After stopping by the classroom and grabbing the cardboard boxes I had brought with me that morning, I walked through the school building to the road leading to the Keyaki Mall. I eventually came to a place with benches for students to take a rest. There were no stalls on this side, and of course no students or guests were to be seen.
As I approached, I naturally came into their line of sight.
"How did you find this place, Kiyopon?
Haruka was sitting on a bench, and Akito was standing nearby, staring at me.
"I know you and Airi used to chat around here after school."
Reports were coming in that Haruka and Akito have been walking all over the school all day today. And after all that, they must have chosen this place as their stopping point "Quite the former Ayanokōji group. Correct."
Haruka greeted me without a smile and immediately continued.
"What are you doing here? I thought I wasn't interrupting the festival?"
"Maybe you're right, you're not interfering. But you haven't been cooperating with us either."
"That's true."
"I feel bad for you. No, I feel bad for the class." Akito, who hadn't shown up since this morning, apologized.
"No matter. I know what you're thinking when you're standing by Haruka's side."
"Let's not worry about that, let's get you to answer my question."
"What are you doing here? The maid café is more successful than you can imagine, and we are short of maids."
"Hmmm… well, maybe things would have been a little different if Airi had
been there. I would have been there too, so you wouldn't have been short two people."
"In that case, Kushida wouldn't be here, and it would've been a much more dire situation."
"You responded to sarcasm with sarcasm."
"I'm just stating the facts."
In Haruka's contentious style, words tended to be exchanged. It was obvious that this was a way to irritate me.
"Can you lend me your hand for the last hour?"
"You know the answer to that. Persuasion is pointless."
"Yes, it is. If there was a condition, it would be that I bring back Airi."
Of course, that was impossible.
"Well, let's just hear what I have to say. I'm sure you're wondering what this is all about."
I put the cardboard box in my hands on the ground.
"I want you to open this box."
Haruka only raised her eyebrows in suspicion.
"What are you trying to do now? I'm sorry, but I don't want to get involved in anything strange."
With that, Haruka pulled out an envelope from her pocket. The white envelope was handwritten with the words, "Withdrawal Letter."
"You're not surprised, are you?"
"I knew there was a good chance you would quit after the festival. And you're planning to go out with her, aren't you, Akito?"
"Ah."
Akito also pulled out an envelope marked with the same withdrawal form.
"That's great, Kiyopon. I guess that's why you were able to expel Airi with apathy."
As she spoke, her gaze did not turn to me. She was simply staring into the void. It was as if she was talking from some other dimension, separating herself from the world.
"This is the festival that Airi was looking forward to. The cultural festival was supposed to be a big stage for her to change herself and take a big step forward."
She closed her eyes in frustration and slammed her fist on the spot she sat.
"I decided to see it through to the end. I decided to watch the whole thing on her behalf."
"I did indeed expel Airi. I also used my heterosexual feelings to handle the situation. I'm not going to say I wasn't at fault for that."
"She needed me. And Kiyopon needed the Ayanokōji group. How do you think she feels like now that the person she loved expelled her from school? Have you ever thought about it?"
"What would that type of person look like? What would she be thinking about? Tell me exactly what she'd be thinking. I don't understand."
Haruka's emotions were pushed forward, perhaps annoyed at my lack of understanding.
"Of course she'd cry all the time! All the time! She'd be so frustrated, sad, and bitter that she sits in the corner of her room and thinks back to her happy school days. Can't you see that?"
"Is that the Airi you see?"
"Not just what I see. That's the kind of girl she is! Why can't you understand that?!" She spewed out her anger, not loud, but obvious.
"Kiyopon is really the same! You just don't want to face reality. You just don't want to think about Airi, who is miserable because you're the one who drove her out of school!"
Haruka decided that I was just running away.
"I'm sorry, but I don't even think that way. It's none of my business what happens to the students who dropout. It's just a waste of my time to think about it."
Knowing that she would be upset, I just stated the facts. Naturally, this greatly irritated Haruka.
"You're filthy and disgusting." Haruka spat out those words and slowly got up from the bench. "I asked myself, how could Airi ever fall in love with such a ruthless man?" Haruka slowly walked up to me. She came close enough to reach out her hand. "I can't stand talking to you any longer, why don't you just die with me?" Saying this, she thrusted the expulsion letter at me.
Will you die with me? The devil's invitation.
Her words, which seemed to cause déjà vu, brought back memories of the past.
"Kiyopon is attracting attention in a bad way because he got Airi expelled from school. And it's not like you have a strong desire to graduate in Class A, is it?
If that's the case, why not just quit?"
Relationships can easily fall apart over a single thing. Until recently, no one could have imagined that this conversation would take place between me and Haruka.
"It's fine that you want me to withdraw from school, but it doesn't make sense to me. I can't help but be bothered by the fact that Airi is being forced to go along with your self-serving fantasies."
"What? What are you trying to say?"
"I'm just saying that you don't seem to understand how Airi feels. It's really conceited."
"I understand her better than anyone else, and you don't want to admit that!"
"Don't get cocky, Haruka."
"What did you just say?"
Akito, who had mistakenly thought she was going to be attacked, stepped in front of Haruka and extended his left hand as if to defend her.
"I was just a little surprised. I'm fine, so move aside, Akito."
Haruka could not sense the danger that Akito instinctively sensed. Still wary of me, Akito lowered his left hand and stepped back a little.
"What do you mean, 'conceited'? What are you talking about, Kiyopon?"
"I'm just saying that you shouldn't speculate on Airi's feelings and give convenient answers on her behalf; only Airi knows what she's thinking and what she really feels."
"It's Kiyopon who doesn't understand. Do you think she didn't mind being expelled?"
"Surely she must have despaired at that moment. But how do you know how she feels now?"
"You can understand if you just imagine it for a moment."
"No, you can't. In your mind, Airi must be having a hard time right now."
"What about it?"
"The hard part isn't that Airi was expelled. It's the disappearance of an existence that was convenient for you. You wanted to be there for Airi, who is inferior to you, and play the role of a protector. You loved the sense of superiority and satisfaction you got from that."
"Of course not! You don't even remember how we used to be!" She strongly denied it, but I could see a slight wavering in his eyes.
"I'm thinking about how she feels right now… I-!"
"Are you really thinking about her?"
"I'm thinking about her a lot!"
In an exchange that could be described as a parallel line, only Haruka's heart wavers violently.
"I don't know what the truth is."
"There's no way to confirm such a thing directly with the person in question in this situation!"
"There's certainly no way to find out for sure in person. But here's a hint.
Here's a cardboard box. This is most likely what you need right now."
"What? I don't get it. That's not what I need."
"Even if this is the last message that Airi left you?"
"What?"
Haruka, who had been all bullish up until now, opened her eyes in shock with Akito standing behind her.
"No way. Kiyopon prepared this box, didn't he?"
"On the day that Airi's expulsion was decided, she went through the steps to ship a package to me. I think it was because she realized what she had to do in that limited time."
Haruka's gaze fell to the cardboard box at her feet.
"If you look at the sender, you can tell that I didn't prepare this for you, can't you?"
Haruka crouched down and looked at the slip attached to the cardboard.
There was my name on it as the recipient and the name of the online store as the sender. I myself did not know about this until I received and searched it.
I noticed that Haruka was reaching out and trying hard to roll up the edges of the duct tape with her fingertips. After several attempts, she finally succeeded in peeling it off. Then the cardboard box was opened.
Inside was a maid's uniform.
"This is..."
Haruka must have known what it meant.
"I was supposed to wear it... Airi and I were supposed to wear it together...
Why...?"
"She realized that there was a possibility that you would stop and not participate in the festival. That's why this was supposed to be delivered to you, to prevent that from happening, wasn't it?"
"A-ai..." Haruka muttered looking down at the uniform.
"At least I can sense Airi's strong feelings from this message. It doesn't seem like she's just sad. How about you, Haruka?"
"Airi... Airi!"
Haruka took out the maid's uniform from the cardboard box and hugged it to her chest. She sobbed with tears welling up in her eyes.
"I wanted to do the festival with her. I wanted to push her shyness back and see her unveil it to Kiyopon!"
It's not extravagant at all, but I lamented over the scenery I was supposed to be able to see in the near future.
I hope Haruka will now understand and look forward to the future.
But….
"This is... different..."
Wiping her tears with the sleeve of her uniform, Haruka stood up and denied it.
"No?"
"It's not something she prepared for me because she wants me to participate in the festival."
I'm not sure how much I can change things so easily.
"She was just frustrated. She sent it to Kiyopon with resentment, saying that I really could have worn it to the festival. I'm sure that's how it must have been."
How one interpreted this maid's outfit was left to one's own interpretation, and since Airi did not leave a specific message, not everything that was convenient for us was true.
"It is, isn't it? If it was really meant for me to wear, it should have been sent to me. But the reason why it was addressed to Kiyopon was because it has another meaning, no?"
It was interesting to see the difference in viewpoints, and I certainly couldn't rule out that possibility. Was it possible that she was harassing the person who expelled her from school? Interesting.
"Wait Haruka, I think that's a little different."
Akito interjected for the first time here.
"No, it's not. Yes, yes! Even this package may have been a staged act prepared by Kiyopon!"
"The reason she sent the last memento to Kiyotaka and not you is because she wanted you to have a chance to get to know each other again, right?"
If it had been delivered directly to Haruka, and if she had received the gift honestly, then, I would never have had the chance to make contact with her.
"No, absolutely not!"
"I was a member of the Ayanokōji group too, and I know that Airi would have thought so."
"No, no!" Haruka turned, grabbing Akito by the chest.
"Don't take things as you will! Don't try to make things convenient and forgive Kiyopon!"
"That's not what I meant..."
"Even if that were the case, she was deprived of her precious place in the world! That's not going to change that fact! I won't accept a friendship based on
sacrifice!"
"But whatever anyone's fantasy is, it has no effect on the person in question.
What matters is where and what Airi is actually doing right now, isn't that the point?"
"I know. So, I'm leaving school to find out. I'm going to be there for that girl!"
As soon as she completed her revenge against the class, she would go to see Airi herself. Voluntarily withdrawing from school is also convenient for Haruka.
"You're being too loud. Even here, if you're not subtle, you'll receive a lot of attention, won't you?"
Those calm and cold words pierced through her anger Kushida was a character I never thought I'd see here. Dressed as a maid, which was out of place in this tense atmosphere, she slowly approached.
"Is everything alright at the store?"
"We just had a change of customers, so we have a little time."
I don't know if that's true or not, but I'm guessing she didn't just slip out unannounced. Kushida's "It's okay" look told me that everything's fine.
"What are you doing here?"
Haruka and I were wondering the same thing.
"What am I doing here? Ayanokōji-kun told me that Hasebe-san and Miyake-kun might be planning to leave the school."
Haruka's gaze turned toward me for a moment, but then quickly turned back to Kushida.
"Kushida-san was the cause. If you had been against the expulsion from the beginning, you would have-"
"Sorry, but I don't regret my choice at the time now. That incident was a stain on me, but at the same time, it was an opportunity for me to open a new path."
"I'm going to tell the class that not leaving behind Kushida-san was a mistake."
"If you want to leave the school, do whatever you want."
"Kushida-san you said yourself that the only way left for you was to graduate in class A. That's the only reason why you keep putting up with an uncomfortable class that you don't get along with. So, I'm going to take that away from you."
"Maybe your revenge against me will work. But is that what's important? I don't think Sakura-san would want that."
"Don't say the same thing as Kiyopon. What do any of you know about
Airi?"
"I don't know, but I do know that she's a lot less shy than you think."
"What?"
It seemed to me that this was just a figure of speech - but I wondered if there was any basis for it. The fact that she showed up here also raised a question.
"Sakura-san was weak. That's why she was expelled."
"How can you say that? It's the same with you, you were greatly embarrassed and lost."
"It's true that I lost too. I admit that I was weak. But it is also true that Sakura-san was the same. No, she was weaker than me, and that's why she was expelled."
In fact, Horikita decided that Kushida would be a better and more useful ally than Airi. And at the festival, she lived up to those expectations and played an active role. Of course, there was no question that Airi would have been more popular if she had been able to attend the festival. However, excellent customer service skills and the ability to talk with adults you don't know don't come overnight. This was an area that Airi could not fill. Prior to that, Kushida performed well on the second semester midterm exam, placing in the top half of the class. So far, this is a matter that can be said to have definitely contributed.
"That girl was definitely weak... that's why I wanted to protect her..."
"Wanted to protect her? You're being very high and mighty, aren't you? So, I'm not the only one who thinks she'll always be weak."
"You've got to be kidding me."
"I'm not kidding."
Kushida was not bothered by Haruka's verbal abuse. Perhaps it was because of her experience, but she clearly had a toughness that set her apart from the average student.
"Ayanokōji-kun, can you take a look at this?" Kushida took her eyes off Haruka and turned them to me. "Every day I sought the secrets of others. I was hungry for secrets. I have always believed that it would make me more valuable.
And Sakura-san is no exception to that."
Whoever the subject was, if there was an opportunity available to Kushida, it was covered. People can pay attention to what they were interested in, but it was difficult to pay attention to what they were not interested in. It took an extraordinary amount of mental strength to keep it up for a long period of time. "I thought maybe there was a use for the secret she had after she left school. Then I found it." Kushida took out her cell phone and showed me a screen.
I took the phone and scrolled through the details.
"This is…"
"I was wondering if Ayanokouji-kun might be aware of this fact."
"I'm impressed. How did you find it?"
"Ayanokouji-kun used to do a lot of work on this, didn't you? So maybe that's how."
It had been more than a year, and that was before the Ayanokōji group was formed. Haruka looked at me with concern, partly because of the talk about Airi.
"You're wondering, aren't you? And it's a story about your precious Sakura-san." Kushida saw through Haruka and flicked her phone off as if to provoke her.
"What?"
Kushida turned off her phone screen and approached Haruka with it in her hand.
"I'm a bad person most of the time, but Hasebe-san is similar. She just finds pleasure in finding someone weaker than herself and helping them. Essentially, you're not worried about Sakura-san, you just miss having someone to take care of, don't you?"
Oddly enough, she said the same things I did. Haruka's eyes squirmed uncomfortably at this unexpected turn of events.
"So you're just like your family?"
Family? I felt caught off guard by this unexpected comment, but Haruka stopped her.
"Stop it. Don't mention it."
"Why not? If you're leaving school already, who cares who I tell what you told me? It means you won't have to keep secrets anymore."
Come to think of it, Kushida knew more about Haruka than I do.
"You're not wrong, I wanted to protect Airi, I wanted to be there for her.
Even if it was for my own purposes."
"I understand how you feel, but I can't accept that Hasebe-san is right. That's why you couldn't even make one decent friend before high school. Am I wrong?"
"I…"
"Well, that's okay. If I keep wasting my time talking about it, it's going to interfere with the operation of the maid café. Why don't you just leave school like this without knowing anything? There's no point in knowing the truth now, is there?"
Stopping in her tracks, Kushida turned her back to Haruka.
"Wait a minute, what's this about Airi?"
"You want to know?"
Frustrated that she had been taken advantage of, she forcefully closed the distance and grabbed Kushida's shoulder.
"That girl can't do anything without me. She needed help."
"You don't understand, she's much more mature than you think, Hasebe-san."
Haruka, holding the phone half-heartedly in her hand, tapped the screen with her finger and accessed the Internet. There was someone's social networking account.
It was a convenient application that allowed you to send your thoughts to the whole world by tweeting. Since this school does not allow students to reveal their identities, they were basically restricted, and there were probably almost no students who use this app. However, those who do not belong to this school can use it as much as they want.
The name of the account was "Shizuku," another name Sakura Airi went by when she used to secretly be active as a gravure idol. After an incident, Airi deleted her account, but Kushida found that it had recently been restored. The account had only been created a few days ago but already had over 1,000
followers.
"No way... this is Airi's?"
Credit to Kushida, who was no stranger to gathering information about her classmates.
"There's no guarantee that... that girl made this kind of thing. It's bound to be an imposter fabricated by Ayanokōji-kun or Kushida-san anyway."
"Do you still think it's us after you read the actual text?"
[I've decided to resume my idol activities after a long hiatus.]
New account, first tweet.
She had given up on her idol activities. But now, she repeatedly posted what only she herself could write.
[I decided to do what I could do. To become the person I want to be. To show my best friend that I am not ashamed of myself after she graduates.]
"It's true what I said about you being protective; Airi may indeed have been a handful, but she started growing at an incredible rate after she was expelled from school."
[I finally auditioned yesterday! I was so nervous, but I'm so happy!]
"This is..."
Haruka gasped; the social networking site carried her comments upon passing the third round of auditions.
[The reason I decided to go into show business is because I wanted to make my voice heard.]
[I'm bitter and sad, but I want to look forward… I am looking forward. So don't you lose too.]
Of course, it is possible to create a false account using Shizuku's name.
However, it was difficult to disguise the fact that she was followed by an entertainment production company and her social media content. That was why Haruka should be able to tell that the owner of this account is Airi.
"From reading that, I don't see the abysmal scene you described for Airi."
"You were overprotective and assumed you were above it all, weren't you?
But she opened up a new path by dropping out of school. She didn't stand still."
Kushida forcefully snatched the phone from Haruka's trembling hands and turned back to me.
"I'm sorry I slipped out again." She then flashed her usual smile, which didn't seem to fit the occasion.
"I thought I saved you, but you saved me right away."
"You owe me this one, right?"
"I thought you didn't lend or borrow?"
"I don't like to borrow, but I don't mind lending."
She says this and starts to walk back to the special wing.
"You're a shrewd guy."
After exposing her various weaknesses, Haruka stood, shocked and broken.
It reminded me strongly of the scene with Kushida in the unanimous special exam.
"Haruka, I don't think this is an imposter."
Akito must have been looking at Shizuku's social media profile on his own phone, too, because he offered his phone to her instead. Haruka then continued to devour and read through Airi's various messages.
"Ugh, ugh..."
Tears welled up in Haruka's eyes as her vision blurred. She had thought that Airi couldn't do anything without following her, but then she realized that Airi had begun to walk in front of her. Even now, she was trying her best to walk, even though she must have been heartbroken. It was because she was afraid that Haruka might stop.
"What a fool I was," she thought. I knew Haruka had just assumed that it was unfortunate that Airi was expelled from school and felt sorry for her.
"This is new knowledge for me. I thought that those who were expelled, those who were defeated, had ended everything there."
She assumed that the package she was sent was the last remnant of her life.
But it wasn't. The loser returned. Some people start anew from where they lost.
This was the great divide between the white room and this world. No, perhaps those who dropped out of the white room were also able to reinvent themselves like Airi.
"That girl could be a big shot in the future. And yet you're going to
voluntarily leave school going after Airi? Not only will Airi laugh at you, she might not even take you seriously."
It wasn't hard to imagine what would happen if Haruka were to quit school to seek revenge and meet with Airi. Instead of being greeted with a smile, she would be seriously offended.
"I-I-I don't know what to do...!"
"There's only one answer: be yourself enough to meet Airi with dignity. If you graduated from Class A, that's a different story. You need to get through those three years and be someone who isn't ashamed to stand in front of Airi."
It's no longer time for Airi to go after Haruka; it's time for Haruka to go after Airi.
"Just in case, the cost of this luggage has been included in the budget as something that can be used at the cultural festival."
There was no guarantee that the item would be usable at the festival, but it was a good thing to have a contingency plan. In other words, there would be no obstacles in wearing this maid uniform and standing in the maid café.
"I'm not asking you to be as agile as the other maids. But you have to see the view that your beloved Airi would have wanted you to see. You were her best friend, and you owe it to her."
Haruka made a small apology to Akito, handed him the letter of withdrawal, clutched her maid's uniform to her chest, and ran out. She had only a few hours left, but she still had a chance to be on the stage.
"Kiyotaka, will your classmates accept Haruka?"
"Kushida is there, Horikita is there, Yōsuke is there. Whatever the situation, we'll get along fine."
"I see."
Akito put his phone away and stacked the two withdrawal papers on top of each other, tearing them down the middle.
"The reason for my withdrawal is gone. I want to stay with Haruka until the end as well."
"Even having learned the truth, Haruka's heart will remain cold. You should support her."
Even if she can't laugh with everyone now, she still has more than a year of school left. The day when she can truly smile again will not be far off.
"I'm sure my classmates will blame me for a while, too." He scratched his head and smiled a little.
"I wonder what would have happened if Kushida hadn't shown up, and what would have happened to Kiyotaka?"
"I don't know, I'm afraid I was out of ideas."
I took up my smartphone and opened the web browser. Then I wiped the history which contained the link to Shizuku's profile (SNS) that I had prepared in advance. Since Kushida was the one who managed to discover the path out of this ordeal, this should be her achievement.
"Let's go back, Akito. There's still a few more hours left of the festival."
"Ah."
The time was around 2:20 PM. Horikita's class had succeeded in getting back its missing members.