We Hate Each Other, But It Started With a One-Night Stand - Chapter 7.2

Shinomiya’s expression brightened at the perfect answer that came immediately. Hatano was rather surprised that she knew that work. He had thought she was a species whose face only showed stained with ill feelings.

“You came out smoothly, aren’t you an otaku?”

Though he wanted to protest the inappropriate label, he didn’t feel bad about being praised.

“I like movies. Story construction and direction can also be utilized in novels. Many masterpieces called masterpieces are based on the ‘Myth Law’ analyzed based on mythology, and that law can be transferred to novels. Although not completely matching, it is also used in masterpiece manga——”

With the surprise and a little joy that she watches movies, he began to speak loudly, but Shinomiya, watching such Hatano, laughed happily.

“Ah! An otaku who gets fast-talking in his specialty!”

Hatano, who unintentionally choked on his words with a “Mugu,” realized that the remark was completely spot-on. Feeling a little embarrassed, he sulked and pursed his lips. “You’re unexpectedly human,” Shinomiya relaxed her cheeks, then whispered slightly leaning toward Hatano.

“But I absolutely won’t mock you for seriously challenging yourself.”

Not a mocking smile, but a smile harboring loneliness and warmth as if seeing someone beyond Hatano. At her face like that, shown for the first time, he unintentionally forgot his words.

She leaned her back against the bench, followed the fallen leaves in the wind with her eyes, and spoke.

“I think that work is evaluated by society as a success story with a happy ending and a comedic touch. A first-class cook who was kicked out surpasses even his former self.”

“It was a stress-free work. Bright, forward-looking, a style I personally like.”

“We seem to match in creative works. In creative works.”

Hatano also smiled back, “That’s right,” at Shinomiya who smiled somewhat meaningfully.

“I like that work. A father who was single-minded about work, triggered by unemployment, explores a new path while facing his child. The child advances his own path while watching his father’s back, receives good influence from each other, and both grow one step.”

Shinomiya extended two index fingers horizontally, overlapping them as if showing a path. Watching the gesture showing intersecting paths, he was impressed that she was unexpectedly looking at the content solidly. Simultaneously, somewhere in his heart, he felt ashamed of himself who had been underestimating her.

“It’s a good relationship.”

And from her words speaking of that parent-child love as the charm of the work, Hatano recalled one watercolor painting burned into his brain that wouldn’t disappear. ‘Isn’t it painful? Not being evaluated by anyone,’ then he ruminated on the words the girl before him had once spoken.

“Shinomiya, your relationship with your family?”

Judging this was a good opportunity, Hatano broached the main topic.

As if spoken unexpectedly, Shinomiya choked on her words in surprise. Whether she thought his sense of smell was sharp, or realized he knew something. Either way, she wouldn’t honestly tell everything. Spilling an ambiguous smile, she obscured with ambiguous words.

“Well, it’s normal.”

He himself couldn’t understand why he was here, specifically what he was here to do. But it was undoubtedly to peel off her fabricated smile, and also to deny words coated with falsehood.

“I heard from Shindo.”

When Hatano broached that, Shinomiya tilted her head slightly.

“Your older sister is a painter who holds solo exhibitions overseas, and the Shinomiya family is an artist lineage.”

Her eyes opened wide and round, her pupils capturing Hatano as if piercing.

Shinomiya pursed her lips, then averted her gaze and closed her eyes. That appearance was like someone resigned and abandoning intention to resist. Hatano next thought about throwing preaching-like questions about her circumstances and desire for approval, but abandoned it at that expression.

Instead, without speaking words, he waited for her reply.

“…Shindo knew such things.”

“He seems to have been a former classmate of your older sister.”

“I see, he was aiming for my sister.”

Without particularly grieving, she muttered as if convinced.

And she acknowledged Hatano’s words from earlier.

“—Correct. It’s right. My older sister is the watercolor painter ‘Rokai’ who held a solo exhibition in New York half a year ago, and my lineage is a prestigious artist lineage passed down through generations.”

As if conveying the movement of clouds in the distant sky, she spoke of events from an extremely distant world as if they were someone else’s affairs.

Though he had been convinced, when acknowledged from her mouth, that fact pressed down even more heavily. Evil speculations alone surged like boiling water. Could the distorted desires she harbors be related to that lineage? Could her admiration for beautiful parent-child love be because she couldn’t build a good relationship?

But that was speculation with thin grounds, so he didn’t put it into words.

However, he couldn’t say nothing, so Hatano, with a stern face, desperately searched for words. How could he ask the main topic without hurting her? Beginning to worry for several seconds, she saw Hatano’s expression like that and smiled bitterly.

“Maybe you’re trying to encourage a dropout?”

Dropout a fallen person. To her degrading herself, Hatano reflexively almost retorted, but Hatano also didn’t favorably think of that side of her, rather, she was a holder of degrading-like thoughts. Unable to blame her degrading herself, he squeezed out words.

“I… say it many times, but I dislike your way of life selling flattery to anyone to satisfy your desire for approval. But I favorably think of the unadorned side like earlier. If your current way of life and art have some relationship——I thought there might be something I could do, so I called.”

Hatano, without adornment, desperately spun his own feelings, even ambiguous to himself, into words. When conveying his thoughts straight, Shinomiya showed surprise on her expression without hiding it.

For a while Shinomiya, looking at Hatano curiously, smiled as if chewing. But the smile was fleeting, changing into a mischievous smile mocking Hatano.

“…Overprotective, self-righteous, disgusting. Despite saying you hate me so much, when you make me feel a little good, you turn on your palm. Pretending to be a lone wolf but being kind to people, a little too aimed.”

Spitting out blunt and extremely harsh abusive words one after another, Hatano felt like his heart would break. He thought whether he had done something terrible enough to be spoken like that, but recalling, he had taken terrible attitudes, and what she was saying wasn’t wrong.

But, at that time. Shinomiya showed an unfamiliar expression.

“You’re a strange person. Surely you must be an endangered species. But—”

It wasn’t a mocking smile, nor an unhappy-looking face, nor the mask when selling flattery, nor the happy smile from eating the crepe earlier. It was a calm and friendly smile with just a tiny bit of no ulterior motive, as if directed toward a friend.

“—Thank you. It’s okay, so don’t worry.”

At that moment, Hatano saw the essence of the human called ‘Shinomiya’ there.

Hatano didn’t feel dissatisfaction at his goodwill being rejected, but was a little, just a tiny bit lonely. But, if she said so, he wouldn’t mention it further. “I see,” he muttered consciously with a gentle voice, snatched the wrapper from her, and stood up.

There likely was no meaning to converse with her about that further. Before it got dark, he had to send her back, so while putting the wrapper into the trash can, he indicated the station direction with his gaze.

“Let’s go home soon. I’ll send you.”

“That’s right. Thank you for the meal.”

Shinomiya picked up her bag, stood up, and started walking as if following Hatano.

Just a little more than when coming, the distance between the two had shrunk. Heading toward the station without either consciously aware of such things, suddenly Shinomiya stopped.

Turning back wondering if something happened, she had stopped and was looking at the neighboring bookstore. Inside the glass were shelves and countless books lined up, and he observed wondering if she was interested. But, after a little while, he noticed that what her eyes were capturing was not inside the store but the poster pasted on the store’s glass.

Several posters were pasted, but following Shinomiya’s gaze, at its end was—

“—Aquarium?”

An aquarium boasting scale among the top in the country, operating near the station. Many living social lives would know its name. In this urban center with only Tokyo Bay as connection, still, a facility not hesitating to be called famous.

Shinomiya gazed at the poster and muttered in a vague tone.

“I thought, it was being held around here.”

“Aquarium, huh. Do you like it?”

Asking while thinking it unexpected, she shook her head indifferently.

“Not particularly, such things. Just… the penguin show.”

“Penguin show?”

Confirming her words muttered like a dream, he looked at the show’s opening time drawn on the poster, likely the aquarium’s sales point. The next opening was 20:00, now past 17:00. It seemed quite ample.

“A little while ago when I went to the drama club drinking party, there was an opportunity to go here. At that time, it was just the time when the penguin show was starting, but everyone only thought about sex, so we ended up leaving in about ten minutes. Well, it wasn’t my money so it’s fine though…”

Shinomiya’s profile sadly gazing at the poster looked like a girl appropriate for her age.

“…I was looking forward to it just a little.”

At Shinomiya’s true feelings spilled out sporadically, Hatano smiled a little. She’s her. Regarding Hatano as a human, she likely had no such ulterior motive, but if spoken such things before her eyes, she probably sensed he was a type of person who couldn’t ignore.

“Go?”

When making a proposal unimaginable to himself just a few weeks ago, Shinomiya widened her eyes as if unable to understand the meaning of the words. Taking great time to digest just two characters, two sounds of simple words, then finally, probably realizing his words were like those of a person who seemed to want to be invited, she denied hastily while coloring her cheeks embarrassedly.

“N, no! Please spare me, is this a date invitation!? This is why unpopular women are troublesome, because they misunderstand when you’re a little kind. The ulterior motive is too visible, about half the ulterior motive becomes the main body! The ulterior motive makes the senior invisible! Voice coming out from the vagina!”

“You really have abundant vocabulary only for insults.”

Probably also hiding embarrassment, he was simply impressed by the extremely abundant vocabulary. However, if she disliked it, he shouldn’t forcibly take her.

Also, if truly interested, she would probably go alone someday. Hatano judged so and started walking toward the station saying, “It’s a joke. Let’s go home quickly.”

But small fingers pinched the sleeve of Hatano’s clothes who started walking.

There wasn’t force enough to stop, but it was sufficient to stop Hatano’s steps.

What Hatano saw turning back was Shinomiya, her face to ears reddened as if steam would come out, looking down.

“…Don’t make me expect alone.”