Chapter 41

Since it started raining, we left the courtyard earlier than planned.

I parted ways with Yuki in the first-floor hallway and headed back to the classroom, climbing the stairs. Even though it was still lunch break, the stairwell was quiet. The soft sound of rain hitting the building could be heard in the background.

“Hah? What the hell’s your problem?”

“What’s your problem, huh?”

Then suddenly, loud shouting echoed from above.

Looking up, I saw a group of people gathered on the landing. In the center, Gorilla and Pig-Gorilla were glaring at each other.

“Cut it out. You really think Miki is gonna go around the cultural festival with someone like you?”

“Ohh, ‘Mikiii~’, huh? What’s that, you trying to act all close with her?”

“I’m definitely closer to her than some random extra like you.”

Even the underlings on both sides started bickering. It was like they were about to break into a full-blown war.

A guy with a kinda handsome vibe spoke in a gentle tone.

“Just forget it, Miki. Let’s go. There’s no point dealing with this.”

Two girls were huddled together further in the back.

Looking closely, one of them was definitely Miki.

So this was happening right in front of her.

Miki looked completely shrunk back, not saying a word.

“Miki isn’t into guys like you. You seriously don’t get that she’s not interested?”

The kinda-handsome guy was pretty scrawny, but he had a sharp tongue. He spoke with confidence.

But was he also hoping to get with Miki?

Thinking about that just made me feel kinda sad.

“Hah? What’s with this guy? Seriously, is he okay in the head?”

“Ugh, I hate these ‘righteous’ types who act like they know everything.”

That must’ve struck a nerve with the other group.

I recognized the voice—these were the same guys shouting in the bathroom this morning.

Their leader, Boss Gorilla, seemed pretty damn confident in his strength.

Judging from their sizes, it was like comparing a zookeeper to an actual gorilla.

“‘Righteous’ type? So you’re admitting that you’re in the wrong?”

“Ugh, this guy is so full of himself. He’s totally lost in his own world.”

Their verbal battle was pretty even, but if it came down to a real fight, Mr. Righteous would get knocked out in a single punch.

That said, the scrawny dude’s side also had a giant-looking guy glaring menacingly.

I had no idea what kind of situation I had just walked into.

“Alright, then it’s decided—you two are having a match.”

“Buahaha! This guy? This scrawny twig? What’s his weight? The difference is insane!”

The monkey troop burst into laughter.

It didn’t seem like they were after Miki themselves—they were just enjoying the chaos.

The big guy who got ignored stepped up to Gorilla, trying to intimidate him.

“Hey, I’m your opponent. Don’t even think about running.”

“Hah? You’re in the way. Get lost.”

Is this the apocalypse or something?

That’s the first time I’ve ever heard “I’m your opponent” outside of a battle manga.

Before someone could hit me with the classic “What the hell are you looking at?” I kept my eyes down and slipped past them, heading up the stairs.

As I passed by, my eyes briefly met Miki’s.

She stood there, looking completely absentminded.

Even though she was at the center of this whole mess, she seemed like she had nothing to do with it.

The moment our eyes met, she quickly looked away, almost like she was trying to escape.

Maybe she didn’t want to be seen talking to me in front of everyone.

Or maybe not. I wasn’t sure.

Still, ignoring everything completely left a bad taste in my mouth.

Back in the classroom, I sent Miki a short message on Line:

“You going to watch the battle royale?”

During the break between classes, Miki replied.

She said she wanted to talk—just the two of us.

Up until now, we mostly just talked over the phone, but this time, she wanted to meet in person.

Somewhere alone after school.

But no obvious place came to mind.

In the end, we settled on the same spot where I had spent lunch with Yuki earlier.

Miki agreed to it, but she probably didn’t realize that there was always a chance of running into someone there, just like at lunch.

I thought about telling her.

But honestly, I got tired of thinking about it midway through.

Even after school, the rain kept pouring.

It didn’t seem like it would stop anytime soon.

As I stepped out of the school entrance, the outside was already dim.

Following along the building, I headed toward the courtyard.

There was a small overhang above, and if I stuck close to the wall, I could just barely avoid the rain.

The courtyard lawn was empty.

Of course it was—no one would be out in this rain.

I stepped into the flower bed and walked along the wall.

In the farthest corner, standing still, was a girl.

Miki.

She must’ve arrived first and had been waiting.

“So, what is it?”

The moment I reached her, I asked.

I spoke as if I already knew the gist of it.

Miki probably figured as much from my Line message.

Her expression was still clouded, but she quickly got to the point.

“Um… I just don’t want any misunderstandings.”

“Yeah? And?”

“It’s just that… everyone was joking around, saying stuff about winning the right to go around the cultural festival with me. And I was just kind of laughing along, nodding without thinking, but…”

Apparently, the whole thing had spiraled out of control.

She wasn’t completely uninvolved, but it wasn’t like she had encouraged it either.

So Sumahiko wasn’t entirely making things up.

“You didn’t say anything like that before.”

“…Yeah. I thought it would be a bother…”

“I mean, you could just deny it outright even now, and that’d be the end of it.”

I had no idea why she was acting so serious.

Miki was the one with the power to choose. She was supposed to be the one in control.

“…I just… I think I don’t really care anymore. I’m at my limit… It’s my own mess, so maybe I just have to accept it.”

Her voice grew quieter, almost drowned out by the sound of the rain.

Then, she lowered her head and fell silent.

Watching her like that, I thought—this is such a pointless conversation.

Worrying about the cultural festival, about who to date—it all seemed so damn trivial.

“…Also, I think I need to apologize to you, Hoshi-kun.”

“For what?”

“About the other day… I really did want to gain confidence and change myself, but… I also thought that if we slept together, maybe you’d fall for me. Maybe you’d help me… protect me…”

Looking back now, maybe that was her way of sending a SOS.

Maybe she was that desperate, and that’s why she said what she did.

She had given a bunch of reasons back then, but now, this one sounded the most convincing.

“What the hell? You’re pulling this out now? Just one thing after another.”

“I’m sorry. I’m a coward… a manipulative person…”

“It’s not like I’m the only one who could protect you. There are tons of people who would.”

“I don’t know who’s actually good or bad… And also, Yuki seems to trust you. I heard from her… She told me you took down your awful dad all on your own and drove him away… That’s amazing. You and I… we were different from the start…”

“Beating up that small fry was nothing special.”

I cut her off, my voice suddenly sharper.

Miki’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Yeah? Well, guess what? When you really need help, no one’s coming to save you. You have to deal with it yourself. There’s no knight in shining armor. No prince on a white horse.”

I didn’t do it because I wanted to.

I did it because I thought I had no choice.

Maybe that wasn’t actually true.

But at that moment, that’s how it felt.

And if someone told me later that what I did was wrong—what the hell was I supposed to do about it?

I realized I was getting worked up.

At the same time, I saw her standing against the wall—looking at her with a strange kind of calm.

My eyes drifted from her closed lips to the line of her neck.

A sliver of pale skin peeked out from the collar of her long-sleeved blouse, dampened slightly by the rain.

“Then… should we do it right here?”

“Huh?”

“I might not fall for you even if we do it. I might just take what I want and run.”