Chapter 13: 13

Inside the dimly-lit room with its curtains closed, only the sound of the rumbling A/C could be heard. So many things filled my head, most related to yesterday’s summer festival, that I barely got any sleep. I was just constantly rolling around on my bed all night. One more coll, and I picked up the smartphone that I had charged up to this point. Seeing that no new messages were showing on the locked screen, I sighed.

Rarely enough, Sako-san hadn’t contacted me at all ever since the summer festival. She didn’t even read my messages. Even though she would usually respond within an hour if she was awake. I’m worried. I may have done something that made her hate me. Maybe she was annoyed at me that I didn’t realize her leg was hurt?

If so, the only thing I can imagine is either a traffic accident or a sudden sickness. It’s not entirely unthinkable. Either way, I’m concerned about her. I sent her a ‘If something happened, then please tell me’ message, and put my phone away again. Right now, all I can do is wait for her response. No idea what happened, but I can only pray that it’ll be resolved in due time.

I rolled around once more, covering myself with my blanket. I figured I could get some more sleep, and since I was still tired I immediately felt my consciousness drifting away. However, before I completely fell asleep, I heard a ringtone from my phone. I don’t remember setting up an alarm. Is somebody calling me? I turned around, seeing that the person calling me was Nishida-san. I couldn’t believe that to be a coincidence, so I shot up from my bed.

“Hello, this is Tsuyoshi.”

‘Not even gonna see her off?’

Nishida-san’s voice was evidently filled with anger, reaching the point she didn’t even name herself.

“Um, is something wrong?”

‘I’m telling you to see Machika off. How dare you play dumb now?’

I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. I only knew that this was related to Sako-san.

“What do you mean to see her off?”

‘Did you forget that it was today or something?’

“No seriously, I have no idea what you’re telling me…”

Immediately as I said that Nishida-san swallowed her breath.

‘…Don’t tell me, did Machika not tell you about studying abroad?’

“Studying abroad? …What?”

What does she mean? Sako-san will study abroad? But…huh? I was utterly confused when Nishida-san sighed in disbelief.

‘I see what this is. I fully understand it. Makes sense why your attitude has been off this entire time.’

“If you do, then please explain it to me…”

I’ve been walking in the dark this entire time. First and foremost, I wanted to know what Sako-san and studying abroad had to do with anything.

‘Let me apologize in advance. I heard about everything that happened yesterday. I thought you were trash, but I was under the wrong impression.”

“So something happened yesterday?”

I’m sure something troublesome is going on behind the scenes. I just know it.

‘Calm down and listen to me, Tsuyoshi.’ Nishida-san said.

“Yes.”

‘…Machika is going overseas to study abroad. Today is her day of departure. She’ll be back in May next year. In other words, you’ll only be able to see each other again once you’re in the third year. The cultural festival, the ball game tournament, all of that will happen without Machika.’

She explained it with a calm voice, leaving out no important detail. It felt like I finally saw the bigger picture.

“Err, but, why…Also, she’s leaving today?!”

‘I think she hid it from you on purpose. She never told any of her classmates either.’

“W-Why did she not tell me?”

‘Only Machika can know that! I thought you knew, Tsuyoshi!’

Looking through my memories, I could see several signs here and there. The way she seemed in pain, hesitant, and sad like she was about to break out in tears. So it was all hinting at her departure, huh.

‘Tsuyoshi. You come here to see her off. She’s been looking like she’d start crying any second.’

“Are you with her right now?”

‘Yeah. At the airport.’

“Can you hand me to her?”

Nishida-san agreed and her voice sounded more distant. When I focused on the faint noise in the background, I heard Sako-san saying ‘I don’t wanna,’ but Nishida-san still tried to force it onto her. This exchange continued for a few moments until I heard Sako-san’s clear voice.

‘…This is Sako.’

“Tsuyoshi here. Do you have a moment?”

‘I’m a bit away from the others, so it’s fine.’

“I see…So you’re with your family right now?”

“Yeah…”

I could tell through the phone that she was nervous. Things I wanted to say, things I wanted to apologize for, all these things filled my head, but there was one thing I needed to ask before any of that.

“Why did you not tell me anything about you going abroad?”

Sako-san took a deep breath, almost as if she guessed what I was going to say.

‘That day in June when I confessed to you…that was actually the day after me studying abroad was decided. Realizing that I only had two more months with everyone, I panicked and confessed in the heat of the moment.’

“That’s why that came out of nowhere, huh…”

Since Sako-san and I barely talked before that day, the confession completely left me by surprise. It’s because she had a reason to confess like that.

‘But back then, I couldn’t tell you. I couldn’t just ask you to go out with me because I only had two months left.’

“Why? You could have just told me then…”

‘Assuming I would have confessed like that, would you have been able to reject me? Knowing that I only had two months left, you would have agreed to go out with me even though you didn’t like me at all, right?’

I couldn’t confidently say she was wrong. Rather, I could easily imagine myself agreeing.

“I don’t think I could have rejected you.”

‘I knew it. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you. I’m sure that going out with someone you don’t care about is only exhausting for you, and I wanted you to genuinely like me.’

I’m generally the type who wouldn’t want to date someone with vague feelings. That’s why I couldn’t blame Sako-san for hiding this from me.

‘I’m sorry when I suddenly acted so spoiled on the day you came to visit me. Both my body and mind were weak from the cold, and I was actually terrified and scared of studying abroad. Just please forget about that.’

I can’t see Sako-san’s face right now, but I’m sure she’s forcing a smile as always. And that’s when I realized something. She’s never been straightforward when it comes to studying abroad. She simply used the words ‘scared’ or ‘lonely’. I remember Michihiko-san saying he may have forced Sako-san into something she didn’t want to do. Maybe this was related to her studying abroad? Sako-san is far too kind and earnest for her own good. It wouldn’t be weird for her to simply agree.

“You wanted to study abroad, right? You said yourself that you want to go, yes?”

I want her to affirm it right away. However, only silence came back.

“Sako-san…?”

‘You’ve got such strong conviction, Tsuyoshi-kun. You started doing miscellaneous work to change yourself…That’s why I fell in love with you. It’s an attribute I don’t have.’ Sako-san sniffled, continuing with a voice about to break. ‘If I could be as honest as I wanted to, this may have never happened…’

I felt the impulse to do something. At this rate, Sako-san will be met with misfortune.

“When are you departing?”

‘boarding starts at 4 pm…’

Good, there’s still enough time.

“I’m on my way. Wait right there.”

‘Wha—’

I cut the call and stood up. I put on whatever I could find, and stuffed the bare minimum of what I needed into my bag. I checked the nearest route to the airport with my phone, put on my sneakers, and dashed out of the entrance. Since I just left my cool room right into the scorching heat, I was assaulted with strong dizziness. In the distance, I saw the air vibrate. I took a deep breath and kicked off the ground. I needed to get to Sako-san as quickly as possible.

After a few minutes of running, I reached the nearest train station, drenched in sweat. As the melody of the arriving train played, I immediately jumped inside. The inside was cool, allowing my burning hot body to relax and freshen up. When I sat on an empty seat, I was allowed to breathe properly.

I gave in to my reflex and immediately left my home. But, I’m certain I made the right choice. Sako-san is restrained by her personality, and can’t say what she wants. That’s why she didn’t say no when Michihiko-san told her to study abroad. This is just my guess, but Michihiko-san probably regrets forcing it onto her as well. But as long as Sako-san doesn’t say she doesn’t want to go, he won’t pull it back either.

In the end, nobody wishes for Sako-san to go overseas. And I’m the only one who is aware of that. Of course, I don’t know if I can even achieve something by rushing to Sako-san’s side. But even so, my body was telling me to go there no matter what. Looking outside the train window, I saw the scenery of the residential district quickly passing by. And even so, this speed still felt too slow for me. While making up my resolve, I changed my posture on the seat.

Arriving at the final stop, I started running the second the doors opened. I ran according to what the NAVI told me, and although I should make it in time, I didn’t have a second to waste. The underground felt like a labyrinth, but there was no problem as long as I followed the orders inside.

I spotted the stop I was aiming for, looking at the NAVI again. There are several other spots to take, so I can’t be wrong here. I compared the names on my phone and on the electronic boards. I was close to the train departing. I heard an announcement coming from up the stairs. Gotta hurry…But right as I went up, somebody grabbed my shoulder.

“Hey, moron. It’s not that way.”

“Takumi?! Why are you…”

It was Takumi wearing sports attire, gasping for air. It seems like he was looking for me.

“A lot happened…Anyway, you’re going to the airport, right? Follow me.”

“How do you know?”

“Nishida called me. We’re getting on the train, come on.”

“Got it.”

I listened to Takumi’s orders and hopped onto the train that arrived. Right after we departed, Takumi opened his mouth.

“Guess this is my atonement.” He held onto the strap as she continued. “This morning, Nishida gave me an earful, saying I influenced you in a weird way.” Takumi tried to copy Nishida-san’s tone which made me laugh.

“What do you mean? I don’t get why she would get angry at you.”

“You tried to become a man worthy of Sako, right?”

“Err, yeah?”

“I thought that was fine, which is why I gave you advice. But, you know…”

I started to guess what Takumi was trying to say.

“I’m fine the way I am, right?”

“Seriously, you finally realized it?”

I had reached that answer. When I just talked with Sako-san on the phone, I got more than enough hints.

“Sako-san told me the reason she fell in love with me. I always thought I was an average person that didn’t stand out in any way, but Sako-san never felt that way.”

“If she did, she wouldn’t have confessed to you, yeah.”

I tried to change myself for Sako-san’s sake, but she didn’t wish for that. If anything, she liked the former me a lot more. Takumi seemingly reached the same conclusion, showing an apologetic expression.

“That’s why Nishida blasted me. Saying that you were fine the way before and that I shouldn’t make things more complicated. That’s when I realized I had messed up. There was never any need for you to change yourself, and I shouldn’t have given you any dating advice either. I didn’t prioritize your feelings.”

Takumi looked quite dejected, even to the point his back seemed like it curled up.

“If not for a time like this, I definitely wouldn’t say it, but I really think you’re a great guy, Tsuyoshi. I can imagine why Sako would start to like you, and you never needed any change. That’s why this is all on me. Forget everything I said.” Takumi actually seemed depressed.

If not, he probably wouldn’t escort me all the way to the airport. But I don’t think that all of his advice was for nothing.

“There’s something I realized thanks to you as well, Takumi. A while ago, you said that the accumulation of effort turns to confidence, right?”

“…Yeah, sure did.”

Just a moment ago, Sako-san said that these parts of me are what Sako-san fell in love with. I actually had something special about me without realizing it, and that’s why Sako-san directed her affection at me. Even Takumi said he thinks I’m a good guy. That’s why…

“Realizing that somebody admired everything I’ve done up to this point, I became able to face forward. I can call these feelings of mine at this very moment confidence, I’m sure.”

“Tsuyoshi, you…”

“If you hadn’t told me about that, I don’t think I would be feeling this way right now. So thank you.”

I finally grasped the feeling of being confident in myself. It’s not like I suddenly turned from a caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly, but I at least accepted everything I’ve done as something good about myself.

“And since you’re confident now…you’ll confess to Sako, right?”

“Confess, huh…Probably, but I only thought about how to stop her from going overseas.”

Takumi looked at me like he had seen a ghost.

“Are you serious? Is that something you can do, even?”

“I do have my ideas, but no idea if that’ll work out.”

“But you’ll still try it, right?”

“Even if Sako-san goes overseas, nobody will be happy. She clearly doesn’t want to either, so I’ll do what I can.”

“I see. That’s just like you, so do your best.”

I can see that my chances here are slim. But for Sako-san’s sake, I’ll do whatever I can. The train announcement reached my ears, pulling me back to reality. We’re close to our destination. Takumi checked the route with his phone, only to play with his hair as he spoke up.

“Hey, Tsuyoshi. I said some stuff that isn’t like me today, so just forget about it.”

It was rare to see the always sour-faced Takumi with a bashful expression.

“Well, I don’t think I can. Just made me realize that you’re a great guy, Takumi.”

“Shut up. I hope you get rejected by Sako.”

“Did you really have to jinx me like that?!”

Takumi let out a snort. It was a cruel comment, but very much like Takumi, so I was relieved. Whenever he’s too honest, I really can’t relax. For the rest of the train ride, we didn’t say anything, simply waiting to arrive.

After getting off the train, Takumi and I split up. He said he’d only be in the way if he tagged along, and I agreed. After asking Nishida-san, she mentioned that Sako-san and her family were waiting in the lobby for the international air route. This time I took a good look at the map and ran through the walls. Finally, I reached the lobby.

On the benches in the corner of the lobby, I spotted four familiar faces. Sako-san, Michihiko-san, Meiko-san, and Nishida-san. A large Boston bag stood in front of the bench. What I’m about to do might be nothing but bothersome meddling. I thought I had made up my mind, but I still stopped in my tracks. However, if I don’t do anything here, Sako-san will suffer. That’s why I won’t hold back. I approached the bench, to which Nishida-san spotted me.

“Tsuyoshi!”

The other three also turned towards me, with Sako-san’s face pale as snow.

“Um, it’s been a while…”

The second my eyes met with Sako-san’s, she averted her face. Meiko-san was the one who took a step towards me instead.

“My, Tsuyoshi-kun. It seems like Machika didn’t tell you about this. I would have told you if I had known…” Meiko-san showed an apologetic expression.

“No, it’s fine. I think it couldn’t be helped.”

This is where everything starts. I can’t waste time with idle talk, so I immediately jumped into action. I spoke with as gentle of a voice as possible, asking Meiko-san.

“Excuse me, but could I have some time with Machika-san? I don’t want to steal your precious last few minutes with her, but…”

While saying that, I snuck a glance at Michihiko-san, who had an expressionless face. Since he sent Sako-san to study overseas with no strong reason, his mental state clearly showed on the outside. Meiko-san smiled as always, so it was hard to guess how she felt.

“Yes, of course. As long as it doesn’t take too long.”

“Thank you very much. We’ll be right back.”

Sako-san didn’t participate in our conversation at all, simply keeping her gaze glued to the ground.

“Come on, Machika. Tsuyoshi-kun came for you, so at least talk with him for a bit.”

“Okay…”

Having her back pushed by Meiko-san, Sako-san stood up. Her expression was cloudy as before.

“We’ll go to the outlook deck on the fifth floor. We should be back between ten and twenty minutes.”

I bowed to Sako-san’s parents and took Sako-san with me. As I did, I heard Nishida-san’s sharp voice behind me, giving me a warning.

“Don’t make her cry.”

I know that. I’ve failed so many times up to this point, I came here to make up for all of it. I don’t plan on making her cry. We stopped in front of the elevator when Sako-san muttered something with her face cast down.

“…I didn’t want you to come here. It’ll only make things more painful.”

“Sorry, but there are things I need to say or we’ll both be apart with nothing but regrets.”

The lamp at the elevator lit up, and the door opened. I stepped inside, with Sako-san following me silently.

On the outlook deck, there was nothing to protect you from the wind, so we were hit by a constant breeze. Looking beyond the face, you could see several planes being prepared or boarded even. I guided Sako-san to a bench in the shadows and sat down next to her. The reason why this entire thing is happening despite Sako-san not wishing for it is pretty simple.

Michihiko-san suggested this without giving it much thought, and Sako-san clearly had no interest in it, but still agreed so as not to disappoint him. The more time progressed, the more Sako-san’s desire to not study abroad grew. However, once she agrees to something, Sako-san can’t go against her own word. And since that was the case, Michihiko-san didn’t pull back the whole idea. With things being complicated, the day of the departure arrived.

On the day I came to visit Sako-san, Michihiko-san and Meiko-san both said they wanted to grant some of Sako-san’s selfishness for once. If this selfishness also includes this entire ordeal, then it’s perfectly possible to cancel the whole thing. If Sako-san can just say that she doesn’t want to go, we might be able to resolve the situation. So my job is to draw out this selfishness from Sako-san.

What’s her condition to become that way? I already received the answer from Meiko-san. If it involves her love, she can become self-centered. I also thought she was right. Whenever Sako-san was with me, she was infatuated with her romantic feelings, and she kept showing me her selfish side. If that’s the case, there is only one thing for me to do. Namely to tell Sako-san about all of my feelings for her.

“You probably already know, but I wanted to become a boy worthy of you, Sako-san. That’s why I wanted to become more confident, and worked hard with my studies and being an escort…”

Sako-san didn’t say anything. I just believed that she was listening to me, and continued.

“But because you taught me about all my good parts, I started to care less about that. Because you fell in love with me, I was able to like myself.”

Sako-san kept her head hanging low, so I asked her to ‘Raise your head, please.’ Albeit reluctantly, she slowly pointed her eyes at me.

“Objectively speaking, I don’t think we’re a good match. But because you gave me confidence, I stopped worrying about any of that.”

I’ve been suffering this entire time, not having any confidence. However, Sako-san’s feelings of affection saved me. That’s why I want to repay her. My gaze overlapped with Sako-san, and I was reaffirmed that our feelings were the same. After the summer festival, I promised that I’d confess if the next date goes well, but I don’t have the leisure to worry about timing and situation. If I’m going to tell her, it’s here and now. I took a deep breath and made up my mind.

“I like you, Sako-san. Whether you’re perfect or not, I like you nonetheless.”

Sako-san’s eyes opened wide in shock as she swallowed her breath. However, her face immediately filled with pain, as large grains of tears built up in the corner of her eyes.

“W-Why! We have to say goodbye today, so there’s no meaning if you tell me now…!”

She pressed her palms on her eyes, but the tears wouldn’t stop. I frantically waved my hands.

“You’re wrong. This isn’t our goodbye. Do you remember what we promised yesterday? That we’d go to the summer festival next weekend.”

“Huh…?” Sako-san peeled her hands away from her face, her eyes opened wide as she stared at me.

“I couldn’t find a summer festival close-by, but there will be fireworks at least, so let’s go there together.”

“We can’t! I’m going abroad today, so we have to wait until next year…”

“I won’t let you wait that long. Because…I finally understand what I have to do.”

Up to this point, our relationship was twisted, always a step apart no matter what. But now, we should be able to achieve something genuine. So right now, I can’t let go of Sako-san’s hand no matter what.

“Let’s go next week. As boyfriend and girlfriend, that is.”

When I told her that, Sako-san started crying even more fiercely.

“I want to…I want to go! But…I’m leaving today…even though I don’t want to go…!”

The moment she got emotional, I saw my chance. She finally revealed her honest feelings of not wanting to go.

You are reading story Kanpeki na Sako-san wa Mobu (Boku) Mitai ni Naritai at novel35.com

“Then let’s talk to your parents, and you tell them exactly that. If you show them how you really feel, they should understand it.”

“…I can’t. I can never be honest with what I really want. There’s no way I can tell them that I don’t want to go…!”

“At least tell them. If not, we won’t be able to go to the fireworks.”

“It’s still impossible…! I never once managed to be selfish like that!”

It’s like her dam broke. She threw all logical thought aside, simply lamenting. This is bad. She’ll end up too stubborn at this rate. I frantically searched for the perfect words to give Sako-san, searching for any of the exchanges in my mind.

‘I want to become someone like Sako-san.’

‘I want to become someone like Tsuyoshi-kun.’

Sako-san had what I was lacking, and I had what she was lacking. That’s how we ended up attracted to each other. The moment I realized that, I grabbed Sako-san’s shoulders and shook her body.

“I managed to change myself. I admired you, wanting to become like you, and I now have the confidence to stand by your side. So—” I put strength into my grip. “You can do it as well, Sako-san. You can change yourself.”

There’s no way Sako-san can’t do what I managed to achieve. She should be able to cast aside her obedient attitude. Her eyes were quivering.

“Can…Can I really do that…?”

“Of course you can. I managed to do it.”

I was aware that it was a forceful method. But I believed those were the best possible words to give courage to Sako-san.

“…I see. You’re right. You could do it…”

Sako-san thought about my words and tightly put her lips together. Her tears quickly stopped.

“I want to become like Tsuyoshi-kun…!” She raised her head, meeting my gaze.

“So you’re saying…!”

“I’ll talk to Dad.”

“Really?!”

“I don’t know if it’ll work out, but…”

Sako-san seemed to have made up my mind. As I sighed in relief, Sako-san looked up at me.

“…Can I?”

“What exactly?”

Sako-san didn’t say another word and just wrapped her arms around my waist, pressing her forehead onto my chest.

“W-Wha…”

“…I’m sorry. Just for a bit, okay? I need the energy.”

This abrupt hug almost made my heart stop. Or rather, I’m pretty sure it did stop for a moment. I returned the hug, gently caressing her head.

“You’re amazing, Tsuyoshi-kun. Always doing the things I can’t…” She said as she rubbed her head on my chest. “I’ve been trying to change myself ever since I met you. Up to this point, I always listened to Dad no matter what, so this time, I’ve made a choice of my own. I have something I want to do…that’s why I can’t leave Japan…!”

“I’m glad…”

“Now that we’ve decided what to do, we have to do everything we can,” Sako-san said and moved away from me.

At the same time, she scratched her cheek in a bashful manner.

“Just…one more thing I want to check before talking to my parents…You’ll go out with me, right?”

“Yep, that’s why I confessed to you.”

“If I can avoid going overseas, will you go with me to the fireworks?”

“Of course.”

“If I end up going overseas, will you wait until next year? You won’t cheat on me?”

“I promise. I’ll make sure to give you lots of calls.”

“Then…will you treasure me even if I turn into a wrinkly old lady?”

“O-Of course.”

Since the scope of the question went up ten levels, I hesitated to respond. However, Sako-san gave me a teasing grin.

“Hehe, I was just joking. I’m not that clingy.”

“Phew…”

“So will you marry me once we’re adults?”

“Yeah.”

“I was joking about that, so why did you give an immediate response…”

She set me up. I want to crawl into a hole and disappear. We both went silent, making things eerily awkward. But even as this was the case, I could feel Sako-san’s warmth right next to me, so it wasn’t all bad. We saw a single plane take off when Sako-san stood up.

“I’m feeling a lot better now, so I have to get going. I don’t know how things will go, but it’s worth betting on the chance.”

“It’s fine, if you talk with your own words, it’ll surely get across.”

If what Michihiko-san and Meiko-san said is true, then Sako-san never prioritized herself much. In that sense, she would need a lot of courage to ask for her studying abroad to be canceled. But even so, she showed no hesitation in her eyes.

“You can do it, Sako-san.”

“Yep. I’ll be watching over you by your side.”

I got up from the bench myself, and we both boarded the elevator.

Upon our return, Meiko-san called out to Sako-san with a gentle smile.

“Did you manage to properly say goodbye?”

“Well, about that actually…”

Of course, Sako-san and I had no intention of saying goodbye, so she hesitated. Nishida-san was the first person to realize that something was off.

“What’s wrong, Machika?”

“Err, not much, really…”

“It sure doesn’t look that way. Your eyes are red, too.”

“Ah, no way.”

Nishida-san turned her head, giving me a stern gaze.

“Tsuyoshi, you bastard…”

“Hold on, hold on, you probably have the wrong idea here.”

Oh yeah, she did warn me to not make Sako-san cry.

“Machiak what happened?” Nishida-san turned towards Sako-san.

“That’s right. Your eyes are read. Are you okay?” Meiko-san asked as well.

Sako-san temporarily staggered backward but still answered.

“Well, something may have happened…”

Of course, Nishida-san immediately gave me a death glare. On top of that, even Michihiko-san sent me a dubious stare. A cold sweat ran down my back. I didn’t do anything bad, so please don’t look at me that way. I averted my face, only to now meet eyes with Sako-san. Her expression was stiff, and I started to doubt if she could really say what she wanted. I moved my mouth to form the words ‘You can do it,’ to which she nodded.

“I’m sorry, this isn’t the time to be vague.” Sako-san showed determination.

She stood in front of Michihiko-san and Meiko-san, lowering her head at a steep angle.

“I have the request of a lifetime. Please, hear me out.”

Meiko-san seemed surprised, as she put one hand on her mouth. At the same time, Michihiko-san kept his sour face.

“What is it?” He asked.

“I know I’m asking for a lot, but please…I don’t want to study abroad.”

Her voice was filled with conviction. She spoke so clearly I almost doubted my ears. Nishida-san seemed the same, as she gave Sako-san a baffled look. However, Michihiko-san didn’t stutter.

“Machika, tell me your reason.”

Sako-san looked like she staggered for a moment, but kept on talking with a strong voice.

“…Up to this point, I did everything you told me to, and I don’t regret that. Since I’m bad at thinking about what I want to do, I had fun learning and following the path you built for me. But, I’m done just relying on you. If I really did study abroad now, I would probably never be able to become independent.”

Both Michihiko-san and Meiko-san listened to Sako-san in silence.

“I’m really thankful to the both of you. But…I want to decide things myself from now on. I want to choose the things I want to do, as well as the things I don’t want to do. The cost for canceling this late might be high, but I’ll work part-time to get the money together and repay you. So please, I beg you.”

I also know that canceling such big plans on the same day was difficult. But Sako-san shouldn’t go, and she doesn’t want to either. That’s why I want to help and support her.

“Sako-san works exceptionally hard, and constantly shows results for it, so I believe she should stay in Japan. I think that we all would benefit more if she didn’t go overseas and instead worked with all her mind here in Japan. I really admire Sako-san the way she is, and I respect her. So please—” I also deeply lowered my head. “Won’t you please consider her selfishness this once?”

Following me, Sako-san also lowered her head once more.

“Mom, Dad, please.”

The time we waited for their response felt awfully long. It may have been a few seconds or entire minutes.

“Well said, Machika,” Meiko-san said while sniffling. “I’ve been waiting for you to finally speak up for yourself…”

When we looked up, we saw her wiping her eyes with a handkerchief.

“So…um…what?” Sako-san was baffled.

“Yes, let’s cancel your plans.”

Is it really okay to decide on that so nonchalantly? I figured there would be more of a discussion…Unable to really absorb the situation, I looked at Sako-san. She was just as baffled as me.

“Mom, should you really just accept it this easily? It’s about studying abroad, right? And Dad, are you not going to object to this?”

Michihiko-san crossed his arms, furrowing his eyebrows.

“I have one condition. If you’re against studying abroad, then I want you to think about what you want to do from here on out, and—”

“I already thought about that.” Sako-san’s back stretched, as she faced Michihiko-san. “Since it was my plan to become the vice club president of the wind ensemble if not for me studying abroad, I plan on pulling everyone along and winning in a contest. And since I think that helping people like Tsuyoshi-kun is really cool, I want to join the student council and work for the sake of others. I also want to decide which university to attend. So far, I just studied for the sake of it, but now I want to decide my own future. After that—” Sako-san glanced at me, blushing ever so slightly. “…No, that’s a secret. Anyway! I have many things I want to do.”

Even Michihiko-san’s sour face broke apart, as he doubted his ears. I don’t blame him. I didn’t expect Sako-san to have so many things she wanted to do. That’s some insane progress in such a short time. Yet, Sako-san herself didn’t seem aware of how big this change actually was, as her reaction showed.

“Mom! You’re way too quick to accept this! Stopping the plan on the day of departure will only give you lots of trouble!”

“I always had a feeling something like this might happen. But since you never said that you actually didn’t want to study abroad, I could only wait.”

“H-How did you know?”

Michihiko-san spoke up instead.

“Your diary. She found it in your room.”

“Honey, that was supposed to be a secret…”

“D-Diary…?!” Sako-san started shaking.

“Um…I’m sorry?”

Sako-san’s face turned as red as a tomato, even reaching her ears.

“M-Mom…!”

“But thanks to that, we managed to see your danger signals. That’s why I made sure to allow for easier canceling. So please forgive me for looking at your diary, okay? Please?”

Sako-san covered her face with both her hands, sinking down onto the bench.

“…So embarrassing…I want to die…”

“But your father worked even harder than me. He talked about a condition and whatnot, but I’m sure he’s the person who wanted you to stay the most. Isn’t that right?”

Michihiko-san swiftly averted his face. Seems like he’s just trying to hide the fact that he deeply cares about Sako-san. However, Meiko-san wasn’t quite done yet.

“You know, he immediately regretted suggesting the year abroad. He probably can’t keep on living with you gone.”

Sounds very much like the Michihiko-san I knew about. Sako-san quickly gets lonely, so these two are similar in that regard. Meiko-san pushed out her chest and sighed.

“Your father and I have to discuss some things in regards to the cancellation now, so could you spend the time elsewhere? You don’t have to worry about the fees for canceling either.”

“But I brought this up, so I should help you…”

“Listen, Machika, you never caused us any problems, so let us take care of things now. Please?”

“But…”

“No buts.”

Sako-san tried to argue with her mother, but Meiko-san fought back with a smile. It was a strong smile that gave you a feeling of relief. Seeing how reliable her mother seemed, Sako-san could only give up.

“Okay…Thank you, Mom.”

“It’s fine. I’m glad I could finally do something for you.” Meiko-san genuinely looked happy, gently caressing Sako-san’s head, who smiled bashfully.

After she was done with that, Meiko-san looked at the rest of the group.

“Let’s leave the talk of the year abroad for now. You can check out the airport and leave the rest to us. The same goes for you, Mayu-chan.”

Nishida-san didn’t react at all, simply glaring at Meiko-san.

“You lied, didn’t you?”

“Err, what…might you be talking about?”

“You saw Machika’s diary, right?”

“Ah, um, well…” Meiko-san started panicking.

That reminds me, these two were talking about the diary when I was over to visit.

“This diary…is Sako-san’s, right? What did you write there?”

“You don’t need to know.” Nishida-san gave me an immediate answer.

“What might you be talking about?” Meiko-san played innocent.

“Just stop it already…” Sako-san blushed even more.

All of their reactions only got me more invested. I know it was a key item to bring this incident to a stop, but the contents were a mystery. Meiko-san was clearly flustered as she pushed our backs.

“Come on, off you go!”

“You suck at playing things off…” Nishida-san commented.

“Mom, you’re the worst…”

“Enough of that! Hurry up and go!”

She pushed us even further. Suddenly, I heard a warm voice calling out my name. I turned around and saw Michihiko-san with his head hanging low.

“Please make Machika happy.”

“Ah, yes, of course.”

I gave a vague response in the heat of the moment, but I don’t think just nodding it off was the right choice. Well, whatever. With the diary still being shrouded in mystery, we moved away from the lobby. Sako-san seemed in a great mood, talking with Nishida-san. I was like the third-wheel tagging after them. Out of the blue, Nishida-san turned around and asked me.

“So, are you two dating now?”

“Ah, yeah, we are,” I answered honestly when Sako-san started panicking.

“I-I was thinking of keeping it a secret!”

“Really? I thought it’d be fine to tell her, sorry.”

“I already heard it, so I’ll keep it a secret from everyone else.”

“Thanks, Mayuko.”

“By the way.” Nishida-san stopped in her tracks. “Doesn’t this make you want to eat something sweet?”

“I totally get it.” Sako-san agreed.

They spotted a souvenir store in the distance, selling limited ice cream.

“All right, let’s have Tsuyoshi treat us to some.”

“Huh? I don’t think we should…”

“Didn’t you say you’d be a bit more open about your desires?”

“Oh, yeah!”

“You have to learn that, so let’s start here.”

“Why are you the one deciding that?!” I threw in a retort that got ignored when Sako-san moved in front of me.

“Tsuyoshi-kun.”

“Yes.”

“I want to eat some ice cream!”

Met with such a beaming smile, I was unable to deny her request. I got out my wallet when Nishida-san grinned.

“And you surely have no problem treating your girlfriend’s best friend, right?”

“I get it already, geez…”

“Machika! This guy is great!”

“Right, right?”

While the three of us put in our orders, I thought to myself. She may not be perfect, but a selfish Sako-san is just as cute.

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