Chapter 28: Rabbit is my hero

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Translator: Soafp

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[Aoi Pov]

It was 9 PM. I sat on the living room sofa, wearing polka-dot pajamas, hugging a cushion, and holding my phone in one hand while talking to Miyabi.

My father was watching the news on TV, but I had just heard something much more shocking, and I couldn’t help but raise my voice.

“What!? Something like that happened with Godai-senpai!?”

My loud voice prompted a mild rebuke from my father, sitting on the other side of the sofa,

“Keep it down, Aoi.”

but I couldn’t worry about that right now.

I pressed Miyabi, my curiosity piqued.

“Wait a second, is that true? Yesterday on your date, Godai-senpai almost kissed you, and then suddenly Hajime showed up and stopped him…?”

“…Yeah, Hajime tried to stop me, saying I was being deceived by Godai-senpai… and Kyoko, Hajime’s sister, was there too.”

Miyabi’s voice sounded uneasy, and I could feel her distress. That was only natural.

Who could have imagined such a dramatic situation would actually unfold? Even I hadn’t anticipated it.

“So, are you okay, Miyabi? Did Godai-senpai say anything?”

“…No, he just left without saying a word. I still don’t know what’s true or what’s happening…”

Miyabi let out a small sigh.

While worrying about her, I suddenly remembered something that happened earlier in the day.

“Hey, Miyabi, there’s something I need to tell you… Earlier today, I saw Godai-senpai, Takamatsu-senpai, and Konatsu together.”

“Huh? Konatsu too?”

“Yeah. The three of them were at a family restaurant nearby, but something seemed off. Normally, I'd understand if Godai-senpai and Takamatsu-senpai were together, but having Konatsu there felt strange.”

I could hear Miyabi gasp on the other side of the phone.

“And when I approached them, they were having some odd conversation. I couldn’t catch everything, but they were talking about something like ‘photos’ and ‘Miyabi… can’t escape.'”

“…!”

“And the way they were acting was weird, too. Godai-senpai and Takamatsu-senpai seemed really irritated, and Konatsu… well, she wasn’t her usual cute underclassman self. She looked at them with cold eyes.”

Miyabi stayed silent. I could sense her growing unease through the silence.

“So, just to be safe, until everything becomes clear, you should be careful. Something might be going on.”

“…Thanks, Aoi. I’ll be careful.”

For a moment, the atmosphere between us seemed to calm down slightly, but then I remembered something awkward, hugging the cushion even tighter.

“By the way, changing the subject…”

“Yeah?”

“Um… did you… kiss Godai-senpai?”

I couldn’t help but ask, even though I felt my face heating up.

I could almost feel Miyabi’s intense panic through the phone.

“W-w-w-what are you saying!? No, I didn’t! He tried to, but I didn't want to, so I turned him down!”

“Oh, I see… that’s good…”

“What’s good about that!?”

“Well, you know…”

I laughed awkwardly, trying to cover it up, but I still couldn't shake the question that had been on my mind.

“But, why did you decide to date Godai-senpai? Honestly, I was a bit surprised.”

Miyabi hesitated for a moment, letting out a small sigh, and I sensed that she had made some sort of decision during the silence.

After a while, she finally began to speak.

“…When I turned down Godai-senpai’s confession, he told me he was writing a novel and that he planned to submit it to a contest. He said if he won an award, he’d confess to me again. He also asked if he could write me as the protagonist of his story.”

“Wait, that’s…!”

I was shocked and interrupted her.

“Isn’t that the same promise Hajime made to us a long time ago?”

Miyabi let out a surprised gasp. Then she whispered softly.

“Yeah… but I never thought something like this could happen. I didn't expect someone other than Hajime to say they’d make my dreams come true…”

“But that Godai-senpai…”

“…Yeah.”

Miyabi’s voice sank a little.

“I haven’t confirmed it yet, but if Godai-senpai was deceiving me… I’ll make sure to deal with it properly.”

Miyabi's words were filled with determination. I could sense that she had grown a little stronger than before.

Just then—

“Aoi, look at the TV.”

Suddenly, my father, who had been watching the news nearby, spoke up. I turned around in surprise.

“Sorry, Miyabi, my dad’s telling me to watch the news.”

“Huh, what? I’ll check too. Which news? Oh, is it this… the movie production announcement?”

I turned my gaze to the living room TV.

On the screen was a delicate-looking boy wearing a rabbit mask, standing at what appeared to be a press conference for a movie, speaking into a microphone.

“What… is this…?”

I muttered absentmindedly. Apparently, a popular novel called Two People and One was being adapted into a movie, and this announcement was being covered in the news. However, my eyes were glued to the boy standing at the microphone.

—The rabbit mask.

In that instant, a childhood memory came flooding back to me.

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It was the summer vacation of my third year in elementary school, the night of the fireworks festival.

Wearing a yukata, I got separated from my mom and dad and was left behind in the crowd of strangers.

The dim light from the lanterns swayed in front of me, blurring as it mixed with my tears, swaying back and forth.

The scene before my eyes distorted, not from the beauty of the fireworks, but from the fear and anxiety I felt.

The murmur of the crowd echoed distantly, and above me, the sound of fireworks bursting in the night sky rang out, as if splitting the darkness.

But even that splendor felt like nothing more than noise to me.

My sandals scraped against the ground, and the pain spread slowly across my feet.

I had no idea where to go.

I squeezed the sleeves of my yukata tightly, but it was just fabric—nothing that could protect me.

It felt like I was in a completely different world from everyone else.

Families laughing joyfully and friends teasing each other passed by in front of me. Yet, here I was, all alone.

What should I do? What should I do? I couldn’t find any familiar faces.

My heartbeat quickened, and tears streamed down my face.

My vision blurred, and it felt like I couldn’t breathe.

A small sob rose in my throat, and I couldn’t even make a sound anymore.

“…Are you okay?”

Suddenly, a voice called out to me.

Looking up, I saw a boy wearing a rabbit mask, looking down at me.

Though I was still crying, he gently extended his hand and held mine.

His hand was warm, and it enveloped my trembling fingers.

“You got separated from someone, right? I’ll help you find them.”

He said, his voice carrying a strange sense of reassurance.

Soon, I was reunited with my parents, and just as I sighed in relief, he took off his mask and softly smiled.

“I’m glad.”

In the darkness, his face was illuminated by the light of the fireworks, gentle and somehow fragile.

I never forgot his face from that moment.

That was the first time I met Hajime.

“…What?”

I stared at the TV screen, transfixed.

Because the shape of the rabbit mask from that moment, and the one on the TV now, were exactly the same.

“Aoi, what’s wrong?”

I heard Miyabi’s voice through the phone.

“…I was once helped by a boy wearing a rabbit mask.”

Miyabi’s voice sounded a little surprised. But that wasn’t all.

A reporter asked a question.

“Rangaku-sensei, you’re a high school student, right?”

Then, the boy with the mask answered clearly.

“Yes, I attend Amanomiya High School!”

At that moment, the venue went into an uproar, and the TV announcer exclaimed, “What?!”

I widened my eyes. My breath stopped. My heart seemed to leap into my throat. I could hear Miyabi's voice faintly in the background.

“Did he… just say Amanomiya High School?”

Miyabi's voice trembled in surprise through the phone. I nodded unconsciously.

“This is… the movie production announcement of ‘Two People and One,' the one you were going to lend me, right? So, the original author is… at our school?!”

Miyabi’s voice echoed in my head, but my thoughts couldn't gather themselves.

Because Hajime Rangaku—Hajime’s name, the same. And the rabbit mask.

Could this be a coincidence?

I could hear Miyabi calling my name from below, but I didn't respond. I just fell silent.