Chapter 28: Remembered Heart

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Translator: Soafp

---

The day after.

Even though there were no classes, there was cleanup after the cultural festival.

I stayed home from school.

I had a fever, my body felt heavy, and my head hurt.

I wanted to see Yamato.

I wanted to clear up the misunderstanding.

But it couldn't be helped.

I had a fever, so I couldn't go to school.

Even though I wanted to see Yamato, I felt a small sense of relief being forced to stay home like this.

I knew why.

Clearing up the misunderstanding meant explaining everything that had happened up until now.

That… scared me.

Even though I wasn't at fault.

Would that excuse even work…?

And the conversation between my father and Yamato yesterday also lingered in my mind.

When did it start… when Yamato became like that?

Back in middle school, when our fathers had that argument and we couldn't see each other easily anymore…

When we became high schoolers, things were normal again…

The first time I felt something was off was in our first year… during the midterm exams… when he wasn't ranked first…

“Ah… Yamato, please… listen to me…”

No… not now.

I couldn't think about anything.

That day, I kept sleeping, tormented by my fever.

---

“The number you have dialed is not in service.”

I used the house phone for the first time in a long while.

The number I called was Yamato's home.

“Huh…? Why… how…?”

No matter how many times I called, the automated voice was all I heard.

“Why won't it connect!? And I don't even have my phone!”

Four days had passed since the cultural festival.

In the end, I had missed three days of school.

I had mostly recovered, but today was Sunday, so there was no school anyway.

While I was bedridden, I thought about a lot of things.

And the strongest feeling I had was still… my feelings for him.

I want to see Yamato.

I want to be with Yamato.

I want him to understand me.

I was nervous and anxious, but I made up my mind and called his house.

But the call wouldn't go through.

My phone had been missing since the festival, so I couldn't contact him directly either.

“Seriously! Why is it always like this!?”

Bad timing… always being one step too late…

Frustration, anxiety…

My emotions were all over the place again.

“I'm going… to Yamato's house…”

No matter how long I waited or how many times I called, it wouldn't connect, so I left the house to go to Yamato's place.

“Please wait, Aoi-sama!”

As I stepped outside, the housekeeper my father employed hurried after me.

“You've only just recovered. Please refrain from going out today.”

“I'm fine… I've already recovered.”

“No, you mustn't. Your father entrusted me with your care. Please rest at home today.”

I had heard that my father was away on a business trip overseas for about a week.

For me, going to Yamato's house now—when he wasn't around—was more convenient.

“You still had a fever until last night. Please take today to rest.”

“I'm fine! Just leave me alone!”

This housekeeper had worked here since before I was born.

When I was little, she often played with me instead of my busy father and my frail mother.

“No! Please go back!”

I loved her dearly, but…

Everyone who worked in this house was the same.

They were afraid of my father, just like I was.

So his orders were absolute…

“Enough! I'm going to Yamato's house! You're just afraid to go against my father too, aren't you!? That man who only cares about his company!”

Grabbing my arm, she responded with a sorrowful expression.

“I… am worried about you, Aoi-sama! I don't want to go through losing you… like we did with your mother, Akane…”

That's right…

She had always cared about me.

Even though we hadn't talked much lately, I remembered how close she was with my mother.

“And your father… is not the man you think he is.”

My father… my mother…

None of that mattered to me right now.

I just wanted to see Yamato.

“I'm sorry… Imamura-san.”

I shook off her hand and ran.

“…You really are so much like her…”

I heard her faint voice behind me, but I didn't stop as I headed toward my destination.

---

It had been a while since I last came to Yamato's apartment building.

I stood in front of his door.

My body trembled with nervousness and anxiety.

I would see Yamato… explain everything…

And then… what would he think of me…?

No matter how much I thought about it, nothing would move forward.

With trembling fingers, I pressed the intercom.

“…Huh…?”

No response.

Even after pressing it two, three times, there was no answer.

“Maybe… he's not home…”

No one was there.

It was Sunday, so maybe he was out.

Should I come back later…?

There's school tomorrow.

I could see him then.

“I'll… wait a little longer…”

If I left now, this problem would just carry over to tomorrow.

I didn't want that.

One hour… two hours passed… but Yamato didn't come back.

I had rushed out around noon, and now it was already evening.

“Yamato… hurry… I want to see you…”

It became hard to keep standing, so I crouched down in front of his apartment.

I started to feel a little sick.

My ears were ringing.

My head felt heavy.

Maybe… I still hadn't fully recovered after all…

“Could it be… Aoi-chan?”

Hearing my name, I lifted my head from where I had been looking down.

“Ah… Miwa…-san…”

Yamato's mother… Makino Miwa.

Back when I used to visit Yamato's house in middle school, she would always dote on me.

It had been a long time since I last saw her like this.

“It's been a while, Aoi-chan.”

“Y-yes… it has… Um… is Yamato… is Yamato-kun not here?”

“…Yeah… Yamato is out right now…”

Miwa-san gave a small smile before speaking.

“Where did he go…?”

“He went to a relative's house for a bit… I actually have to head there myself soon…”

“Did… something happen?”

The conversation between Yamato and my father at the festival flashed through my mind.

“Well… you could say it's a family matter…”

A family matter… maybe a relative passed away… like a funeral.

“Aoi-chan, you don't look well. Are you okay?”

“Ah, yes… I'm fine. More importantly, I wanted to talk to Yamato-kun… I…”

“I see… You really care about Yamato, don't you?”

Miwa-san gently stroked my head.

What is this feeling…?

Tears welled up.

My heart felt soothed.

“Thank you, Aoi-chan. For being such a good friend to Yamato.”

“N-no, it's not like that! I'm the one who's been helped by Yamato all this time…”

This feeling… it's so nostalgic.

Yamato was there, I was there, my mom was there, Miwa-san was there…

The four of us would eat together, play together…

Back then, I had no worries.

Those were happy times.

Why is it… so painful now…?

My vision blurred with tears.

I couldn't keep speaking properly.

Seeing me like that, Miwa-san gently embraced me.

“Aoi-chan… you know, when I was a student, I hated always being first on the attendance list.”

…What is she talking about…?

“The class duties always came to me first, and at ceremonies like graduation, my name would be called first, which made me nervous…”

The story Miwa-san started telling…

“You might think, ‘That's what bothered you?' but…”

…I could kind of understand that.

“Well… what I'm trying to say is… what people like and dislike is different for everyone.”

Everyone is different…

“It applies to everything. What you want to do, what you don't want to do, who you like, who you dislike… it's all different for each person… so…”

Why… is she telling me this…?

“Aoi-chan, you should be honest with your own heart.”

Be honest with my own heart…

“Miwa-san… thank you. Thank you for being kind to me.”

That's right.

Going back to my childhood… that phrase fits me perfectly right now.

Whether Yamato was talented, admired by classmates, dependable… none of that really mattered.

I just loved spending time with him.

Studying together, eating together, talking about silly things.

I didn't care about what others thought or how they judged us.

“It's getting dark soon. Aoi-chan, can you get home on your own?”

“Ah, yes… I can.”

Her comforting embrace ended, and I felt a little lonely.

“Be careful on your way home.”

Just moments ago, she had held me close, but now it felt like she was telling me, “Go home.”

I wanted to see Yamato… and I wanted to talk to Miwa-san a little longer.

“Alright… excuse me…”

Even though I didn't want to leave, I couldn't stay here forever.

“Aoi-chan…”

She called out to me, and I turned around.

Miwa-san was smiling gently.

“Before I got married, my maiden name was ‘Aizawa'…”

…From earlier.

Aizawa… Miwa-san's maiden name.

“Um… what does that… mean…?”

“No, it's nothing.”

“Ah… I see…”

I tilted my head in confusion at her sudden addition.

I didn't really understand why she had stopped me.

“This is… about all I can do…”

“Huh? What did you say?”

I couldn't catch what she muttered under her breath.

“Aoi-chan… take care… and keep doing your best.”

She waved at me.

I gave a small bow and headed home.

I couldn't meet Yamato, but I was glad I got to talk to Miwa-san.

I was able to remember how I used to feel.

“Tomorrow… I'll talk to Yamato.”

Be honest… with myself.

With my feelings.

---

“Aoi… um, are you feeling okay?”

Five days after the cultural festival, I returned to school.

“Yeah, I'm fine.”

Toru spoke with concern, but my mind was filled with thoughts of Yamato.

“The festival cleanup was rough. Since the student council president wasn't there, I had to do a lot.”

“Sorry, Toru. I apologize for that. But can we talk about that later?”

I didn't care about what Toru was saying.

“I need to talk to Yamato.”

“Y-Yamato? He's absent again today! Something about family matters, that's what the teacher said!”

“…I see…”

Miwa-san also mentioned family matters… maybe he won't be able to come to school for a few days…

If it's something personal, I can't just interfere.

I'll have to wait until he comes back.

“Toru, I'm sorry for everything. Thank you for helping me.”

“Huh…? Ah, no, it's not like—”

“I'd like to properly talk about that too, later.”

Honestly, I didn't want to be around Toru any more than necessary.

“Aoi! If you want, after school we could—”

“Sorry… I'm going back to class.”

I have to end this.

Be honest with myself…

Even after several days, Yamato never came to school.

The weekend passed, and my anxiety only grew.

I visited his house a few times, but no one was there.

My worry and loneliness grew stronger day by day.

If I had my phone, maybe I could've contacted him…

“I should've asked Miwa-san for his number…”

And then Monday came.

Right before first period, I peeked into Yamato's classroom, but he wasn't there.

“He's absent… again…”

I attended class with a heavy heart.

I couldn't focus at all.

All I could think about was Yamato.

After school today, I'll go to his house again.

My father should be back from his business trip soon, and I need to talk to Yamato quickly.

Hoping for classes to end as soon as possible, lunch break finally came.

“Huh? Seriously?”

“Yeah, apparently the teacher said it this morning.”

It wasn't just my classmates…

“He was already struggling with his grades, right? Maybe that's why?”

“Could be. Guess he finally hit rock bottom.”

Even in the hallway, students were talking loudly.

They were all discussing the same thing?

“From genius to prodigy, and now…”

“Well, guess he was just average after all.”

Prodigy?

Hit rock bottom…?

Fragments of conversation reached my ears.

A terrible feeling crept over me.

“Hey… what are you talking about?”

I gathered my courage and asked a group of classmates.

“Ah… well…”

They looked at each other, hesitant to speak.

“What? Did something happen?”

“Um… Miyano-san, you were close with Makino, right?”

“Yeah… I was…”

That bad feeling hit its mark.

It really was about Yamato.

“What… happened to Yamato?”

“Uh… well… Makino…”

I held my breath.

“…people are saying he transferred schools.”

…I couldn't hear properly.

“……Huh…? W-what…?”

…I couldn't understand.

“I mean, apparently Makino transferred.”

Transferred…?

“Everyone's talking about it.”

Who…? When…?

“M-Miyano-san, are you okay?”

My mind went completely blank.

“What… what is going on…?”

I had no idea what was happening anymore.