Chapter 5

It is still raining outside.

I grabbed my umbrella, sent a text to my mom, and ran to the place Toramasa had told me to go.

I arrived at an apartment near the train station, a short distance from the school. The excitement made me nauseous, but I couldn't care less right now. I was going to Toramasa's house, which did not even appear in the game.

In the game, it was mentioned that Toraya lives alone in an apartment away from his parents. In other words, there is a high possibility that Toramasa is living in this designated apartment.

When I went to the entrance of the apartment, I found Toraga already standing there, dressed in a black jersey.

When I saw him, I stopped running toward the entrance of the apartment.

Think about it,” he said. I had talked to Toraga quite a bit on the phone, right? But it's been a long time since I've actually seen him in person, and when I did see him today, it was only at a glance. Now that I was in front of him, I was getting incredibly nervous. And going to Toraga's room means it's just the two of us, right? I had only been nervous when I went to a family restaurant or to eat pancakes because there were people around us and we were in a restaurant, but now I remembered that we were going to be alone in Toramasa's room and I couldn't move as if I was in a bind.

I couldn't move. I couldn't move my legs. Should I just turn on my heel and go home? No, but it would be extremely disrespectful to Toraya to leave after making him wait for me, and I couldn't do that. But my legs won't move.

Toramasa found me, put away the cell phone he was playing with in his pocket, and approached me.

What are you doing here?

Toramasa spoke to me in a tone of exasperation. But I couldn't reply to his words.

I know, Toraya is beautiful. I know, I know Toraga is beautiful. But now that I have seen her for the first time in a long time, I feel that her beauty is even more enhanced. What's wrong? Why are you so beautiful? Have you tried any beauty treatments? Your skin is so beautiful. Are you producing female hormones? What, wait, is that Toraga looking at me ……? Is it in your eyes? You might say, “I met him before, so what's he saying now?” But I haven't seen him for a while, so my mind is reset.

That means I'm facing Toramasa with a new heart now. Do you understand? It's a situation where my heart could stop at any moment. …… My heart hurts. I don't think I will ever get used to Toraga.

I'm not going to move no matter how long it takes. I didn't speak, and Toraga let out a sigh, grabbed my arm, and dragged me inside the apartment building.

The apartment building is an eight-story building and Toraya's room was on the eighth floor, the top floor.

I have no memory of the elevator ride. I was so shocked that my memory was blown away. It was the first time for me to lose my memory, so you can imagine how upset I was….

I was dragged down the hallway and when I arrived at the door, I was forced into the room.

…Yes, I'm in the shrine …….

This is where Toraga lives. That alone turns this place more important to the world than anything else for me, to the point that I think it should be on the World Heritage List.

I was so moved that I did not even take off my shoes and did a five-step landing on the front porch. I feel sorry to breathe, sorry that I am in this space. That's how much I feel sorry for being in this space.

It is nothing like the pilgrimage to a holy place that I did in this life. This is a sacred place. I'm in a sacred place, OK?

Get your ass in the room.

“I'm afraid I can't go any further than …….”

Okay.

Toramasa, who was getting used to my comments, quickly took off my shoes and grabbed my arms, which were in a five-positioned position, and dragged me across the floor.

I mean, my shoes were taken off by my guess. I'm so upset that my reactions are slowing down. I can't make calm decisions anymore. I mean, it's impossible for me to make a calm decision when I have Toraga in front of me. It's always the same.

The place where I was thrown out was the living room. It was a simple space without many things, just like a model room.

I was lying on the floor and Toramasa walked past me, sat down on the sofa in front of the TV, picked up the remote control, and turned on the TV.

How long are you going to stay like that?

I sat up and sat down on the floor.

Then I dropped my gaze and looked at Toramasa's legs.

What's the matter with me? Toraga is right in front of me! I thought I was supposed to look at him for even one second longer! What a waste! Look at him!

I tried to think to myself, but I couldn't do it. Don't make it sound so easy.

How long do you think it's been since I've seen Toraga in the flesh? It's been so long, it's almost like we've never met before. Nice to meet you.

Seeing Toraga's face? Haha, that would stop your heart! If it were now, I would be confident that even if I have hiccups, they would stop just by seeing Toraga's face.

As I was shrinking down in the room, trying to make my presence as invisible as possible, Toraya spoke to me.

What do you want to eat? Shall we order something? Or do you want to go to the convenience store?

I said, “I don't care.

What do you want to eat?

I'll leave it to you, Mr. Toraga.

I brought my wallet.

I think it will be fine. He grabbed his wallet. I shook my head at his words.

If it had been Heroine, I would have said, “No, you can't eat such unhealthy food! I'll cook it for you. But I didn't have the guts. I can cook well enough from my memories of my previous life, but not well enough to make Toraga eat it.

I'm not good enough to make Toraga eat.

After saying that, Toramasa went to the convenience store by himself.

I heard the front door close, and after being alone in my room for a while, I was finally able to relax a little from the long tension.

I looked around the room again and felt Toramasa in the black space, and I was in agony.

Moreover, the room is filled with the smell of Toraga. It's too hard. My heart is tired. My vocabulary disappears. The sound of comedians' voices coming from the TV made me feel like everyday life, which was a great relief. Thank you comedians. Your presence is certainly helpful to someone.

This is where Toramasa lives…. It's not fake, it's real…. Even the floor I'm sitting on right now is the place where Toraga passed by. Oh my God, what should I do? I want to be the air in this room. I don't care if it's dust. I want to see Toramasa's private life in the shadows.

TV is great when you think about it…. Because I can watch Toraya's private life and have Toraya watch me, right? I'm jealous of that. I'm jealous of TV. I'm jealous of everything in this room.

I want to see the rest of the rooms, but I can't do that. That's not a human thing to do.

I managed to restrain my body from going out of control, and I quietly took a deep breath.

I wanted to fill a can with this air and display it in my room. Like the air in Hawaii or Mt.

Then I would have the air of Toramasa's room in my room, right? Isn't that dangerous? Toramasa is so good at turning even the air into money. It's nothing short of amazing. I think he should be a living national treasure by now.

And I was thinking, of course the things in the room are the things Toramasa uses, right? This is so bad, I'm going to buy the official goods. I have no choice but to buy them.

Clothes, sofa, curtains…they're all official goods. I want to tell all Toraga fans. I want to tell them what Toraga buys and what Toraga uses. And I want to talk about it with passion.

Does Toraga's house have a kitchen and a toilet? That's a human being. You are a human being. No, I am a human being, but I feel again that I am a living human being. My guess is that he is a human being. I want to publish it in a book.

As I looked around the room to memorize what was in this room, I heard the front door open, and I was so surprised that I floated a few centimeters off the floor.

I heard the sound of walking down the hallway and the door connecting the hallway to the living room where I was currently residing was opened. There, of course, stood Toramasa, the landlord of this house.

“Oh, oh, oh, welcome home!

Oh, …….”

I was nervous in front of Toramasa.

I held my racing heart with my hand and managed to squeeze my voice out to speak to him.

The most important thing to remember is that you can't be in front of them, or within arm's reach of them. I'm worried that Toraga's eyes will rot.

I'm not sure what to expect, but I'm sure I'll be able to find something that will help me.

Water. Water, no matter how many times I look at it….

As I looked at the water and Toraya alternately, Toraya smiled and opened his mouth.

I'd rather eat three times.”

I like water…….”

I replied the rest of what Toraya had said. That's what I mean…

Congratulations! The rice I got from my guess was water!

Yeah… that's right… You said that at the time…. I mean, you remembered…. I wish you had forgotten about that, though…. No, water from a guess is the best, isn't it… yes, even if it's a meal with no calories.

As I was about to pick up the water while crying inside, Toraga moved the water away from me a little.

Why! It's my rice! Why do you keep it away from me! It's precious water!

I looked at Toraya with a hopeless look on my face, but he put his hand over his mouth, shook his shoulders, and laughed.

What…what a handsome guy. If I could see the expression on his face, I would forgive him anything. Water? No, it's totally fine. I'm totally fine without anything. My guess's smile gives me energy.

I'm just kidding.”

He said with a laugh, and this time he put pasta, a sandwich, and a rice ball from a convenience store where he had put water earlier.

What? A joke! Was he joking? What a cute joke, I don't know what kind of cute joke that is. I don't know what kind of cute joke that is. That one word just played over a million times in my brain.

Toramasa's joke is the rarest of the rare, SUR…no, super SUR, the level that shines golden, forms a rainbow bridge, blooms into a flower, and comes out after the entire production is over. I got it without paying. That's how I feel.

“Toraga-san is so cute, it's hard to live…”

What's that?

I'm looking at the rice on the table while worshipping Toramasa who is sitting on the sofa.

The most important thing to remember is that you should not be afraid to ask for help. I was wondering if Toraya had a separate one for himself. That means all the rice on the table is for me. No, I can't eat this amount of rice. If there's any left over, I'll take it home.

Thank you for buying it for me. How much was it, Mr. Toraga?

I said as I picked up my bag, which was placed some distance away, with minimal movement, and took out my wallet.

I said, “I don't need it.

Han! Don't want it? What does that mean? Does it mean I don't need the money? Is that right? I can't think of anything else.

No! I will pay! Please let me pay!

I don't want it.

But…!

You're a pain in the ass.

I was afraid that Toraga would get angry if I said any more, so I kept quiet.

I've been bought a drink by my guess. ……. I have never been told that I don't have to pay for something even though I have paid for it. I want to pay but I can't. It's painful…. Do they think I don't have money? …… No, I certainly don't have any money to spare, but I have enough money to pay for what I bought at the convenience store, and when I am told that I don't need to pay, a terrible feeling of apology washes over me.

Do I really have to pay for it?

I glanced at Toraga's face, and his eyes met mine.

Wow…handsome guy….

As I hurriedly averted my gaze, something suddenly touched my head.

No, I knew what it was before I even thought about it. What touched my head was Toraga's big hand.

I apologize for the old expression. But it was the best character to convey my current state of mind.

An inarticulate cry. Blood gathering in my face all at once.

I covered my face with my hands to hide them.

“…Consider it a courtesy call.”

“I'm not thanking you ……, I'm… happy to call you …….”

You're sleeping and you're going to get up and answer the phone.”

It's… more important to Toraga-san than… sleep. ……

I managed to speak at a normal volume, holding back the urge to scream. If I let up even a little bit, I was going to go crazy and go on a rampage with my loud voice. I was talking while trying to calm my breathing, so I sounded like a pervert, but Mr. Toraga responded with his usual through-and-through skills.

I'm just trying to be a nuisance,” he said. Let me buy you a drink.

I'll buy you a drink. Thank you very much, I love you.

It's too bad. My true feelings came out at the end.

But I think I did a pretty good job, even if I say so myself. It was so bad this time that I was glad I only said one word: “I love you. If I had been a predatory girl, I would have pushed him down…. I would have asked you to stop that kind of thoughtless behavior. …… I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to get a hold of her…….

I'm not sure how much I'm going to be able to do with this, but I'm sure I'm going to be able to do it.

After a few moments, when my palpitations and shortness of breath subsided a little, I took off the plastic of the onigiri, trying not to make as much noise as possible, and said, “Itadakimasu. I said in a small voice like a mosquito and ate the onigiri.

I ate the onigiri that Toramasa had bought for me. I bit into each bite and ate it.

I've eaten countless onigiri from convenience stores, but this is the first time in both my previous and current lives that I've ever tasted such a delicious onigiri. It's the best. I am happy.

As I was finishing my onigiri and clasping my hands together in thanksgiving, Toraga spoke to me.

Isn't it hard to sit on the floor?

I'd be lying if I said it wasn't.

Sit down.”

He then pointed to an empty spot on the sofa where he was sitting.

The most important thing is that you should be able to see the difference between the two.

I don't want to die yet!

How can I die?

I don't want to die yet! I'm not going to die yet. I'm so nervous and excited and happy that when I sit next to you, my heart stops. It will stop for sure.

I see.

I'm glad you understand. …… By the way, Toraga-san, why are you standing up…? I'm sorry, but, uh, wait a minute, close, uh, why…?

When I was relieved that my thoughts had been conveyed, Toramasa stood up from the sofa.

Of course, I could not make eye contact with Toraya, so I desperately looked away, confused by this unintelligible situation.

Do you understand? I have a guesser right next to me, you know? I don't understand. I'm scared, scared, scared.

I really thought my heart was going to stop.”

Saying that, Toraga stood up, holding me in his strong arms.

“Geeaaaahhh!

I screamed, and it wasn't my fault. It's …… absolutely. …… I'm sorry neighbors….

Because, mamma, ugh, ugh, my arms! On my body! My guess! My arm! On my waist! Isn't that close to your face? Is it close to your face? Are you okay? Because his face is so close to mine, and he's smiling! I can't do it. I can't do it. If I think about it too much, my brain gets fried. Is this a dream? Am I dreaming right now? My fantasy has become reality. …… Wait a minute, the dream was too much. I'm not sure if I'm dreaming or not, but I'm sure I'm dreaming. I don't get it, I don't get it, I don't get it!

And besides! I grabbed Toraga's arm because he was lifting me up! I mean, I'm sure Toraya thought I was heavy! Because I'm heavy! I weigh differently than the heroine! I know I'm heavy! And yet, you held me so lightly in your arms! Isn't he so manly? Isn't there nothing but elements that make me fall in love with you? How many times do I have to fall in love with Toraga? How many times do I have to prepare myself for death?

Wow, my hands are shaking like crazy…. The shaking is so bad at the level of pulling. My hands are shaking so badly that if I hold a glass of water now, all the water will fall out. And I'm crying. My lacrimal gland is as fragile as tofu when it comes to Toraga, so there's no way I wouldn't cry if he did this to me.

The distance to the sofa is very short, so the time Toraga held me in his arms was not that long. But for me, it felt so long that I could even see the running lights. I really felt that my life was in danger.

When Toraya put me down on the sofa, he laughed out loud. Toraga is laughing at me…… but I almost died. I'm glad you're laughing. It makes me happy, you know? Even a hug is a reward, right? But this kind of thing is really bad for my heart…I've lost 10 years of my life expectancy because of this. …… If you are going to do something like this, you have to tell me in advance…. I want to be informed a week…or even a month in advance that you are going to do it. I want to be prepared….

You didn't die.”

Toraga said happily to me as I was lying on the sofa with my face hidden and no strength to sit up.

I'm going to die…”

Toraya laughed even more when he heard my words. I would like to ask him, but where is the element of laughter in this situation…? I don't know the point of my guess's laughter…. Please tell me….where is it….

A person is dying… it's terrible…

Your reaction is really funny.

What do you think is so funny about his reaction? What do you think is so funny about people's love? I can't do anything but shiver because of what he did to me. Pudding on a plate, huh? No, pudding has the power to heal people's hearts. That's rude to the pudding.

“Ugh, I'm gonna throw up…”

If you're going to throw up, do it in the bathroom.

You're cold… and someone's about to throw up…

Do you want me to rub your back?

“I'm sorry, I'm really going to throw up, it's okay.”

I was stuck in the same position for a while as I was feeling rather serious nausea coming on.

As I lay there with the sound of the cell phone game and the variety show on TV as background music, the nausea subsided considerably and I tried to sneak off the sofa, but a dusky voice came flying out from next door, “Hey! I was about to sneak off the couch when I heard a voice from next door saying, “Hey!

I had no right to get off the couch. So I remained in that lying position for a while watching TV. I didn't even have the energy to get up. To be honest, I feel sorry for such a rude attitude in my guesser's house.

I was watching TV and smiling a little, and then I looked at my watch to see what time it was. The hands were pointing to 8:30 p.m. It seemed that it had been quite a long time. It had been quite a long time.

I sat up and hurriedly got off the sofa and sat down on the floor.

I got off the sofa and sat down on the floor. Thank you very much for today.

As I bowed my head, Toramasa took his eyes off the phone he was playing with and looked at me.

Are you going home?

Yes, I am. I'm sorry for interrupting you for such a long time.

I bowed and stood up, taking the bag I had brought with me.

In the meantime, Toramasa got up from the sofa and went to the front door first.

You're going to see me off to the entrance? Thank you! You're so kind, Toramasa…. If he's so kind, why is everyone so afraid of him? …… Is it because he's a delinquent and often gets into fights? That's scary if you don't know anything about it. It's hard to get close to them.

The most important thing to remember is that the best way to get the most out of your money is to be honest with yourself.

I bowed deeply and opened the front door.

He bowed deeply and was about to open the front door when a hand came out from behind him and opened the front door.

Watts! Did I grow a third hand? No, that can't be right, the kind-hearted Toraga-sama must have opened the door for me. What is this? It's really too kind, I have nothing but a crush. And I'm sorry for bothering you…. I can open a door like that by myself….

I walked through the door Toramasa opened for me with my head bowed like a broken toy, then I turned to Toramasa once more and said, “I'm sorry to bother you. Thank you very much. I was about to say, “Thank you very much for your visit,” when I froze with my mouth open due to the appearance of a black wall in front of me.

I know it is not a wall. I also know what it is in front of me. It was precisely because I knew what it was that I was confused.

“Get it out of the way!”

Yes! I'm home!

At his words, I moved with the fastest speed ever, and he walked out of the front door and closed it.

The door was locked with a clank. We were alone in the hallway. My head is filled with question marks.

'Toramasa-san, are you going somewhere?'

Why is Toraga out? Is he going to the convenience store? Or does he have some errand to run? If so, I'm really sorry for staying so long… If you tell me, I'll leave right away……let me know next time….

I asked him what he thought, and he answered as he walked in front of me.

I'll walk you home.”

“……… hmm?”

Did I mishear him? I heard something about Toramasa telling me to send you home. ……

I tilted my head and walked to the elevator where Toraya was standing.

I was deco-pinned by Toraga standing in front of me. He's a real pain. I hadn't felt a bump in years, but it was the first time in a long time.

I held my forehead in pain and looked at Toramasa's face three times in shock. What, because why would he dekopin me? I mean, he's so mischievous and cute. It hurts like hell, though. No, it really hurts. It's really painful.

As I was writhing in pain, Toraga opened his mouth in disgust.

Think about the time of day,” he said. Even a guy like you is a woman, right?

You're so sweet.”

The first time I let out my true feelings, he moved his hand away and hit me one more time. It hurt like hell.

I was so nervous. Toraga smelled so good.) When we got out of the apartment, I realized that I had forgotten my umbrella.

It had stopped raining, but my umbrella…what should I do with it? I could ask him to throw it away, but…no, that would be too much trouble for Toramasa.

I said, “Toramasa-san, I forgot my umbrella, may I go back to get it?”

I'm really sorry. Why didn't I notice it when I left the room? Scum. I usually forget things, but I shouldn't have forgotten this one. You're a chicken that forgets after three steps.

Toraga glanced at the apartment he had just left and said to me, “Next time you come back. I'll be fine next time,” he told me.

Oh, wait a minute. There's a next time? I've never heard of it before! You're saying it's okay to set foot in that sacred place again!

…Oh, ah, eh ……?”

Why is it that I can't speak at a time like this, when my brain is blabbering away and I usually blurt out my true feelings? Is my mouth buggy? Ah, ah, eh? What does that mean? Is it the black character's from Jiří?

I took a few deep breaths and opened my mouth again.

'Can I go to your house again!

'You ain't coming back?

'I thought it was just this one time… Oh, really?”

Yeah, the phone is nice, but it's fun to see their reaction right in front of you.

Whatever the reason, I'm really happy to be able to go to my guesser's room again. Next time, I will see more rooms. Taste the air.

I'm going to try my best …… to make Toramasa-san smile the next time I come back.

That's good too, but next time, try your best to make eye contact with him.”

“Nnoooo, that's a bit… I'll do my best next time around…”

Three more visits to my house and we'll make eye contact.

I lied, three times is not enough.

“You're going to lie to me?”

“……, I don't think… that you would lie to Toramasa-san…”

Right?

“So, yes!”

Wow. What's with all this pushing and shoving? And it's really wearing on my psyche. He's really forgetting that I like Toraga, isn't he? Are you okay? If it were the other way around, he'd be in bed next to me right now, so be really careful, okay?

I mean, we could talk a lot next to each other…. I'm impressed by ……. I'm usually on the phone, so having a live voice next to me is so refreshing, and I can't stop loving it. I can't stop loving it. A live, hot voice. A man with the vocal chords of a god. He is right in the middle of my favorite. The more he talks, the more I like him…. I like his selfishness…I like him…. Look everyone…my guess is so cool…. I don't want to keep them all to myself….

I was so busy that I arrived home before I knew it.

I was finally able to talk next to Toraga a little bit… When I was with him, my heart was overstrained and I was always in a state of confusion, but now that I have to go home, I feel like I want to stay by his side a little longer.

Or rather, I always want to be by his side. It's hard to say good-bye, I miss him so much…. I have another appointment, but I don't know when I'll see him again…. I don't want to go home. I want to spend more time with you.

But I have to hold it in. This is my wish. It has nothing to do with Toraga.

I am really not here for anything…….. Really, I had nothing to do with it…it was my fault…”

I had a good time, so don't worry about it.

“You're really kind, Toramasa-san…there's nothing but elements that make me fall in love with you. …… I can live for a while with just the memories of today…”

You're overreacting at every turn.

I'm not exaggerating at all! The memories of the time you spent with Toraga are all my treasures, my precious memories for the rest of my life! No matter how hard things get, remembering these memories is enough to keep me alive. ……You're getting used to what I say, aren't you…?”

I've heard it all over the phone.

“By telling …… my feelings, I'm making it harder for them to get through to you…?”

No, I've conveyed my feelings well enough.

“Good!”

Now, it is time for me to end my talk in front of the house.

I'm not sure how long I'll be able to keep this up. It would be rude to make him take so much time. I had to take him to my house this time to take up some of his precious time.

I'm going home now. Thank you very much. Have a safe trip home.”

I'll call you later.

I'll be waiting for you. Good night.

Good night.”

I gave a small wave to Toraga and turned my back to him and walked into the house.

The most important thing to remember is that you can't just take a look at the pictures of the people who are in your life.

That night. I couldn't sleep for the rest of the night, thinking about today's events.