CH 48

What in the world is this?

That day, I arrived at the park earlier than usual.

So, at first, I thought, “It wouldn’t be strange if she wasn’t here yet.”

However, no matter how long I waited, Mizutani didn’t show up at all.

After about 20 minutes, I started to think that something was definitely strange.

…I was worried. To the extent that it was even more than the day after the summer festival.

I started imagining various things.

Like Mizutani’s actions being discovered by her mother.

Or Mizutani getting involved in something bad…

—What if I just went to Mizutani’s house?

Such a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

I already know the location of Mizutani’s house.

If I went to her house, maybe I could find some clues.

But what if there was nothing even if I went there?

Well, it would be fine if nothing happened.

But there was also a possibility that if I went and find nothing, I might be treated as a suspicious person. Just the appearance of someone peeping into someone else’s house late at night could easily label me as suspicious if not outright a suspicious person

In the first place, it was only been one day since she didn’t come to the park.

There was a possibility that she simply fell asleep, and it would be okay for me to go home today, right?

With that thought in mind, I tried to step in the opposite direction of Mizutani’s house.

However, my feet wouldn’t move. It was as if they were glued to the spot.

…Ah, I see.

Mizutani was not the kind of person who would oversleep when meeting someone late at night.

Unconsciously, I believed that. Thanks to the accumulation of experiences with her until now.

—Can’t be helped. I’ll just take a moment to confirm.

With that excuse in my mind, I turned around and headed toward Mizutani’s house.

After walking a bit, I could see a splendid two-story house.

I immediately knew that it was Mizutani’s house because there was a nameplate saying “Mizutani” next to the black gate.

…However, now that I’ve come here, to be honest, I don’t really know what to do.

I was just left with trivial thoughts like “It’s a splendid house.”

I didn’t even know where Mizutani’s room was.

Perhaps it’s on the second floor, I thought and made a guess, but unfortunately, the curtains of the second-floor room facing the street were closed. Well, it was actually more unusual to see someone leave their curtains open in the middle of the night.

Even the pattern on the curtains wasn’t particularly noteworthy.

If it were curtains with a distinctively girlish high school student-like taste, I would know it was Mizutani’s room… No, on second thought, it might be the opposite. Mizutani was more of the type who prefers simple but stylish things.

Now, what should I do? I didn’t feel like going back just like this, but it didn’t seem to make much  sense to linger here any longer… Hm?

I suddenly noticed something white at the back of the gate.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a folded piece of paper.

A stone was placed on top of it, probably to keep it from blowing away in the wind.

—Could it be a letter from Mizutani?

A rational part of my mind told me that was highly unlikely.

Yet, my feet won’t stop.

Before I know it, I slowly open the gate and step inside.

As I listened to the sound of the rusty hinges, almost detached from the situation, I took step by step closer to the letter.

I moved the stone aside and took the paper in my hand, opening it to check the contents.

At the beginning, I immediately saw the words “To Aizawa,” and a wave of tension ran through my whole body.

The letter was written horizontally.

The slightly roundish handwriting was something I’d seen before.

—To Aizawa. I am currently writing this letter in a room enveloped by tranquil sunlight.

At the beginning of the text, a momentary sense of unease crossed my mind.

However, the curiosity about what followed quickly dismissed the unease.

Before I knew it, I found myself tracing the words with my eyes, reading from top to bottom.

***

To Aizawa,

I am currently writing this letter in a room enveloped by tranquil sunlight.

Perhaps due to some shoulder stiffness, my shoulders are a little sore. Playing the piano for a long time surprisingly strains the shoulders. How about you, Aizawa? Are you doing fine in terms of your health?

Well, let’s put that aside for now. It must have been a surprise to receive a letter out of the blue.

It’s no good to meet in person. That’s why I chose this form for now.

It’s a difficult situation, but please forgive me.

There are many things I want to say, but I’ll try to keep it brief.

I would be glad if you could read this with a clear mind because I’m going to write something important from here on.

First and foremost, I have been deceiving you, Aizawa. I may have misled you, but I don’t have any feelings for you, Aizawa. However, the burden of guilt has become too much for my conscience to bear, so I decided to confess in the form of this letter.

…I truly feel sorry.

Also, from now on, I have an important period with piano and other things.

So, let’s refrain from meeting each other.

I know I’m saying something selfish.

I’m truly sorry, Aizawa.

But please forgive me. I didn’t have any other choice but to do it this way.

…Just one more thing.

Although I said I was deceiving you, the summer festival was quite enjoyable.

Aizawa, who has read this far, might not believe me, but this is the truth.

Thank you for everything until now.

From Mizutani Karin

***

…What in the world is this?

“What in the world is this?”

The thoughts in my mind were spoken out loud.

That was how unsettled I was at the moment.

What did it mean to say that she was deceiving me?

In other words, was she just teasing me to see my reaction?

It was too vague and confusing. Please be more specific.

And “misleading me,” what was that supposed to mean?

Was it some kind of self-centeredness?

I never… I never had any feelings for Mizutani or anything like that.

I couldn’t relate to any of this. It was frustrating to be apologized to without any reason.

But I see… Maybe I was getting in Mizutani’s way.

The letter mentions an “important period,” so she might be going through a crucial time in pursuing her future dreams. I vaguely remember her mentioning something about studying abroad…

No, it was no use. No matter what I thought now, it seemed to lead to negative thoughts.

Anyway, I should go to sleep. When I woke up, it was still possible that it was all just a dream.

I looked at the letter once again.

I briefly considered tearing it up on the spot, but in the end, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

I despised my own timidity.

With a heavy sigh escaping naturally, I crumpled the letter and tuck it into my pocket. I passed through the gate and left Mizutani’s house.

As a final gesture, I looked back and gazed up at the room on the second floor with its familiar curtain.

I couldn’t be sure if it was Mizutani’s room, but I convinced myself that it must be.

…Damn it, damn it, damn it.

Why did she have to mention how fun the summer festival was?

It only left me with more lingering feelings.