Kapitel 106: The End of the Culture Festival and the After-Party
"I'm so tired…"
Amane let out a big sigh as he listened to the announcement of the end of the
culture festival that was being broadcast throughout the school.
After his parents had left the café, Amane had been teased by his classmates.
He'd had a terrible time. His nerves had already been on edge performing the
unfamiliar customer service role, and as his classmates had their fill of teasing
him, he had built up a lot of exhaustion, more mental than physical.
However, that seemed to be over now, and as the announcement played
again, Amane could feel his shoulders relax.
"All right. Great work, everybody! We were so busy. What a crazy event."
Itsuki checked that there were no more customers and listened to the
announcement again, then with a big grin, gathered up his classmates.
Welcoming the end of the culture festival, which had felt both short and long,
all of the students were wearing expressions full of accomplishment. However,
their exhaustion was also visible, probably because their class had been
slammed from beginning to end.
"First of all, before we start thanking everyone, let's clean up. Honestly,
cleanup is the hardest part, it takes even more work than getting ready. It
sounds like the school is going to pick up the garbage and dispose of it all at
once, so I've been notified that we need to hurry up and collect our trash."
"Ugh."
"Man, what a pain."
The moment the subject of cleanup was raised, it produced a disheartened
and listless mood in his classmates. Smiling wryly at how transparent they were,
Amane switched into cleanup mode, and listened to them talk as he shoved the
trash that had piled up while the café was open into a bag.
"Now, now, if we can just get through this, we can party as much as we want.
And we get the day off tomorrow to make up for it. So hurry up and get to
work."
"You help, too."
"I am working! I'm…directing. Ow, okay fine, don't hit me!"
Itsuki was standing in front of the blackboard with his chest puffed out selfimportantly. Their classmates began to prod him. Itsuki must have been used to
having people poke at him. He cracked a smile and joined in the cleanup effort.
"I'll collect the fees for the party after it's over, okay? Nobody tell me that you
used all your money at the culture festival yesterday and today!"
"Crap, I wonder if I have enough money left."
"You're the one who put your name on the list to participate, didn't you?
Anyone who doesn't have enough cash can borrow from someone else, or get a
loan from me, your choice, but you're not gonna believe the interest, it's a
hundred percent a day!"
"What kind of rip-off is that?!"
"If you don't like it, then hurry up with the cleaning, and I'll cut you a deal on
the interest."
"You better clean, too, Itsuki."
As another classmate smacked him on the shoulder, Itsuki pumped his fist in
the air and encouraged everyone to finish up quickly so they could get to the
party.
Smirking at his friend, Amane tossed lots of used disposable cutlery into his
trash bag. Mahiru was also watching Itsuki as she cleaned alongside him.
"Itsuki's really got a lot of energy, huh?"
"That's just how he is."
"Where's the after-party again?"
"He said he reserved several karaoke rooms. And there's an optional afterparty afterward, too."
The after-party was for the people who had expressed interest in attending in
advance. The year before, Amane had simply not attended, but this year it
wasn't just Itsuki—Mahiru and Chitose would be there too, and he wanted to
deepen his friendship with his other classmates as well. So although he felt a
little shy about it, he had decided to participate.
Honestly, he wasn't good at singing in front of other people, and if possible he
would have preferred to just listen. But Amane knew that Itsuki was likely to
force a microphone into his hand, so he was worried about what was going to
happen.
"I don't really mind staying out a little late," Amane said, "but you know, I
don't handle crowds all that well. I might just go to karaoke and then go home
for the day."
Amane's parents were planning to stay in a hotel for several days, so there
was no need for him to hurry home. He really wouldn't have minded them
staying at his place for just a few nights, but his mother had said, "We would
feel bad getting in the way of your canoodling with sweet Mahiru. Besides, you
wouldn't like it if I snuggled up to Shuuto in your house, now would you?"
So he had taken her at her word, accepting that—although half if it was none
of her business, the other half was welcome consideration—and gladly agreed
with her suggestion.
Also, as far as Amane was concerned, getting teased for the way he normally
spent time with Mahiru was something he'd gotten quite enough of when they
had visited his home over summer break. He had already suffered through it
over and over. If he could avoid going through that again, he wanted to.
"That's my plan, too," Mahiru said. "I've already prepared stuff for dinner
anyway."
"You're so efficient."
"If you want to reduce the amount of work when you get home, that's what
you have to do."
Amane was impressed as Mahiru told him this with a smile, as if it was the
most natural thing in the world. He swore in his heart that he would reach that
level of forethought himself, but first he steeled his resolve to finish the
cleaning that was right there in front of him.
After they finished picking up, Amane and the others were understandably
tired, but they still made it to the party.
Itsuki had reserved three karaoke rooms, so the participants broke into
groups, and each took one room. This was considerate of Itsuki, so that the
people who knew each other well could stick together.
Amane's group obviously included the people he talked to all the time.
Starting with Mahiru, it also included Itsuki and Chitose, Yuuta, Kazuya, and
Makoto, and Ayaka, who he had just recently started talking with.
All the girls seemed somewhat disappointed that Yuuta was in Amane's
group, but they also seemed reassured by the fact that he was in the same
room with girls that already had boyfriends and didn't have their eye on him.
The girls who ended up in the other rooms grinned as they told Amane, "Make
out with Miss Shiina as much as you want, okay?" and Amane answered them
with a scowl.
"All right then, good work everyone!"
Following Itsuki's lead as he raised the cup that he had filled with cider at the
drink bar in a toast, everyone else in the room raised their own cups.
They were far enough apart that it was hard to bump the cups together, so
they ended up just holding that pose for a moment.
After everyone had toasted, Amane took a sip of his melon soda. The unique
flavor and aroma was typical of junk food, something that Amane quite
enjoyed. But when he let Mahiru have a sip of it like she wanted, wrinkles
formed on her brow; it didn't seem to suit her tastes. A big part of that was
probably that she didn't love carbonated drinks.
With tears in her eyes, Mahiru sipped her own oolong tea, and snuggled up
right next to Amane. She probably did that because she was tired, but also, she
must have been anxious about singing karaoke in front of so many people.
"No, but seriously, thanks for all your hard work. This year's VIP is Kido, for
real."
After downing a sip of his cider, Itsuki plunked down into his seat, and nodded
cheerily.
When she heard her name come up, Ayaka flashed an awkward smile as she
took little sips of her water.
"More like the owner of my café. He was so generous to loan us the
costumes…though I was surprised that he had so many to spare."
"I'll have to bring him some treats some time to say thank you."
"It's rare to see you taking something so seriously, Itsuki."
"Chi, how can you be so rude to me? I can be serious sometimes."
"How often?"
"…Like once or twice a year maybe?"
"Wow!"
Watching the people around him break into excited laughter, Amane exhaled
calmly.
Even if these were all people he knew, he somehow didn't feel like saying
anything when there were this many of them. Since he wasn't naturally cheerful
like Itsuki, he didn't have great communication abilities, and unless the
conversation came around to him, he wasn't particularly inclined to join in.
Mahiru was being herself, watching the excitement with a peaceful look on
her face. Lively crowds weren't her cup of tea either, but she also didn't seem
to dislike this situation, and was probably having the most fun watching them
just like this.
"…Why are you sitting back like this has got nothing to do with you, Amane?
Quit making out back there, and you get up here, too."
"I know, I know, I'm coming to you, don't stand up. It's a tight fit in here."
He had gotten them to go ahead and make a little bit of room, but there were
eight people in there, so it was hard to move, and the space felt cramped. If
they wandered around too much, they would be in each other's way, so really
he wished everyone would settle down.
"Mahiruuu, c'mere! Come tease Itsuki."
"No teasing, thank you very much… Miss Shiina, don't tell me you don't like
karaoke?"
"N-no, I wouldn't say I dislike it…"
Mahiru squirmed and made herself smaller, and Chitose gave a knowing,
"Ah," and directed her gaze upward as she continued.
"…Mmm. I bet Mahiru simply doesn't have much of a song repertoire, so she
doesn't want to sing much, that's all. She told me once that the only songs she
listened to were either piano songs, or Western songs with lyrics that would
help with her English language studies."
"Shows how she was raised… That's exactly what I would expect from Miss
Shiina."
"You don't listen to anything with Amane?"
"I'm not really the type to have music playing."
For what it was worth, he did have a sound system sitting in his living room,
but it was basically decoration at this point. He rarely played any music.
That was largely because when he was spending time with Mahiru, the idea of
playing music was the last thing on his mind. Listening to Mahiru's voice was
much more pleasant.
"What about you guys, Makoto?" Chitose asked.
"I pretty much just listen to whatever's popular…"
"I don't listen to much, but my grandma plays the koto, so I've heard a lot of
that."
"That's pretty weird in its own right, though… Which means when it comes to
music—Yuuta?" Itsuki suddenly changed the subject. He shot a clearly
dissatisfied look at the smiling Yuuta. "Why didn't you tell us you were
performing live? If you'd said something, we could have moved our shifts
around in advance, ya big jerk."
It sounded like Itsuki had some complaints about Yuuta secretly performing at
the culture festival. He pounded firmly on the table as he talked, but not hard
enough to spill their drinks.
Makoto seemed bothered by the shaking table, and muttered, "He probably
didn't invite you because you'd make such a fuss."
Yuuta just smiled awkwardly in response to Itsuki's complaints. He didn't look
apologetic in the least. It seemed like he was used to dealing with it.
"I thought you would do that, and that's why I didn't say anything. I didn't
want to make a big thing out of it."
"But Amane and Mahiru saw it! No fair!"
"It's fine, you go to karaoke with me all the time, Itsuki."
"Nuh-uh, I wanted to see you up in the spotlight! There's nothing to do about
it now, so I'll forgive you if you give us a solo performance here."
"Wha…?"
Yuuta frowned awkwardly at the unreasonable demand. Then he made eye
contact with Amane.
Amane had a bad feeling about it, so he had been averting his eyes as best he
could, and now he could see Yuuta grinning at him from across the room.
"All right, I think I'll drag Fujimiya down with me then."
"Why me?!"
"Because it's karaoke, which means singing in front of everyone, right? That
doesn't change if we sing together; there's no difference."
"Oh, suddenly we've got more singers for the live show! That's great, the
more the merrier."
Itsuki cheered, figuring that Yuuta would sing with more energy if Amane was
with him.
Chitose, Ayaka, and the others seemed to be excited as well, and they were
shouting enthusiastically, half teasing and half encouraging them.
Amane wasn't enthusiastic about the idea of singing a duet with someone
who was a great singer, so he looked at Mahiru, searching for help—
"I don't think I've ever really heard Amane singing before. Now I'm finally
getting the chance, so…"
She was clearly on Itsuki's side, so with a shrug of his shoulders, Amane
grumbled, "I'll get you guys for this later." And gave in as he reached for the
microphone that was lying on the table.
In all the excitement, Amane ended up being pushed into singing many songs
by the partygoers around him, and by the time he was done with all the
requests, he was worn out.
Yuuta, who had been singing with him, still looked composed. He definitely
had better endurance.
"Good job, you were great!"
There was more of a sparkle in Mahiru's eye than usual as she welcomed
Amane back to his seat with a gentle smile, so he could tell she was in a party
mood, too.
"…You were really getting into it, Mahiru."
"I—I mean…you looked cool while you were singing, so…"
"Thanks for saying so. All right then, you're up next."
"Huh?"
"Chitoseee? I'm lending you Mahiru, so sing something with her next!"
Amane shouted to Chitose, offering his cheerful girlfriend up as the next
victim.
Chitose got a suspicious look in her eye when Amane called out to her, but
when she heard what he said, she smiled with satisfaction and gave him a
happy answer.
"Leave it to me!"
"Wait, what?"
"You enjoyed watching me, so now I want to enjoy hearing you sing."
"Th-that's—"
"If Chitose picks the song, you'll probably know it, too, so there's no problem,
no problem at all."
"Y-yes, that's true…Chi-Chitoseee!"
"Come on now, prepare yourself, Mahiru. One way or another, we're all
gonna sing and have a good time."
Chitose was all fired up. She pulled Mahiru up by the hand, and Amane waved
and watched her go.
Mahiru gave him an angry look, but Amane had already gone down this road,
so he thought she should accept it gracefully.
Everything is an experience, he thought keenly, nodding as he gazed at
Mahiru being handed a microphone and panicking. He was narrowing his eyes
in satisfaction, when Yuuta, who was sitting beside him, picked up a french fry
with a wry smile.
"Aren't you worried she's going to get revenge on you later?"
"The most she's going to do is smack me a bunch."
That was a kind of revenge, but it was an adorable revenge, so he would
willingly accept it just to see Mahiru's reaction.
Yuuta shrugged at Amane, who was acting unbothered. Then Yuuta stared
spellbound up at Mahiru, who had begun singing despite her panic.
Except for swimming, Mahiru could do almost anything well, and singing was
no exception. She sounded great. The song that she had chosen, a quiet
Japanese number, was just right. The song was extremely pleasant being sung
in her clear voice, and everyone stopped chatting to listen.
Amane found himself smiling. Her voice seemed like it would put anyone to
sleep if they could get her to sing a lullaby at night.
Chitose was accompanying Mahiru. Her mellow voice sounded good, too.
Actually, given that she was more accustomed to singing, Chitose knew the
lyrics better than Mahiru, and her intonation was a better fit for the music. In
terms of skill, Chitose was probably the better of the two.
She had a truly satisfied look on her face, and she probably wasn't going to let
Mahiru go, even after the song was over.
Well, despite what she said, Mahiru also seems to be enjoying herself, so that
wouldn't be so bad.
Even her forsaken, unhappy expression had been replaced by an
embarrassed, but gentle smile.
Mahiru, who had apparently never experienced karaoke with a large group
like this, looked like she was enjoying it greatly at the moment, which was also
satisfying for Amane.
"…Come to think of it, did you two say you were going home after karaoke?"
As Amane was gazing peacefully at Mahiru holding the microphone, Yuuta,
who had come over to sit next to him, whispered a question in a quiet voice
that only Amane could hear.
"Yeah. Even with me here, it's dangerous for her to walk outside after it gets
too late, and Mahiru has already gotten everything ready for dinner, so we're
going."
"Wow, it kind of sounds like you're already living together, seriously."
"Shut up."
Mahiru went back to her own apartment to sleep, change clothes, and use
the bath, but otherwise she was pretty much always in Amane's apartment.
The fact that this had become normal for him, and that he didn't feel any
discomfort with it, showed just how integrated Mahiru had become into
Amane's life.
"So that means that when this karaoke session is over, we'll lose the two of
you. Got it. The other folks are probably going to be upset about that, but I
guess that's how it's gotta be."
"You mean there are people who will be disappointed that Mahiru's not
around, surely."
"Ah-ha-ha, you never think about yourself, do you?"
Smiling wryly, Yuuta prodded Amane in the shoulder, and Amane elbowed
him in the side in response, making the point that he was not as big of a
presence as Mahiru or Yuuta.
Recently, some of his classmates had been opening up to him, but that didn't
mean that he was as popular as the two of them, and if anyone regretted his
absence, he was sure it would only be because he was part of a set with
Mahiru.
For some reason, their classmates had been warmly watching over them, and
he had a feeling that was the cause.
"That's because in a way, you're treated like a set, to the point where if
someone mentions Fujimiya, they just naturally end up talking about Miss
Shiina, too. But I think there are quite a few people in our class who also like
you for your personality, Fujimiya. Once people talk to you, they see that you're
surprisingly approachable and very kind."
"I'm glad to hear there are people who think so highly of me. But, for today,
we're just going to go home."
"Ah-ha-ha, if your plans are already set, then there's no helping it. But I hope
you have another chance to hang out and have fun with everybody from class."
"Yeah, me too."
Even Amane, who wasn't particularly good at hanging out with other people,
felt that it was important to build connections with his classmates like this after
making it through the culture festival, and he'd had fun doing it, too.
Still, he wouldn't want it to become a frequent thing. But occasionally doing
something for fun with their classmates wasn't so bad. The fact that he had
come around to thinking that way was probably one of the greatest returns on
his investment in this culture festival.
Even he was amazed by his attitude, which would have been unthinkable just
a year earlier. Feeling tickled by this realization, Amane smiled gently back at
Yuuta, who was smiling at him.
"Hey, so, Amane?"
Amane had finished his drink and was standing in front of the drink bar
wondering what to have next, when Itsuki came up and addressed him in a
somewhat stiff tone of voice.
His voice was quiet enough that it was nearly drowned out by the music
playing in the karaoke studio, but Amane could hear him perfectly clearly, and
he sensed that Itsuki's expression was tense.
"What's up?"
The difference in Itsuki's demeanor from a moment earlier when he had been
cheerfully livening the place up told Amane what he was about to ask, but even
so, Amane deliberately answered no differently than he usually would.
"Listen man, today, after I took Chi away, what did you talk about with my
dad?"
"…It's kind of hard to say exactly. He didn't really say anything bad about you
two or anything. He just met my parents and then we chatted a little, that's all."
"Yeah? Here I was thinking that my dad definitely said something weird."
"You don't have much faith in your father, do you? …I don't really know how
to put this, but I don't think he did anything that you should be worried about."
As he filled his cup with rattling ice cubes, Amane affected a gentle tone,
trying his best not to put any unnecessary emotion into his voice.
If he fussed over it too much, Itsuki would just laugh and hide everything
away, so Amane stubbornly maintained a certain level of distance, having no
choice but to address things in a flat tone.
Trying his best not to seem too concerned, Amane pushed the button for
melon soda, filling his transparent cup with a vivid green. The clinking noise of
the ice and the sound of fizzing bubbles did a little to relieve the heavy silence
that had fallen over them.
Realizing that his melon soda, which he had filled to the brim, might spill
before he got it back to the room, Amane slowly brought the cup to his lips and
drank a little. It was refreshing and sweet, and as he sipped it, it tickled his
throat. He narrowed his eyes a little at the sensation, then smiled at Itsuki, who
was standing there silently.
"Well, when it comes to your situation at home, and the bad blood between
Chitose and your father…what I mean is, I don't know exactly what made him
reject her like that. But I do think it's better for the two of you to be together, it
just wouldn't feel right if you weren't… I get the feeling that you wouldn't make
it without Chitose, and I hope that everything goes right for you two. I can't
imagine the two of you ever being apart."
He wasn't sure if the cold feeling of the drink going down his throat was
helping him keep his cool, but he was aware that he was being
uncharacteristically encouraging, and he felt his cheeks heat up a little.
However, he felt like he had to say at least that much, so he had gone ahead
and said it.
After quietly listening to Amane talk, Itsuki screwed his face up like he was
about to cry for a second, then put on a smile that was both impish and bashful,
to try to hide it.
"What's with you?"
"Nothing, it's just, like, kinda embarrassing."
"Well, who made me say it?"
"Bwa-ha-ha, me, I guess. It's because I started such a bummer of a
conversation."
Amane didn't say a thing about the expression that had crossed Itsuki's face a
second earlier, he just made a jab at his friend like always, keeping things light.
Itsuki seemed relieved.
As soon as Amane had noticed that Itsuki didn't have an empty cup in his
hand, he'd figured out that he'd come to the drink bar to talk to him.
Empty-handed, Itsuki leaned against the studio wall, and Amane stood next to
him rattling his cup.
After all, the girls were sure to be having fun for a while. It wouldn't cause any
trouble if Amane and Itsuki were gone for a little bit.
After a brief silence, Itsuki slowly opened his mouth. "…I more or less know
what my dad wanted to say, you know? And I also know the reason why he
hates Chi."
Amane had been listening to the music faintly spilling out from the other
rooms as he waited quietly for Itsuki to speak.
"Is it something that I can ask you about?"
"Oh, I can tell you."
"Okay."
Amane was glad that he wasn't going to have to pry for an explanation.
Itsuki looked at him in amusement, smiled and shrugged. "I'm just guessing
now, but I think the reason dad hates Chi has something to do with my
brother."
"Oh yeah, you've got an older brother, don't you?"
Itsuki didn't like to talk about his own family much. However, Amane had
heard that he had an adult older brother, and that the two of them didn't get
along.
"Sure do. He's eight years older than me, so he's already an adult. For better
or worse, he's nothing like me. He's serious, and straightforward, and sincere,
and he was my father's pride and joy."
"…Was?"
"I entered my rebellious phase early, but he had his after he was an adult, you
see."
Itsuki told him this frankly, and without emotion, and yet there was a smile in
his voice. He looked at Amane and asked, "You must have had some idea,
Amane?"
Itsuki continued, "My family lineage is, well, as you've guessed, it's a pretty
notable bloodline. Meaning that my father gave us a real proper upbringing, so
that we wouldn't bring shame to the family."
"…From what I've heard about how you were raised in the past, I assumed
your brother got the same treatment."
"Except he was even stricter with my brother than he was with me. My
brother got saddled with the expectation that he would be the family heir, and
he was raised with that in mind. It suited my brother's nature just fine, and at
the time, he apparently didn't have any reservations about it."
Itsuki claimed that his older brother had originally been a levelheaded,
serious, diligent person. Then he let Amane see a hint of a sour smile.
"But, once he grew up and went out into the world, one day he realized
something. He wondered why he was living such a regimented life, and why he
didn't get to do anything he want to do, ya know?"
"And?"
"I don't think that everything our father did while raising us was wrong, and I
know that he cares for us in his own way. And I think that he really doted on me
and my brother, much more than our workaholic mother, who was really
distant and basically never paid attention to anything we did."
It certainly seemed like Itsuki had hardly ever seen his mother, since he never
really talked about her much. But as far as Amane had seen, Itsuki's father
cared about his son and was trying to have a relationship with him.
"Even so, my brother realized that he was just following the path that our
parents had decided for him, and that he had never decided a single thing for
himself. Around that time, he met someone he liked… Well, she's his wife now,
but anyway, he met that person, and for the first time, my brother defied my
father. 'I'm marrying this woman! If you don't approve, I won't be your
successor!' he said."
"…And I'm guessing that this brother of yours is now…?"
Amane realized that although he had been aware that Itsuki had an older
brother, he had never actually seen him at the Akazawa house. But now that he
thought about it, it was strange that the oldest son was never there if he was
supposed to inherit the place.
"Right, right. After all these twists and turns, my brother and his wife live
somewhere else, for now. They left while I was in middle school. Tentatively, for
now at least, my brother has agreed to be my father's heir, and my brother and
his wife are living separately until I'm an adult and can leave the house. But no
one knows when he might change his mind, so dad is always anxious about it.
And so—I'm backing up here—but when the time comes, if my brother refuses
to inherit the estate, then it becomes a question of what Dad will do. The first
choice is obviously gonna be to push the burden down to his second son."
Itsuki's tone told Amane that he found the whole thing bothersome. But even
Amane could have predicted how things would turn out.
Somebody had to inherit the family estate that had been passed down for
generation after generation, so if the eldest son wouldn't take it, and there was
a second son, the natural course of events was that that second son would be
selected as the heir.
"Even though we were always disciplined more strictly than other kids, dad
put even more intense pressure on my brother about this one thing. And until I
met Chi, I'll say this about myself now, I felt like I had to be some top-rate honor
student and all-around goody-two-shoes."
"…I can't even imagine."
"Compared to how I am now, I was a totally different guy."
Itsuki was smiling foolishly, but Amane also knew that at heart, he was an
honest person.
Itsuki acted the way that he did on purpose. Amane knew that his friend was
brilliant enough to do most anything if he put his mind to it, but the version of
Itsuki that other people saw was a laid-back, freewheeling, optimistic person.
And Itsuki himself was pleased with how he conducted himself these days and
wasn't inclined to change.
"Well, once I met Chi, I entered my rebellious phase, just like my brother, and
that sent my dad into a panic once he realized his predicament."
"…Because if you leave, too, then the family line is in danger, right?"
"Right, exactly. And on top of that, well…when she came to meet my father, I
mean, she was the same Chi that you know now. It was like she reminded him
of my brother's wife in some way, and…that, he said, he could never accept."
From Daiki's point of view, his second son's new girlfriend resembled the
woman who had swept in and turned his favored eldest son away from the
proper path. It probably felt almost like a kind of trauma from his perspective.
Amane could understand how that would be difficult for Daiki to accept. But
that didn't make it okay for him to equate the two.
"So, that's one of the major reasons why Dad can't accept Chi. And the other
one is…because I got hurt standing up for her, probably."
"…You got hurt?"
"Yeah, I bet Yuuta and them didn't tell you anything about this. Even I don't
talk about it, because I don't want Chi to feel guilty. Ah, you don't have to worry
about it, okay? It wasn't a serious injury or anything."
Itsuki was purposefully keeping a mild demeanor as he talked, so that he
wouldn't upset Amane. He gave an exaggerated shrug to express his
exasperation.
"Yeah, I think you know about all the stuff that happened with the fighting in
the track and field club, and that upperclassman in the club falling for me. But
later, after me and Chi started dating, that same upperclassman came after Chi
again. I saw her take a swing, and I didn't want Chi to get hurt again, so I
stepped in and, well, I kinda wound up being the one who got hurt instead."
Itsuki was speaking in a lighthearted tone, but Amane couldn't help but feel
that it was a pretty outrageous way to get involved. But still, it sounded like, to
Itsuki, it was all in the past, and he maintained his lighthearted smile.
"It really wasn't that bad of an injury, but since it happened at school, you
know, it became a whole thing and they had to call my parents. So my dad
found out about it, and it cemented his attitude toward Chi even more… He saw
her as the cause of a lot of unnecessary trouble for his son."
There was something faintly bitter in Itsuki's voice as he said this last part, but
his lighthearted tone didn't change, which made it all the more evident how
resentful and worried he was. The more personal something was, the harder
Itsuki tried not to show any weakness to others.
As far as Amane had heard, it frankly didn't seem like this was something
Chitose could have done anything about.
Sure, it was obvious that Daiki and Chitose had somewhat incompatible
personalities, but the other cause of their conflict was much larger.
Chitose had gotten caught up in the antagonism between Daiki, Itsuki's older
brother, and his older brother's wife. Then someone had committed an act of
jealousy against Chitose, a crime that she couldn't have done anything to
prevent.
Amane didn't blame Chitose for trying, but no amount of effort could turn
things around unless they dealt with the underlying issue.
"So it's not a question of Chi not trying hard enough; not really, I don't think.
Sure, it's true that Chi has never measured up in my dad's eyes, but it goes
without saying that he and I are really to blame. The only reason we're in this
mess is because I've been doing what I want without actually facing up to my
father."
"Have you talked to Chitose about this?"
"Nope. What I just told you is all my own speculation, but even so, I can't
explain that to Chi. Even setting aside the thing about her being compared to
my brother's wife, if I dug up the injury thing again, it would definitely hurt her.
She'd say it was because of her. That it was her fault… I don't wanna hear her
say those things."
"…Ah."
"Chi's not to blame. So, I can't accept the way my dad treats her. Me getting
hurt was my responsibility, it had nothing to do with her. I just didn't follow
through, that's all. I didn't beat the snot out of that upperclassman… I wonder if
I should have done something, for her sake."
Itsuki seemed to spit that last part out, releasing a lot of pent-up emotion. But
then he looked Amane in the eye and said, "Don't look so worried man." And
flashed one of his usual droll smiles. "Anyway, keep this a secret, would you?
Though I don't guess you wouldn't want to do anything that might make Chi
stop smiling, either."
"Of course not."
"Mm-hmm. That's why you're my best friend, Amane."
In a way, Itsuki was forcing himself to act cheerful, and Amane chuckled
quietly and accepted his words.
"What, you're not gonna argue?" Itsuki prodded.
"…Do you want me to?"
"Aw, c'mon, don't say that. I'll go ahead and gladly take your silence to mean
that you agree."
"Well, I definitely didn't agree…"
"Would you quit yankin' me around?! Come on, pal!"
"Shut up. Don't shout right in my ear."
"Lame!"
They didn't want to go back to the party room in a gloomy mood, so Itsuki
found his typical raucous voice and cheerful face, and Amane fell back into his
own serious demeanor again. It was like nothing had happened, despite what
they had shared.
Amane silently marveled at the way that Itsuki could instantly make it look
like he wasn't hiding a thing. Amane also chuckled as if nothing was out of the
ordinary, and followed his friend back to the room where everyone else was
partying.
By then, his melon soda was already flat, but nobody noticed.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein