Chapter 28

That night, I called Miki.

Sitting cross-legged on the cushion in my room, I held the phone to my ear and listened to the dial tone.

Although I’d already sent a message beforehand to arrange this call, I felt a little nervous—something quite not like me.

“Hello?”

After a few seconds, the call connected.

I hesitated with my opening line. It wasn’t exactly appropriate to start with “Thanks for your hard work today.”

“Ah, sorry to bother you. Thanks for picking up.”

“No, it’s fine. Hehe.”

I might actually spend more time talking with her on the phone than face-to-face.
But without this kind of opportunity, it’s hard to get any one-on-one time with the school princess.

“So, are you home right now? Is Yuki with you or nearby?”

“Nope, I’m in my room, all by myself.”

Good. This was the ideal situation.

“So, what’s up? You said you had something to talk about.”

“Right, uh… It’s about Yuki…”

“Nope.”

“Huh?”

“I’m not talking about Yuki.”

She shut me down immediately. If that was her stance, then there was no point in continuing the call.

“Alright, then I’ve got nothing left to say. I’ll hang up now.”

“Wait, hold on. What is it?”

She stopped me just as I was about to hang up. If she wanted me to wait, she shouldn’t have shut me down in the first place.

“You know she’s totally isolated at school—no one to talk to, no real group, just alone all the time.”

“I know.”

Her response was immediate. Well, I figured as much. There was no way Yuki could hide it entirely.

“And to cope—or maybe distract herself—I don’t know, but she started hanging out with sketchy guys, holding weird little gatherings and stuff.”

“What’s with that? It actually sounds kinda fun.”

So she didn’t know about that after all. But Miki’s tone was so detached, as if it had nothing to do with her.

“And then during lunch, she eats alone in random places…”

“Huh? So?”

“I mean, you could at least eat lunch with her or something.”

“Me?”

Even through the phone, I could sense her rejection.

Yeah, this isn’t going to work, I thought, staring up at the ceiling. 

Miki continued.

“Look, it’s not that simple. Lunch is a whole balancing act for me, too. Everyone clings to their groups like their life depends on it. Why is something as simple as eating lunch so exhausting? If Yuki thinks she’s the only one dealing with tough stuff, she’s sorely mistaken.”

I already had an inkling that Miki wasn’t the type to mince words, but this was on a different level.

“You’re really blunt, huh?”

“When Hoshi-kun accused me of just ‘putting on a nice face,’ I was seriously pissed, honestly. But at the same time, that was the first time I ever said something so honest. I feel like I could have more real conversations with you.”

So she plays tit for tat, huh? I got the impression that she approached me with an almost combative attitude.

Since the lunch suggestion clearly wasn’t going to fly, I decided to shift the topic in another direction.

“Well then, how about at home? You could just listen to her vent. I think even that would make a big difference.”

“I’ve got plenty I want to vent about too, you know. And besides, you say ‘sisters,’ but neither of us really thinks about each other in terms of older sister or little sister.”

She countered instantly. There was no way I could win an argument with her—I’d get demolished in any debate.

I’d been a bit too hasty. Time to change the subject and ask something I’d been curious about.

“By the way… why don’t you two get along?”

For the first time in this conversation, Miki, who had been rattling off replies effortlessly, fell silent.

“She doesn’t hate me. Or rather… that girl just dislikes me.”

Yuki had said something similar before. Each of them believes the other hates them, and that’s their reason.

I’d assumed there must have been some decisive event that led to their falling out, but apparently, that wasn’t the case.

“And that isolation you’re talking about? It’s just something she chooses for herself. If she acted the way I do, things wouldn’t end up like that, right? Our circumstances and appearances are practically identical.”

Yuki had said she didn’t want to stoop to the level of currying favor with others like Miki did. Though to be fair, Yuki’s approach was a bit extreme.

Maybe that’s precisely the kind of behavior she dislikes. It seems important to understand why their perspectives diverge so much, but I’m not a counselor. I have no intention of digging that deep. Chances are, even they don’t fully understand it themselves.

“You don’t like each other because the other thinks she doesn’t like her. It’s kind of funny when you think about it.”

“What? Did Yuki say something like that too?”

“Yeah.”

“Liar.”

“I’m not lying.”

At that, Miki went quiet. The silence lingered. I decided to hold my tongue and wait.

“…So, Hoshi-kun feels sorry for Yuki being all alone, and you want me to patch things up with her? Huh, you’re so kind to Yuki.”

Her tone was triumphant, as if she had seen through my intentions completely. It carried an edge of sarcasm.

Kindness wasn’t exactly the word—more like a small act of atonement.

If I hadn’t walked into that restroom by chance, things might have worked out differently.

“Well, yeah, you could say that.”

“This kind of meddling isn’t great, you know. Unless you’re prepared to see it through to the end.”

“Yeah, I’m not.”

“That’s blunt of you.”

“I just realized I’m not up for it, and I figured that’s better than abandoning it halfway. Besides, I think someone closer to her, like you, is better suited for the role.”

A guy like me is the last thing she needs.

If I were her friend, I’d probably say something like that. Too bad Yuki doesn’t have any friends to offer her a more objective perspective.

“How about we take it slow? I’ll be the intermediary at first. We can have lunch together tomorrow and try talking it out. What do you think?”

“So this is a request from Hoshi-kun?”

“Yeah, just something I came up with. You could call it a request or a favor.”

Miki fell silent again. This time, she didn’t seem troubled, but rather like she was turning something over in her mind.

“Just to be sure—you’re not dating Yuki, right?”

“I’ve told you, I’m not.”

“And no physical relationship either?”

“Nope.”

“Then it’s just one-sided on Yuki’s part?”

“Well… maybe. Though I think she’s given up on me by now.”

She was unusually persistent.

Was she suspicious that there might still be something unresolved between me and Yuki? She was surprisingly sharp.

After a pause, Miki spoke.

“Alright, fine. I’ll have lunch with Yuki tomorrow. That’s what you want, right?”

“Wait, really?”

“Really. Why?”

“Well, it just felt too easy now.”

Despite all her initial resistance, she ended up accepting.

Maybe, deep down, Miki also wanted a chance to reconcile. Her initial pushback might’ve just been because it felt awkward to so easily accept my suggestion.

…Or maybe I was being too optimistic in my assumptions.

“In exchange, will you listen to my request?”

“A request? What is it?”

“Answer me first—will you do it?”

Her phrasing was suspicious.

But there was no backing out now. If I was going to ask someone for help, it was only fair I offer something in return.

“Alright, as long as it’s something I can manage.”

“Great. That settles it.”

Her voice was unusually cheerful, which made it a bit creepy.

Anyway, tomorrow it is.