I was brought to the back of the school building, a place I was always familiar with.
This area, which was always empty, was comfortable for me and Shiho, and we came here every time something happened.
Itâs been about a week, and as usual, nobody is here.
Especially now that it was early in the morning, we didnât have to worry about someone else arriving.
âAre you all right? Kotaro-kun, are you cold?â
However, since we were outside, the temperature was low, and I would be lying if I said it wasnât cold.
Thanks to this, there is almost no chance of people being here, but it is so freezing that I donât think I want to stay long.
Come to think of it, I forgot to bring my jacket today.
No, I had left it at Kurumizawa-sanâs home along with my school uniform. That made me even colder.
âMmmm, are you shivering a little? You look very coldâŚâ
Unlike me, Shiho was dressed properly.
She was thoroughly protected from the cold by wearing a coat over her school uniform, as well as a scarf and gloves. Since she was sick, it seemed like her mother, Satsuki-san, had made sure she was wearing something under her coat as well.
Perhaps because of this, Shiho was rather overdressed and her movements were somewhat awkward. Her comical movements would normally have made me laugh, but I wasnât in the mood for that now.
âHey, do you still want to go back inside the school?â
âNoâŚ, Iâm fine.â
I slowly shook my head.
I looked up and saw Shihoâs face peering at me with concern.
Our eyes met for a moment.
Her eyes were very clear. I couldnât look at them, so I immediately looked away.
No, I canât look directly at her.
Every time I looked into her eyes, every time she spoke to me, every time she worried about me, my heart ached.
The guilt makes me feel so guilty that I canât say anything.
âMmmmm⌠something is worrying you, so why donât you give me your hand? Iâll warm you up with my hands. You may not know this, Kotaro-kun, but I have a pretty high body temperature, you know?â
âŚNo, I know.
I know that your body is warm and fluffy.
We have touched each other many times. We have held hands; we have hugged each other.
I know that your body temperature is as high as a young babyâs. Iâve experienced it.
So, remembering that fresh feelingâŚ, unconsciously, I took a step back.
ââŚâŚâŚâŚEh?â
Shiho widened her eyes in surprise.
The hand that was held out to grab mine was shaking desolately.
âAs expectedâŚ, Kotaro-kun, you seem a little stranger than usual. Itâs as if youâre⌠avoiding me. Itâs like, uh, ⌠I donât think thatâs possible, and Iâm not doubting anything, but itâs like youâre ⌠shying away from me.â
ââŚâ
The words that struck me at the heart of the matter were suffocating.
Silence is synonymous with affirmation. Shiho looked a little sad to see me like that.
âWhatâs wrong? Hey, Kotaro-kun,⌠something must be wrong, right? You donât have to say anything, I know. Because Iâve been watching you for a long time. I think about you more than anyone else. How could I not know?â
She has been watching me for a long time.
So maybe she knows me better than I do.
â⌠The sound is strange.â
Also, Shiho has unusually keen senses.
Her sense of hearing is particularly well developed, and she has a unique sense of hearing that ordinary people do not have.
âThe tune I tuned ⌠that I just love so much is being distorted. The gentle, warm, tasteful, lovely sound is being defiled.â
As usual, I, an ordinary person, could not understand the phrases spoken based on a unique worldview.
But somehow, I understood that Shiho was angry.
âWho in the world has touched my precious treasure?ăSome rude person is trying to break my pretty little mistletoe⌠Oh, my poor little twig. Youâre suffering bitterly, arenât you? you donât have to strain yourself anymore. Kotaro-kun,⌠please let me hear all about it?â
âShihoâŚâ
Suddenly, I feel like crying.
I was about to burst into tears at her kind words.
Shiho helps me, after all.
Shiho is always there for me, closer to me than anyone else.
I was so happy and glad for that.
âKotaro-kun ⌠will you let me bear half of your suffering?â
With those words, I broke down.
ââŚ!â
The fog that had been dominating my thoughts cleared at once.
When I realized, I had exploded.
I couldnât stop.
I had told Shiho everything that had happened to me over the past week.