Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330658028208231/episodes/16817330659418234107
★
“Hiks, ugh…….”
In the waterfront park where the sound of the waves hit your ears, Riho’s sobbing voice is quietly carried away by the wind and fades away.
Maho and Misa were cuddling up to Riho, who was sad because she was dumped by Aizawa.
“He said [Please continue to be a good friend to me.]”
“I see,…… it must have been hard for you.”
“Riho san……”
Riho began to tell Maho and Misa about the time she confessed.
Ryoichi and Misa went to buy drinks and Maho left to pick flowers, so the situation was now just the two of them.
There have been several times in the past when they have been alone together, but it has been inside the school or in a public place, so Aizawa didn’t think about it that much.
This time, however, it was as if the situation had been set up for them.
It was right after a fireworks display, in Rinkai Park with a night view, and the lights were up, so the mood was perfect.
With all these conditions, it would be a lie if she did not have the courage to confess her feelings.
Aizawa, who had been talking to Riho normally at first, sensed that she was becoming less talkative and tried to lighten the mood by making jokes.
Riho also sensed that Aizawa was trying to escape, but once she had made up her mind to this point, there was no stopping her.
She found herself confessing, [I love you, Aizawa.]
The result was that she was rejected, and Aizawa, who had a hard time being there, sent a message to Ryoichi saying, [I’m going home first. please take care of the rest.]
Riho was consoled by Misa and Maho, but she continued to tell them what she liked about Aizawa.
He was good-looking, good at sports, surprisingly childlike, and kind.
While listening to Riho’s words, Ryoichi wonders if he should be there.
Since Aizawa had asked him to be there, it was his duty to see her off safely, but he wondered if it would be better for Riho if the girls were alone.
There was nothing he could say to Riho, and he wondered how Aizawa was doing now.
Riho’s voice gradually became quieter and more muffled.
She looked up at the sky in a daze as she fell silent at the end, perhaps unable to get over the shock of being dumped.
“Aikawacchi. My house is near here, so I’m taking Riho home. Can you give Misa a lift?”
Maho was so thoughtful, she didn’t want Riho’s family to see her like this, so Maho decided to let her stay at her house.
Misa’s family is very strict and she is not allowed to stay out overnight without prior permission. So she asked Ryoichi to drop Misa off.
“Got it, is that okay?”
“……yes.”
Can he take her home himself?
Misa nodded to Ryoichi’s confirmation. Because Riho was dumped, she was hurt and her face turned pale.
Maho was probably right in deciding that it was not good to let her go home alone like this.
“So I’ll see you later.”
Maho had a hurt look on her face as they parted.
She probably felt responsible for what she had arranged. She certainly wanted to give Riho a boost, but she hadn’t thought about what would happen after she was dumped.
“Sawaguchi san, you can talk to me if you need anything !”
At Ryoichi’s words, Maho smiled and waved her hand for a moment as if she had been saved.
“Then, Watanabe san. I’ll walk you home.”
With that, Ryoichi and Misa walked away.
★
Sitting in their seats, their bodies swayed with the flow of the train.
Watanabe san sits next to me across one seat, looking tired and dazed.
No wonder, she had just witnessed her best friend’s heartbreak.
Because of our unnecessary measures, Ishikawa san was dumped by Aizawa.
There was no response to the message I sent to Aizawa, and I could tell that he was hurting too. Usually, when a message is read, I get an immediate response, but this time, I didn’t get any messages after that.
I had told Sawaguchi san before that I did not want to get involved in any man-woman relationship, and that’s exactly what happened.
I had assumed that Sawaguchi san and Ishikawa san’s willingness to play the odds meant that their confession had more than a little chance of success.
But in love, people lose the ability to make accurate judgments.
Even if she did not know whether her confession would be successful or not, she would be carried away by the mood and challenge a game that she had no chance of winning. Even if she judges from the mood of the other person that it is impossible, she is unable to stop.
As a result, this is how it ends, with no one happy.
I looked to the side and saw Watanabe san’s body trembling and her lips tightly knit.
She must be feeling responsible for Ishikawa san’s broken heart. Her clenched fists were pale and looked as if she was chastising herself.
I wish I could say something to comfort her. But she refused to make eye contact with me, as if she was rejecting my words.
Seeing this, I realized that the miraculous time that had passed since the start of the new school year had come to an end.
I took the train from Waterfront Park Station, arrived at the local station, and walked down the street.
Perhaps because it was already after 10:00 p.m., the town that had been so noisy was quiet again, and only a few people were walking around.
Watanabe san’s house is located in an upscale residential area about a 10-minute walk from the station.
I had been asked by Sawaguchi san to see her off as much as I was allowed.
After getting off the train, Watanabe san began to walk in front of me, after only minimal conversation.
Her steps were heavy and not very forward, but I was relieved to still be in a situation where I could be with her, and the next moment self-loathing set in.
I look forward and see Watanabe san’s back.
What is she thinking about now?
About Ishikawa san? About Aizawa? Or is she worried that I might confess my feelings for her as we walk like this?
Judging from the grim expression I saw earlier, it is probably not something positive.
I knew firsthand that if I dropped her off at home today, we would probably be estranged from each other.
Aizawa and Ishikawa san, the bridge that connects the group, has been broken.
To begin with, I have no connection with her in the school, so if she refuses to interact with me, I won’t be able to talk to her.
When I think that this is the last time I’m going to talk to her, I get impatient to talk to her one last time.
“Sigh…….”
I let out a sigh and dismissed the thought.
Even though I just heard that Ishikawa san was dumped by Aizawa.
On top of that, if things get even worse between me and Watanabe san, she’ll definitely be in even more sorrow. Now, we can part ways cleanly.
The fun life we have had so far is like a bubble dream.
From the new semester, life will go on as before. That’s fine, I think……
As I was thinking like that,
I suddenly realized that I had stopped walking. Maybe it was because Watanabe san stopped, or maybe it was because I stopped, but we were both standing on the side of the road together.
Watanabe san turns around and looks at me with a tearful face. No, I actually saw her shed a tear.
“Are you okay?”
I naturally spoke to her.
She was sobbing, and all my previous thoughts were blown away, and for once I wanted to do something about her sadness.
“Ugh…….”
Watanabe san didn’t seem to realize that she was crying, and as she wiped her eyes with her hand, she let the tears flow one after another.
“Why…..am I……”
When you are crying in a place like this, you catch someone’s eye. I had just discovered the entrance to the park and took her there.
“I’m such a jerk.”
I sat her down on a park bench and waited beside her until she calmed down.
Because half-hearted words would not reach her, it seemed unfair to comfort her in her weakness.
“I didn’t think so. I agreed to Sawaguchi san’s story, and it was Aizawa’s decision to reject Ishikawa san. It is wrong for Watanabe san to blame herself.”
She didn’t do anything bad enough to blame herself to the point of crying like this.
“Besides, I think Watanabe san is a kind person. You comforted Ishikawa san who had her heart broken, and you are still hurting like this.”
I didn’t have the confidence that I could be as kind to her when I was in a similar position.
“I’m not qualified to be considered such a kind person by Aikawa kun !”
When she responded to my words, she spat the words at me, tears in her eyes and crying.
“I….I……”
“I’m sorry, I was insensitive. Take it easy.”
Watanabe san showed an anger I had never seen before. She was yelling, trembling, incoherent, and emotionally unstable.
I thought she might break down at this point, so I decided to break off the conversation.
“What do you mean impossible ! Why is….Aikawa kun so kind even at a time like this ! I don’t want to think about it……I shouldn’t be thinking about it right now !”
Her hands reached out and grabbed my clothes tightly. She turned her head and sobbed as she pulled on my clothes.
The sudden action confused me and I didn’t know what the right thing to do was.
“When I heard that Riho san had been dumped. I was relieved in my heart. In a corner of my mind, I thought to myself that I’m glad it wasn’t me !”
Here, Watanabe san reveals her feelings.
“It’s love. When someone gets dumped, it can’t be helped to overlap with yourself.”
To be honest, I won’t say that I didn’t feel that way myself.
When someone is unhappy, everyone probably feels that way in some corner of their mind.
But she shook her head at my words.
“Until just now, I wasn’t thinking about Riho san at all. What I was thinking about was that I was relieved to have avoided the same fate that awaited me. And I was impatient that we couldn’t stay in this relationship any longer.”
Watanabe san appealed to me with tears streaming from her eyes.
“What do you….mean by that?”
I was confused by what Watanabe san said. Then it is as if….
“I was going to confess my feelings today !”
I was greatly shocked by those words.
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