Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330668994179192/episodes/16818023212720759350
In the pouring rain, so heavy that nothing could be heard except the sound of the rain, Kohime was walking to a convenience store a short distance away from her home without an umbrella to buy cream puffs.
In the bad weather, as she waited for the signal to turn green at the intersection in front of the convenience store, all she could think about was the problem that had occurred at school today.
When Kohime went out to school this morning, she could not find her textbooks, which were supposed to be inside her desk.
After school yesterday, she left her textbooks in her desk to be used tomorrow, and since she has not touched the contents of her desk since then, she is certain that the missing textbooks are the work of someone who has been in and out of this school. Well, in all probability, it was one of her classmates.
Kohime has excellent grades, is athletic, sings well, and is well mannered, so the teachers like her very much, but the students have the opposite opinion of her.
The reason why she has become the target of bullying is, to put it simply, envy.
People are envious of those who are more talented than they are.
In such a human society, it is only to be expected for those who excel to be bullied.
However, there is a good reason why she gets excellent grades because she spends a lot of time studying, and why her teachers like her because she takes the initiative in cleaning the classroom and watering the flowers.
They are jealous of her and bully her without seeing such efforts, which is irredeemable.
Kohime is not satisfied with the current situation and wants to do something to improve it.
If she doesn’t do so, the worst that can happen is that she may end up not going to school.
However, a way to turn the situation around did not occur to her mind.
“Haa…..what should I do……”
While speaking these words, she confirmed that the signal had turned green, and entered the intersection.
A moment later, she felt as if she had been pushed.
She fell down on her buttocks, and what she saw was a boy who was about to be hit by a car instead of her.
Although it was only for a moment, the expression on the boy’s face as if he had given up everything was burned into her memory.
◆◇
I had come to the hospital in an ambulance with the boy who had saved me.
The boy who saved me from being run over by a car was named Yauta Eita, and he was the same age as me.
A short time later, Yauta san returned to the hospital room in bed after a medical checkup and surgery, and although there was no major trauma, he seemed to have hit his head hard and was unconscious.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. It’s my fault, I was in a daze…….”
No amount of apology would bring this person back to consciousness, but that was all I could do at the moment.
For a while after that, I clasped my hands together and prayed for Yauta to wake up.
Then, someone who I assumed to be her mother came into Yauta san’s hospital room.
“Eita !”
Yauta san’s mother rushed to him and held his hand.
“You idiot. You really don’t have to follow the instructions until you’re in this situation.”
Instructions….?
I wonder what Yauta san’s mother said to him.
“Ah, um. Yauta san—my name is Arayashiki Kohime, and I was the one Yauta Eita san saved from being almost hit by a car. I am truly sorry for this !”
I bowed my head more deeply than ever and apologized with all my might.
It was my fault that Yauta san’s precious child was hit by a car, so it was only natural that I should do my best to apologize.
It’s better if I just get yelled at, but in the worst case scenario, I might get slapped on the cheek or hit in the head.
That’s what I thought……
“……I see. So you’re the girl Eita saved. You’re a…..beautiful girl. I’m glad you didn’t get a scar on your beautiful face. What’s your name?”
“Eh, my name is Kohime.”
“Oh, your manner of speech is very polite. I’m Eita’s mother, Utako. You can call me Utako. It’s nice to meet you.”
I felt nothing but discomfort when she introduced herself to me.
“Um, why aren’t you angry with me? Eita san has gone into a state of unconsciousness in order to save me.”
Instead of getting angry at me, Utako san complimented me on my appearance and my language.
I couldn’t help but ask her a question, which was impossible no matter how much I thought about it.
“No, no, no, it was the car that ran the red light that was at fault, wasn’t it? There’s nothing wrong with you, Kohime chan.”
“T-that may be so, but……”
“I was rather grateful to you for calling an ambulance and following him to the hospital.”
The driver of the car who ignored the red light is the one who has to bear the most responsibility for this accident.
However, anyone in her position would have resented me for not noticing the approaching car that ran the red light.
Yet, instead of resenting me, she thanked me for helping her deal with the aftermath of the accident.
I wondered how kind this family was, Eita san, who saved me and Utako san, how kind they were.
“Um, isn’t his father here?”
“Yeah, my husband passed away more than ten years ago from an illness. So we are a family of two, me and my son.”
Hearing this, I felt even more sorry.
If Eita san had died, or if he had never woken up…….
“I’m really sorry !”
“It’s fine. You’ve already apologized enough, so I guess this is the last time you need to apologize.
“B-but.”
“Okay, that’s it. Instead of apologizing, I’d appreciate it if you could come visit him in my place in the future. There may be times when I can’t come because of work.”
“O-of course !”
Thus, I exchanged contact information with Utako san and decided to visit Eita san every day from now on.
◆◇
I ran out of Eita san’s hospital room as if to escape, and got into a car driven by Miki Yuuna san, an employee of the Arayashiki family, and headed for home.
“Miss, it looks like you ran all the way back to the car, is there something wrong?”
“N-no, nothing.”
“I hope so, but you were acting differently than usual.”
“I’m sorry to cause you concern. As I told you on the phone earlier, Eita san has regained consciousness, and he seems to be in good health since then, so there is nothing to worry about.”
I gazed out the window at the scenery and exhaled, feeling sorry for the worry I had caused Yuuna san.
Just before I left the hospital room, I blushed involuntarily at Utako san’s words and rushed out of the hospital room.
I don’t think he noticed that my face was blushing, but……
Eita san says that he is just a man who saved me when I was about to be hit by a car, but there’s no way that’s the only thing that Eita san saved me from.
Eita san saved my life, so much so that I have to repay him with my entire life from now on.
And yet, Eita san is a man who has the kindness to say that he is just a guy who saved me from being almost hit by a car.
While the fact that he saved me from being almost run over by a car is enough to make my favorable impression of him immeasurable, the fact that he shows such kindness toward me, the cause of him being run over by a car, is likely to exceed the upper limit of my favorable impression of him.
Eita san’s kindness does not stop there.
Eita- an has the right to demand more in return for saving my life at his own risk.
Yet, Eita san said he did not want anything in return, and as if to appease my reluctance to repay his kindness, he proposed that we become friends.
I’m sure that he was thinking of a way to repay without causing me as much trouble as possible.
I have never met such a kind person.
It was still too early to say that I had fallen in love with him, but it was undeniably true that he had become an object of my consciousness.
Above all, there were other factors that made me conscious of Eita san.
The reason I had intruded into the red light intersection was because I was having trouble with relationships in my school life.
It was at that time that Eita san, who was too kind to me, appeared.
As I was having trouble with my relationships, I was not accustomed to having someone direct kindness toward me, and at the same time, I was hungry for kindness.
At that time, someone showed me kindness, and I may not have said it well, but I ended up being taken advantage of.
“I can see that your expression is a little relaxed. Is it just my imagination?”
“E-eh, Eita san’s consciousness returned and his physical condition improved, so we should be happy about that, right?”
“……I think so.”
It was around 8p.m, and the inside of the car was only illuminated by the street lights, so it was impossible to see my expression clearly.
However, it seems that my expression was so relaxed that Yuuna san noticed it.
I have to be more careful from tomorrow onwards, because I feel like my expression will fall apart just by meeting Eita san.
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