V2C20

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Chapter 2 – Triangular Relationship\nVolume 2\n<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\n\n\n

“Hey, Ookusu-kun ……?”\n

“Yeah?”\n

At my feet, a long shadow was seen. It was cast by a feeble streetlight.\n

Fujisaki said without turning her face toward me.\n

“Look, I’m sorry if I made you upset by saying this…”\n

“It’s okay. If it’s Fujisaki, I don’t mind no matter what you say.”\n

To tell the truth, I was flustered. This was the first time I had ever seen her look so uncomfortable.\n

Even so, Fujisaki continued with trepidation.\n\n

“You’re peculiar, aren’t you, Ookusu-kun?”\n

…. peculiar, huh? I was taken aback by her unexpected words.\n

“Well, I think I’m normal. Well, I guess you could say I’m a little serious.”\n

“That’s not what I meant…”\n\n

–Something’s definitely not right.\n

It’s awfully quiet. We could hear each other’s voices with a clear distinct outline.\n\n

“It’s like you have something else on your mind than the rest of us. I’m sorry, I can’t really put my finger on it.”\n

“…… I don’t really get it, but did it look that way to you?”\n

“Yeah, it did”\n

The words were spoken more slowly than usual, but they sounded strong in my ears.\n

“… Is that all the time?”\n

“Maybe not all the time. But you know. Since I started talking to Ookusu-kun, I might have felt that way little by little. I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing or anything. I just wanted to say it now.”\n

“I see. ……”\n\n

If that’s the case, it’s because of my past.\n

On the surface, I’m acting normal, as if the past never happened. But deep down inside me, that past has always been there, and it has never left me.\n

That’s why I’ve always been the best in my grade, and I’m afraid of going astray.\n

Although I try not to show such a figure, Fujisaki might have sensed it nonetheless.\n

“Whether you are laughing or angry, you seem to be somewhere far away. The emotions on your face and the emotions you have are two separate things. You are not laughing from the heart, you are not really angry, and you seem to be living while looking at something else.”\n

“……”\n

Fujisaki’s words were neither condemning nor comforting. It’s just a matter of stating the facts plainly.\n

That’s why it stuck with me. I didn’t know she thought of me that way.\n\n

“Are you mad?”\n

“No. If that’s what you think, it’s my responsibility. I’ll be careful in the future.”\n

“I don’t mind it. That’s part of who you are, Ookusu-kun. Just that…”\n

A gust of wind blew. Her knee-length skirt swayed. The wind blows upwards, fluttering the bangs in front of Fujisaki’s eyes and the scarf wrapped around her neck.\n

“It’s just that, there’s something that’s really bothering me. …… I’m not trying to pester you, Ookusu-kun.”\n

Fujisaki walked towards me, step by step.\n

She stopped when the distance between us was reduced to about one meter. In the darkness of the night, I could see her beady eyes. I let out a small gasp.\n\n

“Why do you care so much about Enami-san, Ookusu-kun?”\n

“Eh?”\n\n

I had no intention of doing that. I’ve always been passive. Enami-san is the one waiting for me in front of the main gate. In the middle of the night, Enami-san is the one sending me a text message. She is the one asking me for a favor……\n

It’s not always my choice. As if I was caught up in it, I came to know about Enami-san, got involved with Enami-san, and talked with Enami-san.\n

That’s all.\n\n

“I don’t particularly…”\n

But Fujisaki shook her head vigorously.\n

“Even though you seem to be looking into the distance usually, I feel that you are staring straight back at Enami-san. It looks like you’re letting your emotions shine through and you’re paying attention to what’s right in front of you. I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. ……\n

Fujisaki took another step closer.\n

“It was the same at that time. Even when you tried to study with Enami-san and Nishikawa-san at the family restaurant, you were really angry. I’ve never seen you so serious and angry before, but in front of Enami-san, you revealed such emotions.”\n

“You’re exaggerating…”\n

My voice was so quiet that no one could hear me.\n

“When Ookusu-kun was with Enami-san, you were so lively. Even when you were shopping with Nishikawa-san and Enami-san in front of the main gate, you showed a face you don’t usually show. “\n

“… Nothing like that.”\n\n

I can’t strongly deny it, maybe because I realize it somewhere in my heart.\n

“I was surprised. I knew that you and Enami-san often went home together, but I didn’t know when you became such good friends. The face of Ookusu-kun that you hadn’t shown to me was being brought out more and more.”\n\n

I was finally at a loss for words.\n

Enami-san is somewhat like me. I felt as if my deepest feelings were being dragged out of me by her.\n

I wonder if that’s why. Is that why my expression looks different? I wasn’t aware of it at all, but I wondered if I had somehow become that way.\n

I don’t understand myself.\n\n

“Ookusu-kun”\n

Fujisaki called out to me.\n

“Why did you invite me to your house today?”\n

“That’s…….”\n\n

I can give as many reasons as I want. For Sayaka. To thank her. But that’s not what she wanted me to say.\n

The air was painful. It wasn’t just because of the coldness.\n

It would be a lie if I said I didn’t have any ulterior motives at all. That’s what Sayaka had pointed out before.\n

But that didn’t mean that I wanted to go out with her or anything.\n

I had no choice but to remain silent. I moved my gaze to cover up my silence. The river is flowing with the sound of water.\n\n

This is a wedge.\n

It’s because I am obsessed with the past. I know that.\n

Indeed, I may not be out of the past yet. I thought I had escaped a little, but I’m still stuck in a deep hole.\n

I’m afraid to step out.\n

I think I’m worthless. I have nothing. And I’m empty and I’m taking in knowledge into my body as if I’m trying to moisten my dry throat.\n

I believe that such a worthless person should not fall in love with someone. The wedge that indirectly killed my mother is still stuck deep in my heart.\n

For me, this was a situation I wanted to escape from.\n

Don’t look at me. Don’t care about me. I don’t matter. I’m a total pile of junk. Just leave this guy alone.\n\n

That’s why I’ve been pretending not to notice.\n

I knew that Fujisaki might be in love with me.\n

And now, Fujisaki is stepping into my feelings one step at a time….\n\n

“I’m sorry. I just couldn’t stand it lately. …… It’s getting hard. ……”\n\n

Something hit me in the chest with a thud.\n

I was surprised. I never dreamed that Fujisaki would behave like that. Because until now, I had only treated her as a good friend.\n

Occasionally, I would get a flutter in my heart. But it was never more than that. Except for that time about …… a year ago.\n\n

“These are my feelings…”\n

“……”\n\n

For a while after that, we didn’t say a word to each other.\n

Only my heart was beating fast.\n

My emotions are all over the place. It’s not that I don’t feel happy. But I was also feeling scared and impatient to escape.\n

The coldness of the soles of my shoes. The light of the streetlamp spread dimly in my eyes.\n

Every time the wind blew, I felt as if my body heat was being sucked away.\n

And then there was Fujisaki’s temperature, which I could feel in my chest.\n

I couldn’t say a word.\n\n

“……u……”\n\n

I felt ashamed of myself and frustrated at the same time.\n

I think Fujisaki must have been very brave. Otherwise, the normally quiet Fujisaki would not have done this.\n

If you are a man, if you are a person before that, you face it head-on and deal with it. It is definitely a situation that demands that.\n

This is not the time to stand there like this and be silent.\n

I know that. But there’s nothing I can do.\n

I can feel Fujisaki’s small breath against my chest. I looked up at the sky.\n\n

At that moment, I remembered the time when I met Fujisaki.\n\n

<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\nTN: End of chapter 2. Next we have a past chapter ..\n\n

<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><figcaption>IMPATIENT MTL READER</figcaption></figure>\n<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\n\n

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