Part-2 Ch-11 Ep-04

Godaiin’s POV

On the second day of the school trip, we visited a large workshop in town to experience traditional crafts.

We were making shisa, the guardian deities placed on Okinawan houses.

The first shisa I ever saw had fluffy fur around its face, almost like a dog, and my initial impression was that it resembled the komainu lion-dogs found at shrines.

The fact that they come as a pair, always two together, also reminded me of komainu, and as I kept staring at them, they gradually began to look cute.

Everyone in our group gathered around a single table, clay in hand, fumbling through trial and error as we tried to create something that at least vaguely resembled a shisa.

I am fairly dexterous, so I think I managed to finish mine neatly within the two-hour time limit.

The two palm-sized shisa I made were gazing up at me, smiling.

Because there were so many participants, the workshop staff explained that the pieces would be fired later and then mailed to the school.

Before handing them over for collection, everyone took out their smartphones to photograph their own shisa.

Even though they would eventually arrive at our homes anyway, I got swept up in the atmosphere and took photos as well.

“I’ll send these to Mom.”

I overheard some girls saying that. After thinking for a moment, I opened my messaging app. The person I sent the photos to was Ichinose-san.

She should be making shisa at this workshop, or at another one, around the same time.

I wanted to see how hers turned out.

Lately, she often does not reply much even when I message her, so I hoped this would at least give us something to talk about.

“Godaiin, is that your girlfriend?”

Before I realized it, the friend sitting next to me was grinning as he peeked at my phone screen.

“N-no, she’s not.”

My voice came out flustered and unconvincing, which only made it more embarrassing. He laughed, slapped my back, and nodded knowingly.

“Well, if you don’t want to say it, fine. I’ll just assume she is,” he said, giving a thumbs-up before slapping my back again.

This friend of mine is a bit rough around the edges, but he is actually a good guy. We became close after ending up in the same class this year.

“No, well, yeah, she’s not my girlfriend yet. Or rather, how should I put it. I’m in the middle of approaching her.”

“For real? She’s actually a girl? Someone from our class?”

“No, a different class.”

I answered haltingly as my friend stared at me wide-eyed. I have never really talked about this kind of thing with anyone before, so I felt a little nervous.

“Hey, can I ask who it is? You’ve come this far, so tell me.”

“It’s fine, but don’t spread it around, okay. Do you know Ichinose-san from Class 2?”

“Eh.”

The moment I said Ichinose-san’s name, his expression changed. If anything, his face looked slightly strained. Did I say something strange?

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah. Pretty serious, I think. Do you know Ichinose-san?”

When I asked that, he replied in a small, tense voice.

“I lost an arm-wrestling match to her.”

“Arm-wrestling? Against Ichinose-san? Why?”

“Well, back in our first year, during the sports tournament, I just asked Nagase-san for her contact info. For some reason that put me on her radar, and she was strong, like gorilla-level strong, and she told me not to talk to her anymore.”

His voice faded toward the end until it was barely audible. In any case, it seemed Ichinose-san was extremely strong.

Asking Nagase-san for her contact information and somehow ending up arm-wrestling Ichinose-san felt like a very forceful way of shutting someone down.

It raised a few questions.

But she is a girl, after all.

When I tried to ask more, he shook his head.

“No, seriously, spare me. Anyway, it sounds tough, but good luck.”

The hand he placed on my back in a pat had lost all of its earlier enthusiasm.

“Okay, everyone. In fifteen minutes, Group One will move on. Please tidy up your belongings.”

At the teacher’s announcement, the area grew even noisier.

People headed for the restroom, cleaned up their tables, or started chatting.

Amid all of that, I glanced down at my phone.

The message had been marked as read.

But there was still no reply.

Well, that figures, I thought, forcing myself to change my mindset. I had not really expected an immediate response anyway. During a school trip, everyone gets caught up in the moment, so it makes sense they would not have time to reply.

Still, the reason I kept waiting was simple.

Ichinose-san was all I could think about.

But Nagase-san’s name surfaced again in my mind.

“I end up looking for her too, you know, Maki.”

I remembered yesterday’s conversation with Nagase-san. Naturally always by her side, naturally watching over her, naturally thinking about each other. They really are close, I thought.

And yet, that thought made my chest tighten painfully.

I also recalled a scene I glimpsed yesterday when we entered the hotel.

While moving through the crowded hallway with my friends, surrounded by students heading to their rooms all at once, I spotted the two of them.

Nagase-san opened the door, and Ichinose-san went inside.

It was an ordinary scene.

But later, when I entered my own room, I realized something.

Nagase-san had held the door open until Ichinose-san had completely entered with her luggage.

I remembered how the door slowly closed afterward, how smooth and considerate the gesture had been.

There were other things I noticed while watching the two of them. Ichinose-san’s attention is always directed toward Nagase-san.

It is probably because they are childhood friends.

That must be it.

And yet, a small part of me wonders if that is truly all there is.

“Ouch.”

As I stood up to move to the next location, a sharp pain shot through my toe. I took off my shoe and shook it lightly, and a small pebble rolled out. I picked it up and tossed it away.

“What’s wrong?”

“A pebble got in.”

I replied as I put my shoe back on.

Even after removing it, there was still a faint discomfort in the same spot, leaving behind an odd sensation.

Roll, roll.

In my heart as well, it felt like a tiny pebble kept rolling endlessly, never settling, leaving behind that lingering unease.

For some reason, I felt unbearably restless.