Chapter 24: Innocent Kindness

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Translator: Soafp

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[Aoi PoV]

The day before the cultural festival.

After finishing the morning classes, the afternoon was set aside for festival preparations.

The students had been gradually working on things after school and during breaks for weeks, and today everything would finally be completed.

“Um, is Yamato Makino here?”

I went to Yamato's classroom.

Until yesterday, he had been talking to me every day, but today he hadn't, and it bothered me.

“Oh, it's Student Council President Miyano-san. If you're looking for Makino, he already went home.”

“Huh, went home? But preparations for the festival start now, right?”

“Yeah, but it's fine. At this point, even if he helped, it wouldn't really make a difference…”

Apparently, Yamato had barely participated in the festival preparations at all.

When I heard that, I immediately ran after him, since he had just left.

I felt irritated again.

Just yesterday, I had been happy, thinking Yamato was paying attention to me.

“Yamato! Wait!”

I found him at the shoe lockers, changing his shoes.

“A-Aoi…? What's wrong…?”

“What do you mean, what's wrong!? What are you doing here!? Everyone is working hard to prepare for the festival!”

“I know that… but…”

He wasn't helping with preparations.

He was neglecting his studies.

And he wasn't even talking to me.

“If even one person is missing, it puts more burden on everyone else!”

“I know… that…”

My emotions were all over the place.

“If you know, then hurry back to the classroom! I have meetings with the festival committee too—I'm busy!”

Ah… what is this…

Why does it always turn out like this…?

I just… want you to try your best…

I want to go to the same university as you…

I want to stay by your side forever…

And yet…

“Are you even listening!?”

Why did you become like this?

I was looking forward to tomorrow's festival…

“About that rumor going around school lately…”

Yamato, who had been looking down, raised his head and spoke.

I could tell at a glance that he was tense.

“Are you… dating Toru…?”

I froze.

The anger that had been building inside me vanished instantly.

“A-are you… dating him…?”

My emotions flipped in an instant.

So Yamato really was paying attention to me…

He was completely aware of me…!?

“…Does it… bother you? The rumors… about me and Toru…”

Joy—there was no better word for it.

“Well… we're childhood friends… and Toru's my best friend… so… of course I'd be curious whether you two are dating…”

I stared straight into Yamato's eyes, but he avoided my gaze, as if hiding his true feelings.

“So… what is it? You and Toru?”

A smile crept onto my face.

I had known him for so long, but I had never seen him look this flustered before.

That alone made my heart race with excitement.

“Fufu… it's none of your business, is it?”

I could have told him the truth right there.

But my heart wanted more.

I wanted him to think about me more.

To worry about me more.

To pay more attention to me.

If that happened, just like Toru said…

maybe he would… confess to me.

Tomorrow was the cultural festival—the after-event folk dance.

The situation was perfect.

“More importantly, everyone's busy preparing for the festival tomorrow.”

I wanted to drag it out more, to see him struggle.

I almost let slip something I didn't even mean—like “Toru is reliable in the student council, unlike someone else, and he's cool too.”

“Come on, go back to your classroom already.”

Yeah… it would be cruel to push him too far.

More than that, I wanted him to focus on tomorrow's festival.

“Even if I'm not there… things will work out fine…”

Those words betrayed my expectations.

“What are you talking about!? That's not the point!”

The pleasant high I had just been feeling turned pitch black in an instant.

Why do you always make excuses like that?

Maybe that's why you're isolated at school and your grades are slipping.

“This is a school event! Everyone has to cooperate and do their part!”

Tomorrow is my birthday…

There's the festival… the folk dance…

“Come on, go back already!”

I wanted you to look at me…

I wanted to become someone strong enough to guide you…

I've been trying so hard every day…

“Shut up…”

Yamato muttered something under his breath, but I couldn't hear it clearly.

“Huh? What did you say!?”

If you have something to say, say it properly!

“I SAID SHUTUP!!”

For a moment, I didn't understand what had just happened.

Yamato's shout… his sharp glare…

I couldn't process that it was directed at me.

“Y-Yamato…?”

He turned and walked out of the school building, and I hurried after him.

“Let me go.”

My mind was in a panic, but I grabbed his hand tightly, trying to stop him.

He shook me off.

I had never seen him like this before.

Not once had he ever treated me this way.

“Wait!”

I had to fix this.

“Yamato, did I say something wrong? I-I'm sorry…”

I made him angry.

At this rate… would he start to hate me…?

Yamato… hating me.

That was the one thing I had always feared most.

I… I have to do something…

“Um… about tomorrow… there's the after-festival event in the evening, right?”

I couldn't think straight.

I was desperate.

“There's a campfire, and…”

I'm not dating Toru.

I love you, Yamato.

“If you don't mind… I want you to dance the folk dance with me…”

My whole body felt cold.

I was scared.

I didn't want him to hate me.

“You might not know this, but if a boy and a girl dance that folk dance together, they end up together—”

Maybe he wasn't even listening to me.

Or maybe… the idea of dancing with someone like me was just ridiculous to him.

“Wait! Please wait!”

I chased after him, but my legs were trembling with fear—I couldn't catch up.

Tears wouldn't stop as reality, something I didn't want to accept, unfolded before me.

“Ugh… Yamato…”

He had always been by my side.

And for the first time… it felt like he had left me behind.

In the end, I hadn't changed at all.

I was still the same—cowardly, weak, and prone to tears.

“Student Council President Miyano? What's wrong?”

As I stood crying alone near the school gate, a man's voice called out from behind me.

“Ah… n-no…”

It was the vice principal.

“I'm… fine…”

I tried to act strong, but he had already seen my tear-streaked face.

I hurriedly wiped my tears with my sleeve, but the sadness wouldn't go away.

“The one who just left… was that Yamato Makino?”

“Ah… y-yes…”

Seeing me still crying, the vice principal looked a bit troubled.

“Did something happen between you two?”

“N-no… nothing… I just… I made him angry…”

When I said that, he spoke gently.

“I see. When people are young, it's natural to clash sometimes.”

He had become part of the school's administration at a young age, but because of his kind nature, he was well-liked by the students.

“I… I made him angry…!”

“It's alright. Both you and Makino-kun are the pride of this school.”

As I broke down, he continued softly,

“There's no need to rush. When you've both calmed down, you can talk things through properly.”

His words… his kindness… reached my heart.

“It'll be okay.”

Somehow, little by little, I began to calm down.

My father… Murase-sensei… Noriko-san…

I had always felt wary and suspicious of the adults around me.

“It'll be alright.”

But somehow, the vice principal—Tono-sensei's words—made my heart feel warm.