CH 50

7-9 minutes 30.05.2023

Translated by Dawn

Aren’t I going to be a bother? For the other person, I mean.

After finishing my shower.

I tidied up my room and invited Shuji into my room.

“What happened with you and Mizutani?”

“…Huh?”

Shuji’s sudden question made me almost spit out the barley tea I was drinking.

I glared at Shuji, who was sitting directly in front of me, with a resentful gaze.

“What’s with the sudden question?”

“Well, most of the time when you bring up a topic, it’s sudden, isn’t it? Or should I announce, ‘I will now ask about Mizutani!’? That would also feel abrupt.”

“In that case, maybe you should start with, ‘I will now announce that I will ask about Mizutani!’?”

“Ohh, right! Akito, you’re a genius! …Wait a moment. Now I will announce…that’s enough, let’s stop this.”

Shuji shook his head in exasperation and then assumed a serious expression.

“So, the fact that you were so shaken that you almost spilled the barley tea means something happened with Mizutani, right?”

“………”

I remained silent, intending it as a form of resistance, at least.

However, it was evident that Shuji saw through it, and he seized the opportunity to press further.

“What happened? Come on, tell me. I’ve been craving some love stories lately, seriously! Since summer vacation started, it’s been all about club activities, except for that festival the other day.”

“Then start with your own love talk. That’s called manners, isn’t it?”

Since I wasn’t in the mood to talk about myself, I deflected the conversation toward Shuji.

However… it seemed that I made a big mistake.

“That’s true. Well then, how about I tell you about my phone conversation with Natsuki the other day! Um, I think it was two days ago. I messaged Natsuki on LIME saying that I wanted to talk to her, and then we had a lovey-dovey call for over two hours—”

“Sorry, you don’t have to tell me after all.”

I never expected that listening to Shuji’s lovey-dovey talk would be more difficult than telling him about Mizutani. I mean, I was like “Uwaa!” within the first few seconds. What’s with the lovey-dovey call? Did he mistake it for a call with an AI or something?

Perhaps it was because I immediately interrupted him, but Shuji seemed dissatisfied.

“Huh? You told me to talk, so I did… Well, if you don’t want to hear it, I guess it can’t be helped. End of my turn.”

“…What the heck is ‘end of my turn’?”

“End of my turn is end of my turn. My turn is over, and now it’s your turn, Akito. So, go ahead and tell me. What happened with you and Mizutani?”

“…………”

Well, it was true that I interrupted Shuji’s story.

I did feel a bit sorry about it.

…And besides,

—Maybe I should just spill everything?

It was true that there was a part of me that whispered that in my mind.

After all, Ogura already knew about my relationship with Mizutani, right?

And I felt a sense of guilt for keeping secrets from Shuji.

Now that I’d been rejected by Mizutani, there was no reason for me not to reveal the truth…

“Okay, I get it. I’ll tell you about Mizutani… It might be a long story, though. Are you okay with that?”

“Oh, I’m all ears!”

When I mustered up the courage to speak, Shuji’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

…But it was not such a happy story, though.

***

I revealed everything to Shuji, starting from the fact that my relationship with Mizutani was a lie to the letter I received yesterday…wait no, today late at night.

At first, Shuji seemed intrigued and interested as he listened. However, as I reached the part where Mizutani’s mother was involved, his expression turned worried, and eventually, it became difficult for him to hide his concern.

After finishing the whole story, Shuji furrowed his brow and spoke.

“Hmm… Seriously? You went through a tough time, Akito.”

“Yeah, that’s right. That’s why I told you I wasn’t in the mood to hang out today. Sorry about that.”

“No, it’s totally fine… But wow, so you guys weren’t really dating. I had no idea, seriously.”

“Well, it was instantly obvious to your girlfriend though.”

As I recalled our exchange at the zoo, I said those words.

Shuji, who was sitting cross-legged, rested his chin on his hands placed on his knees.

“Well, Natsuki has that side to her… Come to think of it, in the beginning, it felt a bit awkward. But I figured it was just natural for a new relationship and didn’t pay much attention to it.”

“…’In the beginning’?”

I sensed something odd in Shuji’s choice of words.

When I asked him back, he casually responded as if it was nothing.

“Yeah, I think it was around the end of April… And also when we went to the zoo. I thought it was adorable, you know? But to think it was all an act… Give it back! Return my excitement!”

Shuji grabbed my shoulder and shook me vigorously.

No, I’m really sorry… Wait, that’s not it.

What I wanted to ask now wasn’t about that.

“Hey, Shuji. You said it felt awkward in the beginning… Was it not like that recently?”

As I asked again, “Recently?” Shuji furrowed his brow as if retracing his memories.

After a while, he spoke slowly.

“Well, recently… Yeah, there hasn’t been any awkwardness at all. You two have been getting along well, like normal friends. But hey, is that letter story for real? I just didn’t think Mizutani would do something like that.”

“…Are you suggesting that she was lying?”

“No, that’s not what I meant… Like, maybe someone else wrote the letter and you mistook it for one written by Mizutani… Well, that’s highly unlikely. This is not like some mystery novel.”

“……..”

While Shuji criticized his own thoughts and chuckled, I recalled the uneasiness I felt when I saw the letter.

I suddenly remembered how uncomfortable I felt when I saw the letter.

At that time, I couldn’t articulate it well, so I let the feeling pass… But could that be the breakthrough I needed?

As soon as I remembered, I couldn’t stay still any longer.

“H-hey. What’s wrong?”

Ignoring Shuji’s puzzled expression, I first collected the letter from the desk.

Then, I pulled out various files from the shelf next to the desk and examined their contents.

Not this one, not this either… Ah, this one.

In the fourth file, I found what I was looking for.

I took out a copy of Mizutani’s notebook, which she had given me when I was absent from school due to a cold, and compared the handwriting in the notebook with that in the letter.

“What are you up to, Akito?”

“…It the same.”

I murmured softly.

To make it visible to Shuji as well, I laid the notebook and the letter on the floor.

Shuji leaned in, comparing the two side by side.

“Oh… The handwriting is….”

“It’s definitely Mizutani’s handwriting.”

Taking over from Shuji’s hesitation, I said firmly.

Shuji twisted his head and muttered, “But still, it doesn’t necessarily mean Mizutani wrote it…”

“Could she have been forced to write it?”

“Yeah, exactly! Like Mizutani’s mother or something? Based on what you’ve told me, it seems highly possible!”

Shuji hit his knee in excitement.

On the other hand, I couldn’t be as optimistic about the situation. It was reassuring to hear Shuji, an outsider, say that, but… I hadn’t completely ruled out that possibility myself.

“Alright! If that’s the case, let’s go to Mizutani’s house right now!”

Shuji stood up abruptly from his crossed-legged position.

I looked up at him as if I were staring at something dazzling.

Perhaps he was expecting me to stand up as well.

Instead, I was met with a perplexed gaze coming down from above.

“….? Is something wrong, Akito?”

“…Aren’t I going to be a bother? For the other person, I mean.”

“…Huh?”

Shuji’s mouth hung open in response to my words.