Chapter 68: My Place

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Translator: Soafp

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[Aoi PoV]

“Aoi, thank you for your hard work since this morning.”

Miyabi speaks to me. After finishing lunch, the park we stopped by was wrapped in the peaceful atmosphere of the afternoon.

“No, you've worked hard too, Miyabi. I'm relieved that the conversation went smoother than I expected.”

I smile back at Miyabi. This morning, we had a meeting with the anime director.

With the anime adaptation of “Two and One” confirmed, both Miyabi and I had officially agreed to appear as voice actors. It was something we decided to do together, hoping to be of help to Hajime.

“I never thought we'd be asked to voice act.”

Miyabi says with a mix of surprise and embarrassment.

“Yeah, it's surprising. But I feel more reassured with you around.”

I reply, glancing at Miyabi’s profile. As always, she looks beautiful, confident. I can clearly recall how the director and staff praised her, their eyes shining with admiration.

Miyabi has always been special wherever she went. Even when I'm by her side, all attention is on her, and I'm treated as “Miyabi's friend.”

It wasn't something I disliked. In fact, I was proud to be her friend. But at some point, being introduced simply as “Miyabi's friend” made me feel like my own presence was fading.

Miyabi is beautiful, smart, perfect, shining wherever she goes.

I'm rough, without any standout qualities.

The label of being Miyabi's friend became all-encompassing for me.

Just as I was recalling this, I noticed a familiar figure in the distance.

“…Eh?”

I stopped in my tracks, and Miyabi seemed to notice too, halting beside me.

There was no mistake. It was Hajime and Kagura.

The two were walking side by side, talking happily. The closeness between them made my chest tighten.

“…What do we do?”

Miyabi's soft voice reached my ears. I couldn't answer. Reflexively, I hid behind a tree. Miyabi followed my lead.

I knew it was wrong, but I didn't want to see. If I did, I didn't think I could bear it.

Even so, my gaze followed them.

Hajime and Kagura walked out of the park and toward the area near the station. They stopped in front of a building and talked for a while.

Then, they entered a love hotel.

“…”

I was hit with a suffocating feeling. It didn't feel real. But the scene in front of me was unmistakably real.

Miyabi let out a quiet breath and lowered her gaze, staring off into the distance.

“Aoi, let's go home.”

Miyabi's voice was surprisingly calm, as if she were telling herself something.

“Miyabi, are you okay…?”

I couldn't stop myself from asking. Miyabi gave a small smile.

“I've decided that I won't interfere with Hajime anymore.”

“But…”

“I've caused him so much trouble and made him suffer. I'm not in a position to say anything to him.”

Miyabi's words were spoken flatly, but I wasn't so oblivious that I couldn't sense the emotion beneath them.

“Even so, I want to be by Hajime's side. As long as he doesn't think he doesn't need me, I'll stay with him. That's all I want.”

Her strong resolve pierced me deeply. I wasn't capable of such determination.

“…I need to cool my head for a bit.”

I spoke the words through gritted teeth and turned my back, avoiding Miyabi's gaze.

She didn't say anything, just watched me with gentle eyes.

Alone now, I wandered aimlessly between the trees in the park. The sound of my footsteps on the ground echoed loudly. A sense of restlessness and emptiness spread through my chest. I knew it in my head, but my emotions couldn't catch up.

Then, through the gaps in the rustling leaves, I saw Hajime sitting on a bench a little ways off.

“Hajime…”

A voice without sound escaped my lips. Why was he here? He had been with Kagura earlier. In a daze, I stopped in my tracks.

When Hajime noticed me, he lightly raised his hand and smiled. That smile was so dazzling that I couldn't bear to look at it.

“What are you doing here?”

He asked, and I couldn't immediately respond. After a brief pause, I finally spoke.

“Today… I was with Miyabi, meeting with the director.”

“Oh, the anime thing. I heard you both are going to do voice acting. You're doing great.”

Hajime's words were kind and affirming, and it only made the pain worse.

“Um, this might be a bit awkward, but…”

A restlessness churned in my chest, and countless unsaid words swirled in my throat.

“Hajime…”

The moment I called his name, my throat tightened. I didn't want to say this. But since I had found out, since I had seen it, I couldn't avoid it anymore.

“I… I saw you and Kagura enter a hotel earlier, and it's been bothering me ever since…”

My voice trembled, and halfway through, I almost couldn't finish my sentence. But I forced myself to finish it.

As soon as I said it, tears welled up in my eyes. Hajime widened his eyes in surprise, but quickly turned his gaze away.

“…I see.”

Hajime opened his mouth as if to explain, but I gently shook my head to stop him.

“It's okay. I'm not trying to blame you. It's just that I couldn't keep my feelings in anymore… I'm sorry for saying this.”

I said these words and turned my back, running away. The painful reality of being “not chosen” stabbed at me. I had known it all along, but seeing it firsthand was so much harder than I expected.

I couldn't even wipe my tears, I just ran toward the exit of the park.