Hayashi Megumi’s Reunion ④

“That guy must’ve been seriously hated by the cultural festival committee back then, huh?”

After letting out a wry smile, I voiced my honest thoughts.

“Why do you think that?”

“I mean, he’s so bad with words, right? And super stubborn to boot…”

“Yeah, true. I only went to help out occasionally, so I don’t know the full story, but he was definitely always clashing with the third-years.”

“I knew it.”

“Still, there’s no doubt Yamamoto-kun was the one working the hardest on that committee. He made schedules and checklists in place of the unmotivated committee leader, and never got a single thank you for it.”

I could picture it so clearly: Yamamoto’s materials being forcefully taken by the committee leader, who used them without so much as a word of gratitude.

If I closed my eyes, the scene played out in my mind.

Somehow, it stirred a sense of anger deep inside me.

…But knowing him, he probably didn’t let something like that get under his skin.

He probably thought it was fine as long as things worked out.

Yet, the result was an utter disaster.

“Kako-chan, was Yamamoto’s job back then… related to handling orders or something?”

“No, not quite.”

“Then what?”

“Pretty much everything, I think.”

My jaw dropped, and I couldn’t close it.

“That’s just how it goes every year with the cultural festival committee. Everyone wants to make memories with their classmates, right? So they prioritize that instead. In other words, the teachers needed to rein in the committee members to keep things on track.”

It wasn’t hard to imagine that with someone like Sensei Kirigawa, the teachers’ control was pretty lax.

Even so, to think he handled everything… that’s just…

“Even the kids who showed up weren’t exactly brimming with enthusiasm. They’d say, ‘This is all I was told to do,’ to cover themselves, and in the end, countless tasks fell into Yamamoto-kun’s hands.”

“…That’s awful.”

“It was a mess back then.”

“…Why didn’t anyone help Yamamoto?”

I knew I shouldn’t let myself get worked up, but my patience was reaching its limit.

I muttered under my breath.

…Suddenly, a memory of certain words came back to me.

Those words were spoken by the man I secretly hold feelings for now.

“People, in the end, are just selfish creatures.”

…Maybe the reason Yamamoto said that to me back then was…

Kako-chan shrugged her shoulders.

“In the end, people are just selfish, you know.”

And then, Kako-chan said it.

…The reason Yamamoto told me people are selfish back then…

It was because he himself had been belittled and hurt by selfish people in the past.

“Being able to live for others is something truly remarkable, don’t you think? Even if it means ruining yourself in the process, I believe you deserve to be praised by everyone. But strangely enough, no one in this world will commend you for doing what most can’t. A hero who dedicates half their life to slaying a demon king gets celebrated without question, but you? You could destroy yourself, and you wouldn’t get a single thank you… not even from a lover.”

Once again, I recalled words Yamamoto had said to me.

…Those words warmed a corner of my heart just a little.

Back then, Yamamoto must have been exasperated after being belittled and hurt by selfish people.

The reason he said those words to me…

…It was probably because he didn’t want me to go through the same thing.

He didn’t want me to experience the same painful feelings he had.

Wasn’t that what Yamamoto was trying to tell me back then…?

Selfish.

Yamamoto once labeled himself that way.

But…

Honestly.

That guy is just so not straightforward.

“The one living for others is you, isn’t it?”

I muttered to myself.

That day… when I was about to go back to my ex, he pointed out how little my actions would be worth.

That must’ve come from his own experience walking that same path.

…It was him.

The person who did things no one else could and never got praised for it… that was him.

…Now that I think about it, it was always like that.

When he tried to get me to go back to my parents’ house.

When he comforted me after I suffered from domestic violence.

When he let me stay in that room to keep me safe.

He called those things selfish acts.

But if you really think about it… those were completely, utterly selfless, weren’t they?

“…Next time I go back, I’m going to thank Yamamoto.”

“Huh?”

“We’re living together, you know.”

“What?”

“…So I’m going to say thank you when I get back.”

“…Hey, Meg?”

“What, Kako-chan?”

“Are you two… living together?”

…I let it slip in the flow of the conversation.

This was the one thing I really didn’t mean to mention…

While mentally apologizing to Yamamoto, I gave a wry smile.