V4Ch1: Closing Distance and Wavering Feelings Part 1

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Translator: Soafp

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A week had passed since Sho and Haru had met.

Since they hadn't exchanged contact information, neither of them made any moves, though they were both aware of each other's existence.

Sunday.

Sho arrived at the park where he had met Haru—Matsuyama Park.

This time, it wasn't by chance. He had a clear intention.

He was concerned about Haru.

On the day they had accidentally met, he had wandered into the park, which had led him to save Haru from being attacked.

Now, a week later, he couldn't help but wonder if she had faced anything similar since then.

(Am I… acting weird? Coming all the way near her house like this… this is starting to feel like stalking…)

After visiting her home on their first meeting, now here he was, wandering near her house without even knowing if he could see her.

He regretted his actions, thinking they weren't normal.

“…No, this is just a walk. A walk. There are young people who take walks in a big park on a nice day, that's just everyday life in Tochigi Prefecture.”

For the past week, Kanto had been under a high-pressure system, bringing consecutive sunny days.
Nikko City, slightly cooler than Utsunomiya by 2–3°C, could be quite chilly in winter—but the air seemed clearer.

Although a bit far from the city center, Matsuyama Park had a large field, tennis courts, and training facilities, making it useful for student camps.

Normally, it was a walking course for elderly locals or people with dogs.

In summer, the park's pool was open.

But in winter, few young people came there.

Even if it was a walking route, it wasn't a popular dating spot—such is the fate of large parks in rural areas.

Sho decided to at least pretend to enjoy Matsuyama Park, walking around the paths without any real purpose.
Peering at houses, sticking to certain areas—it could easily make him look suspicious.

He walked quickly along the long course, slowing down as he approached the vicinity of Haru's house to observe.
This was exactly his intention.

“Well, if nothing happens, I'll just go home. That's all.”

Muttering his own excuses, Sho continued walking.

By the third lap, he noticed nothing unusual at Haru's house.

And he didn't encounter Haru either.

“…Time to go home.”

By the third round near Haru's house, it seemed pointless to keep walking, so Sho decided to leave.

“I'm bored. Walking the same path three times in a row… I should just go somewhere fun by car instead.”

“…Eh!?”

A voice came from behind.

It was the bench where Sho and Haru had been talking, drinks in hand, that day.

“What are you doing?”

There was Haru, trying to suppress a laugh.

“W-When did you…!?”

Seeing Haru, Sho was surprised.

Though his initial goal had been achieved, the way it happened was far from what he expected, and he panicked.

“Since… I've been here all along. I wasn't cooped up at home. Today's weather was nice, so I was just sitting here. Then I saw a familiar face walking around the park over and over—it was so amusing I watched.”

“…………”

Sho's face turned red.

He hadn't noticed at all. Even though he had been concerned about Haru, she hadn't tried to hide; she had been sitting there, quietly observing him.

“You should have called out to me.”

“Well, you looked like you were lost in thought. I didn't want to disturb you.”

In truth, Haru had roughly guessed why Sho had come. Whenever he passed in front of her house, he always looked up at it.

“I wasn't lost in thought…”

“Oh, so that means you were worried about me.”

“Wha—…”

Haru teased him slightly, her heart full of joy.

That day had been a one-day miracle for her.

She had just decided to think of it that way when they met again.

To realize he had come, thinking of her—at that moment, she felt her wish to see him again had been conveyed.

“You were looking up at my house every time you passed by, weren't you?”

“You… you noticed that too?”

Sho's face flushed even more.

“Thanks. For caring about me.”

Deciding that was enough teasing, Haru smiled and expressed her gratitude to Sho.

Blushing, he tried to maintain a calm appearance.

The slightly chilly morning air cooled his cheeks just enough.

“So, tell me… has anything bad happened since?”

“No. Well, if something like that happened several times in one week, I'd get depressed too.”

Haru smiled, reassuring him.

Sho felt relieved, unaware that she had endured harassment almost daily until recently.

“And? You've confirmed I'm safe, so that's your goal accomplished, right? Going home now? Or coming by my house again?”

“Ah…”

Indeed, confirming Haru's safety and hearing that no further trouble had occurred meant Sho's initial goal was accomplished.

No need to wander around the park early in the morning without reason anymore.

But this reunion was too rare to let go.

Sho wanted to hear even a little from Haru.

“Do you want to go out by car for a bit?… Well, only if you don't have plans…”

Haru was startled by Sho's sudden offer.

But she herself had wanted to meet him again, so she had no reason to refuse.

“Are you… hitting on me?”

“N-No, it's not like that… Well, if you don't want to, we can forget I said anything…”

“Don't lie. I'll go. Where are we going?”

“I… didn't really think about it. Is there anywhere you want to go?”

Despite inviting her, Sho hadn't even decided a destination.

Haru couldn't help but laugh.

“Anywhere's fine. Just drive and let's see where we end up. We can stop somewhere if it looks interesting and walk a little.”

…She spoke kindly to Sho.

After all, it was a rare reunion; she didn't want to sulk and spoil it.

“Okay, I'll get the car.”

Sho said this and tried to run toward it.

“No, I'll come with you. Why would you go alone when we're supposed to talk?”

Seeing Sho's clumsiness, Haru couldn't help laughing.

She enjoyed seeing a side of him he hadn't shown on their first meeting.

Although it was sunny, it was still morning.

The slightly chilly park accompanied them as they walked toward the parking lot.

“By the way, you were looking at my house thinking I was cooped up all this time? Without even noticing me right here…”

“Ah, well… that day, you went through that ordeal, right? So I figured you wouldn't want to go outside…”

“Oh, so you were looking out for me, in your own way.”

“Of course I cared. Imagine being shown that scene every time. It's depressing.”

“Dummy, it's even more depressing for the person getting attacked.”

Though exchanging playful insults, they smiled as they spoke.

Sho felt relieved that Haru didn't show the completely hopeless expression she had on their first meeting.

Soon, they arrived at the parking lot.

“That must be your car.”

Haru pointed, and there it was—Sho's car.

Sho was surprised that she had guessed correctly.

“How did you know?”

“Eh?… Just a feeling.”

Indeed, Haru had randomly pointed at one car.

Even she was surprised it turned out to be correct.

“Well, you don't seem the type to obsess over your car. As long as it's convenient enough, that's all you need.”

“…Exactly right. You really notice things.”

Sho genuinely admired her observational skills.

“It's not dirty, but it's not spotless. If that's okay, hop in.”

Sho opened the passenger door for Haru.