Volume 8 - CH 8

‘Wanna see it? I can send it. Want me to send it?’

‘Please don’t.’

‘You better not.’

‘Gross.’

The voices of consideration and worry eventually turned into slander, as I finished telling everyone that I was doing fine. Well, my character has always been messed up. The girls are still absolute queens at insulting me. I could feel the painkillers wearing off. Ouch, ouch, ouch…

Following that, picture after picture of my classmates having fun at the party filled the chat. I’m glad they are enjoying themselves. I’m just relieved that my whole situation didn’t dampen their mood. But, I do feel a bit lonely…Can’t one of them at least send me a video? I just wanna bask in the atmosphere…

“…Man…”

Laying in my bed, the only thing I could hear was utter silence, unlike what was probably the case in those pictures. I rolled over and focused on my ears, but could only hear the distant sound of cars. To ensure I wouldn’t accidentally throw it over, I carefully placed my right hand on the bed next to me, holding the smartphone. Why did things have to turn out this way?

“…Hm?”

Even though I still had the chat open, my phone began vibrating. It seemed like someone tried to call me. I raised my heavy arm to direct my eyes at the screen, where it showed the name—

“Natsukabglegh?!”

Spotting a name I didn’t expect, the shock made my grip loosen, as my smartphone fell out of my hand. It slammed right onto my nose, making me see stars for a moment. Oh, I see…Today, all my bad fortune is catching up with me. It all connected…The mastermind…was you all along!

“N-Natsukawa…?!”

Which of course wasn’t the case. Even back when I had only barely stopped chasing after her, she still asked Yamazaki about my address because she was worried about me. It’s the kindness I would expect from Natsukawa. I rubbed my nose to suppress the pain and raised my upper body, accepting the call.

“H-Hello…ooo?!”

I was about to place my phone against my ear, when to my surprise—Natsukawa’s wonderful face showed on my screen. Not expecting a video call right off the bat, I couldn’t control my voice. I quickly fixed my position, using my right arm as a selfie stick. On the screen, Natsukawa gave me a worried look.

“…You doing okay?”

‘That’s my line!’

Breaking News: Natsukawa is angry. Clearly, I made a mistake there…But, I wouldn’t know what the right way was. Because even more than this, asking ‘What do you want?’ would have been even worse. I just don’t have the leisure to really pick and choose right now. So when I was looking for the right words, I just realized I started laughing.

“S-Sorry, did I worry you?”

‘You…You sure did! You didn’t come to the classroom, then some stranger of a senior came barging in to grab your stuff…and said you got taken to the hospital…’

“…”

I knew I must have had a conflicted expression on my face. In the end, Natsukawa is still Natsukawa. Always kind, looking after others, and a genuinely cute girl. She’s so perfect, I’m starting to doubt the reality I find myself in. Maybe I’m just logged into a VRMMO with no escape. And yet…I forced such an ideal person through so much sadness. I didn’t know what to say. But that’s also why I knew I couldn’t tell her the truth about what really happened.

‘…Are you okay?’

She must have gotten a good look at me through my camera because her gaze wandered from top to bottom. I’m starting to feel really itchy now. Despite not even facing her in person, I was forced to look away.

‘Hey, show me properly.’

“Ah, okay…”

Scared that she would get angry at me, I faced my phone again. Is this really the situation for her to stare at me? I’m getting seriously embarrassed now…What part of me is she even looking at? I want her to tell me. Because that’s where I will put all my focus for the next few months. Will she get angry at me if I pull a smug face…?

‘Eeek…?!’

“!”

Dangerous thoughts filled my chest when Natsukawa suddenly jumped, two arms embracing her from behind. The screen on her end shook, and although I couldn’t see the voice…I knew it was Ashida. It must be Ashida. It has to be her…Please let it be her…! If it isn’t a girl, then I might actually pass out. So, please…!

‘Found the criminal who’s keeping Sajocchi all to herself!’

‘K-Kei…! I wasn’t trying to…’

‘Yahoo, Sajocchi. You okay…? Wait, why are you looking so relieved?’

‘Ah, that hand…’

Seeing the familiar yuri couple flirting in front of me gave me nothing but relief. Of course, any other girl would have been fine, but I’m just glad that some bastard didn’t try to sexually harass her. However, this relief only lasted a moment, because they could see my left hand with its whole baggage. At the very least, it was just the back of my hand.

“Well, you know, it’s just like the picture I sent in group chat. I messed up when I was cleaning up yesterday.’

‘And then you got stabbed through the hand.’

“Yeah. One of the tools just went right…Slash! And that’s it.”

‘Ugh…’

The two of them must have imagined the scenery where I got hurt because their eyes squinted at my explanation. I’m sorry for making you worry…but that face is so adorable. I might be able to sneak in a kiss right now…No, stop. It’ll be just another part of my dark past I’ll mull over in ten years.

‘So…are you really okay? Any after-effects…?’

“That…can’t be ruled out just yet.”

‘I…see…’

‘I hope you get better soon!’

“Yeah, same.”

Seeing them genuinely worry made me feel a bit ticklish. But at the very least, this should have cleared up their worries so that they can enjoy the party. Right now, I want them to have fun for my share, too.

“Thanks for reaching out. You’re still at the karaoke box, right? Sorry to ruin your fun.”

‘Huh? Wait…’

“It’d be a waste to just have you talk with me. Ashida, make sure to send me a video of Natsukawa singing.”

‘Wazzat? We already filmed one earlier.’

‘Huh? W-Wait, you did?! I didn’t hear about that!’

“Keh…heh…heh…”

Ashida appeared from the screen, and judging from Natsukawa’s reaction, she must have gone back to the karaoke room. Natsukawa gave up on chasing after her and instead gave me a stare.

‘You sure seem to be doing fine, huh?’

“I’m sorry, okay…”

‘I swear…’

She must have remembered the fact that someone videoed her while singing because she began blushing and averted her gaze. I see…so she did sing…Man, I wanted to hear that in person…That might be the biggest regret I have right now.

‘…Can you come to school?’

“Easy, easy. I can make it…probably.”

‘You sure don’t sound confident…’

How many times have I seen that exasperated expression from her? I’m sure Airi-chan can rival that, if not more. But compared to when we just started talking, her expression softened up quite a lot. I guess doing a phone call like this managed to calm her down. That’s a saving grace.

“Tell everyone I’m doing fine. I’m sure it’ll sound more convincing coming from you and Ashida.”

‘Yeah…W-Wait…so I’m supposed to tell everyone I talked on the phone…with you…?’

“Counting on you. I wouldn’t want them to think that stuff’s serious.”

‘Y-Yeah…Okay…It would be…Ah, right, Ichinose-san…’

“Hm? What’s that about Ichinose-san?”

Suddenly, an unexpected name came from Natsukawa’s mouth, forcing me to return a dumbfounded question. As a former work senior of hers, and her mental Papa, I couldn’t help but be curious about what was going on with her. Is she also singing at the karaoke…Wow, I’d die to hear that.

‘Ichinose-san…she didn’t come to the party.’

“Huh? For real?”

I still remember Shirashi-san and Okamocchan being super aggressive when trying to invite her…But I doubt she likes noisy places like karaoke. It’s not hard to imagine that she wouldn’t be exactly motivated for this. I guess it was still too early for her…Wait, Ichinose-san…Hm…I feel like I’m forgetting something…

“…Ah.”

‘Hm?’

“I was supposed to go on a date with her on our day off tomorrow.”

‘H-Huh?! A date?!’

Natsukawa’s shocked voice made my ears ring. I guess she forgot all about that, too, so I went ahead and quickly resolved this brewing misunderstanding.

“I promised to go buy a bookshelf with her. And Ashida said she wanted to tag along, too.”

‘Ah…’

Bookshelf, shopping, date, hm…maybe this left hand will make it impossible. And going back to school equally meant that I would have to take some good rest tomorrow. I’d rather not make Ichinose-san feel bad watching me struggle with a bandage around my left hand. I can already tell…her trying to be considerate…

‘I see…That’s why Ichinose-san was looking for you earlier…’

“Huh?”

‘Hey…Wataru? Could you please contact Ichinose-san later? She’s been acting weird since she heard the news from Ootsuki-sensei…’

“R-Right…Got it.”

‘That’s a promise, okay?’

Ichinose-san, huh…Yeah, hearing that I had to go to the hospital must have been quite a shock to her. And considering that tomorrow’s date would be rather impossible to keep on schedule, I should probably apologize altogether.

‘A-Also…’

“Yeah?”

‘Wh-Why…would you call that a date? You’re just going with her to buy a bookshelf, right? You’re just heading out together.’

“Ugh…!”

Th-That logic…No, even couples of mixed-gender best friends go out on their days off, and that’s what you would call a date. It’s definitely not because I want to see Ichinose-san flustered at me using that term that I’m so adamant about using it or anything like that. Believe me.

‘Wh-What do you plan on doing with her?!’

“I didn’t even say anything! A boy and girl are hanging out, so it’s a date!”

‘You’re just meeting up on an off-day! You’re just buying something together!’

“But you might as well just call that a date!”

‘A date is something you do when you and the other person have…that kind of relationship! D-Don’t you have the wrong idea about this?’

“S-So unreasonable…!”

I cannot let that stand. I cannot let you speak your mind any further, Natsukawa-dono! You shall not slice apart my fantasies by your sword of reality! And you’re even saying that to the boy you rejected over and over…Why are you so much more emotional now than during my past confessions?! I saw no victory in this, and I knew that fighting with Natsukawa any more like this had me with no way of victory, I knew it.

“Wh-Whatever, really…Considering this injury I got on me right now, I don’t think I’ll be able to make it anywhere tomorrow, so the date or whatever you wanna call it is canceled anyway.”

‘H-Hey, there’s no need to be sulking like that!’

Why, thank you. I’m the pathetic loser who calls heading out with a girl he forced to kneel down in front of him a “date.” This is all because I deserve it. I’m Left-Hand Jinjinmaru. And just like the throbbing in my name, I feel much pain.

“Tell Ashida that the da…the going…the shopping trip is canceled.”

‘I-I didn’t go that far…!’

“Don’t know if I can just move the date, but we’ll have to see. I’ll talk with Ichinose-san later.”

‘W-Wait a second…So you’ll still head out shopping with her sometime?’

“I mean, I at least have to repay her for canceling our plans. If she doesn’t want my help anymore, then that’s it, though.”

‘I…I see.’

The reason Ichinose-san invited me was that she can’t talk with an employee all by herself…And now that I think about it, I guess it really doesn’t feel much like a date…I bet anybody would have been fine…Ugh…

‘So…When that time comes…it doesn’t have to be just you and Ichinose-san…’

“Anyway, that’s how it is. You guys enjoy the party, okay? I’ll see you at school.”

‘Huh? W-Wait, I’m not—’

Sniff, sniff.

Night dawned, and the next day arrived. After everything that happened, I woke up while realizing I would have rather slept a lot more, feeling awfully sluggish. The fever from the injury led me to wake up drenched in sweat, which made the fact that I hadn’t taken a bath for a day even worse. Using what energy I had left in me, I ate the rice porridge Mom made me, proceeding by gulping down the painkillers and fever medicine. Thanks to that, I felt sleepy once more and went to bed…bringing me to the present.

“I wonder…”

Laying in my bed, I mumbled to myself. Even though I just started high school, I already collapsed back during the rainy season and got injured to this level in Fall…so something is off. My body managed to recover from getting beaten up by Big Sis and her unreasonable actions, allowing me to pride myself in my sturdy body and high vitality. I was supposed to be a high-spec dude…

“…Hm?”

My smartphone vibrated. Since I just got up, I kept it next to my pillow. The time had moved past noon, seeing that I had around twenty unread messages. Since they had the party last night, I’m guessing this is just unrelated to me. I opened up my app and saw direct DMs from a few people.

‘I bet you wanna listen to this, so here you go. Take care.’

“Ooooh…”

Class rep Iihoshi-san sent me a video from yesterday’s karaoke. Playing it, I was met with Natsukawa tightly grasping the microphone with both her hands, singing with all her might. This is it. This is what I always wanted. This will allow me to fight Big Sis again…!

‘Here. You better be thankful.’

“Oh, here too…”

I got a similar video from Yamazaki. This time, it showed both Natsukawa and Ashida. All you need is a friend…! He did great work this time. I’ll treat him to something.

“…Huh?”

And now, it was Matsuda’s turn. We may be sitting close to each other in class, but we barely even talk, and yet he also sent me a video of Natsukawa singing. It was from a different angle compared to the previous, too. He went out of his way to record it for me and even add me as a friend…What a good person. After that came Yasuta, Iwata, Ogami, as well as some of the girls who all sent me videos of Natsukawa singing…Now hold on. Are you really doing this out of good faith? There’s not a single low-angle video to be found. And they’re all just sending me the video without another message, so I’m guessing they are trying to be kind…But why does it feel like they are putting fingerprints on my own phone?

“…!”

Feeling a rush of killing intent build up inside of me, I went through the other messages when I spotted a certain name—Ichinose Yuu. It’s Ichinose-san’s brother, Bear-senpai.

‘She’s calmed down now. Give her a call if you’ve got the time.’

“…”

It can tell he’s somewhat desperate. He’s probably in older brother mode, and it’s obvious he cares about his little sister. Yesterday after I got off my call with Natsukawa, I sent Ichinose-san a message, apologizing for making her worry. She did respond quickly after, but we barely talked on the phone. Her voice sounded defeated and weak, which made it hard to figure out what she was even saying.

“To think she’d cry because of that…”

I contacted her brother to ask about her. According to him, she was extremely shocked to hear about my injury, feeling anxiety and fear at this situation she was not used to. And what she told Natsukawa about having a shift was probably a lie. I remember saying she didn’t have any work.

“…Phew.”

My heart was beating a bit faster than usual, as I texted Ichinose-san, asking if she had time to talk. A minute later, a quick “Yes” came back, so I called her. I heard the familiar melody when the sound changed, telling me she accepted the call.

“Um…Been about a day, Ichinose-san.”

‘…H-Hello.’

“Are you feeling better now?”

‘Y-Yes…’

I tried to speak as gently as possible, acting the same way as when we just started working together. And in return, a nostalgic feeling filled me. In return, I could hear a mumbly voice you’d expect during a morning roll call.

“Sorry for making you worry, okay?”

‘N-No, I should apologize…I didn’t even say anything to you…’

“It’s my fault I got injured, so don’t worry about it.”

‘…’

“But, I guess that won’t work.”

The atmosphere was incredibly awkward. Like we went back to when we initially began working together. We were never that particularly close, but I figured the wall we had between us was slowly coming down. And trying to be considerate now won’t get us any closer…so I made up my mind and took a step forward.

“I’m happy you’re worried about me…But, was it really anything to cry over?”

‘…!’

I made sure not to make it sound like I was teasing her. And through that, I’ll see how Ichinose-san truly feels. I can’t be taking the wrong step here.

‘Is your…injury okay?’

“Yep, totally fine.”

The conversation suddenly changed, as I took a hit. I played tough and acted like everything was okay. And sure, I was inconvenienced in my daily life here and there, but I’m a man. I can’t show any weakness towards women.

‘But…this is what I couldn’t say…yesterday…’

“Huh?”

‘I’m sorry.’

A question mark appeared above my head. She shouldn’t have anything to apologize for. How she reacts and treats me regarding this injury is up to her. I’m not being friends with her just because I expect her kindness. Because that is not friendship, nor is it a bond I want to have.

“You really are kind, Ichinose-san.”

‘N-No…!’

“Huh?”

Her abrupt denial caught me by surprise. I know how kind she is when looking at how she treats her books. Of course, sometimes this changes into weakness, but it wouldn’t be Ichinose-san without that. It was an important factor in creating the current Ichinose-san. And I won’t accept anybody who says she’s not kind.

‘When I heard you had to go to the hospital…the first thing I felt was disappointment. Thinking that the promise we made to go shopping together would fall flat.’

“…”

‘And…I really hated myself for thinking that. Even though I wanted to contact you, I couldn’t find the right words…or timing…’

“Um, Ichinose-san?”

‘And even as I wanted to visit you, I didn’t know which hospital you were staying at…Nor did I know where you live…I don’t know the last thing about you…!’

“Ichinose-san.”

‘I’m sorry…I’m sorry for not doing anything…!’

“…”

Her screams made it clear what a mess Ichinose-san was. And I can see that. Feelings unstable, not knowing what to do or where to go, you can’t help feeling powerless. Even more so if your personal feelings create a clear rift with the other person. I’ve felt something similar before. I remember being unable to do anything other than hang my head in defeat.

However, Ichinose-san put those feelings into words, telling me directly. She’s genuinely amazing. Struggling to find the right words, yet swallowing them down in the end…What she’s doing is so hard, and yet she still pulls through.

“I’m happy about this, you know?”

‘…Wha…’

“Because that means you were looking forward to our date, right?”

‘Huh…?! Ah…!’

Normally, this would have been the moment to accept it wasn’t a date. And the words Natsukawa told me still reverberated inside of me, causing internal bleeding and immense damage. However, when Ichinose-san proclaimed that “I want to go on the date! Waaah!” (She didn’t say that) with a teary voice, my chest just felt so warm. I’m sure my left hand will heal by tomorrow like you’d see in a gag manga.

“Am I wrong?”

‘Eeek…No, um…well…not entirely…!’

“I’ll make up for it one day, okay?”

‘Ah…’

“So at least for today…Let me rest up a bit, okay?”

‘Y-Yeshhh…!’

In the end, I’m the one who had to cancel the date. Is it really okay for me to have such a kind girl as a friend? Wait a second…So Ichinose-san is a pretty nice girl as long as it’s outside of work?

“See you again at school tomorrow.”

‘Y-Yes. Goodbye…’

“Bye,” I said and then hung up the call.

I’m feeling much more refreshed now. I feel bad that nothing has been completely resolved, but it at least helped me forget the pain in my left hand. Because I took more medicine, after all. I feel like I’ll be able to have a great dream now, so maybe I should take another na…p…?

“…”

“…Hello there.”

“…Ah, um, hey?”

In the corner of my view stood someone I didn’t anticipate meeting. A girl that should not be here in my room. The phone I held in my hand dropped onto my navy-blue sweatshirt. And that impact allowed my throat to move. But I didn’t have time to form any words, as the invader of my room—Natsukawa—stepped forward with an expression devoid of emotion, placing a plastic bag on the small table next to my desk.

“Natsukawa, why are you…”

“…I came to visit you.”

“Ah, thanks…You didn’t have to.”

The goods that appeared from the plastic bag were typical stuff like pudding, pokari, a pack of vegetable juice, rice balls, and—Wait, rice balls?! Wrapped, no less?! Did she make those?!

“This is…”

Unable to grasp if this was reality or a dream, I looked between the home invader that slowly began to look like a goddess, and the goods she brought me. I wanted to confirm if she really made those when I felt a faint warmth run through my left hand.

“This is…”

“N-Natsukawa…?”

She didn’t raise my hand or anything, but just gently wrapped both her hands around my left one, looking down at it with a painful expression. Since the medical treatment I got was not something out of the ordinary, even a total bystander could tell that this was serious business. But her gaze made it feel like my skin was healing at a much faster rate.

“…Does it hurt?”

“Well…painkillers don’t completely remove it, yeah.”

“…You’re so clumsy.”

“Right? Can’t believe myself sometimes.”

I’m sorry for calling you an invader. You are a goddess. I will follow you for the rest of my life. That’s right, I’ll put up shrines for you in my room. And I will offer these rice balls each living day, so give me your divine power, I will create a constellation in the stars for you. Be happy, all of you bastards born in October.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Huh?”

“Take care.”

“Wait, Natsukawa?!”

She grabbed the empty bag and quickly left my room. Unable to stop her, I heard the sounds of her stomping down the stairs. With all this suddenly happening, I couldn’t keep up.

“…’I’m sorry’?”

Is it about her frantically denying the whole date thing? But despite that, her expression and tone of voice sure seemed…fickle and vain. I don’t think it would be enough to make her feel this way…What did she apologize for?

‘…I’m sorry. Right now…I’m not interested in love or anything like that.’

“…Yet again, huh?”

How many times have I been told those words? How many times did I force Natsukawa to show such a pained expression? Shaking, changing, moving hearts…Understanding one thing, another mystery deepens. Suffering this injury for someone else’s sake…it was completely useless to see through the fall sky.