Chapter 3: Despair Reunion

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Translator: Soafp

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I heard the sound of the neighbor’s door opening the morning before my entrance ceremony.

(You hadn't been able to greet them yet?)

Nope.

I quickly got ready and, with the moving-in gift of soba in hand, rang the doorbell.

(So early in the morning?)

For some reason, I felt desperate. I probably just wanted to get it over with.

“Hello, who is it?” (???)

From the voice, it sounded like a young woman.

(Are you happy?)

No, I don't really feel anything.

But, you know…

My heart started beating faster when I heard her voice.

(Are you nervous?)

You could say that.

“Uh, I'm Furukawa from next door. I just moved in and wanted to introduce myself.” (Haru)

“Eh? Furukawa? W-wait a moment, please.” (???)

With each word she spoke, my heart pounded faster, and I could clearly hear it in my ears.

Click

The moment the door opened…

Sweat poured out of every pore, and bile rose up my throat.

“…Akiho, why—” (???)

“Eh? Akiho?” (Haru)

I think I heard something, but I barely managed to hand over the soba and bolted back to my room.

I locked the door.

Then I vomited in the bathroom.

Ding dong, ding dong

The doorbell rang repeatedly while I was in there.

“Why? Why is Akiho here?!” (Haru)

I had no idea what she'd done after graduating from high school.

And I didn't want to know.

But I never imagined I'd run into her like this.

The next day was my entrance ceremony, but I couldn't sleep a wink that night.

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The entrance ceremony.

With a foggy head, I put on my brand-new suit.

When I looked at myself in the mirror, I looked even worse than usual.

(Such a waste, since you dressed up.)

Wearing a suit doesn't change much when the base is what it is.

(Your self-esteem is too low)

I think it's a fair assessment.

Dragging my heavy body along, I eventually reached the auditorium where the entrance ceremony was held.

I sat down and looked around.

“There's no way Akiho's here.” (Haru)

Even though I knew it was pointless, I still checked.

What if she was?

But there was no way we'd be at the same university.

From what I knew of her academic ability, she couldn't have gotten in.

(She did put in the effort, though.)

But not for this university.

The entrance ceremony went off without a hitch, and then we moved to our classrooms by department for a schedule overview.

Since I didn't know anyone, once the explanations were over, I went to the co-op to buy what I needed and stepped outside.

What I saw in front of me was surreal.

(Fufu, you must've been surprised.)

Yeah, I was.

I'd heard about it, but seeing it was something else—people holding signs and handing out flyers in uniforms were crowded everywhere.

New students in suits couldn't leave without passing through.

It was a frenzy of club recruitment.

(They're all desperate.)

“So, I can't get home without going through this?” (Haru)

I felt nothing but despair.

I didn't want to join any clubs, so I was trying to figure out how to turn them down.

“I guess I'll just have to push through.”

Steeling myself, I dove into the crowd.

“Interested in tennis?” (Random student)

“We're having a BBQ. Want to do some outdoor activities together?” (Random student)

“We're the Local History Club. How about joining us for a walk around the city?” (Random student)

I ran through the wave of people, trying not to get swept away.

“Whoa, watch where you're going, or—hey, wait, you!” (???)

I almost bumped into someone right in front of me and stopped.

“Ah, sorry!” (Haru)

When I finally lifted my head, right in front of me was…

“…Akiho.” (Haru)

What is she doing here?

As much as I wanted to believe it wasn’t true, she was standing right there.

Instantly, bile rose in my throat, and I felt nauseous.

But I couldn't just throw up in a place like this.

So, I turned and ran as fast as I could.

“Ah, wait! Hori-kun, catch him!” (???)

“Eh? Oh, got it.” (Hori)

But I couldn't move well in the crowd, and I was easily caught.

However, there was no way I could stay in this situation.

“Let me go!” (Haru)

I tried to shake off his grip with all my strength, but I wasn't strong enough.

(Well, Hori is quite strong.)

“Hold on a second—wait, are you okay? Your face is completely pale.” (Hori)

“That's why I'm telling you to let go!” (Haru)

“No, I can't do that.” (Hori)

“Hori-kun, thanks.” (Natsu)

“Natsu-san, this is bad. Look at his face.” (Hori)

Natsu?

The voice that followed sounded just like hers.

“Are you okay, Haru-kun?” (Natsu)

Haru-kun?

Akiho would never call me that.

Realizing this, the tightness in my chest began to ease.

I started to calm down a bit and looked up.

“No way! Haru-kun, your face is so pale. Are you feeling sick? Let's sit on a bench for a bit.” (Natsu)

I knew this person.

(That's right.)

You took my hand and led me to a bench. As I sat down, I looked at you again.

You looked at me with concern—right, you did resemble Akiho.

“Na-chan.” (Haru)

This person was Akiho’s older sister, two years her senior.

(Yours truelly, Natsuki.)

“Haru-kun, it's been a while. Are you okay?” (Natsu)

The last time we met was probably at your graduation ceremony.

(Aah, that's right.)

(The day after, I moved here.)

You had always looked just like your younger sister, Akiho.

(Yeah, we were even mistaken for twins sometimes.)

I was so flustered that I mistook you too.

(How rude, especially to run away after seeing my face.)

Please forgive me.

Otherwise, I would've thrown up right in front of you.

(That's true.)

“Thanks, Hori-kun. Haru-kun, here, drink this to calm down.” (Natsu)

You handed me a bottle of water, but when I tried to open it, my hands were trembling too much to turn the cap.

“Let me.” (Natsu)

You took the bottle from me, opened the cap, and handed it back.

(Your hands are still shaking.)

“Th-thank you… so much.” (Haru)

“No need to be so formal. Talk to me like you used to.” (Natsu)

“Natsu-san, do you know him?” (Hori)

“Yeah, he's the neighbor from back home. We grew up together. We used to play together all the time when we were little.” (Natsu)

Your words brought back memories of the past.

The days when Na-chan, Akiho, Toma, and I would always play together.

But…

Those memories eventually turned bitter.

“Thank you very much. I'm fine now.” (Haru)

I pulled out my wallet and tried to hand some money to the guy who caught me.

“No, no need for that.” (Hori)

“I don't like owing people. Please take it. And thank you, too, Nimi-senpai. I'm fine now, so I'll be going.” (Haru)

“Eh? Haru-kun, wait a minute. You don't have to be so—” (Natsu)

I cut off your words with a quick “Goodbye” and left the scene.

(It made me really sad.)

I can't help it.

I'm a twisted person.

(But, you know, I am really happy to see you again.)

Thank you.

I was relieved that it wasn’t her.

This was our first reunion in two years.