Chapter 20: Admiration…Envy

Reading Settings

Translator: Soafp

---

In the midterm exams of the second semester, I took first place in the grade once again.

“This time was so close, though…”

Yamato murmured that as he stared at his report card.

“Close…?”

“Yeah. I was 22nd this time. I was just a little higher, and my name would've been on the ranking board.”

Seeing Yamato speak with a carefree—no, rather, relieved—expression made me feel frustrated.

“As expected of you, Aoi. First place again.”

That was… the line I wanted to say to you.

“Yamato… let's do our best next time too.”

Don't make me say things like this…

“Ah… yeah… you're right.”

Be more frustrated.

Are you really satisfied with 22nd place?

Don't you feel any sense of urgency?

I had believed Yamato when he said he was focusing on studying since the second semester started.

He was studying hard, yet he still couldn't make it into the top ranks.

I should know better than anyone that he's capable of studying well… I know that… I should know that…

The level of classes in high school was far higher than in middle school.

There were more subjects too.

Even so, Yamato should be fine.

There shouldn't be a problem.

That's what I kept thinking… but…

[Is he really that capable?]

My father's words surfaced in my mind.

It was from this moment on that I began to doubt Yamato's true ability.

---

Today was Kaimei Academy's cultural festival.

Our class was running a café, serving coffee, tea, and some simple sweets.

“Customer service is tough, huh.”

“Yeah, I didn't think it'd be this busy.”

Toru and I had worked the earliest shift, so now we had free time.

Yamato's schedule was offset from ours—he still had about an hour left on duty.

The three of us had promised to walk around the festival together in the afternoon.

“The cultural festival at Kaimei Academy is amazing. There are so many people from outside the school too.”

“Yeah… um, Aoi, I have a favor to ask…”

“What is it?”

“My parents came to the festival, and… they said they'd like to meet you.”

Toru's parents… Murase-sensei and Noriko-san, who used to work as a nurse… right?

They had taken care of my mother when she was hospitalized, and I'd met them a few times before.

“Okay, I understand.”

When Toru led me to the front gate of the school, I saw his parents standing there.

“It's been a while, Aoi-chan! You've grown so much!”

“L-long time no see.”

Noriko-san took my hands and spoke with emotion.

“You look more and more like your mother, Aoi-san. Thank you for always being good friends with Toru.”

“N-no, it's me who should be thanking you…”

Toru's father, Murase-sensei, gave off a calm, unreadable impression.

“Um… did you want to talk to me about something?”

“No, it's just that Toru talks about you a lot at home. I wanted to greet you properly at least once.”

Toru talks about me…?

“Hey, cut it out, Dad.”

Toru hurriedly interrupted his father.

“Actually, I'm on good terms with your father, Miyano-san. That's why I wanted to see how his daughter Aoi-san has grown.”

“My father… you know him? I didn't know that.”

“Miyano-san isn't very talkative, after all.”

So even after my mother passed away, my father and Murase-sensei had stayed in touch…

“Alright, that's enough. We're busy.”

“You're right. We shouldn't get in the way of you two. We'll take our leave here.”

“Aoi-chan, see you again! Please take care of Toru!”

Urged by Toru, his parents left through the front gate.

“…They didn't misunderstand our relationship, did they?”

“Uh… m-maybe…? S-sorry for making you meet them like that.”

“N-no, it's fine.”

Seeing Toru's parents again after so long…

“Come on, let's kill some time and wait for Yamato.”

“…Yeah.”

Murase-sensei was just as hard to read as ever.

Noriko-san felt a little different from the image I remembered.

Was she always that cheerful…?

For some reason, meeting those two again left me with a faint sense of discomfort.

---

“Aoi, happy birthday!”

In front of the school building, bustling with food stalls and crowds of students and visitors, Yamato and Toru suddenly congratulated me, leaving me stunned.

“Huh… what?”

Today was my birthday.

“Why are you so surprised? You can eat whatever you like today. It's on us.”

It's not like I'd forgotten.

I just didn't expect Yamato and the others to celebrate it like this.

It might be surprising, but Yamato and I had rarely done anything special for each other on our birthdays.

(I remember… the year my mom passed away… Yamato gave me a present.)

It was a pencil, an eraser, and a ballpoint pen.

The pencil and eraser were used up long ago, but the pen is still in my pencil case, like a good-luck charm.

…That brings back memories.

“This takoyaki's good. You should try some too, Aoi.”

“Ah, yeah. Thanks.”

Yamato smiled as he spoke to me.

“Wanna go into the haunted house?”

“Hmm… scary stuff is kind of…”

“You're scared of those things, Aoi.”

“I-I'm not!”

What is this feeling…?

It's like we've gone back to middle school…

“Hey, Toru, hurry up and come too.”

“Ah… yeah. I'm coming.”

Since starting high school, I hadn't seen Yamato look like he was enjoying himself.

But today was different.

He looked genuinely happy…

“Come on, Aoi, let's go.”

“O-okay!”

Ah… this is fun.

Yes… this is how it used to be…

Yamato always walked ahead of me, leading the way.

Today's Yamato felt like he'd gone back to how he used to be, brighter than before… and it made my heart race a little.

“Yamato, should we go into that shop next?”

“Sure. You okay with that, Toru?”

“…Yeah, fine.”

For me, who hadn't had much fun since entering high school, this moment felt incredibly happy.

To be honest, I also wished I could go around the festival alone with Yamato.

…I felt a bit sorry for Toru.

Because today was the cultural festival… and when it comes to Kaimei Academy's night festival…

“Hey, I'm really looking forward to the night festival.”

“I kinda want a boyfriend too.”

I could hear snippets of conversation about the night festival from girls passing by.

“They do a bonfire at the night festival, right? Schools that still do that are pretty rare these days.”

“Ah, yeah… that's right. I'm looking forward to it.”

“Really? I'm not that interested in bonfires.”

I see… Yamato doesn't know.

The long-standing legend—no, maybe it's more like a tradition—at Kaimei Academy.

“I-I am… interested.”

The folk dance held at the night festival.

To be honest, I wanted to dance with Yamato.

They say that if a pair keeps holding hands even after the music stops, they'll be bound together forever.

…It's such a tempting event.

“H-hey, Yamato… about the night festival…”

I didn't have the courage to confess, of course.

There was also my father's condition hanging over me.

“W-with me…”

But if this event could move my relationship with Yamato forward…

“Ah, Yamato-kun. Hello.”

We were lined up to enter a third-year class's café when a beautiful senior stepped out and called out to Yamato.

“Hello, Hayami-senpai.”

Nagisa Hayami-senpai…

Back in the first semester, she had come to our classroom looking for Yamato and caused a huge commotion.

She was that popular and famous—said to be the academy's top genius… a wonderful person…

“You must be Aoi Miyano-san, right? First place in the grade as a first-year.”

“Ah, yes. I'm Miyano…”

Even as a girl myself, I couldn't help but be captivated by her beauty and refined presence.

Standing face to face with her, I felt the cheerful excitement I'd had just moments ago slowly drain away…

I could feel my heart growing cold.