I Quit the Going-Home Club for a Girl with a Venomous Tongue - Chapter 127

Chapter 127 – Tokyo

Waiting for something that isn’t certain is difficult.

Takatori Makoto’s words continued to echo quietly within me.

The future was unknown. Waiting was nothing but an uphill battle against my own greed.

If fate really existed. If everything was predetermined like a book, no matter how I tried to approach it, nothing would change. Continuing to wait would be pointless. Whether I did something or not, I couldn’t change fate.

The thought that everything was predetermined made me feel a little better. After all, if that was really the case, that would mean I have no control over Sui’s fate. I could do nothing but pray, anyway. I did my best to wait for him, talked to him whenever I was able to for two years, but he didn’t show any sign of waking up. So, I decided to accept everything. Both the reality of his state and the possibility that he would never wake up.

My mind wasn’t as strong as what people think.

I had to keep fooling myself like this, or I would go crazy.

*   *   *

Spring. My book was successfully published.

My first novel, ‘My Beloved Comet’ had started to appear in bookstores. The novel was popular and since it won an award the other day, they went all out with the first printing and printed it in a large amount. It became a habit for me to visit various bookstores to take a look at my work.

When I found a POP with my biography and photo in it, a shiver went down my spine. I hadn’t intended to put my place on the cover, but I couldn’t refuse them. Besides, my interview was broadcasted nationwide, so hiding would be pointless. They said that my identity as a ‘beautiful writer’ or whatever, was a good selling point.

Naturally, I quit my part-time job. I realized that it would be difficult to continue working, so as soon as the publication date was set, I resigned from the job. It has been two years since I started working there. Thanks to that, I learned that there were all kinds of people in this world.

The experiences and memories helped my writing a lot. One couldn’t write something from nothing. I wouldn’t have enough inspiration if I didn’t have a wealth of information.

At the university, I received even more stares from my surroundings.

Of course, this wasn’t anything new. But after becoming a writer, the number of stares increased and it started to really bother me. I tried to disguise myself by wearing a mask and sunglasses, but somehow people still could find out that it was me.

Chiho noticed my discomfort and always tried to talk with me whenever possible. Thanks to her, I felt less bothered by the stares and was able to eat calmly at the cafeteria.

“By the way, I read your book.”

I was eating curry rice in the cafeteria when Chiho said that.

“…I see.”

“Huh? Should I not read it, after all?”

I was happy that she did it, but I was still embarrassed by it.

“No, no… I’m just embarrassed. I still can’t get over this since day one…”

“I see what you meant. When I saw your face at the bookstore, I figured you’d be embarrassed to death when you see it~”

“Seriously! I knew I shouldn’t let them show my face! A good story doesn’t need the author’s face to be plastered everywhere!”

“You look beautiful on it, though, so the photo surely helps with the sales. The story is good too. Romance with a little sci-fi in it, I like it. It’s beautiful like its author~”

When I heard her comments, I was relieved. She genuinely thought that the story was interesting and she didn’t associate the story with Sui. I only included ‘Comet’ in the title because it was relevant to the content of the book itself, not because of Sui. Though, he wasn’t completely unrelated. I had my inspiration from Akakusa-sensei’s words, the thing about the sun and the comet. I thought that it was quite romantic and I decided to make a story based on it.

“Oh, right, I’m going to go to Tokyo soon for a book signing event. If you want something from there, tell me, I can get it for you.”

“You don’t need to, I just went there last spring break.”

“Oh my, really?”
“Yeah, I visited my parents’ house. When will you be going?”

“This Saturday.”

“I see. Well, you’re lucky you don’t have to go there in the summer. Summer in Tokyo is like hell on earth. If you think summer in Sendai is hot, then you won’t survive five minutes in Tokyo.”

Chiho was born in Tokyo, but she decided to study in Tohoku, a rare case among someone my age. Her grandparents lived here and she used to come to this city often when she was a child, so she was familiar with the city.

“Why did they make stations in Tokyo so unnecessarily complicated? When I went there to meet the publisher, I got lost in it quickly…”

“Who knows. Well, all I can say to you is just you have to get used to it, I guess…”

*   *   *

It took about one and half an hour to two hours from Sendai to Tokyo by the Shinkansen bullet train.

When I arrived in Tokyo, I couldn’t take my eyes away from my phone, or else, I’d get lost immediately. There were too many lines to keep track of. My head got tired extremely quickly just from trying to find out where I currently was.

After a while, I finally got out of the Yamanote Line. I continued to walk until I reached my first destination, another station. If there was one good thing about Tokyo, the skyscrapers here looked amazing. (T/N: If you’re curious, this is what yamanote line looks like)

My final destination was a bookstore. It was a very spacious bookstore and there was a coffee shop next to it. There was a long desk near the escalator inside. That was where I was supposed to sign my autographs. I knew it for sure because there was a plaque with my name plastered on it on top of the desk.

By the way, the bookstore paid for the travel expenses, so this was essentially a free trip to Tokyo for me. After all of this was done, I had a plan to do in this city. I wanted to visit various tourist spots. There were bound to be a lot of people there for me to observe, a habit I gained after I became a part-timer at my previous workplace.

A few minutes before the signing session started, I left the staff rest area. I took a peek at the spot where I would be giving my sign and saw a long line there. It was at that moment that I realized that my book had been read by a lot of people. I walked by the long line and sat down at the long desk. The bookstore staff were trying to control the line when I walked by them.

After that, I devoted myself to sign on everything that was given to me. All the efforts I put into practicing for this day finally bore fruit.

The praises I received from the readers warmed my heart. I felt happy that I decided to write the book. It felt that I had accomplished something and I found the meaning of my life. Maybe this was my calling.

“Arina-san, go ahead.”

I received the book from the reader.

The way they referred to me was strange, though. All this time, the other readers had been calling me ‘Arina-sensei’, but this particular reader called me ‘Arina-san’ instead. Come to think of it, their voice sounded familiar…

“Ugin-san?”

I stood up involuntarily.

Earlier this spring, she started attending university in Tokyo. We actually planned to hang out after this, together with Tsuru.

“I didn’t expect you to come here… What a surprise…”

“I know I can ask for your signature anytime, but doing it this way has a novelty to it, you know? Also, people are lining up behind me, so you should stop dawdling around, Arina-sensei!”

“I imagined this kind of scene before, but for it to become a reality… Life sure is strange, isn’t it?”

Ugin-san replied to my words with a wide grin. After I gave her the book back, she quickly left without saying anything else.

My world was no longer the small and narrow world I was familiar with. I remember the first time I met with Ugin-san. That day, I confessed to Sui about my dual personality and she appeared by the school gate on our way home. The devious little sister of his had grown up to be an amazing woman.

Everyone was moving on with their lives. Time went on without a care in the world.

But there was a part of me that wished that it wouldn’t go on any further. It felt like I was leaving him behind and I didn’t like it.

TL: Iyo

ED: Dodo

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