Double Planet Episode 9

Double Planet
Episode 9: "Could it be you, Tamaru-san?"
Satoru Aono (Furuta Jun & Kanda Yota / Radio Shonan personalities)

"I'm sorry. I can't meet you. I'm so sorry... Tamaru Ruka"

I've read this message so many times. I think I've read it at least 30 times already.
Even after reading it 30 times, it still said the same thing every time. Of course.
But I felt like maybe I had misread it, and that it actually said "Okay," so I read it over and over again.
I felt bad for making her say "I'm sorry," and every time I saw the "..." at the end, I let out a sigh for no apparent reason.

Even though I'm a second-year high school student, I still don't understand girls' feelings.
Tamaru and I only know each other vaguely through radio.
We only exchanged messages a few times on Twitter.
But perhaps I was being arrogant when I suggested we meet and talk.
I guess they probably thought I was a suspicious person.
Incidentally, I don't think I was getting carried away.
I wanted to meet Ms. Tamaru and hear about her play, "Sky and Puzzle." That's all.
A person's feelings are conveyed through the way they speak. I wanted to gain some insight from those feelings.
I wanted to hear about Tamaru's undeniable feelings.
My rival, Kanda, was unaware of those feelings, so I thought that was where I could gain an advantage.
But that has also become difficult.
My plan was back to square one.

Time passed without me being able to send a message back to Tamaru-san. I had absolutely no idea what to say. I even tried searching on Google. There was no answer there.

I was so preoccupied with thinking about "Sky and Puzzle" during class that I couldn't concentrate and sometimes fell asleep without realizing it. Of course, the teacher got angry. Even though there are no answers in dreams, I feel like I can find them there. It's escapism.

School ended early that day.

I didn't feel like going straight home, so I bought a manga at a bookstore near Fujisawa Station and decided to read it at a cafe. It was a manga about band members, and while reading it, I felt like I was playing music myself. Once I finished reading the manga, I woke up from my dream and returned to reality. While wondering what to do, I suddenly thought I'd like to ride the Enoden train for the first time in a while. I haven't ridden it in ages. I don't have anywhere I want to go, but I'll just go to Kamakura and come back. I wanted to see the sea while being rocked by the train. Maybe if I look at the sea, I'll come up with a good idea regarding "Sky and Puzzle."

The Enoden is a strange train. One moment it's running on the street, and the next it's winding through houses like a roller coaster at Hanayashiki amusement park, before finally reaching the sea. I love that feeling of anticipation as it approaches.

Looking around the train as it departed Fujisawa, there weren't many tourists, probably because it was a weekday evening. Instead, there were lots of high school students around my age. Watching the high school girls chatting by the window, I couldn't help but think this:

What if that girl is Tamaru-san?

I don't even know what she looks like. I can't say there's zero chance that the girl in front of me is Tamaru.
I wonder what would happen if I took a chance and asked, "Are you perhaps Mr. Tamaru?"

I'm definitely a suspicious character. This is no time to raise my fist and act defiant.
Honestly, the person inside me is a hopeless case.

I realized today that I hadn't thought about what time I'd be home. My parents will worry if I'm late. I don't have enough money to eat out for dinner either. I have no choice but to cut my losses and go home at some point. A short, half-hearted solo trip that can hardly be called an adventure.

Before I knew it, the train had arrived at Koshigoe station. The next station is Kamakura High School. It's a place famous for appearing in the manga "Slam Dunk." The students of Kamakura High School are always sparkling. I was intimidated and don't remember ever getting off at that station. I felt like I would be burned by the brilliance of Kamakura High School. The sea comes into view. The setting sun. The sea, which I should be familiar with, bursts into my eyes from the train window. The setting sun. The high school girls who had been chatting have stopped talking and are looking out at the sea. The setting sun. A large amount of orange light streams into the train car.

It's perfect. That's what I thought.

"Stop time!"

I whispered to myself, "Today, I feel like I want to watch that sunset until it completely disappears."

Where can I watch it?

If you want to get off, the only option is the next stop, "Kamakura High School."
It's a fantastic location for going out to sea. But...
When we arrived at the station, the doors opened. Students from Kamakura High School boarded all at once. A glittering procession.
I pondered, almost swallowed up by the galaxy cluster. Should I get off, or not? If I got off, I'd be late getting home today. I had homework to do. There was a live stream I wanted to watch. But I felt I couldn't resist tonight's sunset.

Just before the doors closed, I tumbled into the gap that was still closing and jumped onto the platform.

By the time the doors closed, I had tripped and fallen on the platform.

The Enoden train continued on its way to the next station, Shichirigahama, as if nothing had happened.
There were hardly any passengers who got off at Kamakura High School Station at this time of night.

"Um... are you alright?"

I turned around and saw a high school girl who had gotten off the train at the same platform as me calling out to me. Judging by her uniform, she wasn't a student at Kamakura High School, nor was she from my school. Of course, I wasn't certain. There was no way I could be certain. There was no basis for it. Nothing. Even though there was nothing, I was out of my mind. Maybe I hit my head when I fell on the platform. My mouth was moving on its own.

"Are you perhaps Mr. Tamaru?"

If this were a scene from a drama, that high school girl would probably be played by Tamaru Ruka. A screenwriter once said that a convenient "coincidence" depicted in a drama is acceptable once, because viewers will accept the lie. But it's not okay twice. Viewers aren't stupid. So, is that one time something that happens in one's long life? Even in a corner of this world where someone like me lives?

"How do you know my name?"

"to be continued"

*You can view back issues here .