Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/2912051603008595869
The day after I’d concluded, “I was wrong to think everyone liked me.”
On my way to school, I noticed something was off right away.
“Good morning, Kasugai-kun.”
Rena Himuro was waiting for me at the intersection near my house.
Her uniform was perfectly pressed as always, and her long black hair wasn’t a strand out of place. However, her house should be in the opposite direction from school, across the street.
“Why are you here?”
“It’s a coincidence.”
“Himuro’s house isn’t this way, is it?”
“I’m taking a morning walk.”
“A twenty-minute walk in the opposite direction from school?”
“It’s for my health.”
Himuro answered without the slightest sign of fluster.
“Kasugai-kun, you’re on your way to school too, aren’t you?”
“Does it look like anything else?”
“Well, let’s walk together then.”
“You were waiting here with that in mind from the start, weren’t you?”
“It’s just a coincidence that we’re headed to the same place.”
That was a pretty flimsy explanation.
Still, considering what happened yesterday, I could understand his reasoning.
Because I’d blurted out that strange misunderstanding, Himuro must have come to keep an eye on me so I wouldn’t jump to the wrong conclusions.
As a fellow heartbroken soul, he must be trying to clear up the misunderstanding.
“Kasugai-kun.”
“What?”
“Did you eat breakfast?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“What did you have?”
“Toast and fried eggs.”
“No vegetables, huh?”
“I’ll eat them for lunch.”
“What about dinner last night?”
“Staff meal at the restaurant.”
“What was it?”
“Do you really need to know that much?”
“It’s for health management.”
“Since when did you become my manager?”
“Since yesterday.”
She stated it flatly.
It seemed she’d been quite worried that I’d doubted her goodwill—even for a split second—yesterday.
“Himuro. You really don’t need to worry about what happened yesterday.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The time I mistakenly thought you guys might actually like me.”
“……Yes.”
“I’ve thought it over calmly.”
“Is that so?”
Himuro smiled.
It was a very beautiful smile.
“I’m really glad to hear that.”
“That’s kind of creepy.”
“It’s just your imagination.”
As we walked a little further, someone came running from across the intersection.
“Kasugai!”
It was Natsume, wearing her morning practice jersey.
“Hey, what about morning practice?”
“I decided to do my own training today!”
“Is it okay to just decide that on your own?”
“I contacted the coach!”
Natsume stopped in front of us, rested her hands on her knees, and caught her breath.
“I made it…”
“Made it where?”
“Walking to school with Kasugai.”
“We didn’t make a promise, did we?”
“We decided yesterday!”
“With who?”
“Myself!”
That wasn’t a promise—it was a resolution.
“Natsume-san.”
Himuro’s voice turned cold.
“If you’re heading to school from your house, isn’t this route a huge detour?”
“Same goes for you, Himuro!”
“I’m just taking a walk.”
“I’m doing morning practice!”
“There’s no such thing as morning practice that involves running away from school.”
“It’s mental training to get over a broken heart!”
She sure found a convenient excuse.
As the two of them argued with me caught in the middle, I heard the sound of bicycle brakes from behind.
“Kasugai…”
I turned around to see Shiina riding her bike.
Her front basket was filled with a huge stack of books.
“Even you, Shiina?”
“I’m on my way to school.”
“Your house isn’t this way, is it?”
“I was planning to return some books to the library.”
“Is it open this early in the morning?”
“……The return slot is open 24 hours.”
“But that’s on the opposite side of school.”
“After I returned the books, I suddenly felt like taking a detour.”
All three of them were making similar excuses.
My misunderstanding yesterday must have made things really awkward for them.
Probably, they’re reflecting on how getting too close as fellow heartbroken friends led to the misunderstanding, and are now trying to create a more natural distance between us.
As a result, for some reason, they’ve all ended up gathering on my way to school.
Human relationships are complicated.
“Anyway, let’s head to school.”
“Okay.”
“Right!”
“We’ll walk while pushing our bikes.”
Himuro is on my right.
Natsume is on my left.
A little behind us, Shiina is walking while pushing her bike.
I wonder what kind of group we look like to passersby.
“Kasugai-kun.”
Shiina called out from behind.
“How far did you get in the novel yesterday?”
“Page 128.”
“That’s eight pages more than planned.”
“I did a great job, didn’t I?”
“Yes. I’m very proud.”
Shiina smiled happily.
At that moment, Himuro reacted.
“Please don’t treat Kasugai-kun like a child.”
“I was just praising him.”
“In that case, I’ll praise him too.”
“For what?”
“You worked hard yesterday as well.”
“That’s sudden.”
“Also, I appreciate that you walked away without looking back at Mizuse-san.”
“Don’t bring up such heavy topics first thing in the morning.”
“I’ll praise him too!”
Natsume patted me on the shoulder.
“For what?”
“You arranged my extra-large parfait so beautifully!”
“It’s my job.”
“Also, you stood silently in front of me while I was crying!”
“Let’s drop that topic already.”
“No, I won’t. That’s an important memory for me.”
Saying that, Natsume blushed slightly.
Apparently, to clear up yesterday’s misunderstanding, all three of them were trying to tell me, “It’s not romance—it’s gratitude.”
I’m grateful for that, though.
“Good morning, everyone.”
Just as we were approaching the school, I heard Kotonoha’s voice.
She was with Ren.
“Yuto, so you’re walking to school with Himuro-san and the others today?”
“We just happened to run into them.”
“All three of them?”
“Yeah.”
“What an amazing coincidence.”
Kotonoha was smiling.
However, her gaze was fixed on Himuro, who was standing next to me.
“Mizuse-san. Good morning.”
“Good morning, Himuro-san.”
“Takamiya-kun, too.”
“Good morning.”
On the surface, it was a polite exchange.
Still, for some reason, the atmosphere felt tense.
“Yuto.”
“What?”
“Do you have a little time after school today?”
At those words, Himuro and the others reacted simultaneously.
“No.”
Himuro replied.
“Kasugai has a part-time job!”
Natsume chimed in.
“He is planning to read, too.”
Even Shiina joined in.
“She’s asking me, right?”
“Yeah.”
Kotonoha smiled, looking a little flustered.
“There’s something I want to discuss regarding our class preparations for the cultural festival.”
“Then we can just do that in the classroom, right?”
“I’d prefer to talk to you one-on-one, if possible.”
Just the two of us, again.
In the past, I would have been excited to hear those words.
Now, I feel just a little wary.
“It depends on what it’s about.”
“It’s something I can only ask you, Yuto.”
Kotonoha looked straight at me.
Next to her, Ren wore a slightly complicated expression.
It might indeed be a little strange to ask another guy to talk alone with her right in front of her boyfriend.
“Kotonoha.”
Ren spoke up quietly.
“Can’t I come along too?”
“It doesn’t concern you, Ren.”
“You say it doesn’t concern me…”
“I’m sorry. But I want to talk to Yuto.”
Ren’s expression clouded over.
I felt an unpleasant sensation deep in my chest.
Kotonoha believes that I’ll put her first, just as I always have.
The old me would have gone along with that.
But not now.
“Sorry. I can’t today.”
“Why?”
“I’ve got student council work and my part-time job. Besides, if it’s something you can’t tell Ren, I think it’s better if I don’t hear it either.”
“Are you saying that too, Yuto?”
“You have a boyfriend, Kotonoha, so you should be careful about that sort of thing.”
As I said it, I was surprised at myself.
The me from just a little while ago would have put everything else aside to help Kotonoha if she’d asked.
But now, I can’t just ignore Ren’s expression.
“……I understand.”
Kotonoha looked down.
“It’s fine.”
She walked on ahead.
Ren gave me a slight bow and followed after Kotonoha.
I watched their backs as they walked away.
“Kasugai-kun,”
Himuro said from beside me.
“That was the right decision.”
“I wonder if it was.”
“Yes.”
“But I hurt Kotonoha.”
“You can’t change a relationship without hurting someone.”
Himuro’s tone was calm.
“Besides, Mizuse-san has Takamiya-kun.”
“……You’re right.”
“There’s no need to drag Kasugai-kun into this too.”
I let out a short sigh.
Then Natsume patted me on the back.
“Don’t look so serious.”
“That hurts.”
“Want to grab a parfait after school?”
“You’re the one who’s going to eat it, aren’t you?”
“Today, I’ll give Kasugai a bite.”
“That’s unusual.”
“It’s a special bite—the first time I’ve shared with anyone since my breakup.”
“That’s a bit heavy.”
Shiina also spoke up quietly.
“That scene today was really good.”
“Are you planning to turn it into a novel again?”
“I can use it as a scene where the protagonist doesn’t go back to a past love but chooses their current friends instead.”
“I don’t remember choosing anyone, though.”
Shiina said nothing, but gave a small smile.
The moment I saw that smile.
Once again, the same doubt that had crossed my mind yesterday flashed through my head.
Could it be…
That they aren’t just happy—as friends—that I turned Kotonoha down?
Himuro tries to control my life.
Natsume says our memories together are special.
Shiina is writing a story based on me.
And today, all three of them took a detour just to walk to school with me.
This is definitely…
“Kasugai-kun?”
Himuro tilts her head.
“What’s wrong?”
“No, nothing…”
For just a moment, I glance back and forth between their faces.
Surely not… could it really be?
“Could it be that you guys—”
All three of their expressions froze at the same time.
Himuro held her breath.
Natsume’s cheeks flushed.
Shiina gripped her bike’s handlebars tightly.
Seeing their reactions, I was on the verge of being certain.
But.
The next moment, I remembered what I’d said yesterday.
[Maybe everyone likes me.]
Right after I said that, all three of them looked at me with utter disbelief.
Himuro even called it a “terrible misunderstanding.”
In other words, their reaction just now was simply them being wary that I might make the same cringeworthy remark again.
Close call.
I was about to make the same mistake two days in a row.
“…Is there something you want to say to me?”
I quickly changed the subject.
The three of them fell silent.
“Yes.”
Himuro was the first to answer.
“Please pay a little more attention to what’s going on around you.”
“I thought I was.”
“It’s not enough.”
“I have something to say, too.”
Natsume pursed her lips.
“What?”
“There’s a limit to how clueless you can be.”
“About what?”
“That’s exactly why I’m telling you—because you don’t get it!”
I was scolded for no good reason.
“Me, too…”
Shiina hesitantly raised her hand.
“Kasugai-kun, you lack the ability to pick up on foreshadowing in the story.”
“You mean in novels?”
“I’m talking about real life.”
“Is there even such a thing as foreshadowing in real life?”
“There’s plenty right in front of you.”
All three of them were saying the strangest things.
I guess they were trying to scold me about yesterday’s misunderstanding after all.
I came to my own conclusion and started walking toward school.
Behind me.
“He was definitely about to figure it out just now, right?”
“Yes.”
“Why does he always end up going back?”
“It’s not the ‘protagonist’s advantage’—it’s the ‘protagonist’s flaw’…”
The three of them were talking about something, but I couldn’t hear them clearly over the sound of the wind.
At least one thing is clear to me.
They’re my precious companions in heartbreak.
I mustn’t make any unnecessary misunderstandings and ruin that relationship.
That’s exactly why.
I’ll make sure never to repeat that self-consciousness—the kind that makes me doubt their goodwill—ever again.
As I stood there, my resolve firm,
I didn’t notice, of course, that Himuro and the other two were all letting out deep sighs in unison.
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