Vol. 2 Chapter 3 – Stargazing

♠

They took a walk through the forest, strolled along the riverside, had a barbecue, and before they knew it, the fun time had passed in the blink of an eye, and night had fallen.

‘…This is my only chance now.’

As the mood shifted toward calling it a day, Kyousuke alone was burning with determination.

He pulled the telescope he had brought from home out of the tent and called out to everyone,『Hey, got a minute?』

“Since I brought it all the way here, how about we all go look at the stars together?”

He said, glancing around at the three of them.

As long as everyone was there, anything would do.

What Kyousuke wanted, more than anything, was a place and time where his parents, Asuka and Ayano were all present and they could talk calmly.

The current situation, where Ayano was being mistaken as his girlfriend, was definitely not a good one. At the very least, it wasn’t beneficial for her.

He wanted to somehow resolve that. If he could calmly and slowly untangle the misunderstanding step by step, surely everyone would understand.

“Stargazing? That’s just something you enjoy, Kyo-nii.”

Asuka gave off a clear aura that she was tired and wanted to sleep early.

When he glanced at Ayano, she was fidgeting with her nails in front of her, looking like she wanted to say something.

『Did she not want to go? If so, he couldn’t force her』Kyousuke thought, his shoulders dropping.

“…I want…”

In a tiny voice, like the flutter of a butterfly’s wings, she said something.

With everyone’s attention on her, she opened and closed her lips a few times, hesitating but eventually formed the words.

“Just the two of us…I want it to be just the two of us…”

Ayano’s face was so red it looked like it might burst with just a little poke.

Resolving misunderstandings was the last thing on the table now.

Rather, that ended up being the finishing blow.

『Take your time!』Chizuko shouted, grabbing Yukimasa and Asuka by the scruffs of their necks and dragging them back into the tent.

“…Shall we go?”

Saying that, Ayano held out her hand to Kyousuke.

How did it end up like this? His plan had completely backfired, and while regretting it inwardly, Kyousuke took her hand.

***

After walking for a while through the dim forest, they came out into an open clearing without trees.

Letting out a small fuu, he lowered the telescope slung over his shoulder. It only weighed about four kilograms, so he had carried it by himself, but as he set it up, he secretly regretted not asking for a little help.

“Wow, it’s so serious and professional.”

“My grandma bought it for me as a middle school entrance gift. At home it’s just a big decoration, so I’ve got to use it at times like this.”

They could see stars from home too but coming out to a place far from people made a difference.

The night sky was beautiful enough to be appreciated even with the naked eye.

“…H-hey, why did it have to be just the two of us? Was it because Mom and Asuka are too noisy after all?”

On the way here, he had thought about why Ayano said that, but that was the only explanation he could come up with.

Stargazing was something she had said she wanted to do before summer vacation. If she wanted to quietly enjoy the night sky, having two chatterboxes around would definitely be a problem.

“It’s not like that! Chizuko-san and Asuka-chan are both really fun people!”

She hurriedly lined up her words.

It was the kind of face that looked like she was hiding something, like she felt a bit guilty. Kyousuke furrowed his brows and turned his back to her, resuming setting up the telescope.

“If they’re fun, you could’ve called them.”

“Th-that’s…”

“If you want, I can call them over right now.”

“…Do you not like being alone with me?”

“No, that’s not it! Not at all!”

At her sorrowful voice, Kyousuke immediately gave in.

This wasn’t the time to be suspicious. Being misunderstood by his parents or sister was bad enough, but hearing that kind of voice from her was far worse.

“Is the telescope set up? Can we use it now?”

“We can, but you’ll probably find it boring.”

“You brought something boring?”

“No, it’s just that I like it. Most people probably have more fun just looking at the stars with the naked eye.”

“Hmm… Well, let me try anyway. I’m curious.”

He adjusted the focus on the moon and told Ayano to take a look.

After a few seconds, she turned toward him with a slightly conflicted expression. As expected, it wasn’t what she had imagined.

“…Maybe it’s a bit too early for me.”

Ayano had probably thought that looking through a telescope would beautify the visuals like a photo booth.

But that wasn’t how it worked. It was a tool for observing details of a single celestial body, like its color and surface features, and for most people, it wasn’t particularly entertaining.

“Do you know the constellations? Like what’s where?”

“Yeah. Umm, that’s the Summer Triangle, then Scorpio, Sagittarius, Ophiuchus…”

“Huh? Sorry, which one?”

“That one, that one.”

He pointed as best as he could but Ayano just tilted her head with a troubled look.

It was rare for someone to immediately grasp the positions of constellations. With countless stars scattered across the sky, there wasn’t much that could be done about it.

“Forget the constellations, why don’t you try looking for shooting stars?”

“Can we see shooting stars tonight?”

“There’s no meteor shower, so the chances are low, but you can still see a few over the course of the night.”

When he said that, Ayano looked up at the sky and declared,『Let’s find one!』

With the stars shining this beautifully, just gazing at them should already be enjoyable.

Kyousuke returned his attention to the telescope and began observing.

Honestly, he didn’t have the same level of enthusiasm as when he first got it, so peering through the telescope wasn’t particularly exciting anymore. But remembering the time when he used to get excited over every star he found naturally brought a faint smile to his face.

At that moment, something soft touched the back of his head. Ayano had gently embraced him from behind like wrapping around him, resting her chin on top of his head.

“W-what are you doing?”

Turning around would make things very troublesome, so he asked while facing forward.

“It’s a little cold. You’re warm, Kyousuke.”

“Don’t treat me like a portable heater.”

He was wearing track pants and a short-sleeved T-shirt.

Even in summer, the mountains got cold at night. Dressed like that, of course she’d feel chilly.

“For now, could you let go for a second…?”

“Is it okay if I catch a cold?”

“No, it’s not, but this position is, in many ways, a problem!”

Whether she understood or not, Ayano tightened her embrace even more, asking,『What do you mean?』Her warm breath brushed his bangs, making his heart pound like it was being urged to run faster.

“I-I’ll lend you my jacket!”

He quickly stepped forward to shake her off, took off the hoodie he was wearing, and handed it to her.

『Thanks』Ayano said, but her face still carried a hint of dissatisfaction. Then she lay down on the ground, spread the hoodie over her abdomen, and patted the space next to her, as if telling him to come over.

Guess I have no choice, Kyousuke thought, and followed her.

Even though they had come together, it wouldn’t be fun if one of them was absorbed in the telescope the whole time. Since the purpose was stargazing, it made sense in a way.

“Did you want to become some kind of star expert, Kyousuke?”

“A star expert? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, not many high schoolers actually know constellations properly. To me, they all look the same.”

“…When I was little, I wanted to become an astronaut. I had this phase where I thought maybe if I learned more about stars, I could become one.”

“When you say『when you were little』does that mean you’ve already given up?”

“My height didn’t grow enough. If you’re too short, you can’t become an astronaut.”

To become an astronaut, you had to acquire various skills and pass multiple requirements, and among them was a height restriction. For him to go to space, he’d need to grow a few more centimeters, but unfortunately, his eye level hadn’t risen at all.

“Then if we see a shooting star, I’ll make a wish for you. That even if you’re small, you can still become one.”

“Pray that my height grows instead.”

“I like the Kyousuke you are now, though.”

“I don’t.”

The moment he replied, a shooting star streaked across the sky with perfect timing.

There wasn’t even time to make a wish and Ayano didn’t even notice it. Letting out a sigh, he felt as though he wasn’t even allowed the chance to pray.

“Hey, did you know?”

Goron, Ayano rolled over to face him.

“They say the ideal height difference for couples is within fifteen centimeters.”

“Fifteen centimeters? That’s kind of a weird number.”

“Apparently it makes things like kissing and hugging easier.…But even though there’s about a thirty-centimeter difference between me and you, if we lie down like this, we’re the same.”

She said that and smiled with a soft, melting『ehehe』 their eyes meeting at the same level.

That shy gesture spread to Kyousuke as well, making his cheeks grow warm.

But when he stopped to think about it, something felt off.

“…No, we’re not a couple, so that doesn’t really matter.”

“That’s true, but still, it’s just, um…”

She mumbled, chewing over words she couldn’t quite put into shape, but in the end, she didn’t say them.

“If you saw a shooting star, what would you wish for, Kyousuke?”

“I’m already in high school. I’m not really into that kind of thing…”

“You have no sense of romance. Making a wish is free, you know?”

That was true, but saying your wish out loud in front of someone was surprisingly embarrassing.

Besides, nothing in particular came to mind.

His parents were alive and well, his little sister was noisy and a bit of an idiot but healthy. There were no real issues with his grades, and he had friends like Sayo and Kotarou.

And more than anything, Ayano’s presence was huge.

She spent time with someone as unremarkable as him, took him out, pulled him along.

If she hadn’t been there, he probably wouldn’t have made any friends in high school, and the smartphone his parents bought him would have been nothing more than a tool to contact them.

To wish for anything more would feel like tempting fate.

“If you’re going to make a wish for me, Ayano, then I’ll make one for you too. Got anything in mind?”

“Ehh? Hmm… let’s see…”

Her thoughtful voice trailed off, and she shifted her gaze slightly to the side.

For some reason, Ayano’s eyes looked unusually serious as she absentmindedly toyed with her lips, staring into empty space.

“Th-then…” she said in an unnaturally strained voice, forcing an awkward, clumsy smile.

♥

After getting out of the hot spring, there were several chances where it seemed like she could ask Chizuko about it, but she couldn’t. She thought that Kyousuke’s problem was something she should hear directly from Kyousuke himself.

And then, at that moment, he suggested stargazing, and she went along with it.

Thinking about it now, this would probably just lead to even more misunderstandings, but her interest in him was so intense that things like that didn’t matter anymore.

And then, when they actually ended up alone together—

It didn’t work.

No matter what, she just couldn’t ask.

Ayano herself didn’t want to talk much about her middle school days. She couldn’t make Kyousuke do something she herself didn’t want to do.

Maybe she should just not worry about it and simply enjoy their time together. Maybe it would be fine to just enjoy the camping trip as it was, without making anything of it.

Even as she thought that, there was still a part of her that wanted to know, that absolutely wanted to ask, and she didn’t know which side she should prioritize.

『If you’re going to make a wish for me, Ayano, then I’ll make one for you too. Got anything in mind?』

The moment he said that, an idea came to her.

If she used this opportunity, maybe she could naturally ask Kyousuke about his past.

It wasn’t really a wish directed at the stars, but it was still better than suddenly bringing it up out of nowhere.

‘…Maybe it was actually something trivial.’

She knew it was a convenient assumption.

But knowing how pessimistic and prone to overthinking he was, maybe he had taken something small too seriously and ended up unable to go to school.

Maybe it was something simple, like missing a few days due to poor health and then finding it hard to go back, something that could happen to anyone.

Maybe he had simply gotten tired of it.

That must be it. It had to be.

If he didn’t want to talk about it, that was fine. If that was the case, she could give up cleanly.

For now, she just wanted to calm the restless noise in her mind.

“Would it be…bad if I said I want to know why Kyousuke couldn’t go to school in his third year of middle school…?”

In that instant, he jerked upright.

His breathing turned shallow and uneven as his dark eyes fixed on her. In those eyes, there was a clear trace of fear.

This is bad. This is bad. This is absolutely bad.

At the impact of the landmine she had just stepped on, all the blood drained from her body. Regret, heavy and solid like a hammer, slammed into her head and cold sweat burst out all over her.

“Ah—n-no, that’s not it! That’s not what I meant! That’s not it!!”

Ayano also pushed herself up, waving her hands and body frantically, trying to pretend it never happened.

He kept his eyes wide open, then slowly nodded.

“U-um, well, ah! I really can’t think of anything at all. Kyousuke, what do you think would be good?”

“Even if you ask me that…”

“Anything is fine! Something I might wish for!”

“…Reuniting with your mother, maybe?”

“Th-that’s a good one! Ah, but before I meet my mom, I want to talk to my dad first, so maybe I’ll wish that I can make up with my dad? As for finding my mom, Kyousuke will help me with that!”

“…Yeah.”

At his lifeless reply, the inside of her chest gradually grew cold.

But once spoken, words couldn’t be taken back. It was too late to pretend it never happened.

“We probably won’t use it anymore, so I’ll pack it up first.”

Saying that, he hurriedly began dismantling the telescope.

A cold night breeze blew, rustling the hair at the back of his head as it passed.

Even as she lined up as many words of apology as she could in her mind, facing his back, which felt impossible to approach, Ayano could only hang her head helplessly.