Chapter 13: Pursuit

It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either. That was my impression.

Exiting the movie theater, I stretched and nodded.

Well, the movie did match the tone from the trailer, so it didn’t feel like I wasted money. I was able to empathize with the characters, and it did make me cry, so I guess I got my money’s worth.

I’ve been working more seriously nowadays, visiting the movie theater less after work. So, watching movies has completely become an off-day activity.

I entered the cinema before sunset, but now it’s completely dark.

“..I’m hungry.”

It’s a chore to go home and prepare something to eat, so I looked around thinking I’d get dinner near the train station. Come to think of it, the only time I’ve been to this station was when I watched a movie after I followed Yoshida-senpai, so I’m not familiar with any restaurants in the area.

Trying to decide what to eat, I walked around looking at restaurants. Suddenly, I saw someone familiar.

It was a?young girl?walking towards me with a shopping bag. It was my first time seeing her in plain clothes, but there’s no doubt it’s Sayu-chan. She was looking downwards, and when she raised her head, her eyes met mine.

“Oh.”

She mouthed but was too far away for me to hear her.

Then, she quickly walked over to me.

“Yuzuha-san, good evening.”

“Good evening. Went shopping?”

She was wearing skinny jeans, along with a thin white tunic. The outfit emphasized Sayu-chan’s sleek look. I wondered whether these clothes were bought by Yoshida-senpai, but I immediately stopped myself. Even if they were, what’s wrong with that?

“Yeah. The fridge was empty.”

She said with a wry smile. Sayu-chan looked completely natural holding a grocery bag. Looks like she’s already used to doing the housework for Yoshida-senpai.

“Doing the housework every day, huh? That’s admirable.”

“No.. It’s not much.”

Sayu-chan looked embarrassed. It didn’t seem like she was acting humble. I guess she’s just a modest girl.

“Why are you here, Yuzuha-san?”

“Ah, I was watching a movie until now.”

“Do you like movies?”

Now that I think about it, I haven’t had much of a conversation with Sayu-chan before, much less about casual topics like this. Because I’m always conscious of Yoshida-senpai, in the back of my mind I’ve always been conscious of Sayu-chan too. But I don’t know much about her, and she doesn’t know much about me either.

“Yeah, I do. I often come to movie theaters around here.”

“I see.. That’s why.”

Sayu-chan nodded several times as if something popped into her head. She looked up and was about to say something when her expression froze. She stopped moving with her gaze somewhere further behind me.

As I tried to turn back and see what she was looking at, Sayu-chan stepped forward and moved closer to me.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

When I asked her, Sayu-chan continued to unnaturally hide her face and spoke with a quivering voice.

“Someone’s looking for me. They’re out there, Yuzuha-san.”

“Is it?someone?you know?”

“..Yes.”

I was about to ask her “You don’t want to be found right?” but stopped. From her reaction alone the answer was obvious.

It’s best to get out of here, but if she goes back to Yoshida-senpai’s house now and gets followed all the way there, it would be bad.

“Did they notice you already?”

“No.. They’re not looking over here.”

Sayu-chan said after glancing over my shoulder. I sighed and tapped on Sayu-chan’s shoulder.

“Alright, I’ll hide you for the time being.”

“Huh?”

“For now, we need to move before they see us. Use me to hide from his line of sight. Try to walk naturally but lower your face.”

I described a scene from a movie I watched before, where a criminal tried to escape from the police. Well, the criminal gets caught in the end, but that doesn’t matter right now.

Walking in silence, we passed the train station entrance before I asked Sayu-chan.

“We didn’t get noticed, right?”

“Yeah, probably. It doesn’t look like they chased after us.”

“Well, that’s a relief. My house is just two stations away. We can take shelter there for a bit.”

“T-That’s..”

While walking to the platform, Sayu-chan suddenly stopped.

After hesitating a little, Sayu-chan finally spoke in a low voice.

“Thank you..”

Hearing her gratitude with an apologetic look on her face, I let out a sigh.

“It’s alright.”

I went over to Sayu-chan and patted her on the shoulder.

It seems like she has some childish tendencies. Like when she instinctively hid behind me when she saw the person pursuing her, but once she calmed down, she became considerate of others again.

“But.. this has nothing to do with you, Yuzuha-san..”

“Hahaha, you’re right about that.”

I thought so too. Honestly, even if Sayu-chan was taken away by whoever it was for whatever reason, it had nothing to do with me. On the contrary, it might even be better for me if Yoshida-senpai’s main concern were to disappear.. Huh??Why did I save this girl??That thought popped into my head but I shrugged it off immediately.

I had something I wanted to say.

“This really has nothing to do with me. I’m helping you with a clear conscience, but I make no promises. If that results in Sayu-chan being safe for the time being, then that’s good.”

After saying that, Sayu-chan looked at me with her mouth open for a few seconds before nodding repeatedly.

“O-Oh, thank you.”

Shyly, she put on a smiling face and thanked me again.

What I meant was “Don’t mention it” and that I won’t be responsible for anything that happens after.

I believe she understood both meanings, and it was easier for her to accept that.

After all, I had no obligation nor intention to take responsibility for Sayu-chan. If saying so would make it easier for both of us, there’s no harm in saying it.

Thinking along those lines, I felt stupid.

Who the hell am I explaining myself to?

I flashed a bitter smile and looked sideways at Sayu-chan. She had her smartphone out. She looked troubled as she stared at the screen.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah, no.. It’s just..”

Sayu-chan fidgeted and looked around, before holding up her phone.

“I thought about contacting Yoshida-san, but..”

“Hmm? You should.”

“No, I mean.. I was wondering what I should tell him.”

I didn’t get it. I racked my brain but I didn’t get it. I tilted my head in confusion.

“Can’t you just tell him what happened? You bumped into me by chance, noticed someone looking for you, and you’re hiding at her house for now.”

“That’s..”

Seeing that Sayu-chan was troubled even after I said that, I finally realized.

She probably wants to hide the fact that she’s being pursued from Yoshida-senpai. I didn’t know why she’d want to hide it, but I couldn’t think of any other reason she’d hesitate to contact Yoshida-senpai.

In any case, it’s Sayu-chan. I don’t think she would have any selfish reason not to contact Yoshida-senpai.

Sighing, I took out my smartphone. Sayu-chan watched with her mouth open.

“If we don’t contact him, he’d end up searching around for you again, Sayu-chan.”

“That’s true..”

“So, I’ll just..”

After typing the message, I showed it to Sayu-chan.

「 I’m going to borrow Sayu-chan for a bit. If you want her back, come to my house and pick her up. 」

Reading the message, Sayu-chan widened her eyes.

“I’ll let him know. At least he won’t be as worried if you’re with me. We’re both girls after all.”

Sayu-chan let out a troubled laugh.

“Thank you so much.”

Sighing, I sent the message.

It’s just as Yoshida-senpai said. Even though she’s the one in trouble, she keeps thinking about others. She does it instinctively, something even adults don’t usually do. I’m neither praising nor criticizing her.

After an announcement on the loudspeaker, the train rolled up to the platform.

The doors opened. After waiting for the exiting passengers, I boarded the train before Sayu-chan. Then, I turned back and held out my hand.

“Come on,?princess.”

For the first time that day, Sayu-chan showed a genuine smile as she took my hand.