Seishun Buta Yarou Series - Volume 11 - Chapter 4.1

Chapter 4 - From Deep in the Hilbert Space

1

The lunch rush died down around three PM. The restaurant’s bustle gave way to the usual relaxed vibe. The seats went from full up to half capacity.

He thought he might be able to bow out soon.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than his manager said, “Azusagawa, you can clock out.”

“Don’t mind if I do,” he said, and he headed to the break room, where the time cards were.

He was greeted by the rear end of a high school girl peering into the staff fridge. She was in full ostrich mode.

“Koga, that is too much butt.”

Tomoe righted herself immediately, putting both hands over the back of her skirt.

“You are the worst.”

She puffed out her cheeks, glaring at him. She clearly intended to look angry, but it was more like a chipmunk with its cheeks full of acorns. Possibly a pudgy hamster. Either way, not threatening. Just adorable.

“Those are the cream puffs I owe you.”

“I said one would be plenty!” she grumbled, pulling the white box out of the fridge. It was a bit big to hold one-handed, and it had ten cream puffs inside.

Sakuta had swung by the cream puff shop by the JR Fujisawa Station gates on his way here. Tomoe’s shift started after his, so he’d put a note on the fridge door that said, Koga’s cream puffs—do not eat.

“And this note!” she yelled, snatching it off the door and shoving it in his face. “The others were all laughing at me! ‘Can you really eat all of those?’”

“You can share the rest if you like. Kaede’s coming later on.”

“Then write For everyone!”

“This is funnier.”

He took the note from her, balled it up, and tossed it in the wastebasket.

“I disagree,” Tomoe said, opening the box. The smell of maple syrup filled the room. “They look so good!”

With that, she bit into one. The sweet cream banished her irritation, and a happy smile spread across her cheeks.

Sakuta seized that chance to duck behind the lockers. These were tall enough to scrape the ceiling and neatly split the room in two, giving the male staff a makeshift changing room.

He stripped out of his server apron, shirt, and slacks, down to his underwear.

“Oh yeah, Koga,” he said, calling over the lockers.

“Mmph?”

“You know about the dreaming hashtag?”

“You only just found out?”

Koga was a very modern schoolgirl, always on top of the latest trends, and this was old news to her.

“As a prophetic dreams trendsetter, what’s your take?”

“I think it’s kinda creepy.”

“It ain’t much compared with your future simulation, true.”

The petite devil’s version absolutely destroyed these dreams. Her simulation had let him experience a whole future month in real time.

“I’m not competing!”

“But you don’t think they’re fake.”

“Yeah, well…”

That sounded evasive.

“Did you have one yourself?”

“Not personally, but Nana’s dream came true.”

That was her friend Nana Yoneyama.

“What kind?”

“A boy hit on me at the beach.”

She sounded loath to admit it.

“When was that?”

“End of July.”

Today was November 27. This was four whole months ago. No wonder she’d been surprised he brought it up. The hashtag had been around for ages.

“Come to think of it, I didn’t get to see you in a swimsuit this year.”

“Or the year before!”

“Oh, I see. You buy a new one every year, then? Looking forward to next year’s, then.”

“I did not say that.”

“But you must get hit on all the time.”

“The boy in question was the same one Nana saw in her dream, which is the only reason I’m telling you about this at all.”

He didn’t need to see her face to picture how cross she must look. Maybe she’d better eat a second cream puff.

“What happened to the boy?”

“He’s dating Nana now.”

“Oh?”

That was a shocking twist.

“He went to the same junior high as her.”

If that alone was a basis for dating, Sakuta and Ikumi would have hooked up by now.

“Did they have a thing for each other at the time?”

“Nana did, apparently. Don’t think he did. He seemed pretty surprised that was her.”

“Ah. You did sort of transform her.”

Nana stopped by the restaurant every couple of months, so Sakuta saw her often enough.

When they’d first met, she was a quiet, reserved first-year. Two years later, she’d had quite the glow up.

She hadn’t changed herself overnight (like Tomoe’s pre–high school makeover), but a boy who’d missed the steps in between would certainly find it shocking. She was simply much cuter now.

By this point, Sakuta was dressed again, and he came back into the break room.

Tomoe had finished her cream puff and was folding up the wrapper. She looked a bit put out.

“Are you that shocked Yoneyama got out ahead of you?”

“Th-that’s not the problem! I mean, last week when she said they were going out now, it was certainly surprising, but… I dunno, I’m just feeling pressured.”

“That’s totally a Koga problem.”

“What that’s supposed to mean?”

He’d meant it was straightforward and genuine, but he didn’t want to admit that. He figured she wouldn’t take it as a compliment. And he could tell she already knew what he meant. That’s why she was mad at him.

“Just don’t rush into dating some weirdo,” he said.

“There aren’t too many people weirder than you, Senpai. I’m safe.”

“Well, thanks a lot.”

He put a little box on her head.

“Stop it—you’ll ruin my hair,” she grumbled, reaching for it. She set the box down on the table and blinked at it. “Uh, Senpai? Is this…?”

The box contained the latest in wireless earphones. When he’d asked what to get her to celebrate college admission, she’d mentioned these.

“I haven’t even told you the referral results yet!”

“You managed to get a referral retracted? That’d honestly be impressive.”

Colleges had a set number of referrals per high school, so they were almost always a guaranteed admission. Unless you totally blew your interview.

“I—I got in.”

“Then congrats. As promised.”

“You’re sure? These aren’t cheap.”

“I used a secret art that ensured not one yen left my wallet.”

“You what?”

“I ask Zukki, and she just gave me them. One of every color, so I got extras.”

These were the earphones Uzuki had done a commercial for.

“And I can just have them?”

“I told Zukki they were to celebrate a kohai’s college admission. She knows I don’t have a phone and can’t exactly use them myself.”

“Oh. Well, I guess that’s okay.”

“Don’t party too hard.”

“Nana’s still studying, so I can’t party even if I want to. But thanks.”

Tomoe opened the box, took out the earphones, and tried to link them to her phone. Midway she went, “Oh, right,” and looked up. “That reminds me…”

“What?”

“I saw a worrying post yesterday. About our high school.”

Tomoe glanced back at her phone and scrolled down her feed.

“Right, this one.”

She lifted her head and showed him the tweet in question.

 Had a dream I was injured by a broken light bulb in class. Ouch. November 27, Minegahara High, Class 2-1. Probably changing after practice. Probably shouldn’t throw basketballs around indoors… #dreaming

That was worrying.

But Sakuta wasn’t—he knew this was a fake. He’d written it himself. He’d made a whole new account to do so.

“That one’s fine.”

“How so?”

“A hero will handle it.”

Ikumi would show up for sure. He was laying bait for her.

“Senpai, have you finally lost it?”

There was a look of genuine concern in her eyes.

He objected to that in principle, but explaining the whole thing would take too long. He had places to be. Catching up with that hero.

“Afternoon, everyone,” Kaede said, coming into the break room.

“Oh, hey, Kaede.”

“Hi, Tomoe!”

Kaede’s smile faded when she turned to Sakuta.

“Rio’s waiting for you outside,” she said.

“Right on time.”

The clock in the break room said 3:20.

“I’m outta here.”

“Oh, okay. Have fun! Kaede, want a cream puff?”

“Oooh! You bet!”

“I think I got room for a second.”

Laughing at that, Sakuta left the break room.

True to Kaede’s word, Rio was standing outside the restaurant.

Alone by a lamppost.

“Thanks for waiting. And coming.”

“I was here for a class anyway.”

She started walking.

Sakuta matched her pace.

This road ran directly to the station, but the private lesson–based cram school they worked at was on the way.

“First, about Ikumi Akagi’s Adolescence Syndrome—your suggestion’s on the money, Azusagawa. That seems the most likely possibility.”

He’d called Rio after seeing the graduation album. Their schedules hadn’t quiet lined up, and he was only just now getting to pick her brain further.

“Though it is rather hard to believe.”

“Agreed.”

Sakuta found his own idea difficult to swallow.

“If I was in the same position, I couldn’t do what she is.”

“Me neither.”

If Sakuta was right, then Ikumi’s Adolescence Syndrome was already active during the college entrance ceremony. And she’d been in the throes of it ever since—at least eight months.

Presumably, she’d made the conscious choice to keep the symptoms going.

That was hard to believe, but if Rio had reached the same verdict, then he had to trust his own conclusion.

“If there’s a ‘first,’ you’ve got more?”

Rio had begun with that word.

But what she’d said after that was all he’d wanted from her.

“Watch the road for me.”

Without waiting for an answer, Rio took out her phone.

“Okay, okay.”

She started tapping the screen. Sakuta’s job was to keep her from bumping into oncoming pedestrians.

A good thirty seconds later, she said, “This,” and showed him her screen.

It was a social media post.

He spotted the dreaming hashtag right away.

The date—was November 27.

Posted at the start of the month.

 November 27, went to my junior high reunion. If that actually happens, I’ll freak. #dreaming

“There’s, like, ten more of these.”

She typed something else in and showed him the results.

 November 27, Sunday. Reunion at a seaside shop. Maybe junior high? But everyone having fun. Huge shock. Will this come true? #dreaming

 November 27. Was that a reunion dream? Could see Osanbashi from the shop. Like, everyone looked believably aged up, might really come true? Doubt it. #dreaming

 November 27, I think. Hear we’re doing a junior high reunion and dreamed about it that night. Same shop as the invite. Might be real! But with that class? Still, looked like fun. Should I go? #dreaming

Every date matched.

From what he could tell from the profiles, the posters were Sakuta’s age. Their profiles had hints of their colleges or locations, and all of them were local.

Coincidence. Overthinking it.

He could have assumed that but felt disinclined.

“This got anything to do with you?”

“It might. I do have an invite.”

He took the postcard-sized flyer out of his rucksack’s pouch and showed it to her. It was the one Ikumi had given him.

A reunion party on November 27. Two whole hours, from four to six. In the Yokohama Bay area. Right near the Osanbashi Pier.

The vibe of the shop was just like the posts described.

“Ikumi Akagi had a dream about this, too?”

“The one where she hurt someone.”

Seiichi Takasaka, her ex, had told him about it. He’d found the post on an account he was pretty sure belonged to her.

“Is it a coincidence so many hashtag dreaming posts are about this?”

“That’s what I wanna know.”

“Well, if you’ve taken steps, I’m not gonna worry, but…”

Rio stopped. They were outside the cram school.

“But?”

“Try to be careful.”

“Of what?”

“It might be you she stabs.”

With that, she headed inside.

“……”

He hadn’t really considered that possibility.

“…Maybe I should tuck a magazine under my shirt.”

He glanced at the periodicals rack and saw a fashion magazine with Mai’s face on the front next to a shounen manga magazine with Sweet Bullet smiling on the cover.