flstandardbreds Ch. 113.1 - I Like Shihou, and Everyone Too Pt1
Ch. 113.1 - I Like Shihou, and Everyone Too Pt1
After passing through the lush, towering forest, Harutaki and Chouko soon arrived at another famous landmark within Kifune Shrine—one of the reasons the shrine was renowned for matchmaking.During the Heian period, the poet Izumi Shikibu was said to have come here to pray for her husband to return to her. Moved by the sight of fireflies flickering in the mountains, she composed a waka poem. Not long after, the estranged couple reconciled.
On a moss-covered rock was engraved the very poem she had written. The rock was named “Firefly Rock,” and even today, fireflies were said to gather and dance around it in summer nights.
Unfortunately, Harutaki and Chouko had come neither at night nor in the height of summer. There would be no drifting points of light beneath the darkened sky.
“Guess we really didn’t pick the best time…”
Chouko sighed again in disappointment, but her mood lifted just as quickly. Like summer weather, it shifted in an instant. Or perhaps she was simply still a child at heart, unwilling to let small regrets weigh her down.
Pinching her smooth chin thoughtfully, she suddenly said,
“Speaking of which, Izumi Shikibu wrote a poem and received the blessing of love, right? So then…”
She paused, turned to face him, and softly recited:
“I long to send you word, yet no messenger can depart.
So my heart becomes a shadow, and lingers by your side each day.”
The bitterness she felt when parting from him at Tokyo Station yesterday…
The sleepless night that followed, tangled with frustration, disappointment, even despair…
She didn’t want to feel that way again.
She wanted to live with Harutaki forever. To listen to his pointless jokes. To tease him for being a pure virgin who still loved dirty humor.
If, she thought, every day could be like when she had fallen sick—when he cooked for her with such gentle care—she would be satisfied. The dishes didn’t need to be extravagant. No master chef could replicate the warmth in them.
She wanted to wake early and make breakfast for him. To see him smile in contentment and praise her cooking. To go shopping with her friends, laughing together as they picked out little treasures for one another…
But Harutaki remained silent.
After waiting a moment too long, she puffed out her cheeks in irritation and rose onto her toes, smacking the top of his head.
“Harutaki-kun, you idiot… say something! If I’m the only one talking, it’s super awkward!”
He glanced aside, an idea forming.
This forest path, due to Izumi Shikibu’s story, had come to be known as the “Path of Love.” Not far from it flowed a narrow stream called Omoi River—the River of Longing. Long ago, pilgrims purified themselves in its waters before visiting the shrine’s inner sanctuary. It was said Izumi Shikibu had done the same, and so the river took its name from her yearning.
He quietly recited in reply:
“Beneath the rocks of Osaka Pass
the clear stream flows in ripples. The mountains say nothing— yet within, longing remains.”
He silently thanked that unreliable old man.
If Asama-sensei hadn’t forced him to work harder at classical literature, he might not have been able to respond at all.
“It was only half a day and one night apart. That’s way too dramatic~”
Chouko, no slouch academically and raised with private tutors, understood waka far better than he did. “Osaka Pass” was a common poetic reference, often used to express reunion after long separation—or the pain of never reuniting.
Still, the fact he’d come up with something fitting was enough.
Just as she thought that—
Arms wrapped around her from behind.
Warm breath brushed her ear as his low voice murmured:
“It hasn’t even been a full day, and I missed you like crazy. What am I supposed to do?”
“Ugh… y-you…”
Her whole body tingled like she’d been shocked. She twisted slightly, biting her lip to suppress the rush surging through her.
What a jerk!
Saying things like that…
Sure, she had started it—but didn’t he bear at least a little blame?
A mischievous urge flared inside her. She wouldn’t lose so easily.
“Hm? Then what exactly did you miss about me?”
He’d probably say something cheesy again.
The same trick wouldn’t work twice on Shihou Chouko!
“I missed your F-cup chest.”
“…Huh? HUH!?”
F-cup!?
“P-pervert!”
“And your hair, and your lips, and—mmph—”
Before he could continue, she spun around and decisively sealed his mouth shut.
With her own lips.
It was purely hygienic, she told herself.
…
After passing through the quiet inner shrine, they walked down the mountain toward a restaurant without speaking, hands still intertwined.
That was unfair… kissing him like that…
Harutaki stole a sideways glance at the girl beside him. Her shoulder-length black hair swayed with each step. The lingering pressure against his chest replayed in his mind.
A cushion was called a cushion for a reason.
His thoughts were a complete mess.
As for Chouko…
Where am I? What did I just do? Where are we going?
She simply let him lead her, her brain nearly shut down.
It wasn’t just the kiss.
It was the overwhelming impulse at that moment. The sensation of being lifted off her feet. The illusion of souls intertwining.
She’d felt like a dandelion seed about to drift away, tethered to the world only by his hand—like a balloon, like a kite.
…
The restaurant Harutaki chose specialized in kawadoko dining, one of Kifune’s signature experiences.
They removed their shoes and stepped onto a tatami-covered wooden platform suspended above the river. Each ordered a 5,000-yen set.
Kawadoko dining meant sitting on raised platforms built over flowing streams, allowing guests to dine literally above water.
The constant rush of the river created a cool breeze.
If only we came in midsummer, Harutaki thought.
Kawadoko was open only from May to September. Earlier was too cold. Later, freezing.
Because they’d come at an awkward time, there were barely any other diners. Only the murmur of water and falling leaves filled the air.
After the kimono-clad waitress left, the platform was theirs alone.
“Itadakimasu.”
“Itadakimasu…”
He assumed she’d stay silent through the meal—until a pair of chopsticks holding fatty tuna extended before him.
“Ahh—”
She opened her mouth exaggeratedly, like a nurse checking a child’s throat.
“Huh?”
“Idiot. I want feeding too!”
She remembered lying weak in bed before, watching Izumi feed him. And at DUMBO DONUTS, she’d been too embarrassed to act close in front of others.
She’d been so stupid.
“Come on~”
“…Okay.”
He accepted the tuna—only to see her waiting, mouth open like a baby bird.
So childish.
He fed her. She chewed happily.
“Tasty~”
But when she expected the next bite, she found him happily eating pickles and rice.
“I want more.”
He sighed and resumed.
They went back and forth until she surrendered first, rubbing her arm.
“This is exhausting…”
After all, there was a low table between them, and Chouko was sitting perfectly upright in strict accordance with proper etiquette. Unlike her, Harutaki was sprawled out casually, legs crossed, completely at ease.
Guess why I stopped after just one round earlier?
He shot the girl a speechless glance.
And even though Chouko had given up on the idea of feeding him, Harutaki still wasn’t granted the peace of simply enjoying his meal.
Rustle, rustle.
He set down his bowl and chopsticks, lowering his gaze toward the little troublemaker secretly stirring beneath the table.
The thin navy-blue cotton socks traced the rounded curves of her toes. Noticing his gaze, her big toe even tilted upward playfully, the fabric stretching just enough to faintly reveal a hint of pale skin beneath.
He lifted his eyes to look at Chouko across the table. The girl’s cute face wore a mischievous grin, clearly hoping to catch him flustered, her eyes fixed on him without blinking.
“Careful. I might not be able to hold back and really take it out on your hair, Shihou.”
“Hehe, Harutaki-kun, did you forget what the water fortune said earlier?”
Chouko covered her pink lips lightly with her slender hand, teasing in a playful tone, though her eyes were filled with seriousness and anticipation.
“E-even if we still have to go home tonight, I can help you in other ways!”
She lifted her chin proudly, thinking to herself that Harutaki was just a mere virgin. Handling him would be easy.
When the time came, she’d show him the techniques she’d learned from movies. Heh heh…
Thus, with Harutaki full of anticipation and Chouko equally eager to prove herself, the two of them unconsciously sped up their meal, barely tasting the seasonal vegetables, the famous tofu hot pot, or even the tempting salt-grilled sweetfish.
After polishing off the table of dishes, they headed downhill toward the bus stop. Once the bus arrived, they retraced their route and boarded the Eizan train toward the city center. After reaching the station, Chouko pulled him straight toward the multipurpose restroom inside.
Since almost no one used it, the restroom was spacious and spotless. It reminded Harutaki of his previous encounter with Minako at Shibuya PARCO.
Smack.
The devil Harutaki inside his mind slapped the angel Harutaki across the face—
“If you’re only going to date Chouko, then what about the resolve you made before!?”
The angel Harutaki immediately punched back—
“She likes you that much. How can you even say that?!”
But the angel hadn’t expected such dirty tactics. The devil pulled out a fork and stabbed him clean through—
“Does Nogami not like you anymore? Do you have the nerve to say that?”
“I-it’s only true love if we’re both together!”
“It’s only a happy ending if everyone’s together!”
The two tiny Harutakis grappled with each other—until…
“Lewdness is what matters most!”
Both angel and devil were instantly obliterated by primal desire.
Fifteen minutes later…
“Y-you… do you have some kind of weird condition…?”
Chouko rubbed her sore, limp wrist and glared at the utterly helpless-looking Harutaki, growing increasingly flustered.
Wasn’t he supposed to lose it after just a little?
Didn’t everyone say virgins were easy to deal with?
“So lame.”
“I’m not lame!”
Staring at Harutaki, who still showed no change whatsoever, she gritted her teeth, telling herself this was all to protect his health…
In any case, another ten minutes passed—
“Cough… cough, cough…”
The girl shot him an indignant look, shocked by the champagne-like aftermath, coughing as she complained.
“You’re the worst!”
Still, she had heard that a virgin’s first time usually involved… quite a lot, and that thought made her a little happy. After all, Harutaki’s first time belonged to her, Shihou Chouko.
It was just that… the sensation from earlier, like something had rushed up into her nose, meant that even when she breathed now, her mind was filled entirely with Harutaki’s scent.
“So awful…”
She muttered softly before fleeing to the sink to clean herself up.
…
After leaving the restroom, Harutaki and Chouko didn’t immediately leave the station. Instead, they transferred trains and headed to their next destination.
After asking about her mother’s and great-grandmother’s preferences, he bought a box of Domyoji sakura mochi wrapped in Oshima cherry leaves, and a box of kuri-yaki from Kuraya.
Stuffing the gifts into his backpack, he was once again led along by Chouko to another famous sightseeing spot.
They exited Kawaramachi Station and, after walking for about three minutes, arrived at the Kamogawa River. Along the way, they picked up a box of mame-mochi as a snack.
To be honest, Harutaki had never felt much about the Kamogawa. What was there to see about a calm, unremarkable river?
But once he and Chouko sat on the stone embankment—
The blue river shimmering with reflected sky.
The distant mountain ranges merging with the horizon.
And the famously unspoken spacing between seated couples.
Though tourists and lovers passed by, tranquility still filled the entire world, broken only by the murmuring current that concealed the lovers’ whispered confessions.
Harutaki and Chouko simply enjoyed the rare peace of being in the mortal world, forgetting all worries. They relaxed as they watched pedestrians across the river, couples sitting with their knees drawn up, ducks skimming across the surface, and the terraced steps of water descending layer by layer from far to near.
Just leaning against each other in silence, time seemed to accelerate like a video set to fast-forward. Night fell abruptly, tearing the sky into brilliant swaths of blue, white, and golden red.
Far to the north, the mountain foothills met the reddening horizon, resembling the chocolate caramel pudding that Fuyuno loved most. It made Harutaki think of his younger sisters back in Tokyo, wondering what they might be having for dinner.
Without him there, it was probably curry again.
He picked up a piece of mame-mochi to eat, only for Chouko—still nestled in his arms—to snatch it first.
Like a cat proudly stealing prey from a tiger’s jaws, she tilted her head and flashed him a smug smile, chewing while mumbling something even she probably couldn’t understand.
“Mmm… mmm mmm?”
Gulp.
She swallowed and tried again.
“Phew… Harutaki-kun, are we really going back later?”
Harutaki sighed inwardly.
Even if she had changed, she still harbored a near-miraculous hope and longing toward him.
“Running away isn’t just shameful. It won’t solve anything.”
From his own past experiences, running away could even make things worse, piling on unimaginable psychological pressure.
Unless one was content to become a pitiful and laughable figure like Ah Q.
“You can make me do anything… just not go back to Suishoen…”
Thud.
“Ow!”
Chouko clutched her head and turned to complain, only to fall silent at the serious look on his face.
She knew she’d said the wrong thing.
Having grown up accustomed to scoldings and discipline, she could read expressions and atmosphere all too well.
“Why do you think I like you, Shihou?”
“F-F-cup breasts?”
“You saw right through me. How annoying.”
“Pfft…”
Unable to resist his exaggerated dejection, she burst into laughter.
“At first, I was attracted to your cute appearance. But beneath the seemingly pure and quiet heiress facade is a secretly passionate and lively other self…”
Smack.
She slapped his thigh lightly in protest, even if he wasn’t entirely wrong.
“I want to understand Shihou better. I want to touch her true heart. I want to have a sincere relationship with her.”
Even if he still couldn’t fully let go of Nogami.
He felt a flicker of guilt—but the resolve he had made couldn’t be changed on a whim.
Maybe, he thought, he’d felt this way from the very beginning. Perhaps that guilt pushed him to give the girl even more of his heart.
Love was always a messy ledger. The more clearly you tried to calculate it, the farther apart you grew.
“But what you’ve done for me is far more than that…”
Chouko murmured softly, resting her head against his shoulder, the faint scent of citrus shampoo drifting up.
“I just don’t want something beautiful to be sullied. I can’t stand to see true beauty covered in dust and hidden beneath mass-produced luxury fabrics.”
“Tch…”
She clicked her tongue, then turned to face him. Her full thighs pinned his waist, and with both hands she clapped his cheeks together like making a sandwich.
Her pale golden eyes—like the twilight hour itself—locked onto his.
“…You’re Hoshikawa Harutaki, right?!”
He nodded.
“Then why learn Izumi’s awkwardness of all things, you idiot!”
She continued fiercely,
“If you like someone, just say it!”
So this was a confession, wasn’t it?
Or perhaps… like today’s date, the first proper one.
“I like Shihou. I like your innocence and sincerity, your liveliness and playfulness, your elegance and poise, your willfulness and mischief… But what I love most is Shihou who has the courage to pursue something genuine.”
Though being confessed to while pinned down was admittedly a little strange.
“And what about Izumi?”
His heartbeat skipped.
“Uh… I like Shihou. And everyone.”
Her puffed-up cheeks made him nervous.
“What a shame. Sorry—I don’t like you, Harutaki-kun.”
“Huh?”
“Pfft… hahaha…”
She burst out laughing at his stunned expression. After catching her breath, she leaned over him with a triumphant grin.
“Of course I’m joking~”
Before he could react, she hugged him tightly, pressing him down.
“I like Harutaki-kun, and Izumi, and Sae, and Minako too! But… actually, I suuuuper love Harutaki-kun~♡”
Her whisper by his ear felt like a soft feather brushing his heartstrings.
He shivered, the warmth of her body, her faint fragrance, and a trace of lingering moisture flooding his senses.
Citrus really was sweet.
To Harutaki, kissing itself held no intrinsic pleasure. Scientifically speaking, dopamine required emotional foundation.
What intoxicated wasn’t the act—but the closeness, the feeling of no barriers between them.
Half a minute later, seeing Chouko’s heaving chest and flushed face, he joked,
“I suuuuper love F-cup breasts too~”
“Pervert…”
Though she complained, she only pressed herself closer, as if placing all her weight into his arms.
…
After lingering to admire the nighttime scenery of the Kamogawa a while longer, they left their quiet sanctuary.
They skipped dinner and returned to Shihou Suishoen, prepared to face her mother and great-grandmother.
The security guard at the gate, upon seeing them, looked unsurprised and silently opened it.
Harutaki showed no change on the surface, but inwardly he let out a long breath.
It seemed that both his sneaking into Suishoen and taking Chouko out for the day had been tacitly approved by her elders.
At the very least… he probably wouldn’t have to worry about being deliberately made things difficult for him next.
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