Part-3 Ch-02 Ep-05

With a soft “posun,” Maki pressed her head gently against my shoulder. Ah, this is one of those moments when she is a little embarrassed.

“I see… So as long as I’m here, Mari doesn’t need anything else anymore… ehehe.”

Her small mutterings reached my ear in a low, murmuring voice. It sounded slightly suspicious, but well, if Maki is happy about it, then that is fine.

Still, I kind of wished she would stop tugging on the sleeve of my uniform while muttering.

Every time she pulled, my vision wobbled unsteadily.

In contrast to Maki’s behavior, Inuino-kun, standing in front of us, looked utterly dejected.

Seeing him like that filled me with guilt, and it was difficult to endure.

I regretted not rejecting him more firmly from the very beginning, yet at the same time, I also thought it was better that I had not dragged things out any longer.

“Sorry for intruding,” he said in a voice that sounded as though he were holding back tears, looking as if he might collapse at any moment. Even as a junior, it pained my heart to see.

I found myself thinking something even more selfish. If only he would at least curse at us or say something spiteful. That way, my own feelings might ease, even if only a little.

But Inuino-kun remained kind until the very end.

He bit his lip tightly. Disappointment colored his eyes, yet there was no trace of anger directed toward us.

“…Um, you know,”

Suddenly, Maki lifted her face and spoke to Inuino-kun.

She stepped closer to him and bowed her head.

“I’m sorry too, for everything up until now.”

Both he and I were taken aback by her action.

“Because I didn’t want anyone to take Mari away from me, I acted cruelly and showed you unpleasant attitudes.”

“Ah, no, I’m the one who should apologize. About the two of you… from now on… I’ll cheer you on from afar.”

Perhaps influenced by Maki’s unusually meek demeanor, Inuino-kun’s eyebrows formed a worried upside-down V.

The two of them began speaking calmly, and thinking that the matter was finally settled, I let out a breath.

One heavy burden had finally been lifted from my shoulders. That said, we could not remain by the garbage dump forever.

From afar, the sounds of the brass band club’s performance and the shouts of sports club members from the grounds drifted over.

Inuino-kun had also slipped away from his club activities. If we did not let him go soon, he might be scolded by his club advisor or teammates, or they might begin worrying about him.

I took the smartphone from my pocket and checked the time, and that thought crossed my mind.

“…And then, at the wedding ceremony…”

“…Ah, please definitely invite me to that. Ah, but if that’s impossible, then…”

“No problem at all. Then let’s exchange contact information…”

“Ah, I don’t have it on me right now, so in that case…”

“Okay!”

Suddenly, a troubling word caught my ear in the conversation I had been half ignoring, and my attention snapped back.

In that brief span of time, the two of them seemed to have grown remarkably close. They were leaning toward each other, chatting cheerfully.

It felt just like the atmosphere between ordinary senpai and kouhai. I could not imagine what they could possibly be discussing so amicably when things had been so tense just moments earlier.

“Um, what exactly are you two talking about? Also, Inuino-kun, sorry for holding you up. Is your time all right?”

“Ah, right! I slipped out after leaving my club activities!”

At my words, Inuino-kun hurriedly bowed and apologized, suddenly flustered.

At the moment of parting, Maki lightly patted Inuino-kun’s back with a soft “pon,” as if seeing him off.

It was nothing more than casual physical contact, yet for some reason it made me feel slightly irritated.

“Well then, take care, both of you!”

As we watched his retreating back, Maki reported, “He’s a good kid, huh. Oh, and tomorrow I’m going to have him come to the classroom again. To exchange contact information. He said he doesn’t have his phone with him because he’s in the middle of club activities.”

“Huh?”

Even I have never asked for Inuino-kun’s contact information. I swallowed those words and instead asked, “What exactly were you talking about?”

There was also the fact that the distance between the two of them had become unexpectedly close, and the content of the conversation I had overheard bothered me as well.

“He said that when you and I have our wedding ceremony, he wants to be invited.”

“Hm?”

Thinking that I must have misheard, I peered closely at Maki’s face.

“Whose wedding ceremony…?”

“Mine and Mari’s.”

“Ahhh, so it wasn’t a misunderstanding after all.”

“When I told him that the two of us have already vowed to be together in the future, Inuino-kun seemed quite surprised too.”

“If anyone should be surprised, it’s me.”

Well, I have no intention of ever parting from her anyway, and I plan to stay with her forever as well.

Setting that aside, we decided it was about time to return to the classroom and were just about to leave the garbage dump area.

Suddenly, Maki grabbed my arm from behind and pulled me close, her face filling my entire field of vision.

Her expression looked slightly angry, but even as I noticed that, the closeness, near enough for me to feel her breath, made my heart leap.

Just as I braced myself, thinking she might kiss me, the words that followed were entirely unexpected.

“I’m going to say it today no matter what. Mari, your guard is way too loose!”

“Hoe?”

“You’re decisive when you want to refuse someone, but when you can’t bring yourself to refuse, like this time with Inuino-kun, you become far too indecisive!”

“Ugh.”

“In the first place, that’s exactly why back in middle school there was that girl junior who…”

Maki’s lecture began in earnest.

She must have been carrying a lot of stress from everything that had happened recently. She even started bringing up things from the past, and her complaints poured out without pause.

W-Wait, wait a second, Maki. Anyway, let’s head back to the classroom already. We need to get going soon, right?

I know I am the one at fault, so I am willing to listen properly, but the problem is that we have stayed here far too long.

The sun is already setting. My bag is still in the classroom.

Thinking that, I tried to interrupt Maki’s scolding, but that only seemed to irritate her further, and her eyes narrowed sharply.

Eek.

“I’ll keep it short, so listen carefully.”

“…Yes.”

I suddenly wondered if this is what it means to be completely under someone’s thumb.

The definition I had looked up in the dictionary the other day seemed to match the current situation perfectly.

“Got it? Basically, kind people are easy to take advantage of. And someone like you, Mari, who has a strong core, probably attracts people who fall seriously in love rather than those who confess lightly.”

“H-Heh.”

“And because you’re so dense and oblivious, people start thinking, ‘maybe if I push a little more…’ and when they don’t receive a clear rejection, they just keep pushing. In fact, pushing worked this time, didn’t it?”

“Hm?”

“The world isn’t made up of only good people, you know? Before you realize it, someone might learn your weekend schedule, wait for you after school, show up at your house, or even try to force a fait accompli.”

“Aren’t you just describing yourself, Maki?”

When I pointed at her face with my index finger, she swatted it away with a flat “peshin,” without changing her expression.

Ah, she really is angry. Understood.

The example may be difficult to accept, but yes.

At the very least, I feel that someone like Inuino-kun would not go that far.

Even while thinking that, I knew perfectly well that saying it aloud right now would only provoke Maki further, so I held my tongue.

There was a time when Maki jokingly said things like “The secret to a happy marriage is,” but now I think I understand it a little.

The secret to a happy romantic relationship is probably this. When you know you are in the wrong, apologize quickly and do not argue back.

A few days later, Inuino-kun really did exchange contact information with Maki, and as a bonus, he exchanged it with me as well.

“Got it? You can get close, but Mari belongs to me, okay?”

“No problem! Ah, after that, someone named Seishuku-senpai talked to me, and I ended up joining the fan club for the two of you!”

“Hm, that’s nice. If anything troublesome happens, tell me right away.”

“Yes!”

Inuino-kun also learned that Maki’s class ranking is first in the entire grade, and he began showing her even more respect.

From an outsider’s perspective, their relationship did not look entirely unlike that of a pet and its owner.

A loyal dog, Hachiko.

I could almost see a large tail wagging furiously behind Inuino-kun.

Um, so this means the matter is settled, right?

I repeated the question silently to myself again and again. Above all, the fact that Seishuku-san is watching over Inuino-kun is a tremendous relief. It puts me at ease.

As I watched Inuino-kun listen to Maki’s words with a completely serious expression, for the time being, all I could do was offer a wry smile.

End of Part 3, Chapter 2