Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818622176550308690/episodes/16818792437985111111
Then—before I knew it, time had flown by.
The morning after talking with Suzukita-san.
We met up with Sena and Renka and thoroughly enjoyed the breakfast buffet.
For some reason… Sena and Renka seemed closer than usual. They held hands as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and well, it was… a sight that was easy on the eyes.
Before we knew it, it was time to check out.
Hanging around the lobby with drinks in hand, we ran into Suzukita-san and the others again.
Suzukita-san greeted me with her usual bright smile.
…She’s strong, I thought. I genuinely respect Suzukita-san’s positive attitude.
“Alrighty, we’re heading back first~! See ya at school, Ayatacchi!”
With that, Suzukita-san winked and blew me a kiss.
What the heck is this gal doing, I thought. Or maybe this kind of thing is just normal communication for Suzukita-san after all. …If that’s the case, it feels a bit old-fashioned though.
And then—see you at school, huh.
Come to think of it, Suzukita-san had mentioned she was going back to her paternal grandparents’ house in August. She said it wouldn’t be a problem if we just talked on the phone while doing Enfil, but I remember her joking, “I’ll be so sad I’ll cry if I can’t see Ayatacchi~!”
After seeing Suzukita-san and the others off, we stopped by to see Yuri’s dad. We dropped by to say hello, also as a thank you for this time. He gave us that smile, saying we should come anytime—and I thought again what a generous person he was.
After that, we took the bus to the station and boarded the reserved limited express train.
In our six-person compartment, sunlight streamed in through the window. Sena, sitting across from me, flashed a bright smile.
“Ahh, that was so much fun! Want to go again, everyone?”
“…Yeah. Well, next year’s all about exams, so probably not.”
“Hey, Akito-kun, don’t be such a downer! Ugh, you’re killing the mood.”
Next to Sena, Renka… kept her eyes downcast and didn’t say a word.
Come to think of it, Renka had been unusually quiet since this morning. She seemed to be chatting away with Sena, but with me, it was just the bare minimum of conversation. She barely even met my gaze. When she was with Suzukita-san and the others, I remember her practically hiding behind Sena the whole time.
…Had something happened? Was my apology at the pool yesterday a mistake? Could it be I’d only added to the burden on Renka’s heart?
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure it out. Precisely because I couldn’t—I felt I needed to face her properly.
Holding onto a vague unease and a faint hope.
I swayed back and forth as the train continued its rocking motion.
Suddenly, I looked out the window. Facing the glowing sunset, my chest ached for some reason.
◇◇◇
We arrived at the nearest station.
Seeing the familiar sight of the platform, I truly felt the trip had ended.
Laughing and saying “It was fun,” we walked side by side on the way home. At a fork along the way, we waved goodbye with a “See you later.”
And then… I was alone with Renka.
We walked quietly along the riverbank where bell crickets chirped.
“……………….”
“……………….”
Not a single conversation-like conversation passed between us.
An oddly awkward silence hung in the air. What kind of things did I always talk about with Renka?
“Um, Renka…”
I spoke up, even though I hadn’t thought of anything to say.
Damn it, I thought. Glancing sideways at Renka’s adorable, puzzled face tilting her head, I tried desperately to come up with something to say.
“So… did you have fun?”
“…Yeah.”
“Oh. Well, I’m glad…”
After exchanging only that much conversation, we fell silent again.
Only the chirping of insects echoed in the sunset sky tinged with night.
Soon—without starting any conversation—we arrived at the front of Renka’s house.
“…,”
—What is this feeling?
I felt lonely. It was only natural, I suppose, since the trip I’d been looking forward to for so long had ended.
But…more than that, everything felt somehow unsatisfying.
Yesterday afternoon. I suddenly recalled playing on the water slide.
[——Akito. I love you, okay?]
Renka hugged me tightly from behind and whispered that right into my ear.
Could that… have meant what I thought it meant?
Or was it just another misunderstanding on my part? Like that time before, just me jumping to conclusions?
[You see, I—I like that about you, Akito. I really do.]
[Actually, you know—I like your flawed parts too, Akito?]
Right after the sports festival ended. When I ran off to the riverbank, Renka comforted me like that.
Holding me gently as I couldn’t contain my frustration. Renka told me that in her gentle voice.
I wanted to know.
The deeper, truer feelings Renka had hidden within those words.
So I took a deep breath, then said,
“Um… Renka—”
“Hey, Akito—”
At the same moment our voices spoke.
Our gazes locked perfectly.
Startled… I lost the words I’d been about to say.
“Ah… s-sorry, Renka.”
“N-no… I’m sorry too…”
We both looked away.
We stared down at the floor, a wordless silence flowing between us.
“—Um, listen—”
I managed to break the silence.
Renka, meanwhile, looked up at me with her usual anxious gaze.
“…August 31st. There’s supposed to be a fireworks festival on the last day of summer vacation.”
My heartbeat quickened.
Fear and tension. And with a little hope mixed in—I continued speaking to Renka.
“So, if it’s okay with you, Renka… would you like to go with me? If possible… just the two of us.”
My voice trembled with nervousness as I said this.
…Pathetic, I thought. But for now, this was enough. Getting the message across was what mattered most.
But Renka…
Her beautiful eyes—were brimming with tears.
“R-Renka…?”
“Ah… I-I’m sorry. It’s nothing… I’m fine, really.”
Renka smiled.
It was a clumsy, forced smile. My chest ached sharply.
“…Sorry. Of course you’d hate that. Even if we’re childhood friends, just the two of us going to a fireworks festival… That’d be like a date.”
“N-no! I-I didn’t mean that…!”
Her slender, white fingertips gripped the sleeve of my shirt tightly.
Then, her thin lips trembled slightly as she said,
“…Me too, you know? I was planning to ask Akito to that fireworks festival too…”
Eh—I was speechless.
But as if to pile on the shock,
Renka covered her mouth with the sleeve of her free hand, as if to hide her flushed face.
“I… I want to see the fireworks too. I want to go on a date with Akito…”
Then, she glanced up at me with those big eyes.
Bathing in that utterly adorable gesture… my heart nearly stopped. I took a deep breath, forcing oxygen into my lungs.
“…Akito. Later… can I send you a message…?”
“Oh, uh… sure. Please do.”
“Okay, thanks. …See you later, Akito.”
“…Yeah. See you, Renka.”
After exchanging only those words, Renka’s figure disappeared through the door.
Once I was alone again… my thoughts drifted back to that day we made our promise.
I wanted to know for sure.
What kind of feelings were truly behind Renka’s words, “I love you,” directed at me?
What kind of “true feelings” did she hide from me?
And one more thing.
Why does my heart ache so terribly?
Every time I see the happy smile of the person Renka has loved for so long.
Why does it make me feel… so miserable?
(――――I don’t want to regret this…)
I repeat—I want to know.
Renka’s “true feelings.” My own “true feelings.”
And then, after seeing everything with my own eyes… I want to tell her how I feel.
Because if I don’t—I feel like I’ll carry this pain with me for the rest of my life.
Because I have this feeling that I’ll leave something fatally wrong.
So, can I—affirm this feeling?
–
–
If you enjoy our content, feel free to donate, Thank you in advance !
She literally said I love you and bro still doesn’t fucking know what her true feeling is
Well thats average romcom mc ig
For real I came to post this. Like what the fuck is there to misunderstand about I love you. Is the MC special needs or something?