Time For Farewell

(Tl/n: dem, title makes me sed)

“Haa…Haa…”

My body was burning up, my muscles screaming in protest, and my mouth, desperately gasping for oxygen, tasted strangely bitter.

I raced through the silent school corridors, heading towards the courtyard, my destination.

And then…

“Yep, figured you’d be here, Imari.”

“…Miyoshi-kun.”

Imari, who had been sitting on a bench, stood up as she noticed me approaching.

While I caught my breath, I searched for the right words to say.

But before I could speak, Imari spoke first.

“Why did you come after me?”

“That’s… because I didn’t think it was right to leave you alone.”

Starting with those words, my thoughts overflowed.

“You know, it reminded me of the expression my dad had when my mom passed away. It was like he was overwhelmed by so many emotions he couldn’t contain, like he wanted to run away by himself.”

Imari listened silently as I spoke.

“I know. You should never leave someone with that kind of expression alone. Because otherwise… it only gets more… painful.”

Having conveyed what I wanted to say, I breathed in.

…There should have been more to it, more reasons why I chased after Imari. Perhaps something too harsh to say directly to her, something that would hurt her. But if I didn’t say it, she would never understand my true feelings.

Struggling to find the right words, I finally managed to express myself as clearly as possible.

“Also, if I left Imari alone like that, I felt like I would never be able to talk to her again. And… I absolutely didn’t want that.”

At that moment, I saw the end of our relationship with Imari.

There had been decisive events leading up to it, and Imari’s strange behavior was a significant enough reason for me to think so. It’s something I could assert confidently because I know Imari well.

Finally, I grasped the emotions that had been swirling inside me and put them into words.

Imari let out a deep sigh in response to my words.

“Seriously, Miyoshi-kun, you’re the worst.”

“Eh?! I, well… Yeah, I guess. My bad.”

“I won’t forgive you, absolutely not. Thanks to you, I’ve been going through such a hard time.”

“Yeah… I’m sorry.”

As I apologized, Imari clenched her fist tightly.

“You really are terrible, Miyoshi-kun. You talk about other attractive girls without even knowing how I feel. You’re either clueless or just self-centered.”

There was no response I could give. I was immature, and that’s why I made such a big mistake. 

No matter how much Imari scolded me, I couldn’t say anything. I had no right to speak.

“I think I was pretty obvious about it, though. Narahashi-kun figured it out right after we became classmates.”

“Seriously… Am I really that clueless?”

“You are, really clueless! And you have this carefree attitude that makes you do and say weird things… Plus, you’re always staring at my bre–ts.”

“I’m really sorry for just staring at your chest!!!”

“…Haa, I won’t forgive you.”

Even though she forgave me before…

Imari smiled softly as she watched me sink into despair.

“But, you know, I’m also the worst.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve been trying to make you understand my feelings without saying anything, blaming you for things that aren’t your fault. Deep down, I resented you a lot because I was afraid to look at myself. It’s not good to blame others for your own problems.”

“Imari…”

It was the first time Imari had confided in me like this. I stayed silent, waiting for her to continue.

“The truth is, I hoped we could graduate high school together, stay friends, and I could be the only one who truly understood you, Miyoshi-kun. But… reality isn’t that sweet, is it? Because I’m not the only one who wants to be by your side.”

Imari’s words, while not directly confessing her feelings, crossed a line that couldn’t be uncrossed.

In other words, Imari had started down a path from which there was no turning back.

“So, with those sweet thoughts in mind, my ideal easily crumbled, and I ended up selfishly getting angry. I’m really, really terrible.”

“Imari, listen…”

“Miyoshi-kun.”

Imari interrupted me with that gentle smile I always saw, slowly opening her mouth to speak.

“I’m not as strong as Miyoshi-kun thinks I am, you know?”

Those words, as if she could see right through my heart, silenced me. Just as I suspected. Imari understood my heart. She saw right through me.

“So, I talk bad about Miyoshi-kun like this, and I vent pathetic complaints that I shouldn’t let others hear. And when I feel like I can’t get what I want, I throw tantrums like this.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

When I asked, Imari gently closed her eyes.

“I know there’s no going back. You know that too, right, Miyoshi-kun?”

“Well, yeah, but…”

It’s impossible for things to stay the same in a state where our true feelings are exposed. We can’t just go back to being ordinary friends. That’s something I understand.

As I frowned, Imari looked straight at me.

“But, even so, I didn’t  say it. I want to say it because it’s what I believe in now.”

Imari took a deep breath and spoke with a soft expression, reminiscent of the spring sunshine.

“I love you, Miyoshi-kun.”

The chime signaling the start of the first period echoed through the air.

The wind blew, bringing with it a gentle warmth.

Imari looked at me, her hair tousled by the wind.

With her clear eyes, she looked straight at me.