After the confession, a brief silence hung in the room.
The moment Kaori tried to continue, the door swung open, and Dad walked in.
Dad didn’t just take Toki but also Kaori, since it was late, and loaded them into the car.
After dropping them off, Dad would probably head back to work.
He’d said the next time we’d meet would be during summer break.
Thanks to that, the conversation fizzled out, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that Dad had given me time to think.
The next morning, with my heart still a tangled mess, I stepped into the classroom.
I immediately spotted Kaori, but she looked no different from usual, surrounded by classmates, chatting casually.
If, like she said yesterday, that version of her “wasn’t the real Kaori”, then what had I been seeing all this time?
Unable to keep looking at her, I unpacked my bag and sank into my seat.
Fed up with my aimless gaze and swirling emotions, I stared down at the empty desk, head bowed.
Then, the sound of the chair next to me being pulled out reached my ears.
A black ponytail swayed over a shoulder.
Kiritsuki sat down, propped her elbow on the desk, and turned her eyes toward me.
“Morning, Himura-kun… you seem kinda down today, too, huh?”
“…That makes it sound like I’m never in a good mood.”
“I mean, it’s true, isn’t it? And today, you look even more glum than usual.”
“…It’s nothing.”
I hated how I couldn’t even deny it outright.
“It doesn’t feel like ‘nothing.’ If it’s okay with you, I’d like to hear what’s going on.”
Kiritsuki’s voice was soft, endlessly gentle, yet never pushy.
“…This morning, Kaori seemed a bit off, too… so, tell me.”
There was no hint of prying or teasing in her tone.
I couldn’t reject her… or rather, I didn’t want to brush off her kindness so callously.
“…Fine. But we don’t have time now, so after school, alright?”
“Sure. Just make sure you focus during the test.”
“Got it.”
Whether I could actually focus was another question, but I answered anyway.
Strangely, while I was facing the test paper, I could set aside my stray thoughts, and it eased my mind just a bit.
During the breaks between tests, Kiritsuki kept her distance, carefully choosing light topics.
She’d toss out casual conversation, then shift back to the test when the time came.
Her thoughtfulness made me appreciate her kind nature all over again.
After school, as I was about to leave the classroom, Kiritsuki lightly tugged at my sleeve.
“It’d be hard to talk here, right? I know a good spot.”
With that, she led the way to the rooftop of the second school building.
“…Is this place even unlocked?”
“The lock’s broken. Last year, a senior who skipped class showed me this secret spot.”
With a playful tone, Kiritsuki stepped lightly across the concrete floor.
“Alright, no escape now, Himura-kun. Spill it all, okay?”
She spun around, flashing a teasing smile, as if she might already have an inkling of what I was about to say.
“Look… I’m sorry, okay? This isn’t the kind of thing I should be telling someone like you, who said they liked me.”
“Hmm… I won’t know until I hear it.”
Her loafers made soft taps as she walked back toward me.
“If it’s about someone I like, I want to hear everything. Is that weird?”
Standing close, Kiritsuki peered into my face, her small smile warm and genuine.
—Why was it?
For a fleeting moment, seeing her face, I couldn’t find words.
My chest tightened, like something was squeezing it.
Kiritsuki’s smile wasn’t calculated or strategic. It was just pure, unfiltered emotion, straight from her heart.
I can’t compete with her, I thought, letting out a quiet breath.
Then, piecing together yesterday’s events, I began to speak, bit by bit.
Kaori’s sudden confession, and Hino Hana being there.
The countless emotions that had been smoldering inside me.
The confusion and guilt I felt in that moment.
Above all, not knowing how to process Kaori’s feelings.
Kiritsuki listened quietly to my story.
She didn’t say a word, didn’t even nod, just sat beside me, holding her hair against the damp breeze.
Somehow, her presence reminded me of Hino Hana from years ago, quietly listening to me as a child.
“—So, yeah, it’s like that with Kaori, huh?”
“…What do you mean, ‘like that’?”
“That she probably likes you, and that she hasn’t opened her heart to anyone but you and me.”
“…You noticed?”
“Well… I wasn’t sure.”
Kiritsuki stood slowly, gazing up at the sky, mostly covered in clouds, with just a sliver of the afternoon sun peeking through.
“Still, Himura-kun, you’re kind of a heartbreaker. If you keep charming girls like this, you’re gonna be in trouble~”
“…You know I don’t mean to do that…”
“Sure, but being oblivious isn’t great either.”
“I don’t wanna hear that from you.”
I stood up too, stretching my stiff back slowly.
“Kiritsuki, won’t you get in trouble if we don’t head back before the school closes?”
“Huh? Nah, it’s fine. There’s a spot in the back courtyard we can slip out from.”
“How do you even know that?”
“That senior I mentioned? They taught me all the sneaky shortcuts. Gotta have a crafty upperclassman, you know.”
“Normal people don’t need that kind of craftiness…”
Seriously, her delinquent streak didn’t match her prim appearance at all.
Kiritsuki giggled, her shoulders shaking, and began wandering across the empty rooftop.
Without thinking, I followed behind her.
Even though it was just that, my heart felt oddly calm.
“I’ve never been bullied, and I’ve never bullied anyone, so… I can’t really say much about it, but…”
Kiritsuki turned, leaning back against the chest-high fence.
And then—
“You did your best.”
“…Huh?”
All of a sudden, Kiritsuki cupped my cheeks with both hands and gently pulled me into her embrace.
Caught off guard and bewildered, I heard her soothing voice murmur softly by my ear.
“You wanted to protect Kaori as her childhood friend, and as a big brother, you didn’t want to worry your sister or your family, right?”
In Kiritsuki’s arms, I couldn’t say a word for a while.
The steady rhythm of her heartbeat, the faint citrus scent of her hair brushing my nose.
It was strangely comforting, vividly real, and it seemed to melt away the tangled mess of emotions and thoughts, settling deep into my chest.
I wished, just for a moment, that this warmth could last a little longer.
Somewhere in my heart, I couldn’t help but think that.
Kaori had said she decided to stop showing her true self in public. Yet, she was so close to Kiritsuki, calling her a “best friend” and even giving her a friendship bracelet.
Why had she opened her heart to Kiritsuki, despite saying all that?
Somehow, I felt like I understood.
Then, I felt something trickle down my cheek.
By the time I noticed, my eyes burned painfully, and my fingertips, resting on Kiritsuki’s shoulder, trembled.
She must have known, but Kiritsuki didn’t say a thing.
She just gently placed her hands on my back, my head, stroking softly, calmly.
A single emotion welled up inside me. With her, I felt like I could tell everything.
What spilled out was a voice so hoarse it was pathetic.
“At first, I didn’t get it… why everyone kept staring at me, why they talked behind my back, why they ignored me—I didn’t understand any of it.”
I don’t even remember when it started or the details anymore.
It’s just an old childhood story, something long gone.
I was always the kid others relied on.
My parents used to say I was a smart kid.
When my parents were busy with work, I’d be left at the Nanami house. Kaori’s mom was a housewife, but managing two kids and housework was tough.
Since Kaori clung to me, just watching her meant there wasn’t much trouble to deal with.
“The moment I looked away, Kaori would wander off. She’d get scolded all the time when I wasn’t there, and everyone would fawn over her, praising her as ‘gifted,’ while they shot cold glares at me, the one always looking after her…”
The massive gap between home and school left me deeply confused.
It didn’t take long to realize that the person always by her side was the trigger for their attacks.
“I thought I didn’t belong next to Kaori. So I tried to distance myself, but she’d always come right back to me…”
Over time, that self-blame—“I shouldn’t be by her side”—twisted into something like resentment: If she wasn’t around…
Still, I knew deep down it wasn’t Kaori’s fault, so I kept suppressing those feelings.
Eventually, I realized I was just a punching bag for their stress and frustrations.
But by the time I figured that out, it was too late. No one had the power to stop the “bullies” who’d grown too bold.
So, I chose to endure it silently. I’d vent to Hino Hana or take it out on my self-defense instructor, but that was probably my limit.
On the Kagura dance stage, wearing makeup made me feel like only my outer self was being seen, like I could protect myself.
When I went out otherwise, dressing up carefully made me feel like I could be someone else.
After starting high school, where the bullying stopped, those things became a big part of who I am.
I kept creating reasons to endure, hiding behind excuses like “for my sister” to protect myself.
“I never told anyone about the bullying, not even my family. I kept acting tough… because…”
It’s such a pathetic story.
“Because, like when I was a kid, I just wanted someone to rely on me…”
And now, here I am, clinging to a girl far more dependable than I could ever be.
Kiritsuki and I left the rooftop and headed out of the school.
We slipped through the back courtyard of the second school building, passing through a rusty fence gate held together with just some wire.
“…Kiritsuki.”
“Hm?”
“I’m… sorry for breaking down like that. And, thanks.”
When I said it honestly, Kiritsuki nodded gently.
“You’re welcome. I’m just glad I got to hear your true feelings.”
Saying it without a hint of embarrassment, she suddenly stopped walking.
“Oh, right. Buy me lunch.”
“…Why do I have to treat you?”
“Because I did something nice today.”
Seeing her bright laugh, I finally managed a small smile of my own.
☆Afterword──────────────────
I’m so sorry, I completely messed up the scheduled posts for chapters 31 and 32!!!
