I Thought She Was the One, but It Turned Out to Be a Fake Confession, so I Decided to Break Up With Her
A faint, soothing sound of water echoes from the pond where the waterwheel turns quietly.
Under the deep green shade of the trees, a dog out for a walk happily sticks out its tongue and pants excitedly.
โItโs really peaceful here, isnโt it?โ
โBut when I come here at night, thereโs no one around at all, and itโs kind of scary. Sometimes at night, I hear a rustling sound coming from over thereโฆโ
โHuh!? Ghosts appear even in a posh neighborhood like this!?โ
โI donโt think ghosts are picky about where they show up. If anything, there are probably tons of people who hold a grudge against the rich, so maybe there are even more of them here?โ
โEek!โ
Daiki gazed tenderly at Hina, whose face had turned pale, and gently stroked her head.
โYouโre surprisingly scared of horror stuff, arenโt you?โ
โWith a serial killer or something, I feel like I could survive if I fought back or ran for my life, but ghosts? No way! If one sets its sights on me, itโs over!! Thatโs why I canโt handle it!!โ
โI donโt think meeting a ghost necessarily means youโre going to die, though.โ
The two strolled through the park, bantering back and forth.
Soon, they sat down on a bench by the pond, and Hina took a lunchbox out of her bag.
โTa-da! I made this this morning!โ
It was a sandwich Hina had made herself.
Daikiโs eyes widened.
โSo thatโs why you said you were going back home this morning to grab something youโd forgottenโyou were making this?โ
โYeah! As a girl, I really wanted to do this right. Itโs nowhere near as good as your cooking, Daikiโฆโ
โNo, itโs more than enough. Iโm really happy. To be honest, I used to think cooking should be left to those who are good at it, but when you do this for me, as a guy, I feel kind of proudโฆ Am I just old-fashioned?โ
โThatโs fine! If youโre going to say that, then Iโm old-fashioned too. Since weโre both old-fashioned, weโre a perfect match, so itโs no problem, right?โ
โYouโre right.โ
Iโm sure Kotone would never have done something like this for me.
Asami never let her daughter Kotone near the kitchenโshe wouldnโt even let her hold a knifeโto keep her from getting hurt.
Hina knows that fact all too well.
Daiki picked up a sandwich cut in half and took a big bite.
โAh, this is so delicious. Can I look forward to the next one?โ
โSure! I made this in a hurry, so itโs pretty simple, but next time Iโll put more effort into itโso look forward to it!โ
โIf I marry you, Hina, will I get to eat sandwiches every day? Maybe Iโll even propose by saying, โPlease make me a sandwich every morning.โโ
โItโs miso soup, isnโt it?! I can definitely make miso soup too! Sandwiches every day? Just how much do you love sandwiches?!โ
The two finished their sandwiches while exchanging jokes.
Then they gazed at the tranquil pond and enjoyed a peaceful moment.
Just being next to each other without saying a word made them feel overflowing with happiness.
โDaiki, can I ask you something? Itโs been on my mind since yesterday.โ
โโฆYeah. Thatโs exactly why I asked you to come hereโto talk about it.โ
Hina and Daikiโs gazes met.
โโAbandonedโโฆ what does that mean?โ
ใโโ
As she walked toward the Honjo residence, Kotone called Hina.
โHina? Youโre at home right now, arenโt you? Can we meet up for a bit? You donโt have volleyball practice today, do you?โ
โHuh? Ohโฆ Sorry! Iโm in Tokyo right now.โ
โHuh? Tokyo? Why?โ
โIโm here on a family trip. Should I pick up some Tokyo Banana for you?โ
โU-uhโฆ sure. Okay. Have fun.โ
Kotone had no choice but to stop in her tracks.
Even if she went to Hinaโs house, Hina herself wouldnโt be there anyway.
(Seriously, nothing ever goes rightโฆ)
How did my summer vacationโwhich was supposed to be so much funโend up like this?
Just as Kotone sighed and was about to head back home,
โHuh? Kotone-chan?โ
โMisaki-san?โ
She ran into Misaki Honjo, Hinaโs cousin and a teacher at her school.
Her house wasnโt quite as close as Hinaโs, but theyโd seen each other often since they were little.
Kotone looked up to Misaki like a close older sister, and Misaki, in turn, doted on Kotone.
โWhat are you doing here?โ
โOh, actually, I came here hoping to see Hina, but she told me she went on a trip to Tokyo.โ
โHuh? She went on a trip to Tokyo?โ
โWhat? Hina said it was a family trip. Didnโt you know, Misaki-san?โ
Even though they were both part of the Honjo family, Hina had different parents, so it wasnโt surprising that she hadnโt joined the family trip.
However, Kotone felt something was off about Misakiโs reactionโshe didnโt even seem to know that Hina had gone to Tokyo in the first place.
โOh, right, rightโnow that you mention it, thatโs true! Sorry, Iโve been so forgetful lately. Maybe itโs the cigarettes. They say smoking destroys brain cells, donโt they? Kotone, you absolutely mustnโt start smoking, okay?โ
โHuhโฆโ
It was obvious to anyone watching that she was frantically making up a lie.
It was clear she was hiding something.
But she had no excuse to press the issue any further.
โW-well, see you at school! And make sure to call me Honjo sensei at school, okay?โ
Misaki walked away from Kotone as if fleeing.
She felt something wasnโt quite right, but there was nothing she could do about it.
Anyway, the most important thing right now was going to the summer festival with Daiki.
(Thatโs right, Iโll pretend to run into Daiki by chance.)
Since Hina wasnโt around, she had no choice but to figure it out on her own.
Kotone headed toward the apartment building where Daiki lived.
Kotone had no doubt that if she stayed near the building, sheโd be able to run into Daiki.
(Daiki is the type who goes shopping every day.)
All she had to do was wait.
She ran into him on her way to the bakery near the apartment buildingโand she already had her excuse ready.
Once she saw Daiki, sheโd casually bring up the summer festival, and when he suggested they go, sheโd just say, โI guess I have no choice,โ and agree.
(Daiki must want to go with me, too.)
If I wear a yukata, heโll definitely tell me I look cute, right?
If we hold hands and watch the fireworks this time, Iโll be able to make up for the mistake I made on our last date at the botanical garden.
With those hopes in her heart, Kotone kept waiting just for Daiki, fixing her bangs and adjusting her clothes.
But there was no sign of Daiki at all.
(Thatโs strangeโitโs way past the time heโd usually go shoppingโฆ)
As far as Kotone knew, Daiki wasnโt really a fan of takeout.
He actually quite enjoyed cooking for himself.
As time passed, anxiety began to grow in Kotoneโs chest.
ใโโ
I couldnโt find the words to answer Hinaโs question.
My memories from my third year of junior high were still all too vivid.
How should I put this?โhesitation caught in his throat.
As if reading my mind, Hina squeezed my hand tightly.
โItโs okay. Take your timeโjust talk.โ
โโฆโฆYeah, thanks.โ
I took one deep breath.
Whenever I try to share something Iโve never told anyone, the back of my throat tightens.
Even though I know itโs impossible, the fear wells up inside me that if Hina were to abandon me nowโ
โYou know my parents got divorced, right?โ
โYeah. I think I heard it happened the year before last.โ
โActually, there was a huge fight back then.โ
Itโs common for couples to fight during a divorce.
Or rather, perhaps itโs precisely because they fight that they end up divorcing.
In any case, one of the causes of the conflict wasโ
โOver which parent would get custody of me.โ
It wasnโt simply a matter of each parent asserting their right to custody.
To be precise, it was the exact opposite.
โThey kept pushing me off on each other, saying, โYou take him,โ and โI donโt need someone like him.โโ
Maigetsu