What's under Kamiyama-san's paper bag? - 33 Chapter 31

What’s under Kamiyama-san’s paper bag?

Chapter 31 Kominato is deep in thought alone.

The training camp for the conversation club has ended, and a week has passed since then. It’s the late stage of summer vacation, with school still not in session. I have been spending my days unproductively as usual.

Every day, I receive messages on my phone’s messaging app from Arai, Harusame, and even Kamiyama-san. They ask why I haven’t been coming to club activities. It seems like they have been dutifully going to school and participating in the club even after the training camp.

However, I have no intention of going, and yet I have no motivation to do anything else. I simply lock myself in my room and ponder over a solution to the issue at hand.

The issue at hand is, of course, Kamiyama-san’s paper bag. The man mentioned in the story Kamiyama-san told during the training camp. It was I who made it so that Kamiyama-san cannot live without wearing the paper bag even as a high school student. This fact weighed heavily on my heart like a dark cloud.

I lazily sprawl on my bed in my room, throwing my legs carelessly. I contemplate what would have happened if I hadn’t met Kamiyama-san back then. Would Kamiyama-san be the way she is now?

I ponder. No, that wouldn’t be the case. She might have been a slightly taller, shy girl, but she wouldn’t have resorted to the extreme act of wearing a paper bag.

I ponder. If I hadn’t met her, Kamiyama-san would have had a more… no, a considerably normal high school life, I suppose.

I ponder. If that were the case, then I… the me from back then would have done something outrageous.

If possible, I want to help Kamiyama-san live without wearing the paper bag, even starting now.

I ponder. I sowed the seeds of this problem. I have to solve it myself. But I don’t know how.

I spend the past week caught in this cycle of futile thinking. I come up with makeshift solutions only to discard them.

I ponder. Perhaps I should just forget everything and casually attend club activities, where Kamiyama-san would continue to manipulate me, Harusame would tease me, and occasionally Arai would intimidate me. But still, it didn’t seem like something I could do.

On this day as well, my thoughts remain scattered, and no solution comes to mind. I scratch my head in frustration on the bed, contemplating whether to get up. And in that moment, a silly notification sound rings from my phone placed by the bedside. Not just one, but three in quick succession.

I lazily grab my phone, checking the notifications. They are messages from Arai, Harusame, and Kamiyama-san. Each of them expresses concern about me, who has been almost unreachable since the training camp.

I check each message, intending to reply by tapping the screen of my phone. I write a few sentences only to erase them and write new ones. Honestly, I didn’t know what to reply.

After repeating this process multiple times, I eventually lose the motivation to respond and stop typing. I let out a deep sigh and was about to throw away my phone, but this time, instead of a notification sound, the ringtone rings. The screen displays “Harusame” as the caller.

I had no intention of answering, but my finger accidentally touches the call button, and Harusame’s voice echoes from the phone.

Reluctantly, I put the phone to my ear.

“Hello, it’s Kominato.”

“Hello? Um, um, A-chan? Are you okay? It’s me…”

It was the usual Harusame.

Is she always like this on the phone? That thought makes me want to laugh.

I couldn’t help but respond to Harusame’s confusion in my usual manner.

“What’s up with you… Unfortunately, A-chan, I’m right next to you, sleeping. Should we switch now?”

“Huh? Uh, w-w-w-what are you saying? If it’s A-chan, she’s propped up against the wall in my room… No, I mean, she’s, um, answering the phone… It’s Kominato… Um, um…”

As Harusame stammers on the phone, I can’t help but burst into laughter.

Upon hearing my laughter, Harusame starts shouting on the other end of the line.

“You… You’re so rude! This past week, what have you been doing? Um… um… I was worried, you know? Well, not worried, just… Arai-san and Kamiyama-san were worried! I wasn’t worried, so don’t get the wrong idea!”

“Oh, I see. Sorry for worrying you. And thanks, Harusame, for worrying about me.”

It seems like she was really worried. I apologize and express my gratitude, unusually sincere.

Upon hearing my words, Harusame, still in a panic, continues.

“You… you idiot! I told you I wasn’t worried. Um… yeah, that’s right. Not only was I not worried, but I was also practicing my deadly poison technique so that I can kill Kominato with a single blow when I see him next! Die by my terrifying poison!”

No high school girl is trying to master deadly poison techniques. Even if she’s lying, come up with something more normal, at least…

While I silently make such a comment in my mind, I feel a slightly relieved feeling towards Harusame, who is as over-the-top as ever.

“Oh, sorry, sorry. That’s right. I forgot. Harusame doesn’t worry about me. I got it… So, do you have something to talk about?”

Then, Harusame lowers her tone, which was previously shouting.

“What do you mean… Well, um… Kominato, you haven’t been coming to the club recently, right? So I thought, maybe you have some worries or something… Um, um! Um… That’s it! Um… If it’s okay with you, can I listen to your problems… I mean… um…”

On the other end of the phone, Harusame’s voice becomes faint towards the end, and she says it.

To listen to my problems, huh?

But this is a problem between me and Kamiyama. More specifically, it’s my own problem. I have to solve it on my own.

The thoughts that I have been repeating over and over again this past week race through my head, and even though it’s a phone call, I fall silent.

“Hello…? Hey, can you hear me? That’s strange… Is the signal bad, I wonder…”

I hear Harusame’s voice from the other side of the smartphone.

It’s not that big of a problem. I’ll show up at the club eventually, so don’t worry. I was about to say that when I heard Harusame’s muttered words, thinking the signal was bad.

“Hello…? It’s not working… Seems like it’s not getting through. Geez… I don’t know what happened, but it would be nice if Kominato could tell me… Kominato is an important club member, after all. And… and a precious friend too… Kominato’s problems are everyone’s problems… If only you would talk to me about something. Actually, I want you to talk to me… Well, I absolutely can’t say these things to the person themselves…”

An important club member. A precious friend.

Words I didn’t even expect to come out of my own mouth naturally slipped out upon hearing Harusame’s words.

“…An important… club member?”

“Yeah, an important club mem… ber… Kominato? Wh-why? Wasn’t the signal bad? Did you, by any chance, hear everything I just said? I-if so, then… I’ll have to pierce your heart with my poison fist! I’ll switch your right atrium and left ventricle!”

Quite an unusual poison fist she’s talking about.

I can almost picture Harusame’s panicked face on the other end of the phone.

Ignoring Harusame’s outburst, I continue speaking.

“Hey, Harusame. Did you actually say you wanted me to consult you?”

“I… I didn’t say that! I definitely didn’t say it!”

I confront Harusame with a serious tone.

“Sorry, can I ask you again? Did you say you wanted me to consult you?”

This time, Harusame’s voice sounds resigned.

“I… I said it. But what about it?”

“What about it? That’s what I’m asking.” I cut off Harusame’s words as they’re about to come out.

“My problems… are everyone’s problems,” I say.

This time, Harusame interrupts me.

“I said it! What does that even mean? I said it… Because Kominato… Kominato is not just a precious friend to me… Probably, it’s the same for Arai-san and Kamiyama-san too… Wh-why are you making me say these things? It’s embarrassing!”

For some reason, Harusame’s words hit me right in the chest.

Unbeknownst to me, I find myself saying these words.

“Can I… Can I consult you guys?”

Harusame on the other end of the phone lets out a small sigh and says this.

“Sure, of course. It’s only natural. So, what happened?”