It wasnt't like I had no ulterior motives. I mean, I did think that maybe something good would come out of this.
But when you see someone collapsed in a place like that, the right thing to do is to help them first...
As I walked along the sidewalk with Hisui, whom I had just rescued near the Oyashirazu Coast, heading towards a parking lot a few kilometers away, I kept making excuses in my mind. I simulated what I would do if he rejected my help, accused me of something, or if the police questioned me. There are countless cases where people have been sued for all sorts of absurd charges—being touched, being stared at, having their scent smelled, or being shown something they didn't want to see. I have no idea where the line is.
Even though I was the one who invited him to my house and even though he accepted, I still felt utterly confused.
"Ghehehe! That's it! Go for it! Push him down! Drain him dry!"
In those silly online videos, people in the fictional world always cheer at moments like these. But in reality, when you actually find yourself in such a situation, you have no idea what to do.
"Hug him! Hug him! Just do it!"
That famous one-panel meme of an old woman shouting in excitement flashed through my mind. If I let this chance slip away…
Just thinking about it made me shiver, even though it wasn't cold.
Squeeze.
(Hyoee...!)
I screamed internally, but I felt like I deserved some praise for not immediately pulling my hand away.
Earlier, I had grabbed his hand and helped him up, but since the path to the upper road was quite steep and narrow, I had to let go. Even though I wanted to hold his hand again, I couldn't find a good excuse, so I had been feeling a bit lonely...
"Are you feeling cold from the sweat? Sorry for pushing you too hard..."
Was I shivering so much that he could see it even while walking beside me? With those words, he gently took my hand.
"N-No… It's not that..."
Now I felt warm. The heat from his hand spread through my whole body, making my face and ears burn.
Was my palm sweaty? Was that okay?
"This is the only way I can warm you up right now, sorry about that."
He gave me a small apologetic smile.
(Hawawawawa...!)
"It's... more than enough..."
I forcibly silenced the worst kind of dirty thoughts that popped into my head—things about wanting to "connect" in more ways.
This isn't the right way to hold hands! Our fingers should be interlocked!—I barely managed to suppress such unnecessary fantasies.
This is enough for now. We're outside, and I'll be bringing him home soon anyway.
There will be plenty of time to seduce him. I even asked my mother to prepare everything because I was bringing someone home, so the setup should be perfect.
"By the way, what's this place called?"
Hisui suddenly spoke up.
"Oyashirazu Coast, the old Hokuriku Highway."
It used to be the only route along the Sea of Japan, so it was quite an important road.
"So the name is correct..."
He nodded in understanding.
"And what prefecture is this?"
"Fukugata Prefecture."
"?"
He tilted his head in confusion.
"Not Niigata?"
"That's the old name. After the grand merger during the Shohei era, Fukushima and Niigata merged. I think that was about ten years ago?"
It was a bizarre moment in modern history. Despite the declining population, people argued about the ratio of government workers, and since the population center was more balanced, they made Aizu the capital. Vertical travel was fine, but this region had poor horizontal connectivity, making things even more inconvenient.
"Shohei? Not Showa, Heisei, or Konwa?"
He listed a bunch of minor-era names. Why did he know such obscure ones?
"I think it was one of the candidates at some point."
Every time I answered, Hisui seemed more shocked, looking visibly disturbed.
"What year is it now in the Western calendar?"
"Uh… 2100, I think? The turn of the century."
"...That explains a lot."
Hisui put his free hand to his forehead, looking overwhelmed.
"Are your memories not aligning properly?"
"Seriously... they're all over the place..."
He sighed deeply. Now that I think about it, is this close physical distance because he's suffering from memory loss?
Generally, men despise women. Holding hands is out of the question. If a man ends up alone with a woman, he's supposed to assume he'll be accused and socially destroyed. That's what we've always been taught.
My great-grandfather, who was always kind to women, was apparently an extremely rare and extraordinary person.
If that's the case, this memory loss might be a blessing in disguise. Once his memory returns, he might pull his hand away and go back to normal.
Beep!
A sudden noise made me turn around in shock. It was a familiar car.
"What the hell are you doing, Misago?"
The car's power window rolled down, revealing a familiar face. It was my childhood friend, Tsubame—technically, my half-sister from a different mother. Around here, blood relatives were common, so we were all pretty close.
"I'm showing him the way. If you're just gonna bother us, scram."
I replied while mentally pouring all my murderous intent into my gaze.
"Oh? I sense some hostility."
Tsubame teased with a playful smirk.
"Sorry, but we're on a date right now. Maybe next time?"
Hisui suddenly interjected with a soft smile.
"...Huh?"
Both of us turned to look at him.
"Did I misspeak?"
He tilted his head slightly, looking a bit embarrassed—but not too much. He still seemed composed.
Meanwhile, I was blushing furiously, my heart screaming, "Wait, this is a date?!"
"Where the hell did you catch this guy, Misago?!"
Tsubame practically yelled.
Oh no. This is going to spread at the speed of light.
Realizing what was about to happen, I mentally buried my face in my hands.