Tokyo: Oreimo

'I've got myself into a trap. Because I teased him too much, he completely failed to grasp what I was trying to say.'

In the misty hot water, Phoenix Inu Saori leaned against the cobblestone wall.

She glanced at the other side of the bamboo fence and suddenly regretted her usual behavior.

The result of crying "wolf" too many times is that now when she says it's true, the other person thinks it's false.

When exactly did we start to get used to treating each other this way?

Thinking about it carefully, it seems that this was done from the very beginning.

She is straightforward and expresses her own preferences directly; this has always been her way of doing things.

After confirming that the other party was the guy named 'Shi Yuze' on the internet, I became very interested in him.

After three years of online interaction, she was incredibly curious about the real person.

'Shi Yuze' always seemed unfazed by anything new, and would often come up with novel words during conversations, frequently telling himself stories he had never heard before.

In the period shortly after my mother's death, it was only through her occasional conversations that I was able to emerge from that gloomy state.

If we were to point out a drawback, it might be that during that period, 'Shiyuze' often spoke incoherently and his speaking style changed frequently during conversations.

This led her to suspect that the other person was a patient with schizophrenia.

But she felt relieved after meeting him in person.

Aside from being a little young, she seems even better than I imagined.

He possesses a maturity and composure far beyond his peers, and is also very ambitious.

Despite having only a small amount of capital, they dared to invest it all in game development, and shamelessly invited me to join, promising a share of the profits.

"That's probably when I started to like that guy."

That kind of courage was something she, who bore the surname Phoenix Courtyard, had never seen in other men.

However, due to family reasons, he did not pursue it relentlessly.

If the old man of the Phoenix House were provoked, he might do something bad to Ryosuke at that time.

But the situation is different now. The company has been established, and we have produced some decent works. My father has also given his approval, and I now have a goal to strive for.

But as time went on and the number of tests increased, she became increasingly timid, and occasionally she would feel fortunate that the other person was just joking.

But this can't go on, can it?

“Always running away, that’s not like you... Saori.”

Phoenix Inu Saori muttered to herself.

...

Did you speak to me?

From the other side of the bamboo fence came Ryosuke's puzzled voice.

From the moment he finished speaking, Saori Hououin fell silent.

He thought the other person was angry and suddenly muttered something, but he couldn't hear what they were saying at all.

"This isn't the first time you've teased me like this, and I'm used to it, but let's skip the mixed bathing. If others find out, they'll start talking nonsense, won't they?"

Mixed bathing is something that families or couples usually do.

Besides, those who engage in mixed bathing are mostly people who don't care about shame or ethics.

He didn't want Phoenix Academy to be labeled in that way.

Ryosuke prepared to walk out of the bath, getting up and making a splash.

"Shi Yuze, that kind of thing doesn't matter, I don't care."

Phoenix Inu Saori's voice came through the gaps in the bamboo fence.

"In fact, I would be very happy if people knew about it."

"?"

Listen to this! What kind of outrageous and lewd words are these?

But when Ryosuke heard it from Saori Hououin, he wasn't surprised at all.

Because she definitely has some big trick up her sleeve, if you answer rashly, you might get completely humiliated.

"Stop making jokes like that. I've had enough soaking and I'm going back to sleep."

"I'm not joking."

Ryosuke's lips twitched, but he quickened his pace.

He's been fooled like this many times before, he won't fall for it again.

"Don't go."

Phoenix Inu Saori's voice came through the gaps in the bamboo fence, sounding less composed and more urgent than usual.

Ryosuke paused for a moment, but did not stop.

"Shi Yuze!" This time the voice rose half an octave, sounding somewhat distorted in the misty hot spring air. "I told you, don't go."

"Phoenix Institute, you've been acting a bit strange these past few days."

With his back to the bamboo fence and his hand resting on the stone at the edge of the bath, Ryosuke said, "There's a limit to teasing people, isn't there? I'm leaving now, so you'll be more comfortable soaking in the bath by yourself."

"It's not a joke."

Ryosuke's hand froze in mid-air.

"What did you say?"

“I said…” Saori took a deep breath, her voice regaining its composure; she was ready.

"It wasn't a joke, I've never joked with anyone."

Ryosuke slowly turned around to face the bamboo fence.

“From the very first time we met,” Saori’s voice continued, “every time I said ‘I like you,’ it was no joke.”

The air was still for a few seconds.

The sound of the Ureshino River could be heard from afar, and hot spring water gurgled in the bamboo pipes, with sunlight refracting into tiny spots of light in the mist.

“.....Ha.” Ryosuke let out a short laugh and shook his head. “You’re really something. Don’t make jokes like that. First, say you’re serious, and then say ‘just kidding’ once I’ve taken the bait, right?”

There have been several similar cases before. Even when they hear the word 'like' from the other person, they only pause for a moment before realizing what it means.

If he still takes things too seriously after so many times, then his defenses are far too weak.

"No."

"You said something similar in the hallway yesterday, didn't you...?"

"Because I get shy if someone sees me, Shi Yuze."

Saori interrupted him.

Shy?... Ryosuke felt that this word was quite unfamiliar to his friend.

The sound of water came from the other side of the bamboo fence, and it seemed that Phoenix Inu Saori had sat up straight.

"No one will disturb us today. I specially booked the room next to yours, specifically chose the time slot after lunch, and specially asked the female general to arrange that no one is allowed to approach."

"..."

Ryosuke opened his mouth, but found himself unable to find a rebuttal.

“Shigaze,” Saori’s voice softened, as if she were carefully choosing each word, “What I’m about to say is very important, could you… listen to me properly?”

Ryosuke leaned against the pool wall, looking up at the sky blurred by the mist.

Could this be for real?

"Hey, wait a minute, Phoenix Inu..."

Ryosuke wanted to say something more, but Hououin Saori spoke first.

"I like you."

Four words, clear, complete, without the slightest hesitation.

“Not as a friend, not as a business partner,” her voice drifted through the mist, “but as a woman, liking you as a man.”

"I like you."

Please continue to guide me from Chapter 179 onwards.

The sudden confession caught Ryosuke completely off guard.

His Adam's apple bobbed.

The hot spring water washed over his chest, and the heat seeped into his veins through his skin, but he felt as if he were being held captive by something, unable to move.

"Phoenix Academy...."

“Saori,” she interrupted him, her tone calm but leaving no room for refusal, “call my name.”

Ryosuke took a deep breath and said, "Saori."

A soft laugh came from the other side of the bamboo fence, as if someone had breathed a sigh of relief.

“Yes,” she said. “This is the first time I’ve heard you call my name.”

"Don't speak yet, wait until I finish speaking," Saori continued.

“Actually, it started a long time ago,” Saori’s voice continued, “from when you were still ‘Shigaze,’ from when we were still chatting online.”

"At that time, I didn't know what you looked like, how old you were, or whether you were a man or a woman. Although I guessed you were a man because the way you spoke didn't sound like a woman at all."

Ryosuke heard her chuckle softly.

All I know is that you are the most interesting person I have ever met.

With a soft murmur of water, Saori seemed to have sat back down in the pool.

"Later, when we met in person, I was surprised and relieved to see that you were so much younger than I had imagined. I was surprised that the person who wrote those stories was only in high school, and relieved that you weren't an old man, otherwise I would have been very troubled."