It feels like my head is spinning, but not really……
I’m thinking about Kaede, but I’m wasting time thinking of the same thing over and over again.
I was spacing out, listening to the sound of the clock, when the intercom suddenly rang and startled me.
I’m so miserable.
Did Kaede come back?
It wasn’t very likely, but I still held some expectations.
In that case, I should go see him but I felt so miserable that I couldn’t move.
When I opened the door with anticipation and anxiety, a high school girl with a paper bag in her hand stood there.
”
”
It wasn’t Kaede.
“Hina?”
Hina, who seemed tired with her eyes red, looked at me and smiled.
It looks like she’s trying her best to smile.
Seeing her like this, I felt hurt.
“You hungry?”
She held up the paper bag and showed it to me.
There may be some food inside, it smells good.
Before I knew it, it seemed like it was time for lunch and I noticed that I was hungry.
“……I’m hungry.”
“Let’s eat together.”
“What about school?”
“Skipped it.”
I’m hungry, but my head is full of Kaede. I can’t afford to deal with Hina now.
While I thought about refusing, Hina had already entered the house and made her way to the living room.
I had no choice but to give up; I closed the door and went in.
When I went to the living room, there was a paper bag on the table in front of the sofa.
Hina went to the kitchen and seemed to be preparing drinks for two.
I left it to Hina, who was familiar with this house, and I peered into the paper bag while I took a seat on the sofa.
The moment I opened the bag, I immediately knew what the source of the good smell was.
It was my favourite toasted sandwich.
“What’s with this? You bought it?”
“It’s homemade.”
“You made it?”
“……Un.”
Was she conscious of it when Kaede made it before, and went all the way to take on the challenge to make it as well?
It looked beautiful and well made.
“Hey, Aki. You came to school in the morning, right? What happened that made you go home right away?”
“Eh? Well, I think I didn’t feel well.”
“You ‘think’? You’re kidding.”
I tried to lie, but got caught again.
Even Hina laughed at me.
Hina, who brought her own milk tea and my cafe au lait, got up from the table and sat down next to me.
I took out the toasted sandwich from the paper bag and handed one to her.
Stimulated by the scent, I vigorously gobbled mine down to fill my hungry stomach.
“It’s delicious.”
It was delicious even without any flattery.
The gooeyness of the cheese was good, rich in taste, and it was baked perfectly—which was to my liking.
“?”
Along with the deliciousness, there was a strange feeling to it.
Hina wasn’t bad at cooking, but she wasn’t particularly good at it either.
It was the first time for Hina to make a toasted sandwich, but it seems like she grasped the way I like it a little too much.
“……Delicious.”
When I turned to Hina, she was staring at the toasted sandwich with a melancholy expression.
“Did you really make this?”
Looking at the situation, it was weird that Hina made it.
“……You got me?”
She’s laughing, but she looks lonely.
I immediately realized who made it.
“It’s Kaede.”
“So you knew?”
Somehow, I knew right after I ate it.
Only big brother or Kaede could reproduce this taste.
“Why do you have something Kaede made?”
“I met him in front of the house.”
It seems that when Hina came over, Kaede was standing in front of the house with the paper bag.
When he saw Hina, he was about to leave. However, after hesitating for a moment, he said that I would be hungry so he told her to feed me.
He told her to say it was Hina who made it, and left.
“Why……”
“Because I’m the one who can make Aki happy, he said.”
The moment I heard that, my legs were moving.
I don’t even know what I want to do.
But I want to meet Kaede.
“Aki! Where are you going!?”
“I’m going to find Kaede.”
“Wait!”
Hina clung to my back as I was about to leave the living room.
“I-I…Since a long time ago…A long, long time ago…I’ve always liked Aki!”
“Hina……”
Hearing the words of Hina, I thought of the scene this morning.
Hina has always worked hard to show her feelings to me.
And now, she clearly said it out in words.
She must have mustered a lot of courage—so much that I can’t even imagine—to convey it to me.
But……it’s painful that I can’t respond to that feeling.
However, I have to say it properly.
“Sorry.”
I can’t see her face because she’s clinging to my back, but I said it anyway.
“I like Hina and you’re important to me but not in a romantic sense.”
“No……I don’t want to hear it.”
The body temperature I feel on my back is getting hot.
She might be crying.
Her voice was trembling too.
“Hina.”
When I turned around to talk with her face to face, I saw Hina’s face filled with tears.
“I’m sorry. I can’t respond to your feelings.”
When I told her so, tears began to overflow from her eyes.
Perhaps she couldn’t stand it; she started bawling like a child.
I want to comfort her, but I can’t be so half-hearted and kind to her.
Hina jumped into my chest as she cried, but I couldn’t reach my arms out and hug her. I couldn’t do anything about it.
I felt apologetic, but I grabbed her arm and separated our bodies. “Sorry,” I apologize again for not being able to respond to her feelings.
Large tear drops overflowed from the eyes that were staring at me, but maybe she understood that I had no intention of responding, she sat down as if collapsing on the spot.
“It’s fine already. Just go.”
Hina muttered in an emotionless voice.
Is she angry?
Since I hurt her so much, it would be natural to be hated.
I can’t stand to leave Hina in this state, but now I want to meet Kaede.
”
”
While making an apology for the nth time, I turned my back on Hina.
“……I can’t beat you.”
Hina muttered something behind me.
However, I won’t look back.
Leaving Hina behind, I left the house to look for Kaede.