Even with chuunibyou, let's learn together!

Page 183

"Huh? What do you say?"

Fumino Furuhashi's heart suddenly brightened, and a glimmer of light appeared in her eyes.

She felt nauseous at her own emotional shift, but she couldn't help but raise her head, wanting to hear Ogata Riju's answer.

“I messaged him,”

Rizu Ogata said, "He hardly ever replies."

Fumino Furuhashi stopped talking because Hayakawa rarely replied to her messages, usually only replying a few words after a long time, and he didn't seem very interested in chatting.

"I asked him why he didn't reply to my messages, and he said he doesn't check his phone. But if I send him a question, he usually replies very quickly."

Ogata Rizu said with some puzzlement, "I've never understood why."

Fumino Furuhashi: "..."

Chapter 275 Happiness

"Uh…"

Fumino Furuhashi blushed slightly, but said nonchalantly, "I don't know why either."

Okay, actually, you can guess the reason.

I usually send Hayakawa cute cat and dog videos, funny videos, beautiful scenery, and stargazing and celestial movements, while Riko shares pictures of local udon noodle shops and new board games.

Hayakawa rarely looks at his phone, always holding his textbook. He only takes out his phone to reply to messages after a long time. And when Hayakawa sees a video message from Riko, his reaction is almost always, "This is the thing I care about least this century," and then he turns off his phone.

That wretched Hayakawa.

Fumino Furuhashi felt frustrated and gritted her teeth. She planned to share some literary classics with Hayakawa when she got back, hoping that he would be interested.

"In short, I won't be satisfied until I figure this out."

Rizu Ogata's expression calmed down. She turned on the tap in front of her and let the warm water wash over the foam on her head.

"If I really like Hayakawa, then I will make him like me too."

She tilted her head back, her voice sounding somewhat muffled in the water, but crystal clear to the ancient bridge.

"..."

Fumino Furuhashi silently covered her face, lost in a dazed and confused state.

Help... Help! Someone save me... Someone can get me away from this obviously weird Ri-chan.

Fumino Furuhashi looked dejected, while Rizu Ogata had already finished washing her hair. Her orange bob hair was just touching her fair shoulders, with water droplets dripping down her pink skin. Instead of using the wooden basin to water her hair, she casually tossed her head, stood up from the wooden stool, and swayed her petite body with its slender branches and large fruits as she came to Fumino Furuhashi, looking down at her.

"Let's go, Fumino."

She reached out her hand to Fumino Furuhashi, a serene gentleness appearing on her delicate and pretty face, like a plum blossom blooming in the cold.

Rizu Ogata said, "Let's go to the hot springs."

Fumino Furuhashi paused for a moment, then stood up with Ogata: "Let's go."

The two went down into the hot spring one after the other. Ogata Riju sat on a stone near the door, while Furuhashi Fumino hesitated for a moment before choosing to sit on a stone step next to her. The two were quite far apart.

Despite being best friends and sisters, a distance seemed to have grown between them at this moment, and this distance was a gap that had grown in Fumino Furuhashi's heart.

Why?

Fumino Furuhashi closed her eyes, savoring the wonderful sensation of soaking in the spring water. It was as if she were in a vast lake, immersed in an irresistible warmth, a warmth that came from her body, a warmth that would last forever.

However, her heart slowly sank, sinking into boundless coldness and bitterness.

She was no sleeping princess of the literary forest; she was more like a jealous and wicked witch from a fairy tale.

A dry expression appeared on Fumino Furuhashi's lips, but she couldn't suppress the bitterness in her heart. It was something she shouldn't have felt, yet she couldn't control it.

Even though I started it, as I got to know Hayakawa better and became closer to her, I was always the one who started it when we were together, and...

I was the one who first fell in love with Hayakawa.

But what reason was there to stop Riko? She was cuter than her, had a better figure, a simpler personality without so many ulterior motives, and rarely lost her temper...

Her family was also very happy; her parents treated her very well, unlike herself, who came from a single-parent family and argued with her father every day… Hayakawa’s family was also very similar to hers; they were both very happy.

Compared to his meddlesome self, he must like Ri-chan much more...

"..."

Fumino Furuhashi closed her eyes, sank her shoulders into the spring water, and felt the warmth that filled her body, as if it could envelop her cold heart.

Above her were countless stars, and she was surrounded by the warm darkness of the night. In that desolate depth, she felt as if she had returned to the school auditorium.

The audience was packed. I was wearing my school uniform, holding my award certificate and speech. The principal was standing next to me with a big smile on his face. A petite, big-breasted girl standing next to me was looking down and winking at the audience. I looked over curiously.

A boy stood in the crowd below the stage, smiling at them.

When the speech ended, deafening applause filled the auditorium.

Memories come to an end.

Fumino Furuhashi felt her eyes well up with tears, and warm liquid instantly slid down her cheeks, disappearing into the rising steam of the hot spring.

Perhaps some happiness was never meant for us in the first place.

she thinks.

……

Hayakawa felt like he was going to die, as if he had sunk into the thermal currents of a volcanic eruption deep in the ocean, his body being assaulted by the scalding heat, suffocating and burning, as if his nose had been covered, waiting for death in despair.

However, just as everything was about to fall into endless darkness, Hayakawa suddenly heard a familiar voice urgently calling him, which brought a sliver of clarity to his almost dormant consciousness. The next moment, he abruptly broke free.

"what!"

Suddenly opening his eyes, Hayakawa poked his head out, gasping for breath, utterly panicked: "Huff, huff, huff..."

He looked around abruptly and realized he was still in the hot spring, then he understood what had just happened.

I must have been too tired from soaking in the hot spring, so I closed my eyes to rest for a while. I actually fell asleep not long after, and then I was woken up by the slippery stone sinking into the water.

"..."

After a brief silence, Hayakawa shook his head, checked his mental state, and his expression immediately turned somewhat grim.

One of the reasons he soaked in the hot spring was to adjust his mental state so that he could be in better physical condition for the temple interview the next morning. But after what happened just now, his mental state is even worse now. He feels irritable and tired, like someone is banging on his ear while he is sound asleep.

"Ugh…"

Hayakawa sighed softly, but did not rest any longer, because he had already heard the voice of someone coming from outside the door.

Are there any other guests inside?

The voice came from outside the door; it sounded like the old woman's voice.

Hayakawa Tsuyoshi perked up a bit and replied, "Someone's here."

The voice outside paused for a moment: "Then please come out quickly, your friend is waiting for you."

Are they waiting for me at the ancient bridge?

Hayakawa frowned slightly, then relaxed. It seemed he had slept for too long, and Furuhashi and the others must be getting impatient.

Get out of here quickly.

"Ok."

Hayakawa stood up from the water.

……

Before long, the three of them left the hot spring station.

Hayakawa put her thick clothes back on, still replaying the suffocating experience in her mind.

"I called you for a long time, but you didn't respond."

Rizu Ogata puffed out her cheeks and said, "I thought you had already left, but the receptionist said you were still inside. If I wasn't worried that there might be other people inside, I would have gone in to look for you."

Hayakawa said expressionlessly, "Please do not come in."

Chapter 276 Tram and the Beginning

A cold wind swept by, and the icy air from the snow-capped mountain made Hayakawa, who had just come from the hot spring, feel the sudden change in temperature. He shivered slightly, hugged his shoulders, and said, "It's a bit cold… Let's hurry up and climb to the top, otherwise we'll be late getting back. I still have to go tonight…"

They were still in a hurry to prepare their escape plan and rest.

Hayakawa thought to himself, but on the surface he remained calm and composed. No one could tell that beneath his calm face lay a grand and earth-shattering plan.

"Okay, let's go quickly."

Rizu Ogata nodded, taking small steps on the glistening snow of the tree-lined path, leaving behind tiny footprints. Her short, radish-like legs swayed as she walked, like a duck that had just learned to walk.

"Ugh…"

Hayakawa watched Ogata Riju's cheerful, leaping figure for a long time without expression before letting out a helpless sigh.

When will this child ever grow up? He doesn't seem like he'll fit into elementary school at all.

"Really."

Hayakawa shook his head and was about to follow her when he suddenly noticed the strange look on Furuhashi Fumino's face. He frowned and said, "Furuhashi."

"What...what happened?"

Fumino Furuhashi looked startled, visibly flustered, but then forced a nonchalant expression: "Is there something you need, Hayakawa-kun?"

Upon hearing Furuhashi call him "classmate," Hayakawa frowned even more deeply and said, "Did you not soak in the hot spring properly? You look a little pale."

"…No."

Fumino Furuhashi paused slightly, then stretched and said, "I had a very comfortable soak. I feel relaxed and refreshed. All the fatigue from the past few days has disappeared."

She looked at the path ahead and said, "Really."

Hayakawa: "...Okay."

The three of them walked together along the path toward the mountaintop. Hayakawa exhaled a puff of white breath, wiped the ice from his face, shrugged his shoulders to ward off the cold wind, turned his head to look down at the scenery of southern Hokkaido, and then came back to his senses and continued walking forward with a bent back.

Those who haven't actually experienced mountain climbing can't understand the hardships involved, let alone climbing a snow-covered mountain. The low temperatures will cause you to lose a lot of energy, and the deep and shallow snow will also add a lot of trouble to your journey. But the more difficult the climb, the more worthwhile the scenery at the top becomes.

Hayakawa remained calm. To him, Mount Yotei was nothing more than a small, insignificant hill, failing to stir any emotion or waver in him. It was merely one of the countless difficulties on his path forward. However, the cold and exhaustion were a significant test for the two girls beside him. Ogata Rizu was already panting heavily halfway through, and Furuhashi Fumino was no better off, frequently resting her knees for a while. In the end, she was so tired that she couldn't even stand up.

Hayakawa had no choice but to first carry their bags, and then extend a hand to each of them so they could grab his arm.

"Thank you, Hayakawa."

When Ogata Riju saw Hayakawa's outstretched arm, she rushed forward and hugged it as if it were a lifeline. Her arm immediately sank into Hayakawa's chest, and even through the thick down coat, Hayakawa could clearly feel the cloud-like softness.

Hayakawa's eyes flashed, and he silently turned his head to look at Fumino Furuhashi, extending an arm.

"No…"

Fumino Furuhashi looked at Hayakawa's outstretched hand, hesitated for a moment, then shook her head with a forced smile and said to Hayakawa, "I'm alright, right?"

Hayakawa paused for a moment, then withdrew his hand: "Alright."

The three continued forward, heading towards the summit. Fumino Furuhashi lagged behind, head down, avoiding looking at the backs of the two people in front of her, striving upwards as if the only thought in her mind was climbing.

The surrounding cold seemed to disappear, as did the fatigue in her body. What became more and more profound was the soreness in her knees and the labored breathing in her throat. Fumino Furuhashi ignored these and controlled herself to continue walking upwards. For the last part of the journey, she even had to reach out and brace herself against the snow on the ground.

Finally, as if leaping up, a ray of sunlight pierced through the layers of mountains and swirling clouds, landing on her fair face.

She arrived at the world at the top of the mountain.

Fumino Furuhashi slowly stood up, Riju Ogata released Hayakawa's arm, and Hayakawa calmed her breathing slightly. The three of them gazed at the world below the mountain, where they could see tiny, ant-like people moving back and forth among the ant-like buildings.

Hayakawa looked down from his high vantage point, where birds soared among the clouds, appearing and disappearing in the air, their clear calls rising and falling.

Hayakawa's mind went blank, just like when he looked at difficult questions on exam papers. He had no ideas, only confusion and helplessness.

Suddenly, she felt a warm touch on her hand, and Riju Ogata gently took his hand.

"Uh…"

Hayakawa turned around in surprise to look at her, only to find that Ogata was staring straight ahead without looking at him. Her earlobes and profile were reflected in the sunlight of the snow-capped mountains, making them look like a crystal-clear and beautiful pink, like the purest and most perfect ruby.

Time seemed to stand still. Hayakawa stared blankly at her, while behind them, Fumino Furuhashi quietly looked up at the sky.

The sun shone on her slender body. Mother of all things bestowed upon this world endless light and heat, filling everything with upward vitality. Surrounding her were surging clouds, and above her was a clear blue sky, as if she could touch it on tiptoe.