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    Saturday

    After Takanashi-san left, I was filled with anxiety.

    If I couldn’t tell him what really mattered now, I felt like I might lose something I could never get back…

    I trust you.

    You’re not like the other boys. You’re someone I can truly rely on.

    I still hadn’t been able to say those words…

    As I moved to chase after him…

    “…Let’s calm down for now. Just stop for today.”

    Natsumi stopped me.

    “Natsumi, I haven’t told him what I—”

    “Calm down.”

    She spoke gently, but firmly, like she was guiding me.

    “I think Takanashi-kun’s being stubborn too. It’s better to give him some time and talk again once he’s settled down. Don’t rush it. Take your time next time. But this time, you do know what you need to say first, right? Tell him that first. I’ll help however I can.”

    “…Yes.”

    I had never felt so ashamed of myself.

    I assumed that if I explained things calmly from the beginning, he would listen to the end, and in doing so, I failed to say the most important thing.

    Having grown used to avoiding boys and rejecting others, I’d completely forgotten the most basic thing: to consider the other person’s feelings before speaking.

    That day made me realize how much I was lacking.


    Monday

    Lunchtime, and Takanashi-san wasn’t there…

    This scene, watering the flowers alone, was something I’d done countless times before, and yet it felt completely different now.

    Even when I looked at the bench, there was no one there. No one eating lunch. No Takanashi-san.

    I never managed to prepare the lunch I wanted to give him as a thank-you.

    The hamburger steak I practiced so hard to make… Will he never get to eat it?

    After watering the plants quietly, I went to the entrance and opened my shoe locker, only to find an envelope inside.

    In the end, there’s something I’d like to tell you. I’ll be waiting on the rooftop after school.

    I assumed it was another love confession and almost tore it up.

    But the phrase “In the end” caught my attention.

    No one had ever started a letter that way before.

    …Could it be from Takanashi-san…?


    Monday

    I’d felt miserable since morning, but skipping school would only trigger calls to my aunt or parents, so I dragged myself there.

    I didn’t go to the flower bed during lunch. I just lay down in the classroom, pretending to sleep.

    Yuuji messaged me on RAIN, probably worried, but I gave him a vague reply.

    …Was Senpai at the flower bed alone…?

    Saturday’s conversation made me realize that I was just like the rest of those idiots in her eyes. Not worth trusting.

    If I don’t want to see “that look” again, I should just forget her…

    After school, I was taking my time packing up, but…

    By chance, I overheard a conversation from some idiots in my class.

    That chance… turned out to be incredibly lucky.

    “Hey, what’s the plan today?”

    “It’s Yashiro-senpai and them, right?”

    “Should we go watch too?”

    “Nah, if it gets bad we might get dragged into it. I don’t wanna be an accomplice.”

    “True. But I kinda wanna see that arrogant ‘empress’ cry and scream.”

    “Bet they’re gonna film it on their phones.”

    …What? What are they talking about?

    It’s definitely something shady…

    “Empress”?

    Someone they think is arrogant… The “empress”… No way… It couldn’t be… Senpai?

    I left the classroom pretending to be calm, then broke into a run the moment I turned the corner.

    Senpai’s class is 2-B!

    At that moment, all my fears about how she saw me, my negativity, my doubts, everything disappeared from my mind.

    Someone I knew, someone I care about, might be in danger.

    If I ignored this and something happened to her… I’d regret it for the rest of my life.

    Don’t overthink. Doesn’t matter if it’s her or not. Even just a warning is better than nothing…

    That’s what I told myself as I ran.

    I reached 2-B and peeked through the open door.

    Senpai wasn’t there…

    What now? I don’t know where she went… Should I search?

    …No, what if I’m too late?

    Just then, I made eye contact with a girl on the other side of the door.

    I recognized her, she was with Senpai the other day…

    She looked surprised but quickly came over.

    “Hello, Takanashi-kun. Sorry about the other day. But if you’re here, I guess that means you didn’t write the note to call out Sara, huh?”

    What? I called her out?

    “Please explain. Senpai was called out somewhere?”

    “Yeah, she found a letter in her shoe locker. It said something about ‘the end’… It didn’t seem like just a love letter. She wondered if maybe it was from you.”

    “I didn’t send that. If I had something to say, I’d just message her on RAIN.”

    “I told her I didn’t think it was from you. But… she’s a bit emotionally unstable right now…”

    This isn’t the time for that!

    “Where!? Do you know where she went!?”

    “She said the rooftop…”

    I didn’t wait for her to finish and ran off.

    Please let me make it in time…!


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