The Love of My Childhood Friend, Who Has Overcome a Terminally Ill Diagnosis, Is Overwhelming
It’s been a few days since Kanade declared war on me.
Even though she’d declared war, we started studying together after school to help each other improve our grades.
“Kanade, how about we go to karaoke together today?”
“Sorry, Kadokura. I have to study again today.”
“Oh, that’s too bad.”
Before exam season started, Kanade would occasionally hang out with Kadokura and the others after school, but during exam season, she seemed completely absorbed in her studies.
Well, as far as that goes, I do think Kadokura and the others should skip karaoke and study during exam season.
I don’t know what Kadokura and the others’ academic abilities are like… but if they keep this up, their future looks pretty bleak, doesn’t it?
“You’re looking down on people, aren’t you, Hagiwara-kun?”
“Oh. Isn’t this Takagaki-san, who hasn’t been talking to me at all lately?”
“What’s with that? That tone of yours sounds like a manga narrator casually introducing a character who’s been absent for a while.”
Takagaki-san let out a sigh.
Is she still spending all her time studying, as usual? She doesn’t look too well.
“……So. Where…… Ah, it’s Kadokura and the others.”
Takagaki sat down in the seat next to me and opened her textbook.
I guess her reason for coming over was probably to ask me how to solve a problem she didn’t understand, but…… she seems to have enough time to make small talk first.
“Yeah.”
“……Cheating?”
“Cheating?”
“Did you switch from Ichinose-san?”
“Hahaha. Switch or no switch, Kanade and I aren’t even dating.”
“Die.”
Hahaha. Well, well. Takagaki-san’s jokes are as edgy as ever!
“So, why were you looking at Kadokura-san and the others?”
“Ah. I was thinking, ‘They have time to go to karaoke even though it’s exam season?’”
“……”
“Well, um… I don’t know. I mean, they’re Kanade’s friends, right? It’s a bit of a problem for me, too. Having Kanade’s friends be delinquents.”
“Are you her parent or something?”
“It’d be a problem if they talked her into committing a crime, wouldn’t it?”
“Did I say you were her parent?”
“Kanade has such a kind personality. …I just wish she’d be more careful about who she hangs out with.”
“I said, are you her parent?”
Takagaki let out a deep sigh. It felt deeper than the Mariana Trench. She must be going through a tough life.
“Well. If you don’t want Ichinose to get into trouble, wouldn’t Kadokura and her friends be the perfect friends for her?”
“Huh?”
“…Kadokura and her friends are in the top ten in their class.”
“…Huh?”
That means…
“…It means they rank higher than you.”
“You’re really rubbing it in from every angle today. If I weren’t the one getting tutoring from you, I’d have cut you off completely.”
“Sorry. …I just get on edge during exam periods.”
“…Come to think of it, during the last exam period, we hurled some pretty awful insults at each other, didn’t we?”
Takagaki-san said it as if it were something that happened a long time ago.
…To be honest, I still hold a grudge over quite a few of the insults she hurled at me back then.
“Well. This time, we’ve made a proper gentlemen’s agreement and are pushing each other to improve, so let’s call it a day on the trash talk.”
“You’re right. …Sorry.”
“No, don’t worry about it.”
After showing me how to solve the problem, Takagaki-san quickly got up from her seat.
“See ya.”
“You’re leaving already? If you’re going to be here anyway, wouldn’t it be okay to study together a little longer?”
“Is that okay?”
“Huh?”
“We’re keeping things peaceful because we made a gentlemen’s agreement, but I’m in the middle of exams too, so I’m actually pretty on edge inside.”
“……Ah.”
In other words, she’s saying that if we rivals stay together any longer, we’ll end up fighting again.
“Also… Ichinose-san is staring at us from the classroom door, and it’s kind of creepy, so I’ll call it a day for today.”
“Huh?”
When I looked in the direction Takagaki-san was pointing… I noticed Kanade peeking at us from behind the classroom door.
“U, ufufu.”
Having been spotted by us, Kanade approached, her indoor shoes squeaking with every step.
“Were you guys studying together? A-kun. …A-ya-ka-chan.”
“N-no, not at all…”
Takagaki’s voice was trembling.
Huh. Did Kanade used to call Takagaki by her first name?
She’d been giving her gifts, so maybe they’d become friends without me realizing it?
“W-well, I’m going to head out now.”
“Ah… I was hoping we could all study together since we’re here…”
Kanade looked dejected.
It seemed she’d been secretly waiting for the right moment to invite Takagaki-san and me to study.
“Should we head home, too?”
“Yeah.”
We decided to make our way home.
“The exams finally start tomorrow, huh?”
Kanade said to me on the train ride home.
“Yeah.”
“…You haven’t forgotten about our competition, have you?”
“Of course not.”
“…Muu. You seem pretty confident.”
“Not at all.”
During exam season, I’d seen Kanade’s academic level up close. Needless to say, she’s not someone I can take lightly.
“…To be honest, I feel like I’m going to throw up.”
“So, don’t throw up on the train, okay?”
“Right before exams, I’m always like this. …Even so, I’m actually pretty desperate every time.”
“…I see.”
Kanade looked down.
“Doesn’t it ever break your spirit?”
Then, Kanade asked me.
“No, it doesn’t.”
I answered immediately.
“…Is it for studying abroad in France?”
“That’s part of it. …To be honest, though, that’s not the only reason.”
Of course, that is a reason… but more than that, I’m pushing myself for a much simpler reason.
“I don’t want to lose.”
The scenery outside the train window… flowed by.
“I… know that I’m powerless. I know that I’m a helpless being who couldn’t even save the girl I cared about, and who just kept crying and wailing.”
“……”
“That’s why I won’t spare any effort. Because I believe that if I don’t spare any effort, this time I’ll finally be able to save what’s important to me.”
“…Akkun.”
“That’s why I don’t want to lose. I’m the smartest. I’m the one who works harder than anyone else. I’m the one… working hardest toward my dream. I want to reaffirm that through this test.”
“…I see.”
Kanade’s smile was gentle.
“Kanade, let’s both do our best tomorrow.”
“Yeah.”
And so, we wished each other good luck for the exams starting the next day.
…And then, the day of the exams arrived.
“Good morning.”
Morning homeroom.
“Ichinose will be absent today due to illness.”
Maiasa