Chapter 4: The Confession
It’s the next day, and I’m at school per usual. I open my locker to fetch some of my belongings, but I notice something that wasn’t there before.
“The hell is this?”
There’s a letter inside; I grab it and check both sides. It’s completely blank. Well, since it’s inside my locker, I can’t assume it randomly ended up here by mistake. I’ll just open it and see what it says.
“Meet me behind the gym during lunch break,” it reads in surprisingly beautiful handwriting.
This has to be some kind of prank. This isn’t my first time receiving an anonymous letter like this, but it always ends in me getting stood up when I go to the place the letters specify. So the sender wants me to meet them behind the gym, huh? Since this is obviously another one of those fake letters trying to trick me, I’ll just ignore it. I stuff the letter inside my bag, put on my other pair of shoes, and head to class.
The moment I enter, the class chatter dies down. This only lasts a second or two, though—everyone returns to their respective discussions before I even reach my seat. Up until last year, the class would fall dead silent and remain that way until the teacher arrived. Thankfully, that isn’t the case this year.
“Morning, Yuuji.”
“Sup.”
The guy over there who just greeted me with the brightest of smiles is Ike Haruma. He’s good looking, athletic, academically brilliant, and incredibly popular with both the students and the teachers here. To top it off, he’s our student council president—he’s the closest thing to a superhero we’ll ever get. I consider him to be the obvious protagonist of this story. I mean, who else could it be? He’s also one of the few friends I have. I think he’s the only person my age who speaks to me directly.
“Morning, Tomoki.”
Whoops, scratch that. I forgot about my new friend for a moment. His name’s Asakura Yoshito, a member of the volleyball club. We met not too long ago through an event organized by the student council. Although he was afraid of me just like everyone else at first, he got to know me a bit better. Now, I guess we’re at a stage where he can talk to me as if I’m normal.
“Hey,” I answer.
“What’s wrong, Yuuji? You don’t look very cheerful today,” Haruma says.
How did he notice? Is it that obvious that I’m kinda down in the dumps?
“Seriously? He looks like he always does,” Asakura quickly replies.
Of course he’d notice first—Ike and I have known each other for a while now. Plus, he’s very sharp in general.
“I guess I’m a little upset, yeah,” I mutter.
There are two reasons for my bad mood: first, there’s the thing about the letter. Part of me wants to ignore it, but part of me is hoping that maybe—for once—it’s not a joke. Second, someone’s been glaring at me ever since I walked into class. That someone is none other than Hasaki Kana. She tends to have her eye on me whenever I’m in class, but today, it’s more apparent that it usually is. I’ve never seen her so fixated on me before. It’s kinda annoying.
I know that she doesn’t like me very much, although she does kinda respect me in her own way. Still, it’s not the most fun to be stared at like you’re some museum exhibit.
“You found a letter inside your locker?” Ike suddenly inquires.
Without uttering a word, I retrieve the letter from my bag and hand it to him. Asakura looks over it, as well.
“No sender, huh? It just says to meet them there… Maybe it’s a prank?” he asks suspiciously.
“Yeah, I think so, too. I’m probably gonna ignore it,” I say.
“Yeah, man, don’t worry about it,” Ike assures me.
I gotta say, it’s really nice to be able to have a normal conversation like this with other people. Ike examines the letter again and seems to realize something.
“This handwriting…,” he whispers as he looks over to the other end of the class.
I follow his gaze and end up meeting Hasaki’s eyes. Huh? I look away, but was that really who he was staring at? He must’ve been looking at someone else, right?
“Uh… actually, Yuuji, I can’t really tell you who this is from, but I think you should actually take this one seriously,” he says.
Huh, weird of him to change his mind so quickly. Whoever the mystery writer is, he must appreciate them—he seems pleased now. I know Ike likes to help others, so I can only assume that the letter is genuine. He’s the protagonist of the story, in any case; if he says I should go, then I’ll do it.
“Sure, why not?” I say. Ike sighs in relief.
“You know who is this from?” Asakura asks.
“Yeah. It’s the real deal. The sender’s not someone who’d do something like that,” he replies.
“I mean, if you say so, Ike,” Asakura responds with a shrug. He doesn’t press the subject any further—that’s how much he trusts Ike.
The bell rings, and everyone takes their seat. Guess I’ll wait until lunch break.
☆
Once the first period is over, I take my phone out and text Touka about my plans.
“Sorry, but I’m going to be busy this afternoon. Eat with your friends or something,” I type. I go to put my phone back in my pocket, but Touka’s reply arrives immediately. She’s sent me another one of those hideous emojis. This time, it’s an angry red face with a small bubble that says “Huh?” It’s followed by a text: “Y would u do that? I wanted to have lunch w/u u no?”
I’m sorry that I have something else to do for once. I know she wants to use me so that guys will leave her alone and all, but come on, cut me some slack, will you? It’ll just be for a day. She’s super popular, so I’m sure there are a bunch of people who would love to eat with her. Plus, she really needs to make some friends in her class. Real friends. Then again, who am I to talk? I barely have any friends!
“Sorry,” I reply.
She instantly sends me another emoji. This time, the ugly little character is sad instead of angry.
Uh, how am I even supposed to respond to this? I wish she’d use words instead of emojis... Oh, wait, she’s writing something now.
“I’ll just wait on the roof k? Finish ur stuff quick & meet me when ur done!”
I’m happy that she’s so eager to be with me, at least.
“Ok,” I reply tersely. I don’t really think too much about it. I just want to end the conversation as quickly as possible. Anyway, I guess it’s time to head to the gym.
“Yuuji!” Ike calls out right before I leave the class. What’s wrong with him? He looks so apologetic right now, it’s a little ridiculous.
“I think everything’s gonna be okay, but just in case... If something bad happens, just gimme a call. Okay?” he says.
“Sure. Will do. Anyway, I’m off to see what’s it all about,” I answer.
“Sounds good,” he replies, sounding more confident than before.
☆
“I’m really sorry to have you come all the way out here out of the blue.”
It turns out that Hasaki Kana was the one waiting for me behind the gym. She’s unusually serious right now, so I just nod to urge her to continue. Unfortunately, she falls silent.
Well, this is awkward. I think for a moment that this would be the prime location for a love confession of this were a romance book, but I’m totally overthinking it. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. The silent moment stretches for some time until she suddenly blurts out with a determined look on her face, “I’m so sorry, but could we start as friends and see how things go from there?!”
Wait, what? You’re kidding, right?
It was baffling enough that she was the one who wrote the letter, but I could’ve never imagined she did it so she could friendzone me without even confessing her love for me first.
I’m seriously confused. This is just about the last thing I was expecting.
“What?”
I remain silent, and Kana clenches her eyes shut and trembles slightly.
“Hasaki…”
“Y-Yes?” she manages to squeak out.
“Did you just friendzone me?”
“Huh?” she whispers, confused.
“What?” I ask, adding to the confusion.
Another awkward silence stretches between us. Once again, it’s Hasaki who breaks the ice. She shakes her head lightly and says, clearly puzzled,
“F-Friendzone you? Huh? You mean I did that to you, Tomoki-kun? I-I just meant to apologize for everything that’s happened between us. I did say we should try being friends, right?”
She seems to realize what she actually said as soon as she finishes speaking, though, because she starts to panic.
“Oh, wait… D-Did I actually just…? W-Wait, no way!” she flounders.
“Um, Hasaki?”
“No! I didn’t mean it like that! That’s not why I apologized! I just figured that since we haven’t been on the best of terms recently, I wanted to apologize for treating you so badly! A-And I...! A-Anyways! I don’t have the courage to reject a guy before he gets the chance to confess to me, okay?! So that’s totally not what I meant!” she shouts as tears well up in her eyes.
“Okay, now that the apology’s out of the way, what about the whole ‘Could we start as friends and see how things go from there’ part, then?”
“Oh, that. Uh, yeah, that’s pretty much what I said…” she mutters shakily.
“I don’t get why you’re so eager to be my friend in the first place.”
Her eyes dampen even further at my comment. I guarantee she has no argument to counter me on that front.
“I-I’ve always wanted to be your friend.”
“Yeah, sorry, but I’m not buying that. Every time we meet, your face always goes bright red, and you glare at me. It’s pretty obvious that you’re not the biggest fan of me,” I retort.
Her face reddens just like I’d pointed out. I guess calling her out like that was too embarrassing for her to handle.
“Wh-What?! You noticed that?! I-I just...! I never, um, looked at you in a bad way! Yeah, it’s true I get red as a tomato every time I see you, but still!” she stammers while fidgeting.
“Why would you look at me so much, then?”
“That’s because… Well, I…”
She’s at a loss for words. After yet another awkward period of silence, she all of a sudden gains steam and spits out, “I look at you because… because it embarrasses me! I’ve never seen a guy as handsome as you before, Tomoki-kun!”
...Wait, what the fuck? Did I hear that correctly? Is she lying? Maybe it’s some kind of prank? If it is, I ain’t fucking laughing! How could she find me attractive? I’m the school’s so-called criminal! I thought guys like Ike would be her type.
Yeah, that’s it—she has to be lying. But say she is, what is she after? The only thing I can think of is using me to somehow get closer to Touka. I am her “boyfriend,” after all. She looks pretty damn uneasy right now, and it’s no wonder. I’m onto her; I won’t buy her lies.
“Tell me something, Hasaki—did you ever manage to make peace with Touka?”
Her expression sours the moment I mention Touka, and she looks away.
“Not since that one time we were all together and I apologized. I haven’t gotten the chance to talk to her after that…” she says, forcing a smile.
Oh, I get it now. I see why she wants to be my friend. All of this is a sham. She’s even willing to lie through her teeth to get what she wants. And what does she want, exactly? Definitely not my friendship, that’s for sure. What I am sure about is that she wants to use me to attain her goal… whatever that is.
“Why would you ask me about her, though?” she inquires, still looking pretty on-edge.
Her objective is clear as day. She wants to befriend Touka again, and she’s willing to use me as a stepping stone to achieve that.
“Oh, I know!” she suddenly shouts, interrupting my train of thought. “You don’t have to do this. I mean, only if you’re okay with it, but…”
She’s got the whole air-headed cutie look going for her on the outside, but who would’ve thought that she’d secretly be so cunning and devious?
“I’d like it if I was not only your friend, but Touka’s as well. If you could help us get along again, I’d be super happy! Only if you’re fine with it, though!” she shouts while looking me straight in the eyes. She’s more resolute than I’ve ever seen her. She eventually falters and takes my silence as a no.
“I-I knew you wouldn’t be up for it… right?” she speaks hesitantly.
I’m mulling over my answer right now. What kind of relationship did they have in the past? Touka mentioned that they got along well up until “a certain person” went to middle school. Now I’m very curious to hear Hasaki’s point of view.
“Did you two get along well before?” I ask.
She answers with a sad expression, “Mhm. Our houses are close, so we hung out a lot back in the day. I’ve always gotten along well with Haruma, but Touka and I are… well, we’re girls after all, right? So we got along especially well. We used to be like sisters, you know?”
At the mention of them being close to sisters, her expression changes, and she grins widely. Damn, that’s how close they were? Who could’ve guessed Touka had someone she’d call “Big Sis?” Maybe I just don’t have much of an imagination, but I can’t picture Touka acting all cutesy and sweet like that.
“Well, up until I got into middle school, anyway,” she says grimly. Up until a moment ago, she seemed so happy. Looks like her story is pretty similar to Touka’s.
“Did something happen that made you two grow apart?”
She hesitates for a moment before answering. “Did Touka-chan say something?” she asks.
“All she told me is that you two had a good relationship in the past. Nothing else,” I answer.
“If that’s the case, I won’t say anything either. I hope you don’t mind. If she didn’t tell you, then I don’t really feel comfortable talking about it, either. I know I’m asking you for a big favor, and I’m being unfair by not telling you the whole situation, but…”
“I mean, if you don’t wanna go deeper into it, then don’t. Don’t sweat it.”
“...Okay, thanks,” she says with a slight smile.
Huh, the two of them reacted in pretty much the same way on this topic.
“Let me ask you one thing, though—I know you’re doing this so you can get along with her again. I get that. But why haven’t you tried yourself yet?”
“I’ve always wanted to make things right between us, but every time I’ve tried to come up with a way for us to get along again, I draw a blank. I’ve thought about getting Haruma involved, but I didn’t go with it in the end. He and Touka-chan don’t get along very well, so it’s for the best this way.”
They’ve got quite the tangled web of relationships, the three of them. So it looks as though she basically wants to do something about it, but she can’t come up with anything, and that’s been the status quo for years now. In the end, Hasaki hasn’t been able to do anything.
But there’s one factor that’s been added ever since Touka entered high school—me. Maybe she doesn’t want to involve Ike, but I’m Touka’s boyfriend. Things could go differently with me. I guess that’s what she’s shooting for?
I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I’m not actually Touka’s boyfriend, even if she thinks otherwise. I’m aware that Touka and I have a trusting relationship, but even that has its limit. I don’t think that either of us trusts each other completely, and rightly so.
Well, it’s not like she’s looking to achieve the impossible. There should be a way to do it. That’s what I think, at least.
“Okay, Hasaki. I’ll help you out,” I say.
After listening to both sides of the story, I’ve made up my mind. I remember how Touka smiled, even if just slightly, back when she told me about it. I think that possibly, deep down, she truly wants to mend things with Hasaki, as well. Maybe I shouldn’t butt into their lives. I mean, it’s really none of my business. But if I can do anything to help them get along again, to have them return to the days where they treated each other as if they were sisters, then I’ll take my chances and insert myself into this mess.
“F-For real?!” Kana shouts excitedly, a beaming smile alongside it.
“Yeah, for real,” I answer with a nod. “I’d like Touka to be happy, too, you know?”
Honestly, she and Hasaki are pretty similar when it comes to expressing their range of emotions. Hasaki looks perplexed.
“What?” I ask.
“Oh, nothing. It’s just the way you said that sounded suuuper suspicious,” she says with a piercing glare.
Man, is she really okay with me? She did say she doesn’t hate me, but what’s up with that look? It only makes me doubt that she does, in fact, want to be my friend. It’s funny how she’s willing to use someone she hates just to become friends with someone who currently hates her. She must really love Touka, huh?
“Anyways, I guess now we’re friends, right? I hope we get along, Tomoki-kun.”
“Sure, same here.”
She pulls out her phone the moment I finish my sentence.
“Huh?” I blurt out. She’s looking at her messaging app. What the hell is she doing?
“Uh... Oh, right! Let’s exchange phone numbers! There’s a ton of stuff I need to ask you about!” she exclaims.
“Oh, so that’s why you took it out. Sure.” I pull my phone out as well, and we exchange numbers. By the way, it’s important to note that this is my first time swapping numbers with a girl my age.
“Aaand done. I’ll send you some texts later, so be sure to answer them. Don’t just leave me on read, okay?” she says while continuing to fiddle with her phone.
She doesn’t look very enthused about all of this, though, so I’m not exactly happy either. What’s going on? Does she really want to stay in contact with me? Her current expression tells me the complete opposite, but still…
“Sure, I’ll answer the moment you message me,” I answer.
“Sounds good!” she says and sighs in relief.
Oh well, whatever. In any case, Hasaki and I are now “friends,” I guess, even if it’s merely for the sake of helping each other obtain our own goals.
