Chapter 72: The disappearance.

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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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Tsukino’s POV

Takatsuki Shinji dropped out of school.

The shocking news spread through Saijo High School in an instant, a school where dropouts were practically unheard of. Apparently, there were far more students who had been helped by him than I had imagined.

Since voluntary withdrawals weren't officially posted on bulletin boards, no one knew exactly how the news had spread, but by the day after he disappeared, some first-year and third-year students had shown up during the break period.

“Takatsuki-kun, why did he quit?”

The one speaking with Yamakawa-kun now was a senior with a ponytail, whom I had met during the sports festival. She was one of the members of the Manga Club, known as Shimanaka-ko—more precisely, she was Senior Nakano.

“Sorry, but even we don’t know. The teachers haven’t been given any reason either. Apparently, he just came by during the break to return his student ID, and that was it.”

Yamakawa-kun and Higashide-kun had been caught up dealing with this all morning.

At the same time, of course, there were plenty of people who had been beaten down by him and held grudges. Some even posted on social media, relieved that they no longer had to deal with the meddlesome b*****d. But what would happen now when problems arose among the students?

Would the gap he left naturally be filled? Would someone else have taken up the role before I even enrolled? Would Shinji-kun have just shrugged it off with that carefree attitude of his?

…I couldn't see it that way at all.

“A-Are you okay, Michiru?”

In the midst of it all, I could do nothing but turn pale and hesitate.

The strength I thought I had gained was only there because Shinji-kun had been supporting me. I was barely managing to keep these overwhelmingly fragile, weak emotions from showing on my face.

“Y-Yesterday, when I went to check… his house was gone…”

“Takatsuki's?”

Miki-chan asked. Kou-kun, Kokomi-chan, and Kanae-chan weren't here. They had their own things to deal with.

“The nameplate was gone, and there was no response when I knocked. S-So I asked the landlord, and they said he had already moved out by the Sunday after the school trip.”

“What? You didn't see a moving truck? You live nearby, right?”

“No… All the furniture was in the garbage pile. I think… he left behind everything except what was important to him.”

Everything except what was important.

As I spoke the words, my breath tightened so much it made me nauseous. To Shinji-kun, I wasn’t—

“You've got to be kidding me.”

Just as I was about to let my thoughts spiral, Miki-chan muttered under her breath.

“…Huh?”

“Why did he leave Michiru behind?! Without any explanation, just disappearing like smoke! He of all people should know the pain of being left behind! So why would he do something so cruel?!”

The surrounding students turned their attention to her, and Miki-chan lowered her head.

“…I didn't even get to thank him yet.”

With that, she returned to her seat.

“Tsukino, can I talk to you for a sec?”

Yamakawa-kun, having finally gotten a moment to breathe, spoke to me with concern. I was desperately trying to play the role that everyone expected of me, but I couldn't muster a smile. Yet, despite my unnatural demeanor, he didn't seem put off. Instead, he spoke quietly.

“W-What?”

“Are you sure he didn't leave any clues? If it was you, I feel like he would have said something.”

I didn't know. He had definitely tried to give me the words I was longing for. The kindness in his eyes that day had been real. More than anything, the way Shinji-kun lived his life wouldn't allow him to commit such a betrayal.

And yet, he had planned to disappear from the very beginning. If that had all been a lie, then I had nothing left—

“No. If it was something sudden, there should be hints in his everyday conversations. If he had planned this from the start, he would have hurt you so badly you'd never be able to stand up again.”

…Thinking about it rationally, Yamakawa-kun was right.

I was still barely holding myself together. That, more than anything, was proof that this wasn't a betrayal. If he had truly intended to betray me, there was no way I would still be able to function.

Why hadn't I realized something so simple? I really was an idiot.

“Let's change the question a little. During the school trip, what do you think was on Shinji's mind?”

“That's… it was probably about Kou-kun—”

I stopped mid-sentence as it hit me. The thing he had cared about the most… wasn't it the souvenir for Taishou-san?

Because being asked to do things was normal for Shinji-kun. But during that trip, the one thing he had chosen to do on his own was that.

“Maybe something happened at his part-time job. When we parted ways, he told me, ‘I'll go drop off the souvenir, so head home first.'”

“Then let's go check after school. Maybe we'll find something.”

“The place… I think it's an izakaya called ‘Youko' somewhere near our station. You'll help me?”

“It's not ‘helping.' We're in this together. I want to know why he left too.”

Yamakawa-kun was angry, but it felt like his frustration was directed at himself. Maybe he wasn't aware of it, but his clenched fist seemed to embody his own powerlessness.

“I'm coming too. I need to give him a piece of my mind.”

And so, the three of us decided to search for the izakaya “Youko” after school.

…Completely unaware of just how serious this situation was for both Shinji-kun and me.

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