Chapter 74: Feelings Echoing in the Blue Sky

Reading Settings

Translator: Soafp

---

[Miyabi PoV]

The morning light streaming in through the classroom window slowly stretches across the floor. As I sit in my seat, I listen to the voices of my classmates surrounding me.

“Amane-san, are you okay? Don't push yourself too hard!”

“Godai and his group are really awful! I never thought they were that kind of people.”

“It's such a relief that it was only an attempt!”

As voice after voice called out to me, I could tell that each one of them was genuinely concerned for me. I had thought that the incident had only spread a little bit. Even though the police were involved, it was handled discreetly because it involved minors, so I didn't think it would become a big deal. But to know that so many details had gotten out was surprising. Feeling a bit bewildered, I asked the girl sitting near me.

“Hey, how did everyone find out about this?”

Several people nearby exchanged glances and spoke up.

“Miyabi, don't you know? There was an anonymous post on the school bulletin board. It said that Godai and his group did it.”

“And not only that! It also said that the one who saved Amane-san and Tachibana-san was Aizawa-kun!”

“What…?”

I gasped involuntarily. To think that much had gotten out.

“Wait a minute, did the post really say that much?”

“Well, not in such detail. But the day after the incident, Amane-san, Tachibana-san, and even Aizawa-kun were all absent, right? So everyone started to speculate that Aizawa-kun was the one who helped.”

“On top of that, the post said the person who helped was a super cool guy with the initials H.A. is Hajime Aizawa's initials, right?”

The “super cool guy” description jogged my memory. The person who would go to such lengths to praise Hajime…

“…Kyoko-san.”

I unintentionally muttered her name. If it was her, she would definitely do something like this for her brother. No, she might even do more than this.

As I was thinking about that, I overheard voices from some boys sitting a little farther away.

“Aizawa, you're amazing, man!”

“Yeah, seriously, I've gained a whole new level of respect for you!”

Surprised, I looked over and saw Hajime surrounded by several male classmates, who were patting him on the back while he smiled sheepishly. Seeing Hajime smiling with his classmates around him felt a little strange, yet it warmed my heart slightly.

“By the way, Aoi is absent again today, huh?”

“That's understandable. Even though it was just an attempt, going through something so scary… Miyabi, are you feeling okay now?”

My classmates peered into my face with concern. Feeling grateful for their care, I smiled softly.

“Yeah, I'm fine. It was just a minor scratch, so I'm sorry for worrying you. Thanks.”

At my words, everyone exchanged relieved glances. Having my classmates care about me was more comforting than anything else right now.

Just then, the classroom door opened, and the teacher entered the room.

“Alright, class is starting! Everyone, take your seats!”

At the teacher's voice, the entire class began to move at once. The previously noisy classroom gradually quieted down as the morning homeroom began. I glanced sideways and saw Hajime opening his notebook as usual.

The lesson proceeded steadily, and I tried to focus on the textbook in front of me. But I found it hard to concentrate.

I couldn't stop thinking about Kagura-san and Hajime—those two from the other day. I found myself unconsciously writing Hajime's name in the margin of my notebook and had to hurriedly erase it several times.

As the lesson content barely sank in, time passed, and before I knew it, the bell signaling lunch break rang out.

“Miyabi, let's have lunch together!”

Several classmates invited me. But I smiled and shook my head.

“Sorry, I've got something to do.”

Saying that, I stood up from my seat. Hajime was in my line of sight. When our eyes met, Hajime blinked in slight surprise.

“Hajime, can we talk for a bit?”

“…Ah, yeah. Sure.”

Hajime nodded quietly, and together, we left the classroom. As we walked down the hallway, I was slightly aware of the gazes following us, but I continued up the stairs. I wanted to find a quiet place with no one around, and the rooftop, with its cold wind brushing my cheeks, seemed like the perfect spot.

I grabbed onto the iron railing and stood there, feeling the wind on my face as I looked down at the schoolyard below. Slowly, I began to speak.

“I'm going to be straightforward.”

I turned around and locked eyes with Hajime. He flinched, his shoulders trembling slightly. I looked directly at him.

“Yesterday, I saw you and Kagura-san entering a hotel together.”

Hajime's face immediately turned pale.

“Oh…”

Hajime was at a loss for words, his eyes darting around nervously. I couldn't help but let out a small laugh at his reaction.

“Heh.”

The confused look on Hajime's face as he stared at me was oddly endearing.

“But… knowing you, I bet you didn't do anything, right?”

I deliberately used a light tone, though there was a slight ache in my chest.

“How… how did you know?”

Hajime's voice trembled with the exact kind of anxiety I expected, and it made me feel a bit sad. I didn't want to trouble him, but this was a conversation we couldn't avoid.

“I finished reading your novel yesterday.”

At those words, Hajime's eyes widened in surprise.

“You read it…?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded, and the wind blew stronger, causing my hair to sway.

“And I understood what you were trying to say in that novel, what you wanted to tell us.”

When I read that story, my heart ached, and my eyes became blurry with emotion. Every word Hajime wrote was filled with the feelings he had built up since childhood. It was a story only Hajime could write.

I could hear the faint sound of Hajime swallowing hard, as if he were bracing himself, afraid of having his innermost feelings exposed.

“You couldn't choose between me and Aoi, could you?”

I deliberately hit the nail on the head. It was a statement that hurt me as much as it did him. But now, I was ready to face it.

“Kagura said the same thing to me.”

Hajime's voice, strained and slightly self-deprecating, also carried a hint of kindness.

“I thought so.”

I spoke clearly, letting the wind carry my words.

“You've always been indecisive, Hajime.”

A sense of nostalgia welled up inside me. Nothing had changed, and yet, in some ways, everything had changed. We were both on the path to becoming adults.

“But you know…”

I didn't look away, gazing straight at Hajime.

“None of that matters. Who cares about all that? What's important is your own true feelings right now.”

The words I spoke, full of emotion, drifted on the wind.

“My own true feelings…”

Hajime echoed my words, though his voice still carried uncertainty. But seeing him like that made me feel both fondness and pain, which is why I had to tell him.

“I love you, Hajime. I always have, and I always will… forever.”

The tears I couldn't hold back were carried away by the wind. But I smiled. I wanted to be my most honest self in front of Hajime.

“Yeah… thank you, Miyabi.”

Hajime smiled back, just a little. That smile was the answer I needed.

Nothing has changed. I will love Hajime just as he is, from now on.

Today, I made that vow to myself, stronger than ever.