I Was Unreasonably Dumped By My Girlfriend And Had My Heart Broken. When I Rescued A Beautiful Girl Who Was My Former Classmate And Idol In My Class From A Group Of Yarisa, My Gray College Life Started To Shine - Chapter 51

Episode 51: Like Redoing the Past Someday, together.

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Even after arriving at Shin-Osaka, Aoba and I took the same route.

Since we went to the same middle school, it wasn’t anything weird, but our nearest station was also Takarazuka Station, and our route home from there overlapped until halfway.

“I’ll carry some of it, the luggage.”

“Huh, are you sure?”

“It’s too much, isn’t it? Besides, I don’t have many friends, so I don’t have any luggage. My hands are free.”

“You’re worried about something, aren’t you…? Just kidding, here.”

“I know. Just give me the bags.”

The two of us crossed a bridge over a large river.

Even though she shone like a jewel, I had already started getting used to seeing her in Tokyo. But seeing her against the backdrop of the local scenery felt somehow fresh.

Combined with the river surface reflecting the setting sun, it almost felt like an unreal scene.

Unconsciously mesmerized, we were passed by some juniors who seemed to have finished their club activities, chatting away beside us.

Well, some of the guys were definitely turning back to look at this beautiful lady.

“Wow. That uniform brings back memories.”

While listening to Aoba’s words, I watched the juniors walk away.

Thinking about it, the present time was something unimaginable back then.

If someone told my middle school self that a loner like me would be walking home with Aoba, I doubt he’d believe it. Rather, he’d probably laugh it off as a convenient daydream.

“I never thought we’d be walking like this back in the day, Keito-kun.”

It seemed Aoba was thinking the same thing..

“Of course. Back in middle school, it was like I didn’t even exist.”

“That’s not true at all. I was watching you, Keito-kun. You were the flower guy, the one who sat in the middle! You were on the environmental committee.”

“…That’s quite a way to remember. And you remember that well, don’t you?”

“It feels more like I remembered it later. Surprisingly, I was paying attention, you know?”

After saying that, Aoba glanced at me.

“On the contrary, weren’t you the one not paying attention? You seemed disinterested in others.”

“…That’s not true. Even as a loner, I was thinking about various things. And besides, I couldn’t help but notice Hikari. Being in the middle of the class, second fastest among the girls, and having poor grades, you were confessed to about once a month.”

“Hmm, you remember too many unnecessary things!”

Aoba either felt embarrassed or something else, as she bumped into me with her shoulder.

But once the memories were triggered, there was no stopping them. We reminisced about our few shared memories, unexpectedly getting quite lively.

“Oh, do you live there?”

“Oh, yeah, my house is up that hill.”

It seemed we reached a fork in the road.

“We were going to climb the mountain, right? I’ll contact you again.”

“Y-Yeah…!”

“Be careful on your way back.”

“It’s just around the corner, I’ll be fine.”

After hearing those words, I handed her the bags.

Then I started to climb the hill. But for some reason, Aoba didn’t move from her spot. She just stood there.

When I glanced back, she was staring at the bag in her hand, her shoulders trembling slightly.
“…Hey, can I come to your place, Keito-kun?”

It was an unexpected request out of the blue.

“Why? It’s tough, you know, it’s quite a steep slope.”

“I know, it’s fine. I used to take this road to middle school.”

“…Then why? It’s not like it’s Tokyo, it’s my parents house though.”

“I don’t intend to go to your house, it would bother your family. It’s just that.”

After saying that much, Aoba looked up. But immediately, she averted her gaze slightly.

Her cheeks, as white as snow, were faintly tinged with red.

Whether it was because of the setting sun or not, I couldn’t tell.

“…Just a little longer. I thought I wanted to walk together. I want to go home on the same road.”

“We always go home together, don’t we?”

“But that’s in Tokyo, right? I want to go home together in this town. I even feel like going back to middle school days and doing that, but I can’t, right? So, now! Hey. Is that okay?”

My heart skipped a beat.

There was no way I could refuse.

And I had the same feeling. I still wanted to talk.

If I spoke now, I’d undoubtedly make a weird sound.

So I waited until I calmed down, then approached Aoba and took half of the paper bag she was holding.

“If we’re going, is it okay to go to Hikari’s place?”

“Huh?”

“Because if we go to my house, you’ll have to carry these bags and go back down the slope. It’s tough. …But if you don’t want me to know where you live, you can refuse.”

“That’s not it! Then, let’s do that! Please accompany me! Please take me home.”
Aoba and I walked towards her home.

The journey was filled with familiar sights everywhere.

Since I had lived in this town since I was young, I knew most of the scenery, even the streets between residential areas.

I once walked here with Asuka, and even passed by while hanging out with a friend.

Nothing had changed from those times.

It should have been the same scenery.

Yet, when I looked through Aoba’s perspective, everything seemed to be painted in vivid colors, shining brightly. It was strange.