“Come on, Kaori, hurry up and load your stuff!”
“Okay!”
Hearing the voice from deep inside the house, Kiritsuki and I couldn’t help but exchange glances.
“Hold on a sec.”
“Yeah.”
A few days after the summer festival, with summer vacation winding down to its final day tomorrow and late August ushering in autumn.
Kaori and Sui-san were bustling back and forth between the house and outside, catching my eye.
Normally, you’d think people would prepare for a day like this with some leeway, right?
“Oh, Ao-kun and Kana-chan! You came to see us off?”
“Yeah, sorta. Kohaku wanted to come too, but she’s got club activities. Anyway, it looks pretty hectic—want some help?”
“Sure. Ao-kun, could you help carry some of the heavy stuff, then?”
“You should’ve done that kind of thing the day before…”
Of course, they’d probably already moved most of the stuff for the relocation beforehand, but knowing Kaori and Sui-san, they likely kept adding things at the last minute like, “Oh, let’s bring this too.”
“Dad had to head out earlier for work, so…”
“That guy’s the busiest one, huh…”
“Oh, put that box in the trunk.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Even though I’d offered, what was supposed to be a simple send-off turned into me helping out with quite a bit.
Kiritsuki, waiting outside in the lingering heat, was unsurprisingly holding a drink and standing under a parasol.
In the end, it took a few dozen minutes after Kiritsuki and I arrived for them to finish getting ready to leave.
I finished off the half-drunk barley tea Kiritsuki handed me and stepped under the parasol she held up high.
“…You’re pretty thoughtful, huh?”
“That’s what a girlfriend does.”
Kiritsuki replied with quiet confidence, her voice low but brimming with assurance.
“…Didn’t you turn me down?”
“I didn’t turn you down. I just cut you off.”
“Isn’t that basically the same thing?”
“It’s as different as the moon and a softshell turtle.”
“Did you get that analogy wrong?”
Isn’t the moon and softshell turtle thing used for a different kind of comparison?
“Details don’t matter. We’re gonna end up together anyway.”
“What’s with that obsession?”
“I don’t want you to be my boyfriend, Himura-kun. I want to be your girlfriend.”
I kinda get what she’s trying to say… or maybe I don’t. Is this what they call a woman’s heart?
But wait, isn’t a woman’s heart supposed to be more like, “I want him to say it first”?
Why is she so hung up on being the one to say it and having it acknowledged?
Suddenly, Kaori came out, and the car pulled up to the front of the house.
“So, when’s the next time we’ll see each other?”
“Huh? Hmm… probably around New Year’s, I guess. That’s about the only time I’ll have free.”
“New Year’s? Aren’t you going to Sui-san’s parents’ place?”
That’s what they’ve always done, right? When I asked, both Kaori and Sui-san, who was in the driver’s seat, widened their eyes.
“Oh, right. Okay, I’ll come back here once winter break starts.”
“Cool, let me know when you do.”
Kiritsuki, waving lightly beside me, smiled without a hint of loneliness.
“Call me once in a while, okay, Kana-chan?”
“That might be tough. Sorry, but I’m claiming Himura-kun.”
With that, Kiritsuki suddenly clung to my arm. I didn’t resist, just shrugged, and Kaori got into the car with a complicated expression.
“Mom, why am I getting all lovey-dovey vibes in the middle of what’s supposed to be an emotional farewell?”
“Maybe you should’ve locked down Aoi sooner?”
“Ughhh…”
That groan sounds familiar.
As the car window closed, the sound of her groaning faded away.
I gave a light wave to the departing car, and the farewell with Kaori ended on a surprisingly casual note.
“Did I do something bad?”
“No, you did that on purpose…”
“I thought a little mischievous spark might make the goodbye cleaner.”
“…What’s the real reason?”
“Since we finally confirmed we’re mutual, I wanted to show off just once.”
She’s got a bit of a sadistic streak, huh? Well, I guess she can only pull that off because it’s with a close friend she trusts.
“By the way, Himura-kun.”
“Yeah?”
“This might be a weird place to say it, but…”
“Uh-huh.”
“Please make me your girlfriend.”
“Why this timing, seriously…?”
We’d talked about this kind of thing before, so I kinda saw it coming, but still.
That aside, I really don’t get Kiritsuki’s obsession.
“No, I was actually planning to confess during the school trip, like during group activities or at the inn when the mood was right.”
“School trip… oh, right, that’s right after summer break, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. But since you’re finally on board, I thought it’d be amazing to spend the school trip as a couple.”
“Okay, I guess that makes sense? I’ll accept it for now.”
“So, what’s your answer?”
“…Do I need to give one?”
Kiritsuki nodded, Of course.
A confession with a hundred percent chance of success seems pretty fun for her. Feeling a hint of that sadistic vibe in her smile, I took a breath of the slightly warm air.
“I’d be happy to. I’m not the most reliable guy, but I’d love for you to stay by my side.”
“By the way, no returns. Even if you get disappointed or want to break up, I won’t let you go, and don’t even think about cheating.”
“Uh… yeah. I don’t think that’ll happen, but…”
“Who knows? You tend to get surrounded by girls the moment I look away.”
I can’t argue with that, so I stay silent.
That aside, standing out here in this heat for too long might make us sick.
“Oh, right, Himura-kun.”
“Yeah?”
“Can I meet your little sister?”
“Sure, but she’s not home right now.”
“Then how about a house date while we wait for her?”
With that, Kiritsuki took my hand and walked straight into my house nearby.
“Pardon the intrusion!”
“It’s pretty much just me here today.”
“Then maybe we can get all lovey-dovey.”
Despite her words, Kiritsuki stepped into the living room a bit formally.
“Iced cocoa okay? We’ve got some cookies too.”
“Oh, sure. I’ll take you up on that.”
As she sat daintily on the sofa, I set out drinks and cookies on the table, just like I would for any guest.
Then, I sat right next to her.
For some reason, it reminded me of that time we went to an internet café together.
A quiet space, no conversation between us.
Yet, there’s no awkwardness at all.
If anything, it feels incredibly comfortable.
Suddenly, Kiritsuki rested her head on my shoulder.
“…I feel lonely.”
“Hm?”
“It was my first time having a friend I enjoyed being with so much.”
It felt like emotions she’d been holding back—or didn’t even intend to express—slipped out.
She rubbed her head against me slightly.
“I wanted to go on the school trip together.”
The big event right after summer break we were just talking about.
I remembered Kaori mentioning it during the break. “It’s happening right after I transfer, will I be okay?” she’d said with a playful laugh, though her expression held a trace of worry.
Kiritsuki took my hand.
“Then there’s the cultural festival, and even the preparations would’ve been a memory.”
“Yeah.”
“She said she’d come back during winter break… but we could’ve had a little Christmas party, watched Mai’s dance together again at New Year’s…”
Her voice trembled slightly, and her grip tightened, so I gently squeezed her hand back.
“In February, for Valentine’s, we could’ve picked out chocolates to give you together… ngh.”
Kiritsuki let out a small gasp, like words were catching in her throat.
“N-Next year… we could’ve complained about class changes together…”
As she said this, she lifted her head from my shoulder, turned her body, and closed the distance between us.
For a moment, I saw her cheeks were slightly wet.
“Hey, Himura-kun… can I borrow your chest for a bit?”
“Yeah, as long as you need.”
I nodded, and Kiritsuki grabbed my shirt tightly, burying her face in my chest. I gently pulled her into an embrace.
“Sniff… ugh…”
For a while, she cried, her voice breaking. It wasn’t a forever goodbye, but the first parting with her first true friend overwhelmed her emotions.
And just like that, I finally understood why Kiritsuki wanted to become a couple today.
Despite all she said, I think Kiritsuki just wanted someone she could lean on.
The person who could understand the pain of parting was the one she genuinely fell for.
She probably meant to bear it alone. But seeing Kaori’s back as she left must’ve been too much for her to hold in.
If that’s the case, I’ll accept Kiritsuki’s tears too. That’s the first thing I should do as her boyfriend.
☆Afterword──────────────────
Kaori, making her childhood friend and best friend cry, is definitely a bit of a femme fatale, don’t you think?
By the way, the next chapter is the final one.
