I thought Alina had started cursing me. But I thought it was out of context. I had no reason to stalk Alina, and I knew she would kill me if I did.
The first to react to Alina's words was Hidetaki Nakatsu, the head of the baseball club, who was about to turn his back on her and go back to the field. He froze and looked back at me awkwardly.
It's you, you. I forgot your name. You're not stalking me anymore, are you?
Hidaki is silent, dripping with cold sweat. Maybe it's just normal sweat.
'Mr. Stalker, you're the head of the baseball team now. That's great. It suits you better to stalk the ball instead of me, so you should do it from the beginning, Stalker.
'No, that was ......'.
'What? What do you mean it's not?
'Yes, ......'
'He followed me on my way home, he kept haunting the library, and he even came near my house. If that's not stalking, what is?
The baseball team members who were there, including me, were glancing at me like onlookers. The coach seemed to sense something and said, 'You guys should practice! He said. Everyone except me, Alina, and Hitaki scattered.
It's not a bad thing to show affection.
You sound like you don't really mean what you say.
But it's bad to keep doing things that people don't like. No matter how much you call it an expression of love, it's not you who feels it, but others. It hasn't happened recently, but the next time you come after me, I'll report it to the teachers as a topic of conversation.
Somehow I could read a relationship in which Nakatsu Hitaki was stalking Alina Nippa. I was sorry to see him turn pale and shrink away, but what's wrong is wrong.
At the same time, I thought that Alina must be going through a hard time. I'm not worried about that, but I'm sure a weak high school girl must be worried when she finds out that a stalker is after her. Whether Alina is weak or not may be debatable, but that doesn't change the fact that she is a nuisance.
Alina turned her back to Hitaki and walked away. I said to Hidaki, whose face was clouded with regret and impatience, 'Good luck. That was all I could say. I was not a party to the incident, nor had I known him for a long time.
I bowed to the director and left. The last thing I saw was the director going somewhere with Hidaki.
I caught up with Alina and she immediately spoke up.
What's next?
'Track and field.'
''So.''
'Listen, don't lose your temper, okay?'
'I'm not mad.
'Were you being stalked?'
'Yes, I know. Just a month or so ago, it was frequent. I thought about tying his hands and feet and throwing him in the river, but I didn't have the strength, so I ignored him. Maybe it's because I'm busier now that I'm director. It hasn't happened much in the last month. But there was something there.
'Your obsession is like superglue: ......'
'Approximately, I guess you started hanging around me again because you got curious about some stupid rumor that you and I were dating.
'Alina-san, the shit is dirty.
'Shut up. I'm going to the track quickly.
She ran unusually, really unusually.
I had never seen her run before. I was with Alina on many occasions, helping the tennis team, in the gym, but she always took her time. She untied her hair and ran with a beautiful form. Her shimmering hair shone in the setting sun. I saw something so graceful and beautiful in her eyes. A free and unique beauty sitting self-righteously in her part of the world.