Chapter 68 Fleeting Days
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
At university, freshman guidance ended, and lectures finally began.
As I walked into the classroom, Fujita-san and her group were clustered together. They waved at me, which instantly made me the center of attention (sweat).
As I took an empty seat, the guy next to me asked, “What’s your deal with those four?”
”We were in the same group for the bus hike²,” I replied.
”Man, it’s impressive you got so close to four girls right after starting school,” the guy said.
”It was just a coincidence,” I said.
”I should’ve gone on that hike. I went to an all-boys high school, so I don’t really know how to talk to girls. You’ll have to teach me sometime. I’m Sasaki Shota. Nice to meet you,” he said.
”I’m Inamori Hirokazu. Nice to meet you,” I replied.
When the lecture ended, the four girls approached me.
”Inamori-kun, let’s head to the next lecture,” one of them said.
Sasaki-kun watched us leave, looking completely dumbfounded. I had received a message in the group chat saying they decided to take the same lectures as me, but I really wished they wouldn’t stand out so much.
That day during lunch break, I visited the office of Professor Matsunaga, a friend of Watanabe-sensei, to introduce myself.
”I’m Inamori Hirokazu. Watanabe-sensei introduced us, so I came to pay my respects,” I said.
”I’ve heard about you from Watanabe-san. Thanks for coming all this way,” Professor Matsunaga replied.
”I’m sure I’ll be in your debt in many ways, so I look forward to working with you,” I said.
”Katayama, this is an acquaintance of Watanabe-kun. He’s aiming to be a lawyer, so give him some advice when he needs it,” the professor said.
”Pleased to meet you,” Katayama said.
Katayama-san was apparently a researcher in Professor Matsunaga’s lab. I felt the circle of my connections gradually expanding.
On the other hand, perhaps because I dangled a carrot in front of her, Kotoha-chan had become a diligent student.
”Hirokazu, how do I solve this one?” she asked.
”If you apply this formula, it’s easy to solve,” I replied.
”Hirokazu, I don’t get this geometry problem,” she said.
”If you draw an auxiliary line here, what happens?” I asked.
”Ahhh, I see!” she exclaimed.
However, she still addressed me without honorifics and kept provoking me with her short skirts.
”What color are your panties today?” I asked, matching her tone.
”Wanna see them?” Kotoha-chan replied.
I usually just ignore her.
”Are you holding back?” she teased.
”There’s no need to hold back,” I replied.
I’m constantly being jerked around by Kotoha-chan, but Watanabe-sensei’s wife is delighted that she has changed.
”Lately, Kotoha has been talking a lot about school. My husband is very happy too. I’m so glad we asked you to be her home tutor, Inamori-kun,” she said.
”I was the same way, but it’s likely just a temporary phase. She’s a good, honest girl at heart,” I replied.
Her motivation might be impure, but there’s no doubt she’s honest. If both the wife and Watanabe-sensei are happy, I should be glad, but the thought of Kotoha-chan actually making it into the top ten makes my heart feel heavy.
Just as I was starting to feel depressed, I got a call from Mitsuhiko.
”Do you have the contact info for Saki-chan or Asami-chan?” he asked.
”What’s this all of a sudden?” I asked.
”I might be able to play in the next match,” he said.
”And?” I asked.
”Saki-chan and Asami-chan said they wanted to come cheer me on, so I thought I’d invite them, but I didn’t get their contact info,” Mitsuhiko explained.
I suspected they were just being polite, but…
”Why don’t you just ask Emilia? Those two are her friends,” I suggested.
Mitsuhiko and Emilia had already exchanged contact info.
”Oh, right. I can just ask Emilia. Got it. Thanks!” he said.
Has this guy, who used to be all about baseball, started getting interested in girls because of Yuzuki?
”What happened?” Manami asked.
”Mitsuhiko might be playing in a match, so he wants to invite Saki-chan and Asami-chan,” I explained.
”He’s one of your few friends, Hirokazu-san, so let’s all go cheer for him!” Manami said.
Manami immediately started tapping away at her smartphone. She was probably inviting them through the group chat.
On the day of Mitsuhiko’s match, Yuzuki couldn’t make it because of her club activities, but I was in the third-base stands surrounded by Manami, Emilia, Saki-chan, and Asami-chan.
Saki-chan and Asami-chan are surprisingly good sports. They had been in the same class as Emilia in their first year. Back then, Emilia, being a hafu¹, had been a bit of an outcast in class, but those two had reached out to her, and they’ve been friends ever since.
Mitsuhiko, who was supposed to be today’s star, wasn’t the starting pitcher, so the four girls were disappointed and watched the game quietly. Except for Manami, the other three didn’t seem to know the rules, so they kept asking me questions.
Mitsuhiko finally came in as a pinch hitter in the top of the seventh with the score tied, one out, and runners on first and second.
”Micchan, do your best!” the girls cheered.
Whether he heard those high-pitched cheers or not, Mitsuhiko put too much power into it, swung and missed three times, and struck out miserably.
In the bottom of that inning, Mitsuhiko took over at third base, but his timely error allowed the opponents to take the lead.
I thought the game would end without him having any good moments, but in the top of the ninth with a one-run deficit, two outs, and runners on first and third, it was Mitsuhiko’s turn at bat again.
”Micchan, do your best!” the girls cheered.
Mitsuhiko seemed to hear the four girls’ cheers; he stepped out of the box and I think he looked our way. Then, he hit a searing line drive that split right-center for a go-ahead double—but he got too excited, tried for third, and was tagged out. Still, they held the bottom of the inning to zero, and Mitsuhiko’s university won with a comeback. In both a good and bad way, it was the ‘Mitsuhiko Show.’
The four girls wanted to talk to Mitsuhiko, so we decided to wait for the players at the exit. That’s when I spotted Kato-san standing on the opposite side. She seemed to notice me too, gave a small wave, and walked over.
”Who’s that?” one of the girls asked.
”A classmate from university,” I replied.
”Inamori-kun, hello,” Kato-san said.
Being with four other girls made it a bit awkward.
”I’m Manami, Hirokazu-san’s wife. Thank you for always looking after my husband,” Manami said.
Kato-san froze for an instant.
”N-no, I’m the one who relies on him. It’s a pleasure to meet his wife,” Kato-san replied.
It turns out Kato-san has been dating the opposing team’s starting pitcher for two years. Hearing that, Manami’s expression visibly relaxed.
The following week, I entered the classroom for a lecture and saw an empty seat next to Sasaki-kun, so I sat there. Lately, I’ve been hanging out with him often.
After a while, Fujita-san and the other three girls arrived.
”Inamori-kun, were you married? And I heard your wife is as cute as an actress!” one of them exclaimed.
I figured it would get out since I’d run into Kato-san.
”You never asked, so I just didn’t say anything,” I replied.
”Are you serious?!” Sasaki-kun shouted.
”You have a photo, right? Let us see!” Fujita-san demanded.
I showed them a photo of Manami in her wedding dress.
”So cute!” Miura-san said.
”For real, this is crazy,” Takahashi-san added.
”Is she really your wife, Inamori? She’s way too cute!” Sasaki-kun cried.
”Inamori? Is that that Inamori?”
I wasn’t sure which ‘Inamori’ he meant, but a guy sitting nearby called out. His name was Sakakibara Masashi, a student a year older than me who had entered after a gap year. He said he was a ‘court trial enthusiast’ and had actually observed the criminal trial for the traffic accident where my parents died. I had settled before the trial even began and, on Watanabe-sensei’s advice that it would only be painful, I hadn’t attended a single session.
And so, the fact that I had lost my parents in an accident and that I was already married became known to everyone around me.”
—
Summary:
Hirokazu begins his university life, making a new friend in Sasaki-kun while navigating his existing female friend group. He introduces himself to Professor Matsunaga and continues tutoring the provocative Kotoha. A trip to watch Mitsuhiko’s baseball game leads to Hirokazu’s marriage being revealed to his classmate Kato-san. Eventually, the news of his marriage and his tragic past spreads throughout the classroom.
—
Character Insight:
Hirokazu is attempting to maintain a low profile, yet his natural competence and the people drawn to him make that impossible. His marriage to Manami acts as a shield against the romantic advances of others, but it also marks him as an ‘adult’ compared to his peers. The introduction of Sakakibara suggests that Hirokazu’s past is not as buried as he would like, forcing him to confront the public nature of his tragedy.
—
Behind the Scene:
This chapter highlights the contrast between the ‘normal’ university experience Hirokazu seeks and the ‘extraordinary’ life he actually leads as a married man with a tragic backstory. The use of ‘Mitsuhiko Theater’ is a common trope in sports stories where a character fluctuates between failure and heroics.
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T/L:
Notes:
• Fujita – A female university student who was part of the same bus hike group as Hirokazu.
• Sasaki Shota – Hirokazu’s university classmate who went to an all-boys high school and is curious about Hirokazu’s relationships with girls.
• Inamori Hirokazu – The protagonist. He is an only child, born late to doting parents. Their constant attention and anticipation of his needs made him a classic ‘my-pace’ loner who struggles with self-expression. He sees himself as awkward and eccentric, and his aura apparently keeps people away, though his childhood friend thinks he’s a good guy.
• Matsunaga – A professor and friend of Watanabe-sensei.
• Watanabe – The protagonist’s guardian. He is a lawyer who is skilled at dealing with difficult people and has a history with Yabuta’s father.
• Katayama – A researcher in Professor Matsunaga’s lab.
• Kotoha – Junior high school student, middle school 3rd year (short height). Daughter of Watanabe-sensei. Energetic, playful, short hair in a ponytail.
• Mitsuhiko – The protagonist’s childhood friend. Hirokazu’s childhood best friend who attends a different high school known for baseball. He’s a good-natured jock and one of the few people who truly understands Hirokazu.
• Asami – A friend of Emilia who also admires Hirokazu.
• Saki – A friend of Emilia who finds Hirokazu attractive.
• Emilia – A second-year student, biracial (French father, Japanese mother), with white skin, dark brown semi-long hair, modest chest, and hazel eyes. A talented hurdler known as the Snow Princess. Looks like bisque doll.
• Sakakibara Masashi – A student one year older than Hirokazu who enjoys observing court trials.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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