Translator: Alisa
Editors: Dexter
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During lunch break, after sending a breakup message to Kisumi, I found myself unable to move.
I sat in the art preparation room like an empty shell.
I couldn’t bring myself to return to the classroom, but leaving early felt like too much trouble. Before I knew it, it was already after school.
There’s still no reply from Kisumi.
The message had been read, so he must have seen it. I had a small hope that he might come to see me here, but he hadn’t shown up.
Well, of course not. I unilaterally declared the breakup. It was only natural for him to be angry. A self-centered girl like me deserved to be fed up with.
Intellectually, I understand that I was overreacting, but my heart couldn’t bear it.
If things continued like this, I might end up treating Kisumi harshly. He was kind, and he’d probably handle it well, but I didn’t want to hurt someone I cared about. It was the accumulation of these concerns that made me fear being hated by Kisumi.
If that’s the case, rather than waiting to be hated, I decided to end the relationship myself. That’s why I impulsively sent that message.
“Why does everyone have to interfere…”
All I wanted was to spend enjoyable moments with the one I loved, so why wouldn’t they leave me alone?
“… I need to get my bag.”
At this hour, the classroom should be empty. My legs were still heavy, and it was hard to muster the will to move.
Then, there was a gentle knock on the door of the art prep room. I stiffened and stared at the door.
“YorYor~ It’s me, Hinaka~~”
With a cute, elongated voice, she called out to me.
Miyauchi Hinaka, a petite girl close to Kisumi. During the sports festival, at Kisumi’s request, she stayed by my side the whole time. Even when someone approached, she acted as a shield, and I honestly appreciated it.
Despite her eccentric appearance, she exuded a mysterious charm with a soft atmosphere. Compared to others, she was easy to talk to, and surprisingly, I remembered her name after just one introduction.
“Come in.”
She peeked in and, upon spotting me, smiled cheerfully, “I’m glad you’re still here.”
“Why does Miyauchi-san…”
“I wanted to have a little secret talk with you. I asked Sumisumi for your location. Sorry about that.”
“…I see.”
“Don’t look so downcast. Did you want Sumisumi to come that badly?”
“No!”
“It’s so obvious~”
Miyauchi-san casually took a seat beside me.
“──But no. I can’t let him meet a girl who would hurt him.”
Her tone dropped as if a different person were speaking.
“What do you mean…?”
“I know everything. You contacted him to break up unilaterally, right? Even then, why are you the one getting hurt?”
“It’s none of your business!” I unintentionally raised my voice.
“It’s natural to worry when my friend is in trouble.”
“…Friend? Am I your friend, Miyauchi-san?”
“Of course. I’m on your side. You didn’t want Sumisumi to be badmouthed because of those nasty rumors, right?”
Miyauchi-san hit the nail on the head.
It was usual for others to speak freely about me. However when it comes to Sena Kisumi, the person I loved, being spoken ill of, I couldn’t stand it.
Loving someone yet feeling hurt. I, being weak, couldn’t endure this contradiction for long.
“…..”
Having my true feelings accurately pointed out was scarier than I thought. But when Miyauchi-san said it, I felt relieved in a way. Being hit close to home was, in a sense, proof that someone understood me accurately.
It was my first experience of that kind, and my tense heart suddenly relaxed. Tears welled up naturally.
“Miyauchi-san, I…”
“But, you know, more than anything, I’m on Sumisumi’s side.”
Although her voice was gentle, it was incredibly intimidating.
“While I understand your feelings, that’s a bit self-centered. Have you thought about how much he would be hurt by that?”
Despite her smiling face, clear animosity was directed at me.
“Do you think it’s okay to selfishly mess with him just because he confessed and he likes you? That’s naive, isn’t it?”
Miyauchi-san squinted her eyes, lifting the corners of her lips in a malicious smile.
“W-Why do you say that to me?”
“Because I confessed to Sena Kisumi-kun, and he rejected me.”
“…Huh?”
“I confessed to him last spring break. He said he couldn’t date me because he was waiting for an answer from the person he liked.”
“Lies. You two never gave off any such vibes…”
It made no sense. There was no indication that Sena Kisumi and this girl were anything more than friends.
“I asked to stay friends.”
“And you went back to being friends?”
I clung to the hope that I might be able to return to last year’s state with him pathetically.
“Why do you think I got rejected?!”
Miyauchi-san’s long sleeves slapped my right cheek. For the first time in my life, I was slapped across the face, and my brain completely froze.
“Of course I can’t go back. Sumisumi acts normal because he’s kind.”
“Isn’t that too painful? How can you ever be with someone you like without being together?”
“Says the idiot who’s trying to throw away her own happiness!”
I caught the sleeve flying toward my left cheek just in time.
“Hey, Yoryor. Did he ever tell you that being in a relationship with you is painful?”
“…No.”
“Right now, dumping Sumisumi for your own convenience is treating him the same way as those who confessed to you and got rejected. Is the boy you like such an irrelevant person to you?”
I shook my head.
I, always fearful, tended to prioritize protecting myself. But even someone like me was already being protected and supported by someone.
“If you like him, you have to respond to that. It’ll be okay; he will figure something out for sure.”
I rose to my feet.
“I’m sorry, Miyauchi-san, but thank you.”
“I told you. I’m on your side and Sumisumi’s side.”
“Hey, could someone like me become friends with you?”
It surprised me that those words naturally came out of my lips. But I did want to be friends with Miyauchi Hinaka.
“We’re already friends, so I mean it. He is waiting for you in the classroom. Good luck.”
My first female friend was once my former love rival. Our positions might be opposite. However, Sena Kisumi chose me.
“I’m leaving.”
If you loved someone, you shouldn’t let them go.
In order to see him again, I rushed out of the art preparation room. I sprint through the dimming corridors at dusk.
In the distance, the wind ensemble’s performance echoed, accompanied by the sounds of the baseball team practicing on the field. Yet, the loudest sound was the pounding of my own accelerated heartbeat.
I almost collided with someone at the corner of the corridor.
Get out of the way! Everyone, disappear! I don’t need strangers, I don’t need names I don’t know. As long as Kisumi is here, my world is complete. That’s enough.
Why do I have to care about others? You’re all too nosy. Leave me alone!
I love Sena Kizumi.
Just being loved by the one I love makes me stronger.
Running through the school building in one breath, I reached the classroom of Class 2-A.
“Kisumi…”
There, waiting for me, was the person I loved. And──
“Hey, Kisumi-kun, want to go out with me?”
Reaching out to him was Hasekura Asaki.
My step into the classroom came to an abrupt halt.
Plebian Translation 