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Resting chopsticks
…So, where was Shiho then?
I was in the middle of reminiscing, but I suddenly got curious, so I cut the story short and then asked her.
“Huh? What was I doing there? I didn’t do anything important, let’s see, …, I forgot. Pewww.”
Then she whistled softly. Well, there was no whistling sound, so she was practically just slurping a slightly offbeat sound with her mouth
“Shi-chan is the kind of girl who never looks back on the past. I’ve forgotten all about the entrance ceremony.”
“But you still want to know about my past, don’t you? Well, I guess you’re not interested in my recollections either, so let’s just get this over with, shall we?”
“Mwu… you tease me. I’m sorry, but I’m the type of person who looks back on the past with great fondness. I remember my memories of Kotaro-kun in particular, and I smile every once in a while when I recall them. Mom is a bit taken aback when she sees me like that.”
I guess she grew up too good to be a liar.
She honestly admitted what I had said and was open and honest about it.
“Umm? Hmm… aren’t you angry?”
“… Did you do something that would make me angry?”
It was still raining. But its intensity was weaker than before.
Maybe it will stop by now…, I thought about that in between the conversation.
That’s about all the small talk I intended.
The recollection is about to come to a close, and things are going to get a little more serious, so I thought I’d give the story a light break before that.
“Actually…, I was on the roof at that time.”
The truth, revealed to me after almost nine months, was more surprising than I had expected.
“So, then, did you see us coming?”
“I was watching, or rather, I just happened to hear… that you might be in the middle of a fight. I was listening to the conversation.”
I had no idea that she had witnessed that scene as well.
“And, of course, I didn’t mean to listen, you know? It just happened… yeah, I guess it really was a coincidence. So, yeah,… that time, I was sad anyway.”
“You were sad?”
“Yes. Kotaro-kun’s sound was so sad that … I almost cried on the rooftop. I didn’t think I’d run into a situation when I stalked someone I was interested in.”
“That’s right… Huh? No, wait a minute. Are you telling me that you were stalking me then too???”
You said you were there by chance.
If you were following me, I don’t think you can call it a coincidence.
…Come to think of it, maybe Shiho hasn’t told me when she first identified me.
Perhaps she had found me from the very beginning of the school year?
I’d be happy if that were the case, but … it seems that now is not the time to hear her recollections yet.
It seems that it will be told a little later.
“Wow, you don’t care about me. Hey, can you continue? Can you tell me everything about Kotaro-kun?”
Blatantly dodging, she urged me to continue with my recollection.
For me, it was something I was really curious about, but if … Shiho doesn’t want to talk about it yet, there’s no need to force her.
I think I’ll save that for later.
“Yeah. So, after Kirari fell in love with Ryuzaki…”
And so the conversation resumed.
The recollection was finally reaching its climax. Shiho also quietly closed her eyes and listened to my story.
…The rain was getting weaker and weaker as time went by.
By the time we finish our conversation, maybe it will be sunny…