Chapter 4: The Nameless Letter

♡♡♡

The covered walkway near the Mystery Research Club’s room is famous as a confession spot.

That day, I was lying on the sofa, keeping out of sight.

Through the open window, I hear the voices of a guy and a girl.

“Sorry for calling you out so suddenly. Was it a bother?”

The guy is a third-year from the basketball club, a flashy, noticeable senior.

“N-No, it’s not a bother.”

The timid voice belongs to Hayasaka-san.

This is the fourth time, to my knowledge, that Hayasaka-san has been confessed to on this walkway.

“Don’t be nervous. Honestly, I’m the one who’s nervous. So, uh, do you get what’s happening here?”

“Probably.”

“Wait, does this happen to you a lot?”

“Sometimes.”

“Yeah, figures.”

He seems to sense this confession won’t succeed. But having come this far, he has to go for it.

“I’ve liked you for a long time. So, out of the blue, but…… will you go out with me?”

After a brief pause, Hayasaka-san replies, “I’m sorry.”

“Do you already have a boyfriend?”

After a moment’s silence, Hayasaka-san says in a faint voice.

“……No.”

Good, that’s right. She can’t say she has a boyfriend.

If that got back to Yanagi-senpai by mistake, it’d be a disaster.

“There’s someone else I like. So…… I’m sorry.”

The sound of one person’s footsteps running off echoes.

“All done?”

Maki, lying on the opposite sofa, says.

During lunch, while we were eating bentos together, we stumbled upon this confession scene.

“Better not get up yet.”

Besides the fleeing Hayasaka-san, someone else is still there.

A rejected student usually lingers on the walkway for a while, wallowing. I once got up too soon, made eye contact, and it was awkward.

“Being a cute girl must be tough.”

Maki says.

“Hayasaka’s been having a rough time lately, it seems.”

“Heard something from Miki-chan?”

“Yeah.”

This guy, the student council president, is dating a teacher.

English teacher Miki-chan, in her second year post-graduation, is kind-hearted. Maki doesn’t talk much about it, but since he shows no interest in other girls, their relationship must be going well. Probably Miki-chan indulging Maki’s selfish side.

Miki-chan is approachable as a teacher, often getting consulted by female students.

This time, it’s Hayasaka-san.

“Lately, her gym clothes have gone missing, and she’s been getting creepy love letters.”

“Creepy love letters?”

Apparently, they’re left in her shoe locker.

“No name, no sender. But the next day’s letter demands a reply or something.”

That’s kind of scary.

“She also said a guy in our school uniform followed her near her house.”

“Is Hayasaka-san okay?”

I hadn’t heard about any of this.

“Well, she didn’t seem that shaken up, apparently.”

Maki says.

“Cute girls, when stuff like this happens, they’re like, ‘Here we go again.’ Missing recorders and such—they’ve been through it all since they were kids.”

“Is that how it works?”

“Hayasaka’s timid and reserved, right? She seems like she’d give in if pushed, so she’s probably had a lot of trouble. Creepy guys hitting on her, girls getting jealous.”

“Sounds likely.”

As I say this, I sit up.

Surely no one’s left on the walkway by now. But—

Looking out the window, I lock eyes with someone.

Surprisingly, it’s Hayasaka-san who stayed behind.

Noticing me, she gestures animatedly.

Can I come over now?

She must’ve thought I was alone.

Then, mischievously, she makes a heart shape with her hands near her chest. This was a huge mistake.

“Wait, what’s going on?”

Maki, sitting up late, looks back and forth between me and Hayasaka-san.

“That doesn’t feel like just friends. No way, that’s not the Hayasaka I know. She’s got a total girl-in-love face right now. Whoa, that’s intense. Totally changes my image of her.”

Hayasaka-san quietly covers her face with both hands.

Pretend that never happened.

I can almost hear her voice.

♡♡♡

“I’m so sorry.”

Hayasaka-san says, still covering her face with both hands. She came into the clubroom and sat across from me, but she still can’t show her face.

“You were embarrassed too, right, Kirishima-kun? Maki-kun saw us.”

“Only a little.”

Maki left quickly, grinning and saying he’d get the details later.

“I just wanted to tease you, Kirishima-kun. Sorry.”

“It’s fine, I don’t mind.”

“Really?”

She parts her fingers, peeking at me.

“You’re not mad?”

“No way I’d be mad.”

When I say that, Hayasaka-san finally lowers her hands.

“Do you think Maki-kun will tell anyone?”

“I don’t think so. He’s surprisingly tight-lipped about stuff like this.”

Hayasaka-san seems to calm down, looking around the room curiously.

“So this is the Mystery Research Club’s room. Feels cozy.”

“It used to be a reception room.”

“How’s it going with Tachibana-san?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Sorry, I asked knowing that. You’ve been checking SNS, right, Kirishima-kun?”

“It’s part of my daily routine.”

“That’s definitely not good for your mental health.”

“I’ve built up a tolerance, so I’m fine. Honestly, I can’t feel settled unless I check SNS daily and grit my teeth. I want to feel that frustration tomorrow and the day after.”

“You sound way too serious.”

Hayasaka-san laughs, amused.

“So you know, then.”

“About Tachibana-san studying with her boyfriend?”

For the past few days, Tachibana-san has been studying for tests with her boyfriend in the library.

His SNS is full of pictures of it. Tachibana-san writing in her notebook, her profile as she reads a textbook. By the way, the Mystery Research Club is on break during test week.

“I thought if she needed help studying, it’d be with you, Kirishima-kun. Your grades are better, right?”

“Guess I can’t compete with their bond.”

And it’s not just a boyfriend.

A fiancé.

Getting married right after high school graduation is so otherworldly, I don’t know what to do.

“You just got visibly down, Kirishima-kun.”

“Sorry, even though we’re together.”

“No, I figured you’d be feeling low, so I wanted to cheer you up. To say that even if Tachibana-san’s not here, I am. Am I not good enough?”

“No way you’re not enough. I really, really like you, Hayasaka-san.”

When I say that, Hayasaka-san stands up abruptly, moves from the opposite sofa to sit next to me, and raises her index finger, her eyes full of expectation.

“Say that again, Kirishima-kun.”

“…………I really, really like you, Hayasaka-san.”

The next moment, Hayasaka-san grabs my arm and presses herself against me with all her strength.

Not just her upper body—she scoots her legs closer, too. My eyes can’t help but drift to the shortness of her skirt.

“Hayasaka-san, what’s this about?”

“I’m trying to cheer you up. It’s tough with Tachibana-san being so close with her boyfriend, right?”

“We’re at school, though.”

“I think I love touching you and being touched by you, Kirishima-kun. I realized it when you visited me when I was sick, and we got into bed together.”

“Remember we made a rule not to do anything too intense back then?”

“I think my body’s pretty nice. Guys often look at me that way. The guy who confessed earlier was staring at my chest, too.”

“Hayasaka-san, are you listening to me?”

But she doesn’t stop.

“So I think I can cheer you up, make you happy, with this body.”

“Hayasaka-san, you might not realize, but you’re saying some wild stuff!”

“I hate being looked at like that by other guys, but with you, Kirishima-kun, it makes me happy.”

She must’ve noticed my gaze earlier. Hayasaka-san grabs my hand and tries to guide it toward the space between her pale thighs, stretched out on the sofa from under her skirt.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait!”

“Huh? Why? Don’t you want to touch me, Kirishima-kun?”

“No, you’re going way too fast. What’s gotten into you?”

When I say that, Hayasaka-san tilts her head with a childlike expression, muttering, “Too fast?” After a moment, she nods, “Right, yeah.”

“This comes first, right? I really love this, too.”

She closes her eyes, faces me, and tilts her chin up.

Totally waiting for a kiss.

What’s gotten into her? Just because I said I like her, she’s gone off the rails.

There’s got to be a reason…… but, man, what a mess—.

“Hayasaka-san, you haven’t learned a thing from earlier, have you?”

I point to the window.

If we don’t close the curtains, this room is fully visible from the walkway.

And right now, Maki is on the walkway, waving at us.

Hayasaka-san, very quietly, covers her face with her hands again.

♡♡♡

“I swear I won’t do that at school again. If Tachibana-san saw, it’d be a disaster. I don’t want to cause trouble for you, Kirishima-kun. Really.”

Hayasaka-san seems to have finally regained her composure. And Maki has finally left for real this time.

I sit her down on the sofa and brew some drip coffee, though I’m not sure if she’ll drink it since she’s a tea person. Since it’s mostly just me and Tachibana-san using the clubroom, we only have coffee.

“What’s up with you all of a sudden, getting like that?”

When I ask, Hayasaka-san looks away awkwardly and says.

“……Lately, I’ve been feeling like you’re avoiding me, Kirishima-kun.”

“That’s not my intention.”

“But the club’s on break, and we haven’t met at all during the week.”

“Sorry, I’ve been busy studying for tests……”

“R-Right, it’s test week. Can’t neglect studying.”

It was my mistake, she says, her face turning red.

“I was feeling anxious, so when you said you liked me, I got so happy that I couldn’t hold back my feelings. Sorry for being such a hassle.”

To distract herself, Hayasaka-san picks up a pencil from my pencil case on the coffee table and starts fiddling with it.

“Can I ask something I’ve been curious about?”

“Sure.”

“Why do you use pencils, Kirishima-kun?”

“Habit from elementary school, I guess. No special reason.”

I bring twelve perfectly sharpened pencils to class every day.

“I actually kinda like your pencils, Kirishima-kun.”

“Then I’ll give you two.”

“Really? Thanks!”

Hayasaka-san holds the pencils in both hands and smiles brightly. If this were a commercial, pencil sales would probably jump twenty percent from her cuteness.

After that, Hayasaka-san keeps asking me all sorts of questions.

Where do you buy your glasses?

You always wear a tie even in summer, Kirishima-kun, why?

“I really don’t get guys. I’m curious about so many things.”

“Just ask normally.”

If it’s Hayasaka-san asking, I’m sure everyone would happily answer.

“But I can’t talk to anyone but you properly, Kirishima-kun. I don’t get the timing, and when I’m with a group, I just end up nodding.”

I know. Hayasaka-san’s part of the group, but she’s super awkward, cute, and stands out just a little.

“Plus, I can’t just casually talk to guys. People would tease me, like, ‘Do you like him?’ And……”

“You’d get misunderstood, and it’d cause trouble?”

Hayasaka-san smiles weakly, saying, “Sometimes,” as if it’s hard to admit.

“Haven’t you been dealing with stuff like that lately?”

“I’m fine. I got confessed to earlier, but I’m used to it.”

“Got it. So no missing gym clothes, nameless love letters in your shoe locker, or guys following you near your house, right?”

“Huh?”

Hayasaka-san freezes, shocked.

“……You knew, Kirishima-kun?”

“Sorry, I overheard a bit.”

“Don’t worry. I was anxious, sure, but the letters stopped coming lately, and I’ve been going home with friends. I’m okay now.”

“Does this kind of thing happen a lot?”

“Not much since starting high school. Maybe I should say I have a boyfriend? That might stop the creepy stuff and reduce confessions.”

She stops herself, waving her hands frantically. “No, no!”

“I don’t mean I want to go public with our relationship or anything. That’d make it harder for you to approach Tachibana-san, Kirishima-kun.”

“You’re better off not saying you have a boyfriend, too. Even if he’s at another school, you never know who’s connected.”

“Right, yeah.”

Hayasaka-san stands, saying, “Guess I’ll head back to class.”

“Hey, Kirishima-kun.”

“What?”

“I’m your girlfriend, right?”

“No need to ask.”

Hayasaka-san giggles, “Ehehe,” satisfied, and leaves the clubroom.

Alone, I scratch my head.

It’s no wonder Hayasaka-san felt anxious, thinking I was avoiding her. With the club on break for exams, we could’ve spent more time together.

Saying I was busy studying for tests was a lie.

I pull a few letters from my pocket.

Hayasaka-san said.

The letters stopped coming lately.

Of course. I’ve been collecting them before she could see them.

She says not to worry.

Maki said she didn’t seem too shaken up in front of Miki-sensei, a.k.a. Miki-chan.

But that’s just her putting on a brave face for others.

She’s trying to handle it all herself, not wanting to burden anyone, even though she’s scared.

Hayasaka-san’s that kind of girl. Weak, but she pushes herself too hard.

So I’m going to take down the creep scaring her.

♡♡♡

“What, you knew?”

Maki says.

During gym class, we’re chatting at the edge of the field.

“Yeah. Hayasaka-san’s been wearing borrowed gym clothes.”

On the tennis courts, the girls are playing tennis.

Hayasaka-san’s in an old-design gym outfit from the infirmary.

“You’d have to be blind not to notice.”

I’ve also seen Hayasaka-san freeze with a letter in hand at her shoe locker multiple times.

“By the way, the guy following her near her house was me.”

“You, Kirishima? What’s that about?”

“I was keeping an eye out to make sure she wasn’t being stalked.”

“That makes you the stalker.”

“Figured?”

I was watching until she got home, but she suddenly turned around, and I panicked. She didn’t see my face, but I ended up looking like a creep.

“So, the letters and gym clothes are the issue?”

“Exactly. And the culprit’s probably among the club members.”

The only time to slip a letter into her shoe locker is after school.

“It’s test week, but lots of students stay for practice. Even us student council folks stick around. Won’t it be tough to find the culprit?”

“Not really.”

I say it’ll be clear by tomorrow or the day after.

“Really? I thought catching culprits like this was supposed to be hard.”

“Mysteries are made complex to surprise readers.”

Real-life incidents are much simpler.

“Not bad, Kirishima. So you’ve got suspects?”

“In a mystery, this’d be where the culprit’s a teacher, a girl, or even me for shock value, but that’s just for drama.”

This time, it’s obviously a male student.

“You really do read mysteries, huh?”

“What did you think I was?”

“I thought you were some weirdo who uses the mystery club as a front, listening to piano from the next room while obsessing over your crush’s boyfriend’s SNS.”

“That’s mostly accurate.”

I tell him about the three likely suspects.

Yamanaka-kun from the Manga Research Club.

He’s the one staring most intently at Hayasaka-san during gym. No doubt he’s interested in her gym clothes. He submits to manga contests and gets so absorbed he loses sight of everything else. Rumor has it he’s smart but got a zero on a midterm.

Ichiba-kun from the Soccer Club.

He brags loudly about hanging out with girls from other schools but always glances at Hayasaka-san for her reaction. He seems like a player, but he’s not really. Actual players, like Maki, quietly date teachers.

Nohara-senpai from the Badminton Club.

A third-year who confessed to Hayasaka-san twice and got rejected. He still can’t let go, coming to her classroom under the pretense of talking to underclassmen, giving her longing looks. He’s dramatic—his second confession was in front of everyone, and Hayasaka-san cried.

All three like Hayasaka-san, and their feelings have nowhere to go. That’s what liking someone is like—a tough problem that keeps happening.

“So how do you narrow down the culprit from here?”

“There’s one more clue.”

“The letters you collected.”

Handwriting might give it away.

“Can you ask Miki-chan to borrow the last quiz?”

“Sure thing.”

“That’s a quick answer. If we get caught, it’s a big deal.”

“Miki-chan’ll do anything I ask.”

This guy casually drops wild stuff.

“By the way, Kirishima, tell me about you and Hayasaka already. You’re super protective of her. And from that vibe, she doesn’t seem uninterested.”

“It’s not something to blab about.”

“Come on. It’s unfair that you’re the only one who knows my secret.”

“Fine.”

I briefly explain my relationship with Hayasaka-san.

“Whoa, that’s…… pretty wild.”

Maki says. Coming from a guy dating a teacher, that’s rich.

“Dating as each other’s number two, huh?”

“It’s a brilliant setup.”

“Maybe in theory, but does it actually work that smoothly?”

Maki’s skeptical of the 25% Heartbreak Probability Method.

“There’s at least one major oversight.”

“What’s that?”

“The possibility of number two becoming number one.”

In other words, a change in the premise.

“If either Hayasaka or you upgrades the other to number one, it’s gonna get messy.”

Maki says it like a prophecy.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

♡♡♡

I’m facing a mountain of test papers.

After school, in the clubroom, and I’m in trouble.

I planned to compare the letters’ handwriting to the tests, but most of the writing on the tests is in English.

Of course—Miki-chan’s an English teacher.

Names and translations are in Japanese, but there’s too little text for handwriting analysis. Plus, we only have second-year tests, so third-years and first-years are out of scope.

A little thought would’ve made this obvious. Total careless mistake.

What a mess.

I sigh and place two of the letters I collected from Hayasaka-san’s shoe locker on the desk to examine.

One praises her appearance, the other urges her to reply soon.

Demanding a reply without a name is definitely creepy.

Among the letters Hayasaka-san gave to Miki-chan, one apparently asked her to show herself in her gym clothes. That’s not even a love letter.

I stare at the letters. Then I notice something.

The handwriting is very neat.

For a letter to a girl, that’s expected—it’s different from their usual writing.

I’ve heard even pros struggle with handwriting analysis, and considering I’m useless at observing details in art class, there’s no way I can do it.

Real-life cases are simple.

Recalling what I told Maki, I suddenly feel embarrassed.

Having boasted, I rack my brain for another lead. But I’m not quick-witted, and since I fixated on handwriting, it’s hard to think flexibly now.

I could confront all three suspects, saying, “You’re the culprit,” to provoke a confession. But without evidence, they could play dumb and slip away.

The test papers need to be returned by evening.

Time ticks by.

Well, if it’s impossible, no use forcing it. I’ll give up and go home to sleep.

As I’m thinking that and putting the test papers back in the envelope.

—It hit me.

I stand up abruptly, leave the clubroom, and head downstairs to the first floor.

In the old school building, I enter a room diagonally opposite the Mystery Research Club’s. I open the door and step inside.

A lone male student is seated at a desk.

I stand behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Can you give it back? Hayasaka-san’s gym clothes.”

He turns to face me, thinks for a moment, and says.

“How’d you know it was me?”

“You got a zero on the midterm, right?”

Even though you’re supposed to be smart.

“Why’d you get a score like that?”

“I forgot to write my name.”

The male student answers in a calm tone.

I place two letters on the desk and say.

“That’s no good. You’ve got to write your name on important things.”

♡♡♡

Hayasaka-san is playing tennis.

Though she’s being swung around by the racket, she clumsily but properly returns the ball to her opponent.

Wiping sweat from her forehead, her expression is bright. She’s wearing her own gym clothes. Looks like they were properly returned.

The culprit was Yamanaka-kun from the Manga Research Club.

He’s a bit careless, forgetting to write his name on both tests and love letters.

But to be precise, those letters weren’t love letters—

The day I visited the Manga Research Club room, a tablet was on Yamanaka-kun’s desk. It displayed a character that looked a lot like Hayasaka-san, wearing gym clothes, still a work in progress.

“You wanted to observe her?”

When I ask, Yamanaka-kun nods.

“I couldn’t draw her well, so I wanted her to be my model.”

“So you wrote letters and put them in her shoe locker. But when you got no reply, you borrowed her gym clothes.”

“Without permission. I did something bad.”

Apparently, a manga contest deadline is approaching.

“I wanted to improve the quality even a little. But the gym clothes alone weren’t enough. I wanted to see her wearing them up close, so I wrote another letter.”

But he forgot to write his name, so no reply came.

“I meant to return the gym clothes. But after school, you were behind her, Kirishima-kun.”

He says there was never a moment to be alone with her. I feel bad about that.

“Still, you should’ve been more direct about wanting her to model, Yamanaka-kun. Praising her looks made it easy to mistake for a creepy love letter.”

At that, Yamanaka-kun falls silent.

“Did you actually like Hayasaka-san?”

“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t make her the protagonist of my manga.”

Fair point.

“It’s not about wanting to date or anything. Well, maybe deep down, if she agreed to model, I thought I might confess.”

“But I’m over it now,” Yamanaka-kun says.

“Because you’re there, Kirishima-kun.”

“I’m nothing to Hayasaka-san.”

“Are you?”

Yamanaka-kun says he’s always observing people to draw better manga.

“Hayasaka-san’s eyes follow you every chance she gets. And you’re doing this for her. You’re totally in love with each other. Flawlessly so.”

“Hayasaka-san likes someone else.”

“I know.”

Yamanaka-kun went to the same middle school as Hayasaka-san and overheard her talking with friends about the person she liked.

“There was this really cool guy a year above her at another middle school. You went to that school, so you probably know him, Kirishima-kun.”

“Yanagi-senpai. She’s still in love with him.”

“But is that really love?”

Yamanaka-kun says something unexpected, and I can’t help but go, “Huh?”

He fiddles with his tablet, showing me his unfinished manga.

“I always look at people’s eyes. They hold emotions. Even for the same character, I change how I draw their eyes depending on the scene or who they’re talking to.”

“You’re an artist.”

“A manga artist.”

The story he’s drawing is about a girl in a love triangle with two boys.

The girl’s model is Hayasaka-san.

“One boy is the senior she admires. The other is a brusque classmate.”

“Sounds like shoujo manga.”

“My older sister got me into it when I was little.”

I read a lot because of my younger sister, too.

“In the end, the girl chooses the classmate, not the senior. Why do you think that is?”

“In shoujo manga, the prickly classmate always beats the kind senior.”

“You’re well-versed.”

But Yamanaka-kun’s reason for ending the story that way is different.

“Because admiration and love are completely different. They’re similar, so people mix them up without realizing. But look closely at the heart. Admiration, wanting to cherish, finding someone cute—there are lots of positive emotions. But pure love is something special, different from all of them.”

“You capture emotions so delicately.”

“Maybe. So I think Hayasaka-san’s feelings for that senior are just admiration. She’ll realize someday that it’s not love. I thought that, so part of me couldn’t give up on her. But lately, I saw true ‘love’ in her eyes when she’s looking at someone.”

“Who?”

“Don’t play dumb.”

“Whatever, I’m completely over her.” Yamanaka-kun says, looking down.

“Want me to return the gym clothes for you?”

“No, I’ll apologize and return them myself. It’s a bit embarrassing, but I’ll do it.”

“Don’t mention me.”

Got it, Yamanaka-kun nods.

“By the way, do you ever observe my eyes?”

“You want to know who you really love, huh?”

“From what you said, it sounds like emotions can be hard to understand even for yourself.”

“I won’t tell you,” Yamanaka-kun says with a friendly smile.

“It’s the quiet resistance of a guy nursing a secret heartbreak. You should stew over it, Kirishima-kun.”

“Fair enough.”

“Hey, Kirishima-kun, love’s pretty cruel, isn’t it? Since middle school, I’ve really loved Hayasaka-san. I’d think about her and couldn’t focus on anything. Some nights, I’d just keep sketching her in my mind’s eye. But these feelings have nowhere to go, and they’ll end without any reward.”

“I think a lot about how many unrequited loves there are.”

“So many people feel that special love for Hayasaka-san. But if she’s the only one not loved by the person she loves, that’s cruel, too. I want her feelings to be rewarded. I’ll leave that to you, Kirishima-kun.”

Yamanaka-kun says this and returns to drawing his manga at his desk.

He looked like he might cry, so I leave the room.

“Hope your manga wins that award.”

“Thanks.”

♡♡♡

The library is empty after school.

Tachibana-san’s boyfriend is absent, so their study session isn’t happening today.

I find a commentary on the Tosa Diary on the shelf and spread it out on a desk. I need to catch up on the past few days. I jot down auxiliary verb conjugations in my textbook. Then someone enters.

It’s Hayasaka-san.

With a slightly shy expression, she sits next to me.

“That’s where Tachibana-san’s boyfriend usually sits, right?”

“Judging from SNS pictures, probably.”

“Coincidence?”

“No SNS updates today, so I decided to sit here and feel the frustration instead. Her boyfriend gets to stare at her profile from here, huh? Grrr.”

“Hey, take it easy now.”

Hayasaka-san laughs. She seems in a great mood.

After a brief hesitation, she presses herself against me.

“Didn’t you say no more weird stuff at school?”

“It’s all your fault, Kirishima-kun.”

“My fault?”

“That kindness of yours is unfair.”

“He’s got a looser tongue than I thought.”

“No, I just pried a little. Just a bit.”

Hayasaka-san smiles brightly. Yamanaka-kun might’ve been scared.

“Hayasaka-san, if something’s bothering you from now on, tell me properly.”

“Okay. But even if I don’t say anything, you’ll help me, right, Kirishima-kun?”

Giggling, “Ehehe,” Hayasaka-san presses her face into my chest.

“Hey, Hayasaka-san, what if someone sees us?”

“That’d be thrilling.”

No good. Her naughty switch is fully flipped.

“Sorry for asking the other day, ‘I’m your girlfriend, right?’ That was heavy, wasn’t it?”

“Not at all.”

“I won’t say heavy stuff anymore. I’ll be a better girlfriend.”

“You’re already a great girlfriend.”

“No, I keep worrying you. Hey, Kirishima-kun, you don’t have to be so careful with me. You can do whatever you want. When you’re down because Tachibana-san’s close with her boyfriend, you can use me instead.”

“That feels kind of wrong, like I can’t do it.”

“It’s fine. I’m your girlfriend, Kirishima-kun. I want to do whatever you want. I want to be the girlfriend you want. I want to do everything for you.”

“Hayasaka-san?”

“Hey, maybe Tachibana-san got hugged by her boyfriend in this seat.”

I imagine that scene. My chest stings a bit.

“It’s okay to do that stuff with me. You can do even more than her boyfriend does with her. I love being cherished, but I don’t want to be put on a pedestal out of reach. I’d rather get a little hurt if it means you’ll touch me. That’s what I think. Because it’s you, Kirishima-kun.”

Hayasaka-san seems really worked up after I resolved this issue.

Her expression and gestures overflow with “love.” It’s rare to be the target of such unconditional affection. It feels like a small miracle.

“Kirishima-kun, Kirishima-kun, Kirishima-kun, Kirishima-kun, Kirishima-kun, Kirishima-kun.”

But isn’t she pressing the emotional accelerator a bit too hard?

Hayasaka-san slowly grabs my wrist.

“I want you to touch me, Kirishima-kun.”

She starts guiding my hand toward her chest, so I hurriedly stop her.

“Hayasaka-san, hold on.”

“You don’t want to touch me?”

“It’s not that, it’s just…… I’m seriously flustered right now. This happened the other day, too, but……”

“I’m not doing this on a whim.”

Hayasaka-san says.

“Even as number two, I want to be a proper girlfriend.”

“You are a proper girlfriend.”

“But lovers do more stuff, right?”

“Sure, but we should think this through. We’re proper lovers, but we know we’re number two. You’ve got a number one, too, Hayasaka-san.”

“Yeah. But even as number two, if it’s you, Kirishima-kun, I’m okay with everything. That’s what I realized. So I want you to touch me. I want you to come closer.”

At some point, Hayasaka-san has unbuttoned her blouse down to the second button.

“I’m fine being number two, but I want to be a real girlfriend.”

“Okay, I get that, but this is the library. There are tons of windows.”

“If someone sees, we’ll deal with it then.”

“Let’s show them,” Hayasaka-san says.

“If that happens, it’ll ruin your image and cause a huge mess.”

“I don’t care. Those people forcing that image on me don’t matter anymore. I never liked them to begin with. Guys just want to do stuff with me. Girls just keep me around as a cute accessory.”

“Hayasaka-san?”

“Everyone tries to fit me into their image. Pure, kind—what’s that? But you’re different, Kirishima-kun. You’re the only one who’s different.”

“You should calm down a bit.”

“You actually see me. You cherish me, you help me. That’s why I want to do something more special.”

“Listen to me, Hayasaka-san.”

“Everyone else can just disappear. As long as I have you, Kirishima-kun, that’s enough.”

Hayasaka-san’s completely flipped a weird switch. Is this a backlash from being suppressed?

But the more her words and actions unravel, the more her expression somehow grows strikingly beautiful.

Her vacant eyes hold an unhealthy allure.

“You’ll accept me as I am, right, Kirishima-kun? You’ll take me in, won’t you? This is me. I won’t let anyone else touch me. But I want you to touch me, Kirishima-kun. Come closer.”

My hand, held by Hayasaka-san, is guided toward her chest.

I’m completely swept up in her intensity, unable to say a word.

“I love you, Kirishima-kun.”

And just as my hand is about to touch her chest.

“Huh?”

I’m even more shocked. Hayasaka-san tries to slip my hand inside her blouse.

I catch a glimpse of lace fabric at her chest.

She’s even trying to slide my fingertips into the gap between the lace and the soft slope of her pale skin.

“Hayasaka-san!”

This isn’t about touching or not touching. She’s aiming for something way beyond that.

“I want to give it to you, Kirishima-kun. I’d never give it to anyone else. But I want to give you everything. Take it, please, you’ll take it, right? Come on, take it.”

An undeniable pressure. I realize one truth.

When a girl gets serious, a guy probably can’t resist at all.

My fingertips slip into the gap, brushing something soft.

Someone stop this. That’s what I’m thinking when it happens.

Footsteps echo from the hallway. Light returns to Hayasaka-san’s vacant eyes.

At the last moment, she seems to regain her senses. The good girl in Hayasaka-san hasn’t vanished.

We hurriedly pull apart just as the door opens. Sharp footsteps. The person who enters is—

“It’s the President.”

It’s Tachibana-san.

“What’re you doing?”

She tilts her head, looking back and forth between me and Hayasaka-san with a puzzled expression.

Hayasaka-san reacts instantly.

“J-Just getting help with studying, that’s all!”

She’s ridiculously flustered but back to her usual self.

“You should get Kirishima-kun to help you study too, Tachibana-san! He explains things really well!”

With that, she quickly buttons her blouse and rushes out of the library.

As she leaves, Hayasaka-san, behind Tachibana-san’s back, puts her hands together as if to say, Sorry about earlier. Then, with a troubled look, she holds up two fingers.

I’m fine being your number two girlfriend.

That’s the message.

And so, the storm-like moment passes, leaving me and Tachibana-san behind.

“What’re you here for, Tachibana-san?” I ask.

“To study.”

Tachibana-san answers with a straight face.

Then, as if nothing happened, she sits next to me.

“I always study here.”

She spreads out her study materials and silently starts scribbling with her mechanical pencil.

I turn to my classical literature assignment.

The calm of everyday life returns, and I feel relieved. Time passes quietly.

What happened with Hayasaka-san was probably a fleeting lapse, swept away by emotion.

My feelings settle, too. I hope things just pass without incident. But.

After solving two math proof problems, Tachibana-san grabs my collar and says.

“Why’d you help Hayasaka-san study?”

Her tone carries a hint of anger.

“You turned me down when I asked.”