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Main Story 41 - Voice

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Saturday, May 8th.

In stark contrast to yesterday, which was cloudy all day, it’s been sunny today from this morning. The sky is a beautiful blue with almost no clouds. Along with this, the temperature has risen and the weather is pleasantly warm.

I don’t have a shift for my part-time job today. So I had originally planned to go out somewhere with Hiori. However, Hiori ended up catching a cold, so that was canceled. Last night, I received a message from Hiori saying that her temperature had dropped to normal, but I think it would be best not to go out.

“I guess I’ll spend some time relaxing at home today.”

Now then, what to do.

I already finished the assignments given in class yesterday. The mid-term exam starts in 10 days, so studying for that exam is probably a good idea, but... luckily, I don't have any subjects that I'm stumped on. I guess I don't have to start studying for the exam yet.

All right, for today, let’s watch the anime I recorded last night and read the rest of the light novel I bought on the Hagikubo date the other day. I'm about halfway through, so I'll read it until the end during this weekend.

Let's watch the anime first. But, I'm concerned about Hiori's health, so before I start watching,

[Hiori, good morning. How are you feeling?]

I send that message to Hiori.

I start watching the anime I recorded. I sit on a cushion, lean against my bed and watch, that’s my usual posture.

What I’m watching right now is a youth anime based on a manga that has shamisen as its theme. Since it’s an anime, I can also enjoy the actual shamisen performance played during a play. Personally, I find it quite interesting.

──Brrrr.

I hear the vibrating sound of the smartphone on the table. Did Hiori reply?

When I immediately check it... as expected, there is a notification that I have received a message from Hiori through LIME.

[Good morning, Akito-san. My fever has completely gone. After one night, my symptoms such as lethargy and discomfort in my throat have also disappeared.]

Oh, is she feeling better? It must have been a good idea to take the medicine prescribed at the hospital and take it easy. I'm happy. I would be even happier if the fact that I came to visit her with Himura-san and Hazuki-san yesterday after school also contributed to her recovery.

[I'm glad you have recovered.]

I send that reply.

Hiori is probably looking at this chat screen right now. The reply I sent is Immediately marked as [read].

[Thank you very much. Um... is it okay if I call you now?]

I see that message.

I reply, [it’s okay], and stop the Blu-ray playback.

Up until now, when I'm at home, most of my contact with Hiori has been through messages, like just now. That's why I get a little nervous when I think I'm going to receive a phone call from her.

──Prrrr. Prrrr.

I get the call from Hiori through LIME. I tap the [Call] button and answer the call from Hiori.

“Hello. This is Kamitou.”

[This is Hiori. Thank you very much for letting me call you.]

“No no.”

It's nice to be able to hear Hiori's voice even if it’s through a smartphone. Although Hiori is not in front of me, it feels like she is really close by. I did visit her yesterday, but I feel relieved when I hear Hiori's voice.

[Most of our contacts are through messages, but calling like this is also nice, isn’t it? I'm relieved to hear Akito-san's voice.]

“I thought the same thing.”

[Fufu, is that so?]

When I hear Hiori's laughter, I can't help but think of Hiori's happy smile. I wonder what kind of smile Hiori is wearing right now. Imagining it makes me feel happy.

“I'm glad your symptoms subsided overnight.”

[Thank you very much. Is Akito-san okay? Are you infected with my cold?]

“I'm healthy.”

[That’s good to hear. I’m relieved. But, I’m... maybe it's because I'm recovering from the illness, I feel like I'm not as strong as usual.]

“I see. Certainly, at times like that, you feel a little different than usual.”

[Isn't it? So, that’s why it’s better if we don’t go out somewhere together.]

“That's right. Let's be prudent and stop today’s plan.”

[I understand.]

Because going out to play can whittle down her stamina and cause her to relapse into a cold.

It's a shame that I can't go out with Hiori, but we can enjoy it precisely because we’re healthy. Besides, even if we miss today, it's not like we'll never be able to do it again. So let's stop today’s plan.

[But, I want to meet Akito-san. I want to be with you. So, if Akito-san is okay with it... would you like to have an at-home date in my house this afternoon? It’s also to make up for yesterday's after-school date and today's date.]

“An at-home date at Hiori's house, huh?”

If it's like that, Hiori herself can probably spend her time comfortably.

That she invited me on an at-home date is obvious, but that she wanted to meet me and be with me makes me really happy. And because she conveyed it not through a message, but with her voice, I feel my heart being squeezed really hard.

“That's a really good idea. I want to spend time with Hiori too.”

[I'm happy you said that. Then, let's have an at-home date at my house.]

“Yeah. Then, I'll go to Hiori's house in the afternoon.”

[I understand. Well then, I'll be waiting for you at home.]

Hiori's voice as she says that is higher than before. I know that Hiori gets excited since the at-home date has been decided.

[I'm glad I had the courage to say it. That's why I called. I wanted to hear Akito-san's voice too though...]

“Haha, I see. Thanks to that, I was able to hear Hiori's voice. Thank you.”

[...No, no. Up until now, we've mostly talked through messages, but I'd like to talk on the phone like this once in a while.]

“That's true. Since Hiori isn’t in front of me, I'm realizing how good it is to talk with our voices.”

[Me too.]

‘Fufu’, I can hear Hiori's elegant laughter. So the good thing about talking on the phone is that not only words, but also voices like this can warm my feelings.

“...Ah, right. I'll return the yuri manga I borrowed the day before yesterday at the at-home date. It might have been better if I returned it when I went to visit you yesterday. But I thought it would be even better to return it after you get better.”

[I understand. By the way, how is the manga?]

“It was interesting. It had a really refreshing atmosphere, and the kissing scene made my heart skip a beat.”

[That’s good to hear! Ever since I saw the books on Akito's bookshelf, I thought you might like it.]

“It turned out just as Hiori imagined. Thank you for lending it to me. I'm thinking of buying them at Animake from volume 1 to the latest volume, and then read them.”

[I'm sure Akito-san will find it interesting until the latest volume.]

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Since it's a yuri manga, it looks like I'll be able to have fun talking about it not only with Hiori but also with Hazuki-san.

Still... this is nice. Being able to have fun talking with Hiori about manga that we find interesting over the phone.

“Speaking of which, is there anything Hiori wants to do on our at-home date? Depending on what you want to do, I'll bring what you need from my house.”

[Let’s see...]

‘Hmm~’, I hear such Hiori's voice. Her voice is so cute that I can wait for her forever.

[I want to watch Miyabi-sama anime season 2 together.]

“Oh, I like that one!”

Ever since I watched all the episodes of the first season of the anime with Hiori, I’ve been wanting to watch the second season together someday.

“I also have the Blu-ray of the second season, so I’ll bring it over.”

[Yes. I’m looking forward to watching it together.]

“Yeah. I'm looking forward to it too.”

I'm really looking forward to this afternoon. Just by having my plans for a date canceled once, my feelings of expectation have become stronger than ever.

After that, I continue having fun talking with Hiori for a while. In the process, we decided that I’ll visit Hiori's house at around 1:30 pm.

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