stop her, but his face was distorted in terror and cold sweat. If you want to meet your maker today, then just keep going like that. “…?!” Big Sis looked at my left hand, wrapped in a bandage, showing an expression of unbridled rage and fury. It was entirely unbefitting of a student council member. She lowered her fist and then glared at the geezer behind her. “Didn’t I tell you that nothing good will come from letting her run free? And some long-lived old geezer couldn’t handle that?” “Well…I had hoped that the young lady would be able to overcome this…” “And this is the result, huh?” “Quite…” Met with Big Sis’s barrage of complaints, the geezer struggled to come up with a rebuttal. From the sounds of it, they knew about each other before today. Understandably so, looking at Big Sis’s attitude towards a man who lived several times her age. But, she’s still too violent, and I can’t keep watching in silence. “I’m surprised you knew I was here.” I chose to change the topic to avoid the situation getting worse, and Yuuki-senpai joined my plan as he spoke up. “I sent you off roughly an hour ago. Yet, you didn’t come back, and nor did the person who asked to meet the student council. I thought something was off, so we headed to the office, finding the remains of what looked like a fight and traces of blood. Looking into it, the person who called us was an employee from the school, tasked by Marika. As
we looked for your location, Onitsuka approached Kaede. That’s how we figured out you were here.” “Kaede was absolutely beside herself, you know!” “R-Right…” I completely forgot we left the student council office in that state. It must have looked like a murder scene. I could practically see their faces when they stumbled upon it. “And the security cameras recorded what happened there, so Kai filled us in. There is no further explanation needed.” “Ah…” “We’re taking Wataru with us.” “H-However, we should explain this to your parents…” “No need. You don’t need to do a thing. Just don’t ever get close to him again,” Big Sis said. “…” I reached out my hand to stop this whole argument but was at a loss for what to even say. If this was just her venting her anger, it would be one thing, but I don’t think a single thing as to what is even going on behind the scenes, so I can’t just carelessly speak up. And if this is her third warning, she very much is entitled to her anger. “Marika.” As I was not sure what to do, Yuuki-senpai called out to my lady. “Didn’t I tell you before? I have no intention of being tied down by the decisions my family made. I avoided stating it directly, but that includes the relationship we have.”
“Ah…” “As the person who will inherit the family, I am aware of my own position. That is why I already informed the Shinonome Family that no demerit will befall you despite us not getting married. Because I firmly believe these old-fashioned traditions should not be the deciding factor to keep our families connected.” “I-I just wanted to…” “That’s all I’m going to say today. But I will ask you to understand my feelings.” “…!” This engagement was forced onto them by their families. And to my lady, this was a responsibility she sought to fulfill, but to Yuuki-senpai, it turned into shackles to tie him down. The one with the most common sense in this case is definitely Yuuki-senpai. Having your parents decide your future to such an extent is utterly ridiculous. But with his looks…you’d admire him either way. “…That’s all.” Leaving these words behind, Yuuki-senpai left the room. I think he was still trying to be nice…But it didn’t work. Then again, he’s in the right. As a fellow monster who wouldn’t give up no matter how many times I was rejected, I can tell that it needs this much…Oh man, I might just start crying before my lady does. “Let’s go.” “R-Right…” Big Sis urged me to get up by moving her chin. Yuuki-senpai’s words and declaration must have helped her cool her head, as she seemed a
lot more relaxed compared to before. Going against her will during this situation is definitely going to backfire, so I’ll tag along. “…Ah.” I forgot, my lady is still carrying my bag. Dear god who is watching me right now…Why must you hurt me so? What did I do to deserve such punishment? “Hey…my lady.” “I…I’m not crying…!” “Erm…” “I’m not crying…!” She tightly embraced my bag, her long and blonde hair covering her face. That being said, judging from her quivering voice, it didn’t take Sherlock himself to figure out how she must have felt. And those words of pretense and acting strong only fueled the responsibility I carried. “…Tears don’t even look good on you, after all.” She may have wished to end her life prematurely, yet she still stands in front of me right now. And if this was her first step to getting up again, then I couldn’t block off that path with those earlier words I threw at her without much thought. I had no trouble taking the bag from her now. Unable to bear this sadness, struggling with her own feelings, she must have an utterly botched facial expression right now. Not cold tears of resignation, but those burning hot with a fiery passion. I didn’t want her to think it was all pointless. Because regret is always part of a love that didn’t bloom, but this regret allows people to work on themselves and then…truly shine. I’m sure that the next time we meet, she will be much more beautiful than before. *
“That’s…” We passed through the parking lot and the traffic circle. I spotted a long and white car, completely different from the one I came here with. Now this one looks like a rich person’s car. And I’m going to ride on that now? “La la la~” “Ugh…” As I was rushing after Big Sis and Yuuki-senpai, a strong stare entered my view from time to time. From the right to the front of the back to the left, I was being observed from all possible directions. “Is there…something on my face?” “Hehe, Kaede’s younger bro~!” “No, um…” Like you would test the fabric of a certain cloth, Onitsuka-senpai bluntly placed her upper arm on my right shoulder. She’s been practically showering me with attention ever since she found out I was related to Big Sis. Maybe…maybe she’s fallen for me…?! I glanced at Big Sis, whose eyes were wide open as she looked at us. “Tamao, you…” “Yep, seems like everything’s fine.” “Even so, not now.” “But you kept him a secret from me all this time!” “Ah, hey!”
My dear senior suddenly clung to me from the side, and with her body weight pressing onto me, I could clearly pick up what was unmistakable: her meaty softness. The only regret I have is that it’s not as direct as I wished because of the sweater she was wearing. I wish this happened during summer… “Ouchies~” I indulged in her gal-ish scent completely different from Big Sis, as a sharp chop slammed down on her head. That hurt, dang it. The impact reached all the way to my left hand…Moving away from me, Onitsukasenpai rubbed her head in pain. The way she acted didn’t make her look like someone older than me, but that black hair helped the most in keeping up her image as an examinee. “She’s once again…” “I guess gals just don’t have a sense of distance like an average person does.” “I don’t think that’s entirely true for Onitsuka.” “…?” “Anyway, about what happened this time…” Yuuki-senpai’s response sounded off to me, but before I could ask another thing, he turned his whole body toward me. With how close we were, I was forced to even directly look up at him. This height difference…perfect for a kiss… “I’m sorry. I did not expect things to escalate like this.” His sudden apology threw me off. He may not have lowered his head, but he most definitely looked down at the ground. Unlike his usual indifferent tone and manner of speaking, his voice depicted clear regret at what happened this time around. The student council
president I knew was always reliable and cunning…But is that just acting, or is that his true self? I didn’t have the eye to see through that. “…” Looking away from Onitsuka-senpai, Big Sis stared at the ground below, an expression like she was biting on an insect, but she didn’t say a word. But I know her. She immediately says what she thinks, so if she believed Yuuki-senpai to be at fault, she would give him an earful immediately. The reason she wasn’t doing so meant there was something else below the scenes. Just as I thought. “Still…’Just don’t ever get close to him again,’ huh? Will that really work out, I wonder.” Big Sis heard my words and looked at me. I answered her gaze, as well as her eyes shaking in uncertainty, with unwavering determination, just like that one time on the rooftop. “…What do you mean?” Since my words must have sounded condescending in a way, even Yuuki-senpai gave me a dubious look with a puzzled expression. Did he think I would just let that slide and not comment on it? But in the same way that I don’t really know him, he probably can’t anticipate what I’m about to say. “I’ve heard rumors of Big Sis since the day I enrolled. Seems to be quite an influential figure, too. But the more influence you have, the easier it is to lose control. You mentioned that leaving things alone won’t bring any good…But is that really something you should be saying?” “H-Hold on. This incident with Marika rests on my shoulders. Kaede was just the outlet for her frustration. She has no responsibility in—” “Is it just my lady, I wonder?”
“…What?” “Is my fair lady the only one…holding a grudge against you, Big Sis?” “…” Sure, that incident today was a special case. This tragedy was caused because Yuuki-senpai and my lady were supposed to be engaged. Of course, she directed her grudge at Big Sis directly, but even someone as influential as Yuuki-senpai had no idea. Strictly speaking, the blame falls on him this time around. However, I doubt it was just Yuuki-senpai’s standing in this situation that led my lady into such a violent act. “I found out quickly after enrolling that something happened at Kouetsu High in the past. I don’t know the details of what exactly was going on back then, but the work of the current student council allowed things to be taken under control. A few years ago, Big Sis was a yankee. One hell of a yankee, too. I highly doubt that my lady is the only one who has a problem with her.” “That’s…” Big Sis seemed to be aware of this fact, as she dropped her gaze. Whatever the reason may be, Big Sis had almost been harmed this time around. If any of the choices taken in this event had been slightly different, then I wouldn’t have ended up with a hole in my hand, but Big Sis with a hole in her cranium thanks to the scissors. No way she could just pull the power card and let that slide. “This happens because you’re weak…Weaklings can’t fight…You need strength to fight…You said that all the time a few years ago. Do you still plan on brandishing that power to make more and more enemies down the line?” “Wait, what are you even…”
“Our old man threw away his position to protect his family. As a result, he managed to protect what he wanted , just as planned. Thanks to that, we are here right now.” “…!” When I brought up our father, Big Sis’s face shot up, her expression distorted. She surely didn’t resent him, but bringing up the existence she saw as a bad example surely won’t allow her to remain silent. “Do you still think he was wrong for what he did?” “That’s…!” Big Sis formed a fist, gritting her teeth as she hesitated to respond. Even now, it sure feels like she might grow rampant any moment, but I’m used to it. Looking at her face tells me she’s not willing to accept my words. However, giving in to her emotions and letting violence do the talking is not something she seems to be close to doing. Maybe because what she wants to protect…includes me. “But, Kaede isn’t wrong~” “Wah, Tamao…!” At that moment, Onitsuka-senpai leaped at Big Sis. That twisted expression quickly disappeared from her face, leaving her more bewildered than anything. At the same time, I was also not entirely sure how to react to Onitsuka-senpai’s sudden appearance. “If not for Kaede, I wouldn’t even be here! The school wouldn’t be the way it is like right now, either. Kaede’s super amazing, y’know!” “Erm…” “Plus, people may have a problem with Kaede, but we’re gonna handle that. Isn’t that right, student council president?”
“…Yes, absolutely.” “…” With Onitsuka-senpai pressing her cheek against her, Big Sis tried her hardest to peel her off. Even with her ridiculous strength, she couldn’t fight off the adhesiveness of her gal friend. And the dear student council president looked at this with a jealous glance. “My legs are tired! Let’s go!” “Yeah, yeah! Just let go of me!” “Okemaru!” “…” Onitsuka-senpai forcefully dragged Big Sis along. I’ve never seen something like this before…Big Sis just being treated like a giant doll… And considering she’s a gal kind to a loser like me, she’s not just anybody, huh? “…Are you satisfied with this?” Yuuki-senpai asked. “Guess so. Then again, not even I know what’s right or wrong here.” “…Is that so?” Plus, I’m not living my life constantly mindful of profound problems like this. I have but a single heart, so I’m just trying not to carry any unnecessary burden or responsibility. Leaving aside if that is something accomplishable or not. “Anyway, I think it’s time I get inside the car to…” “What happened back then?” “…What?”
I wanted to take him up on the offer of driving me home, but Yuukisenpai continued with a deep voice. “I previously looked into Kaede’s past. A drive and ability to take action outside the scope of an ordinary person, the courage to be undaunted by violence…I found it hard to believe that any regular past would give birth to such a woman. And that’s how I also found out that she has a younger brother—You.” “Yikes…” I couldn’t hide my discontent and disgust. That does not sound like the evaluation you would have toward the woman you’ve fallen for. And I personally don’t know what reaction would be accurate when being told my older sister is like a monster. But it makes sense that he’d look into all that. “However, whenever I interact with you or Kaede, there tends to be some information popping up that I am unaware of. And it would be something easy to dig up if it’s related to your family. But, I never found out anything regarding Kaede and her relationship with your father.” “Well…it definitely isn’t normal, let’s just say that.” How does he even find information about some random person’s family? Any episodes that aren’t strictly written down on documents would be pretty hard to look into, right? And he’s acting like it’s the most normal thing in the world…though I don’t know how much of that is true. “There’s no actual discord between our old man and Big Sis. They simply have different views on some things.” “Is…that so…” There was a time when Big Sis harshly reproached Dad. But at the same time, his decision meant he could protect his family, and she
accepted that. They can talk normally just fine, too. “Anyway, let’s go.” “…Yeah.” Yuuki-senpai looked ahead, giving Big Sis a complicated gaze as she was being played like a fiddle by Onitsuka-senpai. I always thought he was just blindly in love, but maybe that’s not all there is to it. Still… looking into it, nothing came up…huh? When I was still a small child, barely having acquired awareness, I was always following after Big Sis, copying her. If that had continued up to today, then maybe we would have grown up to become a regular pair of siblings who’d be annoyed at each other and still lived in the same home to grow up together. But now…that’s not the sort of relationship we share. Big Sis might say that it’s not the case, but I can feel a definitive rift between us. There once was a man who wrongly separated himself from others. Thinking back on it now, he must have been the target of Big Sis’s admiration…and possibly even her first love. Ever since then, Big Sis began seeing weakness as evil and worked to obtain her current strength. Ever since then, I began avoiding trouble as our father has— Ever since then, Big Sis and I could never see eye to eye ever again.
Chapter 7 Unforeseen News “Yup…Yup…Good.” Standing at the school gate, Natsukawa Aika smiled, as the chilly fall breeze tickled her sweaty cheeks. She placed her pen inside the binder she carried in her hands, finishing another work checklist. Narrowing her eyes in relief at having accomplished another duty, she placed her side hair over her ear. Around an hour and a half had passed since the closing ceremony finished. When it came to cleaning up everything, the executive committee was tasked with giving orders and directions. It was to ensure that all objects and other necessities used for the festival would return to their original location. Aika spotted trash with colorful tape nearby, picked it up and placed it into a nearby trash bag another student carried. Soon enough, the work of the committee would come to an end, too. With that thought in mind, she looked around once again, when a shadow appeared behind her. “…H-Hey!” “?” A boy’s husky voice reached her ears, probably not quite having made it into puberty yet. Just like the other students around Aika, she turned toward the source of the voice. A young boy stood next to the gate, wearing a white hoodie with oversized cargo pants, his hair styled up with presumably hair gel. His clothes acted as a strong contrast to his faintly tanned skin. And unless Aika was imagining things, he was looking directly at her.
“I’m sorry, but outsiders aren’t prohibited on—” “L-Last time!” “Huh?” “Wh-When you showed us around school, I just couldn’t get you out of my head! I’ve been thinking about you all this time! If I get accepted at Kouetsu High…then please go out with me!” Out of nowhere came a passionate confession. The surroundings grew noisy, as Aika stood frozen stiff because it took her by surprise. The first thing that popped up in her mind was the day during last summer break when she was tasked with showing around the middle school students. She remembered that one of the boys there could be a bit rebellious at times. “What’s this? A confession?” “From a middle school kiddo, no less?” “Holy smokes…” “…Ah…!” Mumbling from all around pulled Aika back from her thoughts, as a wave of embarrassment filled her, and she realized that her head was beginning to boil. She had to say something, so she turned toward the boy again—However, a large shadow appeared from Aika’s side, so she stopped before taking a single step. “Hey now, think about the place and time, kiddo.” “Huh?!” Then, another student, wearing a black t-shirt, arrived and wrapped his arm around the boy’s shoulder. It was one of the seniors who were busy carrying the bigger props earlier. He was accompanied by two
other students, who all worked to drag the young boy outside the school gate. “Wha?! Hey…?!” “I gotta commend your guts, though.” “But you shouldn’t go around causing trouble.” The middle school student tried to protest, but he couldn’t beat several high school students. After they moved further away, the surroundings turned quiet again. Aika grew worried they might have been too aggressive. “Yo. You okay, first-year?” “Ah…Y-Yes!” Everything was resolved without Aika realizing it. The students in black t-shirts returned from the school gate, managing to have the middle school student go home quietly. Some students around went back to work, whereas some other girls seemed disappointed that nothing else happened. “Well, why not agree once he actually gets accepted here?” “Um…Haha.” One of the female seniors nearby said it like it wasn’t anybody’s problem. And she was absolutely right, but saying it so bluntly…Aika couldn’t completely accept it. She just smiled amicably and responded, before returning to her work. Although the only work left was to gather up the other necessities, while her focus had drastically lessened, Aika followed after the mass of people. In her head, the previous confession repeated over and over, having left a definitive impression. But, it wasn’t the impact of having met the unknown that stuck with her. It gave her a sense of nostalgia. The voice that replayed in her head
slowly began changing into one belonging to another boy…but Aika did not even realize this. * The meeting room of the cultural festival executive committee was packed with people, and Aika happened to be a bit late because of her work, so she quickly rushed to her seat. To her left sat a boy from her class, Sasaki, and in the back she could also see her senior Inoue. Coming closer, that senior spoke up. “I heard some guy confessed to you?” “Eeep?!” These words, coming from Inoue’s mouth that formed a devilish grin, made Aika let out a flustered shriek. She quickly covered her mouth but was still momentarily showered with more attention from the people around her. Seeing Aika this flustered, Inoue voiced her joy. “Gah, you’re so cute!” “Ah, ugh…” She moved her arm past Sasaki and slapped Aika on the back. Not being too experienced with this sort of teasing, Aika blushed only further. “Hey, Senpai…You’re hitting me…!” “Yuck, gross.” As a result of all this, Sasaki could feel the girl’s chest directly hitting his back, despite her supposedly having a boyfriend. No matter how much of a player he was, he was still shaken by that. However, a saving grace arrived for the poor lad who had just found himself a girlfriend —
“Okay everyone, good work. We’ll be holding a small party during lunch break in the coming few days, so we hope to see you there.” “Okaaaay!” With this final speech, this cultural festival filled with lots of drama finally ended. Out of all the members, the one who went through the most change during that time was the committee president Hasegawa. She changed her hair into a more docile shortcut look, switching from glasses to contact lenses, solidifying her sophisticated look. You’d think she went through a broken heart with this big of a change. But thanks to that, she sounded a lot more composed during these final words. “All right! Time to get back!” “Saitou-san’s waiting after all.” “R-Right!” Thanks to the tension inhabiting this final meeting, Aika managed to regain her composure. Picking up that Sasaki was oddly itching to get back to their classroom, Aika commented while keeping the current situation in mind. Girls always grow interested in love affairs, and she was no different. And the attention she directed at Sasaki had grown quite a lot compared to before he began dating the Yamato Nadeshiko who was currently waiting for him in the classroom. I see… Walking not next to Sasaki but a few steps behind him, Aika gazed at his back while she realized that these types of stories had grown in number lately. Compared to middle school, the human relationships around her were ever-evolving, making the passage of time even more apparent. What…do I do… now?
She remembered that impactful incident with the young boy’s confession earlier, as she opened the lid inside of her heart to peek inside. Pale feelings were in turmoil deep inside of her. It was probably something that had festered only recently. This odd lump of liquid returned a strong stimulus each time Aika tried to caress its surface. If she tried to figure out its consistency, it sent waves through her, almost urging her to scream. It resembled an energy that left her completely restless. That’s why she couldn’t afford to carelessly come in contact with it. The boy walking in front of her, as well as his girlfriend…They both must be feeling the same way as Aika herself. Caressing it, touching it, the same stimulus would run through their bodies. It must have left them thinking, troubled. And now, with the existence she longed for by her side, that girl must be trying to touch this lump that was finally full. Of course, in the most ideal way. What…am I supposed to do with this? Realizing that she lacked something, Aika felt her heart’s hunger grow stronger. Ever since this began, she regretted what she had done in the past for the first time. And her instincts sadly didn’t help in letting her find a way to remove this feeling. She had known, but a human’s heart was as incomplete as could be. But in the end, it was up to the people themselves to use their own reason to keep themselves under control and erase this prank of the gods. Through that, they can finally grow up to become adults. And since Aika had never realized that people would need each other to become whole, she was immensely inexperienced. Amidst all this, she realized that this hunger and thirst made her extremely lonely. What should she do to not lose this taste still lingering in her? Using the special skill of a maiden’s heart, she opted to use the sample in front of her to find the answer for herself. “…Wah!”
“Whoops.” She heard two flustered voices and quickly raised her head. As they had turned the corner, Sasaki seemed to have bumped into a small girl. Luckily, neither of them ended up hurt. The girl carried her smartphone in both her hands, pressed against her chest like it was a charm. Seeing this earnest behavior, Aika narrowed her eyes. “Oh, Ichinose-san? What’s wrong?” Sasaki asked. Maybe she held the same feelings as Aika in her heart? Even in Aika’s eyes, the girl was as adorable as a cute animal. It awakened a desire to protect her even from someone of the same sex, making you want to care for her. However, if Aika hadn’t prioritized her good faith this one moment, she may not have been able to reach out her hand to Ichinose-san. Having a little sister, she was aware she had these caretaker tendencies, and yet she was feeling this way. “Are you okay, Ichinose-san?” “Y-Yes. I’m sorry…” Everybody knew that she was a very docile girl. She and Sasaki rarely talked, so it would probably be difficult for him to make any progress with a conversation. That’s why Aika took over, seeing Sasaki off as he hyped himself up and went back to the classroom. Good luck. “U-Um…Natsukawa-san?” “Yeah? What’s wrong?” With how docile and insecure her voice was, it was hardly possible to show any malice towards the girl. And Aika’s maternal desires grew stronger as she asked the girl. Her Onee-san gears were turning. “…Do you know where Sajou-kun is?”
“…Um…” And now, her consciousness was neutral. She didn’t even know why, but Aika knew she stood there with a frozen smile. She managed to get a grip and continued the conversation. From the looks of it, this girl was panicking a bit, tightly gripping her phone, as she looked for a boy by the name of Sajou. “…What’s that about Wataru?” “I just…couldn’t find him…And he’s not responding to me, either,” she said and looked at her phone screen, then around her. Witnessing that, Aika realized this mannerism wasn’t because of her shy personality, but rather because she was genuinely panicking. “Wasn’t he helping clean up the classroom?” “I-I didn’t see him…” “You didn’t…?” The classrooms weren’t incredibly spacious, so not being able to see him was close to impossible. And while Sajou Wataru greatly helped the cultural festival executive committee, he was not part of the final meeting earlier, either. That would mean… “He might either be at the student council office or with the public morals committee…?” “Huh…?” “His older sister is part of the student council. Did he ever tell you?” “…” The young girl showed an expression close to perplexion. She apparently didn’t know that the student council’s vice president was
related to Sajou Wataru. And for some reason, that made Aika feel a bit better. She realized that his position wasn’t all that normal, considering he was the younger brother of someone as amazing as Kaede. “And the public morals committee…” “…?” “What…exactly is the public morals committee?” The girl’s round almond eyes looked up at Aika. The president of the public morals committee, Shinomiya Rin, was as dignified and remarkable as her name suggested, being the target of the admiration of many girls here at this school. Aika’s best friend Ashida Kei was no exception to this, always watching the girl with a strong radiance in her eyes, smiling gleefully. For some reason, Wataru happened to be in contact with this president quite a lot, sometimes even eating lunch with them. Aika understood that this mostly stemmed from the fact that his older sister and Shinomiya Rin were good friends, but she even came to their classroom at times without any correlation to his sister, which even confused him. “I think that…he’ll be back soon enough, right?” “Mmm…” Either way, this pretty much made it obvious that Wataru’s sister was sending him around to do work again. Surely, he must be doing his work like always, while having this distant and uncaring gaze in his eyes. That’s the conclusion Aika reached. “Anyway, let’s go, Ichinose-san.” “Y-Yes…” With the executive committee having disbanded, they only had to go home. The girl still seemed worried as she stared at her phone, so
Aika gave her a warm smile. Staying away from the classroom for too long would only make them stand out more, after all. * “…” The school had returned to the regular procedure, as the students inside the classroom were indulging in various conversations. Aika sat on her seat the furthest in the back, next to the window, staring at the empty seat in front of her. It was Sajou Wataru’s seat, yet the boy himself was nowhere to be found. Since the chair was still placed on the desk, Aika put it down and placed her belongings on the hook. “Curse you, Sajocchi…! Skipping your work to help us clean up…!” “Oh, Kei.” There, Aika’s best friend trotted her way with a sour expression. She wore her blazer on top of her yellow hoodie, putting both hands behind her head as she pouted. Aika responded by calling her name, as she sat down on Wataru’s seat. “No clue where he got summoned off to, but even skipping classes is a bit much, nah?” “That…is true.” “He’s not responding to my messages, either. I bet he’s hitting on some random woman.” “He wouldn’t be…” Aika tried to deny this harsh accusation Kei threw around, but she showed no signs of calming down. “Starting with a tsundere classmate, followed by an older Onee-san, a mascot, a younger Onee-san, and even Sasakichi’s brocon sister!
What’s next, a gal?” “What line-up is that even? You’re adding his older sister and—Wait, who’s a tsundere?!” “Tehehe, sowie!” “I swear…” Aika cooled her head after this outburst and then realized something. Not only did the so-called mascot not reach Wataru, but even Kei also didn’t get any response. Curious, Aika went to confirm this. “Did you try to get in touch with him?” “Several times. What about you, Aichi?” “I’ll text him right now…” “You really don’t get it. I’ll just chat him up in the group chat!” Aika grabbed her smartphone and opened up her chat with Wataru. The final conversation they had was during the night of the first day of the festival. After they went on their way home, they discussed walking around the festival together. And although it was a bit too early to sleep, they each said “Good night.” For a brief moment, Aika found herself smiling, but she quickly got a grip and ran her fingers across the screen. ‘Where are you right now? We’re going to disband soon.’ The message went out…five seconds passed…but wasn’t read. Staring at the screen for a moment, Kei’s message appeared in their class’ group chat. ‘Key, skipper Sajocchi. You’re treating us later during the party.’
“Ah, the party…” “That’s right! To celebrate the success of the festival. But keep it a secret from Ootsuki-chan!” “You have no respect for our teacher…” ‘Only Sajou gets scored during the karaoke.’ ‘Key +3, too.’ Following Kei’s individual message, other classmates joined in, spewing their complaints. It seemed like the guilt for not having helped was larger than expected. And Kei’s initial message surely didn’t help. “…He’s not responding.” “What is he doing…” Checking the private chat, Wataru had yet to read the message. The same was the case for Kei. The two of them grew worried that he might have gotten in serious trouble this time around, so they looked at each other. “I’m…gonna call him.” “Yeah, good idea.” “Erm…” Since Aika had never initiated a call herself, she had to first search for the call button. After finding and pressing it, the screen changed and she placed her phone on her ear, waiting for Wataru to answer. Being nervous was one thing, but she also felt her heart racing faster because this was a first for her. “…Um.”
“He’s not answering after all?” “I’ll wait just a bit longer—” ‘Excuse meee!’ ““?!”” Roughly ten seconds after Aika called Wataru, a clear voice could be heard from outside the classroom. It had been so loud, the entire class turned toward the door, when a third-year student, judging from her necktie color, came running inside. ‘This is class C, right? Right?’ ‘Y-Yes?’ It was a senior with long black hair, styled in waves. From the tone of her voice and general demeanor, she did not look like the most serious of students. And with this sudden appearance, the students in the classroom began whispering to themselves. Naturally, Kei and Aika looked at each other. The candidate for Wataru’s next target didn’t care much for the attention however and just looked around. ‘Excuse me, but where is little bro…Where’s Sajou-kun’s seat?’ “Huh…?” “Wha…?” From this random person now appeared Wataru’s name, leaving both Aika and Ashida confused. The mysterious senior heard about Wataru’s seat and walked towards us. “Um…?” “Ah, it’s here.”
“Oh, you were just sitting on it.” “Yes…Ah, hey?!” “What are you…?!” Kei got up from Wataru’s desk, making space for the senior. She walked over and just grabbed Wataru’s bag without saying a thing, turning around to walk away. However, that was too abrupt, so Aika and Kei called her out on it. “What’s up? I’m in a rush, right now.” “W-Wait, why are you…” “He’s about to head off to the hospital. He won’t be coming back to school today.” “Wha…” “Like I said, I’m in a hurry! Thanks a bunch!” “Ah…!” Not giving the girls any time to ask questions, the mysterious senior rushed off. Unable to understand what was happening, Aika and Kei tried to reach for her arm but only met empty air. Learning about Wataru’s situation, their classmates whispered to each other. “Huh? Did that Sajou…collapse again?” One of the male students muttered. Soon enough, speculations filled the entire classroom. And since a senior came to stop by and grab Wataru’s belongings, it alluded to this whole ordeal being more serious than they initially assumed. Guesses ran wild, even about things that had nothing to do with Wataru. “…”
“…” Despite being told face-to-face, Aika and Kei had no idea what was even happening, just frozen stiff. Another girl, sitting on the opposite side of the classroom, was utterly pale and in a similar state. * Wataru was brought…to the hospital… With Aika constantly repeating these words to herself, she couldn’t particularly focus back on her conversation with Kei. Her entire body was rushing her to dash to his side this instant, but Kei held Aika’s hand and shook her head. Since the homeroom had arrived, they were unable to leave. Aika’s fingers nervously ran along her phone screen, as she wanted to text him, but not knowing the details, she wasn’t even sure how to bring it up. “…” “A-Aichi…Let’s just calm down, yeah?” Aika must have looked frantic and worried because Kei had to tell her to relax. Met with this, Aika looked down at the ground. “I get it. You’re worried.” “…Yeah…” After a brief exchange, Aika seemed like she had calmed down a bit. She had even sat at her own seat again, with Kei’s arms wrapped around her, like a scarf warming up her frozen heart. “It’s Sajocchi. He’ll be alright.” “…Yeah.”
Kei’s voice gently whispered into her ear. Realizing that she was taking things too far, Aika held onto her reasoning and nodded. She knew that accepting another person’s warmth was unplaced at this very moment, but he also couldn’t deny the comfortable feeling of her frozen-cold neck slowly warming up. And even so, as she stared down at her desk, the passage of time felt much slower than usual. * “Regarding Sajou-kun, it seems like he had to be brought to the hospital because of an injury. It is a shame that he couldn’t be here to end the cultural festival with all of us.” “An injury…” Finally, the homeroom arrived. Their homeroom teacher Ootsuki delivered the same truth they had already heard, which was the worstcase scenario for Aika. Now that the cat was out of the bag, nobody dared to make light of the situation. “Anyway, we need to discuss the plans for tomorrow.” After that was done, their homeroom teacher went along with their standard procedure to not allow the mood to dampen more than it already had. Playing along like a fiddle, the students quickly regained their composure, too. And then, the topic of conversation changed to Ootsuki grumbling about having to go out drinking with her middleaged colleagues, which allowed the students to smile again and forget about Wataru. As soon as homeroom ended, Kei and Sasaki approached Aika. And behind them was Saitou Mai, utterly bewildered. She probably didn’t know how to feel to see her new boyfriend running off to another girl right as homeroom started. However, Sasaki didn’t pay much attention to that and called out to Aika. “Natsukawa…What about the get-together?”
“Huh…?” Surely, this was Sasaki trying to be considerate. As he cared for Aika more than just as a friend not too long ago, he knew all too well that she wouldn’t be able to run around and have fun while someone close to her was hospitalized. And although she thought about it for a moment, her hesitation didn’t last long, as she was about to decline his offer, knowing she wouldn’t be able to have fun anyway. She opened her mouth to voice her feelings, but her best friend got the jump on her. “Aichi…Let’s go, yeah? Sitting around doing nothing will only make you more anxious.” “Kei…” “I do have to agree with Ashida…” Just as Kei stated, there was nothing they could do, so distracting herself would at least let her heart and mind rest. Sasaki definitely agreed with that. And listening to their reasoning, Aichi realized that her own ability to judge was severely dislocated. “You’re…right. I’m coming, too.” “Good! That makes me happy!” Her feelings of worry, the kindness interlinked with those, they might not always reach the person. To get her feelings across, she shouldn’t be rushing ahead. What she needed right now was to think of the exact words she could tell Wataru once she could get in contact with him again. Aika took a deep breath and then thought about it. … Ah, right. She had recovered some of her vitality and energy and looked over at Ichinose Mina, who must be as distraught as Aika because of how
close she was to Wataru. Even though homeroom had ended, she still stayed seated in the corner of the classroom, not moving at all. Huh…? She must be in a similar state to Aika. And she could understand that. However, something was off about her, still. She may be a docile girl who spends her time in solitude, but starting into the second term, she was always with someone else. Worried, Aika headed her way. “Ichinose-san…are you okay?” “Huh?! Ah, eh…” The second Aika placed her hand on Mina’s shoulder, she almost jumped out of her seat in shock. She quickly realized that it was Aika and regained her composure. “Homeroom ended already.” “Ah…” Just as Aika anticipated, the girl hadn’t even realized that she was freed from school for the day. Coming to the realization that she had been spacing out this whole time, Mina dropped her gaze in shame. Aika could easily tell how she must feel right now because she went through the exact same thing earlier. “Ichinose-san, are you coming with us to the get-together?” “…” If she felt the same way Aika did, then doing the exact same thing as Kei and Sasaki would be the best for everyone. Namely, to try and have Mina join their party. She considered even forcefully dragging her there if necessary. She knew that Mina had been asked to join this
party by her other classmates even before. She eventually looked up at Aika with quivering eyes— “I…I have a shift at work today!” “Ah…” With an unexpectedly swift move, Mina shot up and declined Aika’s invitation, much to her surprise. She then grabbed her bag and ran out of the classroom. Aika didn’t know what to say, nor did she make it in time to stop her. “Will she be okay…?” “You’re so kind, Aichi.” Seeing Aika this worried, Kei walked over with a gentle smile. But after being rejected by Mina, she could only blush furiously. * Under the guidance of class president Iihoshi, everyone headed to the designated karaoke box. It was a bit cramped to fit all of their classmates, but today being the final day of the cultural festival at Kouetsu, the entire karaoke place was booked to the brim with students and familiar uniforms, heading into various rooms. Sasaki got put under a headlock by a senior from his soccer club and dragged away, too. The inside of the room was bristling with music and excited voices, as even Aika couldn’t stop herself from smiling eventually. Naturally, she wasn’t the type of person to be influenced by her surroundings, so the most she did was hold her drink as she sat still on the sofa, but it was more than enough for her mental state to recover. In the midst of all of that, a mild and mellow song began playing. It was a famous song from a popular singer, and with this being the turn of the girl they had all been waiting for, the boys in the room cheered.
“Aichi! Let’s sing!” “Huh?! What?!” Kei placed Aika’s glass on the table and pulled on her arm. Unsure of what was even happening, she got dragged to the front of the class, holding a microphone. Then, Kei began singing. Once the A-melody ended, Aika joined in for the B-melody, albeit a bit belated. Her voice she had trained by singing lullabies for her precious sister gently caressed the boys’ ears, soothing their souls. That being said, she didn’t focus on the lyrics at all and only later realized that it was a love song, blushing furiously. “Phew…” The girls’ turns were continuing as Aika sunk into the sofa with a sigh of exhaustion despite not having exercised. But of course, Kei was with the other boys partying like there was no tomorrow. Aika was spacing out for a moment when she saw her phone screen lit up as it laid on the desk. And Aika wasn’t the exception. She picked up her phone, seeing that a new message arrived in the class’s group. ‘Sorry I couldn’t go. I messed up a bit.’ Seeing this brief message on her lock screen, the color of Aika’s eyes changed as she unlocked her phone. She wanted to respond, but her other classmates already got ahead of her. ‘We heard from Ootsuki-chan. You okay?’ ‘Good to hear from you. What was that about your injury?’ ‘Didn’t think you’d be here.’ “Ugh…”
Aika rarely touched her phone throughout the day. Sure enough, she couldn’t keep up with her classmates who would text 24/7. And while she was carefully choosing her words, more and more messages came in. Not to mention that other people already asked the questions she had. ‘I happened to stab my palm while I was busy cleaning up.’ “Ah…” Aika could hear gasps and groans from the people around her. They must have imagined the scenery that Wataru was describing. And Aika was no exception. She could see that one boy, holding his wrist as his face distorted in agony. A boy who fell to his knees, rubbing his cheek on the ground as he groaned. Then, he would be taken away by an ambulance…and this scene she envisioned was far too lively in her head. Unable to bear it, she pressed the phone against her chest. ‘For real?’ ‘That sounds painful!’ ‘I’m okay. I’m not gonna get hospitalized anyway.’ So he said, but Aika couldn’t trust those words. She couldn’t hear any voice from his message. She couldn’t read his expression as he wrote this. So how believable was this really? Aika shot up, as all the attention in the room gathered on her. She ran to the door, as several of her classmates read the mood, sinking deeper into the sofa.
Chapter 8 Fall Sky ‘Wanna see it? I can send it. Want me to send it?’ ‘Please don’t.’ ‘You better not.’ ‘Gross.’ The voices of consideration and worry eventually turned into slander, as I finished telling everyone that I was doing fine. Well, my character has always been messed up. The girls are still absolute queens at insulting me. I could feel the painkillers wearing off. Ouch, ouch, ouch… Following that, picture after picture of my classmates having fun at the party filled the chat. I’m glad they are enjoying themselves. I’m just relieved that my whole situation didn’t dampen their mood. But, I do feel a bit lonely…Can’t one of them at least send me a video? I just wanna bask in the atmosphere… “…Man…” Laying in my bed, the only thing I could hear was utter silence, unlike what was probably the case in those pictures. I rolled over and focused on my ears, but could only hear the distant sound of cars. To ensure I wouldn’t accidentally throw it over, I carefully placed my right hand on the bed next to me, holding the smartphone. Why did things have to turn out this way? “…Hm?”
Even though I still had the chat open, my phone began vibrating. It seemed like someone tried to call me. I raised my heavy arm to direct my eyes at the screen, where it showed the name— “Natsukabglegh?!” Spotting a name I didn’t expect, the shock made my grip loosen, as my smartphone fell out of my hand. It slammed right onto my nose, making me see stars for a moment. Oh, I see…Today, all my bad fortune is catching up with me. It all connected…The mastermind…was you all along! “N-Natsukawa…?!” Which of course wasn’t the case. Even back when I had only barely stopped chasing after her, she still asked Yamazaki about my address because she was worried about me. It’s the kindness I would expect from Natsukawa. I rubbed my nose to suppress the pain and raised my upper body, accepting the call. “H-Hello…ooo?!” I was about to place my phone against my ear, when to my surprise —Natsukawa’s wonderful face showed on my screen. Not expecting a video call right off the bat, I couldn’t control my voice. I quickly fixed my position, using my right arm as a selfie stick. On the screen, Natsukawa gave me a worried look. “…You doing okay?” ‘That’s my line!’ Breaking News: Natsukawa is angry. Clearly, I made a mistake there…But, I wouldn’t know what the right way was. Because even more than this, asking ‘What do you want?’ would have been even worse. I just don’t have the leisure to really pick and choose right now.
So when I was looking for the right words, I just realized I started laughing. “S-Sorry, did I worry you?” ‘You…You sure did! You didn’t come to the classroom, then some stranger of a senior came barging in to grab your stuff…and said you got taken to the hospital…’ “…” I knew I must have had a conflicted expression on my face. In the end, Natsukawa is still Natsukawa. Always kind, looking after others, and a genuinely cute girl. She’s so perfect, I’m starting to doubt the reality I find myself in. Maybe I’m just logged into a VRMMO with no escape. And yet…I forced such an ideal person through so much sadness. I didn’t know what to say. But that’s also why I knew I couldn’t tell her the truth about what really happened. ‘…Are you okay?’ She must have gotten a good look at me through my camera because her gaze wandered from top to bottom. I’m starting to feel really itchy now. Despite not even facing her in person, I was forced to look away. ‘Hey, show me properly.’ “Ah, okay…” Scared that she would get angry at me, I faced my phone again. Is this really the situation for her to stare at me? I’m getting seriously embarrassed now…What part of me is she even looking at? I want her to tell me. Because that’s where I will put all my focus for the next few months. Will she get angry at me if I pull a smug face…? ‘Eeek…?!’
“!” Dangerous thoughts filled my chest when Natsukawa suddenly jumped, two arms embracing her from behind. The screen on her end shook, and although I couldn’t see the voice…I knew it was Ashida. It must be Ashida. It has to be her…Please let it be her…! If it isn’t a girl, then I might actually pass out. So, please…! ‘Found the criminal who’s keeping Sajocchi all to herself!’ ‘K-Kei…! I wasn’t trying to…’ ‘Yahoo, Sajocchi. You okay…? Wait, why are you looking so relieved?’ ‘Ah, that hand…’ Seeing the familiar yuri couple flirting in front of me gave me nothing but relief. Of course, any other girl would have been fine, but I’m just glad that some bastard didn’t try to sexually harass her. However, this relief only lasted a moment, because they could see my left hand with its whole baggage. At the very least, it was just the back of my hand. “Well, you know, it’s just like the picture I sent in group chat. I messed up when I was cleaning up yesterday.’ ‘And then you got stabbed through the hand.’ “Yeah. One of the tools just went right…Slash! And that’s it.” ‘Ugh…’ The two of them must have imagined the scenery where I got hurt because their eyes squinted at my explanation. I’m sorry for making you worry…but that face is so adorable. I might be able to sneak in a kiss right now…No, stop. It’ll be just another part of my dark past I’ll mull over in ten years.
‘So…are you really okay? Any after-effects…?’ “That…can’t be ruled out just yet.” ‘I…see…’ ‘I hope you get better soon!’ “Yeah, same.” Seeing them genuinely worry made me feel a bit ticklish. But at the very least, this should have cleared up their worries so that they can enjoy the party. Right now, I want them to have fun for my share, too. “Thanks for reaching out. You’re still at the karaoke box, right? Sorry to ruin your fun.” ‘Huh? Wait…’ “It’d be a waste to just have you talk with me. Ashida, make sure to send me a video of Natsukawa singing.” ‘Wazzat? We already filmed one earlier.’ ‘Huh? W-Wait, you did?! I didn’t hear about that!’ “Keh…heh…heh…” Ashida appeared from the screen, and judging from Natsukawa’s reaction, she must have gone back to the karaoke room. Natsukawa gave up on chasing after her and instead gave me a stare. ‘You sure seem to be doing fine, huh?’ “I’m sorry, okay…” ‘I swear…’
She must have remembered the fact that someone videoed her while singing because she began blushing and averted her gaze. I see… so she did sing…Man, I wanted to hear that in person…That might be the biggest regret I have right now. ‘…Can you come to school?’ “Easy, easy. I can make it…probably.” ‘You sure don’t sound confident…’ How many times have I seen that exasperated expression from her? I’m sure Airi-chan can rival that, if not more. But compared to when we just started talking, her expression softened up quite a lot. I guess doing a phone call like this managed to calm her down. That’s a saving grace. “Tell everyone I’m doing fine. I’m sure it’ll sound more convincing coming from you and Ashida.” ‘Yeah…W-Wait…so I’m supposed to tell everyone I talked on the phone…with you…?’ “Counting on you. I wouldn’t want them to think that stuff’s serious.” ‘Y-Yeah…Okay…It would be…Ah, right, Ichinose-san…’ “Hm? What’s that about Ichinose-san?” Suddenly, an unexpected name came from Natsukawa’s mouth, forcing me to return a dumbfounded question. As a former work senior of hers, and her mental Papa, I couldn’t help but be curious about what was going on with her. Is she also singing at the karaoke…Wow, I’d die to hear that. ‘Ichinose-san…she didn’t come to the party.’ “Huh? For real?”
I still remember Shirashi-san and Okamocchan being super aggressive when trying to invite her…But I doubt she likes noisy places like karaoke. It’s not hard to imagine that she wouldn’t be exactly motivated for this. I guess it was still too early for her…Wait, Ichinosesan…Hm…I feel like I’m forgetting something… “…Ah.” ‘Hm?’ “I was supposed to go on a date with her on our day off tomorrow.” ‘H-Huh?! A date?!’ Natsukawa’s shocked voice made my ears ring. I guess she forgot all about that, too, so I went ahead and quickly resolved this brewing misunderstanding. “I promised to go buy a bookshelf with her. And Ashida said she wanted to tag along, too.” ‘Ah…’ Bookshelf, shopping, date, hm…maybe this left hand will make it impossible. And going back to school equally meant that I would have to take some good rest tomorrow. I’d rather not make Ichinose-san feel bad watching me struggle with a bandage around my left hand. I can already tell…her trying to be considerate… ‘I see…That’s why Ichinose-san was looking for you earlier…’ “Huh?” ‘Hey…Wataru? Could you please contact Ichinose-san later? She’s been acting weird since she heard the news from Ootsuki-sensei…’ “R-Right…Got it.”
‘That’s a promise, okay?’ Ichinose-san, huh…Yeah, hearing that I had to go to the hospital must have been quite a shock to her. And considering that tomorrow’s date would be rather impossible to keep on schedule, I should probably apologize altogether. ‘A-Also…’ “Yeah?” ‘Wh-Why…would you call that a date? You’re just going with her to buy a bookshelf, right? You’re just heading out together.’ “Ugh…!” Th-That logic…No, even couples of mixed-gender best friends go out on their days off, and that’s what you would call a date. It’s definitely not because I want to see Ichinose-san flustered at me using that term that I’m so adamant about using it or anything like that. Believe me. ‘Wh-What do you plan on doing with her?!’ “I didn’t even say anything! A boy and girl are hanging out, so it’s a date!” ‘You’re just meeting up on an off-day! You’re just buying something together!’ “But you might as well just call that a date!” ‘A date is something you do when you and the other person have… that kind of relationship! D-Don’t you have the wrong idea about this?’ “S-So unreasonable…!”
I cannot let that stand. I cannot let you speak your mind any further, Natsukawa-dono! You shall not slice apart my fantasies by your sword of reality! And you’re even saying that to the boy you rejected over and over…Why are you so much more emotional now than during my past confessions?! I saw no victory in this, and I knew that fighting with Natsukawa any more like this had me with no way of victory, I knew it. “Wh-Whatever, really…Considering this injury I got on me right now, I don’t think I’ll be able to make it anywhere tomorrow, so the date or whatever you wanna call it is canceled anyway.” ‘H-Hey, there’s no need to be sulking like that!’ Why, thank you. I’m the pathetic loser who calls heading out with a girl he forced to kneel down in front of him a “date.” This is all because I deserve it. I’m Left-Hand Jinjinmaru. And just like the throbbing in my name, I feel much pain. “Tell Ashida that the da…the going…the shopping trip is canceled.” ‘I-I didn’t go that far…!’ “Don’t know if I can just move the date, but we’ll have to see. I’ll talk with Ichinose-san later.” ‘W-Wait a second…So you’ll still head out shopping with her sometime?’ “I mean, I at least have to repay her for canceling our plans. If she doesn’t want my help anymore, then that’s it, though.” ‘I…I see.’ The reason Ichinose-san invited me was that she can’t talk with an employee all by herself…And now that I think about it, I guess it really doesn’t feel much like a date…I bet anybody would have been fine… Ugh…
‘So…When that time comes…it doesn’t have to be just you and Ichinose-san…’ “Anyway, that’s how it is. You guys enjoy the party, okay? I’ll see you at school.” ‘Huh? W-Wait, I’m not—’ Sniff, sniff. Night dawned, and the next day arrived. After everything that happened, I woke up while realizing I would have rather slept a lot more, feeling awfully sluggish. The fever from the injury led me to wake up drenched in sweat, which made the fact that I hadn’t taken a bath for a day even worse. Using what energy I had left in me, I ate the rice porridge Mom made me, proceeding by gulping down the painkillers and fever medicine. Thanks to that, I felt sleepy once more and went to bed…bringing me to the present. “I wonder…” Laying in my bed, I mumbled to myself. Even though I just started high school, I already collapsed back during the rainy season and got injured to this level in Fall…so something is off. My body managed to recover from getting beaten up by Big Sis and her unreasonable actions, allowing me to pride myself in my sturdy body and high vitality. I was supposed to be a high-spec dude… “…Hm?” My smartphone vibrated. Since I just got up, I kept it next to my pillow. The time had moved past noon, seeing that I had around twenty unread messages. Since they had the party last night, I’m guessing this is just unrelated to me. I opened up my app and saw direct DMs from a few people. ‘I bet you wanna listen to this, so here you go. Take care.’
“Ooooh…” Class rep Iihoshi-san sent me a video from yesterday’s karaoke. Playing it, I was met with Natsukawa tightly grasping the microphone with both her hands, singing with all her might. This is it. This is what I always wanted. This will allow me to fight Big Sis again…! ‘Here. You better be thankful.’ “Oh, here too…” I got a similar video from Yamazaki. This time, it showed both Natsukawa and Ashida. All you need is a friend…! He did great work this time. I’ll treat him to something. “…Huh?” And now, it was Matsuda’s turn. We may be sitting close to each other in class, but we barely even talk, and yet he also sent me a video of Natsukawa singing. It was from a different angle compared to the previous, too. He went out of his way to record it for me and even add me as a friend…What a good person. After that came Yasuta, Iwata, Ogami, as well as some of the girls who all sent me videos of Natsukawa singing…Now hold on. Are you really doing this out of good faith? There’s not a single low-angle video to be found. And they’re all just sending me the video without another message, so I’m guessing they are trying to be kind…But why does it feel like they are putting fingerprints on my own phone? “…!” Feeling a rush of killing intent build up inside of me, I went through the other messages when I spotted a certain name—Ichinose Yuu. It’s Ichinose-san’s brother, Bear-senpai. ‘She’s calmed down now. Give her a call if you’ve got the time.’
“…” It can tell he’s somewhat desperate. He’s probably in older brother mode, and it’s obvious he cares about his little sister. Yesterday after I got off my call with Natsukawa, I sent Ichinose-san a message, apologizing for making her worry. She did respond quickly after, but we barely talked on the phone. Her voice sounded defeated and weak, which made it hard to figure out what she was even saying. “To think she’d cry because of that…” I contacted her brother to ask about her. According to him, she was extremely shocked to hear about my injury, feeling anxiety and fear at this situation she was not used to. And what she told Natsukawa about having a shift was probably a lie. I remember saying she didn’t have any work. “…Phew.” My heart was beating a bit faster than usual, as I texted Ichinosesan, asking if she had time to talk. A minute later, a quick “Yes” came back, so I called her. I heard the familiar melody when the sound changed, telling me she accepted the call. “Um…Been about a day, Ichinose-san.” ‘…H-Hello.’ “Are you feeling better now?” ‘Y-Yes…’ I tried to speak as gently as possible, acting the same way as when we just started working together. And in return, a nostalgic feeling filled me. In return, I could hear a mumbly voice you’d expect during a morning roll call.
“Sorry for making you worry, okay?” ‘N-No, I should apologize…I didn’t even say anything to you…’ “It’s my fault I got injured, so don’t worry about it.” ‘…’ “But, I guess that won’t work.” The atmosphere was incredibly awkward. Like we went back to when we initially began working together. We were never that particularly close, but I figured the wall we had between us was slowly coming down. And trying to be considerate now won’t get us any closer…so I made up my mind and took a step forward. “I’m happy you’re worried about me…But, was it really anything to cry over?” ‘…!’ I made sure not to make it sound like I was teasing her. And through that, I’ll see how Ichinose-san truly feels. I can’t be taking the wrong step here. ‘Is your…injury okay?’ “Yep, totally fine.” The conversation suddenly changed, as I took a hit. I played tough and acted like everything was okay. And sure, I was inconvenienced in my daily life here and there, but I’m a man. I can’t show any weakness towards women. ‘But…this is what I couldn’t say…yesterday…’ “Huh?”
‘I’m sorry.’ A question mark appeared above my head. She shouldn’t have anything to apologize for. How she reacts and treats me regarding this injury is up to her. I’m not being friends with her just because I expect her kindness. Because that is not friendship, nor is it a bond I want to have. “You really are kind, Ichinose-san.” ‘N-No…!’ “Huh?” Her abrupt denial caught me by surprise. I know how kind she is when looking at how she treats her books. Of course, sometimes this changes into weakness, but it wouldn’t be Ichinose-san without that. It was an important factor in creating the current Ichinose-san. And I won’t accept anybody who says she’s not kind. ‘When I heard you had to go to the hospital…the first thing I felt was disappointment. Thinking that the promise we made to go shopping together would fall flat.’ “…” ‘And…I really hated myself for thinking that. Even though I wanted to contact you, I couldn’t find the right words…or timing…’ “Um, Ichinose-san?” ‘And even as I wanted to visit you, I didn’t know which hospital you were staying at…Nor did I know where you live…I don’t know the last thing about you…!’ “Ichinose-san.” ‘I’m sorry…I’m sorry for not doing anything…!’
“…” Her screams made it clear what a mess Ichinose-san was. And I can see that. Feelings unstable, not knowing what to do or where to go, you can’t help feeling powerless. Even more so if your personal feelings create a clear rift with the other person. I’ve felt something similar before. I remember being unable to do anything other than hang my head in defeat. However, Ichinose-san put those feelings into words, telling me directly. She’s genuinely amazing. Struggling to find the right words, yet swallowing them down in the end…What she’s doing is so hard, and yet she still pulls through. “I’m happy about this, you know?” ‘…Wha…’ “Because that means you were looking forward to our date, right?” ‘Huh…?! Ah…!’ Normally, this would have been the moment to accept it wasn’t a date. And the words Natsukawa told me still reverberated inside of me, causing internal bleeding and immense damage. However, when Ichinose-san proclaimed that “I want to go on the date! Waaah!” (She didn’t say that) with a teary voice, my chest just felt so warm. I’m sure my left hand will heal by tomorrow like you’d see in a gag manga. “Am I wrong?” ‘Eeek…No, um…well…not entirely…!’ “I’ll make up for it one day, okay?” ‘Ah…’ “So at least for today…Let me rest up a bit, okay?”
‘Y-Yeshhh…!’
In the end, I’m the one who had to cancel the date. Is it really okay for me to have such a kind girl as a friend? Wait a second…So Ichinosesan is a pretty nice girl as long as it’s outside of work? “See you again at school tomorrow.” ‘Y-Yes. Goodbye…’ “Bye,” I said and then hung up the call. I’m feeling much more refreshed now. I feel bad that nothing has been completely resolved, but it at least helped me forget the pain in my left hand. Because I took more medicine, after all. I feel like I’ll be able to have a great dream now, so maybe I should take another na… p…? “…” “…Hello there.” “…Ah, um, hey?” In the corner of my view stood someone I didn’t anticipate meeting. A girl that should not be here in my room. The phone I held in my hand dropped onto my navy-blue sweatshirt. And that impact allowed my throat to move. But I didn’t have time to form any words, as the invader of my room—Natsukawa—stepped forward with an expression devoid of emotion, placing a plastic bag on the small table next to my desk. “Natsukawa, why are you…” “…I came to visit you.” “Ah, thanks…You didn’t have to.” The goods that appeared from the plastic bag were typical stuff like pudding, pokari, a pack of vegetable juice, rice balls, and—Wait, rice balls?! Wrapped, no less?! Did she make those?!