[Warning 15+]
Part Five
―Even If, I Can't Treat You with That Same Energy Anymore
Chapter 182
Cautious / Cowardly
―Even If, I Can't Treat You with That Same Energy Anymore
Chapter 182
Cautious / Cowardly
Minamo was holdin' some bags in her hands. Was she on her way back from runnin' an errand somewhere?
"What are you doin' in a place like this?"
"U-Um, well..."
Minamo tilted her head with a cute little pop as she asked.
But caught completely off guard by this unexpected encounter, Kazuki stammed over his words.
Honestly, Kazuki wasn't doin' anythin' in the first place. Kazuki himself was the one who wanted to know.
An awkward silence hung in the air for a moment.
Thinkin' Kazuki needed to say something, he scanned his surroundin's, but all that lay behind Minamo was the wide main road.
Minamo peered up at Kazuki's face with a look of concern. Her eyes seemed ready to ask, 'Are you okay?' at any second.
Minamo was a girl with a carin', helpful nature.
—Just like Hayato.
That's why Kazuki hurriedly slapped on his smilin' mask so Minamo wouldn't notice, scramblin' for an excuse.
"U-Um, I was just helpin' out with Hayato-kun and his gang's part-time job for a bit. Y'know, at Okashitsukasa Shiro, the place I told you about the other day. I don't really know this town that well, so I was just curious about what else was around here."
"..."
"It's pretty fun explorin' a town you don't know, right? You see shops for the first time, and even chain stores have their own unique vibes compared to back home. Oh yeah, the area where I live is a redevelopment zone, so almost all the old buildin's got torn down, which is why a place like Shiro is—"
"Did somethin' happen with that girl you wanted to support?"
"—Gh!"
At Minamo's sharp words, a sharp crack shot through Kazuki's mask of a smile before it completely fell apart. His eyes wandered, and the corners of his mouth twitched.
It must've been a dramatic change.
Even Minamo, who threw the question out there, seemed caught off guard by Kazuki's reaction and started flusteredly panickin'.
An indescribably awkward silence hung between them.
"...I-I'm so sorry!"
"Huh?"
"I-I misunderstood again, or jumped to conclusions... ...Um, for makin' things awkward for you—"
"W-Wait!"
Thinkin' she'd said somethin' totally inappropriate, a panicked Minamo bowed her head deeply with a sheepish apology. Her face crumpled with a self-deprecatin' look.
Minamo was simply, purely carin' about Kazuki.
Without a single hidden motive, Minamo was just worried about Kazuki actin' weird.
And yet, the result of Kazuki fakin' it to put on a good front was this expression on Minamo's face.
A sharp pang of embarrassment and self-loathin' shot through his chest.
Then Kazuki slapped his own cheeks with a loud SMACK! Minamo's shoulders flinched hard.
"K-Kaidō-san!?"
"Ow, that hurt~"
"O-Oh, your cheeks turned so red...!"
"Ahaha, I just wanted to loosen up my face muscles a bit. More importantly, Mitake-san, I'd like you to hear me out for a second."
Kazuki stared intently at the flustered Minamo, lookin' at her with as much sincerity and dead seriousness as he could muster.
Takin' in Kazuki's gaze, Minamo gasped softly, then gave a small nod.
◇◇◇
The deep blue of the sky was gettin' darker by the second.
Kazuki walked alongside Minamo in the same direction Hayato had headed earlier. Apparently, her house was over that way too.
"..."
"..."
There was no convo between the two of them.
They just walked through the residential neighborhood toward Minamo's house.
Every now and then, Kazuki could feel Minamo stealin' quick glances at him.
But all Kazuki could do was wear a troubled expression, flushed crimson like fall leaves under the settin' sun.
Kazuki wanted Minamo to hear him out.
But Kazuki had no clue how to even put it into words.
Minamo probably got that too, since she was patiently waitin' for Kazuki.
Kazuki felt so frustratin'ly annoyed at the situation and at himself.
Right then, Kazuki heard a quiet giggle.
"Mitake-san?"
"Oh, no, it's just that your expressions keep changin' so fast... ...I was just wonderin' what kind of girl could make you show a face you've never shown at school."
"...I think she's just a regular girl. But she's a bit different from other girls, I guess. She's bright, laughs a lot, and is fun to be around, but I happened to see her lookin' really lonely..."
"And that made you curiously concerned about her."
"Right. But even if I wanted to dig deeper, our relationship has this indescribable distance..."
"So you want to get closer and become buddies with her, right?"
"Gh!"
Lookin' back, the image burned deepest into his mind was the face she made at the pool when she said, 'I used to like someone.'
Regret, desolation, resignation—the things hidden behind her usual innocent smile had spilled out in that fleetin' moment.
Who on Earth had made her wear a face like that?
Surprise, confusion, anger—even if he tried applyin' definitions to the various emotions swellin' in his chest, none of them fit.
Everythin' was somethin' Kazuki had never felt before.
Pressin' a hand to his chest, Kazuki let out a soft sigh and spilled out his honest thoughts.
"...Maybe so. But I don't really get it myself. Things happened in the past when it came to girls..."
"Are you scared?"
"Huh...?"
However, the words that came back from Minamo were completely unexpected.
Unconsciously freezin' in his tracks, Kazuki peered at Minamo's face, thinkin' Why?
Minamo blinked two or three times before assumin' a solemn expression.
"You have a really anxious look on your face. Takin' that one deep step toward someone... ...I know how scary that can be. There were times when I wanted to talk to someone more, wanted to become buddies, but I couldn't find the right moment and held myself back. Um, sorry if I'm totally wrong about this."
"...Oh."
Somethin' clicked right into place inside his chest. Unconsciously, Kazuki stroked his own face.
Scared, anxious, terrified.
Minamo was spot on.
The fact that the was was Kazuki's buddy's (Hayato's) little sis probably played a part too.
Lookin' back, Kazuki'd gotten way too overly cautious out of paranoia, which probably made him look pretty ridiculous.
To Kazuki, buddies were special.
The thought of ruinin' the current situation—which was finally goin' so well—scared Kazuki to death.
Especially since the peace Kazuki used to have had once shattered into pieces in an instant.
For the first time, Kazuki realized just how much of a coward he was bein'.
Then Kazuki shook his head lightly, as if givin' up.
"...No, you're totally right, Mitake-san. I'm scared. I'm scared of endin' up all alone again... ...I'm a coward. I already made a huge mess of things once before..."
Kazuki laid bare that vulnerable part of his heart. A beat later, an exasperated sigh at himself escaped his lips.
Yet Minamo didn't laugh at Kazuki, nor did she comfort him; Her eyes just quivered for a moment, and then her lips trembled as she spoke calmly.
"Bein' alone sucks, doesn't it?"
"...Mitake-san?"
"I was suddenly left all alone one day, too. So..."
Minamo's face, wearin' a faint self-deprecatin' smile, was just like a reflection in a mirror.
Kazuki's chest thumped hard.
It wasn't just Kazuki who was special.
Kazuki's eyes widened, his hand pressed against his chest crumplin' his shirt, and without thinkin', he grabbed Minamo's hands.
"U-Um, could you, well, go along with my practice!?"
"P-Practice...?"
"Y-Yeah, practice! To become buddies! That's if you don't, hate the idea, though..."
It was a total impulse move.
Kazuki's words sounded pretty much like an excuse, too.
Above all, Kazuki was completely surprisin' himself.
Minamo seemed to feel the same way, her eyes spinnin' in dizzy confusion.
Minamo's hair, styled in a half-up do, bobbed up and down.
But eventually, after processin' the meanin' behind Kazuki's words, Minamo gave a small nod, timid yet startled.
"Y-Yeah, if you're fine with me--"
"Woof! Woof woof woof, arf!"
"Gh! Mitake-san!?"
"Hey, Rento— ...wait, my, my oh my oh my, Minamo-chan!?"
"Eek... ...wait, both Rento and Amami-san!?"
Right then, a large dog came sprintin' at full speed toward Minamo. It was Rento, a Rough Collie. An elderly woman, Amami-san, his owner, was gettin' dragged along behind him.
Kazuki reflexively stepped in front to shield Minamo, but Rento came to a screechin' halt. Rento sat down politely and greeted Minamo behind him with a single "Woof!".
"It's fine, Kaidō-san. This little boy—Rento is a bit feisty, but he's a sweet, good boy."
"Arf!"
As Minamo stepped up in front of Rento with a wry smile and petted his head, he let out a happy bark.
Even in Kazuki's eyes, Rento was super attached to Minamo.
"I'm so sorry, Rento just bolted again as soon as he spotted you, Minamo-chan."
"Fufu, it's totally okay. It happens all the time anyway... ...right, Rento?"
"Woof!"
"Goodness, this boy... ...Still, Minamo-chan, aren't you super close with quite a handsome boy here? You changed your hairstyle recently too, so could it be... ...oh, my, my oh my oh my!?"
"Huh!?" "Gh!?"
At the teasin' sound of Amami-san's "My, my"s, they finally realized they were still holdin' hands. Panickin', they scrambled to pull apart.
"I-It's totally not like that with Kaidō-san!" "I-It's not anythin' like that with Mitake-san!"
"My, my, ufufufu, I'd hate to be a third wheel, so I'll be takin' my leave. Come on, Rento."
"Woof!"
And after whatever misunderstandin' Amami-san had in her head, she walked away with a knowin' chuckle. Maybe readin' the room for once today, Rento was being remarkably obedient too.
Left behind, both Kazuki and Minamo mumbled softly, their faces dyed bright red with sheer embarrassment and awkwardness.
"U-Um, well, I hope things work out with that girl too!"
"O-Oh, yeah, I'll do my best."
"...Giggle."
"...Haha."
And then, their indescribable chuckles overlapped.
Author's Notes:
And that's the end of Part 5 Sub-Part 2!
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