Chapter 413: Resolved Conflict (3)

Ten minutes later, we’re still in the same room. Hina’s bottled-up feelings were continuing to flow out. And I… I became her ear who intently listened to her while I kept her close to me.

Throughout that ten minutes, Hina managed to tell me her story, her own side of the story. It’s not pretty. I know.

Unlike Akane who waited while doing something that would please me, Hina did everything she could to make Ogawa look at her even to the point of… telling him about Nami’s relationship with me.

Right. When she told me that she didn’t want to tell Ogawa about us because he might be depressed if she did, she was lying.

She already told him by that time… However, it didn’t produce any of her intended effects. Because Ogawa was already deluding himself that there’s nothing going on between Nami and me.

Perhaps even just that first act we did, the guy was already suspicious of us. But because Nami was still somewhat playing with him as his girlfriend, he wasn’t that gloomy yet.

Now that I think of it, that time when she let me kiss her on my third attempt to ask her was the beginning of her scheme. She made me believe that she began accepting my advances and that she also began wanting me and Ogawa to herself.

What she told me about being confessed to by another guy after that first act was also a lie. It was also included with her outburst after all. But her wondering why I liked her was true. I already answered that before but I guess she wasn’t convinced with it.

Unlike Nami who genuinely thought of dampening the effect of her relationship with Ogawa to her friends when she approached me for advice, Hina was willing to dare everything just for her goal of having Ogawa look at her.

In the end, everything she did for Ogawa was fruitless. Even her attempt to make Nami jealous of her when she began boldly coming after me yielded no result, except her feelings for me becoming muddled.

And now that it reached the point where her methods were exhausted, she became like this.

Perhaps if I didn’t stay behind to talk to her, she would be down for the whole day. And most likely, she went here with us for the sole purpose of… talking to me.

“Have you calmed down?” As I gently stroked her silky hair, I asked the girl on my lap who had just opened her eyes after briefly closing it.

After that outburst of her bottled-up feelings earlier, Hina weakly fell into my arms.

To calm her down and let her rest, I sat down next to her and let her use my lap as her pillow. No, I put her down to it myself.

We could move to another room where she could lay down comfortably but with how weak she was at that moment, the only way I could move her was to carry her in my arms.

Five minutes earlier, I already messaged the three to tell Eguchi-sensei that Hina fell sick and I went with her to the infirmary. As for the excuse why I was with her, I left that to Nami.

Her reply to my message was how she guessed that it’s not really because Hina was ill but I was currently comforting the girl.

Perhaps Nami already observed Hina earlier and noticed her state. And because she’s still feeling a bit guilty about the girl, she told me to leave the excuse to her, giving me or us the chance to talk properly.

“I am. Thank you for listening to me, Ruki. And for this… lap pillow. I like this.”

Hina turned her head to face up and look me in the eye before answering.

The earlier bitter and forced smile she put on was already gone and instead of that, the expression on her face was now peaceful.

Nonetheless, because of the tears that she failed to keep in her eyes, it felt like her expression was the peaceful picture after a storm passed.

Using my handkerchief to wipe away some of the stains that were about to dry up on her face, I smiled at her. “Great. It’s not much but at least, I made you comfortable with my lap pillow.”

Hina reached for my hand holding the handkerchief, letting the back of it touch her cheek.

“It’s truly comfortable. Can I… can I stay like this?”

“I see a spoiled girl here.”

“... I’ll get up then.”

I teased her for a bit but she seemed to have taken it seriously.

Before she could get up, I immediately delivered a follow-up.

“I didn’t say no, right? Stay. But we have to move to the infirmary. I told them you’re sick. I need to bring you there or we’ll be labeled as slackers.”

“Infirmary... Will you stay with me?”

“The question is… will I be able to leave you there? You know me.”

“Right... despite hearing what I did, you’re still like this…”

Hina’s smile which she immediately hid didn’t escape my notice. It was a natural and somewhat beautiful smile. I would like to see that more often.

“Let’s just say I became blinded by my love for you. Honestly though, what you did was truly somewhat bad. However, it’s nowhere near what I did before. Perhaps if it’s not me who’s with you here, they would really see you as a bad and selfish girl. For me though, it’s not that bad wherein you cannot crawl out of it. You confessed means you’re on your way to repenting. Will you tell Nami about it?”

What she considered bad was something I already did before after all. Perhaps except for forcing a girl to do it with me, I already did every bad thing a high schooler could think of.

Of course, killing someone was also out of the question. Despite being driven by my desire, I still have some kind of reason in my head. Otherwise, I would’ve long been sent to a juvenile or correctional facility.

“I… I will. I’m tired, Ruki. I reached my limit of going after Kazuo. Yesterday, I can’t forget his eyes. His eyes that’s telling me I’m not as important as I think I am.”

“But he will still change. Will you not wait for that?”

Upon hearing that, Hina’s eyes became lost for a moment before it shined with her resolve.

“I… I will be what he wanted me to be. His friend.”

“I see.”

I nodded and smiled in acknowledgement.

After this, despite her waiting for what I will say next, I kept my mouth shut.

I couldn’t find the urge to attack or rather to ask her what she thinks of me now. I find it appropriate.

Is this compassion? Perhaps.

I am feeling compassionate towards Hina after she confessed and decided to move on from her… childhood love.

Am I a hypocrite for not doing anything now? Yes, I am. I am always a hypocrite who can change my mind at my own whim.

I don’t know if this is a change in my character but at the moment, I only want to accompany and comfort her.

Too different from my previous modus where I will find this as the chance to thoroughly make her fall for me.

In any case, after five minutes of silence, Hina stood up and like we decided, I supported her by my shoulder as we went to the Administration Building where the infirmary was located.