Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093075629868223/episodes/16818792438442620536
(Kurusu’s perspective)
A murmur of confusion and questions rose from the crowd.
Well, of course… After all, just when everyone thought he’d use the remaining time for something, he stepped off the stage without any context.
He walked straight through the parting crowd, heading toward a single girl.
What was going to happen now? What was about to begin? Uncertain, everyone’s gaze focused on him.
But this person’s gaze…
Had been fixed solely on me the entire time—
“Wh-why…”
I’m sure it’s a different question than what everyone else is wondering.
Because it’s something I don’t understand.
Why is he… Irie… standing in front of me?
“Huh? What do you mean, ‘why’?”
“I… I’m not wearing my uniform right now… so no one would notice…”
Today, I’m not wearing my uniform.
I’m wearing sunglasses and a hat to hide my face, so I shouldn’t stand out much.
Proof of that is, no one who passed me today recognized me.
Of course, it’s possible they don’t know me to begin with…
(Besides, finding me in a crowd this big…)
Somehow, without any real basis.
This many people… It feels like the entire student is gathered here.
And yet, he found me? I only arrived for the second song? he couldn’t have had much time to search?
“Just so you know—”
As I pondered these questions, Irie let out a slight sigh.
“Kirishima, you stand out way more than you think you do.”
“Huh?”
“I bet you picked your outfit today thinking it was a disguise, but that boyish vibe really enhances your mature aura… Yeah, it suits you super well.”
What on earth is he talking about?
So that means he found me because of my clothes…?
“…Well, your clothes are part of it, but somehow I just think, ‘Ah, that’s Kirishima.’ I can’t really explain it—it’s just a gut feeling.”
Looking slightly embarrassed, Irie scratched his cheek.
And then—
“So, no matter where you go… I can always keep an eye on you, Kirishima.”
—That’s what he said.
(What the hell is that supposed to mean…)
So, suddenly.
An indescribable irritation welled up inside me.
“Don’t… don’t mess with me…”
“Huh?”
“That basically means you can only tell by my clothes or something, doesn’t it?!”
Without thinking, I lunged at Irie and grabbed his collar.
“You said that just to comfort me!? You came all this way just to say that!? Well, that’s impressive, yeah, really impressive! I guess it is amazing you could spot me in this crowd just by my clothes or a hunch!”
But it would be the same even if I were dressed as a clown.
It’s just because I stand out. It’s only because there’s a girl with that kind of vibe that you could find me.
“But… what I meant to say wasn’t that…!”
Because the worlds we live in are different.
The more different they are, the less you’d even think to look for me, no matter how easily you could find me.
That’s what I’m worried about.
I wasn’t talking about searching for a diamond in a pile of pearls.
(Even if I talk about it…)
Didn’t I get through to Irie…?
I know it’s troublesome. I understand I’m a selfish girl.
Even so, after pouring my heart out like that… it’s frustrating that he didn’t grasp it.
I was agonizing over it so much.
I know I’m being self-centered, but the fact that he didn’t understand—
“I get it. You’re talking about living in different worlds, right?”
The moment tears welled in my eyes, Irie let out a small sigh.
“But I’ll be blunt… It’s not different. It’s impossible to stop seeing it once you find it.”
A moment passed.
I couldn’t grasp what he was saying; my mind went blank.
“Is this place we’re standing in right now… Kirishima’s different world?”
“Th-that… But you were on stage…”
“Yeah, I was there. Yuzuki, Shiori-san, Sakurazaka—they were all on that stage.”
Yes, everyone was there, but I wasn’t.
If I were the same as everyone else, I could have stood there too.
The place I am is where I look up at them—it’s not the same world.
“But listen, I’m standing right here in front of you now.”
Slowly, Irie’s hand reached out toward my face.
“Go ahead, lament all you want. Say whatever you like about living in different worlds, about standing one step ahead or behind. Maybe it really is different. Kirishima, advancing alone into society, is definitely in a different world from us.”
The outstretched hand paused.
It took off the sunglasses I was wearing.
Facing my eyes, now completely unobstructed, Irie stated clearly—
“Even so, I’ll come find you. Even if we live in different worlds, I’ll find you… I’ll come find you and keep watching over you.”
Thump.
Somehow, those words drew tears that had been welling up.
It felt like they restarted the beat of my heart, which had grown cold and dry.
As if to confirm it… my mouth moved on its own.
“R-really…?”
“Really. Otherwise, I wouldn’t show up right in front of you at a time when everyone’s turning their heads to stare.”
“You can find me…?”
“I found you with this many people. I’ll know wherever you go. Want to play hide-and-seek in the city, if you like?”
Irie showed no sign of caring about my anxiety.
He was alone, focused only on me.
He gave me a gentle, warm, soft… smile.
“So don’t worry. Words alone can say anything, but I’ll say it anyway… There’s no way I’d ever stop seeing you.”
Those words, directed straight at me, just couldn’t feel like a lie.
(…Ah)
Words alone can say anything. I truly believe that.
If it’s just comforting words to ease the mind, carefully chosen phrases can give the answer the other person wants.
But there’s certainty that words alone can’t buy.
That one thing, I simply couldn’t give to the other person.
(…Doing something like this will just make us stand out, won’t it?)
In a crowded place, in a situation ripe for gossip, stopping the proceedings just for this.
No, probably. Maybe even trying to play the band on stage was something he opened up to give certainty to those empty words.
…Thinking about it now.
By preparing all that and standing before me like this… maybe he did give me that certainty.
“If it’s a lie, I won’t forgive you.”
Perhaps because I finally understood I’d received it naturally, the tears I’d been holding back spilled from my eyes.
But Irie didn’t wipe away my tears… He took off my deeply pulled-down hat and gently stroked my head.
“It’s not a lie. More importantly, let’s enjoy the cultural festival together without any disguises… No more secrets between us.”
“…Yeah.”
The moment he took off my hat, the people around us started murmuring.
“Whoa… wait, is that…!”
“Isn’t that Kirishima-senpai!? She really was at our school!”
“I didn’t know what she was doing, but was this part of the performance?”
“Damn… it’s the real Kirishima Kurusu.”
Everyone else hadn’t noticed.
They hadn’t even tried to call out to me.
Only Irie… recognized me. Even in this huge crowd, he called out to me.
That made me inexplicably happy—
“…Irie.”
“What… Mmmph!?”
Without thinking… truly without thinking.
I pressed my lips against Irie’s.
“Wh-…!?”
Before me was Irie’s utterly shocked face.
But somehow… my heart felt full.
No embarrassment, no confusion, no regret—nothing.
“Hey, Irie.”
I spoke directly to him.
“After all, I want to stay by your side forever.”
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