The living room feels a bit quieter than usual. Midori-san returns from the kitchen after finishing up with the dishes.
“You two, don’t you think you’re sitting a little too close?”
“…Just to clarify, does it look like I’m the one getting too close here?”
“Hmm… yeah. Kaori, you’re a high schooler now, so maybe show a bit more restraint?”
“No way!”
…This feels kind of nostalgic, though…
Midori-san’s got a point.
After dinner, I tried to head home right away.
But…
“Don’t spoil Kaori too much, okay?”
Honestly, at this age, having a girl resting on my lap feels really awkward.
“Look…”
I have so many things I want to say back. Like, when have I ever spoiled her? Or, who are you to talk?
But saying that to Midori-san would just make things complicated, so I keep my mouth shut.
“I finally got to say what I wanted to say…”
“Aoi? Come here for a sec.”
“Huh? Wait, hold on—”
Midori-san suddenly grabbed my hand, so I gently lifted Kaori’s small head off my lap and followed her out of the living room.
“Listen, okay?”
Midori-san leaned in close as she started talking.
I could say that Kaori’s gotten so clingy because she’s been watching you, but Kaori only gets this close with people she’s attached to.
I have no idea why Midori-san’s sense of personal space is so off this time, so I just keep quiet.
“It’s Kaori’s life, so she’s free to fall in love with whoever she wants, date, or even get married. I think she should do what makes her happy…”
“…What’s with this all of a sudden?”
“You know how my husband doesn’t exactly like you, right?”
“Yeah… seems like it.”
Well, it’s not just Midori’s husband.
Most people who know me through Kaori—or rather, through the Nanami family and our relatives—tend to dislike me.
The reasons vary, but as far as I know, it doesn’t really have much to do with Kaori… or at least, it shouldn’t.
From what I’ve gathered, it mostly ties back to something about Kagura Mai.
Apparently, my late uncle did something that caused a grudge, and now it’s directed at me or something like that.
Honestly, I don’t know the full details.
After all, I was just a kid when I took over, and after my uncle’s illness suddenly worsened, the neighborhood association and the Kagura Mai preservation society were too busy with Mai to fill me in.
In any case, their pent-up feelings are being aimed at me.
There’s no one else to direct them toward, and pointing them at me doesn’t really accomplish anything.
I don’t act on their feelings, so I don’t let it bother me.
That said, it’s a different story when someone who harbors those negative feelings sees their daughter getting so attached to me.
“…Did you call me over today because of something related to that?”
“Related to that? Well… it’s not the main reason, but maybe like ten or twenty percent of it is tied to that, I guess…”
What’s going on here?
She’s being oddly vague.
“The thing is—”
“—Mom.”
Suddenly, Kaori peeked out from behind Midori-san.
“That conversation can wait, right?”
The mother and daughter locked eyes for a moment, and Midori-san let out a small sigh.
Is this about something serious?
If it is, I wish they’d just tell me already… but fine, I’ll let it slide.
“So, Midori-san, there’s something I wanted to ask.”
“Sure, sure… what is it?”
“Are you guys moving or something?”
“!?”
“Huh?”
I’d noticed a bunch of packed boxes in another room.
Normally, when there’s something important to discuss, Kaori would take me to her room, but this time she deliberately talked in the living room where Midori-san could hear.
And the living room itself felt like it had fewer things in it than the last time I was here.
“…You noticed?”
“I’m not that oblivious, you know.”
“Wha…”
“Haha, come on…”
What’s with that forced laugh, Midori-san? Don’t try to brush it off—I was pretty sharp there, wasn’t I?
But, I see.
It seems like what Midori-san was about to bring up is related to this.
“…It’s not like it’s some huge deal or anything.”
“W-Well, it’s a huge deal to me!”
“I’m a housewife, so I’ll follow my husband, but for Kaori, it’s a lot to deal with.”
Midori-san gave a wry smile as she said that.
Did Kaori say she wants to stay behind on her own?
Or maybe, like when I was a kid, there was talk of leaving her with my family.
“Well… we’ll still see each other at school every day, right?”
“That’s the thing—I won’t be there! I’m transferring schools…”
That caught me off guard. I glanced from Kaori back to Midori-san.
“Through my husband’s connections, you know.”
“What, like a backdoor deal?”
“No, no, it’s all proper procedure, I swear.”
Her phrasing felt a bit off, so I got serious for a moment.
“When’s this happening?”
“We’re leaving this house after the summer festival. Kaori insisted on staying until then.”
So… they’re finalizing the transfer during summer break.
I get it now. That’s why she was trying to figure out my feelings earlier.
…Kohaku’s gonna feel lonely.
I muttered that to myself without thinking.
“You’re not gonna miss me…?”
Kaori clasped her hands in front of her chest, looking at me with teary eyes. Her reaction finally made me realize what her clingy behavior earlier was all about.
In short, she wanted me to stop her from leaving.
Not just the talk about lovers, but if she’s transferring, there’s no way she’d ask me to join the student council unless…
Maybe she just wanted to spend as much time with me as possible.
If I were the protagonist of some rom-com, maybe I’d have thought or acted the way she hoped.
…
But sorry, Kaori.
My first thought when I heard this was, “If only it had happened sooner.”
I don’t feel that way all the time, just… that’s what crossed my mind when I heard it.
I won’t say it out loud.
In the end, what matters here isn’t what I think—it’s what I decide to do.
And it seems like Kaori’s first thought was that she wants to stay with me.
I’m not saying that’s wrong, and I’m done thinking I’m wrong for how I feel.
People don’t change that easily. Some things just can’t be changed.
“I won’t be lonely. You’ll come back to see Mai during the summer and New Year’s, right?”
“…Yeah.”
“Seeing each other three times a year at least—that’s plenty, isn’t it?”
“It’s not enough for me! I don’t want to be away from you, Ao-kun…”
As she said that, Kaori pushed past Midori-san and pressed her forehead against my chest.
I could feel her hands clench tightly behind her back.
She’s practically regressing to a toddler.
How much does she hate the idea of leaving?
If you think about it calmly, wouldn’t it be harder to live apart from a “lover” than a “childhood friend”?
I mean, it’s not like being in love makes distance easier, but maybe it’s just a difference in perspective.
The heart of a girl is, as always, a mystery to me.
As I gently pat Kaori’s head while she’s on the verge of tears, I find myself vaguely pondering these things.
But yeah, I don’t think I’ll feel lonely without Kaori… or at least, that’s what I think.
Afterword ──────────────────
A protagonist who hears about his childhood friend moving away—a classic rom-com event—and thinks, “You should’ve moved sooner,” doesn’t belong in the rom-com genre. At this point, people are gonna start calling this a title scam (if they haven’t already).
Why is this thing sitting at number one monthly…?
