School Trip Day 4 (part 2)

“…The Sapporo TV Tower was originally built for TV broadcasting, but it stopped being used after about 12 years… Apparently, a more efficient TV transmitter was built elsewhere…” he mutters while gazing at the view from the TV Tower.

“I kind of understand how the Sapporo TV Tower feels. When I was little, everyone said I was cute… I thought I was the best… But as I got older, I realized I wasn’t worth much. I have poor social skills, I’m short, I’m terrible at sports… I’m smart, but I could never be the best… And I couldn’t even be the most important person to the one I loved…”

“…”

“Don’t feel guilty… Aoi-kun, you did nothing wrong. I was… just a coward. But… but, if I had confessed to you a year earlier, maybe things would have been different,” she says with tears in her eyes.

Maybe she’s right.

If it had been a year earlier, maybe Umi-chan and I could have been together.

But that’s not what I should say.

I know what I should say.

“Even if we had dated a year ago, I’m sure I would still have fallen for Marin-chan… I’m confident that no matter when, where, or how I met her, I would have ended up loving her. Even if Marin-chan didn’t feel the same way, I would have still fallen for her. So, I’m sorry. I can’t return your feelings, Umi-chan.”

“…Yeah. I know… Thank you. That’s what I needed to hear,” she smiled.

After that, we descended from the TV Tower and became just friends.

“Thank you. Really.”

“…sure.”

“I’m grateful. Even after knowing I have a split personality… or rather, non-possession type dissociative identity disorder, you treated me normally, accepted me, and saw both sides of me,” she said with a determined expression.

Non-possession type dissociative identity disorder.

I looked it up a while ago.

Unlike possession type, where someone takes over and the person loses their memories, non-possession type feels more like being controlled by someone, seeing oneself from a third-person perspective.

Her condition was quite prominent, showing both an aggressive, assertive mode and her usual timid, passive mode.

I tried to treat her the same as much as possible, but there was still some awkwardness.

I couldn’t face her perfectly.

Even so, she acknowledged my efforts and said those words to me.

“There are plenty of better guys out there than me.”

“It doesn’t matter how many there are. Because out of all those countless stars, you were the one that shined the brightest to me. So, be happy. My brightest star.”

“…Yeah.”

Later, we met up with everyone, had dinner, and returned to the hotel, but Marin-chan still wouldn’t talk to me.

◇

“Hey, why are you ignoring me?”

“…”

“Hey, Marin. Marin-chan, come on,” I said, showing her my phone.

It displayed the GPS log of me entering the love hotel.

“Uh, no, this isn’t what it looks like… there’s a ramen shop in the basement…”

“Liar. I trusted you,” she said, turning away and heading back to the hotel room.

I wanted to knock on the door and talk to her, but with her roommates there, I went outside and called her from the park.

She rejected my calls repeatedly, then stopped answering altogether, but I kept calling.

After about two hours, Marin-chan finally picked up.

“Hello!”

“…What?”

“Look, it really wasn’t what you think…”

“…I can’t believe you.”

“But it’s true… I’m at the park now. Can we talk outside?”

“Then… prove it.”

“Prove it? But it’s not the kind of place that gives out receipts…”

“Enough. I can’t trust you. Goodbye,” she said, hanging up.

I continued calling until my battery died, but Marin-chan never answered again.