Tatsumi-kun and Kyoko-san Episode 11

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Episode 11: Getting Answers

That's right, LINE.

After you start dating, there might be times when you stop feeding the fish you've caught, but I was left behind in the tank all alone, treated with cold indifference even though I hadn't even been caught yet. Everything I did to try and get closer only had the opposite effect.

If my LINE messages were just a nuisance and a burden to Tatsumi-kun, then I should just get out of his tank. If he wasn't going to come and catch me, then it couldn't be helped. It was painful to feel like a bother, and I couldn't breathe inside the tank. My heart, which had been soaring just a moment ago, grew heavier and heavier, and my footsteps became sluggish, slowing my walking pace.

Tatsumi-kun turns around and says.

“I’m sorry about the LINE messages. It was on purpose.”

“On... purpose.”
Ah, I felt sad, realizing he really did find me bothersome.

“Right now, I have university, I’m working multiple part-time jobs, I fall asleep as soon as I get home at night, and when I’m working a full day at the food truck, I don’t even look at my phone. The biggest reason is that I just didn't feel like I had the capacity to be in a relationship right now.”

“Also, with the person I dated before, there was a lot of LINE messaging, and that’s why we ended up breaking up. It was back in high school. While I was preparing for entrance exams, her family criticized me for spending too much time worrying about my phone, and they opposed our relationship. I also wanted to buckle down myself because it was a crucial time for deciding my future path.”

“Oh, sorry for talking about someone else.”

“So, while I was happy that you, Kyoko-san, were sending me so many messages and showing me affection, on the other hand, I thought, ‘Wait, I can’t do this right now,’ and I figured that if you were the type of person who wanted to exchange a lot of messages, it wouldn't last even if we did start dating.”

Oh, it feels like I’ve been rejected, doesn't it?
Tatsumi-kun is truly well-composed. He has his own life firmly in order, he can discipline himself, and he wants someone like that in a partner, too. But even so, hearing that it was “on purpose” hurts. I feel like I’m going to cry.

“But, your LINE message, Kyoko-san. That was unfair.”
“‘Please contact me when your priorities change,’ you said. I was left waiting and waiting. When you tugged on the fishing line like that, I just snapped it up. I was happy you came today.”

I feel embarrassed for sending too many LINE messages, and a mix of various emotions swirls inside me. Without even knowing where to start, I blurt out an excuse.

“I’m sorry about the LINE messages.”
“I really don’t send them that often myself.”
“But, I was happy to be able to exchange LINE contacts with you, Tatsumi-san, and... I was a little impatient.”

Yes, I had become impatient. Compared to Tatsumi-kun, who is still a university student, I have already passed 25. Honestly, I had hoped to find someone to date by the time I was 25. As you get older, marriage starts to loom, and the time when you can date just because you like someone—the time for romance—is short.
That’s why I longed for a love where we could date just because we liked each other, with pure feelings for one another. Tatsumi-kun, who says that liking someone isn't enough, is much more mature than I am.

“After all, I’m older than you.”

“How old are you, Kyoko-san?”
Tatsumi-kun smiles mischievously.
“What’s your zodiac sign?”
He continues.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to say. But I don’t care how old you are, Kyoko-san. You’re cute.”

“I’ve thought you were wonderful for a while now, but for you, Kyoko-san, was it since I gave you that amulet?”

While reminiscing a little, I put into words the time I started to become aware of Tatsumi-kun.

"I've felt that way for a while, too. Ever since I was still on the day shift and would stay at the shop as a customer in the evenings."
"Oh, I'm not a stalker! I didn't stay just to see you, Tatsumi-san. But the way you carried yourself—your posture was so good, your voice carried so well—you just naturally caught my eye and ear. I thought you were wonderful."
"When I moved to the night shift and you called me by my first name, 'Kyoko-san,' my heart skipped a beat. But you call everyone by their first name, and you seem so used to dealing with women. I had this image of you as a bit of a gigolo. I kept telling myself, 'No, no, don't fall for him,' and tried not to think about it."
"But calling people by their first names helps the workplace atmosphere, and you're so thoughtful and clearly take your work seriously, so I really liked you."

There was no way I couldn't fall for Tatsumi-kun, who is so kind and thoughtful to everyone. But in contrast, I...
I always lacked confidence.

"But, you gave me that new bill. It was the first new bill I'd come across, and there was only one. When you gave it to me, I thought maybe, just maybe... and I started thinking about you even more."

"I realized I was in love."

Tatsumi-kun, who had been walking beside me, looked over.
He had kind eyes.
Those eyes glanced upward for a moment, and after a brief pause, he spoke.

"I was thinking I wouldn't say it, but..."
"I love you, Kyoko-san."

Happiness filled my chest.
I didn't even mind the cold outside, and the right hand he reached out to hold was warm.

To be continued in Episode 12

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