Love Hotel V3

‘I know you’re all worried about Togami-kun,’ Usami said that evening, ‘but it seems like he’s pulled through just fine. Tsumiki-san is taking good care of him.’

It hadn’t been the sort of injuries you left to a nurse, Komaeda would have thought. But apparently calling for proper medical assistance was out of the question.

Usami went on. ‘We’ll have to swap some of you around, but we can proceed with tonight’s dates as planned.’

‘Are you outta your head?’ the delinquent Owada yelled. ‘Who’s thinking about dates at a time like this?’

‘Well, it is the premise of this project …’

‘Just let us go home!’ Asahina called out.

‘Right?’ Hanamura said. ‘This hotel is a death trap!’

Komaeda didn’t know why they bothered. Arguing with an animatronic rabbit … really, the whole situation was too much.

‘Th–the stairs was just an accident,’ Usami said. ‘That’s why they were cordoned off. If everyone stays inside the hotel like they’re meant to, you’ll all be nice and safe.’

Earlier, Kirigiri had asked Komaeda about those stairs. They had seemed unsafe as soon as Komaeda leaned on them. They’d also seemed new. Like they hadn’t been installed properly, rather than having been poorly maintained, which raised its own questions.

‘What if there were a fire?’ Ishimaru said. ‘Those stairs were clearly in contravention of fire regulations.’

‘There won’t be a fire!’ Usami said. She sounded, for a moment, pissed off rather than defensive. ‘I mean, what a horrible thought. Can’t we all just stay safe and get along?’

‘Perhaps we need things stated more clearly,’ Sonia said. ‘We are prisoners, yes?’

‘Wow …’ Usami’s ears flopped, dejected. ‘Usami only wants everyone to experience the joys of love …’

‘And what gives you that right?’

‘Huh? Don’t they say, might makes right?’

It was a bizarre thing to hear from the mouth of such a fluffy pastel thing. Everyone went quiet.

‘Anyway,’ Usami said, ‘you guys should forget about all that! Tonight’s about having fun, okay? Can I get a hooray?’

They remained silent.

‘Ah well, maybe later … Saionji-san and Naegi-kun, you’ll be together for tonight, okay? Don’t worry, you’ll get the chance to spend time with your original dates later. Oh, such fun …’

They really were trapped, Komaeda thought. Whoever was behind this had no intention of letting them go.

Unless they did play the game.

They had no choice except to pretend to, for now.

---

‘You’re very calm about this,’ Komaeda said, as he and Kirigiri took their seats for dinner.

‘There’s no point getting worked up,’ Kirigiri said, ‘if you’re not planning to do anything about it.’ Was that a dig at the others? It was hard to tell from Kirigiri. ‘You don’t seem too concerned about things yourself.’

‘To be honest … I’m interested in what happens next.’

Kirigiri lifted an eyebrow.

‘Does Usami’s plan work, and everybody finds their perfect match? Or do we sacrifice each other in order to escape the situation? It will be interesting to see, don’t you think?’

‘Perhaps.’ Kirigiri didn’t seem convinced.

Usami came to take their drinks order, but Kirigiri said she’d stick to water. And so Komaeda did the same.

‘Do you not drink, Kirigiri-san?’ he asked.

‘Not on the job.’

‘Ah … so this is a job for you, is it?’

‘It may not be the job I was expecting,’ Kirigiri said, ‘but that doesn’t mean I won’t investigate it seriously.’

‘Hmm … I don’t suppose you’ll be getting paid in the end.’

Kirigiri smiled, then. ‘Getting paid isn’t my main concern right now.’

‘I guess not.’ Komaeda watched Usami flitting between everyone’s tables. ‘Who do you suppose is doing the cooking? Are the staff just keeping hidden?’

‘Perhaps there are more robots.’

‘A whole kitchen of Usami’s?’ That was quite the image.

Their dinner, when it arrived, was rather higher quality than one might expect to be cooked by a robot (not that Komaeda would have said that where Kiibo could overhear). Komaeda and Kirigiri’s conversation lapsed into silence as they ate. It might have been companionable, but Kirigiri was thinking too hard for that.

Komaeda found his attention drifting to the other tables. Akamatsu seem to have drawn Fujisaki into an animated conversation – perhaps they were well matched after all. Hinata, on the other hand, did not appear to be having a pleasant time with Celestia.

‘Do you think anyone will actually find love this way?’ Komaeda asked, as Hinata protested against some remark Celestia had made.

‘Stranger things have happened,’ Kirigiri said. She set down her cutlery for the moment. ‘Although relationships formed in extreme circumstances don’t always survive a return to normality.’

‘Ah. Well, I guess I wouldn’t know anything about that anyway!’

‘It’s not always the case, of course.’ Kirigiri resumed eating.

‘Kirigiri-san, why do you think you were chosen to come here?’

She paused again. ‘I don’t think I know enough to ascertain that right now.’

‘Hmm. I wondered if maybe the mastermind wanted to be found out? They did bring two detectives here, after all.’

Kirigiri lowered her brows slightly. Was she sensitive about the presence of the other detective?

‘Or they want to see us frustrated,’ she said.

‘Have you spoken to the other one? What was his name …’

‘Saihara Shuichi,’ Kirigiri said. ‘We’ve spoken.’

‘You’re not teaming up?’

‘I don’t usually work with other people.’

‘Or perhaps Saihara isn’t on your level?’

Kirigiri gave him a look.

‘Not that I’ve spoken to him at all,’ Komaeda said. He looked for Saihara across the room – he seemed to be sitting in awkward silence with Harukawa. Harukawa had seemed disinterested in the whole situation, when Komaeda had spoken to her.

Komaeda felt sorry to Saihara. At least Kirigiri was interesting to talk to.

‘There are benefits to people conducting their own investigations,’ Kirigiri said. ‘Everyone notices different things.’

‘That’s very diplomatic of you.’

Komaeda wondered what sort of person Kirigiri would fall in love with. He knew Amami was her roommate – Amami was a very different person to her, but Komaeda could see the logic in pairing them up. They had a similar energy … and they were both people you could relax around, Komaeda thought. If one of them was easy going and one was more reserved, that wasn’t a combination that worked badly.

Assuming Amami was interested in women. He had agreed to a date with Komaeda, after all – although ‘date’ was perhaps a generous description in these circumstances.

‘Who were you meeting tomorrow?’ Komaeda asked.

‘Shinguchi-kun and Fujisaki-kun.’ Kirigiri had finished eating; she wiped her mouth delicately.

‘Hmm … did they ask you?’

‘That’s right. I think Fujisaki-kun is comfortable with me because I asked for his help before. He does seem to be enjoying himself with Akamatsu-san, though.’

Komaeda looked over at them. ‘I thought that too.’

Akamatsu, unlike Komaeda and Kirigiri, had been drinking; her cheeks were flushed. He hoped she wasn’t too chatty a drunk.

He looked back again. ‘And if you had to ask someone, Kirigiri-san?’

‘That’s a personal question.’

‘Well, we are meant to be getting to know one another. But you don’t have to answer.’

‘I know you asked Amami-kun.’

‘Guilty as charged,’ Komaeda said, with a laugh. ‘But you see, he just happened to be there at the time.’

‘Is that right?’

It occurred to him that this might get back to Amami. ‘I mean, I wasn’t expecting him to agree.’

‘Hmm.’ Kirigiri tilted her head, considering him. It made him feel nervous.

‘Say, Amami-kun didn’t say anything about me, did he?’

‘I wonder … would I tell you if he did?’

That made Komaeda feel more nervous.

He was rescued by Usami coming to take their plates, and offering them the dessert menu. Komaeda would have skipped dessert, but Kirigiri gave the list serious consideration.

Komaeda wondered if everyone got the same dessert menu, or if it was something that was connected with the dinner you won. Oma’s omurice, for instance, didn’t seem like it should match with crème brulee for after (the brulee was Kirigiri’s choice – Komaeda just asked for some tea).

‘About Amami-kun …’

‘Are you wondering how serious he is? I don’t think I’m the right person to tell you that.’

‘I guess not.’

Komaeda hadn’t asked him seriously. Komaeda had been annoyed at Hinata blowing him off – even though he shouldn’t have cared about Hinata either.

But it wasn’t as if Komaeda disliked Amami. Of his two appointments for tomorrow, his date with Amami was the one he was looking forward to. He might not have objected to spending time with Fukawa, if she hadn’t made it so obvious that he was a last resort. Not that he would have been interested in her romantically, of course. He wasn’t interested in Kirigiri like that either.

Why would any of them take any of this seriously?

Dessert arrived quickly; Kirigiri seemed quietly pleased at her choice, dedicating it her full attention. It almost made Komaeda regret not getting anything.

‘It seems like if it is robots in the kitchen, they know how to cook.’

‘Yes.’

‘So it’s not all bad. I wouldn’t be eating like this at home … I should still just think of it as being on holiday.’

‘I don’t think Togami-kun will be feeling the same way.’

‘I guess not. I wonder if he’s really alright.’ Komaeda had only seen him from a distance, as Nidai carried him in from the wreckage outside the hotel.

‘I’m going to check in on him after this.’

‘He’s lucky to have you worried about him, Kirigiri-san.’

Kirigiri lifted her eyebrows. ‘I don’t think he cares.’

‘Maybe not.’

Kirigiri finished her dessert, and folded her napkin carefully. She caught Usami’s eye across the room. Usami hurried over.

‘Usami-san, we’re free once we’re done, aren’t we?’

‘There’s no rush, is there? Aren’t you two getting along?’

‘I have other things to do this evening.’

Usami turned her big eyes to Komaeda. ‘Aren’t you going to try and convince her?’

‘I think Kirigiri-san would just find that annoying.’

Usami pouted.

‘But obviously, I think she’s great –’ he was just guessing at what Usami wanted to hear – ‘and I would be happy to have dinner with her any time. Ah, I already feel my heart has swelled six times.’

Kirigiri gave a little cough.

‘Somehow, I can’t believe you’re sincere …’ Usami said.

‘I think it’s important on a first date,’ Kirigiri said, ‘not to outstay your welcome. Right, Komaeda-kun?’

‘Right.’

‘Hmm.’ Usami puffed her cheeks out. ‘I guess it’s alright. Take a chocolate as you leave. Red’s for if you’d go out again, yellow’s for if you’d rather just be friends. Don’t mix them up.’

‘Alright. Let’s take the red chocolates, Komaeda-kun.’

‘If you say so.’ Perhaps Komaeda should have been concerned Kirigiri had got the wrong idea, but he thought she probably had a reason for that choice.

They both took the red chocolates.

---

Akamatsu’s date went on a lot longer than his did; Komaeda was already in bed, about to learn why they thought the missing girl’s father was the murderer, when she came in.

‘I’m back,’ she said, her voice all sing-song.

‘You seemed like you were having fun.’

‘Fujisaki-kun is a sweetie.’ Akamatsu collapsed heavily on the bed beside Komaeda. ‘Ugh, I was so nervous. I think I drank too much.’

Komaeda wouldn’t have been impressed with that if Akamatsu were his date. But Fujisaki was a different person to him.

‘How was it with Kirigiri-san?’ Akamatsu curled to face him, hugging the pillow that lay between them. She didn’t seem bothered that he was still looking at his book.

‘Fine,’ Komaeda said. ‘We agreed we could see each other again.’

‘Really. That’s unexpected.’

‘I’m sure Usami will just keep pairing us up with whoever otherwise.’

‘Do you think she’d be fooled by that?’ Akamatsu rolled on her back again. ‘I don’t know. I don’t think I could pretend to like someone I didn’t.’

‘No?’

‘I mean, maybe it would work with Kirigiri-san … she doesn’t seem like the type who’d want you to hold her hand, you know?’

‘Mm.’

‘She is pretty though. I bet she’d be really sexy with her clothes off.’

Komaeda’s eyes stopped on the page.

‘Don’t you think?’

‘I hadn’t considered it.’

‘Right,’ Akamatsu said. ‘You’re not interested.’ She let out a deep sigh.

‘Akamatsu-san, are you interested in her?’ He said the words very carefully.

Akamatsu laughed and shoved his arm. ‘It’s not like that,’ she said. ‘It doesn’t mean anything, just to think a girl’s a bit sexy.’

‘If you say so.’ He looked at her sidelong, in case she hit him again. But she just lay there, eyes closed.

‘It’s a shame,’ she said. ‘Wouldn’t it be nice, if we were all actually on holiday, and we just met each other by coincidence?’

‘Do you think we’d all talk to each other then?’ Komaeda said. ‘It’s a lot of effort, talking to a stranger.’

‘Hmm. Well, I think I can safely say we would not have progressed to sharing a bed in that instance.’ Akamatsu laughed again, but it sounded a little strange. Komaeda put his book down.

‘I’m sure if it’s you, you’d still make friends,’ he said. ‘Who knows, maybe you and Fujisaki-kun could even manage a little fling.’

Akamatsu’s laugh sounded more natural this time. ‘I don’t know about that,’ she said. ‘Maybe there’s someone …’

Who she had in mind, though, she didn’t say.

---

The second morning, Togami wasn’t at breakfast.

‘He still needs to rest,’ Tsumiki said, when she put in her appearance.

‘Is he really okay?’ Hinata asked. ‘Shouldn’t he see a doctor?’

‘I-I know why you might think that,’ Tsumiki said, wringing her hands. ‘I’m just a nurse, after all. And it would be better if Togami-kun could be treated properly … but I promise I’ll take good care of him. We couldn’t have anything happen to the heir to the Togami empire, after all.’ She said it with a little smile, and Komaeda wondered if she didn’t see Togami’s injuries as a stroke of luck for her. If she was taking Usami’s professed goals seriously.

Speaking of Usami, she chose that moment to show up at Komaeda’s side. ‘Komaeda-kun, I need to speak with you. It’s about your date with Amami-kun.’

‘Of course. Is there a problem?’ Komaeda stood up but didn’t leave the table.

‘Usami only prepared lunches for the girls.’ Usami hung her head.

‘Well, Chabashira-san and her date should have extra to spare,’ Komaeda said. ‘Can’t we just swap?’

‘Maybe … or, I thought you could make lunch for Amami-kun! Wouldn’t that be extra romantic?’

‘Is there something wrong with the other lunches?’

‘It’s just, those two won them fair and square. Besides, this is a chance for you to show your sincerity!’

‘Sincerity,’ Komaeda repeated. It sounded like an excuse to have Komaeda do the work. He sighed. Cooking for Amami … was he really up to that task?

‘Shouldn’t you be getting the chef to cook for us all?’ he asked – too hopeful, perhaps.

‘Hanamura-kun already offered to prepare dinner tonight. Isn’t that generous of him? Maybe he’d be a good catch, don’t you think?’

‘Maybe for someone.’ Someone who didn’t care how inappropriate he might get. Although given Akamatsu’s comment about Kirigiri, perhaps someone like that might not be so hard to find after all …

‘So you’ll make lunch?’

‘Sure,’ Komaeda said, although he was annoyed.

‘Yay! I’m sure you’ll touch Amami-kun’s heart with your cooking.’

Komaeda was more worried about not poisoning him by accident. It was a pain, that Usami was putting this on him.

They had some time before their first activity of the morning, so Komaeda went to check out the kitchens early. Hanamura, it turned out, was already there.

‘Komaeda-kun!’ He sounded delighted. ‘Looking for me, were you?’

‘Not at all,’ Komaeda said. ‘Just ignore me.’

‘Now now. If you’re in my kitchen, I can’t very well just ignore you. Was Usami’s breakfast not to your taste? I can whip you up something much tastier.’ Hanamura held his fingers to his chin, and looked consideringly at Komaeda.

Maybe Komaeda should consider him back.

‘Apparently, Usami didn’t prepare enough lunches for everyone. So she said I had to make lunch for Amami-kun and myself …’ Komaeda let out a sigh.

‘Is that so?’ Hanamura wore a sly grin. ‘In that case, why don’t you let me prepare a lunchbox for the two of you?’

‘Hmm … I wonder if Usami will accept that …’

‘She doesn’t need to know.’

Komaeda rather thought that Usami – or whoever was controlling her – would know. He wasn’t bothered if she thought he was cheating though.

‘Then that would be a big help,’ Komaeda said. ‘I’m so bad in the kitchen.’

‘Never fear. I’m happy to be your knight in shining armour. And then maybe later –’

‘I’m sure Amami-kun will appreciate it too.’ The look Hanamura was giving him was disconcertingly lascivious.

‘Amami-kun …’ Hanamura looked thoughtful. ‘He’s not bad either …’

‘I’ll come by again later,’ Komaeda said, and made his exit before Hanamura could start saying anything about how Komaeda could repay him.

---

Before lunch, Komaeda headed back down to the kitchen. Hanamura had left the boxed lunches on the bench for him, wrapped in a pretty purple cloth, with a tag that read ‘Komaeda ♥ Amami’. Which seemed a bit overkill. When Komaeda flipped the tag over there was a further ‘♥ ? ? ?’, at which point he decided he could just get rid of it.

Komaeda was half-expecting Usami to appear and admonish him as he left the kitchen, but perhaps she was too busy worrying about everyone else’s lunches.

Amami was waiting for Komaeda in the lobby.

‘Is there anywhere you’d like to go?’ Komaeda asked. ‘It feels like we should be eating outside –’ he lifted the lunches – ‘but I guess that’s not possible.’

‘We could go up to the roof,’ Amami suggested.

It might feel strange to go up there now, Komaeda thought, after what had happened the day before. But the rooftop did seem a more appropriate place if this was meant to be a lunch date. And they could get drinks once they were up there.

‘What did we get for lunch?’ Amami asked. ‘We already used our prizes.’

‘It’s a bento,’ Komaeda said. ‘Hanamura-kun made it.’

‘Hanamura-kun, huh?’

 ‘Usami had asked me to, but once I explained the situation, Hanamura-kun offered,’ Komaeda said. ‘Are you disappointed?’

‘A little,’ Amami said. ‘It’s like thinking the heroine has made you lunch herself, and then finding out it was actually her mum.’

‘I’m not sure Hanamura-kun would appreciate being compared to my mother.’

They made it up to the roof. It felt different, just the two of them. The day was not as fine as yesterday, and the wind was higher. With Komaeda’s luck, it would turn to rain before they were finished.

‘Can you get us drinks?’ Komaeda asked.

‘Oh, sure. Any preference?’

‘Green tea is fine.’

Rather than sit by the pool on one of the deck chairs, Komaeda sat down by the low wall that ran around the roof – on the other side from the fallen stairs. Usami had put up an X sign on the chain that crossed the gap where the stairs had been.

Amami came to join him, offering Komaeda one of the bottles of tea.

‘Thanks. Let’s see what we’ve got.’ Komaeda undid the fabric wrapping the lunch boxes.

A part of him had been hoping for the cutesy sort of lunch that came with octopus weiners or riceballs shaped like pandas. Hanamura’s lunch was simpler than that. Thinly sliced beef on rice, zucchini, potato wedges …

‘It looks good,’ Amami said, picking up his box. ‘It’s been years since anyone made me a lunchbox …’

‘Does it count if it was made by a professional?’ Komaeda asked. He started with a slice of the beef, folding it to his mouth. And then – surprise, it was delicious. Even more than the steak he’d had for dinner last night; somehow the flavour was perfect; the meat so tender it took no effort to eat.

Amami watched him take that bite; if Komaeda had realised he might have kept more guarded.

‘That good, huh?’

‘Sorry,’ Komaeda said, and covered his mouth. ‘I should have known … everyone they brought here is so amazing, of course the cook would be as well.’ He had to eat some rice to mute the pleasure of the beef.

Amami looked amused, but then when he tried his own lunch his eyes went wide.

‘It is good! I wasn’t expecting much from that guy, I admit …’

‘I guess that’s what pros are like.’

Now Komaeda ate a slice of the potato, which had just the right amount of saltiness to it, together with a touch of lemon …

They ate in contented silence for a while, before Komaeda reached the last few bites. He didn’t want to finish it just yet.

‘What’s your favourite kind of food, Amami-kun?’ he asked.

‘Me? I’ll eat anything … that’s what it’s like when you travel a lot. You’ve got to be game for anything.’

‘Akamatsu-san said you’d travelled a lot.’

Amami nodded happily. ‘Every continent except Antarctica.’

‘Really?’

‘I think I’ll give Antarctica a miss though. I prefer warm places.’

‘Can I ask how come you’ve travelled that much?’ Komaeda asked. It wasn’t like Amami was some middle-aged executive who could collect foreign countries like trophies.

‘Well … I’m a bit of a rich kid. So we always went on big holidays. But after that, I guess … I always wanted to see new places, you know? I love the feeling when you arrive somewhere you’ve never been before, and you don’t even know the language to start with. But somehow you get by.’

‘That sounds amazing.’

‘It’s not really. I’m just lucky, that I get to travel without worrying about money. Oh, but there have been times when I lost everything. Even my passport. But even then, there are people who are willing to help you. If it weren’t for people like that, I could have really been in trouble.’

‘I’m jealous,’ Komaeda said. He set down his chopsticks and pulled his knees up against his chest.

‘It’s not so special … you just have to be willing to step outside your comfort zone.’

‘If I do that, bad things happen,’ Komaeda said. ‘It’s not like everyone out there wants to help.’

‘Well, sure …’

‘I probably just have a bad attitude, though.’ Komaeda remembered his conversation with Hinata.

‘Maybe,’ Amami said. ‘It’s not for everyone.’

‘Even when I go on holiday,’ Komaeda said, ‘something like this happens.’ He gestured to the hotel in its entirety.

‘This is definitely up there in terms of weird things that have happened on a trip,’ Amami said.

‘How did you end up here?’

‘This girl I’d been hanging with recommended the hotel. Of course, now I have to wonder if she was connected to this somehow.’

‘Did you tell Kirigiri-san about her?’

‘Yeah. We’ve actually talked a lot.’

‘Oh?’ Komaeda must have sounded implicative, because Amami held his hands up in protestation of innocence.

‘Not like that!’ he said.’ I just mean, I know she seems stand-offish …’

‘You’re probably easy to get along with, Amami-kun.’

‘Well, maybe. But I thought you got along with her well too. Or am I wrong?’

‘Mm. She’s an interesting person.’

Amami’s lips twisted in a smile, and he looked away for a moment, before returning his gaze with a more serious expression. ‘Hey, what do you actually think about all this?’

‘I’m not sure my opinion matters.’

Amami frowned. ‘Don’t be like that. It’s a serious question.’

It had been a serious answer, in its way. Komaeda’s opinion didn’t matter. ‘I’m not going to get worked up about a situation I can’t change,’ Komaeda said. ‘Togami-kun thought he might escape, and look what happened to him.’

‘So you’re just going to go along with it?’

Komaeda shrugged. ‘I’m not like the rest of you who have better things to be doing. It doesn’t really make a difference to me if I’m here or at home.’ He might change his mind, of course, once he’d finished the books he’d brought with him. ‘It bothers you though, Amami-kun?’

 ‘I don’t like being trapped,’ Amami said flatly.

‘Of course not.’

‘And what’s this obsession with romance anyway? Are we all meant to be deficient just because it’s not the most important thing in our lives?’

It was interesting, watching Amami speak so forcefully. Komaeda could like him, he thought. It wasn’t out of the question.

‘Maybe we are.’

Amami put on an expression of such pure disgust that Komaeda had to laugh.

‘It’s a joke,’ he said. ‘I mean, obviously I’m a horribly deficient human being, but that doesn’t mean I think you are, Amami-kun.’

‘It’s not funny.’

‘Sorry.’ It was hard not to laugh, though. Even knowing Amami didn’t like it. ‘Say, Amami-kun … when you said yes to me, it was only to avoid being asked by any of the others, right?’

There was a flash of guilt on Amami’s face. ‘Yeah. I guess it was.’

‘It’s alright,’ Komaeda said. ‘I don’t mind.’

Amami looked for a moment like he wanted to respond to that, but then he just shook his head.

‘At least we got to get away from the others,’ Komaeda said. He stood up then, stretching himself. ‘Not that I don’t like them all. But it is noisy.’

‘Do you really?’

‘Hmm?’ Komaeda looked back down to where Amami was still sitting.

‘Like them all?’

There was something slightly unnerving about the way Amami looked at him, then. Komaeda couldn’t meet those eyes.

‘I will admit, I’m not particularly looking forward to my date with Fukawa-san tonight.’

Apparently that was a normal enough response for Amami to huff out a laugh and to relax. Komaeda wondered if there was someone in particular Amami didn’t like. He got the feeling Amami wouldn’t appreciate having the question turned around.

‘Do you want to swim?’ Komaeda asked. ‘After everything that happened yesterday, I didn’t end up trying the pool.’ Today wasn’t the sort of day that was conducive to it either – it still felt like it could turn to rain at any moment. But maybe that was why Komaeda wanted to.

Amami shook his head. ‘You go ahead.’

Komaeda looked at him.

‘I can just enjoy being quiet, right?’

Komaeda wasn’t sure someone like Amami, who enjoyed travelling and adventures should enjoy ‘being quiet’. But then, if he mostly travelled alone, maybe that was a part of his life too.

It didn’t deter Komaeda anyway; he turned away from Amami to strip down to his underwear. Then he approached the pool’s edge and slipped into the water.

He didn’t swim very often. But the water was pleasant, and being outdoors, the chlorine smell wasn’t too strong.

Komaeda hadn’t swum for long, however, when the rain did start to fall, making little circles on the surface of the water.

Not that that meant Komaeda had to stop. But he was ostensibly here with Amami, and Amami had decided that he didn’t want to get wet. So Komaeda pulled himself out the water. Amami had relocated himself to that end of the rooftop, under the awning of the bar – he’d wrapped their lunch things back up too, and grabbed Komaeda’s clothes. He held a towel out to him now, which Komaeda took gratefully.

‘Guess the weather’s not on our side today,’ Amami said, as Komaeda attempted to dry himself off under the awning.

‘I did think that might happen. I guess we’ll have to end things here.’

‘Yeah.’

‘So, how did I do against … who was it last night?’ He looked at Amami-kun who made a sort of face.

‘Ikusaba-san.’

‘I remember now.’

‘Well … I’m going to say this was definitely less awkward.’

‘Oh?’ Komaeda was surprised; he thought it had gotten awkward toward the end there.

‘I don’t think she’s very comfortable with this sort of thing. I wonder how she even ended up here …’

‘She didn’t say much when I spoke to her,’ Komaeda said. ‘Except to ask me what my favourite kind of knife was.’ He began to pull his clothes on – he’d have to go to his room and shower before anything else, but he wasn’t about to walk around in his underwear in the meantime.

‘What is your favourite kind of knife?’

‘I said the little paring knife I have for vegetables.’

Amami smiled, surprised.

‘That wasn’t the kind of knife she meant, though.’

‘No. She’s an interesting person, right?’ Coming from Amami, that didn’t sound like a bad thing. ‘I wouldn’t mind talking to her again.’

Amami was probably the type who’d say that about anyone. Or maybe he was into women who seemed like they could kill you without batting an eyelash. Komaeda didn’t see the appeal, himself.

‘I’ll sort out the lunch things,’ Komaeda said, holding his hands out for them.

‘Oh, would you?’

‘As I skipped out on actually making anything.’ He took the bundle from Amami.

‘Well, you can tell Hanamura-kun it was delicious. I mean that.’

‘He’s making dinner too, apparently.’

‘I’ll look forward to it then. Thanks for the date, Komaeda-kun.’  Amami accompanied Komaeda to the lift; he was getting off on a different floor.

‘I hope it wasn’t too tedious.’

‘No,’ Amami said. ‘Why’d you say something like that?’

‘Well, talking to me’s hardly like talking to some stranger in a foreign country …’

‘It’s not really that different,’ Amami said. ‘I mean, we’re still expecting to go our separate ways afterwards, right?’

Komaeda couldn’t disagree with that.

Amami got off a floor higher than Komaeda. ‘Well, thanks again.’

‘Any time,’ Komaeda found himself saying. Which was a stupid thing to say, when Amami had already admitted he’d said yes to Komaeda so that he wouldn’t have to say yes to anyone else. But maybe that didn’t bother Komaeda as much as it should have.