Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093093152263860/episodes/16818792436241660385
“I can’t eat anymore!”
Back in the room, I flopped down onto the plush sofa. My stomach hurt from overeating. The hotel dinner buffet was insanely luxurious! Meat, fish, Japanese, Western—everything imaginable was all-you-can-eat. You could pile on as much salmon roe as you wanted, they even had roast beef, and the pizza was fresh out of the oven! Of course I ate it all!
“I just wanna sleep like this…”
My stomach was screaming in blissful pain. Kagurazaka parents say “eating yourself silly is the real thrill of travel,” so they watched me eat with very amused smiles.
“Tsuun…”
Toka let out a weird little cry. But for some reason, my Toka-chan was now in a foul mood.
“Are you still mad?”
“Because you talk to other girls besides me.”
“If this keeps up, I’ll end up unable to talk to half of humanity.”
This is troublesome… Obviously, Kagurazaka and I aren’t that kind of relationship. Besides, she’s an elementary school kid! Could she even be a romantic prospect?!
…But I was curious. Why was Kagurazaka crying back then? After that, she seemed to be laughing happily the whole time, and she didn’t look like she was troubled by anything…
“You cheater, Ryo-kun! You cheater, Ryo-kun!”
Toka started patting my chest softly. It had just the right amount of force, and it hurt a little.
There might be all sorts of reasons, but there’s no doubt Kagurazaka Kaede is like a little sister to Asahina Toka. Watching them today, even if they have complicated feelings towards each other, they’re definitely not on bad terms.
“Toka—”
If Kagurazaka’s tears had anything to do with Asahina Toka, I couldn’t just ignore it. Besides, Kagurazaka is one of Toka’s few friends.
“I think I’ll go talk to Kagurazaka for a bit.”
“Haaaaaaaaaaa!?”
“Something’s bothering me. Want to come?”
“Wh-why are you worried about Kaede-san, Ryo-kun?! Waaaaaah, we haven’t even been dating that long and you’re already trying to cheat!”
“That’s not it! Ah, fine, whatever!”
I wrapped my arms tightly around Tohka, who was thrashing wildly.
“Trust your own boyfriend properly!”
“……”
Toka froze completely against my chest.
“…I do trust you.”
She murmured that softly, her face pressed against my chest. Her voice felt strangely ticklish.
“I just have something on my mind.”
“…Are you sure you’re not cheating?”
“Of course not. You’re the only girl I have eyes for.”
“Then kiss me.”
“Huh?”
“We haven’t kissed since we got here.”
I gently peered at Toka’s face. Her long lashes trembled ever so slightly.
“…Mmm.”
The moment our lips touched, Toka’s shoulders jerked.
Just a light kiss, barely a second long. But Toka kept her eyes closed, her cheeks flushed a faint pink.
◇
Stepping out of the room, the hallway felt cool, the bustle of the buffet hall fading into the distance. Descending to the first floor and heading toward the large lobby, I spotted Kagurazaka sitting alone, holding an ice cream stick.
“What’s wrong? It’s dangerous being alone.”
“Ah… Boyfriend onii chan.”
“That’s a weird way to put it.”
“Ehehe.”
Unlike her smile earlier, this one had a slight shadow to it. Apparently, she’d been lost in thought.
“So, onii chan, what’s that thing behind you?”
“Take a good look. This is the current state of the senior you admire!”
I forcefully turned my back to Kagurazaka!
It looked like some kind of transforming robot—Toka was practically attached to my backpack. She had me completely pinned from behind. If this were a wrestling move, I’d have tapped out in three seconds flat. Seriously, coming into the lobby like this was super embarrassing!
“Onee chan looks really happy…”
Kagurazaka murmured softly, watching Toka clinging to my back. The brightness of the daytime had vanished somewhere.
“Hey, you were crying earlier, right? I was wondering about that.”
“……”
Kagurazaka’s eyes widened slightly at my words. Then, she immediately averted her gaze toward the sea stretching out beyond the glass window.
“Once this trip ends, work starts up again…”
“Yeah. After a fun trip, work or school just feels depressing, doesn’t it?”
“That’s part of it, but…”
Kagurazaka let out a deep sigh. She had an air of maturity about her that made me hold my breath.
“The next ‘failed development’ will probably be me…”
“Huh?”
Unanticipated words came out of Kagurazaka.
“A transfer from the agency, a scandal… Who would want to use an actor who was involved in something like that?”
“Hmm, I wonder…”
“I see a lot online, so I know. Kagurazaka Kaede has a really bad reputation right now. I know people are saying I’ve been declining lately. And that Asahina Toka was way better—”
I couldn’t find the words immediately. Is this how it is for everyone in showbiz…? Getting attention probably means facing just as much criticism and backlash. And these kids have been fighting that the whole time.
“…It’s pathetic, isn’t it? I pushed onee chan aside to get where I am now. I shouldn’t have become a ‘failed project’… Because, because—”
Large tears fell from Kagurazaka’s eyes onto her knees.
“Because… because I stole Asahina Toka’s SSR smile from everyone! I stole onee chan’s SSR smile!”
Kagurazaka stared at us with a desperate expression. Her body, still carrying a school backpack, bore a burden so immense it was beyond anything I could have imagined.
“…If you’re that afraid of being a ‘failed,’ maybe I could help you?”
While I was desperately searching for the next words to say, the backpack on my back suddenly spoke!
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