Chapter 207A Dream, Even Though I Have to Leave It Behind
The weather this fall was unpredictable. It was beginning to show its usual annual signs and a sudden downpour of rain fell at night. The sound of rain bouncing off the roof usually stimulates my eardrums while I'm lying in my bed. The trick to sleeping under such conditions is that I usually think of the sound of the rain as a soothing sound. Perhaps because of my current state of health and the worries I've had throughout the day, I might find it convenient to immerse myself in mysterious sentimentality. Before I knew it, it was morning.
By the time I finished being prepared and left the house, there were plenty of puddles outside, but the faint clouds were enough to block out the morning sunlight moving eastward. According to the weather forecast, it was going to be sunny today. I felt relieved, as there was no need to bring an umbrella.
"...Did you bring a replacement bandage?"
"Oh..."
"What an idiot."
She was indeed the Big Sis who took advantage of my injury and rode in Mom's car to and from school, even though she nagged me about such things. "Hey, hey, are you sure you want to lose one of the few opportunities you have to exercise?" Recently my stomach area, I can't say that I've been exercising a lot lately, but I feel like I'm not moving as much as usual because I've always been careful after I got injured. I did do a little exercise voluntarily in the past to get Natsukawa to notice me for a moment, but I'm sure my muscle reserves from that time will be depleted soon. I guessed it, I don't want to have an uncool body, so I should at least make my body as good as possible...
I quickly got out of the car and rushed to the entrance with a lot of unnecessary movements. The door I pulled with my weight was blocked by the lock, and I was rejected by our house. I propped up my frustrated nose with a smile while lifting the corner of my mouth.
♦
I kind of felt superior as I rode past students who seemed to be having a hard time walking to school, avoiding the puddles littering the roadside. Since this was in the fall, the students being shuttled to and from school, every day in the middle of summer must have been incomparable. I was sure that my kindness would be diminished and that in the next life, I would be born as an animal that was inferior to humans. I thought that I, who used to walk to school all the way, would be reborn as a beautiful cat who ate "tulle" every day. No, that's impossible.
We arrived at school and walked through the school gate. While Big Sis was great, the way she threatened everyone around her and monopolized the puddle-free path showed no mercy to anyone. Is this an expression of her intention that she doesn't need kindness? It seemed that she still hadn't forgotten her vow from her previous life to overthrow the Great King Enma and become the leader of Hell.
As I went to my classroom, the same scene as usual spread out. When it rains during the day, you can see girls looking different from usual because 'It's hot and humid─' or 'My uniform is wet─', but it seems that the rain that fell overnight didn't have much effect. Stare...
When I walked to my seat, Natsukawa was already sitting behind me as usual. It seems that Ashida is not here today. After I ventured to pass by her and put my bag on the table, I made up my mind to call Natsukawa, who was still sitting quietly.
"U-Ugh... Good morning."
"Good morning..."
If you're asking why I should hesitate to just say hello, that is, because I wasn't sure of Natsukawa's mood, with her eyes still downcast at the table. She returned my greeting appropriately, and I wondered, was this... ...not a problem?
"Natsukawa, yesterday..."
"..."
"...Um."
Although I continued my words to speak immediately, Natsukawa's gaze was still toward the bottom of the table without moving an inch. Natsukawa didn't move an inch, although I expected to see her make eye contact and create a listening posture like a typical conversation model. As far as I could tell, this was the worst development and her words couldn't keep up with the pace as if her head was pale.
As I mumbled awkwardly, Natsukawa calmly stood up.
"─Sorry. One moment, okay...."
"Oh, okay..."
In the end, Natsukawa walked straight out of the classroom without looking at me. She was cold, or rather, she was not feeling well. I didn't dare to chase after her, and I could only sit back in my seat as if I had lost all my strength.
Even though I knew what was going on, this was still a big surprise for me. As I was half-dazed, I realized that time must have passed, and I heard the voice of the owner of the seat behind my return. The reason for her earlier departure from the seat must have been because "I have nothing to say to you right now", and even if she came back with a happy expression here, it would only make my expression go haywire.
Why did this happen? To clear my mind, I recalled the events that happened yesterday after school.
♦
Young Lady came up to me offering to drive me home until the injury on my left hand was no longer a problem. While I was puzzling over this unexpected offer, Natsukawa asked why Young Lady would say such a thing. After some back and forth, we finally got to the topic of the cause of my injury. Come to think of it, I probably should have forced myself to intervene and say it.
Natsukawa ruled out the cause of my injury being my "carelessness". Of course, that's what I told her. Natsukawa was just telling the Young Lady what I had explained to her. Young Lady must have known at the hospital that I wouldn't tell the truth to the people around me, but...
"─No, of course, that's not true!"
So she changed the color of her eyes, snapped, and told the truth.
I don't know, what made Young Lady angry — Well, I kind of understand. Her attitude towards me has softened, and she even offered to take responsibility for my injury. She must feel very guilty. The phrase "Sajou Wataru was injured because of his carelessness" spoken by Natsukawa, who was not involved and had nothing to do with the incident, was probably a statement that made Young Lady feel that the person she was supposed to take responsibility for was being demeaned.
But, that's not the case.
"He stabbed his left hand to protect my life!"
Oh no, the truth has been leaked.
I should be the one telling the truth, not the Young Lady that doing it herself. It's not just about me and Young Lady. The reason was that in addition to paying for the medical treatment, the Shinonome Family could pressure the Student Council and give a false explanation to the school, and because my intentions and the Shinonome Family's convenience were compatible. Even though this hole in my left hand was made by me, I was prohibited from talking about anything that would lead to the fact that Young Lady had tried to do something like self-mutilation that could cause her injury was completely taboo. So, covering up this truth is already not just between the two parties.
Young Lady breathed over her shoulder, telling the truth as if she was attacking Natsukawa with the truth. I was much more dizzy from the fact that Young Lady had broken the taboo than from the fact that Natsukawa already knew the truth.
"...Hey, Grandpa Supervisor."
"I-I'm sorry..."
As expected of me, I had no choice but to lower my voice and complain. If the school authorities or other adults interrogated me because of this, I would no longer be able to try to make up excuses and would probably tell the truth, including the fact that the Young Lady wanted to put a cutter to my neck. I thought about that because they were the ones who first told me, and since I had come this far, there was no way I could hide the truth from them as a high school student. When smoke leaks outside, no matter if you're an adult or a child, you're bound to make a fuss about the fire.
"Young Lady...!!!"
"Eek... ...Oh."
The agitated Young Lady regained her composure after the old man stroked her shoulder and called out to her louder than before. However, it was already too late.
Young Lady probably thought back to what she had said less than ten seconds earlier, and her face paled and then fell into a state of astonishment. It seemed that, although she felt sorry for this injury to me, her personality which liked to wander off in strange directions, had not changed at all.
On the other hand, there were also things I had to do.
"N-Natsukawa. It's actually like this..."
"─....-hy....?"
"What...?"
I didn't realize that Natsukawa was already standing diagonally behind me, because I had been holding Young Lady to keep her quiet. I felt nothing but awkwardness, having lied to her, and as I turned around and looked at the ground to avoid eye contact, I saw wet spots on the ground under Natsukawa's feet. As I looked up, I forgot to blink.
"Why... ...it turned out like that?"
"...!"
Those were the first tears I saw coming out of her. I could only follow the direction of the teardrops that accidentally flowed down my cheeks with my eyes. I tried to say something to her, but my mind was blank.
I had lied. What's more, despite my guilt for trying to keep her quiet, I think Natsukawa is waiting for me, her cheeks puffed up as usual.
Come to think of it, maybe it was my carelessness that made her think that. I did vow never to bother her again — Although I guess I already vowed to do that. I was so happy to be around her that I couldn't break my feelings for her, and now the bill for that vow was due.
It's just that at times like this, I don't have the wisdom to sacrifice my left hand suddenly.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
If you like our work, please consider supporting us on Ko-fi. 🙏
Support Us: https://ko-fi.com/ninjacross
Donations are very much appreciated.
Special Thanks to Our Current Monthly Supporter: Mr. Ads.
Follow Our Official WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaRa6nHCsU9OAB0U370F
Read in other languages: