V4Ch3: Black Reunion

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Translator: Soafp

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It’s been a long time since we sat facing each other like this.

We've seen each other at school and work, but sitting across from her reminds me of the library from middle school. Not that I want to remember it, though.

“First of all, thank you. For accepting my request.”

“It's no big deal.”

“Thanks to you too, Inuyama-kun, for delivering my message,” she added.

“I just followed orders because I lost the bet,” Renji answered, then fell silent again on the bed.

…Kuromine didn't seem to comment on this situation at all.

I had predicted she already knew my true identity, and now I was certain.

If a student from Tenka’in Academy who didn't know about our history saw Renji and me like this, they'd be suspicious. We never talk at school, yet here we are, looking like old friends. The fact that she wasn't surprised could only mean she knew about the past.

“Before we get to the main topic, let me confirm something.”

“Go ahead.”

“…You've figured out who I really am, haven't you?”

“If by that you mean that Nijitani-kun is actually Mukawa-kun.”

Of course. It would have been more surprising if she didn't know at this point.

“Since when did you know?”

“From the start.”

“From the start!?”

Now that was shocking.

According to Aoyama, I apparently look similar to how I did in elementary school. But I look different from when Kuromine knew me, so I thought she hadn't figured out my identity.

When I glanced behind me, even Renji seemed surprised.

“I heard it from Shion…chan.”

“What do you mean?”

“I knew about you before you moved here, thanks to Shion-chan. I think I should start from there.”

Kuromine began explaining.

It seems that before I moved here, Shion had already told her about me.

Shion, my stepsister, entered Tenka Academy because she admired Kuromine. Shortly after enrolling, she started interacting with her.

During that time, Shion told Kuromine that she was going to have a stepbrother, and that he'd be moving here to live with them.

When Kuromine heard my mother's maiden name, she realized it was me. It feels strange to say this about myself, but “Mukawa” is quite an uncommon surname. When she also heard that my name was “Shota,” she became certain. Given all those matching conditions, it would have been nearly impossible to find someone else like me anywhere in the country.

I see. That explains it.

Obviously, Shion didn't have any bad intentions.

“I don't think she meant any harm, so I hope you won't be mad at her. She was just anxious and hopeful about her new family.”

“I understand. I'm not angry.”

Shion simply wanted to talk to her beloved and respected senpai about her situation.

I can understand how she felt. Suddenly having an older brother in high school would naturally make someone want to talk to someone about it. If her new brother turned out to be a weirdo, it could affect her whole life. It's only natural she'd have mixed feelings of expectation and anxiety. I felt the same. I worried about what I'd do if my new sister turned out to be an extremely rude or scary person.

Normally, this wouldn't have been an issue at all.

It was just that Shion, feeling both hopeful and uncertain about getting a new stepbrother, had confided in her trusted senior. That was all.

The only unexpected factor was the history between Kuromine and me. There's no way Shion could have known about that.

Because of this background, Kuromine had known my true identity from the start—long before I transferred.

“…So that's how it was.”

She had known all along.

I felt like an idiot for trying so hard to hide it. And come to think of it, Aoyama also seemed to know from the beginning.

Could it be that Akazawa had also realized from the start?

No point in dwelling on that now. I should focus on my conversation with Kuromine.

“Now that I think about it, you've changed a lot, Mukawa-kun.”

“Have I?”

“…Yeah.”

“From my perspective, it's you who's changed more, Kuromine.”

No matter how many times I see her, she's nothing like the plain girl I knew back then.

Now that I'm really looking at her, I can hardly see the connection. Her appearance and personality have changed so much that, if it weren't for her name, I wouldn't have known it was her.

“Why did you wait until now to reveal you knew, if you've known from the start?”

“Because I thought Mukawa—no, Nijitani-kun—was trying to leave the past behind.”

“…?”

“When I first saw you after you transferred, I was shocked. You didn't resemble your old self at all. If Shion-chan hadn't told me, I wouldn't have recognized you. That's how much you'd changed.”

I nodded slightly, thinking we both probably felt the same way.

“To me, it looked like you had discarded your past and were trying to live as Shota Nijitani. It seemed like you were trying to start a new life in a new place.”

“…”

“That's why, even though I recognized you, I didn't say anything. I didn't want to bring up the past if you were trying to start fresh.”

So that's how she saw things.

But in reality, it was different.

It wasn’t about trying to forget my past. It was simply because Yuuhi Akazawa was in the same class, and she didn't seem to notice me, so I just played along. Mahiro, who had been sitting near me and went to the same middle school, also didn't realize who I was.

After that, Aoyama didn't notice either. Well, she actually did, but she pretended not to.

I figured nothing good would come from being found out, so I acted as if we were meeting for the first time. That's all it was. It wasn't about trying to start a new life or anything like that.

“But in reality, it was different.”

“…”

“You went back to being friends with Inuyama. So the theory that you were trying to forget the past was wrong from the start.”

Kuromine looked over at Renji.

“By the way, when did you realize my connection with Renji?”

“It was easy to tell because of Inuyama.”

Renji reacted to that.

“What exactly made it obvious?”

“Like when you passed each other, or during that council meeting. You used to be full of hostility towards me, but suddenly you became calm. And when you looked at Nijitani-kun, your eyes seemed oddly happy. That’s when I knew you two had made up.”

It was the same thing with Aoyama, too.

I'm pretty clueless, but come on, he needs to pull himself together.

When I looked at the person in question, he turned his face away, trying not to meet my eyes.

“Oh, and Nijitani-kun, you were pretty obvious too. Your energy was unusually high, and during the sports festival, you kept following Inuyama with your gaze.”

“…”

Now I could feel Renji's eyes on me. I definitely wasn't going to look in that direction.

Well, it couldn't be helped. He's my best friend. Anyone would get excited after reuniting after several years.

“I get why you chose this timing. So, shall we get to the main point?”

“…Yeah.”

“You dragged Renji into this and caused quite a commotion. What's so important that you went that far to tell me?”

I felt strangely nervous.

It was a mystery why Kuromine, who had known who I was from the start, went out of her way to set up this meeting. There could've been other ways to handle it.

“I hadn't forgotten about you when you were Mukawa-kun. That's why I came here to tell you something I've always wanted to say.”

“You've always wanted to tell me something?”

“Yes. Not to Nijitani-kun, but to Shota Mukawa-kun.”

“To the old me—”

What could she possibly want to say?

Bracing myself, I waited for her next words.

“Thank you for saving me back then.”

Kuromine stood up and bowed her head.

Her deep bow reminded me of the time I watched from the closet as she expressed her apologies and gratitude.

“…Eh?”

The unexpected words left me blinking in surprise.