Chapter 5 The Fear of Crumbling

The Fear of Crumbling

Eh???

Did Taichi write this?

I don’t get it.

Eh? What does this mean?

Taichi got into National University?

I didn’t know that.

What do you mean, you’re breaking up with me???

That’s not funny.

No, no, no, you’re joking, right?

I quickly picked up my phone to contact Taichi, but my hands were shaking.

Still, with shaking hands, I opened Taichi’s contact and tapped the call icon.

I took a deep breath and held the phone to my ear, only to hear, [The number you have dialed is not in service].

Eh?

Why?

Wait a minute! I really don’t understand!

I call back, but all I hear is the same voice.

Taichi, what happened to your phone?

If his smartphone is broken, does that mean that this letter is the only way to know what Taichi is up to now?

I read the letter again from beginning to end.

My heart is pounding, and not only my hands, but even my legs are shaking now.

My betrayal?

Has Taichi found out that I cheated on him?

Left his hometown? Dumped me and went to a national university all by himself?

No, no, no, no, no!!!

This is not good.

If I don’t talk to Taichi soon, it will be too late to fix this.

Let’s go to Taichi’s house right away.

I put on the spring coat I had worn yesterday and rushed out of the house without putting on any makeup.

It was less than 10 minutes' walk to Taichi’s house.

I ran like crazy.

I had to see Taichi and talk to him quickly.

I had to convince him that it was a misunderstanding and get our relationship back to normal.

Even though it was still cold in March, I was drenched in sweat and out of breath when I arrived at Taichi’s house.

It had been a long time since I had sprinted at full speed, and since I hadn’t done any exercise other than physical education since high school, I felt dizzy after just a few minutes of running.

But I didn’t have time to worry about such things, so I pressed the intercom at Taichi’s house.

The few seconds it takes to get an answer feel like a long hell.

Somebody, please answer quickly!

Unable to suppress my irascible feelings, I heard a woman’s voice on the speaker say, [Yes.]

Is this his sister, Eriko-san? (エリコ)

If it is Eriko-san, she should be able to tell me about Taichi!

“Oh, um, I’m Chika. This is Koda Chika. I can’t get in touch with Taichi; is he there?”

[Ah, Chika-chan? Taichi left home to live on his own, so he’s not here.]

“I didn’t hear anything about that! Taichi didn’t tell me he was leaving home! Where is he?”

[Even if you say that, I’m in trouble.]

“Please tell me! Taichi, where is he now? I can’t even reach his cell phone! I think Taichi misunderstood something, so I need to talk to him! I need to meet him and clear up this misunderstanding! Please tell me where he is!”

[I won’t tell you. What are you talking about?]

“What do you mean? I asked you to tell me where Taichi is!”

[That’s what I mean. I won’t tell you. I’ve heard all about what you called a misunderstanding from Taichi. He said that he and you, Chika-chan, had already broken up and that the reason you two broke up was because you, Chika-chan, were cheating on him. I was the first one who found out after all. Everyone in my family has known for a long time. Don’t get involved with Taichi or me anymore, goodbye!] Beep!

Although I didn’t like it, I realized that Eriko-san, who had been so kind to me since middle school, was clearly hostile to me. Eriko-san is no longer on my side.

I couldn’t stand what Eriko-san was saying, so I left Taichi’s house as if to run away.

It was no good.

Did you know for a long time?

But Taichi, you never said anything?

Were you silent all that time without saying anything?

So you went to a national university without telling me, lied to me, and lived alone away from your hometown?

That’s right, in the letter he said, [Those days became hellish]….

Did you know I was cheating on you all along and you just pretended not to know and stayed with me?

Did you hold back without saying anything?

Ah… we hardly spend any time together after the third year….

He was busy preparing for the entrance exams, so I spent all my time with Satoshi during the summer vacation and hardly saw Taichi and the same was true during the winter vacation.

We were in different classes at school, so we only communicated a little when we saw each other.

Looking back, it was like that from the beginning of my relationship with Satoshi.

Maybe it wasn’t because of cheating, but because he was sulking because I wasn’t paying attention to him?

Is that really the reason?

Taichi’s letter said [the day I found out about your betrayal].

The only betrayal I can think of is cheating with Satoshi.

If it was going to end like this, I shouldn’t have cheated with Satoshi.

It was just a casual affair that I thought would be okay as long as I didn’t get caught.

Still, I had to apologize and get Taichi back.

No matter how much I was insulted, I never wanted to let go of Taichi.

So I contacted all my mutual friends and middle school classmates to ask about Taichi, but not a single person had heard that Taichi was moving or going to a national university.

Instead, most people replied, “If you don’t know, there’s no way I could know. What are you doing as his girlfriend?”