Chapter 19: Aquarium Date
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 19: Aquarium Date
April 22nd (Sat) [10:48 AM]
After chatting for a while over their drinks, the two of them seemed ready to move on and stood up from their seats.
"Ah, I'll get this."
"No, I will. I'm the one who invited you out today."
The two playfully argued in front of the counter over who would pay for the coffee, but in the end, it was Sakamoto who took charge.
As he received his card and the receipt, Tojo hesitated for a moment before saying she'd pay next time.
Sakamoto, telling her it was really fine, left the cafe with her.
Kishimoto, who was hiding and watching the scene with me, muttered.
"He's surprisingly well-mannered, isn't he?"
"Well, he's not a bad guy."
He's a rom-com protagonist, so he can be a bit dense and stone-faced, but as a person, he's a good guy.
After all, this whole situation was basically forced by Tojo, yet he hadn't shown a single sign of displeasure.
In any case, since the two of them had left the cafe, there was no reason for us to stay either, so we decided to move.
"Should we go Dutch?"
"Sounds good."
Unlike Tojo and Sakamoto, we didn't argue at the counter and simply paid for our own orders.
Tinkle, tinkle.
As we opened the door and stepped outside, we could see the backs of the two of them in the distance, heading toward the subway station.
We quietly began to follow them.
*
April 22nd (Sat) [11:10 AM]
If we boarded the same car as Tojo, we might get caught, so we got on the one right next to it, where we could still keep an eye on them.
Perhaps because it was a Saturday morning, the train was almost completely packed.
When the train made a stop, another wave of people swarmed in like crazy.
We, who had been standing in a corner of the train, were instantly pushed back, unable to move an inch.
"You okay?"
"Huh? Y-yeah."
Kishimoto, who had ended up trapped in my arms, nodded a beat later.
Her face was slightly flushed, maybe because the temperature inside the train had risen rapidly as the density of people increased.
"It might be uncomfortable, but just hang in there for a bit. We'll be there soon."
"Okay."
The train, which had departed from Shibuya Station, passed through a few stops before coming to a halt at Ikebukuro Station.
Amidst the people pouring out like an ebbing tide, we held hands so we wouldn't lose each other and got off the train.
The trip from Shibuya Station to Ikebukuro Station had taken about fifteen minutes.
The time was now just past eleven o'clock.
We made our way out of the subway platform, which was even more crowded with pedestrians than usual for a weekend morning, and headed up to ground level.
"Phew~!"
After breathing nothing but stuffy air, the air outside felt incredibly refreshing.
"Um, when are you going to let go of my hand?"
"Ah, sorry."
I belatedly realized we were still holding hands, so I finally let go of Kishimoto's.
Kishimoto then fiddled with her right hand, which I had been holding, and said.
"Next time, be a little gentler."
"Got it."
The unintentional physical contact created a slightly awkward atmosphere between us, but then I remembered we didn't have time for this.
I spotted Tojo and Sakamoto crossing the crosswalk in front of the station and urged Kishimoto on.
"Let's go!"
As if just then remembering we were in the middle of tailing someone, Kishimoto started running with me.
But perhaps because we'd gotten off the subway a little late, we were forced to stop at the crosswalk as the light changed.
The backs of the two figures disappeared into the distance.
Having missed them by a hair's breadth, Kishimoto stamped her feet in frustration, but there was nothing we could do.
The only silver lining was that we knew their destination.
This path led toward Sunshine City.
Just as Kishimoto and I had discussed yesterday, it seemed Tojo had successfully guided the date course toward the Sunshine City Aquarium.
As we stood at the crosswalk, patiently waiting for the light to turn green again, a group of middle-aged men who looked vaguely familiar came running up from the subway exit, out of breath.
"Huff, huff, damn, why are there so many people?"
"I told you we should've driven."
"I didn't think it'd be this crowded on a weekend morning!"
The tough-looking men, who all appeared to be well over forty, each grumbled a word or two as they struggled to catch their breath.
I recognized their faces from the cafe, but Kishimoto, who had been sitting with her back to them the whole time, didn't know who they were.
I glanced at them out of the corner of my eye and pulled the hood of my hoodie down a little further.
Maybe it was a stroke of luck that these guys lost them too.
Because if they kept following them, they'd probably just end up ruining Tojo's date.
Finally, the crosswalk light changed.
We blended into the crowd and started walking toward Sunshine City.
*
April 22nd (Sat) [11:20 AM]
Tojo Naoto had always been confident in his keen eye.
Perhaps that was why the moment he saw the large man in the hoodie, he knew instinctively.
"Hey, Sento. Doesn't that guy look familiar?"
Sento, who had been combing his disheveled hair back into place, turned his head with a "Sir?" and let out a soft gasp when he saw the person Naoto was pointing at.
"It's the young lady's friend, student Kim Yoo-Sung."
"Right? I thought I'd seen him somewhere."
Naoto rubbed his chin as he spoke, then made a decision.
"We're following that kid."
"Sir? Weren't we in the middle of tailing the young lady?"
"Why else would that kid be here, at this time, in this place? It's obvious. He was worried about his friend's date and decided to follow them secretly. Now that I look, the girl in the trench coat next to him looks like that student named Rika from the photo yesterday."
Only then did Sento Osamu, the brains of the organization, understand what the chairman was saying.
"Indeed, that makes sense. Since we've lost the young lady anyway, it might not be a bad idea to follow her friend."
"Good, then it's settled. Let's hurry up and follow them."
"Yes, sir!"
With Naoto, the chairman of the Toseikai, at the center, the eight men lined up and crossed the street.
They had tried to disguise themselves, but their appearance was perfectly suited to draw people's attention.
With their black sunglasses and gold chains, anyone could tell they were yakuza.
Perhaps for that reason, a police car, likely responding to calls from residents, was circling the Ikebukuro Station area.
*
April 22nd (Sat) [11:34 AM]
Sunshine City is a comprehensive cultural center located inside the Sunshine 60 Building, a symbol and landmark of Ikebukuro.
It's packed with various cultural facilities, food courts, offices of famous corporations, and restaurants, allowing one to take care of most errands without ever having to leave the building.
In that sense, Sunshine City was one of the top ten date spots for young couples.
As soon as we entered Sunshine City, we headed for the indoor aquarium.
The place was largely divided into a first and second floor; the first floor housed marine life, while the second floor featured creatures living in rivers and streams.
After buying our tickets and heading inside, a dim interior came into view.
Marine creatures one wouldn't normally see, like sunfish, hammerhead sharks, snow crabs, and tropical fish, were swimming freely inside the tanks.
It was my first time at an aquarium, so it was quite a fascinating sight, but we didn't have time to leisurely admire the view.
We first had to find Tojo and Sakamoto, whom we'd lost while tailing them.
Kishimoto and I began to move through the crowd of visitors.
The dim lighting made it difficult to identify faces in the corners, but fortunately, my eyesight is pretty good, so I was able to spot the two of them quickly.
'There they are.'
I whispered and pointed, and Kishimoto, who had been captivated by the dolphins, turned her head with a "Huh? Huh?" and was startled to see the two of them viewing the aquarium together, looking quite friendly.
It was the first time I'd ever seen Tojo make such an expression.
As if she'd returned to her childhood, she was pressed right up against the glass, watching the sea creatures swim in the water.
Sakamoto stood with his arms crossed, watching her with a pleased look on his face.
Looking at them like this, they seemed like a pretty good pair.
Even though it was their first date, seeing Tojo doing so well filled me with a sense of pride.
It would be great if she succeeded in her confession, but as someone who already knew the ending of Scramble Love, I felt a bitter pang.
After all, there was a high probability that the protagonist, Sakamoto Ryuji, wouldn't accept her feelings.
Following the signs, we slowly walked on. It seemed they had finished looking around the first floor. We followed the pair as they took the elevator up to the second floor, taking the emergency stairs ourselves to head up after them.