Traveling With a Beautiful Girl

Upon arrival at a slightly aged business hotel, I inquired at the front desk about available rooms. They responded, “We only have one twin room available right now.” Although I had confirmed that there were several vacancies while on the bus, I was told that due to the heavy rain, all the other rooms had been booked.

“Shall we find another hotel?”

When I said this, implying that sharing the same room would be inappropriate, Nanase responded weakly.

“Here is fine.”

Whether she had some sort of scheme in mind or was just not thinking at all, I couldn’t tell. But as a result, I ended up staying in the twin room, following Nanase’s wishes. The room we were shown felt as old as its exterior, with the walls and furniture showing signs of wear. However, it was clean and surprisingly spacious.

After a brief look around the room, I put down my luggage and closed the curtains. Nanase sat down on the bed, her eyes pointed towards the floor, seemingly filled with a mix of fear and impatience.

I sat down on the bed across from her and started the conversation.

“Can you talk about it?”

Her small shoulders trembled slightly.

“What do you mean by ‘it would be better if we didn’t travel together’?”

My voice was hotter than I expected. While I tried to maintain my usual composure, my throat was parched and my heart was pounding unnaturally. Nanase stared at the floor for a while, opening and closing her mouth repeatedly.

She seemed to be choosing her words. Through the window, I could clearly hear the sound of thunder, rain, and her unusually deep breathing.

Eventually, with determined eyes, she looked straight at me and spoke.

“Takahashi-kun, you should go back to your parents.”

Her tone was close to a command.

“What do you mean by that…”

“It’s a simple matter. Takahashi-kun, your parents are waiting for you to return home.”

As she said, it was a simple matter.

“The reason why you don’t want to go home… I suggested that any quarrels with your parents could probably be resolved if you talked it out. Yet, Takahashi-kun, you did not agree.”

The fight with my parents that led to this journey. If that issue was resolved, one reason to travel with Nanase would disappear. So, I brushed it off at that time. But that evasion was cornered by Nanase’s logic.

“Moreover, you didn’t answer the phone call from your parents because you were with me.”

In Nanase’s eyes, a sense of guilt seemed to emerge.

…I see, I understood. Knowing Nanase, who is essentially kind-hearted. She must have thought when she saw me hang up the phone from my parents…

“Because you are with me, Takahashi-kun, you cannot go home.”

That’s why she’s been acting strange since that phone call.

“Being with me, You cannot go home. So, I judged that it would be better to end the journey. That’s all.”

Nanase said just as I had anticipated.

“No, but…!”

I shouldn’t accept it at this point. Intuitive thinking makes me talk.

“One of the reasons why I’m traveling is because of a fight with my parents… and just as Nanase said, if we have a serious talk, it might be resolved… but…”

I hesitated to say it directly, but I said it.

“There’s also the goal of… stopping your suicide.”

That was rather the original intention. To take Nanase, who was about to throw her life away, on a journey, visit various places, and gradually lose her will to die. That was the main goal.

I thought I had somewhat achieved that goal in these five days.

…It was my wishful thinking.

“The journey was quite enjoyable.”

As if recalling the path we’ve been on, she looked up at the ceiling.

“We ate delicious food, had experiences that we normally couldn’t have, and saw beautiful sunsets. We met interesting people, were exposed to unique values, and even had a chance encounter. As you said, it was a good refresh. But…”

Contrary to her words, with an expression as cold as concrete, Nanase said.

“I didn’t become optimistic enough to want to live more.”

I felt as if my sight had gone dark for a moment. Then, the core of my heart ached intensely. It was the word I least wanted to hear. But I couldn’t accept it here, not now. I opened my heavy mouth, searching for the faintest bit of material to persuade Nanase.

“Back then…”

I asked the central question I had been avoiding all this while.

“Why did you try to die?”