A Story About a Girl Who Took Life for Granted and Fell in Love With a Kind and Introverted Boy - Chapter 5

“…Kenji.”

I sat on my bed, staring blankly at a photo.

So many pictures taken with Kenji…countless memories. How many did we take in just this one month? Every time I looked back at them, my heart would race, remembering how I felt in each moment…but now, without Kenji beside me, I felt deeply sad.

It was like a hole had opened up in my chest, as if something precious inside me had been completely ripped away…it made me feel like that.

Knock knock

I heard someone knock on my door. Then came Miyuki’s voice asking, “Sis, are you there?”

“……”

I didn’t respond. It wasn’t that I didn’t want her to come into my room. I just didn’t feel like answering.

“…Sis, I’m coming in.”

After saying that, she turned the doorknob and came inside. Miyuki looked angrier than I had ever seen her before. She frowned, pressed her lips together, and glared at me intently.

“…Sis, is it true? Did you deceive Kenji?”

“……”

“You don’t even like him, but you lied and confessed as a joke with your friends, and then dated him for this whole month…?”

“……”

I nodded slightly in response to Miyuki’s question. When she saw that, she walked right up to me and…

Slap!

She slapped me hard.

“You’re the worst! You’re horrible, Sis!!”

“……”

“I never thought you were like this! I thought you were careless, shameless, and arrogant, but I never thought you would toy with someone’s feelings!”

“……”

“Do you have any idea how much…how much Kenji must have been hurt?! Do you even realize how much…how much…!”

Miyuki’s whole body trembled with anger. Tears welled up in her eyes, ready to fall.

(Miyuki always cries when she’s angry.)

Even in that inappropriate moment, a cold thought crossed my mind.

“…There’s one thing I’ve been hiding from you, Sis.”

“……”

“The truth is, I’ve liked Kenji ever since we first met. From the very beginning.”

“……”

“But since you were dating Kenji, I kept those feelings locked inside. I believed that Kenji liked you, and you liked him too.”

“……”

“But if you never actually liked him…then from now on, I won’t hold back.”

Miyuki turned her back to me and started walking out of the room. Just before closing the door, she spoke to me without turning around.

“Never go near my Kenji again.”

Bang.

“……”

I was left alone in the quiet room once again.

“…I knew, Miyuki.”

The words slipped from my mouth.

“I knew you liked Kenji.”

I looked at the photos on my phone again.

Miyuki is serious, strong-willed, and has a strong sense of justice. Compared to me, who’s careless and a mess, she’s far more capable and can handle things efficiently…even small details.

Anyone could see that Miyuki is a much better match for Kenji than I am.

When I think about Kenji’s “family situation,” someone reliable like Miyuki would be far better suited for him. And Miyuki, with someone as kind as Kenji, would definitely be happy.

“……”

…But…but.

Still, I…

I never wanted to admit that.

Sure, Miyuki might be the best fit for Kenji, but…I wanted to be by his side too. I couldn’t help it because I loved him.

“It’s fine, Tashiro-san. Don’t worry about it. Even though it was only a month, I had a wonderful dream. So, thank you.”

But I probably can’t stay with Kenji anymore.

He must be so disappointed in me…he must hate me now.

It would be better for Miyuki to stay by Kenji’s side, rather than me.

Miyuki…Miyuki…

“……”

I thought I had cried all my tears, but they came spilling out again.

I was frustrated with my foolish self, and overwhelmed by a deep jealousy toward Miyuki.

I hated how shallow I was, and my chest tightened painfully.

Miyuki and Kenji…

The first time the two met was during my third date with Kenji.

“…The zoo?”

I repeated the words back to Mayu over the phone, and she laughed, “Yup, yup! Isn’t it great?”

“My mom won a raffle and got half-price tickets, but I hate how smelly animals are, so I thought I’d give them to you.”

“The zoo, huh…”

“Come on, you can use them for your date with that quiet guy.”

“Well, I guess so. I’ll take them, then.”

“Okay! I’ll bring them over next time.”

“Got it.”

“You’re starting to like ‘Saito-kun’ more and more, aren’t you?”

“Shut up! It’s not like that! It’s just convenient for me to go on a date and kill two birds with one stone.”

“Sure, sure, whatever you say.”

“Ugh, you’re so annoying…”

Mayu wasn’t bothered by my irritated tone and burst out laughing so loud that it nearly blew out the phone speaker.

“Oh! By the way, there’s one small catch with those tickets.”

“A catch?”

“Yeah, you need at least three people to use them. Isn’t that stingy?”

“Seriously? That’s so dumb.”

“Yup. So, you’ll have to bring someone else along besides Saito-kun.”

“Ugh, don’t push your hassle onto me.”

“It’s not my fault! But come on, you can find one more person, right?”

“Hmm, me, Saito, and one more person…”

The person who came to my mind at that moment was Miyuki.

If I brought her along, she’d naturally get along with Saito, and I didn’t think Saito would mind my sister tagging along. Sure, I could invite one of my friends, but no one would get excited about going to a zoo. I loved animals, but most of my friends were like Mayu—“too smelly.”

And I didn’t want Saito to bring one of his friends either. I wasn’t interested in making friends with his gloomy circle, especially since I planned on breaking up with him in a month. It’d be pointless to meet more of his people.

So, Miyuki was the easiest option.

“……”

But at that moment, I had a bad feeling.

It wasn’t exactly a fear, but something unsettling. I couldn’t explain it.

I thought there was nothing to worry about, but still…something made me feel uneasy.

(Introducing Miyuki to Kenji…)

Come to think of it, I once thought about pairing Miyuki and Kenji up to avoid a punishment.

They really did seem like they’d get along. Saito was overly polite, always playing the martyr, and Miyuki was the super-serious type, like a class president.

Wait…why didn’t I introduce them back then? I think I had a reason…

“……”

I tried to remember, but I couldn’t pull the memory back.

(Well, whatever. Miyuki will do.)

I ignored my gut feeling.

I didn’t know why, but I figured it’d work out somehow.