SIRO-1263 Amateur Personal Filming, Submission. 248

About this work

She likes watching fish. She also likes watching jellyfish. That's why she goes to the aquarium by herself. I met her — a girl with a slightly lonely look — at a certain aquarium. Watching the fish and shyly taking selfies alone, she caught my eye. Going to karaoke alone or to the movies alone may not be unusual these days, but I'd never seen a girl alone at an aquarium before, so I was honestly a little surprised. I was there with a few friends, and finding a chance I approached her and started talking. She was a little guarded, but she listened and we exchanged numbers. We parted ways that day and I returned to my friends as if nothing had happened. I contacted her that same day and we arranged to meet. At first she was too embarrassed to meet my eyes. She began to meet my eyes on our fifth date. She held my hand on the tenth date. She was slow to open up, and I was even more so. When things started to feel right I would freeze up with nerves and be unable to move. Even after half a year nothing changed. Maybe she grew tired of it...? Gradually I couldn't reach her, and when I passed her on the street there was an unfamiliar man beside her. She and that man cheerfully linked arms and, even though it was still daytime, disappeared into the hotel district of Kabukicho. I imagined that by now lewd moans were echoing through that hotel... With that thought I went back to work. I felt a deep, aching sadness.