CH 221

I’ve just met Kirasaka Rei’s father, Kirasaka Reiya, once.

At first glance, he looks slender and thin, but from close up he exudes a sense of authority.

His eyes are sharper than Kirasaka’s, but each part of his face has a well-defined appearance.

His hair was also short and well-groomed, and his fringes were raised in an all-back style.

It is unclear exactly what kind of story he heard from his daughter that made him interested, but last time this person took time out of his busy schedule to come all the way to the hotel.

The visit must have been made at short notice, since the hotel staff appeared to be in a hurry.

Like his daughter, this man is quite free-spirited.

But the atmosphere and appearance tell you that the person in front of me is a much more important person than I had previously imagined.

The eyes that are turned on me do not give away any of their emotions.

He surely didn’t call you here to play house.

“I met you before this summer, and I’m glad to see that you’re still the same.”

“…I’m fit despite my appearance.”

Crossing his legs and clasping his hands together, director, Kirasaka Reiya, muttered.

Thinking that the person in front of me in my mind is Kirasaka’s father, the director of a company, and the sponsor of this school festival, it makes me think excessively.

So, scraping off the unnecessary thoughts. I don’t think the words were appropriate, but I returned them without making poor attempts to mend them.

Kirasaka is there with her usual grin, and president smiles bitterly.

I wonder if I look like a lad with an irreverent attitude to the people around me.

Unfortunately, I haven’t developed the communication skills to be able to switch aspects depending on the person I’m facing.

However, perhaps this attitude made the person in front of me like me, because I could see a faint smile on his lips.

“Take care of yourself. I don’t mean in a healthy way, but in a spiritual sense.”

He tapped his own chest with his fingertips and said.

As if he knew it all, as if he was enlightened.

I’m sure I’ve changed more than a little since we last met… and those feelings swirl inside me, but his words continue before I can get to them.

“Over the years, I’ve come into contact with all kinds of people, regardless of national borders, and I know that people who have changed naturally change their eyes, but your eyes haven’t changed at all.”

“Eyes, is it…?”

By chance, a mirror mounted on the wall was next to me, so I checked to see what was up with them.

They are black, pale and cloudy.

They are not as clear-eyed as Shizuku, Kirasaka or President.

The next time I have an opportunity to meet this person, I’m going to go and get colored lenses.

It already seems interesting.

There is even a possibility that I might say something like “This is the secret technique handed down in the Shinra family” with those contacts.

However, it is also true that the words he spoke felt something close to a weight that could not be denied.

The results that this person has produced so far tell more than anything else that he has an extraordinary eye for observation.

I, on the other hand, haven’t done anything that I can use in opposition.

Even so, there is a difference in the impression you can give the other person compared to being silent and not being able to say anything or talking back.

This time, I don’t want to create a situation where I’m spoiled like a child because I’ve been summoned to be a part of cultural festival meetings.

“It’s not that a change always leads to growth either, …it could also be a regression.”

A cryptic reply, and Kirasaka, sitting next to her father, let out a giggle.

It wasn’t a comment that I went for as a gag or something.

As he gave me a slightly chilly look, President, who was sitting next to me, lightly tapped me on the head.

A small, eerie sound echoed through the room.

“Uncle, I’m sorry …Shinra, be a little more careful with what you say.”

“Akane is as uptight as ever …and there’s no one here but me now, so it’s nothing to worry about.”

I reluctantly bowed my head without resistance as President lightly grabbed my head and lowered my head.

However, the other party didn’t seem to care a single bit, not even a bit.

I don’t need to ask that the sigh that escaped slightly from next to me was out of relief and dismay.

When I lifted my head and exchanged glances with the director again, there was no gentle smile on my face.

The quality of his gaze was radically different from before.

Everyone in the room, not just me, had a hunch that what he was going to say to me was the essence of this request.

“Exactly, that’s why I said, ‘I’m glad to see you’re still the same.” …I didn’t want to see you change drastically.”

Quite a personal opinion, expressed in front of everyone in the room.

Be assured that his boldness has been passed on to his daughter.

But this may be the first time someone has told me that they wish things would stay the same.

Invariably, people around you want change.

If you are a person who stands at the top of a company, you are probably even more sensitive to change and wish for it.

But Kirasaka’s father responded to my thoughts with some words of his own.

“Why do I care about you so much? It’s not just because my daughter likes you?”

“…”

“Of course, it was my daughter who led me to you. But you are different in some ways from those around you.”

The three of us listened quietly to the director as he continued.

I am interested to see what will be said next, since I am at least aware that I am not a special person.

“Being a student is the only phase in life where people mix in with people of the same age, where there is no hierarchy of titles and where, living in groups, human nature is easily imbued with the surroundings.”

The eyes that were turned towards me sank darkly, as if shadows had been cast over them.

It is not only students who are colored in groups, it is the same for working people.

In order to adapt to the environment in which they find themselves, people spend their time dyeing themselves in more or less the same colors.

Many of our judgements of right and wrong are diluted by the unconscious idea that the people around us are doing the same.

Hence, tremendous differences arise in the world.

If you live in a favorable environment, you take it for granted.

If you’re in a bad environment, it’s only natural.

They deny their own ideas that this is the norm and gradually become infected.

“Junior high school can be considered an extension of primary schools, unless there are family circumstances or of one’s own volition. When it comes to university, the age range is much wider …which is why I’m focusing on you, a high school student.”

The director’s expression was serious and his back was straightened as he said this, crossing his legs again.

He is not angry with me, but with a single word, I feel as if I am being made to rethink my actions and behavior.

“I understand my daughter’s talents better than anyone else, and the same goes for Akane beside you. I hear there are two other students Rei told me about who have similar talents and abilities.”

At her father’s comment, the daughter next to her frowned as if it were unnecessary.

Surprisingly, Kirasaka mentioned the topics of Shizuku and Yuuto.

To be honest, there are many aspects of Yuuto that Kirasaka herself is not sure if she approves of, but when it comes to Shizuku, Kirasaka probably has a certain appreciation for her.

It is a virtue of Kirasaka not to compare their disagreements with each other and their evaluations.

“…A childhood friend and a friend from junior high school.”

I returned my averted gaze and answered the president’s question.

Hearing my words and nodding, the conversation returned to the continuation.

“People are attracted to and admire talented people. When there are a few of them around, they inevitably have a profound influence on those around them and change them. …But you remain the same.”

When he finally catches his breath, the president leans his body back against the sofa.

He looks at me with a sighing breath.

Interestingly, they looked at me as if they were looking at something strange.

It is a fundamentally different gaze from the one that was directed at me when I was with Shizuku and the others.

I don’t know why, but I felt very uncomfortable.

It’s a feeling that goes deep inside me, that I’m being taken deeper into myself.

“Some people go on trying to get closer to the person they admire …while others choose to give up.”

These words were spilling out of my mouth.

In the course of my life, I have been reminded of this cruel reality many times.

And I have seen more than a few people who gave up because they thought it was impossible for them, even though they admired them.

The reality is that because there are so many talented people close by, you are forced to confront this reality whether you want to or not.

“So, which would you have chosen?”

The president asked after hearing my words.　

The answer did not immediately come to mind.

No. Did I even make a choice before that?

I wonder if I chose to give up because I wanted to be like Shizuku and Kirasaka and the others because I couldn’t be like them.

In the first place, I have never taken action to become like them.

The choice to give up itself may not exist for me.

“I heard that the reason Akane invited you to join the student council was because you can judge things from a third-party point of view. …That’s an odd thing to say, you are probably the most qualified person for the role at Sakuranaoka Academy.”

The director’s words became smaller and smaller.

I understood the words that followed, without being said.

I turned over, keeping your mouth shut and closed your eyes.

I am confronted with a reality that I have been turning my eyes away from until now.

Why have I lived my life perceiving a difference between me and the people around me?

Why can’t I understand the feelings that the people around me should know?

That was now about to be told in words.

“Minato-kun, in your eyes, in your heart, let alone Rei and the others, do you not even see yourself?”

A comment that could have been reiterated.

However, the mouth that would normally move so eloquently was unable to utter a word, only remained stifled in silence.