Chapter 37: Farewell

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Translator: Soafp

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Haruki and Endo-san faced each other at the entrance. For a brief moment, they stared silently at one another.

“What's up? Were you listening to the conversation between me and Fukase earlier?”

“………………”

Endo-san spoke firmly, showing no weakness even with Haruki right in front of her.

Haruki, on the other hand, bit his lip, trying to hide whatever emotions were beneath.

Whether it was sadness or anger caused by the fact that Endo-san had betrayed him, no one could tell.

“I'll leave the spare key here.”

Endo-san took the spare key from her pocket and placed it on top of the shoe cabinet, then put on her shoes and passed by Haruki.

From this action alone, it was clear she truly intended to break up with Haruki.

For me, it was a relief for the time being… but what was Haruki thinking?

“Wait, Seina.”

Haruki grabbed Endo-san's arm as she opened the front door to leave.

“Let go!”

“I said wait.”

Haruki's calm voice contrasted sharply with Endo-san's furious resistance.

He must have been listening to the conversation between me and Fukase earlier.

“What? Weren't you listening to the talk between me and Fukase?”

“…Yeah, I was. So what?”

His reaction… as expected, he…

“Then you know already, right? What kind of person I am, and what I've done.”

“…………”

Watching Haruki bite his molars, unable to speak, was painful for me.

Endo-san schemed and acted to satisfy her own desires.

Because of that, a distance formed between Haruki and me, and Endo-san ended up taking him away.

I hate Endo-san.

I know I'm partly to blame.

Still, if Endo-san hadn't been there, maybe it wouldn't have come to this.

No… stop.

Endo-san, me, Miwa, Coach Tamiya, Senda-Senpai — we all took the wrong path.

Right now, the one suffering the most is probably Haruki.

“Are you saying you're breaking up with me?”

“Huh? Of course. After hearing about my past just now, you're still saying that?”

“I… can't believe that everything you said is true.”

“You really haven't changed since middle school. You were dependent and too kind back then, weren't you? You depended on Fukase back then, and now it's me.”

“That's not true…”

Haruki's voice and expression gradually drained of life.

I recognized this expression.

Back in middle school, when he found out I was talking behind his back and we confronted each other…

Now I understand that was Endo-san's scheme, but my chest still feels like it's about to burst.

Now the situation is similar to back then, but the positions have switched.

Back then, I betrayed Haruki, but now Endo-san betrayed him.

However, the one decisive difference from back then is Haruki's heart, I believe.

Even as Endo-san's abnormal nature became clear, and he was betrayed by someone important — someone he liked — he couldn't accept the reality and was desperately trying to hold on.

(Why… Haruki…)

Watching their exchange from a little distance, ugly feelings crossed my mind again.

Maybe this situation is actually a good thing for me.

If Endo-san leaves Haruki, maybe I have a chance.

Just like middle school, I could blame Endo-san for what she's done and make Haruki look my way.

(No… If I do that, I haven't grown at all. I'd just be the same as Endo-san.)

Yes… I want to believe I've grown since middle school. That's why, for now, I decided to watch over Haruki.

“Seina, I've always wanted to hear your true feelings.”

“True feelings? …Now that you mention it, you said that back then too.”

Haruki looked Endo-san in the eyes and continued speaking.

“Wasn't it fun being with me?”

“Yeah, it was fun. I never got bored.”

“Then…”

“That's because you were my toy!”

Endo-san shook off Haruki's arm and shouted loudly.

It was as if she was pushing him away.

“You want to hear my true feelings!? Fine, I'll tell you! I'm already bored with you. Recently it's just been a dull, uneventful life!”

“So I'm no longer someone important to you?”

“Yeah, that's right. Like gum — if you chew it too long, the flavor goes away. And… I'm already tired of your flavor.”

With that, Endo-san quietly opened the front door.

“See you… Asano.”

She called Haruki by his surname as she left the room.

That was nothing less than a farewell.

Haruki reached out to her back but didn't try to stop her anymore.

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“Haruki… are you okay…?”

After Endo-san left, it was just Haruki and me.

I ran beside him and called out, but he was in a daze and didn't reply.

“It's better to just forget about Endo-san, don't you think?”

“…………”

Haruki didn't respond, but I kept talking.

“We've always been together since kindergarten. In middle school, I hurt you and we ended up going separate ways. But I still like you, Haruki.”

Saying something like this in a situation like this feels unfair.

I was trying to take advantage of his weak state to let him know how I felt, hoping he'd notice me.

But I couldn't bear the fact that Endo-san had been with Haruki anymore.

“Shiho… I…”

He finally opened his mouth.

Just as Haruki looked at me and was about to say more, I suddenly shouted from a bad feeling.

“I, I! I can do anything for you, Haruki! I'm confident in cooking — I can make what you like! And even though… I have no experience, I can do naughty things too!”

“Shiho!”

Haruki's voice brought me back to reality.

His back was drenched in sweat.

“Shiho… thank you. And… I'm sorry.”

“What are you… sorry for…?”

I already knew.

This was clearly rejection.

Haruki was still thinking of Endo-san, not me.

That made me unbearably frustrated.

“Why… why, Haruki?”

Tears spilled uncontrollably from my eyes.

“Why are you protecting Endo-san?”

In a trembling voice, I threw the question.

When I heard from Senda-senpai and Coach Tamiya about middle school, I had a suspicion.

“No… it's not like that…”

“You're protecting her! Endo-san!”

They treated me like before we broke up at the group party, forgiving my past mistakes…

But I'd always wondered.

Why was Haruki so kind to me, who had betrayed him?

“Hey, Haruki… you knew about Endo-san's past story, didn't you?”

His eyes widened, then he looked down and said nothing.

That silence was the answer.

Haruki had known.

About Endo-san in middle school…

“Senda-Senpai told me. A few years ago, he ran into me and told me about Endo-san.”

He said it happened when Haruki was in high school.

So there was a possibility that he had known Endo-san's true nature since then.

“Shiho… I'm really sorry.”

“So… you knew about Endo-san?”

“…Yeah.”

It was a shock.

He stayed with Endo-san even though he knew her true nature?

“Because you knew about Endo-san… and what happened, you forgave me? You were kind to me?”

“…I'm sorry.”

My head went blank.

Though I had expected it…

I was stunned and couldn't say anything.

“When I met you by chance again, I wondered how to act. I told myself to forget about what happened in middle school… and I turned a blind eye to what Seina did.”

Why… did he care so much about Endo-san…?

“That's why I hoped to return to the close childhood friends relationship with you again.”

“That's… that's…”

It wasn't all for Endo-san.

It was just frustrating.

“Haruki… but now, things are different, right?”

“Huh…?”

When I confessed in the park earlier, he said he loved Endo-san, but he seemed uncertain.

“We had fun at the amusement park and eating, right? Like when we were close back then… like childhood friends.”

I gently cupped Haruki's face with both hands.

Then, without hesitation, I pressed my lips to his.

Just like in the park, he didn't reject my kiss.

“You don't have to suffer anymore because of Endo-san. If it's me… Haruki.”

Before I could finish, he turned his back on me.

“Shiho… sorry for keeping Seina's secret. Please go home for today.”

His faint voice felt like a warning not to push any further right now.