第45話 氷の令嬢とバカップル
正月三が日が過ぎ去り、仕事始めや新学期といった単語が頭にチラつくようになった頃。
電車を二本乗り継いで向かった神社は既に大勢の参拝客で賑わっていた。
これでもまだ空いている方らしいが、境内は見渡す限り人で溢れ、少し歩くだけでも気を遣う。
どこかの誰かさんが「テレビで放送されてた有名な神社に行きたい!」などと言わなければ、近場で簡単に済ませられたものの、三対一の多数決で負けてしまったので仕方がない。
そして、その言い出しっぺである元気ガールは案の定、メッセージアプリ上のハイテンションそのままに待ち合わせ場所に現れた。
「ふゆちゃん、あっちにキャンプファイヤーみたいなのあるよ!」
「あれは、お焚き上げと言ってですね......」
「あーっ! 見て見て、テレビで特集されてた狛犬がいる! ふゆちゃん、一緒に行こ!」
「えっ、ちょっ、危ないので走るのは......」
もしかすると、この少女の辞書に距離感という文字は存在しないのかもしれない。
そんな事を真剣に考えてしまうくらい、日菜美の勢いは凄まじかった。
それはもう、数日前に吹き荒れた嵐が可愛く見えてくるほどに。
「まだ顔を合わせて一時間も経ってないよな」
「駅集合が一時だったから三十分すら経ってないね」
「女子ってみんなああいうもんなの?」
「いいや、あれは例外。友達怪獣ヒナゴンだからなせる業」
「聞いたことねえよ、その怪獣」
「ヒナゴンを知らないのか? 誰とでも友達になれるっていう最強の怪獣だぞ」
「全く知らないけども、そりゃ確かに最強だな......」
狛犬のもとへ一直線に走り寄る日菜美に引っ張られる形で、冬華も控えめな駆け足で後ろに続く。
あまりの勢いに大分困惑している冬華だが、不快に感じている様子は全くない。
最初は緊張と不安で固くなっていた表情も、ようやくほぐれてきたようだった。
それもこれも、友達怪獣ヒナゴンの力なのだろうか。
いつの間にか呼び方が変わっていた時など、あまりに自然すぎて二、三回聞くまで気づかなかった。
「そういや、朝陽も何かあだ名付けられてなかったっけ?」
「付けられたよ。お前から紹介されて、十秒後くらいに」
「そりゃ最速記録かもしれんな。で、何で今は普通に名前呼びなわけ?」
「俺が全力で拒否した」
「ああ、思い出した。確か、あだ名が――」
「わざわざ言うな。もし日菜美に聞かれたら、また......」
言葉と共に足も止めた朝陽の顔を千昭が不思議そうに覗き込んだ。
「どうした?」
「あの二人、さっき狛犬の方行ったよな」
「そうだな、仲良く走って一緒に......って、あれ」
千昭もまた、朝陽と同じように途中で何かに気付く。
二人の視線の先には可愛らしい狛犬の像と、その周りに集まる多くの参拝客。
しかし、その中に冬華と日菜美の姿はどこにもない。
念の為、近づいて探してみても結果は同じだった。
きっと、普段滅多に訪れない神社というロケーションとサプライズゲストの参加が相まって、日菜美は相当テンションが上がっているのだろう。
後先考えず、冬華の手を取りどこかへ行ってしまったというのは容易に想像できる事だ。
「これって所謂......」
「迷子だな、完全に」
取り残された男二人は状況を理解した後に顔を見合わせ、一方は大きなため息つき、もう一方は楽しそうにケラケラと笑った。
「二人は見つかったか?」
「いーや、ぜんぜん」
少し目を離した隙に日菜美と冬華とはぐれて十分と少々。
まだそう遠くには行っていないはずだが、それらしき姿は一向に見当たらない。
こういう時こそ文明の利器の出番とスマホを取り出せば、電波が微弱で何度試しても繋がらず。
迷子センターに頼る手もあるが、年齢を考えるとなるべく使いたくはない。
まさに、八方塞がり。
リアルウォーリーを探せの始まりだ。
「ったく、お前がちゃんと手綱握っとけよな」
「そんなこと言ったってしょうがないじゃないかー。あのテンションのヒナは流石の俺でもお手上げだよー」
「まあまあ、そう急がんでも。どうせ拝殿の前で落ち合えるって」
「......その根拠は?」
「俺とヒナは以心伝心だから」
だったら最初からはぐれないでほしいのだが、そんなこと言ったってしょうがない。
それに、以心伝心かどうかはさて置き、千昭の意見は一理どころか十理あった。
初詣を目的に来ている以上、拝殿前で合流できる可能性が高いのは確かだ。
日菜美が同じ思考に行き着くかは微妙だが、少なくとも冬華は信頼できる。
「せっかくだし、ゆっくり歩いて話そうぜ」
「話すって何をだよ」
「それはもちろん、氷室さんの話に決まってるでしょ」
とりあえず、拝殿に向かう事を決めると途端にいつものニヤニヤ顔が千昭に浮かんだ。
その表情は、この機会を待っていましたとでも言いたげだ。
「ついに朝陽にも春が訪れたんだ。これを話さないでか!」
「何言ってんだ、今はまだ冬の真っ最中だぞ」
「誤魔化すも何も、ちゃんと話したろ」
「まあねー。朝陽と氷室さんは実は友達でしたーってな」
メッセージアプリを介して何度も説明した甲斐があったというものだ。
冬華を看病したことがきっかけとなり、互いの利益が一致。
朝陽が料理を教え、冬華が勉強を教える。
そんな相互扶助関係を進めているうちに仲良くなったと。
色々と省いているが、嘘は言っていない。
和明と透子に説明した時も同じように対応したので、二回目は流石に慣れたものだった。
ただ、一筋縄ではいかないのがこのニヤついたイケメン、吉川千昭という男だ。
周りをよく見ていると言えば聞こえはいいが、時に見え過ぎている場合があるので油断ならない。
実際、今回も千昭はさほど驚いてないようだった。
まるで、最初から知っていたかのような。あるいは、もうその先も予想が付いているのか。
「ぶっちゃけ、氷室さんのことどう思ってるの?」
「......何が聞きたい」
「そりゃもちろん、好きなのかどうか......って、顔こっわ!」
両親もバカップルも、何故すぐに色恋沙汰に結び付けるのだろうか。
「何度も説明したよな? 俺と冬華は友達だって」
「いや、分かってるよ。分かってるけど、それを踏まえてどうなのかなーって。じゃ、じゃあさ、好きか嫌いかで言えばどうよ」
「......そりゃ嫌いなわけないだろ」
ほーん、と憎たらしい反応を示す千昭は放っておいて、朝陽は足早に境内を歩く。
もちろん、好きか嫌いかの二択なら、朝陽にとって冬華は好きの部類に入る。
三つ目の選択肢として普通が与えられても、きっと好きを選ぶ。
最近、ふとした瞬間に素顔を見せる冬華を好ましいと思うこの気持ちが、否定的な考えに待ったをかけていた。
「まあでも、氷の令嬢を溶かしたのはやっぱり朝陽だったんだな」
「......何を根拠に」
「そうしか見えないから。どう考えても、氷室さんは朝陽の影響で変わってるよ」
二人の空気で分かる、そう笑いながら言われても朝陽の中で何か特別な事をした覚えはない。
あるのはお節介とお世話を焼いた記憶だけだ。
そうして、冬華がいつしか笑うようになった。
他人との接し方を変えようと、大きな一歩を踏み出した。
「俺は何もしてないんだけどな......」
「自分ではそう思っていても、相手は分からんぞ?」
言われてみれば確かに、クリスマスにも同じようなことがあった。
何もあげたつもりはないが、冬華からお返しを貰ったのだ。
千昭が言う影響とは?
冬華が言う貰い物とは?
一体、自分は何を冬華に与えているのだろうか。
長い参道を歩きながら、朝陽は少し考えようとした。
しかし、すかさず千昭から質問が飛んで来る。
「まあしかし、何でこのタイミングで俺らに会わせたのさ。こうやって、面倒くさい事になるのは分かってただろうに」
「面倒くさい自覚はあるのな」
「もちろん。朝陽の顔を見れば一目瞭然よ」
それに、千昭の質問はもっともだ。
千昭と日菜美の前ではただの隣人のままで、面倒事を避けることはいくらでもできた。
そんな中、わざわざ朝陽からこの状況を作り出したのだ。
実際に今日を迎えてみると、本当にバカップルは騒がしくて面倒くさいし、何かと恋愛に結び付けて来てウザイ。
それでも、朝陽は二人を凄い良い奴らだと思うからこうして一緒に居る。
「お前らなら、冬華と友達になれると思ったんだよ」
「ほー。詳しくはよう分からんけど、大正解なんじゃね?」
ほら、と千昭が大きな鳥居の先を真っ直ぐ指差す。
「おーい、二人とも遅いよー!」
呑気に手を振る日菜美の隣には、苦笑いを浮かべる冬華の姿が。
「多分、二人は私達を探してくれたんですよ」
「えっ、そうなの!? もっと早く教えてよー。これじゃあ私、能天気ガールだよ......」
「それは......相葉さんが楽しそうだったので、野暮なことかなと......」
「ふゆちゃん!」
「ちょっと、いきなり抱き着かないでください!」
「だって、ふゆちゃんが可愛くて優しいんだもん!」
どうやら、この短時間で二人の距離は大分縮まったらしい。
日菜美が一方的に近づきすぎている、というのもあるだろうが、冬華も戸惑いながら受け入れているようだ。
仲睦まじい二人の姿は実に微笑ましい光景だった。
「あれはもう友達って言っていいんじゃないか?」
「......そうだな」
予想以上に勢いがあったが、朝陽の思惑通り、日菜美は冬華と良い関係を築いてくれるはずだ。
現に、日菜美と戯れている冬華の表情に明確な変化が見られる。
「氷室さんのあんな顔、俺は初めて見たよ」
氷の裏に隠れている、穏やかで柔らかい微笑み。
天使のように可愛らしい冬華の笑顔は千昭を始め、多くの人々の視線を集めた。
Ch 45
As the first three days of the New Year had passed, words such as "the start of work" and "next semester" were beginning to flicker in people's minds.
The two train rides to the shrine were already crowded with people.
The temple grounds were overflowing with people as far as the eye could see, and needed to be careful just to walk a little.
If only someone hadn't said, "I want to go to the famous shrine that was broadcasted on TV!" They could have easily gone to a nearby place, but since Asahi lost the majority vote by three to one, he had no choice.
And as expected, the happy-go-lucky girl, the initiator of the meeting, showed up at the meeting place with the same high spirits as she had shown on the messaging app.
"Fuyu-chan, there's a campfire looking thing over there!"
"That's called a bonfire."
"Ah! Look, look, the guardian dogs that were featured on TV! Fuyu-chan, come with me!"
"Eh? Wai- it's not safe to run..."
Perhaps the word "distance" did not exist in this girl's dictionary.
Hinami's enthusiasm was so strong that it might be the case.
It was already making the storm that blew a few days ago seem cute.
"They've only met each other for an hour, right?"
"We met at the station at one o'clock, so it hasn't even been thirty minutes."
"Are all girls like that?"
"No, she's an exception. That's only possible since it's Hinagon, the Kaiju."
"I've never heard of such beast."
"You've never heard of the Hinagon? She's the most powerful Kaiju ever. She can make friends with anyone."
"Yeah, no idea at all, but that's certainly powerful if she can do that."
Fuyuka followed behind, pulled along by Hinami who ran straight to the guardian dogs.
Fuyuka was quite bewildered by the enthusiasm, but she didn't seem to be uncomfortable at all.
Her face, which had been stiff with nervousness and anxiety at first, finally seemed to be loosening up.
Asahi wondered if this was all due to the power of the monster Hinagon.
It was so natural that Asahi didn't notice it until he heard it a couple of times when they changed the way they called each other.
"Oh yeah, didn't you get some kind of nickname too, Asahi?"
"Yeah, about ten seconds after you introduced me."
"That might be the fastest record. So, why does she call you by your first name now?"
"I rejected the nickname with all of my strength."
"Aa, I remember. As I recall, the nickname was--"
"Don't even. If Hinami heard it..."
Chiaki peeked curiously at Asahi's face, who had stopped in his tracks.
"What's up?"
"Didn't those two just go towards the guardian dogs?"
"Yeah, they run close together... Wait..."
Chiaki also noticed something along the way, as Asahi did.
They were looking at the cute statues of guardian dogs and the crowd gathered around them.
However, Fuyuka and Hinami were nowhere to be found among them.
Just to be sure, they moved closer and looked, but the result was the same.
The location of the shrine, which they rarely visited, combined with the fact that there was a surprise guest must have made Hinami quite excited.
It was easy to imagine that she had taken Fuyuka's hand and wandered around without thinking about the consequences.
"Is this what they call..."
"They're lost. Totally lost."
The two men who were left behind looked at each other after they understood the situation, one was sighing loudly and the other was laughing happily.
"Did you find them?"
"Not at all."
It had been a while since they got separated from Hinami and Fuyuka.
They couldn't have gone very far yet, but there was no sign of them at all.
Asahi took out his phone, but the signal was weak and he couldn't get a connection no matter how many times he tried.
There was also the option of relying on a lost child center, but considering their age, Asahi didn't want to use it if possible.
There was certainly no other option anywhere.
The search for Waldo had begun.
"Damn it, you better put a leash on that girl."
"Even I can't handle Hina with that kind of tension."
"Well, well, don't be in such a hurry. We're going to meet in front of the shrine anyway."
"...What's the basis for that?"
"Me and Hina think alike."
If that was the case, then they shouldn't have gotten separated from the beginning, but there was no point in saying that, Asahi thought.
But, Chiaki had a point.
As long as they were here for Hatsumode, there was a good chance that they would be able to encounter them in front of the shrine.
Whether Hinami would follow was uncertain, but at least Fuyuka could be trusted.
"Since we're here, let's walk slowly and talk."
"Talk about what?"
"About Himuro-san, of course."
At any rate, the usual grin appeared on Chiaki's face as soon as he decided to head for the shrine.
The expression on his face seemed to say that he had been waiting for this opportunity.
"Spring has finally come to you. How can we not talk about this?!"
"What are you talking about? We're still in the middle of winter."
"I'm not. I already told you everything."
"Well yeah, about how you and Himuro-san are friends."
Asahi already explained everything by message.
After taking care of Fuyuka, their mutual interests aligned.
Asahi teaches her how to cook and Fuyuka teaches him how to study.
They became friends while promoting such a mutually supportive relationship.
Asahi was leaving out a lot of details, but he was not lying.
He had handled it the same way when he explained it to Kazuaki and Touko, so he was used to it the second time around.
However, things were not so straightforward to this man, Yoshikawa Chiaki.
It sounded good to say that he was watching the surroundings very carefully, but sometimes he could see too much, so one couldn't be too careful.
In fact, Chiaki didn't seem too surprised this time either.
It was as if he knew it all along. Or maybe he already guessed where it was headed.
"To be frank, how do you feel about Himuro-san?"
"...What do you mean by that?"
"Well, of course, whether you like her or not... Woah, your face is scary!"
'Why do both my parents and this lovebirds immediately connect it to a love affair?'
"Didn't I explain it to you many times already? Fuyuka and I are friends."
"No, I know. I know, but I was wondering how it is, based on that. Then, why don't you tell me if you like her or not?"
"...Of course, I don't hate her."
Asahi walked quickly through the grounds, leaving Chiaki's annoying reaction behind.
Of course, if the choice was between liking and disliking, Fuyuka fell into the category of liking for Asahi.
Even if given the third option of normal, his answer would still be the same.
Lately, this feeling of liking Fuyuka, who showed her true face at a moment's notice, had made him hesitate.
"But I guess it was Asahi who melted the 'Ice Lady'."
"...On what basis?"
"Because that's all I can see. No matter how you look at it, Himuro-san is changing under your influence."
"I can tell by the air between you two." Chiaki added while chuckling. However, Asahi doesn't remember doing anything special.
All he had was the memory of him meddling and taking care of her.
That was how Fuyuka began to laugh at some point.
She took a big step forward to change the way she treated others.
"I didn't do anything..."
"You may think that, but the other party may think otherwise."
The same thing also happened at Christmas.
Asahi didn't think he gave her anything, but Fuyuka gave him something in return.
'What does Chiaki mean by influence?'
'What does Fuyuka mean by receive?'
'What on earth am I giving to Fuyuka?'
As he walked down the long path, Asahi tried to think for a moment.
However, Chiaki immediately asked a question.
"Why did you let us meet at this time? You knew it was going to get messy."
"So you're aware of being a pain in the a*s."
"Of course. It's obvious from the look on your face."
Besides, Chiaki had a valid question.
In front of Chiaki and Hinami, they could have remained as just "neighbors," to avoid trouble.
In such a situation, Asahi took the trouble to create this situation.
In fact, as the day came to a close, he found that the couple was really noisy, troublesome, and annoying, and they were always trying to connect everything to love.
Even so, Asahi thought of them as great guys, and that was why he was with them.
"I thought you guys could be friends with Fuyuka."
"Wow. I don't know the details, but I think you're on the right track."
"Look," Chiaki said, pointing straight ahead at a large torii gate.
"Hey, you two, you guys are late!"
Next to Hinami was Fuyuka who waved her hand in a carefree manner with a wry smile on her face.
"Maybe they were looking for us."
"Eh, really? You should have told me earlier. Now I just look like a thoughtless girl..."
"I thought it was insensitive to do... since Aiba-san seemed to be enjoying herself."
"Fuyu-chan!"
"Wait, don't hug me out of the blue!"
"But Fuyu-chan is so cute and kind!"
Apparently, the distance between the two of them had shortened considerably in such a short time.
It may be that Hinami was approaching her one-sidedly, but Fuyuka also seemed to be accepting it with confusion.
It was a very charming sight to see the two of them getting along so well.
"I think we can call them friends now, don't you think?"
"...Yeah."
It was more vigorous than he had expected, but Hinami seemed to be getting along with Fuyuka, just as Asahi had hoped.
In fact, there was a definite change in Fuyuka's expression as she played with Hinami.
"I've never seen Himuro-san's face like that before."
A gentle, soft smile hiding behind the ice.
Fuyuka's smile, adorable as an angel, drew the gaze of many people, including Chiaki.
How To Melt the Ice Lady
【コミカライズ連載中】氷の令嬢の溶かし方　～クールで素っ気ないお隣さんがデレるとめちゃくちゃ可愛い件～
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/how-to-melt-the-ice-lady/
Comedy Romance School Life Slice of Life
Adapted to Manga Beautiful Female Lead Caring Protagonist Cooking Cute Story Famous Parents Kind Love Interests Kuudere Male Protagonist Modern Day Popular Love Interests
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2567fv/
高峰 翔