Chapter 3
Two weeks passed since I became a second-grade student in high school. I come to school every day, put down my bag, go to Masaki's bench, go to my own bench before class starts, and then go to his seat after class. I would sit on the bench in front of Masaki for lunch and eat facing him. In other words, I minimized the amount of time I spent in my chair. But now I'm in big trouble.
Masaki... didn't go to school.
It is not good. There is no way out. Well, I'm confused. I think I should go see him. Or rather I was wondering if I could use that as an excuse to skip school… It was impossible. It's not about Masaki, it's about me now. Hmmm... Well, I have to act normal. She wouldn't even bother to talk to me. Of course. It should be fine. It be fine.
+×+×+×+
"Hey, why don't you talk to him?"
"What? Who?”
"Of course Kashiwagi-kun."
"Hah?!"
“Come here for a moment” I was led into the corridor by my best friend Igarashi Iori, then she said that.
“Oh, do you think you can hide that from me?”
"No, no! I have nothing to hide…”
"Oh, don't you like him?"
“I don't like him...”
"On the first day of school, you suddenly said you wanted to go to a restaurant you don't usually go to, and Kashiwagi-kun was there, and every time Kashiwagi-kun went to Momoyama-kun's bench, you glanced at him, right?"
"No, that..."
If I don't answer, Iori will suspect me even more.
“Well, I don't know, but if you want to talk to me about something, just say so. I will listen to you.”
She must have sensed that I was in trouble. She said that to me because she was worried.
"Then... I'll talk about it... Okay?"
"So fast?!"
"Because there's no way he'll talk to me other than today..."
"He doesn't want to talk to you..."
"Uh..."
Then the bell rang. Iori said “Alright, let's talk this after a 20 minute break,” and returned to his seat.
I hurried back to my seat. On the way back, I glanced at Kota again, but our eyes didn't meet. I've been glancing at him for a long time, but he doesn't look at me at all, except for a glimpse at a seafood rice restaurant. This is my fault. I'm really sorry.
After I told Kota not to talk to me, for a while I enjoyed the different days, I felt good about the new surroundings. But after a week or two, I suddenly wanted to meet him. Nothing special about it, but I wanted to talk to him. But I can't do that. When I approach him to talk to him, he will run away. When he ran away, I realized how much he had become a big part of myself. After that, no matter what I do, I always wish he was here. Sports festivals, choir ccompetition, and soccer tournaments weren't as fun as when I was in first grade and when I was close to him. I want to be with him. I want to be close to him forever. I want him to feel the same way. I've been thinking about that for a while now, even though I told him to distance from me. I don't know, maybe because I'm not close to him anymore. I realized that I fell in love with him.
After a 20 minute break, I came early to the biology laboratory because the third lesson was biology. Therbefore, the room was empty. I couldn't concentrate at all during the second lesson...
"Okay, I'll listen to you."
“Um, yeah, well… um, me and Kota, Kashiwagi-kun are childhood friends.”
"Eh!?"
"Uh, what?"
“No, …… I was just surprised. ……You guys seem a bit distant for childhood friends.”
“Ugh… Well, you know,… when I was a second-grade student in middle school… back then, I was a bit of a fashionista, you know, and I… I didn't like Kota who looks innocent, so I told him.. 'Don't talk to me'…”
"HAH?"
Iori shouted in surprise.
"Could it be that you haven't talked to him since then?"
"Yes..."
Iori sighed.
“I don't understand because I don't have any childhood friends, but if you say so, doesn't that mean you two are quite close?”
“Well, we were close enough to play at home together...”
“But why don't you apologize for saying that? I think it's quite painful to hear someone close to you say, 'Don't talk to me.'"
“When I thought about apologizing, I felt like I couldn't talk to him…”
“Ah… By the way, then, it seems Kashiwagi-kun is alone today, so you must apologize today. I will accompany you… I will sit beside you during your lunch break…”
She scolded me a little. But it gave me the courage to talk to him. Precisely. First, let's apologize. So, for now, I hope we can be friends again like childhood friends. During lunch break....... I will do my best!
In the third and fourth lessons it was even more difficult to concentrate than the first and second lessons. Then came the lunch break. It felt like it had finally arrived.
...and it's been ten minutes since the lunch break started. I don't know what to... say to him. At first, Iori told me “you can do it when you're ready”, but now she's looking at me with a frown.
"When are you going to do it?"
“I… I don't know what to say…”
“Look him and talk to him. Kashiwagi-kun will finish his lunch soon.”
We whispered so that Kota couldn't hear the conversation. I glanced at him to see what he was doing, and saw that he had finished his lunch and put his hands together and said in a low voice “Thanks for the food”. I felt that he didn't just say that, I felt that he said that with gratitude. That part didn't change… I was thinking that when Iori brought me back to reality in a low voice.
"Kana!"
"Huh?!"
"What are you doing?"
“Um, yes...”
"I will stay by your side."
My best friend encouraged me to do it. I'm sorry to hear that you're not feeling well, Momoyama-kun, but I shouldn't miss this opportunity to be alone with Kota. If I don't talk to him now I think I won't be able to talk to him in the future. All right, be brave!
“Um, ano...”
"Hmm? What’s wrong? ...Kirishima-san."
Thanks for the chap.
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