Chapter 15: 2.4

And then, school ended for the day.

Worn out by the double punch of the test and the unresolved misunderstanding, I went to get a sweet café au lait from a vending machine near the cafeteria before heading to the literature club room.

“Oh no, at this rate, I’ll develop a stomach ulcer from stress…”

My situation had produced a sort of Zen-like state, in which feelings of wanting to say something but not being able to say it was mixed with a state of needing to say it but not having the courage to say it. In fact, it definitely would become more awkward as time went on, so it was imperative for me to come up with some kind of plan.

“Oh, Yamato?” As I was brooding by myself, someone unexpectedly called my name.

I looked up and there she was, Hina in a jersey.

“Yo, Hina! Are you heading to a self-practice session?” I lightly waved to respond and she trotted over to me.

“Yep. I forgot my sports drink, so I’m about to go buy it. How about you?”

“I’m mulling over something here…” I answered with a faint sigh.

Hina looked concerned and peeked into my face, “By any chance, is this about Christmas?”

Hina, who had known me for a long time, could easily see through the dilemma inside my heart.

“Well…”

“What? You still haven’t addressed that matter?” Perhaps astonished at how slow I was, Hina snorted.

That was understandable, but I had my own reason which I preferred not to speak aloud.

“Unexpectedly, Yuzu took a liking to that event. I can’t bring myself to say the truth.”

“I see, that’s a problem. It’d be pitiful to make her disappointed.” Hina nodded and displayed her sympathy towards my dilemma.

“So, it’s like that. But I’d like to clear up the misunderstanding somehow. Is there any good way to do that?” I asked Hina for advice, extremely desperate.

“Just count on me, I have a nice idea.”

“Really? Tell me in detail,” I instantly caught her bait as I was so encouraged by the strangely confident Hina.

“In a time like this, ‘By other’s faults, wise men correct their own’.”

“What do you mean by that?” My head tilted in puzzlement. I couldn’t comprehend her words.

“It’s a simple tactic. First, you should bring up a story of someone who suffered due to an uncleared misunderstanding. When Nanamine-san hears that, what will she think?”

“Well, obviously she’ll say it’s that person’s fault for leaving the misunderstanding unaddressed… Oh, so you mean it like that.”

I got the gist while I was in the middle of answering Hina, and she nodded at me with a smile.

“Yes. Let her think that it’s bad to leave a misunderstanding unaddressed and make her feel positive about this action. That’s the important thing.”

“What a good tactic. By the way, what kind of story will work?”

It was weird to ask for guidance from someone who used to be a complete introvert, but well, too late to say that now.

“Hmm, if it were me, I’d speak about how I had always misunderstood Yamato as an unfriendly and boring person, but it turns out you are somewhat fun to be with. What a loss! Something like that?”

“Did any misunderstanding get cleared there?! Compared to the wound I received, so little of my honour is restored!”

She was in no way convincing. As I thought, an introvert’s thinking was a bit far afield.

“If we talk about something like this, Nanamine would also take away the idea that it is important to clear up misunderstandings, wouldn’t she?”

“There’s nothing to take away in that story at all!”

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To my protests, Hina chuckled and placated me, “Calm down. You’re going to have to suck it up a bit as you wade into the problem. You see, just take it like paying tax.”

 “This tax is so heavy it could incite a revolution!”

And the return for the price I paid would be so low!

Perhaps sensing that her own theory was not resonating with me at all, Hina put her hand on her jaw as if to reconsider again.

“Then, how about: ‘I thought Yamato was normally a bright and good person, but actually he’s unsociable and not friendly. What a misunderstanding!’”

“That would paint me in such a negative light! After clearing that misunderstanding, that story would only lead to despair!”

“Eh? In my case, I thought it painted you in a positive light.” ”

“You are a super rare case! Ah, don’t you have a more normal example?”

Hina was stumped while I was at my wit’s end. 

But then her expression brightened as she suggested, “Ah, if speaking from your experience, how about telling her how you had a misunderstanding about your classmate who always hide her face with her bangs, but it turned out that she actually has a cute face once the bangs  were put up in a hairclip?”

That was indeed my real experience and very easy to understand.

“…” Hina stood silent for quite a while.

​​While I was excited by the long-awaited decent example, Hina had a complicated expression for some reason.

“What’s wrong?”

When asked, she gently covered her face with her palms.

“It’s embarrassing to say it so by myself…”

“You self-destructed1? Why did you even tell me that?!”

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“I was waiting for you to retort…”

“Ah, sorry! My circumstances made me get used to narcissists!”

Yes, if you think about it, this was a normal human reaction!

I felt so bad to have let Hina, who had the courage to try to lighten the situation, die in embarrassment.

“Hah… Don’t think too hard, just find a time when she’s in a good mood and just keep apologizing.”

“So thoughtless! I’m sorry I made you so dispirited!”

When I saw Hina’s face again, it was flushed red. It’d be cruel to continue this conversation.

“An-Anyway… You gave me many references. I’ll try this and that.”

“Okay… Then, I’ll go first.”

As I wrapped up the conversation, Hina bought a sports drink and headed to the gymnasium, looking utterly drained. 

She’s about to have a self-practice, but can she handle being that worn out?

“I’m in no position to worry about someone else, I have to do something about my own affairs.”

After tossing the can of café au lait I had finished drinking into the bin, I decided to buy a can of coffee for Yuzu and headed to the literature club room.

chocolala: And here, let’s facepalm at how both of them sensed nothing wrong in telling exactly that story to Yuzu 

Footnotes

I don’t know, this word kinda doesn’t make sense in English. In Japanese, it’s used when you say/do something that hurts yourself in return due to embarrassment etc

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