Chapter 8: 8

I heard a familiar ringtone from my phone, so I put my pen down on my desk. It was currently 23:48 pm, and the name on the screen showed ‘Sako Machika’. I was so engrossed in my studying that I totally forgot I was supposed to take a break. I hurriedly accepted the call and apologized.

“Sorry, I totally forgot about the time.”

‘Since I didn’t get any response, I thought you studied too much and collapsed.’ Sako-san spoke with a teasing tone.

Since Sako-san always heads off to bed at midnight, the call right before then is always our last for the day. That’s why I didn’t want to miss even a few minutes, but I seemingly was too focused. We discussed our progress when the time reached 57 minutes. With three minutes left, Sako-san suddenly sounded a bit impatient.

‘Um…If you’re okay with it, how about we do a study session next weekend?’

“Oh, that sounds nice.”

Through our daily calls, we found out about each other’s bad subjects and managed to somewhat match our progress. She’s probably the perfect person for a study session. And since exams are coming up soon, I’d like to know how far the difference between the two of us is. So when I showed interest, Sako-san’s voice went up an octave.

‘Yay! Where should we do it? I was thinking that a cafe or the library would be best.’

“I could use the interview room at school. The school’s open on Saturday, and we don’t have to use money.”

‘I see…Are you really fine with the interview room?’

“Err, yeah?”

Not understanding the reason why she tried to reaffirm that, I simply agreed. After a brief silence, I could hear a sigh coming from Sako-san.

‘If we had gone to the cafe or stuff like that, I would have worn my casual clothes.’

“Ah.”

‘So, are you sure about the interview room?’

I never expected her to set up this kind of trap. I so want to see her casual clothes. She must look adorable in them. But if I changed my choice now, it’d show my ulterior motive, so I have to keep strong.

“Y-Yeah, I’m used to working in the interview room, too.”

‘I would have dressed up just for you if you had been honest! Good night!’

Sako-san cut the call without giving me a chance to say something, and the screen showed the current time. It was currently midnight. If Sako-san’s casual clothes are too adorable, I wouldn’t be able to focus on studying. That’s why I wanted to stay in a familiar place with familiar appearances…But of course, all of that was just an excuse, and I immediately regretted my choice. I…really wanted to see her casual clothes after all.

The rainy season was right before us, and Saturday turned out to bring a great downpour after all. I wore a raincoat while riding my bicycle to school, but because of my legs constantly moving, they ended up drenched after all. I quickly changed into my indoor shoes, but my socks were completely wet, too. I quickly rushed down the hallway so that I could dry them. I was a bit worried about the future guidance counseling room being open or not since it’s Saturday, but Shibato-sensei sat at his desk like every weekday.

“Look at this, Tsuyoshi. Because you wouldn’t help me anymore, I’m stuck here on the weekend. I just want to go home.”

“Is that so?”

“Aren’t you cold today. It’s been a while, so why not help me a bit?”

“I came here to study.”

“Why not organize some documents during your break? Would be a great change of pace.”

“I’ll be studying, so I can’t help you.”

I left Sensei behind and opened the door to the interview room. Since I heard his grumbling from behind me, I closed the door to shut it out. Sako-san had yet to arrive from the looks of it. I took off my socks and put them on the guardrail to dry. Since I didn’t bring another pair with me, I had to put on the indoor shoes barefooted and cramped up my trouser cuffs.

Thinking that I had to go back with drenched shoes and socks made me feel a bit melancholic, but for now, I had to focus on studying. Sako-san wasn’t here yet, but I still decided to open up my reference book. After moving through a few questions, the door to the interview room opened, and Sako-san poked her head inside.

“Good morning. What an awful downpour, right?”

“Morning. Yeah, my socks are heavy like rocks.”

It seemed as if Sako-san couldn’t fully protect herself with her umbrella, as her checkered skirt showed spots that were drenched.

“My socks are like wet dust cloths…” Sako-san spoke in displeasure.

“Probably. You can dry them on that rail over there.”

“Yep, will do.”

Sako-san raised her legs in order to take off her short socks. This resulted in her skirt being lifted up, revealing her white thighs. I simply looked away and focused on the book in my hand. I really wish she’d be more conscious of her surroundings and how she looks towards them. Well, it’s only me here right now, but still. She put her socks on the window side and took out a towel from her bag.

“We can put this on the ground. That way we don’t have to wear our indoor shoes barefooted.”

“Are you sure? Won’t it get dirty?”

“Totally fine. We’re pretty much using this as a dust cloth at home.”

Once we put it on the ground, we had a more comfortable place to rest our feet on. The soft towel felt great on my exhausted feet. I thought we could start studying like this just fine since Sako-san put all her stuff on the table, but right when I was about to get into the groove, a chilly sensation touched my foot. It was—Sako-san’s bare leg.

“Sorry.” I apologized in a faint voice and moved my leg, but Sako-san followed after me.

She was clearly doing this on purpose. Her body temperature felt colder than mine, probably because the rain cooled down her feet. Yet at the same time, her skin was silky smooth, making it feel like I was touching a round stone. This vivid sensation made me feel like we were doing something indecent, and it drained me of all my focus.

“Sako-san, could you maybe—”

“My feet are cold.”

She declared with a cold voice, and put my left leg between both of hers. Yep, she’s doing this on purpose. Sako-san’s legs were as beautiful as a piece of art, and just the slightest touch made my heart skip a beat. At the same time as I was flustered, Sako-san simply looked through her notes. However, her pen had yet to move for a while now.

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“Do you think I’m perfect?” She asked me that question out of nowhere.

“Where did that come from?”

“Don’t you think of me as indecent, being this clingy to a boy? Can you still call me perfect despite that?”

“I’d be thinking that you just want to rely on someone.”

“Tsuyoshi-kun, do you remember the time you called me perfect?”

I sure do. It’s what I said when I rejected her confession. But why is she bringing that up now?

“I do…”

“You know, I didn’t become ‘perfect’ because I wanted to. Urged by my parents, I studied for the entrance exams, studied just like my teacher told me to, but that’s all there is to it. I really don’t want to be ‘perfect’. I want to become a bit more selfish and make my own choices…” Sako-san explained with a quivering voice.

I feel like she mentioned something similar to that before, but she wasn’t that emotional back then.

“Did something happen?”

I didn’t know if I could really overstep my boundaries, but I was worried that something was weighing down on her. That’s why I made up my mind and asked. Sako-san’s shoulders twitched once, and she started explaining herself.

“…I got in a fight with my dad…No, it’s not even much of a fight.”

“Did you get in an argument?”

“No, not even that. Dad just told me ‘If there’s something you want to say, then be open with it’, and got angry at me. I’m really bad with that kind of stuff, though. I always did what Dad told me to do, so I can’t be selfish now.”

“In other words, you couldn’t tell him about something you want to do?”

“…It’s more like something I don’t want to do.”

“Is that something you should be telling me about?”

“……I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

Sako-san averted her face from me, apologizing. It was probably related to family matters.

“I want to become more selfish…” Sako-san repeated to herself.

The root of her troubles seemed quite deep, as she almost looked scared…terrified even.

“In reality, I’d love to be more like Tsuyoshi-kun, openly stating what I want to say…Ahaha, how many more times am I going to talk about this.” Sako-san shook her head with an exhausted smile.

“I’m the same as you, Sako-san. Even at this very moment, I’m studying so that I can become more like you, and beat you during the next exams.”

I said it in the heat of the moment, but Sako-san suddenly raised her head.

“S-So that means, the person you’ve been trying to catch up to is…!”

“Ah.”

Crap! Not too long ago, I mentioned that I had someone I wanted to catch up to…In other words, my statement just now equals a confession! I raised my head and was met with a blushing Sako-san. I immediately looked away, when she covered her face. Now I did it…Should I keep pushing, pull back, or try to make up an excuse? My brain cells stopped working, and I couldn’t find a proper decision. As I was panicking, a faint voice came from between Sako-san’s fingers.

“S-So that means…if you win against me in the next exams, I can get my hopes up…?” Her ears were red to the point I worried she might pass out.

“Y-Yeah…”

All I could do was nod. I knew my face must have been as red as hers. Sako-san revealed her face and lowered her head.

“I’m feeling a bit better now. Thanks…”

“Y-You’re welcome.”

Sako-san brought her feet close to me again, intertwining with mine. Her body temperature mixed with mine, and they started to feel a lot warmer.

“…I guess we should start studying.”

I suggested, and Sako-san nodded. I grabbed my pen once more and buried my face in my notes so that we wouldn’t make any more eye contact.

July 22nd,

Today, I had a studying session with Tsuyoshi-kun in the interview room.

He said that his goal is to beat me in the next exams.

In other words, he’s studying this hard so that he can stand on equal ground with me, right…?

The day started badly because of my fight with Dad, but now I feel a bit better.

In the last three weeks, I have to destroy my perfect image and give Tsuyoshi-kun more confidence.

With that, we can be together.

[18 Days Left.]

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