Chapter 38 - Karin’s Confirmation
A whirlwind of emotions swirled through my mind, but once the festival started, everything was over.
There’s a saying that translates roughly to "overwhelmed with busyness," and it’s exactly like that—any idle thoughts get torn apart and thrown aside.
What’s my job again?
"Yes! This is the headquarters! Uh-huh, right, I see..."
The broadcasting room, where Karin and I were stationed, was now serving as the main command center for the orienteering event until it ended.
On the table, six cell phones were laid out, crammed together due to the lack of space.
These phones were our means of communication with the relay points set up throughout the vast school grounds.
Generally, we just sent instructions for the field teams to handle, but if necessary, the student council or the upperclassmen in the disciplinary committee would rush over in person.
"Excuse me! Could someone head to the first floor of the classroom building?"
"What's going on?"
"It seems like there's too big a crowd of students, so they want a few people to help guide them!"
"I see. Hey, you two over there! Can you handle that? Uh, let’s see..."
I asked for help from the disciplinary committee members who were on standby.
"I’m Matsui from the first year!"
Ah, Matsui-san.
For a girl, she’s pretty tall. She’s perfect for the job.
"Sorry to ask, Matsui-chan! I know it’s a bit tough, but could you handle this?"
"Wait, do you two know each other?"
"Yes! We’re in the same class! Matsui-chan has such a lovely voice, I’m sure everyone will follow her instructions!"
If Karin’s giving her seal of approval, then there’s nothing to worry about.
Our team member who usually handles crowd control seems tied up with the transport team at the moment.
While this isn’t my first time working with the disciplinary committee, I was a bit worried about how closely we’d be cooperating. But so far? Flawless.
"Alright, and the second-year guy there! Sorry, could you go as well?"
"I’m Aoyama! Got it!"
Wait a second, hold on.
I suddenly felt a massive wave of unease.
This might just be pure prejudice, or maybe a bad memory coming to the surface, but I couldn’t help feeling incredibly anxious about Aoyama.
That overly casual attitude, like a part-timer at a chain izakaya, is concerning.
He doesn’t seem like the type to cause trouble for the disciplinary committee, but... can I really trust him?
More than anything, it’s that surname.
I’m sorry, really, but the first Aoyama in my life was a terrible person.
You’re Aoyama number two.
Humans are creatures that learn from failure, right?
"Hey, Aoyama-kun. This might be a rude question, especially since we just met, but can I ask you something?"
"Sure thing!"
"It’s a hypothetical, totally unrelated to our current situation, but—"
"I’m all ears!"
"Say your friend’s Pikachu is ready to evolve. The game console is just sitting there on the table. What would you do?"
"I’d evolve it immediately! Into Raichu, of course!"
It’s not too late.
I’ll have Aoyama sit tight until the orienteering event is over.
My gut is screaming at me:
This guy’s trouble.
"Alright, Aoyama-senpai and Matsui-chan, please head to the classroom building!"
"Got it! You too, Saeki! Good luck!"
"Yeah! Thanks!"
She’s great. I can feel the trust between us, you know? It’s heartwarming.
"Off we gooo—!"
Wait, Aoyama, are you really going to be okay!?
You won’t cause any trouble, right!?
My instincts were screaming at me to stop him, but as I mentioned earlier, my concern was based purely on gut feeling. And while it’s impossible to trust someone you’ve just met, it’s also unreasonable to outright deny them.
In the end, all I could do was see them off.
Time continued to pass in a blur of activity.
Aside from our scheduled reports, a few issues popped up here and there, but Karin handled them smoothly, always coming up with quick solutions.
Whatever she couldn’t cover, I made up for.
At some point, the whiteboard beside us was so covered with notes that calling it a whiteboard seemed like an exaggeration.
I glanced down at the cell phones.
According to the regular check-ins from each location, everything seemed to be going well.
But still, something felt off.
Why?
Because I hadn’t heard from the one person I was most concerned about.
If there’s no issue, that’s fine.
They say "no news is good news."
And yet, my mind kept racing.
Those nagging worries were back.
No, this wasn’t just idle concern.
Hey, Marimo.
Are you okay out there?
Do you need help?
Are you crying again?
"Kouhei-senpai, what should we do about lunch? I could grab something from the transport team if you’d like?"
It seemed I had zoned out.
I scrambled to find a response.
"O-oh, right! Sure!"
I was completely out of it.
Even I was ashamed of my own behavior.
"...Senpai."
"Sorry!"
"Why are you apologizing?"
"Because you asked me a question, and I didn’t hear it properly."
"Haha, you’re so honest, Senpai."
"You mentioned lunch, right? I can go grab it myself if you’d like."
But Karin silently shook her head.
Had I upset her somehow?
Right now, I’m the vice president of the student council.
The only thing I should be focused on is the orienteering event.
When all my underclassmen are working so hard, there’s no room for stray thoughts.
"Senpai, I just want to check something with you, is that okay?"
See? Karin is always looking ahead.
"Sure, what’s up?"
When I straightened my posture and tried to focus, I found Karin’s eyes locked directly on mine.
"Kouhei-senpai, do you like me?"
"Well... huh!?"
I’ve always been annoyed at how romance protagonists conveniently lose their hearing at crucial moments, but now I understand—when you get asked a totally unexpected question, you *have* to ask for clarification.
"Senpai, your eyes are darting around, you know?"
"Well, yeah, I mean..."
My heart was doing somersaults, wandering aimlessly.
Where are you going, heart of mine?
"Let me ask differently. Do you hate me?"
"Of course not!"
She really is sharp. A very logical question. It snapped me out of it.
Whether or not you're in love with someone is hard to figure out, but whether you like or dislike someone is something you can immediately judge. That’s true for everyone.
Because you don’t want to spend any time thinking about someone you dislike.
And if you don’t dislike them, the answer is simple.
"Hehe, I’m glad. Sorry for the mean question. But—"
Karin paused for a moment and turned her back to me.
"The truth is, I’m the one being mean. Because even though I saw that you were struggling, I didn’t say anything."
"That doesn’t make you a mean person, Karin."
"No, I was being mean. I knew the words that would help you, but I was too scared to say them because I didn’t want to lose you."
"...Huh? I don’t quite follow, but I care about you, Karin! You’re a precious underclassman! And, um, well..."
Now it was my turn to turn my back to her.
Were we playing some kind of reverse Othello game?
Come on, pull yourself together.
Don’t embarrass yourself any more in front of a junior who’s showing you such kindness.
"I think I... see you as someone special. As a girl, I mean. Probably. Yeah."
What a pathetic ending.
Embarrassing.
"Hehe, hearing you say that is enough for me for now! But, Senpai, can I ask you one more thing?"
Karin smiled and asked:
"Do you like Marimo-senpai?"
A gust of wind blew through my muddled heart.