I Thought She Was the One, but It Turned Out to Be a Fake Confession, so I Decided to Break Up With Her
The rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance.
(Come to think of it, the forecast said thereโd be a thunderstorm tonight, didnโt itโฆ?)
In the blink of an eye, rain clouds covered the sky above Kotone.
Because sheโd rushed out of the house, Kotone had neither her bag nor an umbrella with her.
Right now, there wasnโt even anyone to get wet with her.
Kotone didnโt even have the energy left to seek shelter from the rain.
She walked past the bakeryโwhich sheโd intended to use as an excuseโand trudged slowly down the street, her body feeling completely drained.
She was even starting to lose her sense of direction; she wasnโt sure which way to go to get home.
โFujimori-kunโฆโ
I wonder if heโll call me by my name again?
In that gentle voice he always used.
Kotoneโs eyes began to well up.
That was when it happened.
โShimazaki-san!โ
From behind her, Kotone heard the gentle voice sheโd been longing to hear.
Through her blurred vision, she searched for the source of the voice.
โI figured you didnโt have an umbrella. Here, take this.โ
Daiki, whose pant legs were wet with muddy waterโhe must have run here in a hurryโheld the umbrella out toward Kotone.
In an instant, the reason her eyes were stinging changed.
Ah, so this is whyโI really do like this person, I love him so much, heโs so precious to me, and I just canโt help myself.
โShimazaki, take it already. My armโs starting to hurt.โ
โโฆMy name isnโt Shimazaki.โ
โHuh?โ
โIโm Kotone. Not Shimazaki.โ
With a voice choked with tears, Kotone reached out and gently tugged at the hem of Daikiโs shirt with her fingertips.
The chill running through her body wasnโt just from the rain falling from the sky.
โโฆโฆKotone, youโre going to catch a cold if you stay like this. Iโll walk you home, so just do what I say.โ
โโฆโฆOkay.โ
Only after her heart had drifted away was Kotone finally able to be just a little more compliant.
ใโโ
โโ38.2
Hina stared at the photo of a thermometer that Kotone had sent her via LINE.
It was accompanied by an explanation that sheโd gotten caught in the rain yesterday, caught a cold, and developed a fever.
As far as Hina knew, the only rain that had fallen in this area yesterday was a sudden summer shower.
That was exactly the time when she and Daiki had returned from Tokyo.
(โฆโฆI hope Iโm just overthinking this.)
Hina sent a reply via LINE.
As her childhood friend, she wasnโt entirely without concern.
But more than that, she was curious about why Kotoneโwho usually acted so perfectโhad gotten soaked to the bone in the rain.
โAre you okay? Did you take your medicine? Your momโs at work right now, isnโt she? Should I come over to take care of you?โ
The message was marked as read immediately, and a reply came back quickly.
โIโm feeling a little sluggish, but the medicine seems to be kicking in, so Iโm feeling much better now.โ
โReally? Thatโs good to hear.โ
โSo I donโt need you to nurse me, but could you come over for a bit? Thereโs something I want to ask you.โ
โSure! Actually, thereโs something I want to ask you, too.โ
Carrying a paper bag filled with Tokyo Banana cakes, Aeon drinks, and various other items sheโd bought in Tokyo yesterday, Hina headed straight for the Shimazaki residence.
In the umbrella stand by the entrance, she spotted an umbrella she remembered seeing just the other day.
(โฆโฆWhy is Daikiโs umbrella here?)
It was clearly an umbrella that had been left at his house.
Hina reached out and touched the umbrella.
It was almost dry, but still slightly damp.
โThe young lady is waiting in her room.โ
Guided by a servant, she was led to Kotoneโs room.
Kotone, who had been lying on her futon, sat up and put on the mask that was lying beside her.
Hinaโs eyes fell on a bowl that had just been emptied, with a few grains of rice still left in it.
โI donโt know if you can eat right now, but hereโs a souvenir. Theyโre deliciousโTokyo Banana.โ
โYeah, thanks.โ
Hina gently placed it next to Kotoneโs futon.
The two began talking casually about her condition.
Kotone explained that her fever was gradually subsiding and she would likely be fully recovered by the day after tomorrow.
However, the reason the two had met wasnโt to talk about her condition.
โKotone.โ โHina.โ
Their voices overlapped, and the two childhood friends laughed quietly, looking a bit embarrassed.
โIโll ask first. Hina, when you went to Tokyo yesterday, Fujimori-kun was with you, right?โ
โโฆโฆWhy do you think that?โ
โYou said it was a family trip, but Misaki herself didnโt know anything about it. And above all, I heard Fujimori-kun was in Tokyo too.โ
It was completely unexpected for Hina that Kotone would go see Daiki in person.
Now that it had come to this, she couldnโt possibly wriggle out of it.
But, conversely, Kotoneโs words contained something that demanded further questioning.
โSo what youโre saying is, Kotone, you met up with Fujimori-kun last night, right? Fujimori-kun lent you his umbrella when you were caught in the sudden downpourโฆ Is that what happened?โ
โโฆYeah, thatโs right.โ
A silence fell between them.
It was Hina who broke the silence first.
โActually, I kind of forced Fujimori-kun to go to Tokyo with me.โ
โForcedโฆ?โ
โApparently, thereโs a collaboration event for my favorite manga at a cafรฉ in Tokyo, and I really, really wanted to go. But Iโm not familiar with Tokyo, right? So I asked Fujimori-kun to take me.โ
โThen why did you lie and say it was a family trip?โ
โKotone, you hate manga, right? Fujimori-kun kept begging me not to tell you. He was worried that if you found out he liked manga, you might start disliking him.โ
Kotone muttered, almost to herself.
โโฆโฆItโs not like Iโd start disliking him just because you like manga.โ
Hina heard those words but chose not to react.
Instead, she continued.
โBesides, I didnโt want to be misunderstood either.โ
โYou shouldโve told me that first.โ
โโฆReally? Do you mean it?โ
Hina furrowed her brow.
โHey, Kotone. Do you know that Fujimori-kun is actually pretty popular with the girls at school?โ
โโฆHuh? Why? Donโt most of them usually avoid him?โ
โThat was back in our freshman year. Fujimori-kun was a bitโฆ well, something back then. But you changed him, didnโt you? After seeing the new Fujimori-kun, everyone said heโs actually pretty kind, heโs not bad-looking, and he seems to come from a good family.โ
โI had no ideaโฆ No one ever said a word to me about thatโฆโ
โWell, of course not.โ
Looking at Kotoneโs profile as she stood there with her mouth slightly agape, Hina continued.
โSince you were the one who changed Fujimori-kun like that, everyone thought you were the only one for him. Even the girls who were seriously into him were hiding their feelings because of that.โ
โI-I seeโฆโ
Kotone was the only one worthy of Daiki.
Conversely, Daiki was the only one worthy of Kotone.
Since they were always together and Daiki made no effort to hide his feelings, everyone at school saw it that way.
โKotone. Iโm one of those girls, too.โ
โโฆHuh?โ
With an expression of grim resolve, Hina declared clearly.
โI like Fujimori-kun.โ
Maigetsu