Chapter 27: Break Up!

♦♦♦

Lately, I’ve been completely at the mercy of Hayasaka-san, Tachibana-san, and Yanagi-senpai. But it’s not like I haven’t taken any action.

“I had a feeling something was up from the start. You’re at the same high school as my daughter.”

Rei-san, the owner, says this while sipping a Hoegaarden White poured by Kunimi-san.

“But I never imagined you’d be Hikari’s boyfriend.”

It’s after my shift at the bar, post-closing.

The other employees have left, and we’re sitting at a table talking. Kunimi-san, saying, “Go get ‘em, kid.” sets down a beer and a tonic water on the table.

“I understand about the trip.”

She says, placing an envelope on the table.

“I’m paying your salary in advance, so don’t let my daughter stay in any sketchy places.”

I expected more pushback, but Rei-san smoothly agrees to the trip. When I hesitate, she coolly says, “I’m not so tacky as to meddle in my high school daughter’s love life.”

“Still, Kirishima-kun, you’re so classic. Were you planning to sway a strict mom with some tear-jerking speech?”

“At first.”

I applied for the job at the live bar run by Tachibana-san’s mom the moment I saw the listing.

It was obvious that the messy state of our relationships stemmed from Tachibana-san and Yanagi-senpai’s engagement. I thought if I could resolve that, a lot of problems would clear up.

“So, what did you think when you actually met me?”

“You were completely different from what I imagined.”

She’s sharp and cool. In a way, exactly the kind of mom you’d expect for someone as special as Tachibana Hikari.

“I’ve told Hikari it’s fine to call off the engagement.”

Yanagi-senpai’s dad’s company owns a lot of real estate, including this place, which they rent to Rei-san at an unbelievably low rate for Tokyo.

“It’s just a matter of paying the rent I should’ve been paying.”

But that would affect the bar’s operations. Rei-san pays her staff and performers more than other places. If rent goes up and profits drop, those payments might shrink, or she might have to close one of her three locations.

“Hikari’s not good at complex thinking, but she intuitively gets things like this.”

I might’ve been indulging her, Rei-san says.

“But all those conditions are gone now. The engagement can be canceled with no risk.”

“Huh?”

She didn’t tell you? Rei-san says.

“Yanagi-kun convinced his dad. Whether Hikari marries him or not, the rent for this place will stay low.”

Which means—

“Hikari’s free to love whoever she wants. Though she’ll owe Yanagi-kun a big favor.”

As a mother, I feel bad for putting my daughter—and you—in this situation, Rei-san says.

“But these things happen in life.”

“I kinda get it.”

By the way, there’s something I want to ask, Rei-san says.

“There’s basically no barrier between you and Hikari anymore. But will you really choose her as your girlfriend?”

Rei-san’s glass-like eyes lock onto me, as if seeing through everything. She’s definitely Tachibana-san’s mom. But being more mature, she doesn’t seem inclined to say more.

“Do what you want. It’s your love. Hikari’s bound to be shaken after everything Yanagi-kun’s done for her.”

Either way, Rei-san stands, places a hand on my shoulder, and says,

“Don’t make my daughter cry.”

♦♦♦

December 31st, New Year’s Eve.

In the living room, Tachibana-san’s eating mandarins at the kotatsu while watching the New Year’s music show.

“Whoa, Tachibana-san, you eat them the same way as Onii-chan!”

My little sister, sharing the kotatsu, says while watching Tachibana-san’s hands.

“It tastes better if you remove all the pith.”

Tachibana-san diligently pops mandarins into her mouth. It’s a peaceful scene. Since we’re leaving for the trip on New Year’s Day, Tachibana-san came to my house early with her suitcase. She’s fully settled in, wearing my tracksuit, tucked into the kotatsu.

“Guess I’ll have a mandarin too.”

I slide into the kotatsu, eat a mandarin, and watch TV. Tachibana-san and I don’t talk much.

“Am I, like, in the way?”

My sister asks, and Tachibana-san shakes her head, playfully hugging her and tumbling over.

“Tachibana-san smells so nice~”

My sister says happily.

Time passes lazily like that, and midnight approaches.

“Why don’t you go to the shrine for New Year’s?”

Mom suggests, and since we’ve been lounging all day, I start getting ready.

My sister teases, “I’ll leave you two alone~”

“Shirou-kun, lend me your jacket.”

“Sure, but you’ve got your own.”

Tachibana-san doesn’t respond, just takes my down jacket from me.

It’s pretty cold outside. But it’s New Year’s Eve, so the streets are busy with people heading to the nearby shrine. Some carry old talismans to turn in.

I walk hand-in-hand with Tachibana-san. We started late, so the year turns as we walk, and we say, “Happy New Year” to each other.

We line up at the shrine, ring the bell, clap our hands, and pray.

But I came to the shrine less for the ritual and more because of a hunch. And that hunch was spot-on.

“Happy New Year.”

The voice belongs to—

Yanagi-senpai.

The moment she sees him, Tachibana-san visibly falters. After a troubled look, her face goes blank, and she shuts her eyes tightly, as if unsure what to do.

Seeing this, Yanagi-senpai looks sad.

“Sorry for making you uncomfortable.”

That’s right. Tachibana-san is conflicted.

Yanagi-senpai convinced his dad to cancel the engagement, setting her free. And he told her he wants to be with her, not as her fiancé, but as her choice.

Tachibana-san has no disadvantages anymore, whatever she does.

“It’s fine. If you don’t want to see me, that’s okay. You don’t have to worry about me.”

Senpai says.

But Tachibana-san can’t just do that. Promised a comfortable life thanks to him, could she easily accept rejecting him coldly and being happy with another guy? No, she couldn’t.

She’s too kind for that, and her feelings for Senpai have grown too strong.

“I was looking down on it all.”

Pretty lame, huh? Senpai says.

“Since I was a kid, I was always the best at everything. Studies, sports—I didn’t even have to try. A smile was enough to make friends, and girls liked me. I gave up soccer after an injury, but I thought I’d succeed in something else.”

Love was the same, apparently.

“I thought I could handle Hikari-chan the same way. But people’s hearts don’t work like studies or sports. I didn’t even get that.”

That’s why he broke it—himself, the shackles of the engagement.

“Hey, Hikari-chan, I was a lousy guy, but does this make us equals now?”

“Um…”

Tachibana-san starts to say something, looks at me, and falls silent.

Senpai says, “It’s okay.” but speaks firmly.

“I’m not trying to force you. But if you have even a little affection for me, if there’s any chance, please think about it seriously.”

His eyes, fixed on Tachibana-san, burn with resolve.

“I love Tachibana Hikari. Not as a fiancé, but as a lover.”

He’s like a story’s hero—direct, pure, even self-sacrificing.

Tachibana-san fidgets with her hair tips, her habit when she’s rattled.

“You’re going on a trip, right? It’s fine after you get back. I’ll wait forever.”

Senpai says this and leaves. He seemed to want to say something to me but held back. In front of Tachibana-san, his beloved, he didn’t want to show a side or say words he’d rather keep hidden.

His parting glance at me held no warmth, and I instinctively knew Yanagi-senpai and I would never stand side by side again.

We acted like nothing happened, drew omikuji, tied them up, and headed home.

“…Shirou-kun.”

Tachibana-san leans into me, holding my hand.

“Choose me. If you do, I’ll break completely.”

I won’t think about anything.

I’ll only see you, Shirou-kun.

So, choose me.

That’s what she says.

♦♦♦

“Shirou-kun, you can have the window seat.”

“I’m fine with the aisle. You like that stuff, don’t you, Tachibana-san?”

Tachibana-san’s a girl with a lot of childish traits. She’d definitely love the window seat more than me.

“Shirou-kun’s acting all mature… despite being such a baby…”

She says this but takes the window seat. As the shinkansen pulls out of the station, she swings her legs and gazes outside.

New Year’s Day, on the Tokaido Shinkansen to Kyoto.

Since most people have finished visiting family, the train is nearly empty.

Things go smoothly until Shizuoka. It’s clear, and we get excited together when we spot Mount Fuji. But around Nagoya, the train starts moving slowly.

Snow is falling and piling up.

An announcement says there’s snow accumulation around Maibara, causing delays.

The snowy scenery outside is so evocative it makes us feel like we’re the only two people in the world, inevitably casting a last trip vibe.

I still haven’t decided who to choose.

But the quietly falling snow adds a melancholic hue to our journey.

I can’t help but think.

When this trip ends, I’ll part with either Hayasaka-san or Tachibana-san and become a normal boyfriend to the other. After all the mess, things will settle, and a cycle will close. I’m at the final stage.

Just before winter break, Hayasaka-san said in the classroom,

“Come back properly. And then, choose me.”

With her usual troubled smile, she laughed brightly.

“I know you and Tachibana-san are in love. But I still want you to choose me. It’s crazy, right? But that’s what I want.”

I’ll wait. I believe in you. She clutched my uniform hem like a prayer.

Until now, I used Tachibana-san’s family situation as an excuse to do all sorts of things with both her and Hayasaka-san.

But Yanagi-senpai cleared that issue.

Logically, I should choose Tachibana-san and part with Hayasaka-san. I know that. But did I really keep Hayasaka-san around just as a backup in case my top love didn’t work out, as I’d planned?

I imagine choosing Tachibana-san.

What comes to mind is Hayasaka-san in another man’s arms—maybe Yanagi-senpai, or countless others.

I don’t want that.

And my mind, thinking this, is being consumed.

By the image Hayasaka-san once planted in me—

Either way, choosing is a serious issue. My favorite is Tachibana-san, but I can’t deny I have genuine affection for Hayasaka-san and a warped possessiveness.

Yes, a warped possessiveness—

“Shirou-kun.”

I realize Tachibana-san’s tugging my sleeve from beside me.

“Let’s stop that.”

Tachibana-san and I are so compatible that we can sense what the other’s thinking.

But that’s why I can also understand her struggles.

After everything Yanagi-senpai’s done, can she just say goodbye and move on?

You were moved, right? You’re fond of him, aren’t you?

Can she hurt Yanagi-senpai and Hayasaka-san so deeply and still be my lover?

I give Tachibana-san a questioning look.

Isn’t she the one thinking of ending things with me?

That’s right. Tachibana-san definitely loves me and understands me. Because our communication is so perfect, we could love each other but decide to stop for the sake of others.

The last trip feeling might be coming from deep within Tachibana-san’s heart.

“Let’s stop thinking.”

Tachibana-san says again, with a puppy-like expression.

“During the trip, let’s just feel happy and not think about anything, okay?”

Her gaze lands on the in-train sales cart.

A middle-aged man is calling it over.

Shinkansen, in-train sales, a middle-aged man, happy feelings—

“Absolutely not.”

“Stingy Shirou-kun.”

But when I return from the restroom—

“Why’d you buy it?!”

She’s firmly holding a beer and some dried squid.

“This’ll get us hyped.”

“More like, how’d you even buy it? The cart lady wouldn’t sell to you.”

Tachibana-san is obviously underage.

“I said my big brother told me to buy it. That if I didn’t have it by the time he got back, he’d hit me, and I’d get punished at home. So she sold it to me.”

“You really go all out, huh?”

A kashu sound.

“Hey!”

Before I can stop her, Tachibana-san grabs the beer can with both hands, squeezes her eyes shut with determination, and starts chugging, her throat gulping loudly.

“—Pwah!”

Oh, man. I sit back in my seat, sigh, and brace myself.

Tachibana-san’s cheeks gradually flush red.

And then—

“Shirou-kun!!”

With a scrunched-up face, Tachibana-san throws herself at me, clinging and shaking me.

“Don’t abandon me~! I’ll do anything, anything!”

When she sobers up, I’m grilling her.

Why did she think beer would hype her up when she’s such a weepy drunk?

The shinkansen arrives at Kyoto Station significantly delayed. Our schedule’s shot, so we head to Toji Temple’s Four Heavenly Kings statues and Sanjusangendo Thousand-Armed Kannon, both near the station.

“Even though you made that itinerary.”

“It’s fine. As long as I’m with you, Shirou-kun, anything’s good.”

I walk through the snow-covered city, holding the hand of Tachibana-san, who’s extra emotional thanks to the beer.

As dusk falls, we eat ramen, take a bus, and leave the city center.

In northern Kyoto, where a large river flows, a bridge spans, and the mountains feel lonely, our ryokan stands. A traditional Japanese inn with hot springs. We pass through the gate, cross the garden, and enter the main building.

Tachibana-san handles check-in. With practiced ease, she fills out forms and hands over a consent form signed by Rei-san for minors staying.

A young attendant guides us to our room.

The attendant, explaining the ryokan, is refined and poised, but a flicker of curiosity glints in her eyes as she glances at us.

It’s understandable—high schoolers staying at a ryokan together.

For some reason, Tachibana-san suddenly tugs my sleeve and says,

“Shirou-oniichan…”

No way, that’s too much of a stretch.

The attendant tilts her head, looking at us.

“Oniichan, when we get to the room, brush Hikari’s teeth, okay?”

The attendant’s eyes widen.

“Hey, are you gonna bully Hikari until she pukes again?”

The attendant stares at me, horrified.

“Hikari loves Oniichan so much. Even if you hit me, bully me, or punish me, I love you. So… don’t abandon me.”

The attendant leads us to our room and flees.

“Tachibana-san, you’re playing too much.”

“That barely counts as playing.”

Our room has a bath, but we head to the communal hot spring.

In the open-air bath, I watch snow fall from overhanging branches into the steaming water, melting away.

After a long soak, I return to the room. Tachibana-san, in a yukata, is already in her futon. She’s awake but doesn’t want to talk—her back says it all.

I prepare for tomorrow, dim the lights to a nightlight, and slip into my futon.

Our futons, laid on the tatami, are just a little apart.

Tachibana-san still faces away.

The trip was planned when Tachibana-san was all excited, so it’s a three-day, two-night stay. But we’re struggling to enjoy it, unable to stop worrying about the future.

We can be playful for a moment, like earlier, but at night, when it’s time to sleep, there’s no hiding.

I just stare at the ceiling.

As I start to drift off, I notice Tachibana-san’s shoulders trembling. The heater’s working fine.

I slip into her futon and hug her from behind.

Tachibana-san is crying silently. While crying, she’s swiping through photos on her phone. They’re all of us together.

From fall to winter, when she was in full-on youthful mode.

Us making goofy peace signs, eating crepes with whipped cream on our cheeks, riding a Ferris wheel, even one from today when I was napping on the shinkansen.

After looking at them, Tachibana-san sets her phone by the pillow, turns to me, clings, and kisses me. Desperately, over and over, pressing her lips to mine.

It’s a pleading kind of kiss.

Cool, proud Tachibana-san, crying and kissing me like she’s begging.

Her pleading expression says it all.

So, I show her what I’ve been gripping in my hand.

A symbol of my cowardice and deceit, proof of my scumminess.

A small box of condoms.

Tachibana-san looks at it, her expression pained, and says,

“Let’s pretend it all never happened. So—”

♦♦♦

I don’t want to think about anything.

I feel the same as Tachibana-san—this trip is pure escapism. In a strange town, on a snowy night, feeling the warmth of someone I love in the futon.

We shed our yukatas and hold each other.

I feel Tachibana-san’s smooth skin. I stroke her back, then her thighs. She lets out a soft, yearning breath, and sticks out her tongue as if asking for it. And I accept.

We embrace tightly, our bodies pressing together.

Innocent Tachibana-san tenses briefly in surprise but quickly resolves herself, clinging to me desperately.

While kissing, she arches her hips, pressing against me.

We want to melt into each other, to pour every ounce of our overflowing love into one another.

When our lips part, a thread of saliva lingers.

Nothing else exists. There’s only now.

I lift the futon to see Tachibana-san’s body. Lit by the night’s glow through the window, her body is strikingly white, it’s beautiful. Her slender limbs, toned stomach, lightly glistening with sweat in the warm room.

Tachibana-san squirms shyly under my gaze, but there’s nowhere for her to hide.

I slide my body between her legs, leaning over her. I reach around her back and unhook her bra.

Until now, Tachibana-san used love games as an excuse for intimacy, but being so innocent, we never went far.

Even now, she looks away, embarrassed. But—

Touch everything.

She says softly, then buries her face in the pillow.

I impulsively lick her chest. When my tongue flicks, her body arches like a bow.

Beneath me, her white body writhes.

A side of her only I see.

Wanting to see more, I touch and lick her chest.

Tachibana-san grips the sheets tightly, her body arching, hips lifting, repeating.

I love her. Her sensitive spots, the way she gets embarrassingly wet despite herself.

As she lets out breathless moans, her skin flushed, I reach for her now-soaked, darkened underwear.

Reflexively, she grabs my hands tightly.

After a moment, she quietly lets go.

Naked, we embrace again, kissing deeply, pressing our bodies together, feeling each other’s skin.

I sit up, take out a condom, and put it on.

Tachibana-san covers her mouth, her body closed. But when I gently part her legs, she doesn’t resist.

Don’t look too much, it’s embarrassing.

Her expression is so girlish.

I press against her.

I can feel her tense.

I can’t stop. I want to be inside her. I want to make her mine. I don’t want to give her to anyone. I want to pour my desire into her, to show her so much love she’ll never cry again.

I slowly thrust into her. It’s smooth at first. She’s wet, so I can push in, but it’s so tight, like it’s pushing back, and the deeper I go, the more it feels like I’m forcing my way in. I’m worried.

Tachibana-san’s senses are sharp.

Her brow furrows, and she looks in pain.

I stop instinctively. But despite the pain, she shakes her head.

So, I press my hips firmly against her, pushing past the tightness.

I’m fully inside her.

The sensation of being completely inside a girl is overwhelming—not just physically, but the mental thrill of being wholly accepted.

With an overwhelmed expression, Tachibana-san says,

It hurts.

Tears well in her eyes, but she hugs me with all her strength.

I stay still, feeling her breath and heartbeat.

Even the slightest movement makes her wince in pain.

But—

With a pained expression, Tachibana-san says,

“I don’t want to feel good.”

That’s right.

We love each other so much, but this might be our last trip. We want to confirm our feelings, leave proof, a mark of this love, to hold each other so fiercely it’s like hurting one another.

So I move.

Tachibana-san claws my back in pain. But I keep moving. Even though she’s in so much pain, the tight, wet pressure feels so good to me. Pleasure spreads through my body instantly.

My head, my whole body, burns.

The moment comes quickly.

An incredible wave of pleasure. I let out a sound, hugging her tightly. My vision flashes, and a torrent of love for her sweeps through me. I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you. My body trembles so much my mind shorts out. I bite her white neck. She says, Bite harder, and I bite harder.

I hold her so tightly it’s like I might break her spine. She lets out pained sounds but crosses her legs behind my hips.

We’re deeply connected.

When my vision and senses return, I’m limp, held by Tachibana-san.

She cradles my head, kissing my collarbone and neck repeatedly.

In the afterglow, she whispers in my ear,

I’ve become your girl, Shirou-kun.

You’ve broken me—

♦♦♦

The next morning, Tachibana-san doesn’t say a word to me.

She’s silent the whole time. Her travel outfit—coat and long boots—is the same as yesterday, but she wears a cap low, hiding her face. When I say it’s time to leave or suggest breakfast, she nods quietly, obeying everything.

She starts talking a bit once we begin sightseeing.

“Bus?”

“……I love you.”

“Train could work too.”

“……I love you.”

For now, we visit the places listed in the itinerary she made.

Tachibana-san clings to my arm the whole time. When I try to peek at her face by lifting her cap, she lets out a weird “Fumii!” sound, snatches it back, pulls it low, and snaps, “Don’t look, it’s embarrassing!”

Like that, we visit Kiyomizu Temple, walk down Sannen-zaka, and buy incense.

That night, I fall asleep as soon as I hit the futon. I’m not saying I didn’t think about doing it again, but she was in so much pain last night and too embarrassed to show her face, so I figured it wouldn’t happen.

But in the middle of the night, I wake from a doze to find Tachibana-san in my futon.

She’s on top of me, desperately kissing my neck and chest. When she notices I’m awake, she gives me a pleading look.

Tachibana-san is already in her underwear.

My switch flips instantly, and I pin her down.

With eyes full of anticipation, she says, “Do it.”

I kiss her, touch her body. She’s so sensitive that just that makes her hips lift.

There’s a mark on her neck from last night’s bite, with a hint of blood. I say, “Sorry,” and lick it.

“It’s okay, I was happy…”

We hold each other tightly.

Recalling last night’s pleasure, I want to do it again immediately. Tachibana-san senses this and says, “It’s okay.” When I slide off her underwear, she’s already completely ready.

“You didn’t come to my futon… and you wouldn’t wake up…”

She says she was using her fingers.

I thrust into her again. It’s still tight, with that same pressure.

When I’m fully inside, her expression is less pain and more like she’s struggling.

“I can feel you inside me, Shirou-kun… I feel everything.”

Not wanting to hurt her anymore, I barely move at first.

We stay connected, embracing, kissing, touching her chest, licking her ears.

Then, I move very slowly.

Tachibana-san’s pained expression shifts to one of satisfaction.

“I love you, Shirou-kun.”

We hold each other deeply.

That’s right.

We love each other, want to convey that love through embracing, but holding isn’t nearly enough. To express that insufficiency, we kiss more, and we do this act. This act isn’t unhealthy or taboo.

What a noble act. That’s what I thought.

As we touched each other, confirming our feelings, it happened.

A change came over Tachibana-san.

Her expression becomes rapturous, her breaths sweet. I can’t help but move harder.

Her face melts further, and she starts moaning.

Her provocative appearance drives me to thrust harder.

A wet sound rises.

Tachibana-san lets out a high-pitched cry.

I thought this act was sacred. But it might be something more special, more irrevocable.

That fleeting thought is quickly overwritten by pleasure.

Triggered by the wet sounds, Tachibana-san’s switch flips completely. Even beneath me, she starts moving her hips on her own.

Normally, she’d say, “No, my hips are moving on their own…” but she’s lost herself.

“Shirou-kun… I love you… ahh, ah… I love you, Shirou-kun… ah…”

She repeats it like a delirium.

Her body jolts repeatedly, the intervals growing shorter, and I feel her tighten around me.

And then—

Tachibana-san lets out an especially high-pitched cry, her whole body trembling. The tremors transmit directly to me, bringing an overwhelming wave of pleasure.

I thought what came to me last night had now come to Tachibana-san as well.

So—

I move even harder.

“Shirou-kun! No! Don’t move now!”

If you do more, I’ll lose it, she cries, her moans like screams.

I wanted her to lose it, to break.

I wanted her to be mine alone. I didn’t care what happened after this trip or what right I had to think that. Pretending to be a good guy didn’t matter.

I was human, driven by emotion.

Pinning down the writhing Tachibana-san, I whisper in her ear,

“You’re my girl, right?”

Gasping, she nods repeatedly, saying, I’m Shirou-kun’s girl.

“You only love me, right?”

Trembling, she nods again, saying, I’ll only love Shirou-kun.

I can’t hold back anymore.

Pleasure surges.

And I’m swept away by the same torrent of pleasure as last night.

We’re in the room’s small bath together.

It’s a cypress tub, but a proper hot spring.

Tachibana-san, held by me, has a dazed expression. Occasionally, she turns to me, kisses me lightly, and returns to her dazed look.

Her wet black hair, droplets trailing down her pale nape.

Her skin, warmed by the bath, is soft.

Beautiful, I could watch her forever.

“Hey, Shirou-kun.”

Tachibana-san says, leaning against me.

“I can’t let go anymore. I’m crazy for you, Shirou-kun.”

♦♦♦

On the return shinkansen, Tachibana-san stays close to me.

She naps on my lap, then sits up to nibble my neck, holds my hand with both of hers, sometimes biting my fingers—always touching some part of me.

As the shinkansen nears Tokyo, I try to think about what’s next.

This trip was clearly fleeting.

“Let’s pretend it all never happened.”

Tachibana-san said that, but can we really pretend that night didn’t happen?

Haven’t we changed irrevocably from before?

With that in mind, I try to think about what to do next.

But the sweet lingering memory of last night keeps my thoughts from settling.

Before I know it, the shinkansen arrives at Tokyo Station.

I pull Tachibana-san’s suitcase along the platform. She clings to my arm, staying close.

“Hey, Shirou-kun.”

She looks up at me and says,

“Wanna come to my place after this? Mom won’t be back till late…”

We’re having this conversation when—

I spot a familiar figure on the platform.

A cute girl in a camel peacoat.

She sees us and approaches.

It’s Hayasaka-san.

“Sorry.”

She says with her usual troubled smile.

“I was just… anxious. Like you and Tachibana-san might disappear somewhere.”

So she bought a platform ticket and waited for us to return.

“And, you know, I couldn’t relax. Since you’re supposed to choose when you get back… if you’ve already decided, I want to know sooner—”

Her words cut off.

She looks at our faces, then at our linked arms, and her expression fades.

In an emotionless tone, she says,

“You did it, didn’t you?”

Time seems to stop.

Tachibana-san grips my arm even tighter.

Hayasaka-san’s hollow eyes fix on our linked arms.

“…I’m, such an idiot.”

An idiot and a clumsy girl, she says.

“But I know. I can tell these things.”

She forces that troubled smile again.

“Why’d you do it, Kirishima-kun? You never did it with me.”

Her voice is bright, but it’s strained.

So she looks down.

“You’re both so cruel.”

Her bangs fall, hiding her expression.

I try to step toward her to say something, but Tachibana-san holds my arm, as if saying, Don’t go.

Hayasaka-san stays silent for a moment, then says in a slightly resigned tone,

“It’s fine, I guess.”

The air grows sharp.

“I thought it’d be okay if you and Tachibana-san did it. Really. I even thought, just get it over with.”

Because—

“There’s a penalty. A penalty for breaking the no-cutting-in rule.”

It’s the promise between them I was never told about.

“It’s nice, right? Doing it with the person you love for the first time. I can’t have that anymore. Tachibana-san did it. I’ll never be number one. But it’s fine. I’ll let her have that.”

But in return—

“Keep the promise. Tachibana-san, keep the promise.”

Hayasaka-san says flatly.

Tachibana-san steps back, as if hiding behind me.

I don’t understand what they’re talking about, but they do.

“You don’t have to choose anymore, Kirishima-kun,” Hayasaka-san says.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s decided. Tachibana-san cut in, so you don’t have to choose. It’s settled.”

The penalty for breaking the no-cutting-in rule, she says.

“You have to break up. The one who cuts in has to break up with Kirishima-kun. That was the promise. So Tachibana-san has to break up with you.”

Keep the promise.

Lifting her face, Hayasaka-san is crying.

Tears stream down, she sniffles, tries to say something, but sobs choke her words, and she cries like a child.

But, summoning her strength, she says to Tachibana-san,

It’s a promise.

Break up with Kirishima-kun.

“Break up with him right now!”

To be continued