Disownment

The katsu set meal doesn’t taste like anything. It was fine at first, but now… why? Timing-wise, it probably started when Kasahara sat down across from me.

“It’s kinda hard to eat with you sitting there.”

“Sorry. But doesn’t this remind you of high school or something?”

“Can you not dodge the question?”

Sighing, I brought a piece of shredded cabbage to my mouth. Well, sure, back in high school, on days off when Hayashi and Kasahara weren’t hanging out, we went on dates pretty often. The places we went to were just casual diners. Even though we were a couple and could’ve sat side by side, back then, I’d nonchalantly take the seat across from her.

…Wait, is Kasahara bringing this up now to rub it in?

“…You’re quite the sinful guy, Yamamoto-kun.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“That girl earlier… her name’s Irie-chan, by the way. I think she’s interested in you.”

“No way.”

“…Well, you’d think that, wouldn’t you? You have no idea how jealous I was back in high school.”

“…You never told me about that.”

She’s not just making me nervous—she’s making me feel uneasy too. What a cruel person she is.

“…Is that why you stayed here to talk?”

“Nope. That’s not it.”

“Huh?”

Then why am I even having this conversation with her? Is it really just to mess with me?

“Is Meg doing okay?”

“…Yeah, she’s doing fine.”

Hearing Kasahara’s slightly awkward words, I understood why she stayed behind.

…That day, at the bookstore, Kasahara and Hayashi ran into each other. Kasahara probably told Hayashi about our high school relationship back then.

They haven’t met again since.

Despite being so close in high school, Kasahara and Hayashi are now in a bit of an awkward spot.

“…Sorry. It’s my fault.”

I couldn’t help but apologize to Kasahara.

“What are you apologizing for?”

“For a lot of things. …If it’s come to this, I should’ve properly told Hayashi that we used to date.”

“Told her, and then what? Apologize again like you’re doing now?”

I fell silent.

“You don’t need to apologize, Yamamoto-kun. You only need to apologize when you’ve failed or done something wrong. That time we had together… there was nothing wrong about it.”

“…You’re right.”

Surprisingly, Kasahara can be quite logical. And when it comes to what she believes is right, she’s stubborn. In that way, she’s a bit like Hayashi.

…Or maybe it’s more accurate to say she was shaped to be like that.

“Don’t worry about me. Just support Meg properly. Sure, things are awkward between us now, but I think time will fix it. So I’m not pessimistic at all.”

“Got it.”

I gave a wry smile.

“If you ever have questions about Hayashi, just let me know. I’ll answer what I can.”

“That makes it sound like you two are already super close.”

“Don’t tease me. I’m trying to say something serious here, you know.”

“I know. …When it comes to you, I understand way more than Meg does.”

…If that’s the case.

Then why, back then—

I shook my head. There’s no point holding a grudge over the past.

…Besides.

Back then, I was pretty down after we broke up. I wasn’t sure I’d recover. But surprisingly, time sorted things out.

A lot has happened since then. As a result, I realized I don’t have time to dwell on the past.

Now, those nostalgic memories from back then are just one of the irreplaceable moments in my life.

If that’s the case, I should be grateful to Kasahara for giving me such wonderful memories, not resent her.

“So, that’s what I wanted to talk about today.”

Just as I came to terms with that, Kasahara smiled. It seems the real topic is coming up now.

“What is it?”

“…Well, it’s about Meg.”

“Hayashi?”

“Yeah. …Like you said, Meg and I are in a weird place right now, aren’t we? But I was asked a favor.”

“By who? For what?”

“Meg’s mom asked me to bring her back home.”

I understood what Kasahara was getting at.

Right now, Hayashi’s been disowned by her parents because of her ex. After her ex got arrested, she had nowhere to go, so she’s been staying at my place.

Just like Kasahara lost contact with Hayashi, her parents probably can’t reach her either.

No matter how much they disowned her, there’s no way parents could easily abandon their love for their daughter.

Even after disowning her, Hayashi’s parents must have been worried about her all this time.

The reason Hayashi’s mom called Kasahara was probably because, as her friend from back then, they thought she might know where Hayashi is. It must’ve been a desperate hope.

“I see.”

“Yeah. …I mean, even without that call, I’ve been looking for Meg this whole time. …And now, I’ve finally found her, right?”

“Yeah.”

Then Kasahara’s probably already told Hayashi’s parents where she is.

“…I haven’t told them where Meg is yet.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’d cause trouble for you, wouldn’t it?”

…Did Hayashi introduce her ex to her parents? If she didn’t, maybe she just told them she was living with her boyfriend. No, not just that—I’m letting her stay at my place, and we’re living together now.

Even if they knew the situation, to her parents, there’s probably not much difference between her ex and me.

“…And that’s not all.”

Kasahara looked at me with an unusually pained expression.

“Meg needs to go back home properly.”

“…Kasahara.”

“Her home… the one with her parents, that’s the only place for her.”

Understanding what Kasahara meant, I looked down for a moment.

“You love Hayashi way too much, don’t you?”

I gave a wry smile. It’s not that I thought Kasahara’s devotion was strange. Deep down, I was a bit jealous of Hayashi, and I was disappointed in myself for it.

…It seems I’m still dragging around some baggage from my relationship with Kasahara.

“You never granted my wishes, did you, Yamamoto-kun?”

“Yeah, I was always just complaining, wasn’t I?”

“Even though I properly accepted your confession back then.”

“Can you not say it like it’s a grudge?”

You’re the one who dumped me, you know.

I held back those words from slipping out, and we shared a wry smile.

“…Alright. For once, I’ll grant your wish.”

“Thank you.”

It was an uncharacteristic thing for me to say, but maybe because it was Kasahara, I felt more motivated than embarrassed.

“…I’ll make sure Hayashi goes back to her family. I promise.”

“…Yeah. Please.”

Kasahara nodded, looking just a little lonely.

A heroine who tries to leave the protagonist’s house every chapter.

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