Book Publication Commemoration: Shino Shinonome
“Would you like to go see the stars on a day trip? There seems to be a meteor shower today.”
It was a late autumn afternoon, and I was relaxing with Shino on the sofa in my room when she suddenly suggested this to me.
“Sure. The other three should be finishing their classes soon, so when they do…”
“Ahem.”
Shino cleared her throat ostentatiously. Then, she looked at me with a smile.
“Well, it seems the three of them have reports they need to finish by today, so they’ll be late today.”
“Eh? Is that so?”
“It’s very unfortunate! Yes, truly unfortunate, but it seems we have no choice but to go alone!”
Strange. Shino sounds disappointed, but her voice has a certain pep to it…
“Now that it’s decided, let’s strike while the iron is hot. The rental car is arranged, and the necessary luggage is already in the car. All that’s left is to head to the location.”
“You’re quite prepared…”
“Yes, it was just a coincidence. Now, now, let’s go quickly. Time is money.”
Even with my sarcasm, Shino’s smile doesn’t falter at all. She’s unbeatable when it comes to a poker face.
We’re usually together as a group of five, but the Four Beauties are always vying for my attention, so I often see them plotting to be alone with me.
Well, they’re usually interrupted by the other Four Beauties…
Shino had managed to find a chance for us to be alone, slipping through that surveillance. I don’t know when she started preparing, but judging from her enthusiasm, it wasn’t just a day or two. I think she was really looking forward to it.
Thinking about it that way, I suddenly felt affection for Shino.
“Hmm… what’s wrong all of a sudden?”
“Sorry, I just thought you were cute, Shino.”
I stroked Shino’s head, and she leaned into it, looking comfortable. I rubbed her head like I would a cat. Today, I wanted to be alone with Shino.
“Alright, let’s go… what’s wrong?”
Shino looked at me with heated eyes.
“…Can I attack you before we go?”
“That’s a no-go!?”
※ Please use your imagination.
◇
Shino brought me to a campsite deep in the mountains, far from the city center. In the weekday quiet, we were lucky enough to be the only visitors.
From the top of a small hill, you could see the town in the distance. The autumn wind gently caressed my skin, the leaves of the trees swayed slightly, and the crimson color shining in the distant sky gradually melted into the evening darkness.
“It’s good to get away from civilization once in a while. It’s a nice view.”
“Yeah. The air is good too.”
I inhaled the clear air into my lungs. The cold, pleasant air spread throughout my body, and I felt like my heart was being cleansed.
Shino was wearing a dark blue hooded jacket, with a simple logo white T-shirt underneath, and black denim pants. She was wearing a small necklace.
Shino was staring at the crimson sky being swallowed by the night. When the wind blew, her jet-black hair swayed slightly, as if the night was welcoming Shino. Then, Shino’s eyes suddenly met mine.
“Is something wrong?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
I was embarrassed to admit that I was captivated, so I quickly looked forward.
“By the way, the alcohol you drink while looking at this scenery is delicious. How about you, Satoshi-san?”
“Ah, me too… wait a minute!?”
When I reflexively looked at Shino, she opened a can of sparkling wine that she took out from somewhere with a “pssh” and gulped it down. Then, Shino offered me the slightly drunken wine.
No, that’s not the point.
“How are we going home!?”
I’m a disabled person with one arm, so I don’t have a license. That’s why Shino brought me here, but she can’t drive because she drank alcohol. I can’t let her drive drunk, so I’m really in trouble.
But Shino didn’t seem to care at all.
“Don’t worry. I brought a tent, so we can spend the night here. I’m glad I brought it just in case. It’s good to be prepared, and I think the ancestors left us with good words.”
You little…
When she opened the trunk triumphantly, it was true that she had everything we needed to spend the night. It felt like there were too many things just to go see the stars, but I finally understood. She reassured me that it was just a day trip, but she had calculated everything.
As a small protest, I glared at Shino, but she brushed it off like the wind on a willow. On the contrary.
“Please forgive me, meow♡”
Looking at Shino, who stuck out her tongue in a calculated manner in a cat pose…
“…I forgive you.”
Being cute is cheating…
◇
The flames of the bonfire crackled. We lined up two folding chairs and stared intently at the bonfire. Beyond that gaze, a rice cooker was steaming, slowly cooking the rice.
“I wonder if the rice is ready… Shino, can I ask you to do it?”
“Leave it to me~”
Shino was completely drunk. She gave a cute salute and opened the lid of the rice cooker. I wondered if it was okay to let her work near the fire while she was drunk, but her skill was amazing.
“It feels good. Should we steam it?”
As soon as she said that, she closed the lid of the rice cooker, wrapped a towel around it, and kept it warm.
In the meantime, I warmed up the retort curry in a hot water bath. The aroma of spices that whetted my appetite spread from the slowly warmed roux.
“Is it okay now~?”
After a while, Shino gently opened the lid of the rice cooker. Inside, freshly cooked white rice was shining.
I inserted a rice scoop, gently loosened the rice, put it on a plate, and poured the warmed retort curry over it. The warm roux was mixed with the white rice, and it whetted my appetite just by looking at it.
As if drawn in by Shino, I took out a slightly drunken drink and toasted with Shino.
“It’s delicious~”
“Yeah. It’s too delicious…”
It was so delicious that I wondered what the rice I usually ate was.
After the meal, we set up a tent and sat side by side at the entrance. We snuggled up in one futon and quietly looked up at the night sky.
“It’s beautiful~”
“Yeah…”
The starry sky was shining as if it was cutting through the night sky. It was the same sky, but it was completely different from the city. The meteor shower wasn’t here yet, but it should be soon.
Shino and I didn’t say much, we just snuggled up and waited. Shino’s warmth was slowly transmitted through the futon. That warmth was so comfortable that I wanted this time to last forever, but Shino suddenly broke the silence.
“…How much knowledge do you have about stars?”
“Unfortunately, none at all. My knowledge stopped in junior high school. If I had to say, it would be the Orion constellation, which is marked by three stars lined up horizontally.”
I took my hand out of the futon and traced the Orion constellation in the sky.
“Then, do you know the myth of Orion and Artemis?”
“Well, somewhat.”
Artemis, the virgin goddess who presides over hunting and the moon, is famous for hating men. The only person Artemis fell in love with was Orion.
However, Apollon, Artemis’ twin brother, did not approve of their relationship. Then, Apollon tricked Artemis, and she shot Orion with an arrow and killed him.
Knowing this, Artemis was saddened and asked her father Zeus to enshrine Orion in the night sky as a constellation… or so the story goes.
“It’s a hopeless story…”
I hate bad endings. I’m sick of it.
“I hate Apollon. He is worshiped as a main character-class god in Greek mythology, but did you know that he has caused countless tragedies?”
“Is that so?”
He is often used as a strong character in games, so I had no such impression at all.
“Yes. He acts on his instincts and messes around with those around him, ruining someone’s life as a result…”
“Ah… I see.”
I didn’t realize it until you said it, but he certainly looks like that guy (…). It’s too much to compare him to a god, but…
Shino was remembering that guy with a scary face. I sighed once, then put my arm around her shoulder. Then, she looked at me strangely.
“I-is something wrong?”
“Well, I’d be a little sad if you thought about another man during a date with me…”
“Ah.”
I know what Shino thinks of that guy, and I know she loves me. But even so, I get jealous when she thinks about another man. That’s how much I love Shino.
“Fufu, you’re loved…”
“Right?”
“Yes. It’s warm…”
Silence dominates the world. But, strangely, I didn’t feel uncomfortable. Thanks to the feeling that Shino and I were snuggling up and looking at the same thing, even that felt comfortable.
“Hey…”
“Hmm?”
Shino called me in a strange way. And when I looked at Shino, I felt a soft sensation on my lips. And when I looked at me with a slightly upturned gaze,
“L-let’s be together, f-forever. Th-that is, Satoshi-san…”
Her clumsy, non-honorific way of speaking trailed off, and she ended up adding “-san” at the end, making it feel half-finished. I felt a surge of affection for Shino, who usually strives for perfection, for speaking in such an imperfect way.
“…Yeah, me too.”
When I looked up at the sky, meteors were trickling down. It wasn’t a large-scale Meteor Shower like in anime, but I was still moved by it.
When I turned to Shino to share this feeling, she had her hands clasped together in a praying pose. After a few seconds, she raised her face, exhaling a white breath.
“What were you praying fo—”
Shino put her index finger to my lips.
“It’s a secret. They say that if you put your wish into words, it won’t come true.”
“…I guess that’s true.”
I’ll know when the wish comes true. I’ll patiently wait for that day.
Because we have plenty of time…
━━━
I would be happy if you could scroll down and press the [⊕] button in [Praise with ★] in [Review] three times!
I would also appreciate it if you could write a comment in the review!