsmyline!YouvebeenavoidingmeallmorningDidIdosomething?

Thatswhathedbeenworriedabout,really.Heknewhehadanadmittedlyrather

curtwayofspeakingandcouldeasilyhurtsomeonewithoutrealizingit.Itwasnt

impossiblethathedsaidsomethingunthinkinglyhurtful.

Ino,itsitsnotlikethatAsYokozawastaredathim,Kirishimasfacemelted

intothesameuncomfortableexpressionhedwornearlier,andheavertedhisgaze.

Yokozawahadlearnedthat,wheneverKirishimafeltcornered,healwaystendedto

turn his eyes just up and to the sidethis meant he was hiding something.

Confirmingthisnow,hecontinuedtopresshiscase:Thenwhatisitlike?

Justits nothing you need to worry about, okay? In fact, Id say its my own

problem

Whythehellwouldyouneedtoavoidmebecausesomethingswrongwithyou?

Icantreallyexplainitrightnow.Kirishimascageywayofmakingexcuseswas

really starting to wear on Yokozawa. If hed done something wrong, he really

wouldvepreferredtheguyjustcomeoutandsaysoalready.

Arentyouaregulargeniusatquibblingoverstupidthings?

Heydontcallitquibbling.Callitmakingmycase,emphatically.Andanyways,

its really nothing. But, Ill come out and say this in advance: I didnt do it on


9/11

purpose.Ijusthappenedtoseeit,isall.Hecontinuedtodancearoundthepointof

theconversation,offeringnothingbutexcuses.

Finally, Yokozawa could take the irritation nomore, and he raised his voice, If

youvegotsomethingtosay,justspititout!

Im sorry! I really didnt mean to see it! Kirishima suddenly pressed his palms

together in front of his face, in a clearly apologetic gesture. Butjust being

apologizedtodidabsolutelynothingtoclearupthereason.

Istilldontunderstandwhatyouresorryforthough.

Itsthatdamnedcard,fromtheFieldDayevent,hefinallymuttered,butfailedto

expoundanyfurther.

Card?

Youknow:whenyouranformeinthatrace.

WhatraceareyouAh!Andnow,hefinallyunderstoodwhatthiswholeapology

thing was about. At Hiyoris Field Day, Yokozawa had run the Pick-up Race in

Kirishimasplaceasherguardian.ItseemedthatKirishimahadsomehowseenwhat

waswrittenonthecardYokozawahadpickedupinthatrace.Theydrefusedtotell

Kirishima what was written on the card, meaning to keep it a secret between

YokozawaandHiyori,but

When I went to bring Hiyoris folded laundry into her room, it fell off of her

bookshelf onaccident. Itwas only after I picked itup that I realized itwas that

card.Hewasprobablybabblinglikeacriminalconfessingtoacrimehehadnteven

beenaccusedofoutofsheerguilt.ImeanIseriouslythoughtitjustsaidfamilyor

something!Ineverwouldveexpectedthattobewrittenonit

.

ThefactthathewasbeingsoimplicitinhismannerofspeakingmeantthathedfiguredoutwhatitmeantthathedbeenthefirstpersonYokozawalookedtoupon

seeingthewordonthecard:YourMostImportantPerson.Thinkingbackoniteven

now,hisunthinkingactionhadbeendownrightembarrassing.

YokozawaopenedhismouthtosayhispiecebeforeKirishimainevitablystartedto

teasehimforitbutwhenhelookedup,herealizedKirishimawasblushing.Inan


10/11

efforttoshakeofftheawkwardatmosphere,heranahandthroughhishair.Geez,

whatreyougettingallred-facedfor?

No,itsjustIcantreallylookyouinthefacerightnow.

Huh?

Icanthelpit!Ineverwouldveimaginedyoudthinksomethinglikethatisall

WhatreyouSeeingKirishimagetallworkedupoverthiswholethingwoundup

makingYokozawasownfaceslowlyheatup.Itseemedfeelinguncharacteristically

embarrassedathisactionshadrenderedKirishimaunabletolookYokozawasquare

on.

Undernormalcircumstances,thiswouldvebeenthepointwhereYokozawaoffered

himaswiftrejectionwith, Whatthehellareyoudoingspoutingshitthatdoesntsuit

you?,butperhapsKirishimasembarrassmentwascontagious,forhefoundhimself

unabletoformwordsjustatthemoment.

Atalossforwhattosay,thepairjuststareddownattheirfeetinmutualsilence

andtheonetobreakthisuncomfortableatmospherebetweenthemturnedouttobe

atactlesslittleinterloper.

Ohthereyouare,Yokozawa-san!

HeHenmi

It seemedHenmihad takennonotice of the strangeatmosphere permeating the

meetingroomandcontinuedtobabblealongathisownspeed.Ivebeenlookingall

overforyou!Ineededtoaskyouabouttheeh?Whatreyoudoinginhere?Both

yourfacesareflushedthethermostatisntbroken,isit?

Itsnothing.Letsgo,Henmi!

Eh?Wawait!Iwastheonewhocametofindyou!

ThistimeitwasYokozawasturntoturntailandrun,andhequicklyslippedoutof

themeetingroom.

Hisracingheartwasunlikelytobequietedanytimesoon.


11/11

~THEEND~

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Yokozawa_no_baai - Short Story