Chapter 29 - Love Talk side:G (1)
The night of the second day of the school trip.
I encounter Kanna in front of the elevator.
"Ah, Kanna."
"Oh, Airi."
The story goes back to after I got out of the bath.
"Ah, aren't you Tosaka-san?"
"Good evening, Tosaka-san."
It's Urashima-kun and Nakama-kun.
I don't want to talk to either of them.
As I try to leave in silence, they call out to stop me.
"Let's talk for a bit."
"Why don't you go over there? I have business with Tosaka-san."
It's probably nothing worth mentioning anyway.
I look to Kanna, who is with me, for help... huh? She's not here?
"Please don't get in the way."
"You're the one in the way."
While they were arguing, I made my escape.
"Where did you go, Kanna?"
"Well, you know. Some guy from a different class confessed to me."
Eh?
"And then what happened?"
"Unfortunately, I turned him down. It's impossible for me to date someone I don't even know."
That's only natural.
"You looked a little disappointed for a second just now, didn't you?"
"I-I did not."
"I'll say it again, I'm actually quite patient."
"I'm never giving him up!"
"Ah, I hope that's the case."
Kanna is grinning.
I don't know how serious she is.
After that, I played cards and such with the other girls in the room.
It seems a few of them went to the boys' rooms...
Apparently, someone witnessed them being made to sit in seiza in the hallway afterward.
"If they're going to do that, I wish the boys would come to us! Even though Mayumi-chan is the only one who can get in."
Kanna laughed as she said that.
I just hope Mayumi-chan doesn't collapse from lack of sleep during the school trip...
When lights-out time arrived, Mayumi-chan came for her patrol.
"N-now, you mustn't stay up too late."
Saying that, she hurried off to the next room.
"There's no way we're going to sleep just because we were told not to stay up late. Right?"
Kanna says this, seeking my agreement.
"I'm going to sleep."
"Ehh, how boring. Since we're here, let's get hyped up with some scary stories."
"Absolutely not!!"
"Ah! Airi, you can't handle scary stories? You know, a long time ago at Reizan..."
"Stop it!!"
I cover myself with a pillow and block my ears.
"Hmm, this is boring."
A girl in the room suddenly suggested.
"Then how about some love talk?"
"Ah, Airi should be fine with that, right?"
"Good idea, good idea. There was something I wanted to ask you two."
Everyone agrees.
I-if we make too much noise, Mayumi-chan will come, you know?
"Me too, me too!!"
"Let me in, let me in!!"
About six of us, including me and Kanna, huddled together.
The lights were, naturally, turned off.
"So, what is it you want to ask?"
Kanna questioned.
"Otonashi-san and Tosaka-san, you both like Katagiri-kun, right?"
"Yes!"
I mean, we're dating!!
"I guess so."
Kanna also affirmed.
"I hate to say this, but... what's so good about Katagiri-kun?"
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
"How should I put it, you're both so beautiful... it's like it's not a good match with Katagiri-kun."
"I wonder why you fell for him..."
They ask apologetically.
"Maybe the way he's kind."
"Yeah, he's a good guy despite how he looks, you know? He helped me when I was being bullied."
"What!?"
The four of them are surprised.
Is it that unexpected?
I wonder how Toya-kun is seen by the other girls?
"How do you all see Toya-kun?"
"Hmm, he's a nice person, but... that's the feeling?"
"Neither good nor bad."
"No matter what he's doing, he looks like he has no motivation..."
"That's it, that's it, like, I wish he'd perk up a little."
"Even if you don't go so far as to say it, he doesn't look like the kind of justice hero Otonashi-san talks about."
"Somehow that lack of motivation makes him look old."
"Right, right, exactly that."
All four of them are saying whatever they want.
"That's not true!"
"Well, I admit he has no motivation. But he's the type who does it when it's time to do it!"
The two of us protest.
"Then, what kind of 'kind' parts was Tosaka-san talking about?"
"Hmm... I guess he helped me when I was being bullied too? When my indoor shoes were hidden, he looked for them with me. And he'd erase graffiti on my desk early in the morning so I wouldn't see it."
"Hmm... but wasn't that just him wanting to get Tosaka-san's attention?"
"He's not that tactful of a guy."
Kanna came to my defense.
What should I say? ...Ah!
"That's right, there was that!"
"What, what?"
Five people, including Kanna, look at me.
"I think it was when I was in sixth grade...?"
What I'm about to talk about is the story of when I first became conscious of Toya-kun.
(2)
Summer of sixth grade.
On the way home from school. Toya-kun is crouching by a park bench.
...What is he doing?
I approach softly and observe the situation.
"Ow! You're biting the wrong spot."
Toya-kun is giving bread to a puppy.
Come to think of it, he's been leaving his school lunch lately.
It doesn't seem like the puppy will eat it easily.
Even when it eats, it spits it out immediately.
"If you don't eat, you'll starve to death."
Toya-kun says this and tries many times.
I went home without being noticed.
10 minutes later.
He was still there.
"It's really not eating."
Toya-kun struggles alone.
"I think this would be better."
What I held in my hand was milk.
When Toya-kun turned around, he looked stunned.
"Tosaka-san?"
I sat down beside Toya-kun, poured a small amount of milk into a plastic plate I had prepared, took the bread from Toya-kun, tore it into pieces, soaked them in milk, and fed it to the puppy.
"Ah, it ate!"
Toya-kun's happy face seemed very wonderful to me.
"Hey, can I help take care of it too?"
"I-I guess so."
Toya-kun nodded, though he looked a bit bewildered.
From then on, for about a week, we took care of the puppy together.
Even on rainy days.
It was fun.
However, fun things do not last long.
A week later, I found a flyer.
"Looking for lost dog."
It was the puppy from the park.
I tell Toya-kun, who had arrived first to take care of it today, about this.
"...That's good. Let's go."
Keeping his head down, he holds the puppy and goes to the owner.
"Thank you!"
We are thanked by the owner and head back.
That's the end of it.
I wonder if Toya-kun really thinks it's for the best?
Toya-kun walks with his hat pulled low, looking down.
"Hey! Katagiri-kun!"
I spoke to Toya-kun.
"...What?"
"...From now on, can I call you by your first name?"
"I guess so."
That is the end of my story.
(3)
"That's so like Toya."
"Heh, that Katagiri-kun, huh~. Somehow unexpected."
"Right?"
I say this proudly.
"So, did you start dating after that?"
"No, I tried attacking him for a long time, but it didn't work. I mean, he didn't even notice."
"So that leads into the Valentine's story."
"Yeah..."
"What's the Valentine's story, tell us tell us!"
"Ah, that is..."
"A-are you still awake!"
Mayumi-chan arrived.
Everyone returns to their own futons in a flash.
Looking at the clock, it was past 22:30.
"Staying up late is bad for your skin. Pl-please sleep properly!"
Saying that, Mayumi-chan returned to her patrol.
"Hey, Airi."
"What is it, Kanna?"
"No... I just thought, that guy really is clumsy."
"He is."
"And he's dense too..."
"But that's the good part about him."
"I guess so."
"Let's sleep soon."
"..."
She's asleep...
Actually, I was envious of Kanna.
When he helped me while I was being bullied.
"Why did you help me?"
"There was someone similar a long time ago... in the end, I couldn't save them. I can't just leave it alone."
That was about Kanna, wasn't it?
Because she looked so frustrated, I was envious.
That he had someone that important.
That he must have cherished them very much.
I thought that if such a person appeared before me, I knew I'd be no match for her.
That's why I was scared when I found out it was Kanna.
I trembled when I heard that Kanna still loves him.
I prayed to God, please don't take Toya-kun away from me.
Whether it was thanks to that or not, he still loves me even now.
But, even though such an important person appeared, why me?
I thought that reason would remain a secret forever.