When an Oblivious Handsome Older Man Went Back in Time and Was Building Harlem - Chapter 39

Today is the only day I don’t have club activities, so I usually chat and go home while sitting on the bench in the courtyard. But today, since it was raining, we were talking in the classroom.

“Oh, right, I’m wearing the tint that Aki-kun bought for me last Saturday today. This lipstick made it to the starting lineup.”

“I’m glad you’re using it, and it looks good on you.”

Smiling Sakura-chan is super cute. The color is a slightly brighter pink that suits the fair-skinned Sakura-chan. Our school’s rules are pretty lenient, so if she just puts on some lip balm, no one will say anything. If I were to wear eyeshadow all glittery like that, I might get scolded.

“Tints are lip products that are hard to remove, right?”

“Yeah. I like the plumpness and the sheen here.”

Indeed, it has a glossy, plump appearance that looks delicious. I thought gloss might get a bit sticky when kissing, but this tint seemed like it wouldn’t be sticky at all, kind of like when Sakura-chan drinks water from a bottle. Well, I think it depends on the product.

It was when I was listening to her while holding Sakura-chan’s hand. The world in front of me, more dazzling than ever before, spreads out like a silver light refracted everywhere, causing me to feel dizzy. Somehow, I try to maintain a smile and appear as if nothing is wrong, so as not to worry about Sakura-chan.

“Aki-kun? Is something wrong? You suddenly go silent.”

“Oh, I’m feeling a bit dizzy.”

“Eh, then you should go home early! Instead of talking to someone like me, go home and get some rest!”

For me, talking with Sakura-chan is the ultimate relaxation time, I think. But the fact is that I’m not feeling well, so I follow Sakura-chan’s lead and start getting ready to go home too.

The dizziness only gets worse, and my legs become unsteady. I can’t show Sakura-chan any embarrassing moments, and above all, I don’t want to. I muster all my strength to keep my unsteady footing straight.

“Are you really okay, Aki-kun? Should I call your mom to come pick you up?”

“It’s okay. If you stay out too late, your parents will worry about you, so we should just head home early.”

Maybe she noticed I was forcing a smile because Sakura-chan didn’t say anything, but she had a look on her face that seemed like she wanted to say something. Walking through the park to take a shortcut with an umbrella, I walked the 7-minute route to the station. Not only am I feeling dizzy, but I’m also getting a headache. Can I go home like this? As I was thinking that, I suddenly felt like I remembered this sensation.

Yeah, it feels similar to what I felt just before coming to this world. I thought I was experiencing dizziness and headaches because I had stayed up for two nights in a row, but it seems that wasn’t the case. If the world were to return to normal as it is, I would want to bare my heart completely before going back to the original world. Besides, in the original world, Sakura-chan might be married. Ah, I’m starting to see noise. I remember thinking this was an illusion before too, and I rolled into the nap room thinking I needed to sleep.

“Sakura-chan.”

“What?”

Seeing me, who was probably getting paler and paler, Sakura-chan had a worried look on her face, I conveyed my feelings to her.

“I like Sakura-chan the most. I love you so much that it wouldn’t be out of place to say it. For the first time, I met someone I wanted to spend my life with. I’m glad that it was Sakura-chan that I met, and I only want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you so much. But, there’s no time left.”

“Time? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

“Sakura, I love you.”

After saying that, I closed my eyes and gently kissed Sakura-chan.

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When I opened my eyes, I was sleeping in the familiar nap room. Waking up my body, which had become unable to recover from fatigue at all due to lack of sleep and aging, I head to the bathroom. When I looked into the mirror, I saw myself at 37 years old. The drawbacks of having spent six months as a 17-year-old were significant. First, there was the phenomenon of not having any aches and pains in my joints, and second, my eyes didn’t feel tired or strained, which greatly differed from my usual health condition.

But the bigger problem was that I was currently single. Since I started dating Sakura-chan, we talked every day at school and exchanged messages as well. Even if I wanted to, I could have called. But I can’t do it. A pitch-dark room with no one in it even when I get home. Convenience store meals are eaten alone. If I were to mention my only social interaction, it would be with Midori.

“Can I live in a world without Sakura-chan…?”

No, I have no choice but to keep living. I chose that path in the past. The one to blame is my past self. For the time being, to deal with the terrible face staring back at me in the mirror, I washed my face, left the nap room, and returned to work.