Chapter 86: And So, All the Players Take the Stage
And So, All the Players Take the Stage
Aikawa stood before Akari and me.
“What are you doing here…?”
Aikawa had ambushed me on my way home more times than I could count, but this was the first time she’d come all the way to the school gate.
For a student from another school to show up in front of a different campus—that takes some serious nerve.
And yet, here she was, waiting for me all the same. It spoke volumes about how serious she was.
“I was waiting for Kyogoku. You’ve been kinda cold lately, you know? I figured if I did something like this, you might actually talk to me.”
Aikawa said this with a glance at Akari.
Akari looked at me, confused and unsure what to do.
A tense, unmistakably charged atmosphere lingered around the school gate.
Even the students heading home slowed and stopped, sensing something unusual in the air.
“Hey, that uniform…”
“Isn’t she from that neighboring school?”
“Isn’t she talking to Irara-san and Kyogoku?”
“Didn’t she say she was waiting for Kyogoku?”
“What’s going on here?”
“Something feels off, right?”
“Is this… some kind of love triangle drama?”
“No way, we’re talking about that Kyogoku.”
“But he’s been close with Irara-san lately…”
“And he’s close with Kiriha-san too, right?”
“That girl’s actually pretty cute, though.”
“What is this situation?”
The front of the gate buzzed with whispers.
Amid the growing crowd, someone let out a small “Ah!”
“That’s Nakano-kun’s girlfriend.”
“Now that you mention it, I think I’ve seen them walking together before.”
“So this really is a full-on love triangle!”
“You mean, current girlfriend versus ex?”
“Why was she waiting for Kyogoku, then?”
“This makes zero sense.”
Not that I understood it either.
Why Aikawa was so obsessed with me—I couldn’t begin to explain.
Hearing the murmurs around her, Aikawa smirked and took a step closer to us.
“Oof, looks like we’ve got an audience. Anyway, are you two heading somewhere now?”
“We’re going to a café near the station…”
Akari answered hesitantly, clearly unsettled.
“Oh, sounds nice! Mind if I come too?”
“Huh?”
“I’ve been wanting to talk to Irara-san too, you know? I mean, you’re super cute. I’ve honestly been kinda jealous~”
“…!”
Instinctively, I stepped in between Akari and Aikawa.
I fixed Aikawa with a sharp glare.
“What exactly are you trying to pull?”
“Whoa, Kyogoku, no need to be so on guard. It’s not like I’m gonna stab anyone, okay?”
Aikawa said it playfully, as if cracking a joke.
But there was nothing funny about it. Not one bit.
“…Did you forget what you did to Akari?”
“Of course I didn’t.”
“Then why…?”
“I’m sorry about back then, okay?”
“…What?”
Aikawa turned to Akari and apologized.
It was the last thing I expected.
“Stealing someone’s boyfriend—that’s the lowest of the low. I know. I really regret it. I just got carried away with my feelings, and… I’m seriously sorry.”
She put her hands together, wearing a look of remorse.
But what was she really up to?
I couldn’t see the whole picture, but I’d spent my life being disliked—watching people, reading the air better than most.
And I could say this with certainty: Aikawa was up to no good.
Whatever it was… it would end up hurting Akari.
I saw it in the way she spoke to her.
Aikawa wasn’t here for me.
She was targeting Akari.
“Actually, how about this—my treat, okay? Let me make it up to you guys. Come on, the three of us, together…”
“No.”
“Oh? You wanna go just the two of us? In that case, sorry Irara-san, but if it’s just Kyogoku and me…”
“—No.”
My voice was firm, the kind meant to shut a door, not leave one ajar.
Aikawa flinched and fell silent.
I took a deep breath, let it settle, then said—
“Today’s plans are for Akari and me. Just the two of us. So I’m sorry, Aikawa—but you’re not coming.”
“…!!!”
“Arata-kun…”
Aikawa faltered for a moment.
But almost immediately, she pasted on a brittle smile.
“T-Then how about another day?”
“No. Like I’ve told you—again and again—I have nothing to say to you, Aikawa.”
“Aw, come on, don’t be like that! We used to be classmates! Just a little chat, okay? Even on the way to the café, that’s fine, right? Irara-san too, maybe she—”
“—Aikawa.”
I’d have to spell it out clearly.
Otherwise, she’d never back down.
…And this wasn’t something I wanted to say to anyone.
But that day… I made up my mind.
Seeing Akari on that swing, tears streaming down her face, I swore to myself—
“Cheating… I liked Yuya so much… and he still…”
I never wanted to see her suffer like that again.
“I don’t know why you’re trying to talk to us now, or why you’ve been following me around lately. And honestly, I don’t care. I don’t need to know. But I can tell—whatever it is you’re planning, it’s not coming from a good place.”
I paused, then continued.
“I’ve lived my life surrounded by malice, hatred, and all the ugly parts of people. If there’s anyone who’s a veteran of that road, it’s me. Sadly, I’ve gotten real good at spotting it. And you—you know what that ugliness looks like too, don’t you?”
“…!!!”
Aikawa gasped.
I looked straight at her, no distance between us.
My words weren’t enough, so I poured my feelings into my gaze.
I let my voice carry my heart and let it fly.
“Just stop already. What you’re doing—it won’t make anyone happy. Not me. Not Akari. Not even you.”
“…!!!”
At those words, Aikawa hung her head.
And then, in a whisper, she said—
“…So full of yourself. Like you actually care about me…”
She lifted her face, as if about to say more—
“Manami… chaan…?”
A name, softly called, fragile and trembling.
The voice came from someone watching us, eyes wavering in distress.
“…Nakano-kun.”
—And so, all the players took the stage.