I Want to Know Everything About Love

The glass broke and we immediately looked at each other.

Fortunately, we are not injured.

I look around the classroom.

A baseball ball and a scattered fragment.

I see, I understand the situation.

It looks like it’s going to be hard to clean up.

“I’ll get the teacher. Be careful not to touch the glass, and wait here for a bit.”

Then Taiyou-kun ran out.

While waiting in the hallway with cleaning tools, a baseball team member and a female manager, Mika-chan, come up the stairs.

“Yuki-chan, is there glass around here broken? Are you hurt?”

“I’m all right. The window glasses are as gone as they are. Taiyou-kun went to call the teacher.”

“Oh, it’s broken, after all. Let’s clean up the pieces for now.”

I silently handed over the cleaning tools I had in my hand to the men of the baseball team.

The boy, who looked like he was sweating and mud, took it and began to collect the pieces while looking apologetically. Mika-chan and I followed.

Mika-chan probably doesn’t like this kind of miscellaneous work.

I wonder if she’s doing well in club activities.

While I was collecting pieces of glass while thinking about it, I heard a voice that was immediately distracted.

“Yuki! Look at this piece of glass! The pieces are gathered together and shaped like penguins.”

――What?

I have a soft spot for penguins.

I can’t help but see if it’s a piece of glass or something.

At home, I sleep with three stuffed penguins every day, and I like penguins so much that I’d want to be buried with them in my coffin.

I’m basically in love with the concept of penguins!

I rushed over to Mika-chan with the mindset of “I’ll be fine even if I get pricked by the tiny pieces of debris,” and for some reason, the baseball club member came too.

“Let me see. Aah, this is it.”

“Where is the penguin in this!? Is this an abstract painting?”

“Mika-chan says it’s definitely a penguin! Look here, this sharpness is clearly a beak.”

“No, that’s the body. This is the beak.”

――!?

“You don’t know it.”

“There is no right answer to everything. Just thinking it’s the right answer.”

I figured I’d just ignore the boy.

I didn’t feel like talking to him anyway.

Still, it feels nostalgic…

In the past, I used to play with Mika-chan, saying, “It looks like this,” even though they didn’t look alike.

Mika-chan gave the concept of penguin a voice as I reflected on that while picking up the glass.

“Ahaha! My dream is to grow into a single sheet of glass! (In a certain mouse-themed theme park’s voice)”

“Mika-chan’s image is totally ruined…”

“Haha. She’s always been like that.”

It seems like Mika-chan is putting on an act in the baseball club.

“When I grow up, I’ll be toughened glass that won’t break even if a baseball hits me! (In an excited voice)”

Right after she said that.

All the shattered pieces of glass disappeared completely.

“””Huh?”””

The three of us glanced around and saw the broken window completely restored.

I’m not surprised that I don’t understand what happened. I went into it calmly.

“Wasn’t that penguin’s dream granted a bit too quickly?”

Then the sound of Taiyou-kun’s footsteps with the teacher comes up the stairs.

“Yuki, I’m sorry to keep you waiting… Um, Nijou-san.”

“Yuki-chan. (with pressure)”

“I know. I know…”

“Ootsuki-kun, where is the broken glass?”

“Sensei, it’s over there. Huh?”

The window glass shown by Taiyou-kun was shining like new ones. It is remarkably shiny compared to other glasses.

A teacher in their mid-twenties and clearly trying not to be underestimated with his beard, says with suspicious eyes.

“Are you pranking me?”

I started racking my mind for an excuse, thinking that this might get us into trouble.

“Sensei, it’s not. I was surprised by the sound, and when I came to the classroom, a baseball was flying, so I thought the window was broken and told Taiyou-kun to call the teacher. But if you look closely, the window was open, and it was actually not broken.”

“I see… So, you’re saying the window was open at that time, but it is closed now?”

――Uh-oh!

The teacher’s suspicious eyes shifted from Taiyou-kun to me.

I really don’t like teachers who have good intuition.

“I just closed it because it was almost time for us to leave. Right, Mika-chan?”

“Yep! (In a certain mouse-themed theme park’s voice)”

Why is she having fun with this?

Is it so fun to lie to the teacher?

“…Well, as long as it’s not broken.”

“Thank you for your hard work!”

“Nijou, don’t get too carried away. Take the ball and head back to the club.”

“Got it!”

“You can hit home runs, but remember to think about the direction.”

They said so, and the teacher went down the stairs.

“Yuki… san. What happened?”

“Mika-chan fixed the window glass.”

“Yes, I’ve fixed it!”

The three of us are getting along better than I expected, and the baseball team members seem to have nowhere to go.

“Well, the matter is settled! You can go back to your club. Don’t mention that I fixed the glass. If I tell anyone… you know what I mean, don’t you?”

“Y-yeah, I got it.”

“Really? You may not be able to play baseball.”

Mika-chan walks slowly and touches the window glass slowly and smiles invincibly. What on earth is she trying to do…

But there’s definitely a certain intimidating vibe about her.

“I really get it!!”

“I am kind to my companions. You are well-built and have the ability to hit long balls. If you break the window glass again, I’ll fix it and sweep it under the rug for you. You can break as many as you want, okay???”

“All right, I get it. I’ll never break it again!”

“Good boy, go back to club activities! Yes, run!”

The boy jumps out of the classroom at a speed as if he were on first base.

“Mika-chan, what’s going on with your characters in the baseball club?”

“I’m doing it with my sister’s character. I think I did a good job balancing the carrot and stick earlier. What do you think?”

“Where’s the carrot in all that?”

“Huh? In the part where you can break the window glass as much as you want…”

Where is the carrot in that!!

Break the glass as much as you want carrots…

“I think you’re doing well. Even the second-years listen to what I say. The guy from earlier was a second-year. He looks like an elementary student sumo wrestler.”

“Have you ever seen an elementary school student?” I almost wanted to ask that, because he really looked like a second-year. But oh well.

“Right. I hope everything goes well.”

“Yeah!”

“Yes…”

Taiyou-kun’s gaze pierced through me.

“So, ah, oh, tsu, ki-kun. Kun, you know something. There’s no way the glass will be restored all of a sudden. Strange things have happened more often since I met you, but you’ve been doing something. When will you tell me? I think you’re dragging it on too much. I believe that you are a friend of Yuki and me.”

“I-I’m not a baseball team member…”

“What do you think, Yuki?”

“I think I agree with Mika-chan. I think it’s important to be honest.”

“Ugh…”

Taiyou-kun’s expression becomes rigid and the color drains from it.

I’m sorry, Taiyou-kun.

But I want to know, too.

“Ootsuki-kun, it’s time to pay the price!”

“Mika-chan, you know that well.”

“I wanted to say it once, so what do you think? Are you going to say it or not? Are you going to tell us?”

We all stared at Taiyou-kun with intense focus, as if willing him to speak.

His pupils never met ours as he continued looking at the sky above.

“…I don’t want to tell you this.”

He was firm. But I wasn’t going to back down either.

“If you don’t want to tell us, tell us exactly why. Is there a reason you don’t want to tell us?”

“I like things the way they are right now. Therefore, I hope that the days will continue as they are. Sometimes it’s better not to know. I’m sure you won’t be happy to hear it.”

What’s that?

That doesn’t even sound like a reason.

“I’d rather die for knowing everything than live in ignorance and happiness. I started dating Taiyou-kun because I wanted to know about love, ah…”

I suddenly realized something.

If I go any further, there might be a fight and a crack in our relationship.

Is it really worth pushing to get this information?

Which is more important, my relationship with Taiyou-kun or this information? I hesitated for a few moments.

But I was an evil, self-serving, selfish person.

“If you don’t tell me, I’ll read your mind. I also have supernatural powers like Mika-chan. It’s not good to just peek into someone’s mind, right? So I tried not to read Taiyou-kun’s mind until now, but I can’t help it. Which do you prefer, being peeped at by me or saying it yourself?”

This was a threat.

But since we’re dating, shouldn’t he answer the questions I really want to know?

With that in mind, I waited and believed in Taiyou-kun’s response.

“…I don’t want to fight with Yuki-san.”

His eyes are a little moist.

“That’s how I feel too.”

“I want to be with you as long as I can.”

“I see. Is that worth hiding things for?”

“Yes.”

My heart aches because we don’t understand each other.

I feel like my mind is moving away.

――Haa, unbelievable.

I guess it can’t be helped. I’m ready for a fight.

“Taiyou-kun doesn’t tell me what I want to know. So I’ll look into your mind. I can’t go against my fate anymore. Even if I read your mind and learn something, no one knows what will happen to my relationship with Taiyou-kun. All Taiyou-kun can do now is think about how to get along as long as possible knowing that I know something you didn’t want me to know.”

After all, I’m a logical person with a bad mouth, thoughts, and personality, just because of my desire for knowledge.

If a fight starts over something like this, then our relationship will never last anyway.

I made sure my determination was clear. I glared at Taiyou-kun for the first time.

“Ugh, come on! All right! I’ll tell you. I’m to blame!”

“”Really?””

“Two weeks from now, Saturday, Keep your schedule free. We’re going out.”

“Aren’t you going to say it now?”

“It’s better to hear it from adults than to explain.”

What? That’s a bit of a letdown.

“All right. I won’t ask any more about it again today.”

“Eh! Are you giving up, Yuki?”

“I’m not giving up, I’m compromising. Taiyou-kun changed his mind, right? We both have to compromise and meet halfway”