Traveling With a Beautiful Girl - Chapter 60: Feelings vs Reasons

Bentenjima Seaside Park is a seaside park created by reclaiming a part of Lake Hamana.

It’s widely known as the number one spot for viewing sunsets on Lake Hamana, boasting a resort-like landscape and popular, open-air bathing beaches…

One reason for its popularity is the sunset that can be viewed from the open-air beach, but the main reason is the presence of a huge red torii gate floating on the lake.

On weekends, many tourists visit to see the unique breathtaking view of the sunset overlapping with the 18-meter-high red torii gate that can only be seen here.

Even on this weekday, there were sporadic tourists who appeared to be taking pictures of the red torii gate with their smartphones and expensive-looking cameras at the beach.

Nanase was there, quite a distance away from that crowd.

She was really there.

Finally, finally, I found her!

A deep emotion spread from the core of my chest throughout my body. But then, seeing Nanase’s current state, my thoughts cooled down at once.

She was standing alone, submerging herself in the lake.

“From jumping off a building to…going into the water…”

Ignoring her wet clothes, Nanase was slowly walking toward the deeper part of the lake. Nanase, as I remember, can’t swim.

With my legs ready to trip over themselves, I somehow pushed forward and called out.

“Nanase!”

Contrary to my expectation, my voice came out hoarse. Probably because I had run out of oxygen from sprinting all this way.

Yet, Nanase… suddenly stopped in her tracks.

“Nanase–!!”

Forcing myself from the pit of my stomach, I yelled once more. Slowly, Nanase turned around.

“Nanase–!!!”

After shouting out one last time, I also plunged my legs into the lake.

“Whoa, it’s cold!?”

The water stung my wounds! But I didn’t care, I moved forward through the water.

As the water reached up to my shin, my pace suddenly became heavy. Still, I pushed myself to keep moving. My completely exhausted body took a huge toll.

But compared to the pain of losing Nanase forever, it’s a difference as great as the universe and a tiny water flea. And then… the water reached my thighs, and I finally made it to Nanase.

Her face, usually sullen, was now filled with astonishment.

That’s right, I wanted to see that face. A sense of accomplishment and victory surged within me.

At the same time, my heart was filled with love for her. Although we’d only been apart for less than a day, it felt like we were meeting again after several years.

“Why… are you here?”

Nanase said, not believing that I was right in front of her. After taking a few deep breaths to steady my ragged breathing, I opened my mouth again.

“Supposing you were planning to commit suicide today… where would you go for your last moment?”

Like a climax of a detective novel. Like a detective unveiling the mystery, I said.

“I thought for sure… you’d want to see the sunset at the end.”

Nanase’s eyes widened.

“I can’t believe…” she murmured.

“But even if I were to watch the sunset in my last moments… there are countless places where you can see the sunset… so why… how did you pinpoint this place?”

In response to Nanase’s reasonable question, I sorted out my thoughts and answered.

“If we think rationally, first of all, I’d guess you wouldn’t go too far. It’s the last day, so it would be normal to not want to spend too much time moving. That means, you’d be at a spot around here, or maybe you’d stroll a bit farther away to avoid meeting me. Honestly, I have no idea what you were doing during the day.”

“So… So! You don’t know! Yet, how did you know this timing…”

“Because you’re the opposite of me, I knew.”

“Opposite…?”

At Nanase’s puzzled words, I started to explain.

“Where to go, where to eat, which hotel to stay at. You always…”

I dropped the final piece of the puzzle.

“You always search the internet to find highly rated places.”

Her clear eyes widened. Nanase, being smart, seemed to understand the meaning of my words in an instant.

“You managed to find this place with just that information?”

Confidently, I nodded.

Yes.

The method was simple and the closest at hand.

At the Tenjo-yama Park observation tower, I searched for “Lake Hamana Sunset Spot”.

All the review sites listed Bentenjima Seaside Park at the top, so I knew this was the place.

The unique, breathtaking view of the huge red torii gate floating on the lake, overlapped with the sunset, can only be seen here. If you think about it rationally, this is the place to watch the sunset.

“It’s easy to figure out where a logical person like you would go if you just use the same logic.”

Finally, I said that, and showed her a proud grin. Inside me, a gust of catharsis was blowing fiercely.

Ah, how refreshing this feels.

I was always the one being beaten up, but reversing the roles felt invigorating.

As I was thinking about that…

“…why?”

“Huh?”

“Why did you come here!?”

Nanase snapped back at me, yelling with an intensity I’ve never seen before, as if it came straight from the bottom of her gut.

“Why did I…?”

I had my answer ready.

It’s a simple matter.

Because, after all, I…

“Eel”

“Huh?”

“We promised to go to a good eel restaurant, remember? I am a man who keeps his promises.”

…Huh?

The answer I had in mind, and the words that actually came out of my mouth, were different.

Seems like I’ve messed up at this crucial moment.

“Don’t joke around!!”

Nanase exploded.

I thought her hand, which had just slapped the water, was going to fly straight into my cheek.

“You saw the note I left, didn’t you!? Didn’t you understand the meaning of my goodbye!? Are you an idiot!? Did you not understand my…my intention!?”

“I understood, more than enough!!”

This time, I shouted back. Seeing me fill my words with rage must have been a surprise for Nanase, as she flinched and her shoulders shook.

But Nanase, determined not to back down, pressed on.

“If you understand, then why…no matter how you look at it, it would be better for you, Takahashi-kun, to return to Tokyo, separated from me…”

Nanase said the same thing as yesterday. But I could sense the lack of confidence in her voice.

I thought, I just have to push through.

“Nanase”

I gently rested my hands on her small shoulders.

“You are smart. Your reasoning is sound, always logical. It’s infuriating. But there is one fatal flaw.”

“What’s this flaw you’re talking about…”

“You don’t understand emotions.”

“Emotions?”

“Yes, emotions.”

Nanase furrowed her brow, looking puzzled.

Then she shook her head.

“I don’t understand…what are these…emotions…”

“I love you.”

This time, I was able to say it.

“I love you, Nanase.”

I was finally able to express my feelings. The resolve that I couldn’t come to after a long night of thinking yesterday was now solid.

I continued, as Nanase looked confused, not understanding what I was saying.

“Logically speaking, it might be rational for Nanase and me to part ways. But above that, my emotions are against it. My emotions, which love you, are saying that they hate the idea of parting ways with you, no matter what the disadvantages. That they want to stay together with you forever.”

Words flowed out more smoothly than I had thought.

The feelings that had been pent up in the depths of my heart spilled out in a torrent of words for Nanase.

“I…can’t believe it…”

Nanase twisted her body and shook off my hand.

“You seem to be just making this up on the spot…”

From her eyes, lit up with strong rejection, I could sense a flicker of fear. Ah, I see. Nanase must be scared.

After all, she hasn’t properly interacted with people before. She was neglected by her father from the start, and severely betrayed by her mother. She probably has a strong aversion to things like love, trust, and bonds. Even if I tell her I love her after only being together for a few days, it would be hard for her to accept.

Then I must not back down here. I said to Nanase, who still glared at me defiantly.

“I found you in this vast country of Japan. Isn’t that the best proof that I love you, Nanase?”

If I didn’t love her. I wouldn’t have known where Nanase would be at this time. Because I loved her, because I was always watching, I knew. My words made sense.

“That… is…”

With that, the logical Nanase was at a loss for words.

Rejection and fear faded from her expression, replaced by a spreading disarray.

“What should I do?” Nanase herself seemed lost.

I knew what needed to be done. It was simple. I just needed my feelings, my emotions, to be conveyed to Nanase.

Once again, I placed my hands on Nanase’s shoulders.

“Listen carefully,”

I took a deep breath, filled my chest with all my feelings.

And then, I shouted.

Over the giant torii gate floating on the lake from Bentenjima Beach Park, across the western sky dyed in twilight, I shouted out to the whole world.

“TAKAHASHI SHO LOVES NANASE RIHO───”

I wanted to let the whole world know how much I loved Nanase.

Even if I felt inferior to the billions of people living on Earth, my love for her was unmatched. I shouted with such feelings.

I expressed my “love” not with reason, but with emotion.

To the current Nanase, this was the most straightforward confession.

“…Ah…Eh…?”

Her eyes, completely overwhelmed, swam aimlessly. Her face, white as fresh snow, blushed redder than the sunset. It seemed Nanase understood not with reason, but with emotion.

“If you can’t believe my feelings…”

With a slightly hoarse voice, I proposed.

“Why not continue traveling together for a while?”

There was a pause. The sun had completely set on the horizon, and only the park lights were illuminating us. Eventually, Nanase slowly opened her mouth.

“What about your parents? I think they’ll be very worried…”

“I’ll talk to them properly. It will take some time, but I will persuade them.”

“…What about money? How long will it last…”

“I’ll earn it. Don’t underestimate a clipping master.”

“What if a search warrant is issued…”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. As long as I have you, that’s all that matters.”

I stared straight at Nanase and said,

“I need you, more than anything in this world.”

Again, there was a pause. The sound of the waves echoed in our eardrums.

…Damn, did I mess up?

Only now, calmness returned and shame followed.

I was completely high. I screamed my love at the center of the world after saying words I would never usually utter.

Looking back, the temperature of my face soared. I wanted to hide in a hole.

On the other hand, Nanase had a somewhat dumbfounded smile.

“I thought you were stupid, but I didn’t think you were this stupid.”

“What, that’s harsh!”

Despite my once-in-a-lifetime confession!

“There’s no other word for it but stupid. Truly, utterly stupid.”

“That’s harsh.”

“You… idiot…”

Her voice was moist. Her face crumpled, like a piece of crumpled paper.

Tears fell from Nanase’s eyes.

“You really… are an idiot…”

Beyond that, her words didn’t form. Nanase hugged me as if clinging to me.

Then she began to cry out loud. It was my first time witnessing Nanase’s intense sobbing.

I wrapped my arms gently around the sobbing Nanase, who was crying like a baby, and gently stroked her small back.

I felt Nanase’s touch. Her body heat.

Her scent.

My thighs and below were cold from the lake water, but my arms holding Nanase were warm.

Nanase was truly alive in my arms. That fact brought heat to the back of my eyes. I was truly glad.

That’s what I thought from the bottom of my heart. I continued to hold her small body until Nanase stopped crying.