Given everything that happened at school, I decided I would continue my relationship with Fuyunagi-san once more.

However, it was I who unilaterally broke off the relationship.

If she is disappointed in me, has lost interest in me, and no longer wants to go out with me, then I suppose that’s something I must accept.

It’s all my fault.

I have been blocking all LINE messages and phone calls from Fuyunagi-san since yesterday, so I don’t know if there were any contacts.

Considering her personality, she probably contacted me relentlessly…

I unblocked her on LINE and decided to call her.

However…

~~♪

My phone simultaneously began ringing and vibrating.

The name Fuyunagi was displayed on the screen.

“Seriously…?”

To be honest, I’m a little scared… but I can’t run away.

I tapped the answer button on my smartphone.

“H-Hello?”

“……”

“Fuyunagi-san…? I… I’m sorry. You’re angry, right? I know I said something completely selfish… But… I… I wanted to talk to you again…”

“……”

“Fuyunagi-san?”

“If you want to start over with me, come to my house right now.”

“Eh? But school hasn’t ended yet…”

“What? You don’t want to start over things with me?”

“Y-Yes… I understand. I should go now then…”

“Un. I’m waiting.”

The call ends.

To be honest, I thought she would scold me more.

I even considered the possibility that she might become so distraught that she wouldn’t be able to speak at all.

That’s why I feel even more uneasy.

I wonder if I made a mistake.

Perhaps I chose the wrong option… A feeling of anxiety tightens in my chest.

“No, no! You decided, didn’t you? You have to talk things through properly…”

I tell myself this as I head towards her house.

Fuyunagi-san lives alone.

Why does she live alone?

What do her parents do for a living and why are they letting their daughter live by herself?

She wouldn’t tell me the reason when I asked her.

That’s only natural, of course.

Doesn’t matter if we’re lovers; it’s not okay to intrude on someone else’s heart without permission.

If she doesn’t want to tell me, there’s nothing I can do but respect that.

It would be selfish to feel lonely or untrusted because of that decision.

However, if I had known even a little about her circumstances, perhaps I could have faced her fragility more directly.

I told my friend Kato that I was leaving school early and headed towards Fuyunagi-san’s house.

After transferring trains twice and walking for a while, I finally reached the place where she lived alone.

It’s a small rented house, nothing particularly special about it.

It’s amazing that such a beautiful girl lives here all by herself.

I’ve been here many times before, but today the tension is incredible.

I press the intercom and wait for a response from someone inside.

After a moment, I hear a voice say, “Yes…”

“It’s me… Majima Takuma…”

Then, I heard a click as the key unlocked.

The person who appeared from behind the door was her… Fuyunagi Shizuku.

It was only natural that she would be the one to answer the door since it’s her house. But for an instant, the thought of some unknown person being inside and coming out in her place flashed through my mind, and it made me uneasy.

“Come in.”

“A-Ah… yes.”

“You’re acting strange, Taku-kun… Why are you so nervous even though you’ve been here so many times?”

“Eh…? W-Well…”

“I’m sorry… I just felt like being a little mean. After all, you’ve been blocking my lines and calls since yesterday, haven’t you?”

“I apologize for that. I think I lost control of myself… Sorry.”

“It’s okay… I forgive you… So, what did you come here for?”

“I came to talk.”

“Talk? Isn’t that unnecessary? I forgave your rude attitude yesterday and your awful words about breaking up. I even forgave your cheating… What more is there to talk about?”

“It’s about our future…”

“Our future? What’s that supposed to mean? That’s so vague—what are you even trying to say?”

“W-Well…”

“Besides, Taku-chan, you’re hiding something from me, aren’t you?”

“…Huh…?”

“Come on, don’t ‘huh?’ me. You have something you haven’t told me, right? Today at school—you went and told everyone in class that you’re dating me, didn’t you?”

“Eh!?!”

How did that get out…? No, now that I think about it, of course.

Fuyunagi-san is popular in her class… no, she’s popular throughout the entire school.

It’s not strange at all for SNS to be buzzing with news about her.

It would be stranger if she didn’t know.

“I was so surprised, you know? Taku-chan… you were so scared that another boy might steal me away that you stood in front of the whole class and shouted, ‘I’m Fuyunagi’s boyfriend!’… right? Ufufu…It is a violation of our agreement, but… I was the one who broke a promise first, so it’s fine. I’ll forgive you for this too.”

“Fuyunagi-san…”

“Un? What’s wrong?”

“Does Fuyunagi-san really love me?”

“What are you saying? Of course, I love you!”

“I see… then… from now on, I’ll stop pretending. I won’t try to be someone I’m not just to please you.”

Until now, I have been acting humble in front of her.

I didn’t want to be rejected… I didn’t want to be abandoned… I pretended to be the kind of person she would like.

But I want that to end.

If she can accept me as my true self, then I want to wholeheartedly reciprocate her feelings.

If that’s not possible, then it’s time for us to say goodbye once and for all.

Fuyunagi-san.