Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818622176550308690/episodes/16818792437667076046
“So… Renka, do you… like me…?”
After asking that question so naturally, I was surprised at myself.
Belatedly, I hurriedly covered my mouth.
But literally, everything was too late.
Renka’s puzzled expression gradually flushed red. That sight confirmed my words had reached her.
“Ah—no, no, it’s not like that! Um, this is…!!”
What exactly wasn’t like that? I didn’t even understand what I was saying myself.
But—well, wasn’t that the case?
After the sports festival. The words Renka had spoken to me on that riverbank were seared into my eardrums.
And then there was Renka’s attitude after that. Her aloofness vanished, the distance between us grew uncomfortably close, and her words and actions became increasingly indulgent toward me.
“…You know, I… I always thought Renka hated me.”
That day. After school, Renka had been talking behind my back.
Then, just a few days later, she told me straight to my face that she absolutely hated me.
So I decided to distance myself from her. For her sake, for my own. I thought it was the best way to protect both our hearts.
“But… back then, you told me, right? That it was all just putting on a brave face…”
Honestly. I couldn’t accept Renka’s words from back then with a pure heart.
Hate me, love me. Zero reasons to like you, yet loving your flaws too—those words, the complete opposite of everything before, shook my emotions violently. I hesitated to believe them.
But.
Now, I can say it clearly.
“Renka. —I’m sorry for everything up until now.”
It was my fault.
Everything—it was all my misunderstanding.
“Me, saying I’d keep my distance from Renka, making you call me by my last name… I must have hurt you so many times. So—I’m truly sorry.”
—If I’d just thought about it calmly, I would’ve realized it right away.
Would someone you truly hated make you lunch every single day?
Would they gently help you with your studies, or come take care of you when you had a cold?
“…I know apologizing won’t make it okay. But I just… I had to do this to feel better.”
While we were talking, the line started moving.
Before we knew it, we were second in line.
…Damn it. Instead of breaking the awkwardness, I just made it worse. My utterly pathetic communication skills leave me nothing but stunned.
“So, um… I won’t ever try to distance myself from Renka again. So it’s okay for you to treat me like you always have, right?”
The couple right in front of us were chattering away happily about something.
It was a picture of affection. …I felt just a little envious.
“Even if you call me an idiot Akito or a loser, that won’t make me dislike you. From now on, feel free to insult me just like before.”
Just as I said that, half-jokingly…
The couple seated on their float, ready to go, plunged down the slide with a rush. A high-pitched “Kyaa!” echoed across the pool.
Next up, please. The attendant’s lackluster announcement.
“Alright, again. Our turn.”
“Uh, yeah…”
Following the attendant’s instructions, we sat down on the inner tube like a sled.
But this inner tube I borrowed from Sena was a single-person size. Since we were using it in a way it probably wasn’t intended for,
…pressed herself tightly against me. Her soft body, her smooth skin, clung to my back.
What kind of face was Renka making right now?
Was she stunned by my apology? Angry? Or maybe—
“Hey, Akito—”
A whistle blew. The signal to start.
Simultaneously. Surrendering to the flow of water, we slid down the water slide.
From behind me came Renka’s cheerful, high-pitched voice. The descent was faster than I’d imagined, and I couldn’t help letting out a pathetic little yelp: “Whoa!”
“———Akito. I love you, okay?”
Splash!! …Accelerating with the slide, we plunged toward the pool’s surface.
The sound of violently rising water spray and the buzz of chatter around us.
Amidst that noisy summer—only Renka’s whispering voice made my eardrums vibrate.
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Thank god he’s not deaf this time