CH 25

...I’m at a loss.

Yes, very much so.

I glanced at the beautiful girl who was doing the housework diligently. She tied her long hair in the back. That must be the so-called ponytail.

The beautiful nape of her neck almost made me dazed, but I endured it.

I didn’t have a part-time job today, so I went straight home. But then, Wakamiya followed me as if it was something normal. Well, I didn’t feel like running away anymore, so I didn’t care.

But the gaze of our surroundings was painful...

She told me the reason. That, “You can study a lot today.” Then she started cleaning the room, doing laundry, and preparing the meals with a practised hand.

I’m really grateful for her hard work.

Yet despite all of that, my head was focusing on resolving a ‘matter’. I couldn’t think of anything else.

My pen didn’t move even though I had to study.

Wakamiya probably found my condition strange since she came to look into my face.

“Tokiwagi-san, you’re absent-minded. Anything in your mind?”

“Ahh, I’m kind of tired. Maybe it’s because I’ve never studied before.”

I gave her an excuse that instantly came into my mind.

Well, it’s not entirely wrong. I’m tired, so it’s not a lie.

However, it’s also not my current concern...

“It’s a bit early, but let’s take a break. I’ll prepare tea and sweets now. Please wait for a moment.”

“Yeah, thanks…”

I stretched my back and took a deep breath.

Now then, what should I do… I’m glad that Kenichi gave me a lecture at school.

But...

I didn’t know the most important thing. When was Wakamiya’s birthday?

I asked Kenichi about it, but he grinned and said, “I don’t know. You have to do your best here.”

Judging from his attitude, I’m sure he knew it. He could just tell me, what’s the big deal...

There were three methods to know her birthday.

One. Honestly ask her, “Wakamiya, when is your birthday?”

Two. Check her identity card, such as her health insurance card.

Three. Look at student handbooks or student cards that all students have.

At first glance, these three methods looked easy to do. But… asking Wakamiya directly was the last thing I wanted to do after considering her character… She would find out that I was preparing her present in advance, then she would most likely humbly refuse birthday presents.

Then what I needed to do was…

Know her birthday without her finding out my plan. Give her the present before she can refuse.

I had to complete those two points. Moreover, I had to make sure Wakamiya wasn’t aware of anything. So the first method was out of the question.

“This is impossible… seriously.”

I hung my head at the desk and muttered so.

I should’ve asked Kenichi for an excellent method...

“Are there any difficult questions?”

I was surprised to hear a voice talking to me from behind,

Wakamiya was tilting her head, confused. Then she placed the tea and sweets on the desk.

I picked a cookie and threw it into my mouth.

“Hmm. Yeah, kind of. But I already resolved it, so it’s okay.”

“Is that so? Please don’t refrain from telling me anything if you don’t understand.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that.”

What should I do now…

I could only know Wakamiya’s birthday by the second and the third options.

First of all, for the former method, Wakamiya probably never carried out her important documents. I’m sure she only took them out from a safe place when needed. She definitely has considered the risk of dropping it when carrying it around.

In that case, I had to see her student handbook. But this was also difficult.

I think she should be carrying it around, but asking her to show it to me would be hard.

Besides, I didn’t think she would casually show me anything with her photograph.

The photos used for important documents were usually not quite good.

I also didn’t want other people to see my serious expression.

By the way, my photograph was gruesome. My eyes were half-opened at it.

But it was a sealed product for life.

“As I thought, you’re weird.”

“Wahhh!? Wow!?!?”

I was surprised at Wakamiya who suddenly sat in front of me. Amid my panic, I hit my knees on the desk with full power.

It hurts a lot...

“Are you okay? I’m sorry for surprising you…”

Wakamiya approached me again and peeked into my face with anxiety.

The pain of hitting my knees and the palpitations of my heart were mixing, making my body strangely hot.

“No, I’m sorry too. I was lost in my thought…”

“...You’re not acting normally. Please tell me if there’s anything in your mind.”

She put her hand on mine, taking my focus with her bright eyes. It’s like those eyes were saying, “I won’t let this go until you speak.”

Haa, I’m weak with these eyes…

I smiled bitterly and sighed.

“It’s not anything important, but… do you want to hear it?”

“Of course, Please tell me.”

“I don’t know how to say this… Well, I just realized that I don’t know anything.”

“Don’t know anything? About what?”

“Studies and interpersonal relationships. Especially the latter. There are a lot of things I don’t know about Kenichi, who talks a lot. Then when I think about it, I don’t know anything about my classmates.”

“I see, so you’re worried about that?”

“Well, it’s just me realizing something unimportant.”

I looked up and sighed.

Wakamiya gently smiled at me. “I don’t think it’s unimportant.”

“Really?”

“Tokiwagi-san, you realized that you knew something you didn’t know before, right? I think that’s big progress.”

“Progress?”

“Yes. If you don’t even notice your ignorance, then you won’t be thinking of fixing it. So having consciousness over your mistakes gives you room for improving yourself.”

“I see…”

“Being aware of our weakness makes us think, ‘I want to become like this,’ ‘I want to know more.’ And those thoughts will lead to your growth.”

“I see… Then being able to realize that is good?”

“I think so. Anyway, please take a look at this.”

Wakamiya took out her student handbook from her bag and put it in my hand. The unexpected development made me so shocked that I wondered, ‘Have she seen through my intentions?”

“A journey of a thousand miles must start with the first step. For now, please look at my student handbook if you want to. Ah, but just for a while, okay? I don’t want someone else to see my photo that much.”

“Okay… But why should I look at your student handbook?”

“Isn’t it necessary? I was thinking of starting training for you to match a person’s name with their face...”

“Ahh, I see. Yeah, I get it.”

I vigorously nodded. It might look a little exaggerated.

“Fufufu. Tokiwagi-san, you seem like you’re not good at remembering people’s names.”

“Well, I guess… so. I honestly don’t know more than half of my classmates.”

“Do you know my name?”

“I know Wakamiya’s name… It’s Rin, right?” I felt embarrassed to call her name, so I answered curtly.

“Correct. The kanji is as written in the student notebook. It’s easy to mistake ‘凜 (rin)’ with ‘凛 (rin), so please remember it.”

“Ah, that’s why you gave me your student handbook…”

I see.

So the training to match Wakamiya’s name and her face is… to remember her name. Specifically, the kanji.

“But I already know Wakamiya’s name. After all, you have taken care of me this much,” I said, looking at the student handbook I received from Wakamiya. First, I glanced at her photograph.

Even her ID photograph was well-done… Amazing.

Okay, her birthday was…

I was about to let out a strangled cry when I saw her date of birth, but I managed to swallow it down.

Are you serious? She didn’t fill her date of birth in her student handbook…

I thought Wakamiya would fill it since she always took things seriously…

“What happened?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

I turned over the student handbook to find some kind of hints. Then I found a date circled on the page with a calendar.

“What is this circle?”

“That’s Kotone-chan’s birthday.”

“Hmmm. I thought it’s Wakamiya’s.”

“That’s not true.”

“Hee. By the way, when is it?”

Somehow, I ended up directly asking her. I pretended to look as calm as possible. But inwardly, my heart was pounding so hard.

“Ummm, it’s on this day.”

Wakamiya tilted her head and pointed to a date. In response to that, I answered with a short, “I see.”

Then, to disguise my intention, I flipped the student handbook randomly and muttered, “Hee. You’re writing many things here.”

I looked at her photograph once again. I felt like Wakamiya in the photo was telling me, “You’re really bad at hiding things, aren’t you?” I couldn’t stop myself from smiling bitterly.

The real Wakamiya was, for some reason, looking down with her cheeks flushed. Her shoulders were shaking a little.

“Wakamiya-san, are you okay?”

“...please.”

Her voice was always clear and easy to listen to. However, I couldn’t pick up anything from her current mosquito-like voice at all...

“Huh? Err, I can’t hear you…”

“Don’t stare at it so much, please!”

Wakamiya picked up her student handbook from me and quickly put it in her bag. Then she puffed her cheeks, sullen. She also stared at me, full of complaints.

“Tokiwagi-san is mean.”

“...Sorry.”

After this, I had to show her my student handbook as a punishment, and she found out about my trademark ‘half-opened eyes in the ID photo’.

In this way, I managed to get the information I was looking for after many twists and turns. I even had to show my dark history to get it...

But this might be the so-called ‘lose something to get something’.

I feel like I gained some wisdom out of all of this.