Bizarre Love Triangle - Chapter 3.5
[….Ah!]
I was pierced by an icy anxiety that went through my entire body.
I felt as if I was standing in a dark black hole.
A flashback of bitter memories passes through my vision.
I couldn’t say a thing out of my open mouth. My hands and feet were numb, and I couldn’t move a finger.
And Sudo was,
[….What’s wrong, Yano?]
She looked up at me strangely, who was stiffened with his mouth open. At that moment, the curtain of the fitting room opened up.
When Akiha came out from the inside, she was wearing a mature outfit of a rider’s jacket, a subdued red floral print dress, and black pumps, and she was looking here with extreme embarrassment present on her face.
[…Oh! This looks good]
Without giving any damn about me over here,
[It’s really good! It’s nice because Akiha has a mature face. After all, this kind of thing is also good on you.]
Hereupon, finally my stiffened body started to loosen.
I look at Akiha who came out of the fitting room timidly.
[Is that so?]
[Yes, I think it looks cool. It’s like a mature-girly sort of vibe.]
[Mature girly…..]
Repeating it like a child, Akiha turned towards me and ask,
[…How?]
Akiha looked a little uncharacteristically anxious at that question.
[…I think it looks good on you.]
I answered a bit unconsciously.
[Yes, I think it looks good on you.]
It’s not flattery or anything, that’s what I had thought seriously.
The black and red outfit she’s wearing seemed to bring out and accentuate Akiha’s “sexiness”, which had not been emphasized thus far.
At the very least, I liked the outfit – I thought it was quite natural and suited her well.
I hadn’t really paid much attention to it, but maybe Sudo has a sense of coordinating clothes well too.
[I see… Okay. Then I’ll buy it.]
Saying that, Akiha hurriedly returned to the fitting room and closed the curtain.
[….Did you see?]
Sudo looked at me and smiled proudly.
[Yano just cared about such things a lot and was worried too much. That’s why first of all, have some confidence.]
[Yeah, that might be so.]
Then I lost the timing again and returned the words to Sudo with the usual fake smile plastered on my face.
After we had done our shopping, Sudo and Shuji left for the restroom.
Akiha and I sat in the waiting area, side by side on the chairs
[….Finally, it’s a little calm now.]
As I said this, a deep breath naturally escaped my lungs.
[I don’t do this kind of shopping very often, but it’s quite physically demanding, isn’t it?]
The guilt I felt towards Sudo was still gnawing at me.
My self-loathing and regret for not taking the plunge continues to smolder in my heart.
However…
[You’re right. I’m sorry you have to carry them.]
[It’s fine, don’t mind it too much. It’s not like they’re too heavy.]
After a short shopping spree, I was beginning to feel better.
It will probably cause trouble to others if I remain depressed as I was, so I think it may be better to hurriedly switch and return to my usual self.
In the end, Akiha bought the jacket, dress and black pumps from the store earlier.
It was a set of clothes that she had been trying on earlier.
It was a bit heavy, and it would be pretty hard for a girl to carry around for a long period of time.
I glanced over at Akiha stealthily but as expected, her face looked pale unlike usual.
I wonder if she is ok or not?
I wonder if she is in a lot of pain!? After I become anxious, I make up my mind.
Wasn’t Sudo also saying that? That it will be better if I have more confidence.
I hadn’t shown my true appearance but… I think I should take this opportunity to shorten the distance with Akiha.
I think I should take this opportunity to get closer to Akiha, so as not to waste Sudo’s feelings.
I put my mouth on the pet bottle I was holding and before I knew it, the cola inside had become slightly carbonated.
I took a small breath so as not to be exposed.
Then, trying to keep my voice as normal as possible,
[…You know.]
I said.
[If something happened, you can just tell me… okay?]
[What do you mean by something happening?]
Akiha tilted her neck, with a tired look on her face.
[That’s… I hope it’s wrong but…]
With that as a preface, I confided in Akiha the feelings I had kept in my heart all the time.
[I sometimes worry about Akiha, thinking that she might have something that she can’t tell anyone. I wonder if she’s keeping her worries and problems to herself….]
The palms of my hands were sweating.
My heart started to beat a little bit harder than usual.
Akiha stared at me motionlessly without saying anything.
[Akiha doesn’t really show much of her feelings to others, do you? Haruka is too defenseless but you are the exact opposite of her. That itself isn’t something bad but… there are times I feel uneasy looking at you. It’s as if you are holding something back?]
Once.
Akiha has been under so much stress that she ended up creating a double personality and even now, the second personality is still alive inside of her.
She said that she had already solved the cause of her stress, but I couldn’t help but wonder.
I was worried about her secrecy, her unseen true feelings, and the dark circles under her eyes.
“And that’s only if I’m not mistaken and if Akiha doesn’t mind either.”
Tightly grasping the handle of paper bag from the clothing store,
[I hope you talk to me a bit more… I think.]
Akiha’s eyes widened slightly.
It may have been my imagination, but I felt it happen.
[I hope you can rely on me more…]
And after a brief pause,
[….Is that so.]
Akiha’s voice was a little faint as she said that.
[If there’s something I can’t say, why is Yano-kun trying to help me? Why are you asking me to rely on you?]
It’s because I like you.
The words came to my throat, but I swallowed them just in time.
I can’t express my feelings yet.
I don’t have the courage, confidence, time nor preparation to do so.
So,
[Isn’t it obvious? We are friends after all…]
I evaded the question with such a pathetic lie. (T/N : originally, it’s a saying, “such miserable lie will make the tea go bad” or something similar but I just simplified it for you guys)
[I wish that there was something I could do. For Akiha’s and Haruka’s sake.]
Once again, silence filled the air between us, with the noise of various tourists going around and the announcement in the hall to inform us about a lost child.
And then, as if to blend into the gap between them.
[…That’s right, isn’t it?]
Akiha smiled a little sadly saying that.
[Yano-kun says things like that, don’t you?]
I was a little caught up within her words.
That was a remark as if she knew beforehand what I was going to say to her.
As usual, I don’t really understand what Akiha’s thinking.
However, she turns her crestfallen eyes toward me.
[I hope one day… I can tell Yano-kun everything.]
[Thank you, I will be waiting for that time.]
[Umm, thank you too…]
I still don’t know her true feelings about anything.
I don’t know what she’s thinking nor do I know how she truly feels.
But I felt that our relationship had made some progress.
If we aren’t at odds, if we both aren’t misunderstanding things, then I should be able to convey my feelings to Akiha a little better now.
[…Ah, after around ten minutes, we are going to switch.]
Akiha said abruptly in a muttering voice looking at her wrist watch.
[Is it already time…?]
I feel like recently the time for the substitution is getting shorter and shorter. I haven’t measured it precisely, and I’m sure it’s only by a few minutes.
But for me, who is around her every day, the change is something that strangely bothers me.
[Take care of Haruka for me.]
[Oh, leave it to me.]
[We kept you waiting—–]
Just as I nod back to Akiha, Sudo and Shuji finally return back.
[Iyaaa-, the restroom was unimaginably crowded! I’m sorry to keep you waiting so long!]
I’m sure, these guys must have been late on purpose.
While exuding gratitude for that,
[…Really! We’re too late, we’ve been talking too much!]
We laughed at each other and got up from our seats.
[Oh, this is the place…]
It was before noon that she switched to Haruka and it was a little past twelve pm when we finished a light lunch.
Saying so, Haruka looked around the amusement park facility where she arrived.
[It’s the first time I’ve come here, to this place! I don’t go to game arcades very often…!]
The excited look on her face made me realise.
Unlike us and Akiha, Haruka’s outing has just begun…
It’s a sports complex with not only game machines and printed sticker machines, but there was also a mini bike track, basketball, tennis, futsal courts, and even a batting center present here.
Since most of the members like to move their bodies, this is where they decided to go today.
Sudo used to play lacrosse in junior high school, and Shuji used to play basketball.
I think it might be correct to say Akiha too is active in PE when she’s not in her Haruka personality.
T/N : last week delayed chapter + this week chapter. Next update will be Chapter 3.6 on 2/10.