Traveling With a Beautiful Girl - Chapter 51: Us....

“Did something… happen?” 

In a flower square near the entrance, I broached the topic.  The reason I hadn’t been able to bring it up until now was simply because I was a coward.  I was worried that asking about it would decisively change the relationship between Nanase and me. 

Of course, for the worse. 

I had a feeling that was making an unpleasant sound as it grew and grew.

Ultimately, that feeling was right.  At my question, Nanase’s footsteps stopped. 

Her shoulder shivered slightly. 

Slowly, her tidy face turned towards me. 

Upon reflection, this may be the first time I have truly looked at Nanase’s face today.  There was an expression of nihilism, as if everything in the world did not matter. 

“Did something… happen?” 

I asked Nanase again, who was not responding. 

“Nothing.” 

Nanase said. 

“There’s no way it’s nothing.” 

I retorted. 

Then there was a long silence. 

10 seconds, 30 seconds, or perhaps even a minute.  Avoiding my gaze, which had lost its light somewhere, Nanase opened her mouth with what seemed like a heavy heart. 

“I think it’s better if we don’t travel together anymore.” 

… For a moment, I didn’t understand what she was saying. 

More precisely, my brain refused to comprehend.  It seems that when people are confronted with words of rejection, their thoughts come to a halt for a moment. 

After a little while, when my mind started to turn again and I understood Nanase’s words, I asked in a voice that seemed mixed with anger and sorrow. 

“What does that mean?” 

Again, there was silence. 

But this time, Nanase clearly looked at me and said. 

“It means exactly what I said.” 

“I don’t understand with just that.” 

Even though I demanded an explanation of the details, Nanase turned away there. 

As if she was trying to escape. 

“Hey, wait!” 

I reached out to Nanase. 

In that instant– my field of vision was wrapped in a bright light. 

It was only a moment. 

My vision cleared immediately. 

A few seconds later, a thunderous noise that shook the core of my body split my eardrums. 

“Ah…” 

At the thunderous noise that exploded quite close to us, Nanase let out a short scream and crouched down. 

She was covering her ears and squeezing her eyes shut. 

“Afraid of thunder, are you?” 

Nanase nodded. 

“I… have bad memories associated with thunder.” 

At the same time as her words, my vision was dyed in light again. 

“Ugh…” 

With the thunderous noise that came surging up again, Nanase began to tremble more and more like a small child. 

I’m not good at it either, but Nanase’s fear was clearly from someone who really disliked it. 

–A cold droplet fell from the sky. 

I’m glad I checked the weather forecast and bought a plastic umbrella at the convenience store. 

“You’ll get wet…” 

Even when I called out to her, Nanase just kept shaking while crouching. 

“Let’s go for now.” 

I put my arm around Nanase’s and slowly helped her stand.  After sharing a part of the umbrella, I held her hand which was smaller than mine.  Unlike when we held hands on the airplane, Nanase’s hand was cold and felt so fragile that I was afraid it would break if I put any more strength into it. 

I took Nanase’s hand and headed for the bus stop.  I thought she might resist, but Nanase obediently followed.  It seemed we agreed that we wanted to escape the rain.  The rain gradually became stronger and eventually turned into a downpour.  We took refuge in a bus that came at just the right time and headed to Bentenjima Station. 

With this downpour, the outdoor plan for today was practically canceled and the atmosphere wasn’t right to move to a new region either. 

“Should we stay around here today?” 

“…I guess so.” 

This was the only conversation Nanase and I exchanged on the bus.  After arriving at Bentenjima Station, we collected our luggage from the coin locker and got into a taxi that was waiting as if it had been waiting for us at the station. 

Even on the way to the hotel I had picked out on the bus, we were silent.