Episode- 23

　--Pipp.

　One new message

　Tohsaka Koko: It seems to be a little cooler tonight. How are you doing, Fujita-kun?

"...What the heck is this?"

　I was staring at my smartphone meaninglessly, thoughtlessly, and unproductively when a notification that caught my eye appeared on the screen.

"...What is this?"

　If you do it the other way around, it doesn't make any sense.

　For now I tap the notification and open the chat screen with Tohsaka.

　At the bottom of the short exchange was the same message, once again.

"Seriously, what is the purpose of this?"

　It's so out of the blue that I don't understand anything.

　But here's a question. She's asking me, "How are you doing?"

　I guess I should answer that.

　But why would Tohsaka ask such a question...

　My thoughts were sinking deeper and deeper into a quagmire, and when I started to have difficulty breathing, I looked up.

　You can't understand other people's thoughts by thinking about them. So just ask them.

　When you have an idea, act immediately.

　As I was about to send a message, my finger stopped.

"...Can I call you?"

　Messages are frustrating.

　With the same momentum, I tapped the voice call icon.

　Listen for the familiar popping sound of a call.

"Huh? It's not coming out."

　I thought I would answer because I just got a message.

"Ah! M-m-mo-hi!"

　You bit it.

"Hello, Tohsaka? Sorry for calling so late at night."

"No, no, it's okay!"

　I somehow felt that Tohsaka's voice coming from the smartphone sounded urgent, but I put that aside for now and got straight to the point.

"I saw the message but I don't understand it. What happened?"

"Oh, that was, well... well, how can I put it... oh, that's right! I was thinking of sending it to Aika!!! But then I sent it to Fujita-kun by mistake!"

"Is that so? ...Tohsaka sends Usami messages that look like love letters from the Heian period. Even though they see each other every day."

"Huh! I was just joking around! I'm normally more normal than that, you know?"

"Well, that's true."

　Even so, it's surprising that even Tohsaka would send such silly messages.

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　But when you think about it, it's often the case that the actual feeling and the feeling of the message are different.

　It's not like Tohsaka is an exception.

"Thanks, Tohsaka. The mystery has been solved. See you next time--"

"wait a minute!!!"

"what up?"

『Ah, well…』

　I waited for a few seconds for Tohsaka's next words.

"Since we're calling, and since this is a rare opportunity, I wish we could talk a little more... Oh, but if you're busy, that's okay! As long as you have the time and the mental space..."

"That's right..."

『……Umm.』

"I haven't really made many phone calls or anything, so I thought I'd give it a try."

"Eh, really? Is that okay?"

"Yeah, absolutely."

"I, I see. Well, then..."

　And so, I ended up calling Tohsaka.

　However, perhaps neither of us were used to the distance that comes with telephone conversations, and at first we were so halting that we almost wanted to use the poor signal quality as an excuse.

"The temperature has been around 30 degrees lately."

"That's right. It definitely feels like summer."

"Yeah."

『Ah, ahaha…………』

"Ahaha..."

　Rather than having something I wanted to talk about, I was focused on making the phone call, so I found myself thinking about various things while we were talking.

　However, gradually, the feeling of fatigue simplified my thinking in a good way.

　Before I knew it, I was able to speak so naturally that it was as if I was speaking face-to-face.

"That's right! The other day I went out eating with Aika, but the portions were small."

"Well, it's made for eating on the go. After all, competitive eaters want to sit down and eat, right?"

"I'm not a food fighter! I do eat a lot, but I don't fight with food!"

"So you're a food lover?"

"...I don't like it when the hood is on because it makes me sound like a glutton."

"Is that so?"

　It seems that this is a point that Tohsaka will not compromise on.

"But Tohsaka is amazing."

『Eh, what?』

"I mean, even though she eats that much, she still has a great figure, right? She's slim and has the figure of a model."

『Hm! I, I guess so.』

"That's true. But the other day when I met you at the park, I saw you running, and I realized that you're really putting in the effort."

『Huh! I feel like you're saying something really embarrassing.』

"You're right, Tohsaka isn't just cute."

『!!! Th, thank you…』

　Tohsaka's words are becoming increasingly wilted.

"No, something's different. It's not just cute, it's cute, I mean... hmm, cute?"

"What have you been saying all this time?"

　Tohsaka's panicked voice came through the phone.

　My vocabulary isn't enough to evaluate Tohsaka in a satisfactory way.

　It's frustrating. But as long as I can convey how cute she is, that's good enough.

"Seriously, Fujita-kun... you call me cute too much."

"I don't think I'm bad at this these days."

『……May I hear your opinion?』

　Now that Tohsaka has officially given us the opportunity, we take a breather to get ourselves fired up.

"I know I've said this many times, but I don't call someone 'cute' for no reason."

『Uh, yeah.』

"I mean, I'm just saying it because I really think it's cute."

『I, I see? Actually, I'm starting to feel embarrassed after hearing that myself...』

"Anyway, what I want to say is that it's Tohsaka's fault for making me think and even say it's cute. In short, it's the cuteness that makes people say you're cute that's bad!"

"!!! I-it's over now! The cuteness explanation is over!!!"

　Once he says it, there's no choice but to bring it to a close.

　As I obediently stepped back, Tohsaka sighed through her smartphone.

"...It seems my level is not high enough after all."

"level?"

"I was just talking about this! But before I knew it, it was already this late."

　I glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it had indeed been a long time since the call began.

"Should we finish up now?"

"That's right. Thank you, Fujita-kun. I had a lot of fun today."

"Thank you. Well then--"

『Ah, wait a minute!』

　Tohsaka interrupts me again.

　After hearing a faint intake of breath, Tohsaka spoke.

"Will you call me again? Because... I want to."

　Tohsaka's words pierced my brain like a bullet.

　Feeling my whole body gradually get hotter, I tried to suppress my excitement as I answered.　

"Of course. Whenever you have the time and the mental space. I can even make the time if necessary."

"Really?! Hehe, thank you."

　The sound of rolling smiles can be heard from the smartphone.

　When speaking on the phone, I feel like the voice, facial expression, and atmosphere are all conveyed in a condensed way.

　Maybe that's why I felt strangely itchy and my heart was beating louder than usual.

　After hearing the rustling sounds of daily life, Tohsaka muttered, sounding about two levels more excited than usual, yet still gently placing her hand on her heart.

"Well then, good night, Fujita-kun."

"...Good night, Tohsaka."

　The phone call ended and I sat back in my chair.

　I exhaled as if trying to let something out, and eventually I began to mutter unconsciously.

"That was too cute."

　I never knew a "good night" from a cute girl could have so much impact.

　As I looked up at the sky and soaked in the afterglow,

"……big brother"

　I turned around to see Umi standing at the door in her pajamas.

"Oh, what happened to the Umi?"

"Why are you grinning?"

"…………There's no other way around this."

　On the contrary, it would be strange if you didn't smile at this.

"I, I see! I guess there's no other way! Good night!"

"Oh, good night."

　Umi leaves room with a flapping sound.

　After I saw her small back, I looked up at the sky once more.

"...That's crazy, seriously."

　For a while afterwards, I was immersed in the afterglow of the phone call with Tohsaka.

　　　　　♦ ♦ ♦

　the next day.

"Haha."

　Yawning, he opened the shoe cupboard, put his outdoor shoes in, and tossed his indoor shoes onto the ground.

"Oh, Fujita-kun. Good morning."

"Good morning, Tohsaka."

　Tohsaka, who was as outstanding as ever today, came up next to me and performed the same movements as I had done earlier.

　By the way, I've completed receiving all the good night and good morning messages from Tohsaka.

　All that's left is the secret goodbye.

　After changing into our indoor shoes, Tohsaka and I walked side by side down the restless morning hallway.

"Thanks for yesterday. I realized that talking on the phone can be surprisingly fun. Thanks to Bell and Tohsaka...!"

"Don't you dare thank me and the inventor?"

　We arrived at the classroom while talking about such things.

　When I stepped inside, Usami and Reo were already on their way to school.

"good morning"

"Good morning! Wait, what?"

"……m.999od"

　Usami and Reo looked at each other.

"Was there something going on here? What do you think, Mr. Asahi, the commentator?"

"It feels like we're a little closer than usual. What do you think about that, commentator Usami-san?"

"GAAAAAARRRRR!!!"

"What are you two saying?"

　Tohsaka ran over to the two of them, frantically protesting.

　Watching the scene from a little distance, I couldn't help but smile.

　Another busy day begins today.

　But that simple fact made me incredibly happy at the time.