When Haruya found Rin and confronted her, she seemed so fragile, as if she might crumble at any moment.
Looking at her costume, it was idol-like with various decorations all over.
Judging from her teary eyes, it seems her mental state has taken quite a hit.
The moment he saw her, his suspicion about those two being the cause turned into certainty.
“Let’s talk. It’s okay, Kohinata-san. I’m on your side.”
“……!”
She holds her breath.
Her expression is somewhat stiff, perhaps being cautious.
However, the fact that she’s silently urging him to continue suggests she’s willing to listen.
Haruya looks at the stage visible from the window and says,
“Looks like the third-years are performing a dance now. It seems to be going on longer than scheduled because there are many encore requests.”
“…W-What about it? Didn’t you come to take me back, Akasaki-kun?”
“I told you I’m on your side, didn’t I? If you want to perform, I’ll take you back to the live. If you don’t want to, I’ll leave you be.”
“…I feel bad. But… I don’t think I can perform anymore…”
“Did those two say something to you?”
“……!”
There’s no reply.
But for just a moment, her shoulders tremble, and that was the sign.
“I see.”
“…………Yeah. They said my essence hasn’t changed.”
“I see.”
“Hey, how did you know I’d be here?”
“It was a gamble. I got lucky.”
It’s not entirely a lie.
In fact, if Haruya hadn’t remembered their conversation at the café, he wouldn’t have guessed right on the first try.
Moreover…….
“If you had really locked yourself in a bathroom or something, I wouldn’t have been able to find you…”
“…I see.”
Rin looks away, seeming somewhat guilty.
“I can’t perform in the live… You can probably guess why.”
“Yeah.”
“Is it okay for you to stay here knowing I won’t go back?”
…It’s about time.
The third-year dance is ending, and now it’s time for the first-year event.
Haruya made up his mind and spoke.
“Like I said before, I’m on your side, Kohinata-san. But, I… I really think you want to perform in the live.”
“T-That’s not true!”
She let out a tense voice.
A painful, agonizing voice.
For a moment, even Haruya was surprised, but he continued in a gentle tone.
“Then why did you hide in the library?”
“……!”
She gasped.
“You could have chosen a place where you’d never be found, so why hide in the library? And even then, exposing yourself by the window as if asking to be found.”
The answer is clear.
“That’s because I was curious about how the stage was doing… That’s all.”
Yes. Of course, she must have been worried about how the stage was doing after she left.
But somehow, Haruya felt that wasn’t the only reason.
“Didn’t you want someone to find you, Kohinata-san?”
“……..N-No, that’s not—”
As she showed signs of agitation, Haruya pressed on without pause.
“If you’re withdrawing because you were told your essence hasn’t changed, and you think you’re not the kind of person who should be on that stage… I want you to go back. But if you’re just too scared of those two to perform… I’ll definitely resolve that anxiety for you.”
“…When you encouraged me before, Akasaki-kun, I made up my mind. But, it didn’t work… I was hit with the reality that a person’s true nature doesn’t change so easily, and I completely broke.”
“It’s true that a person’s core doesn’t change easily. But I think the current Kohinata-san is someone to be proud of. And I’m not the only one—Himekawa-san and Takamori-san think so too. Even knowing your true nature, none of us would ever be disappointed. At least, I wasn’t.”
“…How can you say that for sure? I’m actually really weak. I’m only pretending to be strong out of vanity. If Sara-chin and Yuna-rin knew the real me, they’d leave me… They’d abandon me.”
Perhaps because her mental state was fragile, Rin spoke weakly.
But this, at least, Haruya could deny with conviction.
“I can say that for sure. Even if Himekawa-san or Takamori-san knew about your past bullying, they wouldn’t be disillusioned. They wouldn’t leave you.”
Even after knowing Rin for a considerable time at the café, Haruya hadn’t been disillusioned.
Even when he learned that she’d been trying to make herself look better, it never made him want to distance himself or cut ties.
Of course, he had been surprised, but beyond that, there were no particular feelings.
If even he felt that way, there was no way the girls, who were always close with her at school, would abandon Rin over something like that.
Plus, Haruya knew Sara and Yuna’s personalities well.
That’s exactly why he could firmly assert that neither he, Sara, nor Yuna would ever leave Rin.
“Kohinata-san should know that too. You know them well.”
Even Haruya knew.
For example, in Sara’s case… no matter how someone behaved to push her away, she was the kind of person who would interpret things positively. And Yuna, with her kind heart, would feel down if she thought she wasn’t being considerate enough of a friend.
“Himekawa-san became withdrawn due to family issues, but Kohinata-san, would she be disillusioned just because you forced herself to act cheerful?”
───Rin shook her head.
“Takamori-san hid her trauma from club activities, but even when you found out she was desperately trying to stay positive, did you feel disillusioned?”
───Rin shook her head again.
Though those were just examples of the other two, it would be the same for Kohinata-san.
There was no way they would be disillusioned or distance themselves from her.
So, Haruya continued.
“If you’re thinking of quitting because you don’t feel worthy of standing up there… because you think your core hasn’t changed and you’re still the bullied kid… then I want you to come back.”
“…W-why?”
“Because I don’t want to see a future where you’re crushed by malice, and those two can just laugh like nothing happened. If you’re worried about them, trust me, everything will be fine. As long as you stick to what you practiced, it won’t go the way they want.”
“…B-but, if I see those two, my legs will freeze up and I won’t be able to do anything. Even if Sara-chin and Yuna-rin don’t feel disappointed in me, I’m sure of it—I won’t be able to sing.”
Her voice trembled as she collapsed on the spot,
tears welling up in her eyes as she forced out the words.
“I’m sorry… All I’m doing is causing trouble for everyone.”
Watching Rin curl up, Haruya felt a sense of relief.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to perform because of fear—it was simply because she was worried about those two.
In that case, Haruya gently tapped Rin on the shoulder.
“…If you don’t want to see those two, just focus on the second-floor walkway visible from the stage during the live. Okay?”
“…Huh?”
He pulled Rin to her feet, guiding her trembling, tear-filled body upright.
Glancing out the window at the concert hall, Haruya saw some first-year committee members setting up instruments on the stage.
“One last check—do you want to perform, Kohinata-san?”
Rin stayed silent for a while, but eventually, she spoke up.
“I really do… But I’m still scared.”
“If you feel nervous on stage, just keep your eyes on the second-floor walkway. Your fear will vanish, I promise.”
“…R-really? But, I want to ask… Do you think everyone’s angry with me?”
“I don’t think they’re angry. If they were, I’d be in trouble too.”
“Why are you doing so much for me, Akasaki-kun? I’m the one who asked you to be on the committee in the first place…”
“Didn’t I say? I want to see Kohinata-san perform live.”
When Haruya said that, Rin widened her eyes and looked away for a brief moment.
Then, she let out a little laugh and said,
“Geez, Akasaki-kun, you’re way too much of a fan. The second-floor walkway, right? If my fear doesn’t go away, I’ll hold a grudge forever.”
“Yeah, leave it to me.”
“Okay… Got it.”
With a determined whisper, Rin clenched her fists tightly.
“You’ve only seen my practice at karaoke… but it’s amazing, so be prepared, Akasaki-kun.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
With her spirits lifted, Rin quickly headed to her position.
Haruya contacted the other committee members.
He let them know that they had managed to bring Rin back.
After that, Haruya made another call.
Since it was urgent, instead of messaging, he decided to make a direct phone call.
“Ah, hello───so, actually…”
After finishing the call, Haruya finally left the library.
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