Comics, daily stories

You think I'm scary?

"so cute."

"What's cute about it?"

"Everything about you is cute, like the way you're pinching my waist right now, that's cute."

"I told you you were hopeless with your masochistic tendencies."

"That's wrong. I just like Mai because I like her." Nomiyama strolled along, picking two cherry blossoms to cleanse his yakisoba palate, and casually asked, "What's going on with Kasumigaoka-senpai?"

Mai Sakurajima released her grip, opened her mouth, and bit the cherry blossom petal he offered: "I thought you wouldn't ask this question."

Nomiyama looked relaxed: "I just felt there was no need to rush, I could ask when I had time, and I happen to have some free time now."

"Are you curious?"

"curious."

So Mai Sakurajima recalled and slowly explained to him, "Utaha and I were classmates in the same middle school, although we never talked to each other."

Nomiyama interjected, "I also went to that school; I was your junior."

Mai Sakurajima nodded: "Yeah, we haven't spoken either. It's you who's had some interaction with Utaha."

She thought of her senior year of high school: "When I was a senior, Shiyu transferred back to Chiba Sobu High School from Tokyo, but I was rarely at school. After all, you weren't around, and school wasn't really that fun."

"It was probably one day when I happened to be at school that Shiyu came up to me."

"You know, her light novel is a huge hit, or rather, an exceptionally popular one. Plus, you're the male lead, so of course it's bound to generate buzz. Besides that, we're both in the arts and literature industry, and we have some similarities, like becoming famous at a young age. You see, we have a lot in common, so becoming friends is only natural."

Nomiyama agreed with these statements, and then asked the most crucial question: "So what are your thoughts now? I have a feeling..."

He frowned, thinking of an adjective.

Mai Sakurajima added, "I always felt like I didn't hold anything against her?"

She pulled him to a stop in front of a small stall: "Now, I don't need to guard against it. You'll guard against getting into trouble yourself, so I don't have any thoughts about it."

Nomiyama took the item from the stall owner: "Oh."

Mai Sakurajima held her roasted sweet potato and chuckled, "As for the future, well, we'll see. Actually, I'm too lazy to think about that right now."

"All I want to do right now is tease you more."

"Isn't that a bit scary? Your sadistic tendencies are hopeless." Nomiyama bent down to peel a roasted sweet potato.

"Haven't you heard that saying, Kazehaya? The purest way men and women express affection is by teasing each other and being confrontational." Sakurajima Mai, carrying a roasted sweet potato, pulled him into line.

“That’s something only elementary and middle school students do, Mai, you’re already in university,” Nomiyama remarked. “If you wanted to, we could both get married.”

"【Marriage World】Ah, after Hui took it the first time, I lost interest. I'll go get one when I'm bored sometime." Mai Sakurajima pulled him into the Ferris wheel and sat down next to him.

"Hmm, why did you suddenly come to ride the Ferris wheel?" Nomiyama handed her a peeled roasted sweet potato, then took the unpeeled one and continued cooking.

Mai Sakurajima held the roasted sweet potato in both hands, took a bite, and savored its soft, sweet taste. She explained, "They say the three best places for a romantic date are the aquarium, the movie theater, and the Ferris wheel, but I'm not very interested in the other two, so I dragged you here instead."

"Be prepared, I'll probably bring you here again and again in the future."

"Okay, sure." Nomiyama opened his mouth and took a bite of his roasted sweet potato.

The two of them ate their roasted sweet potatoes in silence, watching the ground recede into the distance.

Mai Sakurajima glanced at him, noticing he had finished eating and was now staring blankly, then reached out and handed him her own.

Nomiyama reached out and took it, continuing to gnaw on it. He always had a good appetite; after all, his body was, in a sense, a bottomless pit.

"The wind blows early."

"Mmm," Nomiyama replied in a muffled voice, his mouth full of sweet potato.

"I always want to experience more romantic things with you, but I don't know what constitutes romance."

Nomiyama tossed the sweet potato peels into a convenience bag and put them away. Then he patted himself down, took out a pack of tissues, pulled one out, and wiped her mouth: "Things that make each other happy can be considered romantic, right?"

Mai Sakurajima took the tissue, then stretched out her long legs and reached her feet to the seat opposite her: "It's not enough. This can only be described as a happy thing."

She pulled her leg back, draped her skirt over the seat, and leaned to the side, finally lying in his arms, looking up into his eyes: "But I think there were some romantic moments before, like the first time you held me. It was raining heavily. It was night, and the streets of Chiba were still lit up with all sorts of lights. Then, in the puddles at our feet, the city seemed to turn upside down, and was shattered by the raindrops."

“It sounds pretty good.” Nomiyama recalled the puddle and the temperature of the girl’s body.

“Yes, those scenes that artsy young people fantasize about, an embrace in a downpour; I asked Shiyu, and she did think about it.” Sakurajima Mai smiled.

She closed her eyes and murmured, "Kazehaya, you said that we would come here to ride the Ferris wheel every month and every year. After many years, wouldn't that be considered romantic?"

Nomiyama thought for a moment and hesitated, "Um, Mai, if this Ferris wheel goes out of business in the long run, it will go out of business."

Sakurajima Mai opened her eyes and rolled her eyes at him: "It's only romantic to sit there until the business goes bankrupt, which means it takes a long time."

Nomiyama understood, then took out his phone: "Then I'll take a picture of it every time to record it."

Mai Sakurajima reached out to stop her: "No, don't take pictures. It's more interesting to have memories than photos. Like the inevitable tragedies and losses, we slowly wear them down with time, waiting for this Ferris wheel to go out of business."

Nomiyama stroked her cheek with his fingertips: "I always feel like you've caught this weird, artsy way of thinking from Kasumigaoka-senpai."

Sakurajima Mai pinched his waist: "You don't like it?"

"I love it so much."

Nomiyama looked around and realized that they had reached a high point, so he lowered his head and kissed her.

"Let's focus on the important things at hand rather than the future."

"Um..."

......

The branches swayed, the leaves drooped, a strong wind blew, and someone crashed into the sky.

The clouds were smashed open, revealing a vast expanse of azure blue, like a white cotton candy tinged with blue.

Nomiyama, embracing the hempen robe, descended upon the celestial continent.

Holding hands, they slowly walked to the edge of the continent and then sat down.

The sun is directly overhead, and the world below is curved in a gentle arc, with white or dark clouds moving with the wind.

Turning around, Nomiyama looked at the girl who had suddenly appeared not far behind him: "Baiyujing, could you help me get some fruit?"

Bai Yujing bowed slightly: "As you wish."

Nomiyama looked at the fruit platter that had appeared beside him and nodded, "Thank you."

Bai Yujing was slightly taken aback before saying, "You're welcome."

Reaching out, Nomiyama moved the fruit plate between the two of them, grabbed a peach, and took a bite: "I always feel that the fruits from heaven taste better."

Mai Sakurajima took an apple, took a bite, chewed and swallowed, compared it, and gave her answer: "It's an illusion. The apples at home are actually very delicious. It's probably because we don't eat the stuff on them very often, so it tastes better when we eat it occasionally."

Nomiyama looked at the peach in his hand: "It's like with things that are more expensive; you always subconsciously feel like they're better?"

Mai Sakurajima nodded: "That's about right."

"That makes sense." Nomiyama grinned. "Why did you suddenly decide to come up here?"

"Because you brought me here before, I always want to come back." Mai Sakurajima blinked. "Are you touched?"

"Touched." Nomiyama swung her legs and looked at the skirt swaying beside her.

She wore a white dress today, but instead of leather shoes, she wore canvas shoes, which made her look more like a high school freshman than a working professional.

Looking up at the white clouds, with his skirt swaying in the wind, Nomiyama finally realized that he was still living through his youth.

Mai Sakurajima reached out and pinched his cheek, smiling faintly: "Can't get enough of looking at me?"

Nomiyama frankly admitted, "I've wanted to see this for many years."

Mai Sakurajima withdrew her hand, braced herself on the edge of the ground, and looked down at the flowing clouds: "Then let's take our time watching."

She suddenly became curious and asked, "Kazehaya, how were you born?"

"Birth?" Nomiyama thought of this somewhat familiar topic and looked up at the starry sky.

Behind them, Bai Yujing appeared and disappeared in the thick fog, her gaze fixed on that person.

What exactly is the birth of a god, and what would the answer be?

Nomiyama reached out and placed his hand on hers: "To be honest, my birth is somewhat similar to that of a sage, but there are also some differences. Sages are probably beings born to maintain and operate the rules of this planet in response to the needs of this planet. I am more like a miracle similar to the Big Bang that happened in the universe. I appeared inexplicably and just happened to be here."

"Actually, I could appear anywhere, anywhere deep in the starry sky. This is just a coincidence."

Mai Sakurajima looked up at the starry sky, her tone a little strange: "It's like a myth has suddenly turned into a science fiction story."

Nomiyama crossed his legs and propped his face up with his hand: "Because possibility is an infinite thing, the starry sky holds too many possibilities. The birth of a god is not necessarily a grand thing. Perhaps it is just that one day, in the collision of infinite possibilities, the universe gave birth to the miracle that it usually sees."

Mai Sakurajima looked at him and smiled: "So, our meeting is also part of a miracle."

Nomiyama said more seriously, "Please call this a miracle among miracles."

"So, Miracle Boyfriend, how does it feel to become human?"

Nomiyama loosened his legs, letting them dangle off the edge and sway: "It's fine."

He recalled: "When I was little, I didn't really have any sense of being a human being. I was free back then. Until one day, I was surrounded and scolded by people in the office with Yukinoshita Eriri and the others. When I saw how scared Eriri looked, I had the idea of ​​beating those adults up, beating them into the hospital or killing them? That was probably the thought. Then Yukinoshita pulled me back."

“She was also a little scared, but not scared of those people, she was scared that I would actually do something. That was the first time I realized that being a human being is not free, but I don’t hate this lack of freedom.”

Mai Sakurajima simply turned her head away: "He talked about other girls while we were on a date."

"Ah, I'm sorry." Nomiyama reached out and took her hand. "I just suddenly thought of things from the past."

Mai Sakurajima leaned to one side, resting her head on his shoulder: "Don't you feel it's a pity? You were supposed to be free from constraints."

Nomiyama shook his head: "No, I quite like this kind of lack of freedom. One year, I even thought about going to walk in the starry sky, going far away, to see the wonders of the starry sea. But then I felt that the idea was so boring. Compared to those seemingly special wonders, I still prefer what I am like now, looking at these clouds, and talking to you."

“Actually,” he hesitated, then said softly, “I think it’s a miracle that I’m with Mai like this now, a really, really big miracle.”

Mai Sakurajima hugged his arm and shook it: "Hmm, how big is it?"

Nomiyama looked at the horizon and said, "It's probably as big as I ever imagined when I was a child."

Mai Sakurajima mocked her speechless boyfriend, saying, "To put it nicely, you stupid boyfriend."

Nomiyama was speechless: "Well, I find it hard to describe."

"Fine, I'll forgive you, albeit reluctantly." Mai Sakurajima wrapped her arms around his and placed her hands on his palms. "Kazehaya, do you remember the first time we came here?"

"Yes." Nomiyama indicated that he remembered.

“That time you brought me here to try to solve the problem, but we failed. Then we fell into the sea of ​​clouds together. Actually, when we were falling, I looked at you and thought of some things.”

"Okay, go ahead." Nomiyama squeezed her fingers.

"I was thinking, if even the immortals in heaven can't help me, does that mean I'm doomed? In the days to come, will I have to stay by your side every day, since only you can remember me?"

"At first, I thought this was a punishment, a punishment from God for my unnecessary greed. But then I thought, it's not so bad. After all, you're a good cook, and I won't go hungry. Although you often say unpleasant things, you don't mean any harm. It's just that when you're alone with your girlfriends, I might have to be a third wheel, and I might even have to watch you guys moving around in bed."

Nomiyama couldn't help but interrupt, "You think about so many things."

Mai Sakurajima reached out and pinched his waist: "Anyway, at that moment I accepted my fate of staying by your side for the rest of my life."

Without giving him a chance to speak again, she asked a question: "Kazehaya, tell me, how confident are you in saving her?"

Nomiyama turned his head to look at her, his expression hidden, only the dark hair resting on his shoulder was visible.

This was actually the first time they had been genuinely asked the question. They were more or less aware of the problem, but they all chose to remain vague.

"I'll try."

Okay, keep it up.

Mai Sakurajima said no more.

The wind blew and blew, and a cloud passed by where they were standing.

Nomiyama said softly, "Why don't you blame me? You and they, you didn't say anything. Actually, I wanted you to say something, or ask for something."

Mai Sakurajima looked up at the rare helplessness in his eyes, reached out and pinched the flesh on his cheeks, making him smile: "Because I am your girlfriend and your wife, my silly husband. Smile, I like the way you look when you're silly."

"Then, do what you absolutely must do."

Nomiyama reached out and grabbed both of her hands, retorting, "How did I just laugh like an idiot?"

Mai Sakurajima gently lifted his head and pulled him into her arms, saying, "You're just grinning like an idiot right now."

Nomiyama suppressed his smile and said seriously, "Absolutely not."

Sakurajima Mai scoffed, too lazy to say anything more, and simply hummed a tune as she looked at the distant clouds.