Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16816927860895175888/episodes/16816927862712045949
When I was a college student, there was a time when I was thinking about getting a lot of part-time jobs, getting a driver’s license, and buying a car.
I was jealous of my friends bragging about traveling with their college girlfriends, and I wanted to go too.
Even if it’s a small car, putting your girlfriend in the passenger seat…just kidding.
“…..That’s kind of like you, Ken kun.”
Touko san, who was sitting in the passenger seat, giggled.
The beginner’s mark is in the corner of my eye. That means I have had my driver’s license for less than a year.
“I was thinking of getting a driver’s license right after I started college, but I couldn’t find the time to get a part-time job,……so I ended up getting it before I graduated.”
“Did you get your license before graduation so that you could get a job?”
“I looked at the job listings and found that all of them required a manual license for a standard automobile, which is also required for GG Corporation.”
“I see. In this company, there’s nothing good about being able to drive a car.”
I thought that as soon as I joined the company.
Actually, I have a driver’s license, but I commute by bus, and I go to Touko san, Mei, and Ayana’s houses by train, bus, or taxi, so it’s not really a good idea to be able to drive a car.
Some people use private cars for work and some use company cars.
As a newcomer, I can’t say that I want to use the company car, and after all, until today, I have never been happy to have a license. It was only useful when I had to check my age.
“Well, a driver’s license is something that doesn’t go bad even if you have one…..but today, I wish I had taken the train.”
“Why?”
“No, well…..I’m not used to driving, so I’m wondering if I’m bothering the cars around me.”
I haven’t driven on the highway yet.
Yet, the cars behind me were telling me to go faster, and the cars in the lane next to me were passing me by in rapid succession.
“I feel like everyone around is just driving too fast.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. Look, the car next to us.”
Touko san points to the car next to her.
I looked at the car next to me when I got to the stoplight.
“The guy in the car next to us must be a businessman. The moment the car stops, he looks busy….wearing a tie, nibbling on bread and drinking a drink. I wonder if he overslept.”
“No, you know, maybe he usually drives to work like that.”
“It’s tough…….ah, our eyes met.”
Touko san suddenly turns away.
However, I was unable to fully react and ended up locking eyes with a male office worker.
We looked at each other, and for a few seconds, the light turned green and I hurriedly stepped on the accelerator.
“That surprised me. Wasn’t that person staring at Ken kun?”
“He wasn’t staring at me, but it was really awkward.”
“Fufu, I’m sure that person is thinking, [This couple is going on a date in the morning even though it’s a weekday. It’s annoying !]”
If I were in his shoes, I’d go crazy.
“I’m glad I have a job that allows me to go out on weekdays and take pleasure in seeing people working on weekdays.
“……Touko san, you’re talking out of character.”
“Oh, I was just being honest.”
Touko starts to laugh.
“Ah, I guess we’ll start drinking at noon today.”
“That’s okay, once in a while.”
“Would you like to join, Ken kun?”
“I have to drive.”
“If we can get to our destination by noon, it should be fine, right? We’re planning to see the sights around the inn in the afternoon.
You won’t be driving then, will you?”
“Well, then that’s fine…..”
Touko san, clapping her hands happily.
“Is Ken kun a strong drinker?”
“Like a normal person……”
“Really? Don’t you get drunk and say [I wanna kiss, kiss.]?”
“Wait, I won’t say that !”
“Ah, Ken kun, Ken kun, you should drive with your eyes open !”
I was so upset that I ended up looking to the side while driving.
I gripped the steering wheel again and let out a relieved breath. Seeing Touko san like that, she smiled happily.
“Fufu, the tension has finally eased.”
“Eh……?”
When Touko-san said that, she moved her body a little closer to me.
“Because Ken kun, you’ve been stiff ever since you started driving. Even when I talk to you, your responses are like standard sentences.”
“Well…it’s been a long time since I’ve drive. It would be a big deal if we had an accident, right?”
“That may be true, but if you drive like that for hours, your shoulders will get stiff, you know? Oh, yeah, how about I give you a massage at night?”
“No, thanks !”
“Don’t be shy, okay?”
I’m not confident that I can keep proper reason when being massaged by Touko san.
“Well, I’ll do it even if you refuse.”
“……”
“Oh yeah, when we get to the highway, can we stop at the rest area?”
“Yes, sure. Restroom?”
I asked as I drove and did not get a response.
“Touko san?”
“…Isn’t it a little insensitive to ask a woman if she uses the restroom?”
“Ah, I just…..”
“Geez. There may be toilets, but the store in the rest area there is famous for its soft-serve ice cream. Here.”
At a stoplight, Touko san showed me a travel magazine.
The page she had opened was folded and featured the soft serve ice cream that she wanted to go there.
“I saw it on TV. I’ve always wanted to go here.”
“Is that so? You were curious, but you never went?”
“Eating soft-serve ice cream alone at a restaurant in a rest area on a highway is kinda……I can’t go there unless I have the opportunity to go there with someone like this.”
Saying this, Touko san looks at the other folded pages attached to the magazine.
There are several other folded pages. They were not stores or tourist attractions in the direction of our destination, but in a completely different direction.
It must be a place she would like to visit someday.
“I remember you used to like to look at those magazines, didn’t you?”
Since we were dating, Touko san had always liked to travel.
No matter how busy she was in her student life, she would always ask me, [Wanna go here this weekend?] When she couldn’t go, she would often look at magazines about travel and sightseeing spots and recommended restaurants.
So I asked her without thinking.
“……Well, you know.”
I thought her voice was a little gloomy.
“Touko sa–”
“—-When you look at these magazines, don’t you feel like you’ve gone on a trip? That’s why I like these magazines.”
I nodded back at her, thinking it would be better if I didn’t ask any more questions.
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