Chapter 26: Back to the Usual Routine

Sports clubs sure are something else. It’s been almost four hours since the sixth period ended, and they’re still running around. How are they still considered a weak team with all this effort?

I was thinking about that as I arrived at the shoe lockers. These lockers have lids, so I couldn’t check, but Kumanokyo and the others have probably gone home by now.

You’re saying I should just open it since it’s unlocked? If anyone caught me opening a girl’s shoe locker, I’d end up being dragged in for “special guidance.”

Oh, by the way, Kurokawa-senpai went home a little while ago. I had planned to walk with her, but apparently, her car had been waiting for her. I don’t know how long it had been waiting, but it really reminded me how different her world is from mine. Not that I’ve ever thought we lived in the same world anyway.

“Huh? You’re still here?”

“Oh, Kaede. Did your club just finish?”

Seeing as she’s already changed back into her uniform, I guess that’s the case.

The soccer and baseball teams are still going, but the tennis club seems to finish early. Well, it’s the girls’ tennis club, so I guess it’s safer for them not to stay too late.

“Yeah! Let’s walk home together!”

“Sure, but… are you okay not going home with your friends?”

“Friends?”

“You know, your teammates from tennis…”

I don’t know much about her social circle, but teammates usually go home together, right?

Not that I’m against walking home with her or anything. I just don’t want to interfere with her friendships.

“They’ve been avoiding me lately.”

Avoiding her? Kaede?

Someone like Kaede, who seems way more social than I am? Avoiding her?

“I see… Well, if something happens, let me know, okay? I’m not sure how much help I can be, though.”

“Kogoro, you’re such a worrywart.”

She says this as she wraps her arm around mine.

…This, isn’t it? This is probably why they’re avoiding her.

Even an idiot could tell that something’s been off with Kaede lately.

Now that I think about it, Kumanokyo has also been acting separately from her usual gal pals, and fewer girls seem to be talking to the class rep too.

Could my rejection of their confessions have thrown their lives into chaos…?

“Hey, Kogoro.”

She called my name, and my heart skipped a beat.

I was worried she might bring up why I stayed this late, and honestly, I’m not sure I could come up with a convincing excuse.

“I won’t ask who you were secretly meeting with, but in return, can you listen to my troubles?”

“…What’s on your mind?”

It seems as long as I hear her out, she won’t press further on the matter.

I’ll just ignore the fact she’s convinced I was meeting someone. She’s not entirely wrong anyway.

“I’m wondering if I did something terrible to Momiji-chan and Sumire-chan.”

“You mean the fight?”

Is she really that worried about it? Despite how intense it got?

Does this mean the curse is weakening to some extent?

“They’re such important friends, and yet… I… I…”

She bites her lip, holding back tears.

I mean, she could be acting just to make me feel sympathetic, but it seems genuine.

She doesn’t strike me as a good enough actress to fake this level of emotion. I should probably avoid overthinking it. No point in making wild guesses, right? Heh…

“I think they’re probably feeling the same way, you know?”

Assuming, of course, that the curse really is weakening.

“You think so? I mean, I ended up saying things I didn’t even mean to…”

“I bet they feel the same way. Didn’t Kumanokyo seem worried about you during the fight?”

Although she and the class rep were at odds, Kumanokyo seemed to show concern for Kaede.

Whether it was bonding over their brawl, sympathy as two losers of the bento contest, or just her inherently kind nature, she seemed to be on Kaede’s side. If the curse has weakened, she’s probably beating herself up over it now.

“But I tried to outsmart Momiji-chan…”

“She doesn’t seem like the type to hold a grudge. Why not try apologizing tomorrow?”

If I were just an uninvolved third party, I think I’d be giving decent advice.

But as someone directly involved, someone who’s dragged them into all this, it feels hypocritical. I can’t help but be annoyed at my own words. Like, who am I to talk?

“I’m scared… What if they don’t forgive me?”

“But that’s what apologizing is about, isn’t it? It’s not something you do to be forgiven, but to express how sorry you are.”

Truly, Who Am I to Speak?

Have I ever apologized with such sincerity before? At any point in my life?

If it were just to escape blame, I could bow down in the middle of a bar district with vomit stains all over the ground. And here I am, acting all high and mighty…

“Kogoro… that’s such a wonderful thing to say. You’ve given me courage.”

My heart… my heart aches.

I’m pretty sure I’m not cut out to be a parent or a teacher.

I feel a certain resistance to putting myself on a pedestal and spouting nice-sounding words. As a high schooler, I know it’s not my place to say this, but I think you have to be shameless to survive as an adult in society. I’ve always thought so.

“So, Kogoro. Tomorrow, I’d like to go to school alone so I can talk things over with Sumire-chan and the others. Is that okay?”

“……Yeah. Don’t worry about me.”

I thought it’d be bad to answer too quickly, so I paused before replying.

If I had answered immediately, she might’ve said something like, “What? You’re fine not walking to school with me?” and I would’ve gotten a sermon.

Seriously, I don’t need that.

Even giving a single response takes more care than in a dating sim.

“Well then, let me recharge now…”

Right there in public, Kaede hugged me straight-on.

Should I hug her back? Do I even have the right to?

I wasn’t sure, so I just stood still and let her hug me until she was satisfied.

I’d gotten used to Kaede waking me up every day, but surprisingly, I managed to wake up on my own without any issues.

It’s not like I’m bragging or anything; I’m just relieved. I was worried I’d end up unable to wake up by myself.

That said, I’m still exhausted. I stayed up late watching the drama Kurokawa-senpai recommended so I could have something to talk about with her, and now I’m dead tired.

“Did you and Kaede-chan have a fight?”

Since Kaede usually comes to wake me up, my mom started prying.

You know, normally, she wouldn’t wake me up.

And it’s weird how often she stays over too. We’re neighbors, sure, but still.

“She said she had something to do.”

“Are you sure? If you made her angry, it’s the guy’s job to bow his head and apologize.”

So suspicious.

And honestly, I already know that life lesson. It’s an outdated way of thinking, but it’s probably not going away for at least a few decades.

“Onii-chan, if you ever make Kaede-onee-chan cry, I’ll make you cry instead.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it.”

That said, someone’s definitely going to end up crying. In the end, I’ll have to choose someone.

…Though honestly, I don’t want to choose anyone. If they could like me without the curse involved, that’d be a different story.

“Alright, I’m off.”

“Make sure you make up with her, okay? If you don’t, I won’t let you back in the house.”

“I keep telling you, we didn’t fight.”

Guess I’m not trusted at all.

Well, I guess I wouldn’t trust a guy who brought three girls home either.

…Still, is my mom and sister pushing me to date multiple girls because of the curse? What happens if the curse is broken? Will they start trying to “fix” their cheating son?

Other students are staring at me a lot.

Is it because I’m not walking with Kaede? Are they misunderstanding things like my mom did?

“Oh, there he is.”

“You’re late! Without Hiiragi around, you’re making your grand entrance like some VIP or what?”

As soon as I got to the classroom, Kaede and Kumanokyo greeted me.

“Grand entrance” is something you say when someone’s late, though. I still had more than 20 minutes to spare.

Oh, the class rep is here too. Did the three of them make up?

“Sakamoto-kun, it seems like we were acting a bit strange yesterday.”

You’ve always been strange. Ever since the day the curse was placed on you.

It seems like they’re aware of the emotional changes caused by the curse’s intensity, but they don’t seem to fully understand what they were like before the curse took effect.

“We’ve decided to let bygones be bygones about yesterday, so you should forget about it too, okay?”

“Yeah, if you’re not worried about it, then neither am I.”

I’m curious about what they discussed, but I’m glad. It seems like they’ve reconciled.

It’d be nice to get along as a group of four again, but it’s not that simple.

If I get too close to them, the curse might strengthen, leading to another fight. I’ll have to figure out how to handle this.

“We’ve all promised not to go behind each other’s backs.”

“…I see.”

“So let’s all trade bento again, okay?”

Good. For now, I can relax.

I don’t want to deal with another lunchtime stomachache.

“Also, we agreed to respect your after-school time.”

“My after-school time?”

“Yeah. For some reason, you’ve been staying after school, right? We’d like to join you, but we figured you should have some private time.”

Wait, seriously? Are they being serious?

Does this mean I can openly meet with Kurokawa-senpai now?

This is a win! Spending time with senpai means I can gather information and potentially weaken the curse. I feel unstoppable. I want to know what defeat feels like.

“In exchange, we’ll be visiting your house more often.”

What happened to my private time?

Well, Kaede already comes over weekly, and “no sneaking around” probably means this is just how it’s going to be.

“As long as my mom gives the okay, I don’t mind…”

I said it, but I can’t imagine my mom saying no.

She’d probably welcome them with open arms. If I were a parent, I’d definitely have a few complaints.

“Leave it to me. I get along great with your mom.”

“I think I can manage with your mom too.”

“I’ve already gotten permission to take care of you. Go ahead and be a useless guy.”

…………

All settled, huh?