There was, in fact, a suggestion from Asumi to go somewhere to have a meeting after school. Sousei couldn’t agree to that, though, which he felt really bad about.
I have work, after all…
As he was being jostled by the subway on the way home, his tiredness reached such an extreme that he almost fell asleep while standing up, holding the hanging strap.
As I am now…I’ve got to take a nap before work, even if it’s just for half an hour… Otherwise…
Sousei got off the train at Sharinchou Station and went up the stairs. His legs—or his whole body, rather—felt extremely heavy and slow.
…Was that just an excuse? No, I actually do have work. But they’re still having a meeting, even with what happened earlier… What could they be talking about…? I can’t believe how tough Asumin is, mentally…
Sousei had avoided attending, but Moena had pretty much been forced into it. The two of them were almost certainly having their meeting around now.
Thanks for your hard work, Moena…
Sousei had left the subway station and was waiting at the traffic lights when he suddenly felt faint.
I kind of just want to collapse right now…
Of course, he couldn’t let himself do that. He closed his eyes once, and then forced them back open. He exhaled and shook his head.
As he did that, he heard a ringing in his ears.
No…
That wasn’t right.
The ringing wasn’t coming from his ears, nor deeper inside, but from behind them. The back of his head was hot. Or was it cold?
There was something behind him.
“Ah…!”
Sousei very nearly jumped out into the road despite the light still being red. He held the back of his head and turned around. He probably should’ve been expecting it.
There she was, standing in front of him.
She had her scarf pulled up to just under her eyes, wanting to show as little of her face as possible. In that case, it’d probably be better if she wore a balaclava or sunglasses instead.
…Hitsujimoto looks so funny like that.
Should he try saying that to her?
No. There’s no way…
This wasn’t the right atmosphere to try and joke around to lighten the mood.
“Uh, that’s quite dangerous…you know? I came pretty close to maybe getting hit by a car.”
“Too bad you weren’t.”
“…Wha…”
Only a feeble little voice escaped him.
What…is that supposed to mean…?
Sousei felt like yelling.
You run away whenever anyone tries to talk to you! You run away immediately! So why are you here?! You say horrible things like “Get run over by a car”! I mean, you didn’t say those words exactly, but it’s basically the same! Did I do something that I deserve to be run over for?! Well, I guess I’ve committed crimes for work, but so have you! Yeah, that’s right… No, no, I guess I can’t say that…
He felt a bit better after letting out everything he’d been keeping deep down.
“…Uhhh…mmm… Is…something wrong? This is a bit sudden…isn’t it?”
“Were you—”
Kuchina’s voice was difficult to hear because of her scarf. Sousei wanted to get closer, but he decided not to since she’d probably kill him if he did.
“—the one who arranged for that?”
“Arranged what…? What do you mean ‘that’…?”
Not only was she difficult to hear, but Sousei was having trouble comprehending what she was talking about.
“Shiramori,” Kuchina lowered her eyes, then corrected herself. “Asumi Shiramori.”
“Ah…”
He understood.
It seriously annoyed him.
“Calling her ‘that’…”
“What was that?” Kuchina repeated, once again rudely referring to Asumi. She wouldn’t make eye contact with Sousei. “What was your goal? It creeped me out. Make it stop.”
Why was Kuchina looking down while she was being aggressive? Sousei was getting mixed messages.
“…Even if you ask me to make her stop, what am I supposed to do? I never asked Shiramori to do it, and I don’t have the right to force her to stop.”
“You’re no help.”
“You know…”
“What?”
“Saying I’m no help…” Sousei started, but the words stuck in his throat.
You have no right to say that to me, but…
He’d just had a thought.
Kuchina was blaming him for not being helpful. In other words, didn’t that mean she wanted his help? She didn’t want to get close to Asumi, and since that plan hadn’t gone well, she’d come to see Sousei.
Something’s troubling Hitsujimoto…so she’s coming to me for help.
He may have been giving her too much credit.
I’m just speculating, though. Considering her attitude, her choice of words, and everything else…
There were also things Sousei wanted to say to Kuchina, but he wasn’t particularly angry.
Hitsujimoto asked me for help.
It wasn’t a bad feeling.
Kuchina wanted to do something about Asumi so badly that she’d asked Sousei for help. She must have felt that stopping Asumi would be that difficult.
“…Plain and simple, Shiramori is interested in you, Miss Hitsujimoto. Honestly, that’s all it seems to be. She doesn’t have any ulterior motives. Or it’s more like there’s no way she could do something like that. Shiramori is a really good person…”
“So…” Kuchina took a breath, still looking down. “You’re saying we should just get along?”
“I-it’s not a big deal, is it? Just being friends with her. You don’t even necessarily have to be friends—just chat and make small talk and stuff. You are in the same class after all…”
“Are you telling me to take risks?”
“Just by talking? Is it really that dangerous? Don’t you think having one or two people to talk with seems more natural than not associating with anyone at all…?”
“I’ve been acting unnaturally for ages now, so that’s not really a problem.”
“But, Miss Hitsujimoto, you don’t need to do that, you know? Build a wall around yourse—”
All of a sudden, Kuchina stuck her right hand out toward Sousei, startling him. It was bare. She didn’t have her glove on, meaning she must have taken it off at some point.
Sousei jumped backward reflexively—into the road behind him. Brakes screeched. A white SUV that had suddenly hit the brakes and swerved came to a stop just before it mounted the sidewalk.
The driver opened the window and stuck his face out. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?! You got a death wish or something?!”
“Ah! S-sorry…! I’m really sorry…!” Sousei apologized profusely and ran back onto the sidewalk in front of the crossing.
Kuchina had already put her glove back on, and her expression seemed completely composed.
“I wasn’t the one who built that wall.”
“…Huh?”
“It was there from the start. That wall that no one can climb over.”
Kuchina was looking at Sousei, unlike earlier, but she wasn’t seeing him. Her eyes were focused, but they weren’t forming images. That was the kind of look she had.
It was because there was a wall between them. At least, that’s what Kuchina thought. She believed it wholeheartedly.
“But I’m…”
Even if there was a wall, it wasn’t something that couldn’t be overcome.
If it’s me…