Chapter 34: Heroine Meeting ②

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Translator: Soafp

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At my words, Shinonome froze where she stood.

“Hatsukade… what did you just say?”

“I said I like you too, Shinonome.”

The octopus cracker in her left hand shattered into crumbs with a crisp snap…

The shop owner had gone through the trouble of making it round and perfectly baked. What a waste.

Shinonome, much shorter than me, fidgeted as she looked up.

“Ugh, I know you didn't mean you like me that way, but hearing you say it directly is…”

“Is it bad?”

“It's just… kind of embarrassing.”

“I see.”

I wasn't embarrassed at all.

It felt much the same as saying you disliked something you disliked. Since Shinonome had gone out of her way to tell me how she felt, I thought I should be honest too—but apparently that was no good.

Shinonome took a sip of ramune, sat down, and muttered quietly.

“But compared to how things were at first, maybe I've made at least a little progress?”

Our first meeting had been terrible, so even I was surprised that I now felt this way about her.

I think Shinonome's remorse over what she had done, and her actions to move forward, had made a deep impression on me.

Because that was the other path Miko and I had not chosen.

“Hmph.”

Nakina puffed out one cheek and glared at me.

Sakura, meanwhile, was smiling—but her forehead twitched, and faint veins stood out on the fist she had raised.

“Now, now. Subaru, I'm still your girlfriend for the time being, you know? I don't think it's right to tell another girl you like her before the words are even dry.”

“Like Shinonome said, I didn't mean it romantically. Or are you the possessive type who makes her boyfriend delete all his female contacts?”

“N-No, it's not like that…”

“Then there's no problem.”

“Ghh!”

Honestly, all of you freely throw around words like “I like you” toward me, so why do you get mad when I say it?

But if I don't say it, you get depressed on your own, which is equally troublesome.

It's completely unreasonable.

“If Sakura gets to act like his girlfriend, that's not fair!”

“Eh? Nakina, what's wrong!?”

“If that's allowed, then I want to be Hatsukade-kun's boyfriend for a week too!”

“That's right, that's right! Sakura isn't allowed to get a head start all by herself!”

“Even you too, Shi-chan!?”

“In that case, Nakina, we'll join forces. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. This is the only way to beat Sakura!”

“O-Okay!”

“Help me, Subaru!”

Good grief. I'd really gotten attached to some troublesome girls.

But strangely, I didn't hate it.

As I watched their silly exchange, a small smile crept onto my face.

---

The train home was mostly empty.

Bathed in the orange glow of sunset streaming through the window, I watched the town where we had spent the past week recede into the distance.

Shinonome and Amanatsu had selfishly insisted they didn't want to go home yet, even though we had just arrived. I went along with them, and that was how it got this late.

Sakura, worn out from all the fun, slept with a contented smile on her face while holding Shinonome, who looked uncomfortable in her arms.

“How was this past week?”

Nakina, sitting beside me, murmured the question.

How was it? What should I say?

The first memories that came to mind were all about how exhausting it had been.

I'd worried about how to get Sakura back into high school. Helping out at Blue Note had been pretty hard work too, and the typhoon day had frightened me badly.

I could go on forever listing everything that happened.

But as I looked at the scenery reflected in the window, I felt as though a hole had opened in my chest.

“A lot happened, but it was fun.”

When you wrapped it all together, that was probably the answer.

“Hatsukade-kun, you've changed somehow.”

“In what way?”

“The way you can honestly say it was fun. The old Hatsukade-kun would sit in the corner of the classroom acting like none of it concerned him. It's just surprising that you can say you enjoy being with Sakura, even after she caused you trouble… At first, you only talked to me, but now I feel like you're heading farther and farther into places I don't know.”

Nakina's tone wasn't directed at me so much as thrown somewhere far away, wrapped in loneliness.

Since the typhoon incident, Sakura had regained her energy.

And Shinonome, in her own way, seemed to have put things behind her as well.

But Nakina Amanatsu alone would sometimes look troubled when she thought no one was watching.

“Is that a change you don't like, Nakina?”

“It's not that… It's just complicated.”

“…But if you think I've changed, it's all because of you, Nakina.”

“Huh?”

“You were the one who gave me the chance to get involved with Sakura and Shinonome. If I hadn't felt anything for you before that fake confession, I probably wouldn't be here now. You changed me. So forgive me.”

“…!”

“And…”

I stopped before saying what I had been about to say.

It felt like I didn't have the right to say it yet.

Instead, I spoke different words.

“There's no doubt that I learned about this kind of happiness because of you, Nakina. Thank you.”

“H-Hatsukade-kun…”

I almost reached out to pat her head as she flustered shyly… but then I remembered that doing things like that might not be a good idea, and stopped myself.

Instead, I simply curled my lips into a smile at her. She covered her burning face with both hands, peeking at me through her fingers.

“Ah… ah…”

“Let's keep getting along from now on.”

“Y-Yeah. I'll message you again once we get home.”

“I'll send you the pictures from our week here.”

“…Kyun.”

So, what kind of high school life would be waiting for me tomorrow?

The atmosphere would probably be completely different.

And then… was it really alright for things to stay this way?

The words I'd almost said to Nakina earlier were something that pierced me, too.

Maybe it was about time for me to face that person again.