I must live strong.
“I’m really at a loss. It went according to plan until just after I climbed the tree but――”
At that moment, I heard a familiar voice.
“The main dance stage window won’t budge, you see. It was unexpected.”
“Huh……?”
I glance at the person slowly descending the stairs.
“Kazuki-kun!”
“Oh, you were alive.”
“…….Kana, that’s mean.”
Kazuki misses a step and almost falls.
“Kazuki…… Y, yo, you!”
“That’s right. The lock on the window on the landing was broken, so I could open and close it freely, but when I looked at it today, it had been replaced with a new one. I was really nervous.”
“I’m not talking about that!”
“I figured, just because it was an emergency, breaking a school window is certainly unforgivable.”
I never thought a joke could be so comforting.
“I’m so glad…… I’m honestly so glad…”
Mizuno-san’s tears change type from sadness to joy.
“Masaomi, you cried too, didn’t you?”
While Kazuki was looking at Mizuno-san, I tried to wipe away the tears that came to my eyes, but it seemed that it was too late.
“There’s no way I’d cry.”
Suppressing my heart that’s jumping for joy, I act tough.
“Rather than that, Masaomi. You should apologize to Kana.”
Kazuki showed a troubled smile and tapped my shoulder.
“I heard your voice from the top of the tree. I had trouble finding the right time to break the glass.”
“Kazuki-kun. Doing something like that is mean, you know?”
Mizuno-san, who stood up with the wall as support, scolded him while laughing.
“My bad. But I was curious what would happen next, you see. You won’t normally know how things would turn out when you’re dead, right? But just as Mizuno-san said, I was mean. It would have been great to inform you that I am still alive. It’s my fault that unnecessary conflict arose. I’m truly sorry.”
He bowed deeply to the three people who were looking at him. I could see a glimpse of Kazuki’s kindness. Kazuki is able to make up for all of his many weaknesses with his strengths. It was the same for his mischievousness and kindness. Kazuki isn’t hated by anyone, he’s an agreeable guy.
“Kana……”
I turn to Kana who is adjusting her clothes.
“Earlier……”
I can’t look into Kana’s eyes. Even if it was a misunderstanding, I did something extreme. I will take any punishment. I open my mouth in order to express my determination.
…But that was interrupted by Kana.
“You don’t have to apologize, Masaomi. Besides, I don’t care what Masaomi does to me. I like being in pain, too.”
Her words were so cheerful that it was hard believe that she was just grabbed by the collar and disparaged.
“Kana-san……”
Mizuno-san looked at Kana with a surprised expression.
“Well, Kana is this kind of person, after all. Don’t be so surprised.”
Mizuno-san, who was pointed out by Kazuki, did not seem to be aware, as she molded her face like clay to adjust her expression.
“Nevertheless, I’m sorry. I will definitely make up to you. There’s no way I can be forgiven unilaterally.”
I bow deeply to Kana.
“Piggyback.”
Kana came around to me, who was hanging his head, and hugged me from behind.
“After all, Masaomi. That was costly.”
Kazuki shrugs.
“Well then, I’ll be Mizuno-san’s…”
“I’m fine on my own. Besides, I have my crutches with me.”
Kazuki, who was kneeling with his back turned, quietly stood up after hearing Mizuno-san’s words. There was a huge sadness on his back.
“Masaomi, Kazuki has been dumped.”
“Yeah, I know. Don’t tell everyone.”
Kana, who was still hanging around my neck, spoke as if she had found some trash on the side of the road.
“I wonder why… I’m not sad, but my eyes look cloudy”
The back of Kazuki who said that is getting smaller and smaller.
“Kazuki, we’re in a crisis right now. You can’t keep on dwelling over insignificant things, right?”
“Masaomi, piggyback.”
“You be quiet.”
“Kana became impatient as she continued to wait for us to transition into a piggyback position.”
“How nice, Kana-san……”
“Mizuno-san, you be quiet too.”
Mizuno-san was supporting her legs with crutches, and I cut her off with a tone different from Kana’s.
“Masaomi…… I, could it be that it actually wouldn’t have mattered even if I died?”
“Of course not!”
Again.
My emotions today are more extreme than usual. Mizuno-san got shocked and almost dropped her crutches.
“I know.”
As if to reveal the truth, Kazuki’s sorrow disappeared in an instant.
“I’m deeply grateful to Masaomi. When I watched you getting so emotional while I was gone…… I’ve never been as happy in my entire life. Even as a joke, I’ll never say that again.”
“O, okay……. As long, as you get it……”
How embarrassing.
I’ve never even been told such words before.
“Kazuki-kun, you’re mean.”
Kazuki is being glared at by Mizuno-san.
“Mizuno-san always takes Masaomi’s side. Masaomi, who doesn’t notice that, is also quite dense. With Kana always by his side, I guess it’s only natural that he turns numb.”
I feel like this is the first time I’ve seen a crutch turn into a deadly weapon.
“Kazuki-kun!”
She spins her crutch around and slams it into Kazuki’s head. The physical strength of a librarian cannot be underestimated.
“Woah!”
Kazuki narrowly avoids the crutch. I think Kazuki, who avoids that speed, is also amazing.
“Seriously! You’re just so mean!”
Mizuno-san’s face turned bright red and turned away.
“Piggyback.”
“……Okay, okay.”
I feel like I am taking care of a young child. I sighed heavily and carried Kana on my back.
“Kazuki, what are we going to do now?”
Kazuki puts his hand on his chin and groans.
“Anyway, let’s meet up with the three who left earlier. I feel like it would be more convenient to be in a large group if possible.”
“You’re right.”
“More than anything, we have to meet up with Mutsuki-san, who you care about.”
“Okay, let’s go, everyone.”
“Excuse me, what do you mean?”
In my attempt to play it cool, Mizuno-san, who was supposed to be upset, snapped at me.
“…Ka, zu, ki?”
“It’s this mouth’s fault, huh. What a terrible mouth, yeah.”
Kazuki pulled his cheek and pretended to reflect.
“You see, Mutsuki-san is the person Masaomi likes.”
“Kana’s mouth also doesn’t lose to mine, it’s the same.”
Kazuki reaches out his hand to pull Kana’s cheek, but she slaps him as if driving away a fly.
“I would like to hear it in detail.”
“……Where’s my privacy?”
“None.”
Mizuno-san declares.
“Masaomi, you have it rough.”
Kana starts to resemble a Konaki Jijii1…… No, she is a girl, so a Konaki Baba2?
“Well, at least while we’re walking, you can investigate, inquire, or interrogate me. I think those three are probably in the student council room. A lot of various stuff are in there, after all. It should be convenient for future plans. It’s at the very back of the third floor, so I think it’s hard for monsters to notice.”
Kazuki walks towards the stairs as if this topic has been settled.
I reluctantly carry Kana on my back and follow him.
I’m jealous of Kazuki’s thoughtfulness as he walks slower than usual so Mizuno-san can keep up.
I don’t have that kind of dependability.
Kazuki, who can do that naturally, is someone I admire.
Come to think of it, it’s been that way ever since we met.
Even in a conversation with an unfamiliar friend, he provides a topic without any discomfort, and he reads the atmosphere and changes the topic.
Just a while ago, he pushed Mizuno-san and me from behind, and tried to reunite with us using a different route while ignoring the danger.
A spirit of self-sacrifice that not everyone has. If there was such a spirit of self-sacrifice all over the world, the world would surely become permanently peaceful.
Kazuki has always been like that.
He’s the person I admire the most.
“Uhm, are you listening?”
Mizuno-san was calling out to me from behind.
TN: Konaki Jijii 1- a ghost in Japanese folklore with the shape of a small old man(jijii) and having a baby’s cry(konaki), 2 – baba = grandma/old woman
