Chapter 50: Beginning of the end.

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Translated and Edited by: luccayn.

Common Honorifics:
-san: A polite suffix, but not excessively formal.
-kun: A common suffix among friends and younger people.
-chan: A common suffix among people you're close with, mostly used for feminine nicknames and girls, since it's cutesy and childlike.
-senpai: A common suffix and noun used to address or refer to one's older or more senior colleagues in a school, workplace, dojo, or sports club.

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The next day, during the special homeroom for planning the school trip.

Having joined Yamakawa and the others' group without much issue, I was busy crafting the ultimate sightseeing route for the second day's free time, using recommendations I had gleaned from Rurubu travel guides.

“I looked into it, and it seems the Gion area has a lot of food stalls where we can enjoy eating while walking. First, we'll take a taxi from the hotel to Yasaka Shrine, as requested by the girls. After soaking in the atmosphere and enjoying the gourmet treats along the street, we'll head to the main event—Kiyomizu Temple.”

“Got it. And near Kiyomizu Temple, there's that soba restaurant I was hoping for, right?”

I nodded quietly in response to Yamakawa. From my research, it seemed that there was indeed a renowned traditional soba restaurant in the vicinity.

“After we finish lunch at the soba restaurant, we'll head to Fushimi Inari Shrine as Higashide wanted. Then, we'll seamlessly make our way to Tofukuji Temple and Sanjusangendo. Once that's done, we'll grab some matcha snacks in Uji for a quick break, and finally, we'll visit Byodoin, which Hamabe is eager to see, before heading back to the hotel. How's that sound?”

The three of them gave me skeptical looks.

“That's a pretty tight schedule. Can we make it?”
“If there's any traffic, we might have to skip either Tofukuji Temple or Sanjusangendo.”
“No way, I don't want that. Let's make sure we're well-prepared to move smoothly. Shinji, show me the map.”

Following Hamabe's request, I spread out a photocopy of a Zenrin map on the desks we had pushed together. The four of us dived into a lively strategy meeting, debating and refining our plan.

Watching us from the side, two girls from our group, Nose and Kamata, muttered boredly to each other.

“Are these guys taking this way too seriously?”

“Totally—kinda gross, right?”

Ridiculous. Even if they joined late, they were still part of the same team. I decided to set them straight.

“You guys better take this seriously too. If you underestimate Kyoto, you'll regret it.”

“Wha—!? Pfft! Hahaha!”

“Hahaha! Oh my god!”

The two girls burst into sudden laughter.

Their laughter was so contagious that our other classmates started wandering over, curious. They peeked at the densely detailed program and route map we'd filled in and, before long, everyone was howling with laughter, following Kamata and Nose's lead.

W-what's so funny? What's with these people?

“Shinji, what's with them? Have they gone nuts?”

“I don't know, Higashide. Just ignore them. Let's focus on our strategy meeting. Our goal is to become the high school students who enjoy Kyoto the most in the world.”

“Yeah, no way we're losing at that.”

What Yamakawa didn't want to “lose” to was a mystery to even me, but I definitely shared his enthusiasm for having fun. Maybe we should even practice our footwork to move more efficiently.

As these thoughts crossed my mind, I suddenly felt a tap on my shoulder. Irritated, I spun around with the murderous thought, “Do you want to die?” Only to come face-to-face with someone completely unexpected.

“What do you want, Hareta?”

Even the classmates who had been laughing fell silent, tension filling the air.

The fact that Hareta and I didn't get along was practically common knowledge across the entire grade. It wasn't strange to doubt my own eyes, considering the sheer impossibility of the current situation.

Glancing toward the corner of the room, I noticed the “heroines” and Tsukino. Things weren't as tense between them as before, but there was a different, unsettling air surrounding them now.

“…I need to talk to you.”

“What? I'm not showing you this notebook.”

“N-no, that's not it. I don't care about Kyoto. I mean… I do care, but that's not the point. I… have something to say. It's more of a concern. Or, well, a request. Something I can only say now.”

“Huh? A request? You're asking me for something?”

Startled, I looked up at Hareta in disbelief. His expression was one of profound frustration as he looked away to his right. For Hareta Kou, a self-proclaimed lone wolf, to disregard timing and swallow his pride like this—it had to be something extraordinarily important.

…Guess I couldn't just brush him off.

“Hey, Nagamine,” I called out to the health committee member.

“What's up, Takatsuki?”

“I'm taking Hareta to the nurse's office. He's not feeling well or something.”

“O-oh, okay. I'll let the teacher know when they come in.”

And so, I took Hareta with me, our footsteps echoing as we made our way to the back of the school building. A vending machine came into view. Catching his gaze, I pointed at it, and without hesitation, he inserted a 100-yen coin and gestured for me to press a button.

Well, wasn't he being unusually perceptive today? Thanks to that, my black coffee magically turned into a milky coffee.

“Thanks for the treat. So, what do you want?”

“…Well, it's nothing big, really.”

“Then why the hell did you drag me out here?”

“No, you've got it wrong! If I didn't need something, who'd bother with you of all people!?”

“Exactly. So, spit it out. Since you bought me this coffee, I'll at least hear you out.”

I gazed absentmindedly at the sky as Hareta leaned against the wall a little ways away, trying to steady his breathing.

“Michiru dumped me.”

“Did she now?”

“I also ran into my childhood friend.”

“Huh. That's rare.”

“…Don't play dumb. You were involved, weren't you?”

“Who knows?”

Hareta's face, twisted in frustration, looked even more irritatingly handsome than usual. Oh, right—he had cut his hair recently. His ears and the area around his eyes were looking neat and tidy.

What's the deal? Is it some universal rule that people who get dumped go and cut their hair? If I were to lose a love and cut mine any shorter, I'd practically be bald.

“But I don't resent Michiru. While I was out, I heard from Kokomi and the others about what you did. I mean, how do I put this… uh…”

“No need to say it.”

“W-why not?”

I took a sip of my milky coffee. Its sweetness was lighter and cleaner than what I usually drank. Then, I opened my mouth, speaking slowly.

“That's just not the kind of relationship we have. I hate your guts, and you hate mine. Let's not start getting buddy-buddy now.”

After a moment of contemplation, Hareta laughed. It was the first time I'd ever seen him smile.

“Get to the point. I don't have all day.”

“You're right. I've decided—I'm going to settle things during this school trip.”

“How exactly?”

Had I said something surprising? Hareta seemed to hesitate before turning back toward me.

“…I don't know. That's why I came to ask you.”

“Why not just go by looks? Quick and easy.”

It was meant as a joke, but Hareta only gave a pained expression and shook his head. Just recently, I thought of him as an oblivious, clueless idiot. Yet, it seemed that with the right trigger, even he could become this contemplative.

“Hey, Takatsuki. Do you like Michiru?”

The compliment I was about to give him vanished instantly. There it was again, his habit of evading everything.

“Who knows? I don't dislike her, but I don't plan on dating her either.”

“…Have you told her that?”

“Yeah, I already turned her down. Tsukino is nursing her broken heart as we speak.”

Suddenly, Hareta grabbed me by the collar and lifted me off the ground. The can of milky coffee slipped from my hand, clattering and spilling its contents as it rolled away.

“W-why!? Why did you turn Michiru down!? You're the one who made her fall for you, aren't you!? Then it's your responsibility to take care of her!”

He was more distraught than I had expected. His expression, trembling on the verge of tears, was far more fragile than when he'd punched me before. It was pointless speculation, but if he had felt this strongly about a girl earlier, I might never have gotten involved with his so-called harem in the first place.

Too late for all that.

“That's not why you came to talk to me, is it?”

Hareta was struggling—caught between his pride, his ego, his sense of loss, and a sliver of hope. He gripped my collar tightly, desperately clinging to something as he fought his helplessness.

I'm not sure how long we stayed like that. Eventually, with a groan, he tightened his already firm grip and muttered something under his breath.

“Tell me how I can make everyone happy. How can I make sure they don't have to suffer anymore?”

…I see.

This guy really was out of his mind. Why did it irritate me so much to hear people spout such unrealistic nonsense? I couldn't keep my composure.

“If they're not the one you're serious about, then just drop them when you're bored.”

“I can't do that.”

“Don't start pretending to be a good guy now. You've spent all this time playing dumb, acting innocent, and now you want to change?”

“I'm trying to change because I've realized all of that! But I don't know what to do!”

“There’s nothing you can do! They're already messed up! Just leave them behind!”

Hareta raised his right fist, but he didn't swing it. Instead, he glared at me with an agonized expression, his body trembling as he held back.

“Everyone knows. They're just pissed off at how clueless you are, but they still acknowledge your abilities. If you hadn't flaunted it, no one would've cared about your harem. You could've just stayed quiet and done whatever you wanted.”

The resolve in his eyes wavered. If that was all he had, it'd be better not to get involved.

“You made them believe ignoring reality was kindness. You isolated them from the world and fooled yourself into thinking everything was fine. That's the perfect mess you created for yourself.”

“…Yeah.”

“And now, you think there's a way to make those girls, who've been backed into a corner, happy? You're just running away again, trying to take the easy way out!”

My feet touched the ground again.

Hareta's head was lower than my line of sight. I could hear the grinding of his teeth, a sound that didn't match the apathetic version of him I once knew.

His expression was hidden, but I could tell he was frantically searching for answers. His hands gripping my collar had turned red from the pressure.

Eventually…

“I'll convince them to confront their past. I'll make them move on. For that, I need your help.”

“And after that, is there something worth breaking the current situation for?”

“There is. That's what I believe now.”

…

“Hey, Hareta.”

“Wha—Ugh!?”

I punched him straight in the face. He stumbled backward, hitting the wall and landing on his rear. He didn't even try to cover his cheek, just stared at me in shock with his mouth slightly open.

Punch me back. That'll settle this.

Lowering his gaze, he looked up at me with an expression that was almost tearful. He was probably remembering the same thing I was.

“…Takatsuki. I've hated you from the moment we first met.”

“I know.”

“I could tell at a glance that you had everything I didn't. Everything I wanted but could never have, no matter how much I envied you. Even though I couldn't understand the feelings of the girls around me, I knew that much.”

…

“What's so different between us? Do you even know?” He begged.

“How the hell should I know? Figure it out yourself.”

Hareta fell silent. He picked up the spilled can and quietly tossed it into the blue trash bin nearby. Then he laughed—a self-deprecating, cloudy laugh, as though he had already known what my answer would be.

But it was also the strong voice of someone who had chosen to move forward—the kind of voice I liked.

…Fine.

I'd lose my mind right along with him.

“Put me in your group. Let's settle this during the trip.”

If he couldn't ask anyone else for advice, that could only mean he wanted me in his group. No need to point it out.

Turning on my heel, I extended a hand. After a moment's thought, he grabbed my wrist firmly and muttered:

“Alright.”

It seemed the moment his harem would collapse had finally come. I gave Hareta a single pat on the shoulder and returned to the classroom without looking back.

…Man, violence really doesn't suit me. My hand hurts like hell.

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