“Good morning.”
A force pulled me in the opposite direction from my shoulder, and I reflexively turned around.
Remi was glaring up at me.
“I have some business with you, so come with me.”
“I’m—”
“Just come!”
Intimidated by her voice that showed no concern for others watching, I was pulled by the hand and lost my balance.
She immediately let go of my hand and left the classroom first.
Even though it was in a low voice, it was such a stern tone that I had no choice but to follow her.
“Already having a rendezvous with Nikaidou?”
As I left the classroom, I heard Miyashiro telling Minegishi, “Seriously, learn to read the room,” as the last thing I heard.
When we reached an unpopulated hallway, Remi turned around vigorously.
“What were you about to do? Using violence as a high school student—are you sane? And first thing in the morning, too.”
“…Shut up. Minegishi was wrong, no matter how you look at it. Don’t you think so too?”
Remi closed her mouth and opened it again.
“It’s true that I was disgusted by the boys’ conversation. But there’s no need to take actions that would be disadvantageous to yourself. Your recommendation prospects might disappear in the future, you know? Act like an adult.”
Blood rushed to my head, which had been calming down.
“…I’m disappointed. Remi, is that okay with you? Is that what you think an adult is?”
“…I’m saying this for Ryouta’s sake.”
Remi sadly made her eyebrows into a figure-eight shape.
I involuntarily swallowed my words.
I had expected to be scolded further, but that expression helped me regain some composure.
…Previously, when I was being badmouthed in the cafeteria, Remi had stood up and tried to fight them off.
Someone like that couldn’t possibly not find the badmouthing unpleasant.
She was saying this purely out of concern for me.
I shouldn’t doubt that, at least.
I bit my lip and hung my head.
“…Sorry, I didn’t mean to blame you, Remi.”
When I apologized, Remi was silent for a brief moment, then let out a small sigh.
“It’s fine. My way of saying it wasn’t good either.”
“No…”
“But I want to say this without changing my stance.”
I looked up at her calm voice.
Remi spoke with a resolute expression.
“No matter what actions Ryouta takes, you can’t save Yuzuha-san. If you can’t save her, then taking action will only result in losses.”
“…I see. Well, it’s not strange for you to think that way, given your position.”
The gap between Remi and me was decisive.
Remi, my childhood friend, cares about me deeply.
That’s why she gets angrier than I do when she hears badmouthing within earshot. But for Remi, Yuzuha Yui is not the same.
That’s exactly the divergence between Remi and me.
“Fighting like you were about to do will only result in losses. That’s definitely true.”
“You’re right, I’m grateful that you stopped the fight. I also agree that it wouldn’t solve anything.”
“…I see. So you still want to help her after all. What specifically are you planning to do?”
Remi asked as if she could see right through me.
After hesitating, I formed my words.
“…First, I’ll tell everyone it’s a misunderstanding.”
“That’s still out of the question.”
“Why?!”
When I pressed her, Remi furrowed her brow.
“That might be help that Yuzuha-san herself doesn’t want. It might be an action she inwardly dislikes. Have you considered that possibility?”
“I haven’t been able to meet with Yuzuha.”
“That’s right. Then, what does Hanazono-san think? She might have seen Ryouta’s behavior just before the fight. What did she think?”
“Huh?”
I hadn’t expected Hanazono’s name to come up here, so I let out a puzzled voice.
“Why are you bringing up Hanazono?”
“…I knew it. Ryouta, you lack awareness as a boyfriend. You are someone’s boyfriend now.”
“What’s this awareness about?”
I raised my voice.
“Is it wrong for someone’s boyfriend to help a friend? Is that what being someone’s boyfriend means?”
“Some people see it that way.”
Remi said flatly.
“Hanazono-san might not be an exception. That’s what I’m saying.”
And then.
“Which one don’t you want to lose?”
That cruel question echoed in my ears.
“…That’s an extreme question.”
“I think so too.”
Remi quietly agreed and continued.
“That’s why I said it’s still out of the question. Consider everything, decide your priorities, and then act. If you act purely on emotion, you might end up dropping what you want to prioritize most.”
“…You’re very mature, Remi.”
“…Yes. It was about a week after I transferred, wasn’t it? I said it then, didn’t I? That you should become an adult quickly. I believe that’s the ideal form.”
Remi deflected what could have been taken as my sarcastic comment.
She continues to be on my side.
“If you don’t think it through properly before acting, you’ll definitely regret it. That’s all I want to say.”
Remi closed her eyes and walked past me.
My childhood friend is trying to become an adult.
Is being able to make calm judgments in situations like this what Remi means by being an adult?
When I turned around, Remi’s figure had already disappeared.
At that moment, my smartphone in my pocket vibrated.
I widened my eyes at the sender of the message.
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I opened the door to the rooftop entrance.
I squinted at the intensity of the sunlight and looked for the girl who had called me.
“Over here, over here.”
A voice came down from above, and I looked up.
“Yaho!”
Yuzuha was looking down at me.
“Yuzuha. Why are you in such a place?”
On the rooftop, there was a ladder installed parallel to the wall.
Yuzuha seemed to have climbed it, so I reluctantly put my hands on the ladder.
With each step—one, two—I climbed closer to the sun.
When I poked my head up, there was a space where about five or six people could lie down, which was rather lonely for the highest point of the school.
And there was absolutely no place to hide from the sun here.
I sat down in the available space and immediately shielded the sunlight with my palm.
Yuzuha looked at me and raised the corners of her mouth.
“Why I’m here is simple. If someone happens to come to the rooftop, they won’t notice me here, right? I made this my secret base!”
“Well, that’s true. By the way, you did come to school.”
“You ignored that?!”
After Yuzuha exaggeratedly leaned back, she reluctantly nodded.
“Yeah, I just got here. I’m glad you’re feeling better, Yoshiki.”
“That was quite a while ago though.”
I smiled and continued.
“Did you come here first thing in the morning, Yuzuha?”
“Well, yeah. Is it okay for you to be here, Yoshiki?”
“You’re the one who called me here, right? Besides, I’m worried about you.”
When I said that, Yuzuha smiled wryly.
Even with my roundabout way of speaking, my true intention seemed to get through.
“Wow… you’re quick to hear things despite not having Instagram. The classroom was buzzing, so I guess you figured it out.”
“Did you go to the classroom once?”
After Yuzuha looked up at the sky, she returned her gaze to me.
“Well, just for a bit. The classroom felt stagnant, so I pretended to go to the bathroom and slipped out right away.”
After saying this with some fatigue, Yuzuha gave a weak laugh.
“Sorry for causing weird rumors about you.”
“You…”
It was a smile with somewhat less energy than usual.
Was she so cornered that she couldn’t even be aware of it?
Of course—she’s going through something like this.
“…I’m fine. I’m only worried about whether you’re okay, Yuzuha.”
“I’m fine, I’m fine. I thought this would happen someday.”
It’s bravado.
No one could predict being secretly photographed by some unknown person and having it spread on SNS.
Or did she have reasons to be prepared for this?
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