Chapter 26 What Was About to Be Said
#18ZenkouSeitoWhat Was About to Be Said
Lunchtime.
Sitting alone on the stairs in front of the bike parking lot, I eat my lunch, letting the wind gently brush against me.
The temperature is gradually rising, and summer is just around the corner—soon it’ll be warm enough to wear short sleeves during the day.
“Summer, huh…”
I don’t exactly dislike summer since it means summer vacation.
But I feel like summer is too much of a one-man team when it comes to students and the whole idea of “summer break.”
For those who are truly living it up, those “riajuu”, summer is probably the best time. But for someone like me, who will likely end up holed up at home again, waking up in the late afternoon, it’s not exactly the best.
Plus, it’s just so hot.
“Please don’t leave, spring…”
As I think back to the coolness of spring,
“Ah! Kyogoku-kun, found you!!!”
I hear a familiar voice from above.
Turning around, I see Irara standing there, smiling brightly.
“I figured you weren’t in class, but I thought you’d be here! I looked for you everywhere, wondering where you were!”
She says this while sitting down right next to me.
The sudden closeness makes me feel embarrassed.
I’m sure my face is bright red right now. …God, I’m so pathetic.
“S-sorry.”
“It’s okay! Actually, searching for you was kind of fun! It felt like a game of whack-a-mole!”
“Isn’t that a pretty bad metaphor?”
“…I just thought it’d be nice if the catcher could catch it.”
She’s making it sound like an extremely skilled catcher would be necessary.
“But seriously, what’s up? You said you were looking for me. What’s going on?”
“Huh?”
“…Eh?”
Irara freezes, looking at me.
“Did I really say I was looking for you?”
“Yep. You clearly did. You didn’t just say it once.”
“…!!!”
Irara’s face turns bright red.
“N-no, that’s not it! I made a mistake! It was a slip of the tongue! A mix-up! What a crazy coincidence! I wasn’t actually looking for you! I wasn’t! I swear!!!”
“O-okay… I see.”
For a moment, I feel embarrassed that I actually thought she was looking for me.
But honestly, the way she said it earlier really did seem like she was looking for me…
Nah, never mind.
This is just wishful thinking from someone who doesn’t get attention. I’m probably imagining things.
“Ehehe… I’m so bad with words! Ah, let’s eat some sweets! Nutrition is important!!”
Irara fans her face and pulls a chocolate bar out of her pocket.
She begins eating it rapidly.
She’s as chaotic as ever, but still adorable.
The fact that I’m here, with such a cute girl in an empty place during lunch, makes my heart race. I quickly look away from Irara.
The silence between us lingers.
We both continue eating, but it feels like we’re silently observing each other.
Irara is the first to break the silence.
“By the way! The sports festival is coming up, right?!”
“Ah, right. It’s that time already.”
“It’s going to be so much fun, right? Right?”
“…I’m not so sure.”
“Eh?”
“I mean, I’m terrible at sports. I’m just going to be a burden, so the sports festival is going to be a humiliating event for me. Plus… I’m not exactly popular, so it’d probably be better if I just skipped it. Ugh, I think I’ll just sit it out.”
“So negative!? No, no! You can’t skip out like that, Kyogoku-kun! You have to participate!!”
Irara looks at me seriously, her eyes locked onto mine.
Our gazes meet, and my face heats up.
““…!!!””
At the same moment, we both quickly look away.
What is this…? Why am I so aware of everything right now?
“I-it’s just… well…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Um, so… you… you mean me and…”
Irara hesitates, trying to get her words out.
“You and… me…”
I can’t help but swallow nervously.
What is she about to say? I feel like I’m expecting something, but I’m not sure what.
And then, Irara—
“No, never mind, it’s nothing~~~!!!”
“Irara!?”
Irara stands up quickly and hurries away.
In the blink of an eye, her back disappears, and I’m left sitting there, stunned.
“W-what just happened…?”
I try to think back, but I still can’t figure out what Irara was about to say.
After finishing my lunch,
I start walking toward the classroom.
Maybe it’s because the sports festival is coming up, but there’s a buzz in the air—a sense of excitement.
“Hey, hey! Have you decided who you're pairing up with yet?”
“Eh? No, not yet…”
“You better decide soon, or someone else will take them!”
“I know, but…”
Two boys are walking toward me from the front.
“But come on, when you think of the sports festival, it’s gotta be pair dancing, right? You should definitely participate!”
“Yeah, I know, but it’s kind of high pressure…”
“You should ask someone you like! There’s also that ‘jinx’ to think about.”
“Yeah, true… Alright, I’ll do it!”
“No way!? Then I have to do it too!”
The two of them put their arms around each other’s shoulders, grinning.
Pair dancing at the sports festival, huh.
Come to think of it, they did something like that last year, where pairs danced together.
“Whoa~ I’m so excited~! …Wait, Kyogoku!?”
The two boys notice me.
When our eyes meet, they immediately shrink back in fear.
“W-what’s going on?!”
“S-sorry!”
“Let’s go! This is bad!”
“O-okay!”
The boys bow quickly and hurry off.
“Seriously scary…”
“Pair dancing? Yeah, that’s beyond my reach now.”
“I’ll need to be more careful from now on, especially with people in front of me.”
“Yeah, no kidding…”
“…Sigh.”
Recently, I’ve been talking to Irara and Kiriha a lot, but I’ve forgotten that I’m still disliked by most of the school.
A guy like me has no place in something like pair dancing.
“It doesn’t matter to me anyway.”
With a slight feeling of defeat, I continue walking toward the classroom.
Akari’s PoV
I make my way to a quiet spot and stop.
Then, I crouch down and stare at the ground.
My face is so hot… I can’t look anywhere but the ground…
“I need to ask him properly… I’m such an idiot…”