Chapter 13

Reading Settings

Translator: Soafp

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I woke up to the sound of my alarm. Even though I had gone to bed earlier than usual, my body still felt heavy.

It didn't take long to realize that habits ingrained over years don't change overnight.

But I couldn't afford to stay sluggish here.

Even if it's just one step at a time, I have to keep moving forward.

I've already decided that I'm going to change—

Telling myself that, I started my usual morning.

Dragging myself out of bed, I headed to the dining table, where my mother was already there.

She widened her eyes in surprise—after all, I was up at least an hour earlier than usual.

“Ara, this is rare. You're up this early, Reita?”

“Yeah… I figured I should start waking up earlier from now on.”

“What brought this on…?”

She looked confused. She probably thought this was just another one of my strange moods.

At this point, she likely sees me as nothing more than a troublesome son.

I don't blame her for that.

Both of us are victims of that accident.

She lost the man she loved, and her son lost his memory. Anyone would struggle to stay sane after that.

Even so, she still prepares dinner every day and provides what I need.

She's fulfilling her role as a parent.

If anything, I'm the one who should be apologizing.

“…Sorry. For making you worry all this time.”

“…?? What's gotten into you?”

“I think it's about time I changed.”

“…!”

At my words, her eyes widened again—

“I see… That makes me happy.”

She smiled gently, without even asking what had happened.

Maybe she already knew.

Maybe she'd been waiting for me to say something like this someday.

Even if things changed after the accident, she's still my mother.

After that, we didn't say much more, but somehow, it turned into a refreshing morning.

---

I left the house thirty minutes earlier than usual.

Maybe it was because I woke up early, but my head felt clearer, and my steps were lighter.

It takes about twenty minutes to walk to school.

Unlike usual, I could see other students heading there too.

Even though it was the same road, it felt completely different—like the first day of school all over again.

Then, as I reached an intersection, I spotted two familiar figures ahead of me.

Chestnut-colored half-up hair, and a blonde side ponytail with a cardigan tied around the waist.

—Maaya and Rin.

It was the first time I'd seen them on the way to school.

Not surprising, considering I was always barely making it on time before, but it still felt strangely fresh.

If I manage to return to who I used to be… could we walk to school together again like before?

…No. That's getting ahead of myself.

Nothing has even started yet.

I don't even know if I can change.

I shouldn't let myself get my hopes up.

At this rate, I don't even know if I'll make it before graduation.

And even if I do change, there's no guarantee things will go back to how they were.

It's been too long.

For now, with people around and rumors spreading easily, it's probably best not to get involved.

Thinking that, I tried to pass by them without being noticed—

but Maaya spotted me.

“Huh? Reita-kun…? It is you! That's rare, seeing you in the morning!”

She ran up to me with a happy expression, while Rin followed more reluctantly.

“Good morning, Reita-kun!”

“Y-yeah…”

She greeted me with a bright smile, but I gave a short reply.

“What's with you? Since when do you come this early?”

“Nothing special. I just woke up early and had nothing better to do.”

“I see…”

Rin's tone was just as cold.

Even if I do change… I can't really picture a future where I make up with Rin.

Out of the three, she's the one who still feels the strongest about the past.

And she's stubborn, too.

She's not going to forgive me easily.

…Then again, neither am I the type to be honest.

“Hey Reita-kun, wanna walk to school together?”

Ignoring all of that, Maaya casually made another tone-deaf suggestion.

“Hey, Maaya… not this again…”

“But we ran into each other, didn't we?”

“Yeah, and there were already weird rumors going around the other day…”

“That's already been cleared up, right?”

The rumors—probably about that PE class incident.

All I did was take Maaya to the infirmary after she fell, but somehow it turned into a story about me dragging her there by force.

Rin denied it since she knew the truth, so it died down on the surface…

but people are still making up stories behind the scenes.

Honestly… people think they can say whatever they want just because I have a bad reputation.

Well, I guess it's karma.

“…I'm heading on ahead.”

I can't drag them into this any further.

Not yet.

Until I become a decent person, I should keep my distance.

Otherwise, I'll just repeat the same mistake.

Thinking that, I tried to leave quickly—

but then…

“Wait…”

Maaya grabbed the hem of my uniform.

“Hey… let go.”

“Please. Let's go together.”

“No. I don't want more rumors.”

“Th-then just part of the way…!”

I refused, but she wouldn't back down.

The look in her eyes was on the verge of tears—

and at the same time, filled with determination.

…

I'm bad at dealing with that face.

I always have been.

I hesitated, but… just part of the way should be fine.

“…Alright. Just part of the way.”

Even though I knew I probably shouldn't, I gave in.

“…! Thank you!”

Her face lit up with a bright smile, like a flower blooming.

Seriously… how can she smile like that at someone like me?

No wonder Rin worries so much.

With that unease in mind, I ended up walking to school alongside the two of them.

“Fufu, this really reminds me of the old days,” Maaya said happily.

“There's one person here who doesn't remember those days,” Rin shot back coldly.

That was a sharp jab.

Normally I'd fire back, but today I held my tongue.

“I think the current Reita-kun is cool too, though…”

“Please. Delinquents are just a bunch of wannabes trying too hard.”

“But when it counts, being strong and reliable isn't a good thing?”

“Maaya, you've been reading too much manga. In real life, they're just weak people who can only act tough in groups.”

…So much for staying quiet.

They're just saying whatever they want now.

“Like you can talk, dressing all flashy like that.”

“Th-this is…! Shut up! It has nothing to do with you!”

I meant it as a light tease, but she snapped back seriously.

That wasn't the reaction I expected.

I thought she'd get flustered or embarrassed—but she just looked genuinely annoyed.

…Yeah. I misjudged the distance between us.

Maaya's easy acceptance almost made me forget, but there's still a deep rift between us.

“…”

Rin turned away and stopped talking altogether.

…That was a mistake.

If I'm going to change, I might need to relearn how to interact with people too.

But still…

There was something else in Rin's anger.

Something beyond just anger directed at me.

I couldn't quite figure out what it was—

and it wasn't the kind of situation where I could ask.

“Ahaha… it's okay, Reita-kun. I'm sure you'll make up someday.”

“…I hope so.”

After that, things grew awkward, and we barely spoke.

As promised, we split off halfway and headed to school separately.