Chapter 45: Let’s Play at the Park
Let’s Play at the Park
Miyashita Park in Shibuya.
Its most distinctive feature is a transparent, dome-shaped roof.
If you search for “Miyashita Park,” you’ll probably see pictures of the roof and the lush green lawn beneath it.
And right now, we were stepping onto that lawn.
“Oh, it’s so pretty~.”
“Right? I’m glad we chose this place.”
“It’s super nice. You’ve got good taste, Onii-san!”
“Ahaha.”
The last time I came here was back in my first year of college.
It had been a little while since I’d started dating Fuyumi.
It was that phase when you want to go on slightly more grown-up dates, like proper college students.
“Bouldering… have you ever done it before, Onii-san?”
“No, not even once.”
I hadn’t done it the last time I came here either.
I had no memory of ever bouldering, so that must be true.
“Alright then, let’s get to it.”
Bouldering is a real sport, even featured in the Olympics.
You climb by grabbing artificial holds attached to a wall.
Apparently, there’s also a version where you climb natural cliffs, called climbing.
I had learned all of this the day before by looking it up.
“Ah, it’s lucky I just happened to wear something easy to move in.”
Honestly, I hadn’t planned on doing bouldering, so I hadn’t told Haruki anything about what to wear.
But jeans and a hoodie aren’t exactly bad for physical activity.
The only thing that wasn’t suitable were the thick-soled boots, which clearly weren’t chosen with exercise in mind, but that didn’t matter either.
That’s because bouldering requires special shoes, which you can rent.
“So I’m doing it too, huh.”
“Well yeah, of course. Loser has to do a punishment game, okay?”
“Okay, what should it be?”
Even if you say punishment game, nothing really comes to mind.
When it was just the guys, we used to say the loser had to pay for all the drinks that day or something like that.
But there’s no way I could ask Haruki for that, and besides, I’d already planned to pay for everything whether I won or lost.
“Let’s see…”
While placing her foot on the lowest hold, Haruki grinned.
“How about the loser has to say ten things they like about the winner?”
“Huh?”
Wait a second. What kind of unbearably embarrassing punishment game is that?
Before I could stop her, Haruki grabbed the holds and started climbing.
And she climbed up smoothly and effortlessly.
I hadn’t known this about her, but apparently she’s pretty athletic too.
But still, you know.
I had been trying not to look, but from down here, well.
Her jeans were clinging tightly to her lower half, and the shape from her waist down was really emphasized.
I mean, this was supposed to be a sporting activity, but I was starting to think weird things.
“Wait, isn’t she going to make it all the way to the top?”
In the end, Haruki reached the top.
For a beginner to make it to the top on the first try, she must be incredibly athletic.
At the very least, I couldn’t do it.
“Ah, that was scary.”
“Yeah, even with the mats, it’s still scary, right?”
That sensation of floating as you fall is just not pleasant.
Sometimes you get that feeling in an elevator, but with bouldering, you’re actually slipping off the wall and falling, so it’s way scarier than an elevator.
“Alright, Onii-san, you remember the punishment game, right?”
“What was it again?”
“No no no, don’t try that.”
“…”
I looked away.
But she moved to block me.
Haruki peeked up at me, her eyes sparkling.
“You’re gonna tell me what you like about me, right, Onii-san?”
“If you go first and reach the top, that’s just unbeatable…”
I got stuck pretty quickly, after all.
No matter how you look at it, being able to go all the way to the top in one shot is just unreal.
“Well, fine. I’ll do it.”
“Ohh, you’re a man. I like that.”
Haruki gave me a few pats on the shoulder.
I sighed, waited a moment, then opened my mouth.
“First, you’re really kind.”
“Oho?”
“Second, your face is cute.”
“Wha—”
Haruki’s face turned red with a soft pop.
But I pretended not to notice and kept going.
“Third, your voice is cute. Fourth, your gestures are cute.”
“U-Um, Onii-san, wait a sec—”
Haruki reached out to cover my mouth, her face still bright red.
But unfortunately for her, I was taller, so dodging her was easy.
“Fifth, you have a great fashion sense. Sixth, just being around you makes me happy… and seventh—”
“Waaah! Wait, wait, that’s enough already!”
“Guh!”
Haruki, her face bright red, tackled me in the stomach.
Was it really that embarrassing? I don’t think I’d said anything too bad yet.
More importantly.
“Haruki-chan.”
“Eh?”
“Um, everyone’s watching us…”
When Haruki looked up with a start, the other climbers and the staff were all watching us with gentle, amused expressions.
“…”
Feeling awkward, we quickly left the area.