“But I broke up with her because I didn’t want that boring girl anymore. Kinu and I went to different high schools, and there was no point in harassing you anymore.”
“You, stop talking like that—!”
While I was saying this, I suddenly realized something.
Immediately after, I stopped what I was about to say to Touya.
“Kinu, you can do whatever you want with Ruri.”
He was talking in a tone that said he was no longer interested in her.
It was a statement that was hard to believe coming from the man who had been so incensed by my later confession to Ruri back in middle school.
“Touya, you…”
“Aww, she really was a boring girl.”
Touya muttered to himself.
He seemed to be a bit lonely like that.
“Oh, and you know, it wasn’t Ruri who told me about your confession to her in middle school.”
Touya spoke as if he had just remembered.
“! But you said you heard it from Ruri at that time…”
“That’s a lie, a lie. The truth is that a classmate happened to see your confession and told his friend, and I heard it.”
Touya said in a lighthearted manner, and in addition, he conveyed another message.
“While I’m at it, I am the reason why Ruri didn’t do anything for Kinu when you were going through a tough time.
“Touya was the reason… what do you mean?”
I asked back, and he answered with a wicked smile on his face.
“I threatened Ruri a little. I told her that if she tried to help Kinu, she might end up in the same situation as Kinu. Then she got scared and stopped trying to help you.”
“! Why did you do that…?”
“That’s…”
Touya was at a loss for words.
However—
“I just wanted to harass Kinu. That’s all.”
In the end, he said it clearly.
Then I realized something else and said nothing more.
“This is all I wanted to tell you. Whether you confess to Ruri or go out with her from now on has nothing to do with me.”
When he finally told me that, he spun around and turned his back to me.
“That’s that, then.”
He walked away from me little by little.
His back looked so lonely, somewhat similar to me when I was in a depressed mood.
“Touya!”
When I called his name, he turned around.
“What? Is there something you want to say to me?”
“Yes, there is.”
I answered.
“Go ahead. Cuss me out or whatever you want.”
Touya stood there proudly, as if he would accept any words I had to say to him.
I’m sorry to say this, but the words I’m about to say are not abusive.
“Thank you, Touya.”
When I thanked him, his eyes widened in surprise.
Then he chuckled and said
“You idiot. What are you thanking me for?”
“I guess you’re right.”
I laughed a little too.
“You really are an idiot… and so am I.”
Touya looked up at the darkening night sky and said sadly.
Then he turned his back on me again.
“Farewell, Kinu.”
“Oh, see you again.”
But there was no reply, and Touya left.
I was the only one left.
“…He’s too bad at lying.”
There were times when Touya was lying when he was talking to me.
When he was talking about dating Ruri in order to harass me.
And when he talked about how he threatened Ruri so that she wouldn’t help me when I was being bullied, he grabbed his pants.
It was an old habit of his when he lies.
In other words, he was going out with Ruri because he really liked her, and he threatened her because he liked her.
If that was the case, then he must have lied about everything he said about Ruri, even though he said terrible things about her.
Still, he went out of his way to tell me that they had broken up.
Probably so that I could approach or confess to Ruri at any time in the future.
After all, just like in the past, Touya remained kind.
“…Well, he wasn’t lying when he said he hated me.”
I had a feeling he had his own reasons for that too.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come to my house to tell me that he and Ruri had broken up.
“Really, thank you.”
I thanked him again, turning to Touya, who was already gone.