Adachi to Shimamura - Volume 4 - Chapter 1.2

Bonus chapter: "Hino's House: The Visitor - Part 1" 

It was Friday, after school. She had just announced that she would be coming over to my house, which was the reason behind the look of open disgust on my face. 
"Huh?" 
"Like I said, it's been two whole years since... Wait, no, three. Three... days. What did I eat for dinner three days ago? Hmm." 
Focus, Nagafuji. Everyone knows your memory sucks, so stop worrying about it and look at me. 
My attempts at communicating with her telepathically were of no use; she simply continued walking, and eventually, I was forced to give up. 
And there you have it. It was in that fashion that Nagafuji wound up coming over to my house with me that day. 
As we stood there, staring at the building at the end of the long, stone road past the residential area, she opened her mouth: 
"Your home really does look like a villa." 
"You think so?" I asked back, expressing slight doubt towards her evaluation. For me, a "villa" was a building more in the western style. Sure, our home was quite the mansion in the sense that we had lots of greenery, plenty of trees, and a large yard with turtles who had showed up uninvited living there, but a villa? Which part of it? I asked Nagafuji that, and she immediately began listing things. 
"The road leading here is paved with stone, you have a pond in your yard... Oh, and the whole place is covered in the fragrance of trees." 
Her nose moved as she proceeded to sniff up said fragrance. I found myself prompted to do the same. 
She'd been right; you could definitely smell the nature. It wasn't all that surprising, considering the amount of greenery surrounding us, wholly uncharacteristic of the residential area. Our house was also quite Japanese. That was to say, somewhat old fashioned with ample trees around it. Though the exterior had been renovated plenty of times, the inner sections, those remained the same way they'd always been. My grandparents also lived here. They were pretty traditional folks, which probably explained us having a room specifically for tea ceremonies. Sometimes, even I'd get crammed in there without any say in the matter. 
Consequently, I wasn't a big fan. 
"Anyhow, your house sure is still huge." 
"It's pretty flat, but I guess so." 
I opened the door to said flat mansion, and was immediately met by the smiling face of a maid busy shining shoes. 
"Welcome home. I hope you had a nice day." 
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." 
It was pretty embarrassing having to go through this with a classmate standing behind me, even if that classmate was Nagafuji. 
I felt like it made me seem detached from the real world, like some noble young lady or whatever. Though I wasn't able to say it directly, it was for this reason that I had always hated bringing friends over, even when I'd been little. 
"Sorry to bother", Nagafuji stated loudly as she passed me and walked inside, making her presence very much felt in the process. Her giant breasts made their presence felt as well as they pushed against my elbow. "Nagafuji Meat", no kidding. I wonder, where was it from, that the differences between us arose? 
"A guest? Oh, I see. A school friend." 
"A friend. 'Friend' is enough", I corrected her. There was no reason to get fancy with it. 
Plus, I didn't want her to treat Nagafuji the same way she did me, like some doll standing on a pedestal. 
"Just a moment, please. I will prepare tea for you right away." 
"No, it's fine, you don't have to." 
It was Nagafuji who spoke. 
"I already bought some before I got here", she continued while pulling out a half-full plastic bottle of Afternoon Tea from her bag. It was what she had been sipping during lunch earlier that day. A wry smile appeared on the maid's face as she watched her shake the bottle of lukewarm liquid in front of her. 
"Don't mind her. That's just the kind of person she is." 
I gave Nagafuji's back a quick tap before entering the house myself, only to immediately lose my footing and slip; I'd failed to notice that the wooden floor in the hallway had been freshly polished. Then again, if my past experiences were any indication, it wasn't like noticing it would have made much difference. Anyhow, starting from the entrance, there were two major paths for you to pick from. You could walk straight forward to get inside the building proper, or take a right for an exterior pathway which offered a view of the entire yard. Going left was also technically an option, but the only thing there was a single room in which my grandmother resided. She was always joking about how she lived separate from my grandfather. 
The fastest way to my room was through the walkway outside, and with that, I headed right. 
Nagafuji followed after me, all the while ogling at the ceiling and walls with curious eyes. 
We continued walking. Before long, however, a face I hadn't seen in a while popped into my view. 
"Ugh." 
It was my fourth oldest brother, Goushirou, having just exited his room. His eyes grew narrow as he noticed me. 
"Greetings, Akira." 
Having moved out only two years prior, he was the brother who I'd had the most opportunity to interact with. Though we weren't on bad terms per se, I couldn't say that I was really fond of him either. He was the kind of person who would have done well to learn when to keep his mouth shut. 
"How rare to see you bring a friend along", my brother sneered at me. He was wearing Japanese-style clothes. 
"I didn't 'bring her'. She followed me on her own." 
"Hello. Hey. Hi", Nagafuji greeted him from behind me. Dammit. Just pick one and drop the others. 
"I am her older brother, Goushirou", he said back, followed by a deep bow. Who was he trying to impress? Had he never met Nagafuji before or something? 
"Oh, yes? Well, I am Nagafuji, of Nagafuji Meat". 
It was like she was trying to sound as pompous as possible with her reply, almost as if she viewed this as a competition of some kind. I really wished she wouldn't have. Still, her words were lent a certain aura of politeness thanks to her relatively intelligent appearance, even if their actual contents left something to be desired. 
"I hope you will continue guiding and encouraging Akira like you have done so far." 
"Yes sir! I'll make sure to use the whip more liberally." 
"..." 
Nagafuji's statement was obviously meant as a joke. Goushirou's, on the other hand, almost certainly wasn't. He was the kind of person who took himself very seriously. 
Why was it that I needed to be offered "guidance" by someone from my own grade? 
Anyway, Goushirou then lifted his head, and with a somewhat severe expression on his face, told me the following: 
"We are having guests. Try not to make too much noise, please." 
"Yeah, yeah. Got it. Take care." 
Randomly waving my hand, we parted ways with him. I wonder, how was it possible for our personalities to be so different despite growing up under the same roof? 
He was so orderly, so proper. All of my brothers were. It was almost enough to make you wonder if they'd been raised stuffed inside a tiny box made of bamboo. 
"That person just now, he resembles you quite a bit, Hino." 
"What? No, I totally disagree." 
For one, my brothers were tall. From the perspective of the young me, they'd appeared more akin to my father than what I imagined a brother to be. 
It was while we were walking down the pathway overlooking the yard that Goushirou's words finally registered in my mind: Right, we did have guests. 
I just hoped I wouldn't get called later on to come greet them as well. 
"I see. So, that's how it was, huh?" 
Hearing the sound of Nagafuji pressing her hands together, I turned around to look. 
"What's what?" 
"Your given name's 'Akira'." 
It seemed that I wasn't the only one who'd needed some time to process what my brother had said. I wonder, did it have to do with the way he spoke or something? 
Also, she had some nerve to forget that. I still remembered well all those times she'd chased after me while shouting "Akira, Akira". 
I simply couldn't understand what was going on in that head of hers. Still, she did get good grades in school, so I guess there was that. 
"What are the names of your brothers again?" 
How was she ever going to remember those? Well, whatever. I suppose it wouldn't hurt telling her. 
"The oldest one's Kaiichirou, the second oldest is Tokujirou, the third oldest Matasaburou, and the one you saw just now, that was Goushirou." 
It was really easy to remember them, with all following the same pattern. Likewise, I remembered hearing that the name I would have been given had I been born as a boy was Daigorou. Oh, but don't get me wrong. It wasn't like my parents were disappointed that I was a girl. Nothing like that. Apparently, they had prepared a list of both boy and girl names before Kaiichirou was born, and were delighted that the latter ones hadn't all gone to waste. 
"Hmm, hmm", Nagafuji nodded. Just one look at her face made it clear that, were I to demand her to repeat the names I'd listed back to me, she wouldn't be able to do so. Not in a million years. "Whatever. I only need to remember your name anyway, Hino." 
"That's true, I suppose." 
That was honestly pretty smart thinking for Nagafuji; it wasn't like she was ever going to run into them. Plus, more importantly, even if she did try remembering all of their names, she would have forgotten them in a couple of days anyway, and all that effort would've been for nothing. Still, she hadn't forgotten about me when I went overseas for a week, so that was good. Definitely. 
Having made our way through the hallway, I slid open the door at the end of it that lead to my room. Nagafuji immediately removed her glasses as she stepped in. She then took off her bag and placed it on the desk alongside mine before lying down on the tatami. I was just about to ask her what she was doing when she began rolling sideways. 

"Having fun?" 
"Yeah. I didn't think the tatami would smell this good." 
I could see her nose moving as she continued rolling. 
"Your room alone is bigger than our entire house." 
"Not really. You probably only have that impression because your house is so long and thin." 
They had a second floor, too. And a third. Being someone who loved high places, I was kinda envious of her. 
Still rolling on the floor, Nagafuji seemed to really be enjoying herself. That was how it appeared to me, at least. Personally, what I wanted to ask her was that didn't her breasts get caught when she did that, and a follow-up, wasn't that really painful? It wouldn't have been for me if I'd done it, in case you were curious. For reasons. 
Her rolling stopped as she hit a wall. Then, still lying on the tatami, she used her feet to kick herself towards me, and before I knew it, she'd crawled between my legs like a caterpillar. I instinctively took a step back: She hadn't come to take a peek under my skirt, had she? It would hardly have been the first time she saw my underwear, but still, there was something about the context—her peeping at them—that I found slightly off-putting. 
Nagafuji looked up to me from the floor and tilted her head questioningly. 
"You're not gonna change?" 
"Huh?" 
"Change into your kimono", she clarified while shaking her body, as if mimicking the way the sleeves of a kimono waved. 
Hmph. 
"That's not what I wear on the regular." 
She knew well that it wasn't actually the case that I always dressed in a kimono when at home. 
"Maybe, but you do still wear it." 
"I guess that's true." 
Nagafuji's hips continued to sway back and forth, almost like as part of some ritual to bring forth the kimono. As they did, her breasts—No, you don't need to hear that. 
It was quite strange for her to obsess so much over something. She just kept going and going, and eventually, I found myself without a choice. 
"...You want to see it?" 
"I do, I do", she cheered while slapping her hands together like a sea otter. Had I remained silent, she probably would have never stopped. 
As interesting as that might have been to see, I remembered my brother specifically telling us to be quiet. 
"That's such a pain", I complained. I wasn't kidding; it really was a hassle. Still, despite my objections, I did ultimately end up asking a maid who'd been passing by to prepare me a kimono. She offered to help me put it on, but as I could do that fine by myself, I declined. I had a feeling that she and Nagafuji might get really into gossiping about me given the opportunity, and I wanted to avoid that if at all possible. 
How was I at home, how was I at school, stuff like that. I really wasn't a fan. 
I began to undress. As I took my skirt off, I looked around, and saw Nagafuji still lying on the floor. 
"What?" she asked. The look in her eyes was soft, giving the impression that she wasn't sure why I was leering at her. 
"Nothing. Just couldn't help but notice that you're staring at my butt." 
"Well, what can you do." 
"Are you just saying stuff at random now?" 
"No, I mean, you're the only thing for me to look at." 
"Huh? Umm... Right. I guess you have a point." 
Given the person I was dealing with, I found it difficult to dig out the true meaning behind her words. 
Had she meant that I was the only thing for her to look at in this room, or was her statement to be taken in a more general sense, as in, that was always the case? 
Somehow, I had a strong suspicion that both of those answers were valid. I still could have done without her staring at my butt, though. 
I kinda wanted to ask her, what sorts of thoughts went through her head as she stared at it? Or something. Maybe. 
I'd just gotten the under-kimono on and was about to move to the main one when Nagafuji spoke to me: 
"You're pretty good at that." 
"Comes with practice." 
"It's like watching a cashier at the department store wrap your gifts." 
Was I supposed to take that as a compliment? I wasn't quite sure. Like I said before, trying to make sense of her really was a challenge. 
I could feel Nagafuji's eyes on me the entire time I was changing. Was watching another person change their clothes really that fun to her? Was it... fun? 
Though I did grow a bit flustered while tying the sash, I managed to get it on regardless, and soon enough, I was done. 
"There. Satisfied?" I asked Nagafuji while waving the sleeves around in front of her face. She attempted to grab them, but failed. Seeing how she was still lying on the floor all lazily, I decided to test and see if I could use the sleeves to make her chase after them. Wouldn't you know it, that was exactly what happened; she practically leapt up. It was kinda fun so I kept going, until abruptly, Nagafuji's hands landed on my shoulders. 
I wasn't even able to make a sound before she'd already circled in front of me and pressed her lips against my forehead. For a second, it felt like the world before me was about to disappear, but I quickly recovered. 
"What are you—" 
Though her surprise attack might have caught me off guard, I wasn't all that flustered by it. My forehead remained cool. 
Her hands still on my shoulders, Nagafuji opened her mouth and spoke calmly: 
"You're cute, Hino." 
"Where the heck did that come from?" 
That one, on the other hand, that got me good. Her plain words of praise had more than enough weight to them to sweep me aside. 
"That's what I thought while I was looking at you", she continued, still staring me in the eyes. 
She hadn't always been this much taller than me, but the way her shadow loomed over me at the moment, it really went to show the current difference between our heights. 
"You..." 
I didn't know what to say. Instead, I was left simply to avert my eyes, which prompted Nagafuji to step away with no apparent reluctance. 
She was just as fast moving away as she had been moving in, which made trying to keep in tune with her nearly impossible. 
Well, whatever. It wasn't like I needed to do that. I'd stay like I was, and as long as she was there with me, I'd be just fine. That was what I thought. 
Speaking of Nagafuji, she was currently rocking her body from left to right. I gave her a questioning look. 
"Hmm, should I change clothes too?" 
"Come again? Change your clothes?" 
"Yep. I'm planning to spend the night here in this house." 
"What?" 
Wait, what? No forewarning, no anything? Did she even remember that I lived here? 
While I was busy processing her surprise announcement, Nagafuji picked up her bag off the desk. 
"Your house is so big that one extra person probably shouldn't hurt anyone. Yes, yes." 
I wasn't sure why, but she sounded like she'd just won an argument. She then went on to open the bag, revealing a change of clothes alongside a set of toiletries. It now made sense why her bag today had been larger than the one she usually used. Still, that was no reason not to tell me. 
"You really need to let me know about this stuff beforehand." 
"If I'd done that, you would've said no." 
"...You know me well, huh?" 
I guess you really did learn how to communicate telepathically once you spent enough years with someone. Hahaha. 
"Right?" Nagafuji said before putting her glasses back on. 
A certain realisation hit me as I watched her nudge them up all proud of herself: I was a fool for ever having been against it. 

Today's Adachi 

The dumb grin on my face startled me as I walked past the mirror. 
I tried to make it go away, but my muscles wouldn't listen. Panicking, I began readjusting my cheeks and mouth using my fingers. 
All this because I had dared to think back to what had happened during the day. 
That had been close. Too close. 
It'd be no laughing matter if Shimamura were to see me like this.