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The moment I stepped out the front door this morning, my phone vibrated. It was 7:43 a.m. My plan—to open my vocabulary book before the quiz—was pretty much ruined the instant I saw my childhood friend’s name on the screen.
“I’m in front of your house. Come out quick.”
Asakura Rino was standing outside the gate. Her brown hair, which fell just past her shoulders, was tied up loosely; the ribbon on her school uniform was loosened, and she had two paper bags at her feet. They looked like home economics supplies and committee materials. As soon as Rino saw me, she shoved one of the bags into my hands as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Carry half of this. I have to turn this in first thing this morning. You’re Minato—you can walk fast enough to make it on time, right?”
“But I have a quiz too.”
When I said that, Rino raised her eyebrows slightly. It wasn’t so much a look of anger as one that said, “I don’t understand why you’d say something like that.”
“You can just memorize it while we walk. You’re good at that kind of thing, Minato. Besides, don’t be so cold to your childhood friend now.”
If I refused, we’d end up arguing first thing in the morning. Rino would get upset, and once we got to school, she’d tell everyone, “Minato was so cold to me.” I didn’t want the hassle, so I took the paper bag. When the handles dug into my fingers, I felt a little annoyed, but Rino was already walking ahead of me.
“Minato really is convenient, isn’t he? You call him and he comes, and he never gets mad.”
She said that with a laugh, and I laughed back. It was the same old story. It’s not like I wasn’t annoyed. It’s not like I wasn’t hurt. It’s just that if I put on a serious face here, I’d be the only one causing trouble. I know that, so I usually just laugh it off.
When we got to the classroom, this time Shiraishi Mikoto came over to my desk. Fiddling with her loosely curled hair, she turned her phone screen toward me. Apparently, Sano from Class 3 had asked her out for the weekend.
“Segawa-kun, give me a guy’s perspective. Would it be rude to turn this down? I don’t want to completely cut Sano-kun off, but we’re not close enough to hang out just the two of us.”
“Is this really something I should be asking?”
“I’m asking you because it’s you, Segawa-kun. You won’t get the wrong idea, and it’s easy to talk to you. It’d be a hassle if you were a potential boyfriend, but as a friend, you’re the best—or something like that.”
Mikoto probably meant it as a compliment. But I felt like I’d been given my second “boundary” of the morning. “Convenient.” “The best as a friend.” Words like that are hard to complain about, precisely because the other person means no harm.
During lunch break, Rino asked me to go buy some yakisoba bread. Even though I had my own packed lunch, I managed to snag two in the crowded school store while third-year students were jostling me. When I handed them to her in front of the classroom, one of Rino’s friends laughed and said, “You look like her boyfriend.”
Rino shook her head immediately.
“No way. Minato as a boyfriend? Absolutely impossible. He’s convenient, but he’s not that kind of person. I’m only asking him because I know he won’t get mad.”
Everyone around us laughed. I laughed too. The loose change in my hand wasn’t enough to buy a drink for lunch. When I asked her to pay, Rino said, “I’ll treat you to juice next time,” and took the bread with her. I felt like I’d heard her say the same thing before.
After school, Kuga Chitose-senpai came over. She’s the student council vice president with long black hair. She’s calm and mature, but I know she’s the type to take up people’s time with a gentle expression.
“Segawa-kun, would you help me organize the cultural festival materials? You’re so thorough, and you wouldn’t say no to a request from me, would you?”
“I’d actually like to go home early today.”
When I said that, Chitose-senpai smiled as if she were at a loss. Speaking softly, in a voice loud enough for the students around us to hear, she said:
“I won’t force you. But you’re so cute, like a little brother, that I can’t help but rely on you. You stuck with it until the very end last time, too, so I’d be happy if you could help me just this once.”
If I refused, I’d be the junior who puts her senior in a bind. I told her I’d stay for just an hour, and we sorted through the materials in the student council room. Chitose-senpai was called away by a teacher partway through, and by the time she returned, most of the work was already done. Even when she smiled and said, “That was a big help,” my exhaustion didn’t go away.
When I finally headed toward the entrance, Onodera Mei was waiting for me. She was a petite first-year with big eyes who was good at playing the cute underclassman. Mei clasped her hands together in front of me.
“Senpai, could you come with me to the 100-yen store by the station? I forgot to buy tape for club activities. You’d help me out, right, Senpai?”
“I’m actually on my way home right now.”
“That’s exactly why it’s on your way. If you turn me down here, I’ll get scolded at club practice. You’re not the type to abandon someone like that, are you?”
There were still students at the exit. Mei’s voice was a little loud. If I refused, I’d come across as a cold-hearted upperclassman. Even though I knew that, the words “All right” slipped out of my mouth, and I set off.
Just then, a voice called out from the side.
“Aren’t you just making it harder for him to say no?”
It was Miyahara Shiori, from my class. Her hair, a shade of brown almost black, was tied in a low ponytail, and she was holding a stack of books from the library. She wasn’t flashy, but her gaze was direct, and I could tell she wasn’t just smiling it off.
Mei pouted, looking displeased.
“I’m just asking, that’s all. If you don’t want to, you’d say so, right?”
That’s exactly why we’re in this situation right now. Even though I thought that, I couldn’t bring myself to say it right away. Shiori looked at me, not at Mei.
“Segawa-kun, you’ve been running errands for people all day today, haven’t you? This morning it was Asakura-san’s luggage, at lunchtime it was bread, after school it was Kuga-senpai’s materials. And now, shopping for a junior. Don’t you really mind any of that?”
It would’ve been easier to just say I didn’t mind. It’s nothing out of the ordinary, and it’s no big deal. If I said that, this would be over. But Rino’s “handy,” Mikoto’s “it’s a hassle having a boyfriend,” Senpai Chitose’s “you’re like a little brother,” and Mei’s “you won’t abandon me, right?” were all jumbled up inside my chest.
“…It’s not that I don’t mind.”
My voice came out lower than I’d expected.
“But I didn’t think it was worth getting angry over. If I refused, it would just cause trouble, and if I just put up with it, that’d be the end of it. As I kept letting things slide like that, before I knew it, I’d become the guy they could ask to do anything.”
Mei looked surprised. She probably hadn’t expected me to think that way. But that also meant she hadn’t really been paying attention to me.
I turned back to Mei.
“Sorry. I’m not going today. You’ll have to buy it yourself.”
Mei’s expression froze. After a moment, she said, “Okay,” but there was a clear edge to her voice. She looked as if I’d suddenly turned cold, then walked out of the entrance.
Left behind, I felt strangely exhausted. Just from saying no once, my heart was pounding. Shiori didn’t blame me; she just stood beside me and said quietly,
“I don’t think being kind is a bad thing. But there are people who take advantage of kind people.”
Those words weren’t a prelude to a request. They weren’t meant to sway me, but to put into words the reason I’d felt that way.
On the way home, Shiori and I walked to the station. She didn’t peek at my phone, nor did she rush me for an answer. Maybe that’s why. When I received a message from Rino saying, “Come early tomorrow morning. I have something I want you to bring.” I didn’t reply right away for the first time.
Normally, I’d just type, “Got it.” That’s the best way to avoid conflict. Rino wouldn’t get upset, and I wouldn’t end up looking like the bad guy.
But today, my finger froze.
I deleted the message a few times before typing a short reply.
“I can’t make it tomorrow. Take it yourself.”
The moment I hit send, my chest tightened. Tomorrow, Rino would surely complain. Mikoto, Chitose Senpai, and Mei might all say I’d changed.
Even so, I crossed the street at the traffic light in front of the station carrying only my own bag. Shiori walked silently beside me. The walk home—free of carrying someone else’s luggage, someone else’s groceries, or worrying about someone else’s mood—felt just a little lighter.
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What a great starting chapter for the story! I liked this part below, specifically because she went out of her way to make sure he doesn’t think that it was his fault because he is kind.
She locked it in that he didn’t need to change anything with himself, because he is fine as he is other than being unable to set boundaries.