Chapter 84 Chapter 84 IF Line: Childhood Sweethearts (4)…
After the exchange student program is over, it is time to prepare for the high school entrance exam.
I also have to prepare for the drama club's farewell performance before graduation.
Momozawa Airi lives a busy life every day.
Although I would make appointments with Jinpei Matsuda and Kenji Hagiwara to meet, it was always difficult to get them together, so the gatherings always ended in failure.
So I chose to communicate via text messages regardless of time and place.
When Momozawa Airi and Hagiwara Kenji sent messages, their tone and mood were no different from the attitude they have when drinking a glass of water in the morning.
Natural and relaxed.
[Kenji Hagiwara: We have a basketball game today> < ]
【Momozawa Airi: Did we win?】
[Hagihara Kenji: Of course I win! ]
[Hagiwara Kenji: However, Jinpei's arm scraped against the ground and got hurt a bit.]
【Momozawa Airi: Eh】
She was startled and quickly created a new text message.
His fingertips remained on the keys for a long time without any further movement.
“…”
Momozawa Airi looked at the empty screen melancholy, not knowing what to post.
It seemed like since some time ago, she became more and more unnatural when communicating with Jinpei Matsuda.
I always can't help but look through the previous text message records, and imagine the corresponding tone of Matsuda Jinpei in my mind.
Momozawa Airi pursed her lips and hesitated for a while, carefully editing the text message.
[Momozawa Airi: I just happened to see this in a book—]
She searched for information everywhere and listed a lot of little knowledge about injuries in a roundabout way.
For example, a sprain.
For example, frostbite.
…
Finally, Momozawa Airi wrote cryptically:
[Momozawa Airi: Finally, if you have a scratch, it's best to xxxx first, then xxxxx, try to avoid xxxxxx, and then use medication xxxxxxxxx.]
This one is the most detailed.
[Momozawa Airi: I think this is all very useful knowledge, so I'm sharing it with you.]
【Momozawa Airi: I just happened to see it.】
By the way, he added a sentence to cover up the truth.
After sending the message with some trepidation, Momozawa Airi turned the phone upside down and pretended to be calm as she continued to do her homework.
Write and write.
Write and write.
She has already written three letters, why hasn’t Jinpei Matsuda replied to her message yet?!
When Momozawa Airi wrote the sixth letter with puffed cheeks, her phone beeped.
She paused, suppressed her inexplicably accelerated heartbeat, and picked up the phone slowly on purpose.
【Matsuda Jinpei: It is indeed useful】
Momozawa Airi: "..."
She first breathed a sigh of relief - because the other party did not notice her little thoughts.
But I also feel a little unhappy - because the other party didn't notice my little thoughts.
Momozawa Airi: "…………"
What happened to her!!
Momozawa Airi bit her lip, put down the pen in her hand, and was about to continue replying to the message when her phone beeped again.
Jinpei Matsuda: We won the basketball game today.
Momozawa Airi was in a state of confusion.
What does he mean by posting this?
Is it simply about sharing the victory?
Or did you see through her little thoughts?
…
Momozawa Airi thought about it for a long time, but became increasingly confused. She slammed her phone on the table in despair and rubbed her face with her palms.
...Why is she so nervous?
Isn't it just about asking about your childhood sweetheart's injury? Why not just ask directly?
Momozawa Airi still couldn't figure it out.
She thought it must be because she had done too much homework and her brain was confused.
...the homework's fault.
…
Looking at his phone with no new text messages, Jinpei Matsuda raised his hand to support his chin in annoyance.
What does she mean by this?
Is it simply sharing new knowledge?
Or do you know that he got bruised playing basketball?
How did you know this? Did you ask Hagi specifically? Or did Hagi tell you on her own initiative?
…
Jinpei Matsuda couldn't figure it out and was too lazy to think about it anymore.
He never had any scruples and chose to attack directly.
“…”
Jinpei Matsuda leaned on the legs of his chair and continued typing nonchalantly.
[Matsuda Jinpei: Are you concerned about me?]
The moment the message is sent successfully, a new message appears on the screen almost simultaneously.
[Momozawa Airi: How is your injury? Does it hurt?]
The chair legs fell to the ground with a thud.
Matsuda Jinpei, who had just finished taking medicine at the infirmary and whose pain had not yet subsided, suddenly felt in a good mood.
…
Time passes by little by little.
Momozawa Airi discovered with melancholy that the subtle atmosphere between her and Matsuda Jinpei had not dissipated with the passage of time.
Instead, it becomes increasingly subtle.
Staring at the text message page, she sometimes felt that she was just overthinking it.
It's normal for childhood sweethearts to care about and take care of each other.
But she always felt like something was wrong.
“…”
Momozawa Airi sighed and decided to leave it alone.
Maybe one day you will understand it naturally.
*
Momozawa Airi accidentally fell asleep while riding the train.
When I woke up, I found that I had missed many stops.
Momozawa Airi: "..."
The ride home took a long time, and by then it was almost time for lunch.
She is a little hungry.
After calling her grandmother, Momozawa Airi left the station in a depressed mood.
There was a shopping mall near the station, and she decided to go there to eat something first.
Momozawa Airi stared at the station name for a while.
...and actually sat so far away.
Near the Matsuda Jinhei family.
“…”
When she thought of this name, Momozawa Airi's heart moved, and she raised her hand to tidy her hair in an attempt to hide her feelings.
It's been a while since I've seen Jinpei Matsuda.
After this busy period, we can go out and play together.
Momozawa Airi looked at the road signs and decided to take a shortcut to the mall - walking along the viewing path by the lake in the park would save a lot of time.
I'm so hungry.
Momozawa Airi walked slowly and felt that the sky seemed a little gloomy.
...Is it going to rain soon?
She was lost in thought while thinking about what to eat later.
How about the pork cutlet rice I had with Jinpei Matsuda before...? Or the ramen I had with Jinpei Matsuda... hmm... or takoyaki?
After thinking for a long time, Momozawa Airi realized dryly that many of the delicious foods nearby had been eaten by her and Matsuda Jinpei.
“…”
Momozawa Airi licked the corner of her lips and felt that subtle emotion surge up in her heart again.
Before she could figure out what was going on, the road turned a corner and the person who had just appeared in her thoughts suddenly appeared in front of her.
Jinpei Matsuda.
He leaned on the railing, supporting his chin nonchalantly, as if taking a rest.
Before Airi Momozawa could be shocked by this unexpected encounter——
She was even more surprised to see Jinpei Matsuda in person, whom she hadn't seen for a long time.
Tall and muscular.
Even in ordinary casual clothes, he looks very handsome.
Matsuda Jinpei has grown a lot.
Familiar curly hair and lazy look.
The contours of his eyebrows and eyes became increasingly clear, his childishness almost completely disappeared, and he slowly revealed a bit of unbridled youthfulness.
...There's a huge difference since the last time we met.
Momozawa Airi stood there in a daze.
Perhaps her gaze was too obvious, and Matsuda Jinpei, who was not far away, turned his head without warning and met her gaze accurately.
He paused and stood up straight.
The originally sloppy standing posture instantly became upright.
When he stood up straight, he looked taller.
Momozawa Airi blinked, then waved her hand woodenly: "...Hi."
Until Jinpei Matsuda walked up to her, Momozawa Airi was still immersed in her memories.
...So tall, is he taking hormones?
It's just a little while since we last met—
Momozawa Airi silently calculated in her mind and found that it seemed that the time they hadn't seen each other was a bit long.
All right.
Matsuda Jinpei stood in front of her and looked down at her: "Why are you here?"
Momozawa Airi was a little dazed: "I missed my stop..."
The atmosphere is still very subtle.
She asked politely, "What about you?"
Matsuda Jinpei: "...I just finished my school assignment to volunteer at the park."
The tone is casual.
Airi Momozawa: “Oh.”
The atmosphere became increasingly subtle.
*
Before we could finish our conversation, raindrops suddenly began to fall.
The gloomy sky finally started to rain.
There is even a trend of getting worse and worse.
Momozawa Airi didn't bring an umbrella, and she covered her head with her hands in a panic: "Let's go take shelter from the rain--"
The area around here is full of park green belts, and looking around, there seems to be no place to hide from the rain.
Hmm, are we going to rush to the street like this...? Then I'll get soaked...
Momozawa Airi lowered her eyes in confusion, and suddenly felt that the raindrops falling on her body were a little smaller.
Jinpei Matsuda had taken off his coat at some point and was holding it up like a cloak to cover their heads.
"...Run out with me?"
Although it was a question, he didn't seem to have any doubts in his heart.
——After all, it is near Matsuda Jinpei’s house, so he must be familiar with the road conditions.
Thinking of this, Momozawa Airi nodded repeatedly: "Yeah, yeah."
She decisively approached Jinpei Matsuda and reached out to grab the corner of his clothes.
"I...I'm afraid I can't keep up with your running speed."
Momozawa Airi explained quietly.
“…”
Matsuda Jinpei looked at her, and without further explanation, he put his arm around her shoulders and held up her coat with his other hand.
So we started moving towards a place where we could shelter from the rain.
There were few people in the park, and even after running for a long time, Momozawa Airi didn't see many other people.
It was as if only she and Jinpei Matsuda were left.
Let's hide under this coat together.
The subtle emotions that had just been washed away by the heavy rain slowly crept into her heart again.
The palm of the hand on her shoulder was a little warm, as if it could penetrate the thin shirt and reach her heart directly.
And on the cheeks.
The splashing water droplets when stepping over the puddles on the ground made her calves feel a little cold, but Momozawa Airi had no time to care.
She felt her face getting hotter and hotter.
It's not like we haven't had experiences of being close to each other before - like watching cartoons or playing chess together.
But Momozawa Airi felt that this approach was a little different.
She could clearly smell the faint minty scent emanating from Jinpei Matsuda's body, and could also feel the smooth muscle lines of the arm that was wrapped around her.
Jinpei Matsuda was much taller than her and could almost hold her in his arms.
Momozawa Airi quietly raised her eyes and looked at the profile of Matsuda Jinpei.
He led her forward with ease, looking straight ahead as if he was watching the road.
Suddenly, without warning, those blue eyes looked towards her: "Why are you staring at me? Watch the road."
They suddenly looked at each other.
A hint of unnatural emotion flashed across Jinpei Matsuda's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.
The dripping rain masked his somewhat unnatural tone.
"Be careful, if you slip you'll cry."
The hand exerted a little force, and Momozawa Airi felt herself being hugged even tighter.
Jinpei Matsuda was the first to look away and continued to stare ahead.
“…It’s not so easy to fall this way.”
He explained in a way that made things more obvious, and a faint red turned to his ears.
"If you fall, I'll fall too." Momozawa Airi retorted instinctively.
"I'm not stupid." Matsuda Jinpei complained.
In an instant, the subtle atmosphere seemed to disappear.
Back to the way we were getting along before.
Momozawa Airi puffed out her cheeks and stared blankly at Matsuda Jinpei's profile.
Her childhood sweetheart.
Although many features remain the same...
but--
He seems to have really grown up.
*
The place where Matsuda Jinpei took her to shelter from the rain happened to be that shopping mall.
“…This is the closest.”
When he entered the room, Jinpei Matsuda explained in a natural tone.
Momozawa Airi let out an "oh" and watched him shake the water off his coat.
Although Jinpei Matsuda's coat was big, the rain was also heavy.
She was fine, almost being protected in Matsuda Jinpei's arms, only some water was on the ends of her hair and calves.
Matsuda Jinpei got wet much more than her.
Curls, cheeks, arms...
The white shirt he was wearing underneath was also quite wet.
Momozawa Airi didn't know where to look, so she could only lower her head, trying to hide her mistake, and stared at her toes in a daze, feeling a little awkward.
It was not until Jinpei Matsuda's coat stopped dripping like rain that Airi Momozawa seemed to have finally mustered up the courage, raised her head, and took out a tissue from her bag.
"...Wipe it off."
Matsuda Jinpei responded, took her tissue, casually wiped the water droplets on his cheeks, and then did nothing else.
"...That's it?" Momozawa Airi's eyes widened. "You'll catch a cold!"
She didn't bother to think about anything else, and just picked up a new tissue and helped Matsuda Jinpei wipe it directly.
First, the curls.
Momozawa Airi had to stand on tiptoe to reach his hair.
"You can't neglect your health like this, Zhen Ping."
Momozawa Airi said earnestly.
"Even if you are tall and muscular now, if you don't take care of your health when you are young, you will still be weak in the future."
Matsuda Jinpei: “…”
He paused, then calmly lowered his head to allow the other person to get closer.
Jinpei Matsuda lowered his eyes and looked at the girl who was approaching him.
She helped him wipe the water droplets without distraction, her deer-like eyes full of serious emotions.
I have already started wiping the water droplets from my cheeks.
Momozawa Airi seemed to be babble about some health knowledge, but Matsuda Jinpei seemed to have all his attention focused on his own face.
The soft tissue gently wiped the water droplets from his face.
The cool fingertips brushed against his skin carelessly.
“…”
Jinpei Matsuda lowered his head a little more.
Momozawa Airi diligently wiped the water marks above his neck, pursed her lips, and stuffed the remaining tissues into his hands: "...Wipe some of that on your clothes, too."
She turned her back and pretended to study the guide signs in the mall.
The rustling sound lasted for a while and then stopped.
The minty scent surrounded her again, with a faint sense of oppression.
Matsuda Jinpei stood behind her and suddenly asked, "Want to have lunch together?"
The sound came from above.
It was no longer coming from an almost level position as before.
Momozawa Airi paused, entwining their fingers.
"OK."
My childhood sweetheart has really grown up.
…
When they parted at the tram station, Momozawa Airi was about to enter the station when she suddenly heard Matsuda Jinpei calling her from behind.
"Airi."
For some reason, Jinpei Matsuda rarely called her by her name before, and always used some strange nicknames instead.
For example, "eh".
For example, "idiot".
For example, "crybaby".
Hearing her name coming out of the other person's mouth, Momozawa Airi suddenly felt dazed.
"What's the matter?"
She turned around.
"...Will you go to xx High School?"
It is a school with a high admission rate.
It was about the same distance from her home, Matsuda Jinpei's home, and Hagiwara Kenji's home, and was originally in her target.
Looking at the somewhat familiar expression on Matsuda Jinpei's face, Momozawa Airi seemed to realize something and slowly smiled.
"Please take care of me in advance."
"Matsuda-san."
*
Momozawa, Matsuda, and Hagiwara became real high school classmates.
Momozawa Airi is very happy to be in the same school with her good friends.
During my first swimming lesson.
Momozawa Airi changed into her swimsuit with some trepidation and looked in the mirror.
Feels... pretty cute?
She walked out of the women's locker room and prepared to go to the swimming pool.
“…”
Oh, I forgot to bring my swimming cap.
She paused, turned around again, and planned to go back to the locker room to get her swimming cap.
The moment he turned around, Jinpei Matsuda just came out of the men's locker room.
“…”
…
Momozawa Airi returned to the swimming pool and did warm-up exercises under the guidance of the teacher.
She was bored as she exercised while looking around, hoping to accidentally catch a glimpse of... Jinpei Matsuda.
Glancing for a long time.
Nothing happened.
I didn't see anything.
Momozawa Airi: "?"
Just as she entered the water, Kenji Hagiwara happened to swim past her.
Momozawa Airi: "Kenji, Kenji, where is Jinpei?"
Kenji Hagiwara: "He just had a nosebleed for no apparent reason and was taken to the infirmary by the teacher. He is forbidden to go in the water."
Momozawa Airi: "?"
She blinked, a little confused.
Summer... getting hot?
After school that day, she was very considerate and asked about her childhood sweetheart's health.
The result was only an angry sentence -
“…Nothing!!”
"Huh? Then why did you suddenly start bleeding from the nose?"
“…I hit a wall.”
"?"
…
As time passed in high school, Momozawa Airi felt that the subtle atmosphere between her and Matsuda Jinpei had entered a new stage.
After being caught staring blankly at Jinpei Matsuda's profile for the sixtieth time, Momozawa Airi felt that something was wrong with her.
Something is wrong.
It seemed that she might, maybe even probably, have fallen in love with her childhood sweetheart... one of her childhood sweethearts.
Kenji Hagiwara went to attend a social gathering, so today only she and Jinpei Matsuda left school together.
They took a narrow path through the park, and it was very quiet everywhere.
The setting sun cast a warm golden outline on Jinpei Matsuda's profile.
Very beautiful.
So I couldn't help but peek.
“I…I…”
Faced with Matsuda Jinpei's nonchalant teasing tone, Momozawa Airi stammered for a long time, and suddenly an idea came to her.
"How did you know I was looking at you?! Have you been peeking at me?!"
Jinpei Matsuda, who had just been complaining at full speed, suddenly fell silent.
After a moment, he seemed to have regained his voice and retorted in a way that made it even more obvious: "...What are you talking about!!"
Her cheeks were quietly flushed, blending with the light of the setting sun, making it difficult to distinguish.
Momozawa Airi blushed, her eyes wandered, and finally slowly fixed on Matsuda Jinpei.
“I…I…”
After saying "I" for a long time without any context, Momozawa Airi was still stuck and didn't know what to say.
She stared at Jinpei Matsuda intently, and suddenly felt as if there was no need to say anything at this moment.
…
The trails in the park are peaceful.
The backs of the hands touch the ground loosely.
Momozawa Airi was the first to extend her fingertips and gently touched Matsuda Jinpei's fingertips.
Almost the moment they touched, she felt her fingertips being grabbed.
First, the tip of a finger.
Then the fingers intertwined.
In the end, the whole hand was held by Jinpei Matsuda.
"When did you start liking me?"
"yesterday."
"?"
"today."
“???”
"tomorrow."
“???”
"A long time ago."
"What are you talking about, Zhen Ping! What time is it?!"
"you guess."
Matsuda Jinpei chuckled and didn't answer the question.
Momozawa Airi hesitated for a moment, then suddenly realized: "Ah! Did you have a runny nose earlier? Uh-huh-huh--"
The mouth was covered ruthlessly.
Matsuda Jinpei gritted his teeth and said, "Stop talking nonsense."
Momozawa Airi struggled for a long time and regained her freedom: "I want to say it, I want to say it, you were mmmmmmm before——"
Covered again.
Matsuda Jinpei said expressionlessly: "If you say that again I'll kiss you."
Momozawa Airi fell silent.
There was silence for a moment.
Momozawa Airi blinked. "But Jinpei, you look like you don't know how to kiss at all."
Matsuda Jinpei: “?”
…
As it turned out, he really wasn't very good at it.
Momozawa Airi said calmly, "Great! Jinpei, this is just a simple lip balm."
Matsuda Jinpei: “…”
Momozawa Airi shook her head repeatedly: "Tsk tsk tsk."
Matsuda Jinpei: “…………”
Momozawa Airi continued, "I don't see it like that in TV dramas."
Matsuda Jinpei: “………………”
Momozawa Airi: "I feel... uh...uh...uh..."
The crazy mocking Airi Momozawa got into trouble.
…
As childhood sweethearts for many years, they are naturally very familiar with each other.
They can know each other's emotions and states almost through just a little bit of body movement or expression.
It didn't take long for the young Jinpei Matsuda to master the technique. He gently pinched Momozawa Airi's chin, almost trapping her in front of him.
Momozawa Airi closed her eyes.
She could feel the light of the setting sun.
Can hear birds singing in the park.
I could feel Jinpei Matsuda's warm, rapid breathing.
I can still feel—
Jinpei Matsuda was very happy at this time.
She too.
…
"Ahhhhhhh Jinpei, why did we waste so much time kissing?! We're going to miss that train!"
"Tsk, then let's run together later."
"? Wait a minute? Now isn't it uh uh uh…"
…
The two shadows holding hands were stretched by the setting sun and clearly reflected on the ground.
"See you tomorrow, Zhen Ping."
"Yeah, see you tomorrow."
…
We also want to walk long distances together and go to many places.
——Spent yesterday with each other.
today.
They still have many tomorrows to look forward to.
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