Title:『立ちはだかる壁』(Looming Wall)
Summary:
The MC and Rion enter the
penthouse. It is night, and the skyline of Tokyo is lit up beautifully. As the
MC is admiring the lovely view, Rion slips his arms around her. She turns to
face him, and he tells her that she is more beautiful than the night view. She
turns away, embarrassed, but he pulls her back. He tells her to stop using
honorifics when talking to him (in this case, dropping the suffix さん [san]) – just call him “Rion”. He wants
her to say his name, but she is so embarrassed that she is barely audible. He
says that he can’t hear her and asks why she doesn’t say it properly. She
says she is nervous. He admits that he is, too. He shows her by holding her
hand against his chest so she can feel his heartbeat. She finally musters her
courage to say his name, to which he pretends that he still can’t hear her. She
jokingly fusses back at him.
They are suddenly interrupted by
the peanut gallery VIPs. The MC asks how long they’ve been there, and
they have apparently heard nearly the whole conversation. They tease them about
the conversation, with Kisaki doing full impressions. Rion gets him back
though, asking, “What’s wrong, Kisaki-kun? You’re awfully irritated.” Kisaki
protests his use of the suffix くん (kun)
(since that’s a term typically used for boys). After their exchange, it is revealed that the tea room has been spared from the fire, but there’s extensive damage
from smoke, so Rion will be temporarily moving into the penthouse until it
is repaired. The VIPs make more teasing comments about his living there, such
as warning Soryu not to shoot him if he should show up at night in his Mad
Hatter makeup. Eisuke tries to play with Cheshire as they talk, but she will
not play with him. Animals apparently don’t like Eisuke very much. The teasing
conversation continues (mostly Kisaki complaining about being in the same space
as the “weirdo”), and Cheshire gets stuck on her back and is too fat to roll
over. Eisuke finally tells Rion that he should rest. Rion asks the MC if she
wants to see the suite. She is hesitant at first, but goes along anyway. Eisuke
says something ambiguous about the MC staying separately, and she turns bright
red.
The MC flits around the suite,
impressed by its lavish interior. After admiring all of the spaces, she returns
to the living room, but Rion is not there. He returns shorting thereafter, just
having gotten out of the shower. He says he says he took one because he still
smelled of smoke and suggests she take a bath. She is cleaning herself when she
stops to think about what Eisuke said before about staying separately (in separate beds?). She
realizes that he meant to stay the night, and her heart pounds at the thought. She
is a little nervous when she leaves the bathroom. She can’t find Rion again but goes to check the bedroom where he appears to be asleep. She quietly sits
on the edge of the bed and gazes at him, admiring his fine features. She is a
little disappointed that he’s asleep but also a little relieved (hearkening back
to Eisuke’s words). She whispers “Good night, Rion” and starts to leave to go
back to the dormitory, but she is suddenly pulled into Rion’s arms. She tells
him that he was sneaky in pretending to be asleep. He says that she kept him
waiting long enough. The MC realizes that he is only wearing a single shirt, and
she can very easily feel his warmth through it. He kisses her hair and tells
her that he doesn’t need blankets because she’s warm enough for him. She is
quiet and he asks if something’s wrong because she was chatty only a little while
ago. She says it’s his fault. He responds, “Why blame me? I’m only hugging you.”
She buries her face in his neck and wraps her arms around his back. He chuckles
and says her hands are also warm. She wonders why she is not pulling away (like in the elevator); she realizes that she wants to be there. Rion tells her goodnight and kisses her forehead. He almost
immediately falls asleep. She is incredibly happy, but she forgets that there
is still a major problem...
The next morning, Rion wants to
tour the hotel. In the lobby, they find Al. Al is quieter this time and
apologizes to Rion. Al looks at his watch, and Rion sighs gently, commenting
that Al still can’t drop that habit. He comments that Al was more laidback as a
child, but his grandmother has rubbed off on him. The MC realizes that it was
not just Rion who had a difficult upbringing. Rion wraps his hand over Al’s
watch and apologizes to Al for running away. They reconcile. Rion then wants to
introduce the MC to Al properly. He introduces her as his lover. Al wants to know
what he should report back his grandmother. Rion says thank you, but it is not
necessary for him to tell her anything. Al is surprised. Rion tells him that he
wants to live with the MC, so he will go to see his grandmother personally. He
smiles as he declares that he will return to the UK.
My
commentary:
This was a super sweet chapter!
They are so innocent and adorable! This is definitely one of those chapters
where you need a little knowledge of the Japanese language and culture to
really appreciate the conversation. I died laughing when Rion used called Kisaki
“Kisaki-kun”. Atta boy! Get those
jabs in! Kisaki deserves it more than anyone else anyway. I know that it’s for
the MC’s sake, but I was still kind of sad that he decided to go back to the
UK. But I assume it’s to convince his grandmother to accept him and/or the MC,
so I guess it’s for the best!
Songs to
listen to while reading this chapter:
“Black Balloon”
by Goo Goo Dolls
“Stay the
Night” by Zedd
“If My Heart
was a House” by Owl City
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