Chapter 27: Can't Just Leave It Be

Reading Settings

Monday.

My hope for an uneventful day was shattered by a message that arrived mid-morning.

“Yuuta, I’m sorry. Yesterday, Ando—now Okutsu—asked about Kurebayashi-san, and I told him you go to the same university.”

Mitsuhide, you traitor! You’ve betrayed me, just like at Honno-ji!

“Why the hell were you talking to Ando anyway? I thought you barely knew him!”

“Turns out we’re in the same club. We bonded over being from F Prefecture and ended up talking a lot.”

Should I launch a surprise attack and take him down? Damn it. 

Forget it. I was stupid to think Mitsuhide was my friend. Unlike me, he seems to be living the good life, so I’ll just ignore all his messages from now on.

*Sigh.*

From what I’ve heard from Kurebayashi-san, it’s unlikely that Ando would come bothering her out of lingering feelings.

… Unless, of course, he’s so desperate for female company due to some curse that he can't contain himself.

***

“Hey, Yuuta-kun! Good morning!”

“Oh, morning, Kimura-san.”

Feeling betrayed, I headed to university later than usual. Kimura-san caught up with me, tapping me on the shoulder.

“You won’t believe it! They were shooting a drama at the station near the commuter line, and KYOKO was there!”

“Huh?”

KYOKO. Even someone like me, who doesn’t follow the entertainment industry, knows her name. She debuted two or three years ago and quickly became popular, appearing in a variety shows and dramas. She’s a beautiful model with a stunning figure and short hair that suits her.

For some reason, though, I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before. Maybe it’s just my unreliable memory.

“She's got such a small face! And her skin is so fair! Real-life models are something else!”

“…Hmm.”

“And you know, KYOKO keeps her birthplace and real name a secret, but she might be from F Prefecture! Maybe we passed her on the street before!”

“…Huh.”

So, that’s why Kimura-san was late too, hanging around the filming site. It confirms that she's what you might call a “groupie” in Showa-era terms or a “fangirl” in Heisei terms. 

Anyway, as we continued our one-sided conversation and entered the campus,

“Please, just listen to me!”

“Leave me alone. I don't want to see you again.”

A couple I recognized were having a heated argument a little way off from the main gate.

“Yikes.”

Kimura-san muttered reflexively. She really should learn to hide her true feelings better.

The girl arguing was Kurebayashi-san, looking a bit worn out. She really seems to have a penchant for causing scenes at the main gate. And I wonder if Kimura-san has told her yet that they went to the same middle school.

“Uh, I'm running late, so I have to go! Good luck, Yuuta-kun!”

“Oh, uh, thanks…”

Kimura-san made her escape. She has good crisis management skills; I'll give her that. After all, she knew how to enjoy herself while avoiding trouble.

I, too, wanted no part in this mess and decided to just ignore it.

“Please, I'm really sorry! I regret everything that happened!”

“How can you say that with a straight face? You only saw me as convenient girl, didn’t you?”

“No, it wasn’t like that… Mii, you're my childhood friend.”

“Don't call me Mii so casually! After toying with me, you dumped me for Asuka-nee. Do you have any idea how much that hurt me!? Clearly, you don't.”

“I'm really sorry…”

“I don’t need your empty apologies… Okutsu-kun. Loving someone like you makes me feel so stupid. I only have hatred left for you. Leave me alone.”

“Mii!”

Okutsu…?

Kurebayashi-san just said his name.

Oh, I get it! This is Ando! Or rather, ex-Ando, now pathetic, lingering feelings guy!

Why did he come here? Is he so desperate for female company that he's seeking out Kurebayashi-san out of sheer desperation? What happened to his curse?

“Now I understand how you felt, Yuuta-kun. Someone like me doesn’t deserve forgiveness.”

“Come on, Mii! Just listen to me!”

“Kyah!”

Oh no, Okutsu grabbed Kurebayashi-san’s arm!

“Let go! Let go of me!”

She’s trying to pull away, but Okutsu won't let go.

Damn it.

Now Kurebayashi-san is in the same position I was in before.

You see now, Kurebayashi-san? We can't just go back to being friends. 

It's an ugly, deep feeling, isn't it?

…But still.

Why does this piss me off so much?

Kurebayashi-san genuinely felt sorry for what she did to me. But I don't sense any genuine remorse from Okutsu at all.

It's really infuriating. It feels like he's indirectly mocking me too.

Thinking about that, I…

“Hey, Okutsu. Let go of her with those filthy hands of yours, filthier than the dick you used to screw around with other girls.” …Oh great. I just had to step in.