The next day, with midterms starting, school ended in the morning.
Thanks to a slightly extended homeroom, I hurriedly packed my things after school.
“Himura-kun, after school…”
“Sorry, catch ya later.”
“Huh?”
“Ao-kun’s always busy this time of year.”
“Hmmm…?”
Ignoring the conversation behind me, I dashed out of the classroom.
I had planned to head home with plenty of time, change, and go to the community center, but at this rate, I’d be cutting it close.
My meeting was, of course, with Hino Hana, so being a bit late wouldn’t be a big deal—just an apology would do.
Plus, we were just doing our usual practice, so there was no real rush.
Even so, I was in a hurry.
The reason was simple: Hino Hana had messaged me, saying, “There’s something we need to do before practice, so come as soon as you can.”
I never would’ve expected a message like that from her.
Normally, I’d never run through the school commute, but this time, I had no choice but to jog through the city streets.
I got home, changed in a rush, and made it to the community center.
Just then, I locked eyes with Hino Hana, dressed in casual clothes, standing at the entrance. She looked at me and said softly,
“You’re early.”
“You’re the one who rushed me!”
“Did I?”
Didn’t she mean “as fast as possible” or “urgently”? Why the heck did I rush?
I’m the one with the key to the community center, so maybe she just didn’t want to wait outside.
Sighing, I went to unlock the door when I noticed something.
“Hino Hana, what’s with these boxes?”
There were two boxes sitting at the entrance.
“Oh, some locals gave me ice cream in those boxes earlier. They said it’s probably for the festival preparations.”
“Ah… well, every year around this time, we get all sorts of stuff.”
As I spoke, I unlocked the door and stacked the two boxes to carry them.
“Heavy… Wait, Hino Hana, you didn’t rush me just because you got ice cream, did you?”
“Maybe.”
“…Say that sooner!!”
The temperature outside was over thirty degrees.
Even in the shade, leaving ice cream out here was a bad idea, so that’s why she rushed me.
That makes sense, but how could she forget to mention it?
“Then… what’s in the other one?”
“You take that one home, Himura.”
“Huh…?”
The other box, which wasn’t ice cream, seemed to be something Hino Hana had brought herself.
While Hino Hana put the ice cream in the freezer in the kitchen, I peeked inside the cardboard box labeled “20 kilos.”
It was filled with a ton of small watermelons.
“Watermelons… Oh yeah, last year you brought a bunch of peaches, didn’t you?”
“You remember that well.”
“How could I forget? We gave like half of them to Kaori’s family, right? Should we put a few in the fridge here? The preservation society folks will probably eat them.”
Despite the bit of chaos, I sorted out the stuff Hino Hana brought and took a moment to catch my breath.
Then, a slight hunger reminded me I hadn’t eaten lunch.
“Himura, you hungry?”
“I haven’t even said anything, and you already know…”
“I just figured you hadn’t eaten, given the time. I made sandwiches.”
It’s been like this forever, so I didn’t think much of it, but whenever we meet at the community center for practice, she’s oddly considerate.
On the other hand, she sometimes says things that totally confuse me…
“You had time to make those?”
“My school finished testing today, so we got out an hour earlier than you.”
Looking back now, all of this was probably because she cares about me.
As I bit into the hot sandwich Hino Hana had casually prepared,
“…Hey, Hino Hana.”
“Didn’t like it?”
“No, it’s good.”
The sandwich, with its crisp, toasted bread stuffed with ham, lettuce, and egg salad, had the crusts cut off, making it super easy to eat.
“Hino Hana, you’ve always gone to co-ed schools, right?”
“So?”
“…Haven’t you ever, even once, thought some guy was kinda nice?”
It was a simple question.
Even around me, there are guys like Souma or Tomiya who just casually exist.
In a world of social media, cosmetic surgery, and photo filters, you’d think a decent-sized school would have plenty of guys who are good-looking and have solid personalities.
Sure, some might avoid her because of her fame, but there’s got to be a ton of guys who’d love to get close to her.
Among them, there’s no doubt someone better-looking, nicer, or more talented than me.
In the fast-paced music world Hino Hana lives in, there must be countless people so amazing that someone like me would pale in comparison.
Why did Hino Hana fall for me, and why hasn’t that ever changed?
No matter how I try, I just can’t understand her.
“It’s a super simple thing, but if I were a girl, I’d never fall for someone like me.”
“I didn’t fall for someone like you, Himura. I fell for you, Himura Aoi. If it was just someone with your face and personality, I’d probably hate them.”
Nope, I have no idea what she’s talking about.
“Falling in love with someone for real… that’s what it’s like.”
What does that even mean?
Doesn’t that mean she’d hate me? But I guess that’s not it.
For her, there’s some kind of huge distinction, but when I’ll ever see that line is anyone’s guess.
“You’re surprisingly chill about everything I say.”
“Huh? No, I’m pretty confused… If it was just you, Hino Hana, I probably wouldn’t have sorted out my feelings at all.”
The confusion’s only growing, but thanks to Kiritsuki, I’ve calmed down a bit.
Having time to think helped, of course.
“Kaori?”
The name Hino Hana suddenly dropped threw me off even more.
“…What? No way, it’s another classmate.”
“Then the tag game girl…”
How does she know?
“Was I wrong?”
“No, you’re right, but…”
“Kiritsuki Kaname, right? She has an older brother.”
“…Are you stalking or something?”
“What do you take me for, Himura…? One of my sponsors recently partnered with a company where someone named Kiritsuki is the president. When I talked to the young CEO, we got to chatting about siblings, so I remembered.”
President, company…
Now that she mentions it, I think Kiritsuki said something about that.
I vaguely recall her mentioning her brother taking over their family’s company.
She also said something about it being a strict household, so I figured it was a big company…
“You probably don’t care, Himura, but I’m a pro, you know.”
“Yeah, I know that much.”
“You don’t get it. During long breaks, I get flooded with requests for concert tours, both domestic and international, or guest spots at famous artists’ shows.”
“…Really?”
“I turn them all down, saying school comes first, but really, I’m making time to be here with you.”
“…”
“Way more people want me than you realize, Himura.”
If that’s the case, she shouldn’t waste her time on me and go to the people who want her.
Even though she’s confessed her feelings, my mind jumps straight to that thought.
Maybe I really am underestimating Hino Hana’s influence.
Like she said, I don’t have much interest in her music career.
“To me, this time with you is that important.”
“Yeah, uh…”
“Is it selfish of me to hope you feel the same way?”
Even if she says that, I can’t understand what I don’t understand.
“Telling me to cherish something I thought was a given doesn’t really click.”
“You thought our time together was a given?”
“Well, yeah… I mean, I always figured I could only see you in the summer or over New Year’s because you’re so busy. That’s just how it’s been, so I never thought you were going out of your way to make time…”
I didn’t have the grades for it, but I did take the entrance exam for her high school and failed.
Back then, Hino Hana was my emotional anchor in a lot of ways.
Looking back, it was like going home for Obon or New Year’s—she was someone I could be more comfortable with than even family.
“I went and thought we were closer than family, but then you throw ‘love’ or whatever at me, and…”
But if I think about it calmly, she’s right.
Our relationship has been like this for nearly a decade.
I wouldn’t be able to keep up as a dancer if it weren’t for her—especially when it comes to my health.
It’s only this time of year, but the fact that she’s been looking out for me since we were kids is undeniable.
And, come to think of it, she’s been taking care of my mental health this whole time too.
“I’m not, like, forcing myself to make time. I’m doing it because I want to…”
“No, but you’re giving up some serious profit to practice with me, right? I feel kinda bad, like I’ve been taking advantage of your feelings…”
Love or whatever aside, being with me doesn’t earn her a single yen.
No matter what emotions she’s got tangled up in this, thinking about the massive profits she’s missing out on makes my chest ache.
I’m starting to realize I absolutely can’t take this for granted.
Maybe I’m crushing a huge talent and royally screwing up one girl’s life.
That’s probably something so big I could never repay, even with my whole life.
“I, uh, I’m grateful… always have been.”
Not knowing what else to say, I let my gaze wander and noticed Hino Hana, head down, her ears bright red.
Unable to handle the awkward silence, I left the kitchen and started stretching.
“H-Himura.”
After stretching for a bit, Hino Hana called out from the kitchen behind me.
When I turned around, her face was redder than I could ever imagine.
I had no clue which of my words had done this to her.
“If you say we’re closer than family…”
“Huh?”
With all her affection aimed at me and her obvious embarrassment, I braced myself for whatever she was about to say.
“…After practice, is it okay if I go to your house?”
Her request was so simple it caught me off guard, and for the first time, I realized something.
Come to think of it, I’ve never hung out with Hino Hana like friends do, have I?
