Chapter 131

“So you’re pretty serious, eh, Shizu?” Mana said at last. “About what?” “You know what.” “I… Yes.” Mana smirked. “Okay, then I’ll forgive you, just this once.” And with that, the war came to an end. Shizuka Torigoe “Thank you for having me.” As I was leaving Takamori’s house, he proposed the same thing as before: “I’ll walk with you to the station.” “No, thanks. Here is fine.” “Okay,” he replied, giving up right away. In truth, I wanted him to insist, grab me by the hand, and lift me up onto the back of his bicycle. “…” I shook my head to clear those thoughts away. I didn’t want to become a nuisance. Besides, Takamori didn’t have the guts to pull off something like that. I left his house and walked to the station and through the ticket gates alone. Watching his film, I’d felt a kind of sympathy, like he’d drawn my portrait with his camera. I doubted he’d done it on purpose, but it made sense why he’d asked me to star in it instead of Hiina. If I’d agreed back then, we would’ve been all alone, just the two of us, both when working on the screenplay and during filming… I shook my head to dispel my thoughts once again. I might have ruined it with my bad acting, so it was for the best that Hiina took the role. What would she think of it? Would she sing its praises, just because it was made by the guy she liked? But Hiina had a stubborn side to her, too. So maybe she would be surprisingly frank. “I just gave him my honest opinion. I didn’t let my feelings sway my response at all,” I muttered to myself under the noise of the arriving train. What’s up with me today? I took an empty seat and cast a sidelong glance at the passing scenery. It was probably because of what he’d said. “There’s no need for me to put on an act with you. I can take it easy, say whatever I’m thinking.” Just remembering it made my face go red. I looked down at my toes so the other passengers wouldn’t see. The words with you had to mean that he didn’t feel that way about others. The way he’d said it, so naturally, had made me start to think he liked me and just didn’t realize it. A line like that could cause some real misunderstandings. It made me start to wonder… Was there something I had that Hiina and Himeji didn’t? What if it wasn’t a misunderstanding, and Takamori figured out how he really felt…? I could feel a smile coming on, and I hid my face behind my hands. What should I do? I’m so happy. If that was the case, I wanted to stop worrying about the little stuff and just be honest about my own feelings. …Of course, it probably wasn’t true. Ever since helping Takamori with his screenplay, I’d been thinking vaguely about doing something myself. Before, he’d been like me, with no real drive, and I’d been surprised to see him working so hard at something. Just then, I got a text from Takamori. Mana says she went too far, and she’s sorry. She wants you to forgive her for today. Tell her not to worry about it, I texted back. OK. Also, despite what she said, I thought the food was really good. Thanks! You already rejected me once. So why are you getting my hopes up again?