Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818622176550308690/episodes/16818792435423804026
As promised, I was walking home with Fujisaki.
It had been at least a month since we had walked side by side like this.
But what was different from before was that we were both silent.
We walked quietly along the night road filled with the sounds of insects, without saying anything in particular.
“Hey, Akito.”
After walking for a few minutes, Fujisaki suddenly spoke up.
I was startled and looked at her. Her beautiful face was turned straight ahead.
“Thanks for today. I’m sorry for being so selfish.”
“No, it’s fine…it was good practice for me too.”
“Really? Hehe, I’m glad.”
Fujisaki suddenly meets my gaze and smiles softly.
Her expression is so charming that I involuntarily avert my eyes.
“Akito has been amazing lately.”
However, Fujisaki continues speaking without seeming to notice.
Her voice sounds gentler than usual. Maybe it’s just my imagination.
“You’re taking care of yourself, studying hard, and working out. You’re eating balanced meals for lunch, and the dark circles under your eyes are gone. Plus, you’ve been practicing a lot for tomorrow’s sports festival. —Akito, you’re amazing, aren’t you?”
“Oh, well, I didn’t want to cause any trouble for Fujisaki…”
“I see. Thanks, Akito.”
Since a while ago, Fujisaki’s soprano voice had been calling my name over and over again.
Each time, a vague uneasiness built up in my chest. I couldn’t figure out what she was thinking.
“Hey, Akito. I’m sorry for everything up until now.”
“…Huh?”
Fujisaki stopped walking.
Her eyes were filled with tears.
“I…I’ve always said mean things to you. I must have hurt you a lot.”
Saying that, Fujisaki smiled weakly.
It was an obvious fake smile, one that anyone could tell was forced.
“So…Akito. I’m really sorry for everything.”
—No.
What I want to know is.
What I want to hear from Fujisaki’s mouth isn’t those words.
“Um…Fujisaki…”
I thought I had to ask.
What are you thinking, Fujisaki?
Why do you keep making that face?
Because…didn’t you hate me?
But.
Before I could find the words, Fujisaki’s thin lips parted.
“…Hey, Akito. Do you remember this riverbank?”
Her beautiful voice echoed in the silent night.
The night deepened.
The moonlight that had been shining on us disappeared behind the clouds.
“Well, I remember it, of course…it’s in my neighborhood, so it’s stuck in my memory. I used to play here a lot when I was little.”
“Yeah, that’s right. But for me…this riverbank is a very special place.”
Fujisaki turned her body around and began to gaze at the riverbank.
The green hill illuminated by streetlights and the calmly flowing river. She stared at them intently.
“Akito, do you remember? When I was in seventh grade, the day I was confessed to by a senior from the basketball club here on this riverbank?”
“…Of course I do. How could I forget?”
My lips twitched involuntarily.
It was the most vivid memory of my life, one I couldn’t forget no matter how hard I tried.
“When I rejected him, he got really angry. He tried to do something violent to me…fufu, it was so scary.”
That must have been the most painful experience for Fujisaki.
It should have been, but…
For some reason, she was smiling happily now.
“Then Akito came and tried to protect me by standing up to the senior. But…Akito is really bad at fighting. You got beaten up right away.”
“Stop it, don’t bring that up again. Damn it, this is so embarrassing…”
I wasn’t thinking straight at the time.
I heard Fujisaki’s cry of “Help!” and rushed over, which was fine.
But I foolishly attacked the senior. I should have called the police or shouted for help—there were smarter ways to handle it.
Plus, the senior was two years older and much bigger than me. There was no way I could beat him, and I was easily defeated.
“—At that moment, Akito looked like a hero from some manga.”
Fujisaki’s hair fluttered in the wind.
She held it back with her hand, her golden eyes shining.
“……I really hate heroes who get beaten up in a second after showing up.”
“Fufu. You’re right, maybe.”
She smiled brightly.
Soon, Fujisaki looked straight at my face and said,
“But…I like it.”
Eh…?
What did she just say…?
“I’ve always wanted to tell you that, Akito. Thank you for listening.”
“Wait, Fujisaki, what did you just say?”
“Akito. ….Let’s go home.”
My words were cut off by Fujisaki.
And—after that, until I dropped her off at her house.
We didn’t say a single word to each other.
Eventually, after I was alone, I
replayed Fujisaki’s words from earlier in my mind.
“…She said she liked me, right?”
What was that statement referring to?
The manga hero’s story? Or…no, something else?
“What the hell…”
I clenched my left chest tightly.
My heart was still pounding.
Her happy smile kept flashing through my mind.
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