My Japanese Childhood Friend Is Too Flirty

Side Story 5: A Night of Counting Stars (3)

We’d gazed at the holographic constellations, so now it was time to behold the real thing, no? Escaping the planetarium, I took Aki with me into the elevator. Our destination, needless to say, was the auxiliary observatory on the 5th floor.

It was evening, and nearly deserted save for us, so the ride took less than thirty seconds. I glanced around briefly before spotting a sign that read: [Outdoor Observation -＞＞]. Aki and I walked together in the direction of the arrow. Before long, we arrived at the auxiliary observatory.

“Is this it? Aki, is this the right place?”

“Umm. I think so…?”

“Oh, there are telescopes. It is. It definitely is.”

As expected, there were several telescopes. The long, slender telescopes I’d only ever seen as materials for class. Seeing them in person for the first time, I was filled with equal parts awe and wonder as I approached. They were all angled slightly, pointing towards the heavens.

But was it alright to touch these things willy-nilly? If I knew anything about telescopes, I’d give it a go, but I was a complete novice, so I couldn’t act rashly.

I paused for a moment, carefully gauging the situation. Then, Aki, standing next to me, giggled and stepped forward.

“Husband. Do you know how to operate a telescope?”

“Well, I know… a little.”

“Really? You really know?”

“……”

“Hehe… Come here. I’ll teach you.”

Aki beckoned me closer. I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly and approached. If I’d known something like this would happen, I would have learned how to use a telescope beforehand.

“Alright, see this small hole here? This is the eyepiece. And above it is the finder scope.”

“Finder scope?”

“In Korean, we call it bojo mangwongyeong, but for constellation observation, aligning the finder scope is super important. The main telescope has too much magnification, making it difficult to find the stars you want.”

“So, in simple terms, this finder scope is like an auxiliary device, something like that?”

“Yup, yup. Right? A kind of auxiliary device.”

“I see. But Aki, how do you know all this?”

Had she maybe studied up beforehand before coming here? I stared at Aki’s profile, wondering idly. But her response was a little unexpected.

“I learned it from Papa. When I was little, my hobby was stargazing with a telescope.”

“Oh… really?”

“Yeah, really.”

“…What? How did I not know this?”

Her hobby when she was little was stargazing. I’d never heard her say anything like that before. Had I perhaps heard it and then forgotten? I pondered it briefly in my mind.

In the meantime, Aki, with quite practiced hands, fiddled with the telescope and removed the lens cover from the front.

“I need to check if the finder scope is aligned… Hmm, how should I check? Do they open the outside windows when it’s time? Excuse me. How do you do observations here?”

“Ah, um…. …Wait, you speak Korean?”

“Yes. I’ve lived in Korea for a long time. You can explain in Korean.”

“Aha~ I see. Just wait a little bit. This is a mobile platform, so we’ll be going outside soon.”

“Wow. Really? The whole thing goes outside?”

“Not the whole thing, just a part. From the entrance to that far end over there.”

“Ah, I see…!”

After a moment of reflection, I concluded that I hadn’t forgotten. Meaning, this was the first time I’d learned that Aki liked stargazing.

It’s been well over ten years since I’ve known Aki, and there’s still so much I don’t know. Especially now that we live together in the same house. I should try harder. I resolved, subtly inching closer.

“So you like stargazing. If you had told me, we could have gone stargazing together sometime.”

“Heh. You sure we wouldn’t end up looking at something else?”

“…….”

Aki’s gaze was knowing. Could that be…a s*x joke?

Just as I was taken aback by Aki’s increasingly spicy jokes, I felt a slight jolt beneath my feet, and then we slowly began to move forward. Just as the staff member had said, the platform we were standing on was detaching and moving outside. The speed wasn’t too fast. Probably for safety.

“Are you familiar with how to use the telescope? Shall I explain it to you?”

“Ah, no. It’s alright. I know how.”

“Aha, I understand. If you have any questions, feel free to ask anytime!”

“Okay. Um, let’s see. Ah, the finder scope isn’t aligned. So, like this, like this….”

“Aki, how do you align the finder scope?”

“Honey, just shush for a sec…!”

Aki, fiddling with the screws on the finder scope, said without even looking at me. My heart twinged, and I quickly stepped back. I shouldn’t disturb her concentration.

“Umm, um….”

“…….”

“……Ah, done! Honey, come here!”

“You’re already finished?”

“Uh-huh. I roughly adjusted it. Not perfectly, but for February, this much should be enough to see well. Wanna take a look?”

“Really? Let’s see….”

I looked up at the sky through the eyepiece.

And then, unbelievably, glittering stars that were absolutely invisible to the naked eye filled my vision. I had only expected to see a few, maybe, and was startled and shuddered. I had heard that modern telescopes were good, but I never imagined they’d be this good.

“How is it? Amazing, right?”

“Wow…. It’s really amazing…?”

“If you’ve confirmed you can see it, could you step out for a moment? I’ll show you the constellations, alright?”

“Ah, alright. Should I?”

“Thanks~ Let’s see, let’s see… Where is Orion…? Ah, found it!”

“What. That fast?”

“Yeah. Orion is really bright, so it’s easy to find. I adjusted the position and zoomed in, so take a look!”

“Really? Where… Oh, there’s something bright. Is that it, then?”

It was so different from the constellation diagrams I’d seen in the planetarium, but I could vaguely make out the shape the unusually bright stars were forming in the night sky.

Still, knowing something was better than nothing; after a brief explanation, I could make out an arm and a leg. That one at the end was Rigel, and the one on the left side of the torso was Betelgeuse, or so I seemed to recall.

“Ah, it’s too good to watch alone. Can’t we see it together? It really feels like such a waste to only watch it alone…”

“Hehe. No, it’s alright. You look at it all you want, Darling. I’ve seen it plenty since I was little, so it’s fine if I don’t.”

“Even so, I feel bad. I feel…bad…”

Had I been captivated by seeing constellations in the night sky for the first time in my life? My mouth was saying sorry, but my eyes kept following the stars of Orion. I was so engrossed that I didn’t even notice the subtle sense of pride woven into Aki’s voice as she occasionally spoke to me from beside.

“…Mmm. It’s nice. Really pretty.”

“Don’t you want to look more?”

“It’s okay. I’ve seen enough for now… Now you should take a look, Aki.”

“Heh. Should I?”

I naturally switched places with Aki. I took a step back, and Aki, in my stead, put her eye to the eyepiece and began observing Orion.

Contrary to her words that she had seen it plenty since she was little and didn’t need to look, a small smile gradually spread across Aki’s face as she began her observation. Like a child thrilled to be seeing the night sky for the first time,

“Wow. It’s pretty…”

“Pretty, right? Really pretty, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s pretty. I knew Orion was best observed in February…?”

“Why? Is it clearest in February?”

“Yeah. Orion is clearest in February. There are other constellations that are clearest in February too, but they’re not quite as good as Orion, which is mostly made up of first and second magnitude stars… Ah, now that we’re talking about it, should I show you some other constellations? Darling, is there any constellation you want to see?”

Aki asked me without taking her eyes from the telescope.

…Perhaps it was because of that, but a mischievous impulse bloomed in my heart for a moment.

“What constellations are easy to see in February?”

I asked, concealing my intentions and leaning in close. Aki, observing the constellations through the eyepiece, hadn’t yet noticed that I had come closer.

“Hmm, there are a lot, right? First there’s Gemini and Taurus, Lepus, and Canis Minor, Canis Major, and also…”

Even when I casually placed my hand on her waist, there was no reaction. I could tell that Aki was engrossed in explaining the constellations, if nothing else.

I glanced at the staff member behind us, then subtly spread the lapels of the beige long coat I was wearing, shielding Aki’s body.

And then, lowering my hand from my waist…

*Sseueuk,* playfully, I stroked Aki’s backside.

“You can barely see it, but right over there is Cancer the crab… …Ah?!”

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“Ah, no, it’s just, something just touched my bottom… Ah.”

“…Heh.”

“……”

*Jiiiiii.*

Aki glares at me silently.

The weather’s cold, being February, so her face is slightly flushed. It seems like I’ve already been caught out, but I play dumb and continue the conversation as if nothing happened.

“What about Cancer?”

“…Cancer is there, I said.”

“Hmm. Where is Cancer located?”

“Between Gemini and Leo… Ah, again…?!”

Hmm. This time I touched her a little too obviously. Wearing jeans made Aki’s plump rear even more pronounced, and the feel of it was so nice that I couldn’t help myself.

I removed my hand, indicating that I wouldn’t touch her again, and laughed. But Aki, already riled up by the two instances of skinship, turned her right hand that was touching the long telescope and grabbed my belt.

“Stop playing strange jokes outside…?”

“Sorry. Aki’s b*tt is just so luscious. Will you forgive me?”

“You think I’ll forgive you if you say it like that? Pervert!”

Aki, quietly shouting, grabs my belt and tries to pull it open. Seems like the apology backfired. Well, there’s no helping it then. I have no choice but to use the direct approach.

“Aki.”

“What, you idiot…”

“I love you.”

“……!”

“Doesn’t Aki love me?”

“Huh? Ah, ahh. Th-that’s… .”

“Mm?”

“Ah, uh. I, I do love you, b-but…”

*Sseueuk-.*

“……Eek?! Again, again?!”

“Heh…”

“Ugh, seriously…! Get over here…!”