Chapter 26: I threw it away.

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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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“I don’t get why you keep saying I tricked you earlier. Seriously, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Besides, I don’t want to meet Kou.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s a hassle. And honestly, bringing up something from way back then makes no sense. It doesn’t matter anymore, right?”

It’s true that, from my perspective, Kumoi is just a victim caught up in a troublesome situation. If she continued living her youthful days as she has until now, these memories she never needed to recall would remain forgotten.

But there’s no choice. This involves Haruta’s circumstances. She’ll have to lament her misfortune of being dragged into this.

“No, you’re wrong. The reason you don’t want to meet him is because, to some extent, you know you deceived Hareta. You’re scared to face the fact that you influenced someone’s life and have to bear that responsibility.”

I noticed the river water that had wet her skin had dried.

Seeing her get so angry, the expression of someone who got their bluff called by someone they considered beneath them is truly satisfying. She’s probably scrambling to come up with her next excuse.

“You’re probably thinking right now, ‘Why does that little thing even matter?'”

“W-what!? Why are you assuming things? I haven’t even said anything yet!”

“No, that ‘little thing’ refers not to our conversation but to the past involving you, Kumoi, and Hareta.”

She wavered, and I pressed on.

“…Why do you know that?”

“It’s simple. The truth is, ‘the man you lied to wasn’t Hareta Kou.'”

“W-what do you mean?” It was Saori who asked back. At some point, the mocking smile had disappeared from the two-faced girl’s face.

“Hey, who are you really?”

“Who I am doesn’t matter. Let me explain step by step. It might change your perspective.”

Let’s get through this smoothly. I don’t enjoy flaunting my thoughts. There’s no need for pretense or theatrics.

“Hareta testified that you ‘cheated’ on him. Not that you ‘dumped’ him or ‘left’ him, but cheated. He also said that you started seeing another man he didn’t even know, which led him to distrust women.”

“A man he didn’t know? What do you mean?”

Her reaction confirmed the accuracy of my hypothesis.

“Yes, a man he didn’t know. However, it’s impossible that Hareta wouldn’t know this man. Ms. Kumoi, your doubt is understandable.”

“Shinji, explain it clearly.”

“Don’t you get it? She had two childhood friends. And Ms. Shizuku Kumoi, you weren’t in love with Hareta but with the other childhood friend.”

Kazami said Kumoi played ‘kick the can’ when she was young. Unlike hide-and-seek, ‘kick the can’ isn’t played with just two people. This clearly indicated the involvement of a third person.

“But if that’s the case, it's possible she had more than two childhood friends, right?”

“That’s probably true. However, the number of people isn’t the main issue. The fact that there were two boys is the most logical conclusion based on Hareta’s misunderstanding.”

“I see, continue.”

That's the premise; now, let's get to the main point.

“You’re right, but so what?”

“I want to reveal the true identity of the man you really loved. According to a certain testimony, he was ‘indecisive and unmanly.'”

“Who told you that?”

“I can’t reveal that. But it’s from a reliable source.”

“Huh? Tell me!”

Usually, it's tiring when fools nitpick irrelevant details, but at that moment, I thought of a method.

“If you agree to meet Hareta, I will tell you. Of course, you can decide after hearing me out.”

“Grr…! This is infuriating!!”

Her annoyance was basically her accepting the deal. Still, let's continue.

“You wanted to win over that indecisive boy, so you came up with a plan. The plan was to stir up his jealousy. You thought that making him feel like you were becoming someone else’s would shake his emotions.”

“That’s such a middle school tactic,” Saori noted.

“But the biggest mystery is this: Why did you think that being with another man would be the way to win over an indecisive boy? Logically, directly telling him you liked him would have been more effective.”

“Maybe she was embarrassed?”

Even before Saori spoke, Kumoi was already looking down, feeling embarrassed.

“That might be part of it. However, the most significant reason was your desire for the boy you liked to surpass Hareta. You wanted him to believe that ‘he was in no way inferior to Hareta.’ Ms. Kumoi, you wanted him to have that confidence.”

Upon hearing this, Kumoi looked like she was about to cry. I wished she had kept up her bravado, thinking she was superior until the very end.

Sorry for being so harsh.

“Isn’t that right, Ms. Kumoi?”

“…Ha. Haha, you’re right.”

“Thank you for admitting it.”

“Oh, crap. I never told anyone about this. How did someone like you figure it out?” She locked eyes with me.

Hareta is a genius, a superhuman who can do anything. He ignores people he’s not interested in and lives his life as he pleases, all while being an unconscious prodigy. His talents must have been evident since childhood, always a few steps ahead of the crowd, achieving results without even trying.

So, for a second-year student at Saijou High School, even the boys in class 2-B couldn’t help but feel inferior. It’s no wonder that a young elementary school kid couldn’t handle those feelings of inadequacy.

“That’s why I believed the cause of your crush’s indecisiveness was Hareta. It’s not surprising that a boy who lost confidence in everything would have an overly weak personality.”

And witnessing this pathetic boy, who had lost his confidence, how much did it hurt her to see her first love in such a state?

Shizuku Kumoi was in love with Hareta Kou. How despairing it must have been for her to be so misunderstood by the one she loved? I can hardly comprehend that kind of pain.

“…That’s why, when we were in middle school, I invited Kou back so we could play together as the three of us again. I thought if Kaito could see me take Kou away from him, it would help him move forward.”

Kaito. So that’s the name of that boy.

“I see.”

“But Kaito’s lack of confidence had already reached an irreparable point. He thought I was showing off by inviting him to show that I was with Kou. That’s how he saw it.”

“Then your mistake was not denying Kaito’s assumption. He must have expressed those feelings, and it’s not surprising that Hareta believed the words of a childhood friend.”

“…I can’t believe that just because of that, Kou thought I cheated on him. Even now, it feels unreal.”

This is the truth behind deceiving without lying. All their intentions backfired, leading to a sad ending where no one found happiness.

“Men are more easily influenced than women think; it was a lack of foresight.”

“Lack of foresight… I don’t know what that means, but I guess you’re calling me an idiot.”

She took off her life jacket and unzipped her wetsuit, revealing her swimsuit, then sat on a rock on the sandy beach, looking up at me with frustration.

It wasn’t meant to be a service; it seemed more like she was finally feeling a sense of release from her constraints.

“…You still haven’t asked me something, have you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb. The man Kou thought betrayed him. You know it wasn’t Kaito, right?”

“It’s not my place to reveal that. It concerns your reputation as well, Ms. Kumoi.”

“No, go ahead. I’ve probably been waiting for someone like you to come along.”

And then, Kumoi smiled.

“Well, even for Hareta, it’s impossible to claim he didn’t know his childhood friend. And if the person in question was Kaito, Hareta himself could have resolved the issue.”

I’ve already proven that a furious Hareta would get physical. If the guy involved was Kaito, they would have likely ended up in a fistfight, and there wouldn’t be lingering resentment like there is now.

“Therefore, it makes sense to think the guy was someone unrelated to your first love. And the reason you went to a love hotel with that guy… I believe it was because you were heartbroken over Kaito.”

A small sigh. After the sound of the waves three times, she began to speak.

“Yeah. Kaito started dating another girl. All the efforts I made to get his attention suddenly felt pointless. I deleted all the photos we had together. But I couldn’t get over him, so I thought if I did something sexual, maybe I could forget. The person didn’t matter at all.”

I averted my eyes from her as she struggled to speak.

“I didn’t give my first time to someone; I threw it away. But I immediately regretted it. I realized nothing would change.”

For Hareta to witness her mistake, likely just that one time, is a blend of fortune and misfortune.

“Why couldn’t I keep trying back then?”

Honestly, I wasn’t very interested in Kumoi’s true feelings. I just nodded without saying anything.

“Even now, I still like Kaito. It’s really gross, still having my first love even as a high schooler.”

“But, Shizuku, aren’t you dating the student council president, Kazami? Why is that?”

“Because I want to forget about Kaito. It’s painful to keep loving someone so faithfully.”

Whether that’s true or not, her way of living doesn’t concern me, and it’s only natural that I don’t care about the outcome. Anyone would feel the same. It’s abnormal to pry into other people’s love lives.

…However.

“It’s really painful.”

Given that I dug into her past, I felt it was my responsibility to help her find a reason to look forward. Even though our paths up to today have been different, she and I are comrades who chose the same road.

“In that case, it’s best if you stop getting close to him.”

I crouched down to meet Kumoi’s gaze.

“Him? Who do you mean?”

“Kaito, of course. Before we went to the river, you were chatting happily, weren’t you?”

Kumoi couldn’t hold back her complex emotions and started crying. I didn’t offer her a handkerchief; I didn’t feel obligated to wipe her tears.

“I already knew that.”

“It’s the conclusion I reached after thinking about why you enrolled at your school. The rowing team was the only sport Kaito found where he could beat Hareta in. You wanted to follow him there, didn’t you?”

The survival strategy that Yamakawa and the others found was something Kaito had implemented.

“…Ah, haha! You’re really amazing! So amazing it’s creepy!”

Eventually, her tears began to flow freely. They fell onto her swimsuit, mixing with the river water and disappearing.

“Alright… I’ll meet Kou. So, tell me… tell me who sold my information to you.”

She already knew.

There was only one person who knew her untold past, the person she had decided to confess her feelings to in an attempt to finally forget.

“It was President Kazami.”
This is surely Shizuku Kumoi’s punishment.

A punishment for her insincere love, always waiting for Kaito. A punishment for lying to herself to escape the pain.

Betrayal will never save her. Now that she’s finally accepted the truth, her tears won’t stop.

“Shizuku…”

Saori gently patted her shoulder to comfort her. After some time, Kumoi took a deep breath and slowly lifted her head to look at me.

“…Ha. Ah, I cried, I cried! I really cried a lot! My waterproof makeup is a mess! Haha!”

I see. She has a remarkably refreshing personality. Truly a typical extrovert.

“How are you feeling?”

“Huh? Are you seriously asking that? You’re really creepy, you know that? Normally, if a girl is crying, you’d comfort her.”

“Unfortunately, I’m not a normal guy.”

“Haha. Well, I guess that’s true. Fine then, whatever. Damn it, that playboy president, I’m going to punch him five times and dump him. And you probably used a girl to get the information, didn’t you? I know how it works.”

Muttering her aggressive threats, Kumoi reached out her hand to me. Kazami’s reputation among the girls at her school must be quite well-known. That’s probably why Kumoi chose him.

Well, I might as well help her up. I extended my hand and grasped her small hand.

“Alright. By the way, what’s your name again? Tell me one more time.”

“Shinji Takatsuki.”

“Shinji, huh. You know what? Help me figure out how to get with Kaito. You can do that, right?”

“I can’t. Didn’t I just suggest that you shouldn’t meet him?”

“Suggest? What does that even mean? Anyway, I still want to be with the person I like. Besides, Kaito is single now too.”

Helping her up wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.

“Consider this a contract handshake. Love should be faithful, right? This time, I’ll approach him head-on and win him over.”

“Huh?”

“You can get my Line ID from Saori. It’s best to meet Kou soon, right? So, tomorrow? Let me know when.”

“Wait, hold on—”

“See you later, Shinji. And Saori, too. You owe me a Starbucks, seriously. You’re terrible.”

“Fine, fine, next time.”

Kumoi quickly dressed in her suit and jacket, then rowed away like the wind. I realized once again that she’s someone who doesn’t respond to my usual methods.

“…Let’s head back. I have work.”

“Yeah, I’ll send you Shizuku’s Line later.”

Then, we each went our separate ways and headed home.

I felt incredibly exhausted. It was a one-sided promise, and I’ll have to ask her to wait a bit before I investigate Kaito.

…By the way, if Kumoi, Saori, and Hareta all went to the same middle school, it must have been the same for them too.

It might have been easier if they had told me this earlier, but taking the long way around is what makes youth so special. I’ll try to see this positively, thinking that I managed to temper the intensity of her desire for revenge.

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This Shizuku girl is disgusting lmao.

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