Chapter 34: Yyxx Investigation

Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Yyxx Investigation

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Beside me, Shion frowned with complete concentration. Her tongue poked out slightly as she carefully lowered the loop toward a bright yellow duck.

Almost...

Almost...

The paper tore and duck floated away.

"...Traitor." She said with irritation.

"You called the duck a traitor." I asked. It was sort of cute though, seeing her this childish.

"It knew what it was doing." She protested.

"I don’t think it did."

"It absolutely did. Fishes are smarter than they same you know" She looked genuinely offended.

Meanwhile...

"Ha!" Junpai lifted his third duck out of the water.

"I got another one!"

"You’re really good." Nanami clapped softly.

"I-I practiced these at festivals when I was little." Junpai stammered from his sudden nervousness.

"See?" Nanami said while she smiled. "It paid off."

His face turned red again. Aki watched the exchange before whispering toward me.

"...He’s smiling like he won the lottery."

Why does bro like doing this?

"I don’t think he’s heard a word you’ve said."

"He hasn’t."

Sure enough, Junpai was still looking at Nanami with the expression of someone whose brain had temporarily stopped functioning.

Inosuki sighed. "...Gone."

"What?" Both Aki and I asked.

"Our captain."

"He’ll recover." I replied.

"Eventually." Aki approved.

The game ended with Nanami collecting the highest score.The stall owner handed her a small plush penguin wearing a tiny sailor hat.

"It’s adorable," she said.

She looked at the prize for a moment before turning toward Junpai.

"Here."

His eyes widened."You won it."

"I know."

"So..." Junpai muttered, unable to bring up any excuse.

"I’d like you to have it."

"...Me?" Junpai asked, clearly he was confused. I mean he could get one of those if he wanted to.

"You’ll remember today whenever you see it." For several seconds Junpai simply stared at the plush.

"..."

"..."

"...Thank you." Junpai said his voice barely audible. It was probably the happiest anyone had ever looked while holding a stuffed penguin.

As everyone resumed walking, Aki casually draped one arm around my shoulder.

"I’ve learned something."

"Oh?" I wondered.

"I’m never bringing a girlfriend here."

I blinked. "Why?"

"I can’t compete with that." He pointed toward Junpai, who was now carefully carrying the tiny penguin as though it were made of glass.

"I don’t have that level of emotional resilience."

I laughed. "I don’t think that’s the lesson."

"It’s the only one I understood." He replied.

Ahead of us, Shion glanced back after noticing we’d fallen behind.

"You two coming?"

"We’re discussing important life decisions," Aki answered.

She raised an eyebrow. "...Should I be worried?

"Probably."

She shook her head with an amused smile before slowing down enough for us to catch up.

The afternoon sun shone brightly overhead, bathing the pathways in warm light as cheerful music drifted through the park. Around us, the steady rhythm of laughter, conversations, and distant rides blended into the kind of ordinary summer day that seemed to pass by far too quickly.

For once, no one was in a hurry.

My phone suddenly beeped again, yeah i was keeping him waiting.

Yyxx: ...

Yyxx: ??

Seeing the messages Immediately replied.

Oota: Sorry just a little busy right now.

Oota: Back to topic, i don’t complain that much.

Yyxx: You absolutely do.

Oota: Name one time.

There was a longer pause.

Yyxx: ...

Yyxx: Okay maybe I made that up.

Whoever Yyxx was, they were either remarkably relaxed for someone hiding a secret, or they genuinely had nothing to hide.

That made things harder.

I changed the subject.

Oota: You ever meet people from Discord?

Yyxx: Depends.

Oota: On?

Yyxx: Whether they’re secretly a 47-year-old man.

I looked at his message for moment before replying

Oota: Fair concern.

Yyxx: Exactly.

Oota: What if I’m secretly a 47-year-old man?

Yyxx: Then you’ve wasted several weeks of my life.

Oota: So you’d actually meet me?

The typing indicator appeared, then disappeared before appearing again.

Yyxx: Why?

I had expected that question. I already had an answer.

Oota: There’s a café near school I’ve been meaning to try.

Yyxx: That’s suspicious.

Oota: It’s coffee, not a kidnapping van.

Yyxx: That’s exactly what someone with a kidnapping van would say.

Oota: Fine.

I paused before typing the next message

Oota: I’ll bring someone else.

Yyxx: Who?

Oota: A friend.

Yyxx: So now I’m getting ambushed by two 47-year-old men?

Oota: Three, actually.

Yyxx: (crying emoji) nice try brochacho

I smiled. The conversation was going better than I’d expected. But I didn’t want to push, not yet.

Oota: Just kidding

Oota: Seriously though. We talk almost every day.

Oota: Would be weird if we never actually met.

There was a long silence.

Yyxx: Maybe.

Oota:That’s not a no

Yyxx: It’s also not a yes.

Oota: I’ll take it.

Yyxx: You’re annoying

Oota: And yet you’re still replying.

Yyxx: Unfortunately.

I waited a bit before sending.

Oota: Sunday? Tomorrow?

The typing indicator appeared.

Stopped then appeared again. Finally

Yyxx: Where?

I stared at that single word

My heart beat a little faster.

Got you.

Not because they had agreed, but because they had asked where.

That meant they were considering it.

Oota: There’s a café about ten minutes from school. Quiet place.

Yyxx: Name?

I paused expecting a second text.

Yyxx: What time?

Oota: Two?

Yyxx: I’ll think about it.

Oota: That’s basically a yes.

Yyxx: Don’t get excited.

Oota: Too late.

A final message appeared.

Yyxx: Fine. Sunday at two.

I stared at the screen. For several seconds, I didn’t move then I typed

Oota: Deal.

Yyxx: And if you’re actually a 47-year-old man, I’m leaving brochacho.

Oota: Fair.

The status changed black with Yyxx currently offline.

I closed Discord.

Saturday. Two o’clock.

For the first time since the hospital, I might finally get to see who was behind the name.

Or at least...

who was willing to pretend to be.

There was still plenty of the park left to explore, and everyone seemed content simply wandering together, letting the day unfold one attraction at a time.

The food court gradually grew quieter around our table as everyone finished eating.

Aki leaned back in his chair with both hands resting behind his head, letting out the loudest sigh imaginable.

"...Now I’m full."

Inosuki looked up from his drink. "You said that twenty minutes ago. Didn’t you"

"I was?.....like ahh...back then."

"I know."

"This time I mean it."

"You also said that after your third burger." Inosuki inserted again.

"I’ve grown as a person."

"You’ve grown, alright." Shion rested her chin on one hand.

"I choose to take that as a compliment."

Nanami giggled softly while Junpai quietly gathered the empty trays together.

"I’ll return these," he said.

"I’ll help," Nanami offered, already standing

"N-No, it’s fine! I can do it. You carried lunch for everyone."

"...I did?" Nanami seemed a bit confused from his statement.

"You insisted."

"I... guess I did." She smiled warmly.

"Then let me help this time."

Junpai hesitated for only a second before giving a small nod. "...Okay."

The two of them disappeared toward the return counter, walking side by side through the busy food court. Aki watched them go before folding his arms.

"He’s smiling again."

"He hasn’t stopped smiling," I replied.

"Think he’ll stay like that forever?" Aki questioned, that didn’t rub me as a genuine question at all. What does he by ’forever’

"In his current condition?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Maybe." I don’t really know though.

"I give him until tomorrow morning," Inosuki muttered.

Shion chuckled.

"You boys really enjoy teasing him."

"We’re supporting him." Aki replied.

"That’s not what support looks like." Shion agnored, I swear Shion nearly agnored with me about the same topic of encouragement and support.

"It is from our perspective." Aki replied.

"You have a very strange perspective." She rolled her eyes with a smile.

"We’ve been friends too long. So I’m sure he understands what we are doing for him"

"I can tell." She muttered.

A comfortable silence settled over the table.

Outside the large windows, the afternoon crowd flowed steadily through the park. Children ran after their parents with colorful balloons bouncing behind them while couples wandered beneath strings of bright decorations, stopping every few minutes to take pictures.

For a while, nobody felt the need to rush. It was nice. Just sitting together.

The sounds of conversations, distant music, and occasional cheers blended into a pleasant background hum.

"...You know," Aki suddenly said.

"Hm?"

"I think today was a good idea."

Junpai and Nanami returned just in time to hear him.

Junpai tilted his head. "What was?"

"Getting everyone together." Aki looked around the table.

"We’re always busy." He pointed at me.

"Oota’s either studying or disappearing somewhere."

Then at Inosuki. "This guy goes straight home."

"I like going home." Inosuki Inserted.

"We know." Aki grinned before turning toward Shion.

"Shion’s always getting dragged into committee work or are girl groups."

She sighed dramatically. "Unfortunately."

"And Mataguchi..."

Everyone instinctively looked toward him.

He was calmly finishing the last sip of his canned coffee.

"...He’s just Mataguchi." Aki said plainly.

No one argued with that.

"...Fair," I admitted.

Mataguchi looked up from his drink."What?"

"Nothing serious." Everyone said.

"You all looked at me."

"We same you were always ’you’. Like complimenting you."

"I don’t think you were." Mataguchi protested, deadpan.

" were."

"..."

"..."

"...You guys are weird." Coming from him, that somehow felt out of place.

The table erupted into laughter.

But Mataguchi didn’t allowed the smallest hint of a smile before shaking his head.

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"The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another."

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