V4Ch22: Visiting Red

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Translator: Soafp

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Saturday arrived.

I had work in the morning, and in the afternoon I was scheduled to talk with Akazawa.

During work, I kept making careless mistakes because I couldn't focus. There's no need to explain why I was so distracted—it only reaffirmed just how big of a presence she was in my life.

“…Good work today.”

“Kuromine, huh? Good work.”

I replied to Tsukiyo Kuromine, a quiet, plain girl with black hair, who spoke to me a little hesitantly.

As usual, she was like a completely different person during work compared to school.

We've been working together at the same part-time job for nearly half a year, so I've gotten used to it. But if anyone from school saw her, they probably wouldn't recognize her.

“You were making a lot of uncharacteristic mistakes today. Something wrong?”

“…I'm going to talk with Akazawa after this. That's all.”

“Huh?”

Kuromine's eyes widened in disbelief. After staying frozen like that for a few seconds, her gaze suddenly sharpened.

“If there's going to be trouble, I'll help.”

It was like a switch flipped in her head—her tone even changed.

Offering help with trouble… sounds kind of dangerous.

After learning about her past, I couldn't take that as just a joke anymore. And seriously, could she stop cracking her knuckles? It feels way too out of place coming from her plain-girl mode.

“It's fine. I don't think it'll turn into anything like that.”

“You don't sound very sure.”

“…”

“Can I ask how you ended up having this talk?”

“Yeah, I actually wanted to talk to someone about it.”

I figured it'd be safe to talk to Kuromine.

I explained how things led to this point. Since she already knew about my relationship with Akazawa, she listened with a complicated expression.

“Are you sure it's safe to meet her alone?”

“Probably.”

I couldn't say it with certainty.

“To be honest, I've never understood that girl. We went to the same school, but it felt like we were living in different worlds. But…”

“But?”

“She was definitely the most confrontational. When she learned about what we did in the past, she looked at all the goddesses like we were her mortal enemies.”

Why was she the one who got the most confrontational?

Even for Kuromine, Yuuhi Akazawa was apparently an enigma. I felt the same—there were still so many mysteries about her.

Back in middle school, I thought she liked my best friend, Renji. But in reality, maybe she wasn't interested at all. And according to Nekoda, she tried hard to improve my reputation, even though she supposedly hated me.

Then there was her reaction when we met again. She acted like we were close childhood friends.

Honestly, I didn't understand anything anymore. If that's the case, what was all that back in middle school? I want to ask her.

She used to be a sweet, honest little girl in elementary school. At some point, she became completely unreadable. Even though she used to be the closest person to me, now she feels like the one I understand the least.

“I still think it's dangerous to go alone.”

“Yeah.”

“In that case—”

“I'm still going alone. She said she wanted to talk one-on-one, and that might be the only way she'll be honest. I appreciate your concern, but Momoka is there too, so it's not like I'm walking into enemy territory.”

Realizing I was firm in my decision, Kuromine gave up.

“Okay. But if you need help, call me. I'll be there.”

“Thanks. It means a lot coming from you.”

We chatted for a little while after that, then I went home.

Talking to Kuromine really helped calm me down. Just hearing her offer to help gave me courage.

---

Afternoon.

I was standing in front of a certain house. I'd come near it a few times since I moved back, but this was my first time actually visiting. Until now, I'd been avoiding even walking by it.

—The Akazawa residence.

Back in elementary school, I used to visit it more than anywhere else. I came here more frequently than I went to school. Aside from the car in the driveway, the place hadn't changed much.

The loud pounding in my chest was probably because this place was so special to me.

It was time.

I took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell with a trembling finger. Immediately, I heard loud footsteps rushing toward the door, and then the front door flew open.

“Welcome, Sho-chan!”

Yuuhi Akazawa appeared.

I was stunned—not because she was wearing makeup or because she was dressed up in stylish casual clothes. It was the bright, beaming smile on her face that shocked me.

Why was she smiling?

What I felt from that smile wasn't cuteness—it was eeriness. Still, I couldn't afford to get scared now.

“I've been waiting. Come on in.”

“O-Okay.”

She ushered me inside.

I stopped going into her house around the time we started middle school, so it had probably been about five years. Like the exterior, not much had changed inside.

She led me to the living room.

I sat on the sofa, and she sat next to me. The arrangement left no choice, but her sitting so close gave me an uneasy feeling.

“Um, where are your parents?”

“They're out.”

“I wanted to say hi, though.”

It was a shame I couldn't, but given we were here to have a serious talk, it was probably for the best. She must've picked today for exactly that reason.

“What about Momoka?”

“…She's in her room.”

That slight pause probably reflected the state of their relationship.

“Hey, why don't we go to my room?”

“I'm fine here.”

That room of hers was also a nostalgic place.

I did feel a slight desire to see it again after so long, but I didn't have the courage to just throw myself into her territory without having clarified anything yet.

Akazawa showed a momentary expression of dissatisfaction but quickly returned to normal.

“Oh, right. First, let me apologize for what happened back then.”

“Back then?”

“You know, with Amatsuka-senpai. I was just so happy to see you again, and surprised about your relationship with her… a lot happened, and I kind of lost control.”

“Don't worry about it. Kikka nee-san said she wasn't bothered either.”

In reality, she was definitely bothered. She got so fired up she declared she'd become a goddess and went all-out in that contest, but I had no intention of bringing that up and making this conversation more complicated.

I took a deep breath and spoke up.

“There's something I want to get straight first.”

“Y-yeah?”

“I heard you realized who I was. When did you figure it out?”

“…From the very beginning.”

So she realized as soon as she saw me, huh?

Well, I guess that makes sense.

Aoyama was the same. There's no way a childhood friend like Akazawa wouldn't recognize me. Seriously, thinking back, I really was a clown for believing I could fool anyone when I first transferred here.

“So, you figured it out just by seeing me. Makes sense.”

“That's not what I meant by ‘from the beginning.'”

“What do you mean?”

“I knew you were transferring here before you even came.”

“What?”

Not just Kuromine—Akazawa knew too?

What the hell? Only my family should've known I was moving here.

My stepsister Shion did tell Kuromine because she admired her, and didn't yet know about my relationship with Kuromine. She was anxious about getting a new brother, so it made sense she'd confide in someone she saw as a sister.

But at that point, Akazawa and I weren't in contact.

“Who told you?”

“Yuri-san.”

“M-My mom!?”

What the hell…?

“I happened to run into her a little before you transferred.”

“…I see.”

“I really wanted to tell you right away. I've been wanting to apologize for so long.”

Come to think of it, she did say she wanted to apologize but had her reasons. That was right before she and Kikka nee-san got into an argument, if I remember correctly.

“You mentioned there were circumstances?”

“Yeah. Yuri-san forbade me from approaching you.”

“She forbade you?”

“She said if I contacted you right after you transferred, you might hate it. So she asked me to pretend I didn't recognize you.”

“…”

So Mom knew Akazawa was at Tenka too. And she asked her to act like she didn't know me?

Learning that left me with a mess of emotions.

Part of me wanted to be angry—like, if you knew, why didn't you tell me? But honestly, if I had known Akazawa was going there, I might have chosen a different school entirely. That would've meant not reuniting with Renji or Momoka.

And what would've happened if Akazawa had greeted me right away like she knew me? I might've been so shocked that I just stopped going to school altogether.

“…So, the fact that you're telling me this now means—”

“She gave me permission. I convinced her that you're mentally stable now and that you've rebuilt your friendship with Renji-kun.”

Of course Akazawa noticed my situation with Renji too.

This sudden influx of information almost overwhelmed me, but I couldn't let myself get shaken here.

One thing was clear: Akazawa had wanted to apologize to me. And she kept her promise to my mom and didn't reach out prematurely.

That, at least, I could respect.

“Tell me your true intentions. Honestly, I've had no idea what you've been thinking. So I want to hear it all—everything that's happened and how you feel. You're willing to talk, right?”

“Yeah. It might be a long story, though. Will you hear me out?”

Of course I would. That's exactly what I came for.

Back then, I thought it was Akazawa who spread the bad rumors about me. But my conversation with Nekoda had proven otherwise.

Even so, it was undeniable that Akazawa herself had created the kind of atmosphere where such rumors were easy to believe. With that kind of attitude, it's no surprise people misunderstood.

“Yeah. I'd really like to hear it.”