Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/2912051603008595869
I’m not clueless.
At least, that’s what I think.
I can tell when someone’s angry, and if they’re feeling down, I’ll go over and talk to them. I’m observant enough to bring a customer water at a restaurant before they even ask, if I notice they look like they want some.
So, I’m definitely not clueless.
It’s just that, when it comes to romance, my judgment is absolutely terrible.
But it would be a little while before I actually realized that.
“Kasugai-kun”
Right after morning homeroom ended.
Himuro came over to my desk.
“Please come to the student council room during lunch today.”
“Again?”
“The class assignment schedule for the cultural festival’s café area is complete.”
“But I’m not on the student council.”
“Just give up.”
“I skipped the recruitment pitch and was told to give up right away.”
“President Kuze already considers you a temporary assistant, Kasugai-kun.”
“That’s news to me.”
“I just told you.”
Lately, I feel like these kinds of exchanges have been happening more often.
“Got it. Lunch break, then.”
“Yes.”
Himuro nodded with satisfaction.
But she didn’t make a move to leave.
“Is there something else?”
“……Why did you go ahead of us this morning?”
“Huh?”
“We walked to school together yesterday.”
“That was just a coincidence, right?”
“It was just a coincidence that the three of us happened to gather in the same place.”
“Ah.”
“So I was hoping for another coincidence today, but—”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Himuro puffed out her cheeks slightly.
“Tomorrow, please leave home a little later.”
“What time?”
“7:25.”
“That’s pretty specific.”
“We need to coordinate our schedules to run into each other by chance.”
“Doesn’t that mean it’s not a coincidence anymore?”
“It’s just your imagination.”
With that, Himuro turned and walked back to her seat.
I watched her back as I thought to myself.
It seems that when two people who’ve both been through a breakup, a strange sense of camaraderie does develop.
Just yesterday, I almost misinterpreted things in a completely different way again.
Close call, close call.
“Hey, Yuto.”
This time, the voice came from beside me.
It was Kotonoha.
“What?”
“Tomorrow morning, how about we walk to school together for the first time in a while?”
For a moment, I was at a loss for words.
“What about Ren?”
“He said he has morning practice, so he’s going ahead.”
“Oh, really?”
“Do you not want to?”
Kotonoha looked at me, seeming a little anxious.
In the past, I wouldn’t have hesitated for a second.
If Kotonoha had asked me to walk to school with her, I think that alone would have put me in a good mood all day.
But now…
“Sorry. Tomorrow’s a bit tricky.”
“Do you have plans?”
“I’m supposed to run into someone by chance.”
“…What’s that supposed to mean?”
I didn’t really understand it myself.
Still, since Himuro told me 7:25, she was the one who made the appointment first.
“Himuro-san?”
“How did you know?”
“I heard you.”
“Oh, right.”
Kotonoha was silent for a moment.
“You’ve been really close with Himuro-san lately, haven’t you?”
“We’re both heartbroken.”
“……That’s all you ever say.”
“It’s the truth.”
“So, what if it’s not a broken heart anymore?”
“Huh?”
“What if Himuro-san falls for someone else?”
Kotonoha’s gaze turned toward me.
“What would you do if that person were Yuto?”
My heart skipped a beat for just a moment.
But I immediately remembered yesterday’s lesson.
“That’s not going to happen.”
“Why not?”
“Himuro had a crush on Chairman Kuze for three whole years. Besides, we haven’t known each other that long yet.”
“But—”
“Plus, she herself said it was just a misunderstanding on my part.”
To be precise, when I said, “I was mistaken in thinking she liked me,” Himuro got angry for some reason.
But the fact that she didn’t deny it means that’s probably what it was.
“……Has it always been like this with you, Yuto?”
“What?”
“I don’t know.”
Kotonoha said nothing more and lowered her gaze to her desk.
Lately, conversations with Kotonoha often end like this.
There were so many things I just didn’t understand.
♦
Lunchtime.
When I entered the student council room, several people were already gathered there.
President Kuze.
Himuro.
Shirasaki.
And Fuyuka Mishima-senpai, the student council treasurer.
“You’re here, Kasugai-kun.”
Mishima-senpai looked at me.
“Please take a seat. We don’t have much time.”
“Can’t we take it a little easier during lunch break?”
“We have forty-three minutes and twelve seconds left.”
“You’re counting down to the second, huh?”
“Time is finite.”
She’s as meticulous as ever.
In front of Senior Mishima lay a massive pile of documents and a calculator.
Next to her, President Kuze was giving a wry smile.
“Fuyuka’s always been like this.”
“President.”
Senior Mishima’s finger paused.
“We’re working. Please refrain from unnecessary reminiscing.”
“Yes, yes.”
Chairman Kuze laughed, looking as if he were used to it.
Himuro, who had been watching that exchange, looked just a tiny bit more tense.
And then.
Senior Mishima, too, glanced at Chairman Kuze’s face for just a moment before immediately returning her gaze to the documents.
That photo I found earlier.
The two of them back in middle school.
I recall that photo.
“Kasugai-senpai.”
Shirasaki pulled out the chair next to me.
“This way.”
“Thanks.”
Just as I was about to sit down, Himuro pulled out another chair from the opposite side.
“This way.”
“It doesn’t matter which one, does it?”
“It does matter.”
“Why is that?”
Shirasaki smiled.
“I’ll explain it to you, Kasugai-kun.”
“But I’m the secretary. Aren’t I better suited to handle the proceedings?”
“Your Student Council position has nothing to do with explaining this to Kasugai-kun.”
“Then it has nothing to do with the vice president either, right?”
Here we go again.
“Kasugai-kun.”
Senpai Mishima looked at me impassively.
“Please sit down quickly. We’ve already wasted thirty-eight seconds.”
“Is this my fault?”
“It’s your responsibility, since you’re the one in the middle.”
It was unreasonable.
In the end, I sat down between the two of them.
“Now, let’s get down to business.”
Senpai handed out the materials.
“We’re facing a serious staff shortage on the second day of the cultural festival. Specifically, starting at 2:00 p.m., we’re short four staff members for customer service.”
“Is that because many students have conflicts with their class performances?”
“Yes.”
I checked the handouts.
Indeed, most students were scheduled to work with their own classes on the afternoon of the second day.
“In that case, wouldn’t the student council have to provide additional staff?”
“That’s the plan.”
Senior Mishima replied matter-of-factly.
“Me, Himuro, Shirasaki, and Kasugai.”
“I’m not on the Student Council, am I?”
“Are you still bringing that up?”
“Just give it up, Senpai.”
“I got told the same thing.”
Shirasaki laughed cheerfully.
“So, I’ll be working with you on the day of the event, Senpai.”
“I’m going to pop into my class partway through, too.”
“I’ll accompany you during that time as well.”
“Why?”
“I’m curious to see what kind of performance your class is putting on.”
“It’s a haunted house, though.”
“Let’s go in together.”
“What about work?”
“We’ll coordinate our break times.”
It was an immediate reply.
“Shirasaki-san,”
Himuro interrupted.
“Kasugai-kun, you’re scheduled to patrol with me.”
“I’m talking about break time.”
“Even during breaks, we need to be on standby in case of any unexpected issues.”
“But Vice President, you took breaks just like everyone else at last year’s cultural festival, didn’t you?”
“Things have changed starting this year.”
“You just changed the rules, didn’t you?”
“It’s a necessary change.”
Ignoring their back-and-forth, I turned my attention back to the documents.
Then, I noticed the section for Senior Mishima.
“Mishima senpai, are you handling accounting and inventory management all by yourself?”
“Yes.”
“Isn’t that impossible?”
“It’s possible.”
“Last year, there were two of you doing it, right?”
“The situation is different from last year.”
“But the operation is even bigger this year.”
Mishima fell silent.
Judging by the documents, the workload was clearly too heavy.
“I’ll help out.”
“Kasugai-kun, you have customer service duties.”
“I can help during my shift change. Or, let’s find someone else who’s good with numbers.”
“It’s not necessary.”
“But—”
“It’s not necessary.”
Her tone was firm.
The room fell silent.
Mishima lowered her gaze.
“……I’m sorry.”
“No.”
“It’s just… I can handle this on my own.”
“Why are you so determined to do this all by yourself?”
When I asked, Senior Mishima’s expression wavered slightly.
“Because it’s more reliable to do it myself than to leave it to others.”
“But if you collapse, everything will come to a halt.”
“I won’t collapse.”
“People who do collapse usually say that.”
I’d said something similar to Himuro before.
Senior Mishima stared at me.
“Kasugai-kun, do you say things like that to everyone?”
“Isn’t that normal?”
“It’s not normal.”
Himuro, sitting next to me, answered immediately.
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Even Shirasaki nodded.
“You observe people better than you realize, Senpai.”
“But you don’t notice when it comes to romance.”
Himuro added.
“Why are you bringing that up now?”
“Because it’s a fact.”
Mishima-senpai looked at each of us in turn, then let out a small sigh.
“…Well then, Kasugai-kun.”
“Yes.”
“I’d like you to assist with the accounting from 1:00 PM to 1:30 PM on the day of the event.”
“Understood.”
“If it goes over thirty minutes, I’ll record it as overtime.”
“We don’t get paid for the cultural festival, right?”
“We’ll record it as a moral debt.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’ll pay you back eventually.”
At those words, President Kuze laughed.
“It’s rare to see Fuyuka rely on others like this.”
Senior Mishima’s shoulders shook slightly.
“President.”
“What?”
“Please get back to work.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Chairman Kuze lowered his gaze back to the documents.
Senior Mishima also began tapping away on her calculator as if nothing had happened.
But I noticed that her fingers stopped just once.
Being called by name as usual by the person she used to like.
That alone makes me happy.
That alone makes me ache.
I understand that feeling just a little bit.
“Mishima-senpai.”
“What is it?”
“Please don’t push yourself too hard.”
“…Kasugai-kun.”
“Yes.”
“Do you really act like this with everyone?”
“What do you mean?”
Mishima-senpai didn’t answer.
But next to her, Himuro’s gaze grew strangely cold.
“Kasugai-kun.”
“What now?”
“I need to talk to you after school today.”
“This is kind of scary.”
“Don’t worry. It’s just a lecture.”
“I’m not reassured at all.”
Shirasaki chuckled softly.
“Vice President. May I join you?”
“This has nothing to do with you.”
“It’s about how you treat women, isn’t it?”
“How did you figure that out?”
“I’ve been concerned about it for a while, too.”
“Are you two planning to gang up on me?”
“If necessary.”
“By all means.”
We ended up agreeing.
Watching our exchange, President Kuze was smiling.
Senior Mishima sighed in exasperation.
And then it suddenly occurred to me.
Maybe “Anemone” isn’t the only place where people with broken hearts gather.
Within the walls of a school, there are far more unspoken feelings, unrequited love, and relationships that haven’t quite ended than one might think.
I can’t possibly save them all.
But.
At the very least, when I find someone carrying that burden alone, I can listen to them.
As I was thinking about that, Himuro spoke quietly to me.
“Kasugai-kun.”
“What?”
“Didn’t you just get that unnecessary sense of mission again?”
“How did you know?”
“It’s written all over your face.”
“Where?”
“Right under your eyes.”
“That’s the same thing you told Natsume before, right?”
“I was influenced by her.”
It seems that people who’ve gone through heartbreak together tend to start resembling one another.
And at that moment, I still didn’t know.
That the day when a senior named Fuyuka Mishima would come to our “hangout spot” wasn’t far off.
And that the romance she was dealing with—
was something much longer and much more complicated than Himuro’s heartbreak.
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