(I owe Kohinatata-san for helping me at the café… I want to repay that favor.)
He wasn’t sure if this would count as payback, but Haruya acted with that sentiment in mind.
…No, maybe it was something else.
Perhaps Haruya admired Rin because she was walking a path he couldn’t.
Haruya had abandoned his former self, who shone in middle school, and decided to live in the shadows during high school.
But Rin was the opposite. Precisely because her middle school days were dark, she worked hard to brighten her high school life.
That’s probably why he wanted to cheer her on.
As he reflected on his motives—
“Ah, there you are!”
“Akasaki-san, thanks for earlier.”
Yuna had arrived with Sara in tow on the second-floor walkway.
“So, why did you call us here?”
“Well… I just thought it’d be nice to watch together…”
He couldn’t say it was for Rin’s sake.
It would’ve been embarrassing, like he was boasting.
Plus, he wouldn’t be able to explain if they asked too many questions.
This was Rin’s issue to deal with, and it wouldn’t be right for Haruya to tell Yuna and Sara.
“…Wait, that’s really the reason?”
Yuna, surprised by his direct answer, took a step back.
Seeing this, Sara, standing half a step behind Yuna, puffed her cheeks in displeasure.
“…Akasaki-san, you exchanged contact info with Yuna?”
“W-Well… yeah.”
He hadn’t told Sara about that.
He had chances to mention it while having lunch together, but it seemed like a hassle, so he chose not to bring it up.
And now, being questioned about it, it really was a hassle.
“Oh, actually, I was the one who asked him for his contact info, Sara.”
“…What?”
“Yeah, a lot happened. But don’t worry, Sara. Akasaki-kun may not look it, but he’s not a bad guy.”
“Ah, no, that’s not really the concern—”
Thanks to Yuna’s misunderstanding, the conversation was quickly smoothed over.
Although Sara still had her lips pursed as if she wanted to say something, Haruya wanted to focus on the live performance.
From the walkway connecting the general building to the special building,
Rin’s voice, though distant, came through clearly via the microphone.
Her beautiful voice blended perfectly with the sound of the instruments.
Haruya already knew Rin was a great singer after going to karaoke with her once, but he hadn’t expected this level of quality, and his eyes widened in surprise.
Sara and Yuna, standing nearby, were also expressing their admiration.
“Wow, Rin’s really good!”
“I could listen to this forever!”
Even while they complimented Rin, Yuna and Sara kept chatting beside him.
“…Still, I’m glad Rin came back safely.”
“Yeah, I was getting worried since she wasn’t showing up.”
Just then, Yuna glanced over at Haruya, as if realizing something.
“Wait… Akasaki-kun, did you have something to do with it?”
“…Huh, really?”
They both squinted at him while still facing the live performance.
Why did she think that?
When he silently asked with his eyes, Yuna pointed her finger at him and said, “Well…”
“…One of the committee said it. They mentioned it was Akasaki-kun who helped Rin get back on her feet. They seemed really grateful for that, so I thought maybe this time, too.”
She must have been talking about the incident in the meeting room.
Thanks to Kawada Sayuki’s visit, Sara and Yuna had heard all about it.
“Ah, well, in that case, Akasaki-san might be involved this time too. I mean, why else would he suddenly call us and ask us to come to this specific walkway?”
Sara turned her face away, sulking.
(Because… you’ve never called me before, Akasaki-san.)
Yuna followed up.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
“…Well, yeah, I was surprised too. You’re not really the type to make phone calls, Akasaki-kun. I’m with Sara on this one. It’s unusual to ask us to come to the walkway for something urgent. It has to do with Rin, doesn’t it?”
Yuna tilted her head and asked him directly.
But Haruya didn’t answer. Instead, he pointed into the distance with an “Ah.”
Where he was pointing, Rin had started her dance performance.
“—Ah, he’s dodging the question. You’re surprisingly easy to read.”
“That’s so typical of Akasaki-san.”
Yuna and Sara exchanged lighthearted remarks as they turned their gaze back to the live stage.
“Oh, she’s dancing now.”
“Though… her movements seem a little stiff.”
From afar, they could see Rin tightly closing her eyes, as if deep in thought.
…This isn’t good. She must’ve caught sight of those two.
Even from this distance, he could tell something was off.
(Please notice us! Come on, please notice!)
Haruya waved his arms in wide motions.
Seeing him, Yuna and Sara also began waving their hands.
As if Haruya’s silent plea had reached her, Rin glanced up at the second-floor walkway.
A slight smile spread across her face, and her rhythm returned.
It seemed like she’d noticed them.
“I see… Akasaki-kun, you’re really kind.”
Yuna smiled softly beside him.
“…Rin-san is looking this way! Let’s wave, Yuna!”
Sara tugged at Yuna’s sleeve as she said this.
Haruya, who had been thinking about how to explain himself, was grateful for the distraction.
He mentally thanked Sara,
though she likely had no idea what was really going on.
“Alright, alright, I get it.”
Yuna, a little exasperated, joined in the cheering.
“Actually, we should wave even more! When we watched that practice match the other day, we really got into it!”
“Yeah, that’s true. I appreciate it, really, but… could you dial it down a bit, Sara? People are starting to stare.”
Laughing together, they continued to watch over Rin’s performance.
Perhaps reassured by the group on the walkway, Rin’s movements became more agile, and her voice seemed to improve.
[~~~~♪]
Rin gripped the microphone and sang her heart out, her voice reaching every corner of the venue. The cheers from the audience grew louder as well.
[Oooohhhhhh!]
The sounds of arms swaying and the ecstatic cheers filled the air.
Trying not to be outdone by the crowd’s energy, Rin’s voice and the instruments blended together perfectly, lifting the excitement of the festival to its peak.
Suddenly, Rin’s gaze shifted upward, and looks at the three.
Haruya gave a small wave in response.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the walkway where this exchange was happening, the live performance was in full swing.
(…Honestly. It’s so dark, I can’t see much from here. Akasaki-kun.)
This must have been the secret plan he hinted at.
He’d told me to look at the walkway when I was feeling nervous, and now I finally understood why.
Upon closer inspection, I could also make out Sara and Yuna waving too.
Akasaki-kun must have orchestrated all of this. He went out of his way to gather them here for me.
Haha, how cute…
He seemed embarrassed, only offering a shy wave in return, without much more reaction.
After going on and on about how everything would be fine if I just looked toward the walkway, I could barely make out anything from the stage with the dim lighting.
I couldn’t help but smile warmly at his slight miscalculation.
My heart fluttered, a comforting warmth spreading through my chest.
Maybe that’s why…
Before I knew it, the heavy feeling in my chest and the trembling in my legs had vanished.
With my focus now entirely on the performance, I found myself smiling brighter than I had even during practice.
The sneering faces of the two people at the foot of the stage had disappeared from my mind, no longer bothering me.
(…Yeah. Sara-chin, Yuna-rin… and even Akasaki-kun, they’re all watching me.)
I wanted to sing a song that would live up to their expectations.
I wanted to give back to my bandmates, who played their instruments in sync with my voice.
Memories of the countless days spent practicing for the live performance began to surface in my mind.
Especially Sayu-chi, who was always quick to offer her advice—it filled Rin with a sense of nostalgia.
──Like that one day, for instance.
Also check out my friend Localizermeerkat for more LN translations!
BUY THE SOURCE MATERIAL TO SUPPORT THE AUTHOR !!!
Kindly click on the green button above and contribute to filling the green bar if you’re interested in having another LN from the request page translated. Also, every donation is being used to purchase the source material and to fund more English translations.
Please consider joining my Ko-Fi membership. By becoming a member, you’ll also gain access to 2-10 additional chapters of all of the novels from this site translated into English. Last but not least your support will also assist me in upholding the translation quality and speed. For more information, please follow the link.
Donation for faster release is always welcome
Additionally, I am now accepting translation requests.
