Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/822139845923627658/episodes/2912051596035260250
After that, the ambiguous situation with Mashiro continued.
Even when I steeled myself to ask her once more what that kiss really meant, she dodged the question and lashed out at me as if to get even. The next time, she lashed out again.
No matter how objectively I tried to look at it, I couldn’t help but think Mashiro had feelings for me, but she’d clearly told me she hated me… I couldn’t bring myself to ignore that and confess—I wasn’t willing to take that kind of gamble. Partly because of that, and partly because I simply didn’t have the guts.
Being in that kind of situation was, of course, wearing on my nerves.
I usually stay home on my days off, but today, to clear my head, I hopped on a train and wandered around town.
But there wasn’t much I could do alone, and by evening I’d run out of things to do, so I decided to head home early.
“…What kind of day off is this?”
I went up to the station platform and joined the line waiting for the train.
Then, putting my hands on my hips,
““…………Haa.””
Sighs piled up.
When I looked to my side, standing there was Mashiro.
……The god of romance comedies really is capricious.
“K, Kensuke……”
“M, Mashiro……”
A blue collared shirt and flared dark denim pants.
Mashiro, looking mature in her casual clothes, took a step back when she saw me.
“W, why are you here, Kensuke…… Are you a stalker? You’re a stalker, aren’t you? You’re definitely a stalker.”
“Could you please not just declare me guilty in your own head?”
“I mean, how likely is a coincidence like this? It doesn’t usually happen, does it?”
“That’s exactly why I’m surprised…”
“…That’s so obvious. Do you really want to talk to me on your day off that badly? If so, why don’t you learn a more legitimate way to go about it? Even though we’re childhood friends, I’m seriously tempted to take you to the police station for this.”
“Why are you assuming I’m a stalker, anyway…”
If people around us hear this, they might get the wrong idea, so please, cut me some slack.
“I was just wandering around to kill some time.”
“By yourself?”
“Is that a problem?”
“Not really. I just realized I didn’t need to ask.”
“That was an unnecessary comment… So what were you doing, Mashiro, all by yourself?”
“How can you be so sure I’m alone? That’s incredibly rude.”
“You’re alone, Mashiro. I mean, you are alone right now.”
“Huh?! …It’s nothing. I just decided on a whim to go out today.”
So you’re alone too, huh.
While we were talking about that, a train pulled into the platform.
Three stops from here to my nearest station.
As I tried to board, I was surprised by how crowded the train was.
“W-why are there so many people…”
“It’s packed…”
Looking at the passengers, they were all wearing the same T-shirts or carrying similar shopping bags.
Apparently, there had been an event nearby.
Still, I managed to get on, and the train pulled away.
—But.
“It’s, it’s so close…”
“What can you do? It’s crowded…”
I was pressed up against Mashiro, almost facing her.
Because of the height difference, Mashiro fit perfectly into my chest.
The sweet scent of Mashiro tickling my nostrils, the soft feel of her body.
It had been a long time since we’d been this close, and vivid memories came flooding back.
[Ah… Ken, suke… Ken-su, ke…!!]
N-no, this is bad. This is really bad.
If I remember this in a situation like this, it’ll be a disaster.
My master will find out. I can’t say any more than that.
“H-hold on a sec.”
“W-what is it?”
“Could you please stop looking at me like that?”
“Huh? I’m not looking at you.”
“…That reaction means you are looking. It’s creepy.”
“!!”
I decided to remain silent and just stare intently at the advertisements.
Before long, the train arrived at the next station and the doors opened.
A wave of people surged out onto the platform one after another.
“Ah!”
Mashiro was suddenly swept up in the wave and stumbled.
I instinctively grabbed Mashiro’s hand to steady her.
“K, Kensuke…”
“Let’s get off for a moment. We’re just getting in the way standing here.”
“U, uh-huh.”
We both stepped down onto the platform.
“…………”
“…………”
Then, we got back on the train.
We were still holding hands.
“—Track 3, the train is departing.”
The train started moving slowly, then accelerated rapidly, speeding out of the station.
Even so, Mashiro and I were still holding hands.
For some reason, I didn’t want to let go.
“…………”
I thought she’d get even angrier, but Mashiro stood quietly in front of me.
She had her head down, so I couldn’t see her expression, but the small ears peeking out from her lustrous black hair were slightly red.
The train swayed, and Mashiro bumped into the large man standing behind her. It looked pretty cramped.
“Mashiro, wait a sec.”
“Hm?”
I forcefully switched places with Mashiro so we were facing each other again.
“! ………… Ah, thank you.”
“Y-you’re welcome.”
We were still holding hands.
It was a strange sensation.
My heart was pounding, yet I felt calm.
I felt as if I were floating, yet I was also firmly grounded in the present moment.
“…………”
“…………”
Mashiro didn’t let go of my hand.
So I didn’t let go either.
We just stood there, swaying with the train, almost forgetting the sensation of our hands touching.
We arrived at our stop and passed through the ticket gates.
Mashiro and I were still holding hands.
“…………”
“…………”
We hadn’t spoken a word since then, and a strange silence hung between us.
I felt weird because I was so nervous, and Mashiro looked weird too, all quiet and demure.
To begin with, the very fact that Mashiro and I were holding hands was strange.
Even though we’d done it twice already, just holding hands made my heart race this much…
As my heart beat faster, it was Mashiro who broke the silence first.
“…H-how long are you going to keep holding my hand?”
“Ah, s-sorry.”
Finally, our hands parted.
“Seriously…”
Mashiro turned her head away as if she were upset and started walking.
I started walking too.
Even though we’d let go of each other’s hands, a tingling atmosphere lingered, perhaps a remnant of what had just happened.
“Hey, Mashiro.”
“W-what?”
I thought now might be the time to ask.
“Do you really hate me?”
“Huh?! W-what are you suddenly…”
“You didn’t really feel anything for me, but you… did that with me?”
“Huh!! T-there are people around! Don’t talk about that here.”
“B-but…”
“…Let’s talk about this later.”
“Later… If we do that, Mashiro, you’ll just run away, won’t you?”
“I-I’m not running away. It’s just that you’re being pushy and annoying. Besides, I-I…”
Mashiro stopped in her tracks and clenched her fists tightly.
She lowered her gaze slightly and murmured in a faint voice.
“I, I don’t feel anything for Kensuke……”
“?!”
Mashiro’s footsteps echoed as she began walking briskly away.
Is that really true?
Could it just be that her pride won’t let her admit it?
If so, was I just mistaken?
Was I just hoping she didn’t hate me?
“Hey, do you really like me?”
Suddenly, those words reached my ears.
Mashiro and I both looked toward the sound, and there was a young couple making out.
“I do.”
“Really?”
“I mean it.”
“Words alone aren’t enough.”
“……Then…”
The guy leaned in close to the girl and kissed her.
““!!!””
And there they were… a couple kissing right in front of the station, not caring who was watching…!
“You get it now, right?”
“Yeah, I love you too ♡”
This time, the girl kissed him back, and from there, their passionate embrace began.
……That’s right. Couples kissing in front of the station don’t stop at a French kiss. They go all the way to a deep kiss.
“W-what…?”
I made eye contact with Mashiro, who was gaping in shock.
I took a step closer to a stunned Mashiro.
“B-but, you see…”
“H-huh? What do you mean, ‘but’? What are you trying to say?”
“Words alone won’t get the message across. That’s why… I did it.”
“Huh?! What on earth are you quoting from a couple kissing in front of the station without a care in the world… what credibility does that have?!”
“That’s exactly what romance is! I mean, it’s the textbook of romance—that’s the truth of the world!”
“Huh⁉ Kensuke, you’re talking complete nonsense⁉”
“Mashiro and I have been a mess for ages now! We’re in this together, all of us!”
“Don’t lump me in with you⁉ Just being associated with you would make a puppy in its growth spurt stop eating its food⁉”
“How much stress is this causing me… Just tell me the truth already!”
“You want me to say I like you⁉”
“That’s not what I mean! I just want to know what you really meant that day…!”
“Well then, I’ll say it loud and clear!”
Mashiro glared at me fiercely and blurted it out with such force it felt like she was about to grab me by the collar.
“I hate Kensuke. I hate him so much!!”
“……Wait, does that even explain why you kissed me?”
“Shut up! I’m going home!!”
Mashiro turned her back on me and walked away.
Mashiro’s “I hate you” must have been pretty loud, because the couple in front of the station (etc.) were looking at me with expressions that said, “What a brutal breakup lol” and “Poor guy lol.”
But I was so distraught that I didn’t even notice their stares.
“What the hell is this… This is such a hassle… I’m a hassle myself, but Mashiro is even more of a hassle…!”
I felt like crumpling down right there.
Which is it, really?
Does Mashiro hate me? Or does she like me, just like when we kissed?
I’d thought about just telling her myself, but there’s no way I could say anything in this state. After being told she hates me, I can’t see a future where that would work out.
“What am I supposed to do…”
In the end, I ended up crumpling down.
▽ ▽ ▽
“Cough, cough…”
I’m alone in my room, coughing.
I’m stuck in my room on a weekday because I’ve come down with a high fever.
After what happened, I obviously couldn’t talk to Mashiro, and I ended up getting sick from worrying too much.
It’s just before 4:00 p.m.
Homeroom should be ending soon, and it’ll be after school before long.
But even though I’d been sleeping until this late, there was no sign of my fever going down.
“Maybe I really am cursed… me.”
As I muttered this to the ceiling, a harsh cough escaped me.
Since I’m usually in good health, this high fever—my first in a long time—is really taking a toll on me.
Just as I was about to cry at this utterly miserable situation, the door to my room suddenly opened.
“I’m coming in. Or rather, I’m already in.”
A familiar voice reached my ears.
No, it can’t be.
It’s way too early, and given my current condition, there’s no way she’d come…
“Are you alive? It’d be a bit… troublesome if you died.”
My contrary and high-maintenance childhood friend peered at my face and said this in a subdued tone.
“…………Gah, a hallucination?”
“It’s reality… you idiot.”
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