Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093093152263860/episodes/16818622176203878662
――The next day.
I decided to contact all the numbers listed in the letter.
“Hello, I’d like to explain about the article!”
On the other end of the line, I heard a clearly surprised voice. It seemed that the person featured in the weekly magazine didn’t expect me to contact them. Even though they were the ones who contacted me!
“Eh? What? Is that?”
“Yes. I feel that there are many misunderstandings about me and Asahina Toka. So, I would like to talk to you directly.”
“Um, does that mean… you’ll agree to an interview?”
“Yes!”
I looked at the notes I had prepared in advance and said clearly. The voice on the other end of the phone became agitated.
“Yes. Then I’ll see you in front of my house at 4:00 p.m.!”
The moment I ended the call, I put my cell phone on the desk and exhaled deeply. My heart was still beating loudly.
“Ryo kun, are you really going to do it…?”
Toka looked at me with a worried expression. I nodded vigorously so she wouldn’t notice my anxiety.
“I’ll do it. If I don’t, Toka will stay shut in forever.”
“But…”
Toka looked down anxiously. She was clutching the hem of her skirt with her fingertips.
“…What if he says something weird again? If you get involved and have a bad experience, I won’t be able to bear it…”
Hearing her words, I gently placed my hand on top of Toka’s. I wrapped my hand around her small, slightly cold hand.
“…Why are you doing so much for me, Ryo kun?”
“Now?!”
“But…”
Toka let out a pitiful voice and squeezed my hand back. Her grip became just a little stronger.
“There’s no way I can go to school smiling when Toka is depressed! There’s no way I can act normal when Toka is shut in! Don’t worry, if I talk to them properly, they’ll understand!”
I turned my face away slightly and pretended to rub my nose. It’s really embarrassing to say something like that in real life.
“It’s just a simple thing. I wanted to do something for the girl I like. That’s all.”
“But I haven’t done anything for you, Ryo-kun…”
“That’s okay! The beauty of supporting someone is something you taught me long ago.”
◇
Just before 4 PM, I decided to confront the reporters at the front door of my house.
“Ugyaaaaaa!”
A girl wearing a beret and sunglasses came running back to my side, screaming.
“Sorry, that must have been scary.”
“When I saw it, someone came out of a black car!”
“Nice distraction!”
“Using your own sister as bait!”
…Reporters who couldn’t be contacted, especially those who were staking out, were guided by Yuzuha wearing Toka’s uniform. The sunglasses sisters from before proved useful in an unexpected place.
“I never thought that Yuzuha’s imitation of Toka would come in handy here!”
“…You’re talking about that old story again. Are you nervous, onii chan?”
“…”
I meant to make a lighthearted remark, but my sister saw right through me.
“…Actually, quite a bit. My heart is about to jump out of my mouth. Yuzuha, I actually have one more favor to ask you.”
“A favor?”
“Film me with your phone.”
“Film? Sure, but why?”
“I don’t want our conversation to be taken out of context or twisted in some weird way.”
Perhaps my nervousness was contagious, because Yuzuha took her cell phone out of her pocket with a stern expression on her face.
I remembered the article with Toka’s photo that said “Failed Upbringing”… I definitely wanted to avoid having part of it cut out and twisted into something strange.
“Toka-neechan, she has been fighting this kind of thing all along, haven’t you?”
“It’s not so much that I was fighting, but rather that I was being beaten…”
“I think you’re cool now, onii chan.”
“It doesn’t make me happy at all when my little sister says that!”
“Come on, you could at least be a little happy! If there’s anything I can do, just let me know.”
“It’s helpful. Actually, I asked you because I knew you’d definitely help.”
“What’s with that trust?”
As Yuzuha and I were having this exchange, more and more reporters started gathering. There were so many people gathered in front of my house that it didn’t feel like my own home.
(Calm down, me…)
My chest felt hot, and my throat felt dry. My palms were sweaty, and I could feel my fingers trembling slightly as I held my smartphone. Even when I took a deep breath, the uneasiness in my chest didn’t subside at all. In fact, my breathing felt shallow, and it felt like I couldn’t get enough air.
“Yuzuha, you should take off your sunglasses now.”
“Ah”
Yuzuha hurriedly took off her sunglasses, and some people gasped in surprise. Good, the diversion plan seems to have worked perfectly.
The journalists’ gazes and camera flashes pierced me like countless needles. Their stares were terrifying. Even though I was just standing there, my whole body stiffened.
(Toka, you’ve been alone under these stares all this time…)
Now I can understand her feelings a little. How lonely and anxious she must have been. That’s why now I have to stand in front of her.
In the corner of my eye, I could see Yuzuha holding her smartphone. That familiar sight helped me regain my composure a little. As I took a step forward, the shutter sounds of cameras echoed simultaneously among the reporters in response to my movement.
“Thank you all for gathering here today!”
My voice trembled slightly, but I managed to speak clearly. The words came out.
“My name is Kuga Ryo! There is something I must convey regarding the content of this article.”
I heard Yuzuha gently press the record button on her smartphone. In that moment, something inside me shifted slightly.
“There is absolutely nothing between me and Kagurazaka Kaede!”
My voice shook the air around me. For an instant, the journalists’ murmurs ceased. But soon, the shutter sounds resumed, someone began writing, and someone else pointed a microphone at me.
“…The person I’m really dating is a former child actress who is said to be a genius.”
My voice naturally became louder. I had to speak clearly and directly so that no matter how much of my words were cut out, there would be no misunderstanding. I was done trying to hide it like I did in school!
“Asahina Toka is my girlfriend! Toka and I are dating!”
I declared it in front of everyone.
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