Even so, we are living in the present

Chapter 22 – Older Brother’s Quick Wit

6:00 PM.

“Kyosuke, good work.”

YuU, who was waiting outside the locker room, called out to the person who opened the door and stepped out.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Shall we go?”

After club activities were over, Kyosuke left the school building with Yuu, wiping the sweat that still soaked through his clothes with a towel. While walking on the side of the roadway to protect Yuu, who had a vision deficiency, he exhaled quietly to settle his pulse as he felt his feverish body cool down in the evening air.

“Kyosuke, you looked like you were having fun.”

Yuu called out to him, peering at his refreshed expression after the club activity.

“Hmm? Well, yeah, I guess so.”

Although he did not deny that he was still able to devote himself to club activities as before, he could not nod affirmatively and gave a vague answer to the person with whom no longer was able to engage in the same kind of activities as before. As if reading Kyosuke’s inner thoughts, Yuu sighed.

“I wish I could dance too…”

“…”

Due to a doctor’s order, he was prevented from participating in the dancing activities that he loved. Faced with Yuu’s feelings, Kyosuke was unable to speak any reasonable words to him, so he kept silent. Yuu’s eyes glanced at him, and after a pause, he broke the silence.

“Ah, may I take a peek into your classroom?”

“Eh? Oh, no problem.”

When Kyosuke nodded, the corners of Yuu’s mouth pursed in delight. Turning on his heel at his apartment, he headed for the dance school together on foot.

“… Huh?”

With a small murmur, Yuu ceased in his steps.

“What’s wrong?”

“Something’s fallen.”

When questioned, he replied, staring at a spot somewhere.

“Eh?”

Wondering what he was observing, Kyosuke looked alternately at the other’s right eye and in the direction of his gaze. However, he could not grasp what the other person was referring to, so he uttered a question mark.

“… Kyosuke, why don’t you go see an ophthalmologist?”

The harsh words from Yuu, who raised his eyebrows dubiously, stung.

“You know, I don’t know what you’re referring to when you look like that. You can’t expect me to look at the same place all the time.”

“Yes, yes, look over there.”

After Kyosuke’s tedious excuse, the fingers of his left hand pointed to a narrow path by the side of the dance school. When his gaze followed the tip of the white finger, he spotted a blackish object amidst the thickly overgrown grass. The sun was setting and fading, leaving it unclear as to what the object was.

“Does it bother you that much?”

“Hmm, sort of.”

With an appropriate response, Yuu’s feet turned from the dance school to the side street. Undeterred, he continued on the path.

“Saiki often passes by on this road, doesn’t he? Maybe he has an owned house.”

“Is that so?”

Yuu, originally a student who belonged to the go-home club, may have spotted Saiki when he rode his bicycle from his home to the dance school. Rather than pursuing the matter further, Kyosuke followed the other party.

“… Oh, this is.”

“It looks just like Saiki’s bag.”

As Kyosuke held it in his hand in place of his partner, whose right arm was immobile, he felt its weight as though it had more than a little content. It was in such a clean condition that it made him assume that it had not been that long since he dropped it.

“Isn’t there someone else out there who might at least have the same bag on their hands?”

The question Yuu posed was a fair one. Regardless, Kyosuke let out a sigh, as if it were inevitable.

“Let me check…”

Opening the zipper of the bag, he found a wallet, smartphone, and other valuable items left in it.

“Hey, hey…”

While pondering how fortunate that the bad guy didn’t pick it up, he found his student notebook, which he also owned, and peeked at the last page.

“… Eh.”

Kyosuke was speechless. Seeing that he was staring at the student notebook and not moving, Yuu peeked at it along with his partner.

“Eh, Saiki?”

Realizing that he had spoken out loud, Yuu hastily covered his own mouth with one hand.

“…”

After putting the student notebook away in his bag and zipping it up, Kyosuke stood up and looked around. There was no sign of the owner. Even for a lost-and-found prank, there was too little caution.

What’s going on?

Kyosuke could not have predicted anything else. No longer able to just stand there, he took out his smartphone and began making a call to someone. He thought that if there was nothing else that could be done, he would report it to the police.

“Kyosuke, who are you calling?”

“To Natsume.”

Simultaneously answering Yuu’s question, the other person on the other side of the phone responded.

“What’s up, Kyosuke?”

His tone was as gruff as ever, but he didn’t feel afraid. But the following words of Kyosuke made a complete turnaround.

“Um, I found Saiki’s bag on the side of the rice paddy.”

“… Where’s Tomoya?”

His tone of voice was noticeably lowered. Then a few more questions and answers to explain the situation continued.

“He’s not here.”

“Where’s his phone?”

“It’s in the bag.”

“… I understand. Have you heard anything from Tomoya?”

“No, nothing at all…”

While honestly responding to the question, he heard a click of the tongue. Uncontrollable fury was evident.

“… Got it. I’ll be home soon… Oh, I see you.”

No sooner had he finished, the call snapped off. With his eyes fixed on the bag, he slipped the disconnected smartphone back into his pocket.

“T-That person.”

When he raised his eyes at the sound of Yuu’s voice, a figure waving his hand could be seen in the distance on the opposite side of the dance school. It was Natsume. He seemed to be on his way home from university.

“Natsume!”

When he waved back, Natsume rushed over to the pair.

“He didn’t answer the home appliance, so I guess he ain’t home either… I have a bad feeling about this.”

His hair was messed up and he was operating his smartphone with a bitter expression on his face.

“No choice then. Let’s locate him…”

Natsume’s fingertips tapped the screen of his smartphone, revealing his frustration.

“Is it a location identifier… the GPS? Um, his phone is right here…”

When Kyosuke fearfully posed the question, Natsume’s gaze fell on Kyosuke, and the corners of his mouth curved up slightly.

“GPS is useless if you don’t have it on you at all times.”

Saying this, he pointed to the earrings that adorned his own ears.

“… I see.”

Indeed, Saiki always wore earrings.

“With a phone, once it’s turned off, that’s the end of it… Hello, Akira? My brother has been kidnapped… I have no idea what has happened. So, now that I’ve pinpointed the location, I need you to head to the address I’m about to give you… You’re the only one I can depend on. I’m counting on you. See ya.”

After calling an acquaintance, Natsume informed the caller of his request and immediately hung up the phone. Unable to regain his composure, he let out a deep sigh.

“… Hey, Kyosuke, Yuu.”

At the mention of the low, growling tone of voice, tinged with wrath, the two men exchanged glances without uttering a single word.

“Sorry to give you so much trouble… but it’s between us brothers from here on out… you can go home now.”

“…”

“…”

Upon hearing these words, both Kyosuke and Yuu looked at each other, nodded their heads, and silently decided to follow the other’s instructions. Abandoning the idea of peeking into the dance school, the two were forced to return home while worrying about their kidnapped classmate.

T/N:

Student notebook – Small notebook that also acts as a student ID