I Time-Leaped Back to High School with My Childhood Friend–Turned–Wife, But I Don’t Know Why We Returned to the Past. Also, My Wife as a High Schooler Is Kinda Sexy.

Saturday, July 14, 2007, 11:47 AM.

Teramachi Street, Kawaramachi, Kyoto.

The Gion Festival date we had promised on a bet. Having arrived at Kawaramachi a little earlier than the time I was supposed to meet Chiho and the others, I was looking around the shops on Teramachi Street.

It’s a festival. A date. A special day. Yet I couldn’t feel happy no matter what.

“This isn’t the time to be doing this.”

Of course, that’s because the reason for the time leap still remained unknown.

Since Chiho won the bet with me, the time leap had temporarily become a “gift from God.” Chiho seemed intent on fully enjoying these unexpected days.

But I couldn’t enjoy things as optimistically and positively as she did.

The mystery remained a mystery. I had merely decided not to think about it. It was clear that eventually we would have to face it. Honestly, I wasn’t in the mood for a festival.

That said, I couldn’t say that today. The night before the night before the festival.

The Gion Festival—a major festival held throughout the week in Kyoto. I suddenly felt a sense of nostalgia in the air and closed my eyes.

What I remembered was a memory from the future. A memory from two years ahead.

After graduating from high school, Chiho and I went on to university in Kyoto. A private university. I was in the engineering department, and Chiho was in the literature department.

In other words, Kyoto was the land of our youth.

In the spring of our third year of university.

Having decided to live on my own by renting an apartment with the part-time job money I had saved up, I brought Chiho to the room without telling my parents or the landlord, and made it our love nest.

And we spent the latter half of our university life, which was thoroughly dissolute, together.

It really was terrible back then.

Free from my parents’ eyes, I lived a life that seemed insane when I recalled it with that sense of liberation. I was so addicted to pleasure that I almost failed to meet the minimum attendance requirements.

Fortunately, I was able to graduate in exactly four years, but I failed in job hunting and ended up at a company based in the Kanto region. Although Chiho was able to get a job at a company in the Kansai region, we ended up in a long-distance relationship. This is exactly what people mean by “reaping what you sow.”

However, I couldn’t deny that the love we had nurtured during our cohabitation filled the time we couldn’t meet during the long-distance relationship.

“We really were young back then…”

“Which time are you talking about?”

“Whoa!”

Suddenly called from behind, I jumped back.

A man’s voice.

What was that all of a sudden? Who could it be?

While suppressing my racing heart, I turned around and saw the owner of the voice standing there with a smile.

Bright blue jeans and a plain white shirt with a single point. His shoes were thick-soled New Balance sneakers. Their black color was surprisingly clean for a baseball club member’s personal belongings.

“Oh, isn’t that Sugita?”

The one who casually raised his hand was a sun-tanned athletic youth. The person who had called out to me was a friend from high school. My future best friend—Sugita Ryohei.

“Yo! What are you doing in a place like this?”

“No, that’s my line. Why are you here?”

“I’m on my way back from a practice game before the tournament. And today’s the Gion Festival, right? I heard everyone’s going on dates with their girlfriends from the evening. So I thought I’d hang out until then.”

“Seriously?”

Sugita pointed to a game shop on the street.

In front of the store with a somewhat flashy sign that stood out inappropriately, there were boys with spiky hair.

I see, that makes sense.

But not only the girls’ volleyball club, the baseball club was also quite advanced.

Going on a Gion Festival date with a girl. The main event of the Gion Festival was at night.

So it will be quite a lecherous date where they can’t complain even if they’re taken into custody.

“Well, most of the guys who join the baseball club are the type who want to be popular.”

“Really?”

“Soccer has been pushing recently, but baseball is still the high school sport. There’s a chance you might get on TV.”

“That’s an impure motive.”

“Not at all! If I could be popular, I’d like to be! I want to date a beautiful girl! I want to date a girl like Sawachika from School Rumble(Anime)!”

“Sugita has quite unrealistic desires.”

“It’s not unrealistic! Where there’s a will, there’s a way!”

Sugita spoke passionately to me.

But I think being half-British was too difficult, even for him. If he wasn’t so picky, I think he could get a girlfriend.

“Well, I think you might be able to get one eventually.”

“Really? Do you think I can get a beautiful girlfriend?”

“The odds are about the same as winning the Koshien tournament.”

“…So it’s not zero! Alright, I’m fired up!”

Sugita clenched his fist with enthusiasm.

With a probability that was almost zero, why could he get so fired up?

He was so simple.

This simple, muscle-brained guy would become a software company section chief and a skilled engineer who could handle anything in ten years, so you never know what will happen in this world.

There were things that can’t be explained by fate’s tricks.

Then Sugita unclenched his fist and turned back to me. His expression was somewhat lewd, as if he had found something good.

A chill ran down my back.

“So? What is Suzuhara-sensei doing? Coming all the way to Kyoto in the middle of this festival? Hmm, suspicious?”

“I-it doesn’t matter, why do you care?”

“What, hiding something? We’re friends, so why hide something? Isn’t that a bit cold?”

Sugita pestered me, saying “Come on, tell me.”

As I was thinking with a wry smile about how to throw off Sugita, who was giving me a grinning smile, my mobile phone rang as if on cue.

I apologized and answered it.

As expected, the caller was—someone who hadn’t been registered in my address book until yesterday.

[Hellooo! A-chaaan! Have you arriveddd? Where are youuu?]

“I’m just down Shijo on Teramachi Street right now. Sorry, I’ll head there right away. Where are you exactly?”

[Well, in front of a strangely named shop called Kyoto Dream Ability Development Center on Shinkyogokuuu.]

Man, that’s a really incredible name for a shop.

What do they even do?

Fortune telling or something, perhaps?

Anyway, nice one, Chiho. You called at the perfect time.

I greeted Sugita saying I was being called, and despite the chance holiday encounter, I quickly ran off from in front of him.

“Hey! Suzuhara! Who was that on the phone?”

“Sorry! I’ll definitely tell you after the weekend! Please forgive me with that!”

“You better! It’s a promise, you know! And congratulations!”

Thank you.

Congratulations to you too.

I left Sugita behind and ran down Teramachi Street.

I crossed the scramble crossing and entered Teramachi Street on the other side of Shijo Street—the section going up Shijo.

After walking a bit, I went from a small path connecting the streets to Shinkyogoku Street.

Despite it being summer, the place was crowded with boys and girls in school uniforms. Walking through there, I searched for the suspicious-named shop Chiho had told me about—the Kyoto Dream Ability Development Center.

Surprisingly, it was in a prime location on Shinkyogoku Street.

The Kyoto Dream Ability Development Center stood there with a gate structure like a normal office.

The name was quite striking. Like us, others were probably using it as a landmark for meeting up. Several young people were hanging around there.

Among them, I spotted two beautiful girls of our age wearing yukata and moved in front of them.

Chiho dressed in a pale cherry blossom-colored yukata, and Aizawa in a sky blue yukata.

Depending on how you looked at it, they could even be mistaken for beautiful sisters. They unconsciously radiated such intimacy. When they spotted me, they immediately puffed their cheeks and gave me a protesting look.

Sorry, sorry, I apologized profusely again.

It was quietly frustrating that I couldn’t utilize the skills I had acquired in my salaryman life for something like this. This is what the thrill of time leap stories should be—dominating with knowledge from the future. Sigh.

“Sorry, did I keep you waiting? My apologies.”

“You’re late, A-chaaan! We were about to get hit on!”

“That’s right, Senpai! Making us—two of the most beautiful girls in Kansai—wait! This deserves capital punishment! Capital punishment! The sentence is buying us one cotton candy!”

“Isn’t that punishment too light?”

Because it’s just cotton candy.

If it were just Chiho, I could have told Sugita about the date.

After all, I was planning to announce to everyone that I was dating her after the weekend.

But today’s date partner wasn’t just her. Suddenly, our cute junior—Aizawa—was also coming to the Gion Festival with us.

One to two.

Not a double date.

What kind of date is this called?

I don’t know if it has a name, but it’s something you often see in beautiful girl anime. I was about to go on a shamelessly enviable date.

An extremely sinful one with my future wife and her best friend.

Maybe I should hit the back of my head with tofu or something.

However, I wasn’t the one who came up with this. It was my future wife Chiho’s idea. It was an apology to Aizawa, whom I had deeply hurt by carelessly questioning her yesterday.

So this was an apology date for her.

I don’t feel like there’s any reason for forgiveness. Is it okay for girls to forgive with something like this? As a man, I don’t really understand.

“Welll, even though A-chan is mine~, if we’re going on a date together~ like this~, I won’t refuse to lend him to you~. Despite how I look~, I’m a wife who understands~ my husband’s worth~.”

“No, I’m not particularly happy even if you do that to me.”

“So this is what they call the composure of a legal wife. As expected of Chiho-san. It’s quite educational.”

“You don’t need to learn that, Aizawa. Future Chiho is the type who flies into a rage even when I receive obligatory chocolates from female colleagues on Valentine’s Day, you know?”

“When you’re married~, receiving chocolates is cheating~! I can’t forgive that~!”

Hmm, I didn’t really understand my wife’s definition of cheating. Such a sense of unfairness.

The power dynamics in a marriage were truly difficult.

Ahem, Chiho cleared her throat. With her cheeks reddened as if she’d gotten a bit too excited, she looked at Aizawa and me, then raised her finger and asked if she could say something.

“Sooo, just for today~, A-chan is the shared boyfriend of me and Ikuna-channn! Come on, A-channn! Give me your arm~!”

“Huh? Why? I’m getting a bad feeling about this.”

“Just give it to me~! Here~!”

Chiho grabbed my reluctant arm forcibly and pulled it.

Clinging to it with both arms like a koala, she smiled with satisfaction. After a while, she looked down at me and struck a triumphant pose.

Ah, she wanted to walk arm in arm.

Perhaps she was jealous that yesterday I had my arm entwined with Aizawa’s or grabbed her arm. Really, Chiho would immediately get jealous and retaliate whenever anything was done to me by other women.

Like the punishment of tripling both obligation chocolates and genuine chocolates on Valentine’s Day. (Distant gaze)

While I was happy she cared that much, it was sometimes frightening.

Then Chiho turned that triumphant expression from me toward Aizawa. Looking at Aizawa, wondering what was going on, I saw her cheeks were slightly flushed.

“Now, Ikuna-channn, just as we discussed~.”

“…A-are we really doing this?”

“Do ittt! I’ll permit~ it!”

“No, Chiho! Why are you giving permission? This feels like something that’s going to be done to me! Shouldn’t I be the one to decide?”

“…Senpai! Excuse me!”

With a “toryah,” Aizawa reached for my arm.

What, what exactly was she going to do to me? A slap? A forehead flick? A granny chop? It didn’t feel like that kind of thing, did it? Maybe a wrestling move?

Wait, I hadn’t heard anything about facing such punishment so early in the date!

The next moment, Aizawa had entwined her arm with mine just like Chiho had done.

This was—I see!

“Therrre, A-chaaan, now you have flowers on both hands~!”

“S-Senpai! Thank you for today! I’ll dedicate my entire body and soul to this date!”

“This is something I’ve seen in anime and manga. Wow, amazing, so this is what it feels like when you actually do it. Heh, it’s really difficult to walk.”

“Heyyy! Comments that dampen the date are forbidden~!”

“That’s right, Senpai! There you go again, ruining the date! This calls for another punishment! Shaved ice! I’ll forgive you with the sentence of feeding you shaved ice!”

“Your Honorrrr! There’s a wife who wants to file an additional complaint~!”

“Permission granted!”

“Come on! Don’t give permission without asking me!”

Once again, Chiho poked my cheek, saying I was actually enjoying it.

How could I possibly enjoy this? Everyone around us was staring like crazy.

And there were quite a few looks of disgust. Both men and women.

Scary.

It felt like everyone in my sight was an enemy.

I don’t know how romantic comedy protagonists can live in this kind of world.

It’s impossible for me. (Instant death)

“Alright, A-channn! Let’s go to the Gion Festival like thisss!”

“Let’s go, Senpai! Can you keep up?”

“Why are you two so excited about this?”

Saying that, the two noisy girlfriends pulled my hands. You two are really close, aren’t you? Close despite being rivals in love? Geez.

By the way, um, you know.

I’ve been feeling this extremely realistic softness transmitted to my arm. Like, soft and plump, or smooth and silky, you know.

Well, this was also something you often saw in manga and anime.

It’s becoming a standard trope in romantic comedy’s fireworks episodes or festival episodes. But tropes should remain tropes, and one shouldn’t confuse them with reality.

I really don’t think so.

I really don’t think so, but…

“…U-um, Chiho-san. Is my yukata okay?”

“Ehh, what do you mean~? It’s fine, isn’t ittt? It’s fine~, it’s fine~, it’s not disheveled or anything, and nothing’s showing~.”

What does she mean by showing?

What might be showing?

Since she’s not used to wearing yukata, she’s worried that her underwear might be visible, right?

With a uniform, she can control how things appear to some extent, but since she’s not used to yukata, she’s feeling anxious, right?

That’s it, right, Aizawa?

Though I was too scared to look directly at her face. Actually, I couldn’t look directly at Chiho’s face either.

Wait, this sensation couldn’t possibly be—

“Um, it’s a bit cold today, isn’t it?”

“Yeahhh, it’s a bit chillyyy todayyy.”

“That comment gives me the chills! You two, don’t tell me!”

They quietly brought their faces close to my ears.

Their voices attacked in stereo from left and right. This must have been part of their arrangement. In sweet voices, they whispered to me the truth about what was under their yukatas.

“We’re not wearing anything underneathh!”

“Hey! That’s not good!”

“Hehehe, that’s whyyy! Please protect me properly, A-channn!”

“Please escort me properly for the whole day, Senpai!”

Good grief, this had turned into quite a mess.

But what had truly become a mess was my heart and the destination of the blood it was pumping.

What are you two doing? Really, seriously.

“Ahh, A-channn, even though we’re outside~, you’re being naughty~.”

“Ah, Senpai, you’ve gotten into such a state. That’s not allowed~.”

“Who do you think is responsible for this situation?”

Yes. It was my fault. I’ll try my best to take responsibility.

It’s tough being a man. (Meaningful)