Traveling With a Beautiful Girl

I want to go on a trip.

It was in the autumn of my second year of high school that I, Takahashi Sho, suddenly muttered to myself.

“I want to go on a trip. …”

Somewhere other than here.

I wanted to go on a trip somewhere far away where neither my parents nor my school could interfere. The reason was that I felt suffocated. I got angry with my parents because of a bad test score, had a quarrel with a friend over a trivial matter, had a dispute with my homeroom teacher about my career path, and so on. All these little things were piling up and making my throat and lungs tighten.

“I want to go on a trip!” I screamed.

I want to wander around in an unknown place with no destination in mind.

I want to be soothed by the tranquil countryside, indulge in the local delicacies, and have a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with the local people!

I felt that if I did that, I would be able to free myself from this sense of stagnation.

No, I would definitely be freed!

“I’m going on a trip!”

The quarrel with my parents was the last trigger for me.

It was a Wednesday night.

I put on my backpack and ran out of the house.

Kita, Tokyo.

When I arrived at JR Tabata Station, it was around 10:00 pm.

The station was known as one of the most minor stations on the Yamanote Line, and the area in front of it was deserted.

There was nothing there but exhaust fumes and the smell of asphalt.

Before I went through the ticket gate, I withdrew all the money I had in my savings from the ATM.

It was the direct opposite of my mother’s advice to tell me when to withdraw money, but I felt more exhilarated than guilty.

The money I earned from the New Year’s gift and from posting videos on YouTube was heavy

Biting back the mysterious feeling of invincibility, I put three paper bills into my wallet and carefully put the rest away in my backpack.

My steps were light as I walked from the ticket gate to the platform, my heart filled with anticipation and elation.

Now, where should I go first?

Let’s go to a terminal station in Ueno or Tokyo.

From there, I’ll go to… and stay as far away from Tokyo as possible until the last train.

“……?”

I landed on the platform and stopped in my tracks.

I saw a familiar girl standing in front of me.

I wondered if she was on her way home from cram school. It was almost midnight, but she was wearing her school uniform.

A blazer with a distinctive red ribbon.

It was from Kaiyo High School, where I go.

“Nanase…?”

I muttered the name.

Nanase Riho.

She was my classmate and a beautiful girl. It seemed like there was more information to be presented for the beautiful girl, but it couldn’t be helped because her most eye-catching element was her ‘beauty’.

Her face was like a national treasure sculpture, with sharp eyes that were lit with a strong will and cherry red lips that were curved in a sullen manner.

She was tall for a girl, maybe a little over 160cm, and her breasts were so big that her male classmates would say, “That’s Peachland!”

Her long black hair, which reached her waist, glittered in the light that illuminated the platform.

It seemed as if all the objects around me were there to enhance the beautiful girl named Nanase Riho.

As I was admiring her like that, an announcement that the train would be arriving soon hit my eardrums.

My thoughts snapped back to reality, and I felt uncomfortable.

(…That’s kind of dangerous.)

Nanase’s feet were on the outside of the yellow Braille blocks, even though the announcement warned her to step back to the back.

In addition, Nanase’s expression was strangely sad.

There was no life in it, or something.

I felt as if she would fall over if I pushed her.

The word “throw yourself” came to mind.

I shook my head.