Chapter 18: Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Ominous

「Hey, Saori. Do you have a moment to talk?」

「…It’s you again?」

Saori lets out a small sigh in response to the sudden greeting from Kozaburo Miwa, but Miwa doesn’t seem to mind and simply smiles.

「I was watching you in P.E. earlier. You two looked pretty friendly. I wouldn’t have guessed you’re supposed to be ex-lovers who just broke up.」

「That is…」

Saori looks away, feeling uncomfortable. Miwa deliberately continues in a cheerful tone.

「Among the people watching you two from a distance, some said you actually make a good couple. I figured you’d find that bothersome, so I corrected them myself. There are already some strange rumors going around, after all.」

「Miwa-kun, you’re always like that. Always… only thinking about yourself.」

「That hurts, you know. I’m always thinking about you first and foremost.」

Miwa flashes a refreshing smile, but Saori does not smile back.

「…As I said yesterday, whoever I date is none of your concern.」

「He was just a ‘convenient backup’ for you, right? That’s not what you’d call actually ‘dating,’ is it?」

「…That’s also none of your concern.」

Saori lowers her gaze as if enduring some pain. Miwa keeps his smile and slowly steps closer to her.

「When I heard at lunchtime from him that you two broke up, I was really shocked. …Hey, Saori. Why didn’t you tell me that yesterday? If you really broke up, why… did you reject me? You’ve never done that before.」

「I decided to follow his example and think for myself about what I should do.」

「So that’s why you turned me down?」

「From the start, you and I have only ever been friends. I don’t know what you told Sakashima-senpai, but I have no intention of doing anything more than what friends do with you.」

「Hah… So you really prefer that guy, huh? I thought he had a little spine when I spoke to him before, but today he was useless. No matter how much I taunted him, he just brushed it off with vague answers. In the end, all he said was, ‘Do whatever you want.’ He has no intention whatsoever of protecting you.」

「…」

For just a moment, Saori’s lips tighten at Miwa’s words. But she forces her usual blank expression to remain, as if it’s the least she can do to atone for something.

「That just means he’s not giving either of us any attention. For him, I’m already… just another irrelevant stranger, same as you are.」

「…I don’t get it, Saori. Why are you making that face? Someone like him was nothing but a convenient backup, right? Whether he pays attention or not shouldn’t matter at all. If you need someone to replace him, I can be that, as much as you—」

「I’m sorry, but the next class is about to start, so I’ll be going now…」

Saori cuts Miwa off and attempts to leave. However, Miwa speaks up again, as though trying to stop her.

「Aren’t you curious to know where his phone ended up?」

「…How do you know about that?」

Saori stops walking. Miwa continues speaking in a calm tone.

「Like I told him, rumors can spread from anywhere. If you socialize with lots of people, you hear more than most. …Of course, that includes things you can’t exactly share in polite company.」

「…I’m disappointed in you. I thought that, no matter how you’ve changed, you’d never stoop to doing something like that. …You’re the worst.」

「Now, now. Don’t jump to conclusions. You think I’d do something as low as stealing someone else’s phone?」

Miwa shrugs theatrically, as if insulted by the suggestion. Even Saori, who has known him for a long time, can’t tell how serious he is.

He continues in a cheerful voice, as though enjoying himself.

「Both he and whoever stole his phone—and you, too—are taking this situation way too lightly. No matter the reason, stealing a phone is unacceptable. It’s a crime. If they get caught, they could be expelled, or worse if he decides to escalate it. As for him, a phone is loaded with personal data. You’d think he’d be more freaked out after losing it, but he seems so detached. …Well, I doubt the thieves have the skills to crack his password or anything like that, but still.」

「…So what are you trying to do, telling me all this? If you really know who stole his phone, you should tell him or report it to a teacher.」

「I told you, I only heard rumors. I can’t just spread unreliable stories and throw everyone into confusion. …Of course, depending on your attitude, that could change…」

Miwa puts a hand on Saori’s shoulder. She stares back at him with a cold gaze.

From the start, there has only been one thing Saori needs to say to Miwa. She goes to brush his hand away and open her mouth to speak, but the bell rings, signaling the start of class, cutting her off.

「…I’m sorry, but I can’t indulge you in this conversation any longer.」

Saori exhales a sigh and turns her back on him.

「So distant. You won’t skip class with me, then?」

「I wouldn’t skip class with anyone. Now, if you’ll excuse me.」

With that, Saori hurries toward her classroom. Miwa doesn’t stop her, but he doesn’t hurry off to class himself, either.

「…She’s a completely different person than when she’s talking to that guy. What’s so good about a man like that? I’m definitely more capable than he is…」

He spits out the words with a chilling look that he never shows Saori, clicking his tongue.

「Well, whatever. If it’s true they broke up, time will fix everything. …Saori’s never been able to make her own decisions. And that guy won’t try to get back with her now. …Still, I won’t be satisfied unless he suffers at least a little.」

Miwa smirks.

「The rumors seem to be spreading nicely, and I think it’s about time I got those idiots moving.」

With a pasted-on smile, Miwa walks off in the opposite direction from Saori.

◇

「Ochiba, man, what’s up with you lately?」

Classes have ended, and it’s after school. I had no plans for today, so I figured I’d head home early for a change and play some games by myself. As I’m packing up, Mori-kun from my class comes over to talk.

「What do you mean, ‘what’s up?’ I’m fine, nothing’s going on.」

I put on my usual fake smile, but Mori-kun grabs my shoulder, looking dissatisfied.

「Don’t play dumb. I’m talking about you and Sakaki-san. You’ve both been acting weird lately. Something definitely happened, right?」

「Ah, that…」

Sakaki-san and I never got lovey-dovey in the classroom or anything. Honestly, I was usually the one talking to her, and we hardly had real conversations. So I thought no one would notice we broke up, but it seems Mori-kun picked up on something off between us.

「…」

I glance over at the seat next to mine. Sakaki-san is already gone. There’s hardly anyone else in the classroom, and nobody seems to be paying attention to us. Under these circumstances, it should be safe enough to talk. Mori-kun might be a little clueless sometimes, but he’s not a bad guy.

I steel myself.

「The truth is, Sakaki-san and I… we broke up.」

「Huh? Seriously? What’s that about? Did you guys get into a fight or something?」

「No, it’s not just a fight or anything like that—we really broke up.」

「So basically, you’re fighting, right?」

Mori-kun sighs like he’s fed up. …Does he actually get what I’m saying?

「If you guys are fighting, you should hurry up and apologize. I mean, I’ve never had a girlfriend, so I don’t really know, but usually it’s best if the guy gives in first to keep the peace, right?」

「I’m telling you, it’s not like that. I can’t go into detail because it involves her personal matters, but we did break up. It’s not something that can be fixed with a simple apology.」

「Wow, for real… You used to be all about how much you loved Sakaki-san. Are you really okay with this?」

「It’s fine. I did love her, but she… didn’t love me.」

「I dunno, man. It never looked that way to me, though…」

Mori-kun knits his brows, apparently unconvinced. I don’t really get what’s bothering him.

I don’t know how we looked from the outside, but in the three months I dated Sakaki-san, I never once felt any genuine affection from her. …Except maybe that one moment right before we broke up. Though I’m still not sure if that actually counted as affection.

I let out a big sigh.

「Anyway, I just can’t figure out what she’s thinking. She won’t tell me anything. And even if she suddenly said she loves me now, I don’t think I’d be able to believe her. It’d just be too exhausting, you know?」

「…Maybe so. I still don’t get it. …But I really did think you two were a good match.」

「Well, apparently most people don’t feel that way.」

But it’s all irrelevant at this point. I have no intention of getting back together with Sakaki-san. Miwa… well, I’ve got my opinions, but no matter who she ends up with, it’s not my concern anymore.

「Oh, right, Mori-kun. Could you do me a favor and not tell anyone about this yet? There are some weird rumors going around, so I just want to wait and see how things play out for now.」

「Ah, right. Yeah, I get it. You and Sakaki-san are both popular, so it might cause more drama. …Got it. I won’t tell anyone. I’ll bet my life on it.」

「Sorry, thanks.」

When I say that and crack a small grin, Mori-kun smiles happily for some reason.

「Anyway, I’m glad to see you’re looking better, Ochiba. You seemed really down lately.」

「Oh… you noticed?」

「Totally. I’m actually 2.0 vision in both eyes.」

「No way. You were just complaining you couldn’t see the board from the back because your eyesight got worse from gaming too much.」

We both burst out laughing, and I feel some of the tension lift from my shoulders.

「Ah, crap. I’ve got club activities today. Sorry, but I’ve gotta go.」

「You’re in the basketball club, right, Mori-kun?」

「Yeah. Believe it or not, I’m kind of a star player, so they expect a lot from me.」

Mori-kun stands up and gives me a thumbs-up.

「Hope you patch things up with Sakaki-san soon, yeah?」

「I’m telling you, we’re not fighting.」

「Whatever, whatever! If there’s anything I can do to help, just say the word! I’m here for you!」

With that, he leaves the classroom. …He really is a good guy. A bit hard to communicate with sometimes, but maybe living a little more carefree like him would make things turn out better for me, too.

「Guess I’ll head out too.」

I haven’t made any plans with Koga-san today, so I’ll just go straight home. As I step out of the classroom, a group of unfamiliar guys suddenly appears, as if they’ve been waiting for me, and heads my way.

「Hey, got a minute to talk?」

The one in the lead speaks, and… there’s a bad vibe about this.

I put on my usual fake smile.

「Sorry, if you’re about to confess your love, I’m not taking any new offers right now.」

「We don’t need your dumb jokes.」

They surround me so I can’t escape. …Suddenly it clicks—these guys must be fans of Sakaki-san. I recall being hassled by some like them before.

I can’t help but let out a short laugh.

「This is actually perfect. I was just about to go looking for you.」

「…What do you mean by that?」

「You came to return my phone, didn’t you?」

I try a little bluff, and a few of them actually shrink back, looking rattled. …They’re more straightforward than I expected—lucky for me.

「…Just come with us.」

The leader grabs my arm and starts walking. …It’s a pain, but I can’t just ignore them if I want to settle this phone issue. Resigned, I let them lead me away.

「…Looks like I’m not getting home early today, either.」

With a small sigh, I mutter those words under my breath.

TL: All this time I thought his phone was not password protected… If it’s protected then why even bother threatening to leak personal info from the phone