Chapter 4: First of All, Please Participate in the Talk Show. Participation is, of course, Free!
The next day.
Today was another day off just like yesterday, and I came to Kagura Neko Shrine in the middle of the day carrying a plastic bag.
In the precinct, the cats were playing around freely as always. Nekohime-sama, who was usually sleeping, was unusually awake today and surrounded by a group of cats gathered in the precinct.
While counting the loose change in the palm of her hand, Nekohime-sama was speaking to the cats around her.
“Fifty-three yen, huh… Not bad. Alright. Then next, search under the vending machines in the next town over! You should be able to find at least thirty yen!”
“””Meow!”””
What on earth are you making these cats do…
“Hold on a second, Nekohime-sama. Please stop making the cats pick up dropped change. It’s pitiful.”
“Mumu? If it isn’t Kota. It cannot be helped. Lately, the number of humans putting money into the offering box has decreased. We must procure our own funds. That is the way to survive in today’s world.”
“Even so, cats running around with coins in their mouths is going to attract attention.”
“There is no need to worry. These ones are cats that I personally trained. Moving without being seen by humans is a simple task for them. And even if they are found, they can manage somehow with their charm. That candy ball you ate was also bought with the money these ones found, you know?”
Eh? Is the currency for Deity Delivery Japanese yen?
“I see. So, how much did that thing cost?”
“Fifty yen.”
“That’s cheap!”
Wow, I’m kinda shocked. I’m dealing with all this trouble because of a fifty-yen candy ball?
The gathered cats scattered toward the town, but one single cat, Byakuya, remained at my feet. Seeing that, Nekohime-sama furrowed her brows.
“Mu? What is it, Byakuya. Are you not going?”
“Meow.”
“What was that? You want to stay with Kota so you will go later, you say? You are a strange one. What is so good about a human like this?”
Leave me alone.
When I pet Byakuya’s head, he rolled onto the ground, so I vigorously rubbed his exposed, defenseless belly.
“There, there, Byakuya. You really are a cute guy. Unlike a certain god somewhere.”
“You are not talking about me, are you?”
Ignoring Nekohime-sama, I took the items I had bought out of the plastic bag.
“Here, Byakuya. I’ll give you a Churu.”
“Meow!”
Seeing that, Nekohime-sama shamelessly thrust her hand into the plastic bag I was holding and rummaged around.
“Where is my portion?”
“I have it, so please don’t pull on the bag…”
Nekohime-sama snatched a Churu from me, licked it with a satisfied look, and narrowed her eyes in a wide grin.
“Ooh~. It lives up to the rumors the town cats were spreading. This is an addictively delicious flavor~.”
“Oh, come to think of it, Nekohime-sama, there’s something I want to ask you.”
“What is it~? Just for now, I shall answer any question you have~.”
Why only ‘just for now’? Answer them anytime.
“That candy ball I ate was made by the ‘God of Jealousy’, right? If so, can’t we just have that ‘God of Jealousy’ make a medicine or something to erase the candy ball’s effects?”
“Ah~… Well, if that one felt like it, it would naturally be possible, but you had best not get your hopes up.”
“Why is that?”
“If you were to tell that one to make a medicine to cancel out the candy ball’s effects, they would simply clutch their stomach in laughter right then and there, and look forward to your death every single day.”
“That’s terrible…”
“Furthermore, while the ‘God of Jealousy’ has the absolute worst personality, their ability to create divine tools far surpasses anyone else’s. No one else is capable of canceling out the effects of a divine tool that one has created.”
“That’s terrible…”
After thoroughly enjoying the Churu, Nekohime-sama spoke as if suddenly remembering something.
“Oh, right. I have deciphered a new precaution written in that instruction manual. With this, the deciphering of all the major items is complete.”
“Really?! S-So, what did it say?!”
“Precaution Number Five: ‘When receiving a confession of love, a countdown will begin from approximately ten seconds prior.'”
“…A countdown? What does that mean?”
“In other words, no matter the situation, you will not suddenly die from an unexpected confession. In the unlikely event that you are confessed to, a countdown will always occur starting from ten seconds prior, and when that number reaches zero, you will be confessed to.”
“Does that… does that mean if I take some kind of action during those ten seconds, I can prevent the confession from happening?”
“Umu. That is exactly what it means. However, well, to be precise, it is not exactly ten seconds, but approximately ten seconds. It seems the mental state of the person displaying the countdown is factored into the numbers. Well, even so, the difference is likely no more than a tear in the ocean.”
“I see. But this is the most useful information for prolonging my life so far. But why did the ‘God of Jealousy’ go out of their way to make a countdown that prolongs the user’s life…?”
“…For example, imagine you are walking down the street and are suddenly shot in the back of the head from behind and die instantly. What do you feel at the moment of your death?”
“Even if you ask me what I feel… I was shot from behind and died instantly, right? Then I don’t think I’d feel anything at all…”
“Precisely. However, what if there was someone standing in front of you, pointing a gun at you from a slight distance?”
“…That would be… scary. Extremely.”
“Umu. In short, the ‘God of Jealousy’ set a ten-second countdown before death in order to make the user of the candy ball taste the terror of their impending doom.”
“…………H-How cruel…”
“By the way, the fact that you can hear the inner voices of the opposite sex is also part of inflicting pain on the user. Listening to the inner voices of others for a long period of time will gradually cause the human possessing that ability to become mentally ill.”
“Eh? Then, aren’t I in trouble…?”
“It is fine. That is what Byakuya and I are here for. Every time you converse with me or pet Byakuya’s belly, you are granted divine protection, and your spirit is purified.”
“Wha-?! D-Don’t tell me, Nekohime-sama and Byakuya have that kind of effect?!”
“Fuhaha. We are surprisingly the healing type.”
“The healing type…”
“Well, you can get the same effect by petting any stray cat around here, though.”
“Are stray cats just that amazing… or is it that Nekohime-sama and the others aren’t that special… It’s a tough call.”
“I might permit you to pet my head every now and then, you know?”
“Ah, no thanks.”
“What?! I may look like this, but I am the fluffiest in this town, you know?!”
“I’m fine. Byakuya is enough.”
“Grrr… Curse you, Byakuya…”
Glared at by Nekohime-sama, Byakuya hastily hid behind me.
“Please don’t take it out on Byakuya.”
With our conversation over, just as I said, “Well then, Nekohime-sama. See you next time,” and was about to leave, Nekohime-sama’s demeanor completely changed, and she stopped me with a solemn tone.
“Say, Kota.”
“Yes? What is it?”
“I have a bad feeling about this.”
“A bad feeling…?”
“Umu. My intuition is often correct. By no means should you let your guard down.”
“…U-Understood.”
With Nekohime-sama’s words stuck in my head, I trudged through the town dyed in the sunset and arrived home.
Nekohime-sama… she was serious in a way she usually isn’t.
She said she had a bad feeling, but what could that mean…
While agonizing over this, I opened the front door. For some reason, Ayano was standing right there in front of me, welcoming me with a nonchalant, “Oh, welcome back.”
In reality, Ayano’s inner voice was pouring out in buckets.
“Ko-chan finally came home! A-Alright! I’m going to be the first to give Ko-chan the numbered ticket for the autograph session that finally arrived from Saiko-san!”
Don’t tell me, the bad feeling Nekohime-sama mentioned was about this…?
“…I’m home.”
Ayano was wearing a white cut-and-sew top and a mini-skirt with cute ruffles—a look far removed from her usual impression.
What’s more, she was even wearing stockings.
Ugh! Curse you, Ayano! Are you trying to tempt me right after I was just warned by Nekohime-sama?!
“Kota? What’s wrong, you’ve been looking at the floor this whole time?”
“Eh?! I-I’m not looking, I’m not looking!”
“Really? But you were staring intently downwards… “Other than the mat, the only thing on the floor is… my legs—” “
“Ah! I was looking! I was totally looking at the floor! Man, our house’s flooring is magnificent no matter when I look at it!”
“…Is that so? I don’t really get it, but…”
That was close… As expected of stockings. I ended up staring right at them against my will…
“Are you going to eat dinner here again today? I’m making curry later.”
“Yeah. Thanks… “I have to tell him to come to the autograph session! B-But… somehow… it’s embarrassing!” “
So innocent.
Why does she immediately agree to dinner invitations, but gets embarrassed about inviting me to an autograph session.
“Ughhh! I’ve always thought since we were little that I’d give my first autograph to Ko-chan, so I’m hyper-aware of it and getting embarrassed! …I-Isn’t there some way I can naturally bring up the topic of the autograph session with Ko-chan… If I can, maybe I can invite him in the flow of the conversation…”
What a passive strategy…
Ayano cleared her throat with an ahem, and began speaking in an unnatural manner.
“U-Umm… Hey, Kota.”
“…What is it.”
“When you were a kid, Kota, didn’t you use to write your name looking all cool in your free notebook and stuff?”
The way you’re bringing this up is way too unnatural.
“Ah… Yeah, I guess I did do that.”
“What do you call that kind of action again?”
Is she trying to make me say ‘autograph’? That’s way too direct.
Nekohime-sama warned me, so I should probably just casually change the subject here…
“…Chunibyo?”
“Right, right, that’s it, chunibyo. “Waaah! No it’s noooot!” “
“…Well, that’s a story from a long time ago.”
“I wonder if you still write them now?”
“Like hell I do.”
“…I see. “Ko-chan’s autograph was so cool, I even kept that free notebook safely all this time…” “
Please throw that away, it’s my dark history!
In the end, Ayano couldn’t bring up the topic of the autograph session and dejectedly disappeared into the living room.
Staring at Ayano’s melancholic back, I recalled Nekohime-sama’s warning.
Hmm… What should I do…
“Thank you for the meal!”
Following Yuina’s lead, Ayano and I also put our hands together and said, “Thank you for the meal.”
As Yuina went to the kitchen, Ayano thought with a satisfied look,
“The curry Ko-chan made was delicious~. Fufufu. This kind of feels like life as newlyweds, it’s so fun~.”
Your delusions are skipping way ahead…
Ayano suddenly turned a frustrated glare toward me.
“But, I really wanted to talk about the autograph session during the meal somehow, and I couldn’t do it at all… Maybe I’ll just give up for today and try again next time… But, there aren’t many days left until the autograph session…”
If she just gives up like this, I won’t have to be tormented by the guilt of rejecting her… But honestly, I want to go to Ayano’s autograph session.
But if I do that, it also means ignoring Nekohime-sama’s warning… Maybe I’ll go to the shrine on my way home from school tomorrow and consult with her about it.
While thinking that, I remembered seeing Hanae-san in front of Ayano’s house yesterday.
I should probably tell Ayano about that. When I heard her inner voice before, she seemed to be bothered by the fact that Hanae-san hadn’t contacted her even once… …But if I tell her she turned back right in front of the house, will that just hurt her anyway? Hmm…
“What is it.”
“…Eh?”
“You’ve been staring at me.”
“Ah… um… actually………… I saw Hanae-san the other day. In front of your house.”
Ayano’s expression didn’t change drastically, but her eyebrows twitched.
“…Hmm. And?”
“No, she just… went home right away, so we didn’t really talk or anything.”
“I see. “She hasn’t met with me even once, but she met with Ko-chan…” “
Hasn’t met with her? She said the other day that Hanae-san hadn’t contacted her even once, but could it be that Ayano has been reaching out from her end?
Ayano irritably began tapping the table with her fingers.
Did Ayano always tap the desk with a pen or something when she got irritated back in the day? She really hasn’t changed at all in this regard…
Come to think of it, when I met Hanae-san, the woman she was with said something weird…
Something about how Ayano might be ruined at this rate.
What did that actually mean in the end?
Ayano’s fingers stopped dead.
“Ah! I know! I’ll invite Ko-chan to the autograph session in the flow of this conversation! After saying something like, ‘I’ll be able to see her at the autograph session anyway’, I can follow up with, ‘Oh right, speaking of which, the numbered tickets for the autograph session arrived’, or something like that!”
Ugh. I dug my own grave…
I should probably refuse… but…
Ayano immediately recited exactly what I had just heard in her inner voice.
“B-B-But well, I’ll be able to see her at the autograph session anyway, so—”
On top of sounding so unnatural, her voice is cracking incredibly hard…
“—Wait, ah, s-speaking of the autograph session—”
Right as Ayano’s monotone delivery reached that point, Yuina, who had been clattering around in the kitchen for a while, burst into the room.
“Big brother! It’s an emergency! An emergency!”
Ayano, having her words cut off, glared at Yuina with tears in her eyes.
Man, what a pitiful girl…
“…An emergency? What do you mean?”
“There aren’t any after-dinner snacks left!”
“Huh? That’s impossible. I just bought more the day before yesterday.”
“Big brother, there’s no way snacks from the day before yesterday would survive until today, right?”
“…Did you… eradicate them?”
“Therefore, big brother, go buy some right now!”
“Eh?!”
Night. On the way back from the nearby convenience store.
It’s spring and getting warmer little by little, but it still gets quite chilly at night.
This is weird… Why did I have to be the one to go buy them…
Holding the plastic bag containing the snacks Yuina requested in one hand, I looked back behind me.
“Heeey, Ayano. Let’s hurry back~.”
In the middle of a residential area illuminated by streetlights, Ayano was trudging toward me.
“There’s no need to rush that much. Let’s walk back slowly. “I was so close to telling him about the autograph session earlier, and I have to invite him now while we’re luckily alone together!” “
She really doesn’t give up. Also, what do you mean ‘luckily alone together’… When it was decided I would go to the convenience store, you suddenly said ‘I’ll go too’ and tagged along…
Once Ayano caught up, we started walking again. Ayano stared intently at me.
“A-Alright! Right here, I’ll bring up the autograph session… wait, huh?”
What is it?
Ayano gazed at my hands with deep interest.
“Kota, your hands have gotten bigger.”
What’s that about…
“Well yeah, compared to when I was in elementary school.”
“I kinda want to touch them…”
Stop that.
“…………”
“…………”
Ayano suddenly held her hand out in front of me.
“Try putting our hands together. I’ll check how much bigger they’ve gotten. “Ahhh, I did it! Doing something like this just because I want to touch Ko-chan’s hand… B-But, in this flow of conversation, it wasn’t unnatural at all, right? Ko-chan won’t think I’m a pervert, right?” “
I see through everything!
…But well, putting our hands together is something even just normal friends do, right? If Ayano says she wants to touch me that badly? I don’t really have a reason to refuse? Kind of?
When I pressed my hand flat against Ayano’s, her slender, slightly cool fingertips stroked my skin.
“O-Oh wow. They really are quite different. “K-Ko-chan’s hands are so huge!” “
“Y-Yeah, I guess.”
Ayano’s hands are tiny! That’s way too cute!
“Eh! Amazing! Looking closely, the veins on his wrist are popping out! I love that!”
Her nails are so pretty! What is that! Her feminine charm is insane!
“Ah, jeez! I want to interlock our fingers! I want to squeeze them! I love him! I love Ko-chan so much!”
Eh?! Is it okay to interlock our fingers?! Is it okay to squeeze them?! If I make it seem like a joke, it should be fine, right! Just a little bit shouldn’t be a problem, right!
The moment I thought that, I frantically pulled my hand back.
N-No, no… I can’t let myself be swallowed by momentary emotions… If the mood gets any better than this, I really might get confessed to…
“A-Alright, that’s enough. Come on, let’s hurry up and go.”
“E-Eh. Right. Let’s go. “That was close! I was just about to squeeze his hand!” “
I was just about to get my hand squeezed…
As we passed over a short bridge spanning the shallows, the sound of Ayano’s footsteps behind me stopped dead.
“What’s wrong?”
Turning around, Ayano was staring down from the moss-covered stone railing at the shallow river flowing beneath.
“Come to think of it, a long time ago, you lost a pendant in this river and it was a huge ordeal, right, Kota?”
“…Did I?”
“Yeah. And then, I feel like we looked for it together until late at night…”
“…I don’t remember.”
“Ehh~… Like, Kota was crying… Ah. Yuina-chan was there too… and I feel like Yuina-chan was laughing…? Hmm… Wait~? How did that go again…”
It’s true that in the past, there was an incident like the one Ayano faintly remembered.
However, it seemed to be just a tiny bit different from Ayano’s memories.
Flashback.
My father died in an accident right around the time Yuina entered elementary school.
I don’t know the exact details of what kind of work my mother does, but I was told it was important work that saves many people’s lives, work that only she could do.
And after my father died, my mother was forced to make a choice.
Would she abandon the lives of many people in order to raise us?
Or, would she let us go in order to save those many people?
After agonizing over it, with no relatives to rely on, my mother made the decision to leave us in the care of an acquaintance. But Yuina and I rejected that, and as a result, we siblings chose the path of living on our own just the two of us.
I thought that was fine. I thought that by living in the place where our mother should return to, we could still be a family even if we were far apart.
However, reality was cruel.
Yuina, who was still young, would cry all day long whenever our mother, who occasionally came home, left again for work. Even when I showed her popular anime or told her funny stories from school, Yuina wouldn’t even crack a smile.
While our mother was away from home, a female helper our mother hired came to check on us almost every day. But every time she did, Yuina would cry uncontrollably, saying that her mother’s place in the house was disappearing.
Because Yuina hated it so much, I emailed my mother asking her not to send the helper anymore. From the next day on, it was just the two of us in the house, and only prepared meals were delivered every day.
While attending school, I did the laundry, cleaned the house, and babysat Yuina all day long.
My mother repeatedly told me to leave the housework to the helper, but Yuina and I refused.
Around that time, my mother gave us each a pendant. She said some suspicious things about it being a pendant that brings happiness.
Yuina was incredibly delighted with the gift. She kept it hanging from her neck the entire time she was at school, and whenever she felt she was about to succumb to the loneliness of our mother’s absence, she began tightly gripping the pendant and holding back her tears.
As a result, Yuina became less of a handful than before, and my burden gradually decreased.
However, one day, Yuina had her pendant taken by a classmate and thrown away into the river. The reasons were things like she was gloomy, or that she never smiled so she was creepy like a doll.
Leaving Yuina, who had come to report this while sobbing uncontrollably, at home, I headed for the river.
Luckily, the river was shallow; even stepping into it only submerged my feet up to the ankles.
I searched desperately for the pendant. Moving garbage out of the way, getting bitten by bugs, cutting my fingertips on glass, I searched for the pendant all day long. If the design of my pendant and Yuina’s were the same, I could have just given her mine instead, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
With a plop, ripples spread across the surface of the water. Since it was cloudy, I looked up at the sky, wondering if it had started to rain. But there was no sign of that, and when I looked back at the river, another plop sounded as a drop fell.
And then, I realized I was crying.
Even though I was the one who chose for us to live together, I realized there was a part of me regretting it.
I thought I could be a substitute for our dead father.
I believed I could support my mother and Yuina, and that we could continue living the same life as before.
That’s why I opposed going to my mother’s acquaintance’s place, and opposed the helper coming to the house.
But, I wasn’t that strong.
I wished I had never thought I could be a substitute for our father.
It was exactly when I was trying to accept that painfully harsh reality.
“Hey, Ko-chan. What are you looking for?”
“…Eh?”
Standing in front of me was a single young girl. Even though she was wearing a beautiful pure white dress, she paid it no mind and waded into the river with a splash, just like I was.
“…Um…”
“Fufufu. Surprised? I happened to be passing by up there and saw you, Ko-chan, so I came down.”
“…Who are you?”
“Ehhh?! You forgot?! Come on, we played together a long time ago, right! Our moms are friends, and I’ve even been to your house, Ko-chan!”
“…………?”
“Ehh… Y-You know, you used to call my mom ‘Hanae-san’!”
“…Ah! From Hanae-san’s place!”
“Right, right! Ayano! Make sure you remember it properly!”
“Sorry…”
“It’s fine, whatever… So, what are you doing all by yourself?”
“I’m looking for a pendant… But I can’t find it, so I’m giving up…”
“I’ll help you look for it, so let’s try a little harder.”
“…No. It’s fine. I’m tired, it’s getting dark, I’ll look again tomorrow…”
“You can’t. Because it’s going to rain tomorrow. If you don’t find it now, it’ll get washed away by the rain.”
“…Jeez, just leave me alone…”
Spitting out those words, I went back home.
When I told Yuina that I couldn’t find the pendant, she started crying loudly. Watching her, I couldn’t stop my own tears either, and we huddled together in the living room and cried.
Hearing a knock, knock sound, I regained consciousness and realized I had fallen asleep at some point. Hearing the knock, knock sound again, I noticed this time it was coming from the direction of the yard.
Yuina, who was sleeping next to me, rubbed her eyes and looked in that direction too.
There stood Ayano, her face covered in mud, grinning broadly, tightly gripping Yuina’s pendant.
“Found it!”
“Ayano… why?”
“No, like I said, they said it’s going to rain tomorrow.”
“No… not that………… why… go that far…”
“What do you mean ‘go that far’? We’re friends, aren’t we! It’s obvious you help a friend when they’re in trouble! Right? …Well, it seems Ko-chan forgot about me, though.”
“…Sorry about that.”
Seeing the pendant, Yuina dashed out into the yard as fast as her legs could carry her.
“Yuina’s pendant!”
“Oh? This was yours, Yuina-chan?”
“Thank you for finding it!”
“Ugh… W-Wait, Yuina-chan, I can’t breathe…”
“Do you know Yuina…?”
“You too… I’m Ayano! We played together when we were little, right!”
“…?”
“Grrr… What unrewarding siblings… Anyway! I moved into the neighborhood! Let’s get along from now on, both of you!”
Receiving the pendant, Yuina showed a smile better than I had ever seen before and turned back to me, saying, “Big brother, look! My pendant!” Seeing that, I couldn’t stop crying again.
“…Make sure… you say thank you properly…”
“Yeah! Thank you!”
Ayano, looking embarrassed, wiped the mud from her cheek.
“You’re welcome. …But you did your best too, Ko-chan.”
“Yeah! Thank you, big brother!”
Ever since then, we played with Ayano almost every day. Yuina, who had started smiling often, was no longer teased at school, and before I knew it, she began taking the initiative to do chores around the house, and my burden lessened day by day.
I’m sure Ayano doesn’t know.
Just how much we siblings were saved thanks to her.
Present. On the bridge.
Come to think of it, Ayano had just transferred in around that time too…
“Ko-chan? What’s wrong? You’ve just been staring at the river.”
“Nothing. It’s nothing.”
Somehow, talking about that day felt embarrassing, so I didn’t tell Ayano.
Ayano was still groaning and racking her brain, trying to remember the events of that day.
“Hmm… How did it go again…”
I can never thank Ayano enough for that day. That is exactly why, when I ended up hurting Ayano a few years later, I regretted it so intensely.
If I could return to that day just one more time, I would want to do it over. But such a thing is impossible.
That’s why I, after all, want to cherish the present.
“Hey, Ayano.”
“Wait a second, it’s right on the tip of my tongue. I feel like I can almost remember it… Hmm…”
“Did they decide on the date for the autograph session and stuff?”
“…Eh?”
Right after Nekohime-sama told me she had a bad feeling and warned me to be very careful, the topic of this autograph session surfaced from Ayano’s inner voice.
It’s possible that danger might befall me surrounding this autograph session. If I were to take the safe route, I should absolutely choose the path of not attending the autograph session here.
But, I don’t want to make Ayano sad anymore.
I don’t want to make someone precious to me cry.
“…Ayano?”
“Hah! Ah, no… Y-Yeah. Actually, j-j-just the other day, the numbered tickets for the autograph session arrived from my editor, Saiko-san. S-S-So, I thought maybe I’d invite Ko-cha—Kota, too. O-Of course, it’s just as a bonus along with Yuina-chan, though!”
“Ah. Thank you. I’m happy.”
“R-Really? That’s good. “Ko-chan said he’s happy! He’s happy to be able to go to my autograph session! Oh crap! I feel like I’m going to grin again! Endure it, endure it!” “
So Ayano is the type who ends up glaring when she tries to hold back a grin…
“A-Also… um… it’s not so much as a bonus… but more of a proposal considering convenience, or rather…”
“What is it? Is there something else?”
“…Could you exchange contact information with me?”
“Contact information?”
Come to think of it, didn’t Ayano not have a smartphone back in the day…
“I-It’s kind of sad that I exchanged contact info with Yuina-chan but not with you, Kota… Besides, we’re neighbors now, so it’s more convenient if we can contact each other anytime… This is strictly just a general thing, it’s absolutely not like I specifically want to know your contact info or anything…”
“Well yeah, I guess just contact info is…”
“I see. Well then, let’s do that. “Yaaaay! I got Ko-chan’s contact infooooo!” “
It’s kind of embarrassing to have her be that happy about it…
A few days later. Kagura Neko Shrine. Inside the worship hall.
Nekohime-sama, plopping heavily down onto her favorite cushion, glared at me as if she were sulking.
“Why did you ignore my warning.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Well, just do your best to make sure you do not get confessed to by that girl named Ayano. It is no longer my concern.”
Nekohime-sama snorted with a “Hmph!” and pouted her lips.
“…At first I tried to follow your warning, Nekohime-sama… but I just couldn’t bring myself to ignore Ayano’s feelings…”
“Are you saying you prioritized another person’s emotions over your own life?”
“…Yes.”
“Hmph. Either way, I shall not help you anymore. It is your life. Do as you please.”
“I’m sorry…”
As I bowed my head to the still-displeased Nekohime-sama and was about to leave, Byakuya approached my feet with a worried face.
“Meow…”
“Are you worried about me? Thanks, Byakuya.”
As I gave Byakuya’s head a single pat and was about to leave the shrine, Nekohime-sama added one last remark.
“I truly do not understand them. Those creatures called humans.”
I bowed my head to Nekohime-sama one more time and left the shrine.
A few days later. Break time in the classroom.
Ayano, sitting in the seat next to mine, was stealing glances at me.
“Fufufu. So Ko-chan is going to come to my autograph session. Thank goodness. I decided a long time ago that my very first autograph would go to Ko-chan. …Even so, to think Ko-chan would be the one to bring up the autograph session… …Could it be, if I confessed to him right now, he’d say yes?”
Please don’t do that!
“Just kidding! Right now, just talking to Ko-chan normally is fun, so I want things to stay like this for a while.”
Phew…
Until graduation… a little less than two years left…
…Can I really survive like this for a little less than two years…?
…No, let’s stop thinking too deeply about it.
As I was shaking my head to dispel my tendency toward pessimistic thoughts, Ayano held out a slip of paper to me.
“Oh, right. Here, this.”
What she handed me was a single numbered ticket, with the words ‘Ticket Number 1. Kota Nibuke’ printed on it.
“Is this for the autograph session?”
“What else would it be for. The autograph session is after the talk show ends, so you’ll make it in time even if you take your time coming after school.”
Checking the schedule on the ticket again, I was reminded of Yuina.
“It would have been great if Yuina could have come too, though…”
“Yuina-chan has a lacrosse club practice match, didn’t she?”
“Yeah. Apparently she promised to participate as a ringer a while ago. …When that idiot found out it overlapped with the date of your autograph session, she literally cried…”
“I saw it happen right in front of me, calming her down afterwards was a lot of work…”
“…Sorry about my sister. Also—”
While keeping an eye on our surroundings, I asked in a low voice.
“Is it better to keep the fact that you write novels a secret from the other classmates? I haven’t even told Mizuki, just in case.”
“It’s not like I’m keeping it a secret. Outside of the people involved, I’ve told a few of the teachers, too. …But, let’s see. I suppose it would help if you kept it a secret.”
“Got it. …But since you don’t really care much about how others see you, Ayano, I thought you wouldn’t hide something like this…”
“Well, I have my reasons too. “If I told him it was because I wanted to share a secret with Ko-chan, I wonder if Ko-chan would be surprised.” “
P-Please stop suddenly acting so affectionate… It’s bad for my heart…
Suppressing the urge to brag to someone about being incredibly happy that I alone was being given special treatment, I feigned calmness as much as possible.
“O-Oh. Reasons, huh…”
Unaware that her inner voice was completely audible to me, Ayano tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled mischievously.
“Yes. Reasons.”
…My childhood friend is way too cute.
“Come to think of it, did I tell you the location of the autograph session?”
“Location?”
I looked down at the numbered ticket I had received earlier and read the venue written on it.
“Tsubakizaka Lontano Building? Tsubakizaka means it’s near the movie theater, right.”
“Yes. It’s the building that houses a large bookstore called Matatabi Bookstore.”
“Ahhh~. That place where books are lined up all the way from the first to the third floor.”
“Right. The talk show and autograph session will be held in a conference room one floor above that, on the fourth floor. The talk show will be held there first, and once that ends, the autograph session is next. The talk show features four people: two veterans and two newcomers. For the autograph session, only the two newcomers will remain in the conference room to sign autographs.”
After a short pause, Ayano said,
“Ichika Kaidou will only be present during the initial talk show.”
“…So that means by the time I arrive at the venue when the autograph session starts, Hanae-san might have already gone home?”
“That’s right.”
“…I’ve been wanting to ask you for a while, but what do you think of Hanae-san, Ayano?”
When I asked that, Ayano furrowed her brows as if troubled.
“…I don’t really know.”
“You don’t know?”
“Originally, I started writing novels because I wanted to know the reason why that person continued to write novels even if it meant abandoning her family… But, I still don’t really know the answer to that… I haven’t seen her since she left the house, and even if we met now, I wouldn’t know what to talk about. …But, whenever I see the name Ichika Kaidou in a bookstore or somewhere, something… well… makes my chest tighten. So, in order to dispel those feelings, I want to meet Ichika Kaidou. I want to meet her and talk. That’s all.”
“…I see.”
Even though Ayano wore an anxious expression, she also looked somewhat expectant.
The day of the autograph session. The school commute route in front of my house.
In the morning, after leaving the house and walking a little bit, a voice suddenly reached my ears.
“Ah. He’s finally here! It’s Ko-chan!”
The front door of the house next door clicked open, and Ayano casually made her appearance from within.
“Oh my? Good morning, Kota. What a coincidence today as well.”
Good work today as well, Ayano-san. How comfortable was the entryway?
“Morning… We’ve been running into each other a lot lately.”
“I suppose so. We live next door and go to the same school, so it can’t be helped that our commute times overlap.”
How can you say that so shamelessly…
We started walking down the path to the station together just like that. Lately, there had been many occasions where Ayano and I walked side-by-side like this, and our opportunities to exchange harmless, casual conversation had increased.
However, Ayano was strangely quiet today, and I couldn’t hear her usually upbeat inner voice either.
After agonizing over it a little, I finally decided to bring up that topic.
“It’s today, isn’t it. The autograph session.”
When I said that, Ayano finally opened her mouth.
“That’s right.”
On the surface, she answered casually, but Ayano’s inner voice vibrated my eardrums like a muddy torrent.
“It’s finally today. That person is coming. What should I do. What does that person think of me. I can’t mess this up. What if she’s disappointed in me. Why did she abandon us. I want to see her. What should I say—”
It wasn’t Ayano’s usual childish inner voice; it was a mass of chaotic, unorganized words driven purely by emotion.
Ayano, even you haven’t fully sorted out your feelings yet, huh. …I guess that’s understandable.
“So, Utani-sensei. How are you feeling right now?”
When I asked her that, Ayano formed a puzzled expression.
“What’s that about.”
I intentionally continued in a playful manner.
“It’s practice, practice. You got invited to a talk show, right? If you look that sullen, the people who came to see you will get scared and go home.”
“Ko-chan… could he be trying to lighten the mood and relax me because I’m nervous?”
It’s embarrassing when you put it like that…
Ayano let out a sigh with a phew.
“There won’t be any problem. After all, I’ll be hiding my face with a mask the entire time during the talk show and the autograph session.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Yes. Didn’t I tell you?”
“No, I definitely didn’t hear that.”
“Really? Aren’t you just not remembering? Kota, your memory has been poor since we were little.”
“Don’t call my memory poor.”
I thought it might serve as a distraction, but there was no change in Ayano’s inner voice; an endless string of gloomy words simply continued to reach my ears.
It would be great if I could say something clever, but nothing comes to mind…
Do your best? No, that’s not it. Don’t push yourself? That’s not quite right either…
While I was mulling it over, we arrived at school in the blink of an eye.
It’s no use… I couldn’t think of anything in the end…
Dammit. If only I were equipped with better communication skills…
Ayano, having changed into her indoor shoes at the cubbies, said,
“I’m heading this way today.”
“Hm? Where are you going?”
“I have a lot of preparations to do, so I’m leaving early during the lunch break today. So, I need to get the paperwork done first.”
“I see. That’s rough.”
“Yeah. Well then, see you later.”
“Yeah. I’m looking forward to the autograph session.”
When I tossed out those casual parting words, Ayano’s inner voice, which I had been hearing the entire time, suddenly stopped dead.
Ayano, who had started walking toward the staff room, stopped in her tracks for a moment, looked back at me, and said looking a little embarrassed,
“Thank you.”
Watching Ayano’s back as she quickly walked away, I took a step toward the classroom anew.
What the heck. I just had to say what I was thinking.
Lunch break.
As the chime echoed throughout the school, the commotion of students hurrying to the cafeteria spread, and the classroom was filled with the smell of bento boxes.
In the midst of that, Ayano was stuffing textbooks and notebooks into her bag, preparing to go home.
“Are you leaving already?”
Ayano still had a nervous look on her face, but it had softened considerably compared to this morning.
“Yes. There’s plenty of time until the autograph session, so it’s perfectly fine for you to take your time coming, Kota. Also, don’t forget your numbered ticket. You can’t enter the venue without it.”
“I have it, I have it. Don’t worry.”
Having finished packing her textbooks and things into her bag, Ayano finally took a red notebook out of her desk and carefully tucked it into her blazer pocket.
“I’m leaving now.”
“Yeah. See you later.”
“Yes. See you.”
Leaving behind those brief words, Ayano walked right out of the classroom.
Immediately after, the voice of a female student other than Ayano rang out saying, “Ah, excuse me!”, and several girls ran across the hallway, profusely apologizing.
What was that?
Just as I got curious and was about to peek out the door, Mizuki, sitting in the seat in front of me, let out a sluggish groan and stretched his back.
“Jeez~. I have broadcasting duty again today~. It’s such a pain~.”
“That’s ending in just a few more days, right? Cheer up.”
“Yeah… I guess so~…”
Do you really hate broadcasting duty that much.
Finishing my exchange with Mizuki, I returned my gaze to the door, but I couldn’t see anything particularly unusual.
After school.
I checked the time on the clock mounted above the blackboard, but there was still plenty of time before the autograph session started.
If I hurry now, I could barely make it to the talk show, but… I never got a numbered ticket for that one in the first place…
Well, Ayano might get weirdly nervous if I show my face, so maybe I should pass.
Mizuki, who was still left in the classroom, turned back to me.
“Hey, Kota! I have a little time before my broadcasting job, so hang out with me until then!”
“I refuse. See ya.”
“So cold! Let’s chat for just a bit!”
“Ehh…”
“You’re always like this, Kota~. Your friend is asking you, so you could at least keep me company for a little while.”
“Sorry, but I have plans after this.”
“Plans? What kind of plans?”
I’m sworn to secrecy about Ayano writing a novel…
“This and that. You know.”
“Hmm. This and that, huh. “If we’re talking about Kota’s plans, it’s probably about Yuina-chan.” “
This guy saw right through the fact that I don’t have many friends…
Even so, maybe I’m getting used to it lately; I’ve become able to properly distinguish between inner voices and real voices.
“That’s right. This and that.”
“I get it. Fine then, whatever~.”
Saying that as if he were sulking, Mizuki took a paperback book out of his desk and was about to put it in his bag.
“Is that that thing? You were reading it before.”
“Yep. That’s right~. When I Think of You on the Coastline. I’m telling you~. This book is so interesting, I end up re-reading it over and over~.”
“I read that book too.”
I had just finished reading When I Think of You on the Coastline, which I had received directly from Ayano previously.
“Really?! How was it?!”
“It was interesting. It’s cliché, but the encounter scene was good.”
“Right! That scene is so good! The heroine lost her mother’s keepsake pendant on the coast when she was a kid, and the protagonist just happened to find it, setting the story in motion—it’s like, that’s destiny, just get married already! I love developments like that too!”
“But the protagonist and heroine in that book, even though they occasionally have falling-outs due to misunderstandings, they’re basically just flirting the whole time, aren’t they.”
“Yeah, yeah. But that’s what makes it good, you know. It’s like you can read it with peace of mind, or rather, it doesn’t betray your expectations.”
Saying that with deep feeling, Mizuki added as if suddenly remembering something.
“Ah! That’s right!”
Mizuki was holding back a smile, acting all self-important with a “Fufufu.”
“What is it.”
“I wonder if you noticed, Kota? The connection between this book and you, Kota.”
“…Huh? The connection between that book and me? What do you mean?”
“You see, after re-reading this book a few times, I figured it out~.”
“Like I said, what do you mean.”
“Look, this!”
Saying that, Mizuki firmly pointed at the author’s name written on the cover, the characters for ‘Utani Takeko’.
“What about it?”
“You don’t get it?”
“……?”
“If you write Utani Takeko-sensei’s name in syllables and rearrange them, surprisingly, it spells out Nitake Kota!”
U-ta-ni-ta-ke-ko.
Ni-ta-ke-ko-u-ta.
What the hell is she doing, seriously!
“…O-Oh. …What an amazing coincidence.”
“Right?! I couldn’t help but laugh when I found it!”
It’s not funny… If people find out Utani Takeko is Ayano, they’ll definitely think there’s something going on between us…
“Isn’t it amazing~” Mizuki laughed in satisfaction, but suddenly glanced at the clock and grumbled in disappointment.
“Ah, I have to get going soon… Are you going home already, Kota? If you wait about twenty minutes, we could go home together.”
“I have to go now. It’d be bad if I’m late.”
There’s still time before the autograph session, but you never know what might happen, so I should head over early and maybe browse the bookstore.
“…I see, that’s a shame. See you tomorrow then.”
“Yeah. See you tomorrow.”
The autograph session, huh… I wonder if Ayano practiced her autograph at home? I used to scribble my own name trying to look cool in a free notebook a long time ago too. …To think that free notebook had ended up in Ayano’s hands. I’ll have to take it back and incinerate it eventually.
While thinking about that, I moved through the school building and arrived in front of the shoe cubbies. Perhaps because I had spent some time chatting with Mizuki, most of the regular students had already gone home, and there were only a few students scattered around the school.
When I tossed the shoes I took out of the cubby onto the floor, a light clack echoed. At that exact moment, the smartphone in my pocket rang with a brrrring.
A phone call? Is it Yuina?
I took out my smartphone and checked the screen; it displayed ‘Ayano Yumemigasaki’.
Getting a phone call from Ayano is refreshing… Back in the day, she always just showed up at my house unannounced… Well, I mean, she still shows up at my house unannounced now too, but…
I had been seeing Ayano face-to-face every day lately, but talking on the phone made me a little nervous.
“H-Hello.”
However, the voice that came through the receiver was not Ayano’s.
“Hello. I apologize for the sudden phone call. My name is Saiko Kirigiri from the NJ Bunko Editorial Department at Enokoro Publishing. Am I correct in assuming this is Kota Nitake-san’s phone?”
Saiko? If I recall correctly, Ayano’s editor had a name like that…
“Um… Yes. It is.”
“We’ve met once before, do you remember?”
“Before? With me?”
“You know, in front of Ayano’s house, I was with Kaidou-sensei.”
When she said that, the image of the woman with the purple-rimmed glasses came to mind.
“Ahhh, yes. From that time.”
If that’s the case, does that mean Ayano’s editor was trying to arrange a meeting between Ayano and Hanae-san? But why? Does she know that Ayano wants to meet Hanae-san?
Ignoring my questions, Saiko-san continued speaking.
“You are, of course, aware that Ayano is scheduled to appear at a talk show today, correct?”
“Yes. I know that, but… Um, did something happen to Ayano?”
“I don’t have time, so I’ll get straight to the point. At this rate, Ayano won’t be able to appear in today’s talk show.”
“…Excuse me?”
Ayano can’t appear in the talk show? Why? Also, what intention does this person have for calling me?
“Have you ever seen the red-bound notebook Ayano always carries around?”
Ayano’s notebook? Come to think of it, Mizuki picked it up once before, and Ayano snatched it back with a terrifyingly fierce look. Now that I think about it, Ayano put it in her blazer pocket today too.
“Yes. I have, but…”
“It seems Ayano lost it.”
“Lost it…? …Um, and how does that lead to Ayano not being able to appear in the talk show?”
“The problem is that the notebook is heavily tied to Ayano’s mental state. Ayano only realized she lost it after arriving here, but perhaps something incredibly important was written in it, because she’s quite frantic… We’ve reached the conclusion that we cannot have Ayano co-star with Ichika Kaidou in her current state.”
It’s true that anyone who knows the relationship between Ayano and Hanae-san could imagine the danger that comes with bringing the two of them together in front of a large crowd. And if Ayano isn’t in her right mind, even more so.
However, the words Ayano spoke to me not too long ago floated vividly to the front of my mind.
‘I want to meet Ichika Kaidou. I want to meet her and talk.’
I chewed over those words in my heart and raised my voice into the receiver.
“To Ayano, today’s talk show is incredibly important. Just because she’s a little upset—”
“I want Ayano to participate in the talk show just as much as you do. …But the reality is, right now, Ayano hasn’t noticed at all that I’m secretly using her smartphone to contact you like this. She keeps saying she’s fine now, but she’s been muttering to herself for a while, and she’s clearly lost her composure.”
“…But canceling it because of that is tyrannical! At least… at least create an opportunity for Ayano and Hanae-san to talk!”
“I cannot do that. Kaidou-sensei absolutely refuses to meet Ayano in her private life. You know that too, don’t you?”
It’s true that when I met Hanae-san the other day, she came right up to the front of Ayano’s house but ended up just going home.
“However, there is one way.”
“A way?”
“You find Ayano’s notebook right now and deliver it here. If Ayano regains her composure with that, we can have her appear in the talk show without issue.”
“…Even if you say find the notebook, where am I supposed to look?”
“According to Ayano, when she left the classroom at school, she apparently bumped into another student in the hallway. She might have dropped it there.”
It might be at school…? If so, if I find it quickly and bring it over…
“How much time do I have?”
“We can delay the start time of the talk show by twenty minutes, but Ayano cannot join halfway through. In other words, you have just under forty minutes from now to find the notebook and arrive at this venue.”
“Wait a second! It takes at least twenty minutes just to get from here to the venue! If that’s the case, I only have twenty minutes to look for the notebook! A-And what do you mean she can’t join halfway through!”
“Several higher-ups from our company are coming to watch the talk show. Among them are some stubborn types who would aggressively frown upon a newcomer being late, calling it outrageous. If that happens, it might negatively affect Ayano’s future activities. Therefore, rather than having her be late, it would be better for her image if we claim she is feeling unwell and have her sit out both the talk show and the autograph session.”
“The autograph session too…?”
“Yes.”
Ayano looked like she was going to jump for joy just because I was coming to the autograph session…
Like hell I’m going to let them cancel that.
“I will definitely deliver the notebook to you. Please get ready to go and wait for me.”
“I’m counting on you.”
Twenty minutes remaining. If I don’t find Ayano’s notebook and leave the school by then, I won’t make it in time for the start of the talk show.
Even so, for Ayano to be that upset over a single notebook, what on earth is written inside it? I feel like she checked with a terrifying expression to see if Mizuki had looked inside when he picked it up before…
…Anyway, I don’t have time to think about that right now. I need to focus.
According to Saiko-san, there’s a high probability Ayano dropped the notebook at school. When Ayano left the classroom, I saw several female students running down the hallway apologizing to someone. That ‘someone’ was probably Ayano…
Thinking that, I went to check the hallway in front of the classroom, but there was nothing resembling a notebook anywhere.
Thinking someone might have picked it up and turned it in to the staff room, I went to check there as well, but with no results.
What do I do… If I just wander aimlessly around the school like this, I’ll run out of time immediately… To begin with, Ayano merely thinks she dropped the notebook at school; what if she actually dropped it somewhere else… Should I go look outside…?
No, even if the notebook was picked up by someone outside and, by some stroke of luck, turned in to the police, it would require a power of attorney or something for anyone other than the owner to claim it. I don’t have time for that.
If she dropped it on the way and it’s still lying there, it’d be more efficient to look for it later when I head toward Ayano’s location.
In other words, I should search inside the school until the promised twenty minutes are up.
However, the notebook was neither in the hallway in front of the classroom nor in the staff room, and I even checked the nearby trash cans just in case, but couldn’t find it.
Assuming Ayano really did drop the notebook inside the school, one possible scenario is ‘someone picked it up and just took it home’.
If that’s the case, finding it today is impossible. There’s no point in thinking about impossible things right now. So, let’s act based on the other possibility: ‘Someone picked it up, and that someone is currently still inside the school.’
But even if that person actually exists, how do I find them in this huge school building? Asking everyone one by one won’t make it in time…
A quick way to… probe the people still remaining in the school…
…Ah.
I know. If I ask that guy!
I quickly operated my smartphone and called a certain contact.
The moment the call ended, I immediately put away my smartphone and bolted into the courtyard surrounded by the school buildings.
This is the place. From here, I can look out in every direction.
Now, all I have to do is wait.
Ding-dong-dang-dong, the familiar sound of the chime echoed throughout the school, and then, the voice of Mizuki—who reluctantly broadcasted every day to raise awareness about the frequent lost and found items—could be heard.
“Good work today, everyone. Recently, there has been a high frequency of forgotten and lost items. Upon leaving, please check your belongings one more time to ensure you haven’t forgotten anything. Also, if anyone has any knowledge regarding a red-bound notebook, please come to the staff room immediately. I repeat. If anyone has any knowledge regarding a red-bound notebook, please come to the staff room immediately—”
Alright. Good job, Mizuki.
The volume of the inner voices I can hear with my mind-reading ability is heavily influenced by the emotions of the voice’s owner. If their emotional fluctuations are small, the voice is quiet. Conversely, if their emotional fluctuations are large, the voice is loud.
If whoever has the red notebook is still inside the school, it means that person hasn’t put the notebook in the lost and found box, but is keeping it themselves. If that’s the case, they might not even come when called by this broadcast.
However, in the unlikely event that such a person is here and hears this broadcast, their inner voice should become faintly louder than the vast majority who have no knowledge of the notebook.
If I don’t hear anything here, my next step is to question the guys—whose inner voices I can’t hear—right up until the time limit, and then search outside the school while heading toward Ayano and the others.
Mizuki continued reading the same text after that, but I strained my ears and focused solely on the inner voices expanding throughout the school.
“A notebook? Did someone drop it?” “I’m so tired~”
Wrong. Not this one.
From the courtyard where I stood, I could confirm the figures of several students walking inside the school building, and their inner voices reached my ears one after another.
“A notebook? What are they talking about?” “Ah~, I want to go home already.” “Maybe I’ll go to the library.” “I’m so hungry~”
No good… There are more students visible through the windows than I thought. Because of that, I’m even picking up inner voices that aren’t very loud… At this rate, I might not be able to distinguish the inner voice of the person who knows about the notebook…
“Supplementary lessons are over! Club activities, club activities!” “I wonder what that broadcast just now was…” “My stomach hurts.” “Gonna play games when I get home.” “I wanna go home already!”
Is there really no one among the girls remaining in the school who knows about the notebook after all… It can’t be helped. Next, I’ll move on to questioning the guys whose inner voices I can’t hear—
“Club! Club!” “Maybe I’ll go buy an onigiri~” “I have to read the rest of that book.” “I wanna go hoooome.” “A red notebook? Don’t tell me—”
Just now…
That voice I heard faintly for just a split second at the end… I felt like I only heard that voice from beyond a wall…
If it’s an inner voice accompanied by emotion, it can pass through walls to a certain extent. Meaning, there’s a high probability the owner of that inner voice knows about the red notebook.
The voice came from around the third floor of the North Building, but as expected, there are no shadows walking in the hallway… Does that mean they’re remaining in some classroom?
Regardless, my only option now is to bet on the owner of this voice. I need to hurry there.
North Building, third floor.
Relying on the direction the voice came from, when I arrived there, the voices of several female students echoed from a nearby classroom.
It’s coming from the classroom in the back… These are all third-year classrooms… So the owner of the inner voice just now is a third-year…?
The moment I jogged up to the front of the target classroom, the door to that classroom slid open, and three female students piled out from inside.
Is one of them the owner of the inner voice from earlier?
The female students approached while chatting amongst themselves: “We can just go home, right~”, “Let’s go to karaoke after this, karaoke!”, “Sounds good!”.
I can’t let them go home just like this, I have to ask them about the notebook!
“Um! Excuse me for a second! Has anyone here happened to pick up a red notebook or something?”
Perhaps not expecting to be called out to, the female students looked startled and surprised, then looked at each other’s faces.
“A notebook? Anyone know anything?” “Who knows? I don’t.” “I have no idea~”
No one knows about the notebook? Then, where did the inner voice from earlier come from…?
One of the three female students raised her voice toward the classroom they had just exited.
“Hey, Yuri-chaaan. Do you know anything about a notebook, a notebook.”
Yuri-chan?
When I peeked into the classroom, there was only one person still remaining inside.
“…Amamiya-sensei?”
As soon as Amamiya-sensei saw my face, she formed a suspicious expression and lightly stroked the spine of the attendance book she was holding.
“I see. So that broadcast just now was Nibuke-kun’s doing… I thought it was strange for Lady Mizuki to make a broadcast like that…”
Amamiya-sensei turned toward the female students.
“Never mind that, you girls hurry up and go home. Also, make sure you address me as Amamiya-sensei.”
“Okaaay~” “See you later, Yuri-chan~” “Bye-bye, Yuri-chan~”
“Good grief…”
Those three didn’t know about the notebook… And Amamiya-sensei is concerned about the broadcast just now… Which means, the owner of that inner voice is…
Once the three girls were gone and it was just me and Amamiya-sensei, she spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Don’t tell me you’re going around asking everyone remaining in the school about the notebook like that?”
I can’t exactly tell her I pinpointed the location using inner voices…
“Y-Yes… Well…”
“Don’t you have anything else to do, Nibuke-kun? Aren’t you supposed to be a high school student in the prime of his youth?”
“Leave me alone… …More importantly, Sensei, do you know anything about a red notebook?”
“…Haa. Are you referring to this?”
The red-bound notebook Amamiya-sensei held up with a half-exasperated look was undoubtedly the exact same one Ayano had been carrying.
“Th-That’s it!”
“I picked it up after it was dropped in the hallway.”
“Ah, thank goodness… Um… I want to get that to the owner right away, so could you give it back to me?”
“No.”
“…No?”
“Because this notebook doesn’t belong to you, does it, Nibuke-kun?”
“Well, t-that’s true, but! I absolutely have to get that to Ayano right now!”
“Ayano? Ah. You mean Yumemigasaki-san. In that case, please bring Yumemigasaki-san here right now.”
“I have permission from the owner! So please!”
I actually don’t, but…
“No.”
“Why not!”
“There are… some slight issues with what is written inside this notebook. Therefore, I cannot simply return it as is. I will return it at a later date after having a direct interview with Yumemigasaki-san.”
“What on earth is inside the notebook?!”
“…Nibuke-kun, have you had anything strange done to you while being with Yumemigasaki-san? Are you okay?”
“What on earth is inside the notebook?!”
Dammit! That Ayano! What could she have possibly written in the notebook to make Amamiya-sensei this worried! Is that girl okay?!
“Well, even if I turn a blind eye to the contents of the notebook for now, there is a rule that lost items must be returned directly to their owner.”
Amamiya-sensei’s inner voice reached my ears.
“I feel bad for Nibuke-kun, but if I thoughtlessly break a rule as a teacher, I might be deemed unfit to care for Lady Mizuki, and there is a possibility I will no longer be allowed by her side. I cannot yield here.”
If I can’t persuade Amamiya-sensei here, I won’t make it in time for the talk show…
Should I forcibly snatch the notebook? …No, if I do that, worst-case scenario, I might get suspended or expelled… That would be extremely bad.
I have to somehow get Amamiya-sensei to hand over the notebook herself.
Have Ayano call her directly? No, judging from what Saiko-san said, Ayano shouldn’t be in any condition to answer a phone.
Then someone else… someone who can directly order Amamiya-sensei…
That’s it, Mizuki! If I just get Mizuki to persuade Sensei directly, it’ll work!
Amamiya-sensei is a maid at Mizuki’s place. And she’s obsessed with Mizuki. If I call Mizuki here, I’m sure she’ll be able to talk Sensei into it perfectly.
Thinking that, as I pulled my smartphone out of my pocket, a slip of paper fluttered to the floor from the momentum.
What’s this…?
When I crouched down and picked up the slip of paper, it was the photo of Mizuki herself that she had shoved onto me a while back.
This is the photo that was secretly taken of Mizuki… It’s been left in my pocket this whole time…?
Then, seeing that photo, Amamiya-sensei began to tremble in small, violent shivers.
“Th-That is the treasured photo of Lady Mizuki that I lost! Why does Nibuke-kun have it!”
You’re the culprit who secretly took the photo?!
Mizuki, you should have noticed too! The culprit is from your own inner circle!
Ignoring Amamiya-sensei, who was profusely sweating, I secretly tried calling Mizuki, but there was no answer.
Dammit! Why isn’t that Mizuki picking up!
At this rate, I’m out of time… Is there any other way…
…Come to think of it, Mizuki shoved this onto me saying she didn’t mind if an acquaintance had a picture of her, right? Meaning, as long as it’s an acquaintance, it doesn’t have to be me…
In that case, having her exchange this photo for Ayano’s notebook… is impossible. If I propose something like that, it’s basically confessing that I know about the relationship between the two of them. That would naturally give rise to the concern that I might also know Mizuki’s true identity. Judging from how she acted when we met at the hamburger shop, Amamiya-sensei already suspects me; I can’t make careless remarks.
Amamiya-sensei was staring greedily at the photo of Mizuki I was holding.
“The treasured photo of Lady Mizuki… That is an exceptional piece even among my collection… Furthermore, because I accidentally wiped my PC data the other day and hadn’t made a backup, that is the only existing copy. I am making do with other photos for now, but I want to get that photo back no matter what… It cannot be helped. Let’s pick a fight with Nibuke-kun and forcibly confiscate the photo.”
This person really is a terrible teacher…
Amamiya-sensei cleared her throat with an ahem, and said,
“Well then, that concludes the matter regarding the notebook. As for that photo—”
Don’t joke around! As if I’d back down here!
“Please wait a second!”
“…What is it. Raising your voice like that.”
“…Please. I absolutely have to deliver that notebook to Ayano right now.”
“Like I said, that is—”
“Please!”
As I bowed my head deeply, Amamiya-sensei asked with a sigh mixed in.
“Why… are you so desperate?”
“…I want to support her dream. I don’t want her to stumble in a place like this. So, please, Amamiya-sensei. Give Ayano’s notebook back!”
It’s a pathetic story. No matter how much I can hear the other person’s inner voice, I can’t find a way to persuade Amamiya-sensei. In the end, all I can do is bow my head like this.
“…I am sorry, but I cannot do that. …The notebook will be returned directly to the owner at a later date—”
Amamiya-sensei, her words catching in her throat mid-sentence, stared blankly with her mouth open at the classroom door behind me.
When I turned around to check behind me, for some reason, Mizuki was poking her head in.
“Mizuki?! Why are you here?!”
I instinctively shoved the photo I was holding back into my pocket.
“Well, I saw you running from the window of the broadcasting room, Kota, so I chased after you.”
“W-What about your smartphone?”
“Eh? Ah, I might have left it in the broadcasting room… More importantly, did you find the notebook you were looking for? That’s Yumemigasaki-san’s notebook, right?”
“N-No… about that…”
When I directed my gaze to Amamiya-sensei, Mizuki also seemed to notice the familiar notebook in her hands.
“Ah, Amamiya-sensei picked it up! Thank goodness, it was found!”
“About that… she says she can’t hand it over to anyone but the owner…”
“Eh? Is that so? …Amamiya-sensei, won’t you hand over the notebook?”
Amamiya-sensei, visibly shaken, stammered,
“Th-Th-Th-That is, well… yes. As expected, it has to be the owner… “If it’s found out that I broke a rule as a teacher, I might not be able to stay by Lady Mizuki’s side…” “
“Absolutely no way?”
“Ugh… “W-What is this adorable lifeform! Ahh, jeez! Forget everything else, I just want to take her home right now and lick her all over! —Hah! C-Calm down, me. I must act coolly here!” “
Amamiya-sensei, biting her lip with a face that looked like she was about to burst into tears, said,
“I-I absolutely… absolutely cannot! I am sorry!”
“…I-I see. “I wonder why Yuri-san is so desperate…” “
Dammit. I thought Mizuki would be able to persuade Amamiya-sensei…
Then, what about using the fact that Amamiya-sensei was secretly taking pictures of Mizuki as blackmail to get the notebook back… No, that won’t work either. I can’t prove that Amamiya-sensei was the one taking the pictures in the first place. I can’t exactly say I heard it through her inner voice…
It would be a different story if I had some kind of evidence…
Gah! Anything is fine! Is there any information I can use to break through this situation!
Don’t get discouraged! Remember! Every single memory up until now that might be useful!
‘But it’s kind of rare for it to be a physical paper photo, huh.’
‘Lately it’s all smartphones, after all. …Does this mean someone specifically printed out a photo taken with a smartphone or a digital camera? Why would they need to do that?’
‘Hmm… I wonder why?’
…Hm?
That’s right. Why did Amamiya-sensei specifically have a physical paper photo? Earlier, she said in her inner voice that her PC data was wiped. That means the photos of Mizuki existed as PC data, right? Was there a reason she had to go out of her way to print it?
Think… Think… I might be able to see a breakthrough…
Remember everything Amamiya-sensei has said up until now…
‘Just the other day, I got a complaint just for looking at my smartphone in the school hallway…’
A complaint? I see. Amamiya-sensei was originally looking at a photo of Mizuki on her smartphone. But she was seen looking at her phone in the hallway by a student, and a complaint was filed.
So that means Amamiya-sensei switched to using a physical photo instead of her phone…?
No, isn’t that weird? Looking at a physical photo in the hallway would definitely stand out… Amamiya-sensei is hiding the fact that she has a photo of Mizuki. Especially from Mizuki herself. If that’s the case, she shouldn’t be doing something as conspicuous as looking at a photo in the hallway.
If she just wanted to look at it secretly in the bathroom or something, her smartphone would have been fine…
If so, is there some method where it wouldn’t be unnatural to be looking at a photo in the hallway…?
…For example…………………………………. tucking it inside her attendance book, maybe…?
If that were the case, she should be able to enjoy the photo of Mizuki without surrounding students noticing.
…Wait? Come to think of it, Amamiya-sensei said something in her inner voice earlier…
‘—Furthermore, because I accidentally wiped my PC data the other day and hadn’t made a backup, that is the only existing copy. I am making do with other photos for now, but I want to get that photo back no matter what.’
Making do with other photos?
…Which means, right now, inside Amamiya-sensei’s attendance book—
I impulsively snatched the attendance book Amamiya-sensei had placed on the teacher’s desk.
Seeing that, Sensei furrowed her brows.
“Nibuke-kun? What are you doing suddenly hugging my attendance book?”
The chances are fifty-fifty. Even if my deduction is correct, if Amamiya-sensei changed the storage location of the photos, I’m out.
“…Amamiya-sensei, please. Give Ayano’s notebook back.”
“No… before that, my attendance book…”
“If… if you don’t give it back, I will open this attendance book right here, right now.”
“Excuse me? What does that… Gasp! “T-This is bad! Inside the attendance book are photos of Lady Mizuki! A-At this rate—the fact that I was secretly taking photos of Lady Mizuki will be known to Lady Mizuki herself!” “
Yes!
“N-N-Nibuke-kun! P-P-Please calm down! Don’t do anything rash! Anyway, just slowly put that attendance book down! “Nibuke-kun clearly knows there are photos of Lady Mizuki inside the attendance book! How on earth!” “
“Don’t come any closer! I’m serious!”
Watching the exchange, Mizuki thought,
“Why are those two talking like a bomber and a police officer… But, it looks kind of fun. I want them to let me join in too~.”
Stop! If you get involved, things will only get more complicated!
“Amamiya-sensei, I only have one demand. Give Ayano’s notebook back!”
“N-No, th-that’s, um… “If it’s found out that I handed the notebook over to someone other than the owner without permission, my evaluation as a teacher will drop, and I might be judged as unfit to be by Lady Mizuki’s side! B-But, if Nibuke-kun really opens that attendance book right here, I will absolutely be despised by Lady Mizuki! I-I have to prevent that at all costs!” “
After looking back and forth between my face and Mizuki’s, Amamiya-sensei sighed as if giving up.
“…I-I understand. I will return the notebook. However, Saionji-kun, could you step outside for a little bit?”
“Eh? Me?”
Without grasping the situation, Mizuki was shooed out into the hallway, and in the classroom where it was just the two of us, Amamiya-sensei easily handed the notebook over to me.
“I believe you will be fine, but… Please make absolutely sure to return this to Yumemigasaki-san herself. Also, keep the fact that I handed the notebook over without permission a secret.”
“Yes, of course. …More importantly, I’m sorry for using a threatening method like this.”
“It’s fine. I was also being a bit too stubborn… By the way, how did you know what was inside the attendance book?”
To avoid arousing Amamiya-sensei’s caution any further, I chose my words carefully.
“Amamiya-sensei, you’re a fan of Mizuki’s, aren’t you?”
“…A fan?”
“Actually, I’ve occasionally seen you gazing at photos of Mizuki tucked between the pages of your attendance book, Amamiya-sensei… Of course, I haven’t told Mizuki. …That photo I had earlier actually belonged to you too, didn’t it, Amamiya-sensei?”
“…You knew? “It seems he doesn’t correctly understand the relationship between Lady Mizuki and myself.” “
With a suspicious expression, Amamiya-sensei asked,
“I’ll ask you one thing: knowing that, why didn’t you threaten me from the very beginning? You might have been able to get the notebook back much more easily if you had.”
I can’t exactly say it’s because I didn’t know at first… If I can play this off well, maybe I can somewhat prevent Amamiya-sensei’s surveillance of me from getting stricter in the future…
I took out the photo of Mizuki I had put in my pocket and said,
“…Because, Mizuki has such an incredibly great smile in this photo, you know? Thinking that someone carrying around a photo like this must really, truly like Mizuki… To be honest, I didn’t want to threaten you…”
“So you’re saying you had no choice in order to get the notebook back…? “For saying that, he certainly looked fully prepared to open the attendance book right in front of Lady Mizuki…” “
Ahhh, I can’t hear you, I can’t hear you.
“Well, I suppose that’s fine… More importantly, shouldn’t you hurry up and go?”
“Ah! That’s right! Well then, Sensei, thank you for picking up the notebook!”
“Not at all…”
I was about to leave the classroom just like that, but there was one thing I absolutely had to say, so I turned back toward Amamiya-sensei.
“…Um, Sensei. Can I say one last thing?”
“What is it?”
“…………Um… well… Mizuki hates having her picture taken by people she doesn’t know… so, um… I was wondering if you could stop taking secret photos of her and stuff like that…”
“…SHE HATES IT?”
Why did she say that like a robot…
“Well… yeah, pretty much…”
Amamiya-sensei’s eyes snapped wide open; she trembled violently and clutched her head.
“W-What have I done! I was secretly taking photos because I didn’t want Lady Mizuki to think I was creepy! To think I was actually hurting Lady Mizuki by doing so!”
Suddenly, Amamiya-sensei shook her attendance book vigorously, and a massive amount of photos fluttered out from inside, landing one after another on the classroom floor.
Wow… I guess an attendance book can surprisingly double as a bag…
All of them were photos of Mizuki, and in every single one, she had a smile so bright it was almost sad.
Amamiya-sensei gathered all those photos and said,
“N-Nibuke-kun! Please give these to Lady Mizu—Saionji-kun! And tell him you settled things with the stalker who was secretly taking photos or something to put his mind at ease!”
So she was self-aware that she was a stalker…
“B-But, I don’t have time right now…”
“Next time is fine! Absolutely do it!”
“U-Understood…”
I shoved all the photos forced onto me into my bag.
“Also, I’m sure you understand, but please keep my involvement a strict secret!”
“I understand that too…”
“I mean it!”
“I said I understand…”
As I left the classroom, I heard a voice call out from behind me: “Ah. Also, it’s best if you don’t look inside the notebook!”
Seriously, what is written in that notebook…
When I exited the classroom, Mizuki, who had been waiting quietly, asked,
“Kota? Are you done?”
“Yeah, sorry for making you wait outside. Thanks to you, I managed to get Ayano’s notebook back safely.”
“Thanks to me? I didn’t even do anything?”
“There, there. It’s fine, it’s fine.”
“Hmm. Well then, let’s go home together~.”
“Sorry! I’m in a hurry right now! See you next time!”
“Ehhh, jeez. See you later~.”
On the way from the school to the station.
“This is bad! I’m completely late now!”
Having retrieved Ayano’s notebook, I calculated the remaining time while running as fast as I could, but no matter how I sliced it, it was guaranteed I would be more than ten minutes late.
“She’s not answering her phone either… I wonder what’s going on over there…”
Even though I went to the trouble of getting the notebook—
“——?!”
In the middle of that thought, I stepped on an empty can lying on the side of the road and took a spectacular tumble onto the asphalt.
“Ouch ouch ouch… Dammit… I just fell down the other day trying to save a cat too… Wait, huh? The notebook is gone!”
Scanning the area, Ayano’s notebook had fallen into the gutter by the side of the road, and I hurriedly ran over to it.
“That was close… If I came all this way only to say I fell and lost the notebook, I wouldn’t even be able to cry about it… hm? Wait? The button on the notebook came undone and the inside is…………………… Wha—?! W-What is this?!”
The Tsubakizaka Lontano Building where Ayano was waiting was a 24-story office building, its entire exterior completely covered in glass.
I jumped off the train that arrived at the nearest station, hurriedly dashed through the crowd, and when I finally reached that building, it was already ten minutes past the promised time.
Checking the time on my smartphone, I ran to the entrance of the building.
Dammit. I guess I didn’t make it in time after all… The talk show might have already started without Ayano…
As I was thinking that, someone unexpectedly called out to me from near the building’s entrance.
“Kota Nibuke-kun?”
Looking over, a woman in a suit wearing purple-rimmed glasses was standing there.
If I recall, this person was with Hanae-san in front of Ayano’s house…
“Um… are you…”
“I’m Saiko. Saiko Kirigiri.”
“Ah, I knew it… Hello…”
After exchanging light greetings, I instinctively averted my gaze out of guilt.
“Um… I’m sorry. For being late… Um… what about the talk show…?”
“It’s fine. The talk show hasn’t started yet.”
“Eh? Is that so? But it’s already ten minutes past the promised time… Did you delay the start time even further, Saiko-san?”
When I asked, Saiko-san let out a sigh and shook her head side to side.
“No, that’s not it. Actually, the start of the talk show is delayed because of that.”
“Because of that?”
Following where Saiko-san pointed inside the building, several security guards were surrounded by dozens of cats and running around in confusion.
“…Cats?”
“Yes, exactly. For some reason, those cats are running wild all over the building, and it’s total chaos inside right now. Well, thanks to that, the start of the talk show was delayed, which saved us, but I wonder where those cats came from.”
Don’t tell me… Nekohime-sama did this? Did that person use the cats to buy time for me because I was going to be late?
Even though she said she didn’t care about me anymore… Nekohime-sama…
While I was giving thanks for Nekohime-sama’s benevolence, one of the cats in the swarm surrounding the security guards caught sight of me, and its tail twitched. Then, with a loud “Meeeeeow,” a massive horde of cats gathered from all over the building, responding to that cry.
Whoa, that’s a crazy amount. …Wait, huh? Why are they running toward me? …Eh? No, hold on—
The massive horde of cats that charged at me for some reason began swarming all over my body the moment they reached me.
“Hey! W-What are you doing!”
My body was pushed down by the cats, and the bag I was holding fell to the ground with a thud. The cats then swarmed the bag, dexterously using their small mouths to pull my wallet out from inside.
“My wallet!”
Then, equally dexterously, they opened the wallet and snatched several bills from inside with their mouths.
“My money!”
The cats who had secured the bills snorted as if satisfied, and leading the massive horde, disappeared toward the town.
Ah, I see. Nekohime-sama, this is a paid service, isn’t it.
Finally, a single cat with a familiar white coat, Byakuya, came to my side, gave a small bow, and ran off in the direction the horde had disappeared.
Byakuya… you did your best too, huh.
Saiko-san, who had watched the whole thing unfold, let out an astonished voice.
“I’ve never seen someone get mugged by cats before. It was surprisingly intense.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it…”
“Anyway, the fact that you’re here means you brought it, right? Of course.”
When I handed over Ayano’s notebook, which I had put in my pocket, Saiko-san put her finger on the cover’s button to check the contents.
“Ah! Please wait a second! Ayano hates having the inside of that seen. So could you please give it directly to her without looking inside?”
Or rather, you seriously shouldn’t look at it…
“…I suppose you’re right. Oh, that’s right. Could you come with me to where Ayano is? I think Ayano would calm down a lot if you, her boyfriend, said a few words to her.”
“…Boyfriend?”
“Eh? You are, aren’t you? After all, Ayano is always talking about you. I even saw a picture of you on her smartphone’s lock screen, you know?”
“O-Oh… On her lock screen…”
Isn’t she being a little too careless?
But, I see. The reason Saiko-san called me was because she thought I was Ayano’s boyfriend.
“More importantly, Saiko-san, I can’t see Ayano right now due to… various reasons.”
“Eh? Why not?”
If it gets out that I was the one who retrieved Ayano’s notebook, her affection for me is likely to go up… Nekohime-sama warned me, so I want to avoid that kind of action if possible…
Plus, in the unlikely event that it gets found out I saw the contents of the notebook, things will get terrible…
“I just can’t. So, please keep the fact that I brought the notebook a secret—”
Just as I started to speak, a figure stumbled unsteadily out from the building’s entrance.
“Ah~, Saiko-saaaan, so this is where you were~. I was looking for yoooou.”
It was undoubtedly Ayano, but she lacked her usual energy, and her steps were wobbly and unsteady.
On top of that, her suit skirt was on backward, her shirt was buttoned wrong, and the jacket she wore over it was inside out. Furthermore, for some reason, she was hugging a large pot she had brought from somewhere.
With an unfocused gaze, Ayano said,
“Saiko-saaaan. I can’t get this mask over my head at all~. What should I do~. “My notebook~. My notebook~.” “
“Calm down, Ayano. That’s not a mask. It’s a pot.”
“A pooooot? What do you mean a pooooot? “If anyone saw that… I… I…” “
I see. This is a severe case.
It makes total sense why Saiko-san decided not to let Ayano appear in the talk show.
Before I even had time to run away, Saiko-san handed the notebook she was holding over to Ayano.
“Here, Ayano! Your boyfriend brought your notebook for you! Pull yourself together!”
“Hoeeee~. A notebook~? …Notebook? Notebook?! My notebook!”
Upon receiving the notebook, Ayano immediately dropped the pot she had been hugging to the ground. Saiko-san caught it at the very last second, then looked back at me and said,
“See, I asked your boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend…?”
The moment Ayano’s eyes met mine, her expression instantly reverted to its usual sharp glare.
“Oh my? Kota? What are you doing in a place like this? “Waaay! It’s Ko-chan!” “
“Ah, no…”
She recovered fast… Even though her clothes are still a mess…
Saiko-san is here too, I guess I can’t play dumb… Then my only option is to try not to raise her affection as much as possible.
In my place, Saiko-san delivered the third declaration.
“Like I said, I asked Kota-kun! To bring your notebook!”
“To Kota? Why?”
“…Because you lost your notebook and were in a panic, and I was planning on not letting you appear in either the talk show or the autograph session in that state.”
“Eh?! I never heard about that!”
“Of course I couldn’t tell you. You’ve been completely out of it this whole time.”
“I haven’t been out of it!”
“…Then look at your current outfit.”
“My outfit? …Gyaah?! My skirt is on backward! The buttons are wrong! Ah, this is inside out!”
“You were holding a pot, too. Here.”
“That was not me.”
“You brought it yourself…”
Ayano realized what a bizarre appearance she was making and hid behind Saiko-san so I couldn’t see her.
“B-But… why to Kota?”
“Oh my? Because Kota-kun is your boyfriend, isn’t he? You’re always talking about him, aren’t you.”
“D-D-D-D-Don’t be ridiculous! I am not!”
“Eh? You were just talk—”
“I was not! I have no recollection of that!”
“I-Is that so… “Eh? Then what is that smartphone lock screen all about?” “
Please don’t bring that up.
Ayano, while sneaking around hiding behind Saiko-san, poked her head out to look at me.
“By the way, where was my notebook?”
“It was left sitting inside your desk.”
If I say I got it back from Amamiya-sensei, her affection might go up, so let’s stick with this story.
“My desk? Huh? I thought I dropped it when someone bumped into me in the hallway… Was I mistaken? “But thank goodness. No one saw inside the notebook… …………Wait?” “
Ayano trembled, her shoulders shaking violently.
“Um… I want to ask, um… you’re the one who brought my notebook, right, Kota?”
“…Yeah. What about it?”
Regardless of the fact that I could see her bizarre outfit, Ayano jumped out from behind Saiko-san and grabbed both my shoulders firmly.
“Did you… look inside…?”
Tears were welling up in her eyes, and her voice was trembling faintly.
“I didn’t.”
I actually did, but…
“Liar! You absolutely looked! You looked, you looked, you looked!”
“I’m telling you I didn’t!”
“If anyone saw that, I won’t be able to go on living!”
“Because I didn’t look.”
“Please, tell me you didn’t look! Tell me you didn’t loooook!”
“Like I’ve been saying this whole time…”
Saiko-san lightly rapped the back of the frantic Ayano’s head with her finger.
While rubbing the spot she was hit, Ayano said,
“S-Saiko-san? What was that for~.”
“Calm down already, Ayano. Even when I tried to check the contents of the notebook, Kota-kun stopped me, saying you hated having it looked at. There’s no way someone who says something like that would look inside themselves, right?”
“B-Buuuut…”
“No ‘but’s. You’re the one who knows Kota-kun best, right? If that’s the case, you should be able to properly judge whether he really looked or not.”
With tears still welling in her eyes, Ayano timidly turned back to face me.
“…Did you really not look?”
Ugh. Th-The guilt… But it’s not like I looked because I wanted to, and if I tell her I looked inside that notebook, she really won’t be in any condition to attend the autograph session…
My only option here is to push through with the lie.
“Yeah. I didn’t look.”
Ayano lowered her gaze and brought her hand to her mouth as if deep in thought.
“Ko-chan really didn’t look… Because, if he had looked, there’s no way he could be talking this calmly.”
Hmm… That really was surprising, though… or rather… well… yeah. Let’s just forget about it quickly. It’s for Ayano’s sake.
Perhaps finally believing my words, Ayano gave a small nod.
Then, checking the time on her wristwatch, Saiko-san hurriedly grabbed Ayano’s hand.
“I’m sorry, but we have no more time. Come on, first we’re going to the dressing room to do something about those clothes. And Kota-kun, you wait on the fourth floor where the venue is. I’ll make a special exception and let you in for standing room only.”
“Eh? Ah, I…”
Even if you tell me to come to the venue… Won’t my being there put pressure on Ayano…? No, but I’m worried about leaving Ayano alone like this… Hmm…
Lagging behind Saiko-san and the others who had gone ahead, I eventually ended up visiting the fourth floor to watch the talk show anyway. However, the floor was larger than I expected, and before I knew it, I had wandered into a deserted area. The hallway in front of me was blocked by a sign that read ‘Authorized Personnel Only’.
…Huh? Did I take a wrong turn? Also, this building is huge…
Two security guards who happened to be passing by saw me and approached.
“That area is off-limits, is there a problem?”
“…No, I just took a wrong turn, I’ll head back right away.”
As I distanced myself slightly from there, the two security guards said in an exasperated tone,
“Even so… what was up with that massive amount of cats earlier…”
“Seriously. Where on earth did they get in from…”
Security guards deployed because of the cats, huh… I kinda feel bad…
Um, anyway, I guess I’ll head back the way I came…
“Please wait a minute, Sensei!”
Hm? What’s that?
Someone’s voice was coming from deep within the hallway marked ‘Authorized Personnel Only’. As I stared intently down the hallway, the sound of rapid, clicking footsteps approached from the left side of the intersecting corridor at the end.
And those footsteps turned the corner at the end of the hallway and set a course toward me.
“Why are you suddenly going home! Kaidou-sensei!”
There stood Hanae-san with an anxious face, and behind her, Saiko-san with raised eyebrows.
Hanae-san hunched her back and walked forward while glaring at the ground.
“…I’m sorry… B-But… it’s impossible for me…”
“How can you say that! After coming all this way! This talk show is a proper job, too! If you cancel at the eleventh hour like this…”
“…I’m sorry………… I just… absolutely cannot meet her…”
Don’t tell me… is Hanae-san planning to just go home like this…?
“Hanae-san, please wait a minute!”
When I called out, Hanae-san raised her head in shock with a gasp, finally recognizing me standing ahead.
“…Ko-chan? Ah… You came too, huh.”
“Are you… seriously going home?”
“…I’m sorry. But… I’m sure that’s what’s best for that child.”
“…What’s best?”
What is… this person talking about?
Behind Hanae-san, Saiko-san spoke with a troubled expression.
“Kaidou-sensei, please. Reconsider one more time. …You’ve noticed it too, haven’t you, Sensei? Her writing is clearly conscious of yours, Kaidou-sensei. But that doesn’t match the stories she creates. …She seems to be aware of it too, and apparently tried to fix it many times… but it seems that whenever she writes novels, she inevitably remembers you, and she can’t write her own words… If she continues writing novels in this state, she’ll be crushed by the phantom of Ichika Kaidou, and one day she’ll definitely become unable to write…”
“…That is… a problem Ayano has to solve herself… There is nothing I can do about it…”
“Just once is fine! Even just once is fine, so please… talk to Ayano. If you do… something inside Ayano might change… She might be able to escape the curse of Ichika Kaidou…”
“………………It’s impossible for me.”
Hanae-san cast a fleeting glance at me, then turned on her heel looking apologetic.
“…I believe there was an emergency exit this way.”
Hanae-san asked that in a low voice, but Saiko-san didn’t answer, simply silently chasing after her back.
…You’ve got to be kidding me.
Just how selfish is this person.
“Don’t screw with me!”
When I yelled that, Hanae-san, Saiko-san, and the two security guards on either side of me all turned toward me with shocked faces.
Hanae-san stopped in her tracks.
“…Ko…chan?”
“Don’t screw with me! Just how selfish are you! Meet her! Talk to her! She’s your daughter!”
“…I cannot… do that…”
“Why!”
“…………“I no longer have… the right to do that…” “
I knew that was Hanae-san’s inner voice.
But, I couldn’t stop myself from saying it.
“Don’t just arbitrarily decide things like you don’t have the right to see your daughter!”
Hanae-san looked at me with a shocked face.
“H-How do you know that—”
Without answering Hanae-san’s question, I continued speaking my mind.
“Abandoned by her mother for some incomprehensible reason like ‘for the sake of novels,’ and not even receiving a single message since then… But she! Not even once did she hate you! She was always thinking about you! She kept writing novels because she wanted to understand you! Don’t trample on those feelings… the feelings of my precious childhood friend! Just because you’re her parent!”
Having finished listening to my words, Hanae-san looked down sadly.
“…………I’m sorry, Ko-chan. Even so, I cannot meet Ayano. That is the very least I can do, as someone who abandoned her family.”
Even saying all this… it doesn’t reach her, huh.
Think. If I’m going to persuade her, it’s now or never.
If she goes home here, Ayano might never have another chance to talk to Hanae-san.
But no matter how much I speak for Ayano’s feelings, it won’t resonate in Hanae-san’s heart.
Hanae-san didn’t even look back at me anymore, proceeding down the hallway and disappearing around the corner, with Saiko-san chasing after her.
Calling Ayano on my smartphone won’t make it in time anymore. To begin with, even if I called Ayano, I don’t think Hanae-san in her current state would silently listen to her.
Something… Something that can grab Hanae-san’s interest.
And, something that will make Hanae-san want to talk to Ayano…
…………
…I know. …That. If I use that!
“Hanae-san! Just a second, there’s something I want you to see!”
Saying that, I tried to proceed down the hallway, but my path was blocked by the security guards on either side.
“Hey there, buddy! This area is off-limits to unauthorized personnel!”
“No, um, we’re acquaintances!”
“Then, where is your permit?”
“I don’t have one… but I’ll be quick! Please! Let me in!”
“No way, absolutely not!”
Dammit! Even though I don’t have time!
Should I go down first and ambush her? …No, since I’m not familiar with the structure of this building, I have no idea where the emergency exit Hanae-san headed for connects to. If I ambush her in the wrong place, it’s over…
Right now, she should be just beyond that hallway, around the corner.
…In that case—my only choice is to break through.
I temporarily backed away from the two security guards, pretending to give up and creating some distance, then secretly unzipped my bag.
Just a split second. If I can create an opening for just a split second, I can break through.
Clutching the bag under my arm, I steeled my resolve and started sprinting, aiming right between the two security guards.
Of course, just because I distanced myself a bit and pretended to give up didn’t mean the security guards would lower their guard; the two of them blocked my path.
At that exact moment, I forcefully swung the bag—the zipper already open—in a wide, horizontal arc. Instantly, the massive amount of photos of Mizuki that Amamiya-sensei had forcefully shoved onto me flew up into the air, blinding the security guards’ field of vision.
“Whoa?! What is this?! Photos?!”
Sorry, Mizuki! I’ll collect them all later, so forgive me!
Not missing the opening when the security guards flinched, I slid right between them.
“Hey! Wait!”
I could feel the two security guards chasing me from behind, but I didn’t have time to look back.
Reaching the end of the hallway, I dashed toward the corner where Hanae-san and Saiko-san had disappeared. The hallway extended beyond that as well, but the two of them were nowhere to be seen.
At the end of the hallway, an information board was installed above, indicating an emergency stairwell to the left.
That way!
“Wait! Hey!”
The voices of the security guards were closer than before. They were closing in right behind me.
Don’t worry about behind you! Just run now! Run, and deliver this!
Following the information board, I turned the corner and saw Hanae-san and Saiko-san a short distance away. However, they were just about to turn another corner and disappear from my line of sight.
“Hanae-san! I have something I want Hanae-san to see!”
I intended to project my voice toward the two of them, but I was out of breath and couldn’t speak as well as I wanted. The two didn’t notice me and turned the corner just like that.
Dammit! If I can just get to that corner!
Immediately after, one of the pursuing security guards lunged at me, but I evaded it by a hair’s breadth and started running again.
Then, right as I reached the corner the two had turned, I was pinned to the floor by the hands of the security guard.
“Gotcha! Giving us a hard time!”
With my face pressed against the floor, I could see Saiko-san and Hanae-san looking back at me in my field of vision.
Saiko-san’s eyes widened in shock, and she rushed over to me.
“Kota-kun?! Are you okay?! …More importantly, what are you doing?”
“Um… before that, could you please do something about this?”
When Saiko-san explained to the security guards that I was an authorized person, the two guards reluctantly left with expressions that clearly showed they weren’t convinced.
“So? Why did you chase after us like that?”
“Um… I had something… I wanted to give to Hanae-san…”
“Something you wanted to give me?”
Slightly behind Saiko-san, Hanae-san tilted her head.
“To me?”
“Yes… Um, could you please read this?”
I handed Hanae-san a single notebook that I had previously taken out of my bag and was holding in my hand.
It was the notebook I had kept in my bag ever since the day I reunited with Ayano, intending to return it to her. But I never mustered the courage to apologize for what happened that day, so it had stayed inside my bag the whole time.
“This notebook is?”
“That’s the notebook Ayano used to write novels in when she was in elementary school.”
“When she was in elementary school? Ayano was writing novels since she was that little?”
“Ayano started writing novels right after you left the house, Hanae-san.”
“…………”
“At the end of that notebook, there’s a short story called ‘The Two Dragons’. I wanted you to read it too, Hanae-san…”
That novel was the last novel of Ayano’s I read in elementary school, and it was the novel that triggered me hurting her.
“Why me?”
“You’ll understand if you read it.”
Hanae-san cast a fleeting glance at me, but silently lowered her eyes to the characters written in the notebook, flipping through the pages as if reading a manga.
The short story ‘The Two Dragons’, written by an elementary school-aged Ayano, was a tale about a Blue Dragon and a Red Dragon living quietly deep in some mountains. One day, the Blue Dragon woke up to find the Red Dragon gone, and the story followed the Blue Dragon’s journey to find the Red Dragon.
From beginning to end, it was filled with nothing but the Blue Dragon’s anxieties and conflicts, with absolutely no developments that would catch a reader’s eye. The end had no punchline; the Blue Dragon and the Red Dragon simply reunited and went back to living happily together just like before.
When I read this novel back then, I realized the two dragons appearing in it represented Ayano and Hanae-san, but I couldn’t find any entertainment value in it as a novel.
Two people separated in reality successfully reunite in a novel and reclaim their happiness. There is no story there. It’s just a desire taking the form of a novel.
However, that arguably poorly-made novel, spun with Ayano’s own unmistakable words, overflowed with love for her mother.
I’m sure this novel was written solely for one person in this world: Hanae-san.
Perhaps having finished reading the novel, Hanae-san closed the notebook with a snap and let out a deep, heavy sigh.
Occasionally, disconnected inner voices reached my ears, but perhaps because she hadn’t fully organized her thoughts, I couldn’t clearly make out what she was saying.
“If you read that, you should understand, shouldn’t you? Just how much Ayano thinks about you.”
“…………”
“Before you say things like you don’t have the right to see Ayano, please think about Ayano.”
“…………”
“Because you are Ayano’s one and only mother.”
Hanae-san trudged over to me, handed back the notebook she was holding, and answered with a faintly trembling voice.
“…I thought not seeing Ayano was the only atonement I could make as the mother who abandoned that child… But, perhaps I was wrong.”
Hanae-san then started walking toward Saiko-san and said,
“I apologize for taking up your time… I will appear in the talk show… and properly speak with Ayano.”
“R-Really! Thank you so much! Then, we are out of time, so please hurry this way!”
Just as Saiko-san said that and was about to lead Hanae-san away, a voice reached me quietly from deep within the hallway.
“Thank you, Ko-chan.”
That just now… was that Ayano’s inner voice?
When I looked in the direction the voice came from, I saw what looked like Ayano’s back disappearing around the corner.
That Ayano, she was hiding and watching…
“Kota-kun! You should hurry too!”
Prompted by Saiko-san, I also briskly headed toward the venue.
Tsubakizaka Lontano Building, 4th Floor. Talk Show Venue, Special Conference Room 3.
Standing in the very back near the entrance, I checked the photos of Mizuki inside my bag.
“…I probably collected all of them, right.”
It was so embarrassing gathering these photos all by myself…
Many chairs were set up inside the venue, and they were tightly packed with people sitting in them. The back was a stage, with two chairs placed on the left and two on the right. Since it was billed as a talk show between veterans and newcomers, they would probably sit separated by veteran and newcomer respectively.
Less than five minutes later, a female MC came to the front, rattled off a bunch of introductory remarks, and prompted the entrance of the four authors.
From a door next to the stage, women appeared one after another starting with Hanae-san, and finally, Ayano also made her appearance.
Guided by the female MC, Hanae-san sat in the leftmost seat, followed by a completely unremarkable-looking woman next to her. Leaving some distance, a girl in gothic lolita attire and Ayano sat in the chairs prepared for the newcomers.
“Huh? Come to think of it, didn’t Ayano say she was going to wear a mask? Her face is totally exposed, is that okay…?”
“Ayano requested it. She said she wanted to appear in the talk show showing her face.”
Looking next to me, Saiko-san was standing there before I knew it.
“Ayano did? Is she going to be okay?”
“Photography is prohibited inside the venue, and if Ayano is fine with it, I don’t particularly mind.”
“I see. So that’s how it is.”
Saiko-san said, “Also…” and turned her gaze toward me.
“…You saved us. Thank you for persuading Kaidou-sensei.”
“I didn’t really do anything… I just showed her the novel Ayano wrote…”
“You don’t have to be modest. I’ve asked Kaidou-sensei to talk to Ayano countless times before this, but she kept refusing. Even so, I pulled a lot of strings behind the scenes for Ayano’s sake to somehow manage to set up this talk show, but even that almost fell apart at the last minute.”
“Come to think of it, you were telling Hanae-san earlier, right? That the writing style of Ayano’s novels is similar to Hanae-san’s.”
“…Have you ever heard why that child writes novels?”
“I think she said a long time ago that it was because she wanted to know the reason why Hanae-san continued to write novels even if it meant abandoning her family.”
“Yes, that’s right… But, because she fixates too much on that reason, her writing has become completely conscious of Ichika Kaidou… But that’s no good. Ayano unquestionably possesses the talent to write novels. However, in her current state of chasing after Ichika Kaidou, that talent will not grow any further.”
When I first met Saiko-san, when she said Ayano might be ruined at this rate, that’s what she meant.
“And you think that will be resolved by her talking with Hanae-san?”
“…Honestly, I don’t know. But if it’s for Ayano’s sake, I want to do everything I can for her.”
Just as our conversation paused, the MC asked Hanae-san a question.
“—Well then! Next question! Kaidou-sensei, why do you write novels? Also, if you have any secrets to continuing to write, please do share them with our two promising newcomer authors!”
Having the topic passed to her, Hanae-san readjusted her grip on the microphone, stared at the floor, and began to weave her words in a matter-of-fact tone.
“…Ever since I was young, I wasn’t very clever, I was bad at socializing, and I was always alone. …So, to distract myself from that loneliness, I started writing novels. …Before I knew it, those novels were evaluated highly, and I started receiving money. …When that happened, I gained a little confidence in myself, met someone who accepted me for who I was, got married, and my daughter was born.”
Sitting in the seat farthest from Hanae-san, Ayano shifted slightly.
Hanae-san continued.
“…After that, our life as a family of three began. …It was fun watching my daughter grow. I was happy to have a family who loved me. Every day passed like a dream. …But, I didn’t know. …That I can only write novels amidst loneliness.”
In the venue where even the MC had fallen completely silent, only Hanae-san’s words echoed.
“…I can do nothing but write novels. …Writing novels is the only way to prove that I am myself. …That is why I chose the path of abandoning my family. …I believed that by placing myself in loneliness once again, I would be able to write novels once more. …And actually, it was exactly as I thought. …It is precisely because I am lonely that I can continue to write novels.”
After a period of silence continued, the MC stretched her voice, sounding awkward.
“…Ummm… Well, I suppose when it comes to someone like Kaidou-sensei, her professionalism is high, or rather, it surpasses the comprehension of an ordinary person like me… Anyway, that was a very deeply impressive story! E-Umm, well then, moving on to the next—”
Just as the MC tried to change the subject, a loud voice interrupted.
“Don’t joke around!”
The owner of the voice was Ayano.
Everyone’s gaze became glued to Ayano.
“…I always thought… there had to be some special reason why I was abandoned. I wanted to know that reason, so I continued writing novels all this time…”
Next to me, Saiko-san leaked a frustrated mutter to herself, “I wanted to hide the fact that Ayano is Ichika Kaidou’s daughter if possible… but I suppose it can’t be helped.”
Ayano continued.
“So what? You abandoned your family because you can’t write novels unless you’re lonely? Don’t make me laugh!”
The people gathered in the venue began murmuring in low voices.
“Wait, is Takeko Utani Ichika Kaidou’s daughter?” “I’ve never heard anything about that…” “Why would she keep quiet about it until now?” “But abandoning her family for the sake of novels, if that’s true, isn’t that terrible?”
While the MC flailed about in confusion, Ayano stood up from her chair, leaned forward, and raised her voice.
“Why! Why didn’t you abandon novels and choose your family!”
After a sharp screeech of microphone feedback, Hanae-san’s weak voice reached out quietly.
“…I’m sorry, Ayano. …But to me, novels are everything.”
“Then what are we, your family, to you!”
“That is…”
Breathing heavily through her shoulders with excitement, Ayano shot a fierce glare at Hanae-san.
“Writing novels isn’t something you choose even over abandoning your family. I will teach you that. I will write a novel more interesting than yours and make you realize that your way of doing things was wrong.”
Finally, her voice trembling and large tears spilling from her eyes, Ayano said,
“So… so… don’t run away from me anymore, Mom.”
Hanae-san tried to say something back, but swallowed it down and fell silent. Instead, just like Ayano, she let large tears spill from her eyes.
It didn’t go off without a hitch, but the venue, having somehow finished the talk show, had now transformed into an autograph session for the two newcomer authors. The veteran authors who were in the venue just moments ago were already gone, perhaps due to work scheduling.
While the talk show was taking place, a crowd had formed in the hallway wanting the autographs of the two newcomer authors, and having finished watching the talk show, I also took up a position at the very front of that line.
Perhaps because time was tight and they were in a hurry, the venue was prepared in less than five minutes, and the line of fans was allowed inside.
I wonder how many people are here… As expected, there really are a lot of female fans for romance novels.
In the viewing area where folding chairs had been lined up earlier, two desks were now placed, and sitting at them respectively were Ayano, wearing a bear mask, and the gothic lolita girl who had been next to Ayano earlier.
When I stepped right in front of Ayano, I took out When I Think of You on the Coastline from my bag and handed it to her.
“So, why are you wearing a mask now?”
While signing the autograph, Ayano said,
“…Because showing my face is embarrassing.”
“You were totally giving her a piece of your mind up on stage just a minute ago.”
“…Y-You have the wrong person.”
“Then who on earth are you…”
Ayano handed the signed book back to me, then smoothly held out her hand.
Following suit, I also reached out my hand and we shook hands.
“Thank you for reading my book. Please continue to support me.”
“…Yeah. I’m looking forward to it.”
In a low voice, Ayano added,
“Also, thank you for persuading my mom.”
I couldn’t see her face because of the mask, but I could tell Ayano was smiling brightly beneath it.
The hallway in front of Ayano’s dressing room, which I had heard about from Saiko-san beforehand.
Twenty minutes had already passed since the autograph session started.
…Even so, Nekohime-sama’s intuition really was right on the mark.
In the end, Ayano found out about me bringing the notebook and persuading Hanae-san, and her affection for me is skyrocketing… I want to believe this won’t be the trigger for Ayano to confess to me, but… Hmm…
As I was lost in thought with my back against the hallway wall, a single woman stopped right in front of me.
When I raised my gaze, Hanae-san was there.
“Ah… Um…”
When I hesitated, suddenly not knowing what I should say, Hanae-san spoke to me first.
“…Just as you said, Ko-chan… I’m glad I talked with that child.”
“Is that so…”
“…Please continue to take care of Ayano for me.”
“Y-Yes…”
“…………”
“…………”
Awkward!
I did say a whole lot of things to get Hanae-san to appear in the talk show, after all…
Perhaps sensing the same atmosphere, Hanae-san said, “…See you later, Ko-chan,” and hurriedly started walking down the hallway.
Right at that moment, Ayano, having finished her autograph session, approached from the other direction. Noticing this, Hanae-san stopped, attempted to change direction for a split second, but ultimately started walking toward Ayano.
And as they passed each other,
“See you later, Ayano.”
Was all she said, and Ayano also simply replied,
“See you later, Mom.”
It was a completely unremarkable, truly trivial exchange, but I was certain that these two would surely be able to return to being a family again someday.
Because I, who can hear inner voices, am saying so. There is no doubt about it.
