The travel group hadn't reserved dinner at the inn, so they took a detour to a family restaurant on their way back from the beach and had a relatively inexpensive meal.
Kazuki and Aika sat next to each other, but Kazuki seemed absent-minded, while Aika, with her ponytail undone, looked slightly more confident than usual.
*****
After returning to the inn, the men and women bathed separately in the large communal baths.
Kazuki continued to act listlessly with the group. He knew Aika's date was among them somewhere, but he lacked the energy to confront her about it.
However, he hesitated to return to the men's room. After bathing, he bought juice from a vending machine and sat on a bench in the inn hallway.
With his mind blank, he stared into space when...
"Kazuki?"
Kirie, freshly bathed and wearing a pink woman's yukata provided by the inn, passed by.
"What's wrong? You seem down."
The familiar voice of his childhood friend brought Kazuki back to reality.
"K-Kirie..."
Suddenly, her serene bathrobe attire overlapped with her daytime image in his mind.
He was unaccustomed to seeing her in a bikini.
The girl who used to frequently visit his house and cling to him in their youth had grown up completely.
That's right... Kirie is...
She was the benefactor who secretly saved him during his bullying ordeal.
Later, due to a misunderstanding, he had suspected her of being the ringleader of the bullies... but since she's willing to talk to him now, she must have forgiven him.
Besides, she's head over heels for him.
"Did you have a fight with Shinohara-san?"
Kirie asked, showing her concern.
...Yeah, Kirie's the only one who really understands me.
Aika's true nature was too shocking.
Ever since then, I haven't been able to look her in the eye properly.
Right... Kirie is so much better than that bitch...!
Aika had been defiled by other men's hands.
Compared to that, Kirie had always been devoted to me.
No, there was no need to weigh the options.
Strength returned to Kazuki's limbs.
He stood up from the bench and said, "It wasn't really a fight. I broke up with Aika."
"Huh? You're kidding!"
"No, I'm serious. I'd been feeling something was off for a while."
Now that he thought about it, during dates and when he bought her presents, her smile had always been perfunctory, not genuine joy.
She never even let him hold her hand.
And yet, with another man, she was like this—
"Kazuki?"
"N-no, it's nothing. Anyway, our relationship was practically over even before the trip..."
Of course, it was a lie, but I thought it would be a good way to manipulate Kirie's feelings.
"So we had a proper talk and broke up."
I'll erase those memories.
I'll never think of that woman again.
More importantly—
"I think it's my fault. I realized I'd fallen for someone else—the person I truly love."
Kazuki looked straight into his childhood friend's eyes.
I'll make her happy.
We know each other inside and out. We know about each other's families, our parents, everything. We've been close since childhood. It's bound to work out.
Convinced of this, a bubbling confidence returned to Kazuki's chest.
"Kirie, would you like to give dating a try?"
"Huh... what?"
Her bewilderment was understandable.
"It's sudden, I know. Sorry. But I've actually been feeling this way about you for a while, Kirie."
"I'm... I'm sorry, Kazuki."
"Huh?"
Kirie seemed flustered, but her reaction wasn't quite what Kazuki had expected.
"Um, right. So you've always felt that way about me, Kazuki... And you broke up with Shinohara-san because of this?"
"...Yeah."
"Did Shinohara-san know about this?"
"I never told her, so she wouldn't know."
"Oh..."
Kirie's dejected expression made doubt creep into Kazuki's mind.
Why? She could have been happier for me...
He supposed it was natural to be surprised by such a sudden confession. She might not be able to respond right away.
Still... shouldn't she feel more embarrassed or flustered?
Unaware of his own selfishness, Kazuki grew irritated.
"Kirie, you do like me, right?"
"Huh...?"
"You've helped me out with so many things."
"...Yeah."
Kirie finally nodded, but then...
"I used to like you. In the past."
"...?"
"But it was more like 'conditioning' than actual romance. I mean, we've been together since we were little."
"R-right..."
Kazuki's voice cracked, caught off guard by this unexpected turn.
"S-so—"
"...I didn't tell you, but I'm seeing someone now."
"—?!"
This time, his breath truly caught in his throat.
"Someone from our class... Shito."
His face immediately came to mind. He was one of the members of their travel group—a guy completely different from Kazuki.
"Her? With him? Why?!"
"What... do you mean 'why'?"
Kirie flinched slightly at Kazuki's aggressive tone, but after taking a deep breath, she replied:
"Because I love him. Shito."
Her expression was one Kazuki had never seen before, somehow more mature.
"...! How could you love that superficial jerk?!"
"Ugh, yeah. You're right. I used to hate guys like him too... Even now, there are times when I don't know what he's thinking. And he's definitely not my first."
"H-her first...?!"
The careless Kirie seemed oblivious to her slip of the tongue, but even Kazuki understood the implications of her words.
More than anything...
The scene flashed vividly before Kazuki's eyes.
His childhood friend, pinned down and held by Shito Ryosuke, looking exactly the way Aika had when she was shown to him—radiant with happiness.
"Ah... ugh... ah...!"
"Shito can be dangerous sometimes, you know. I bet there are parts of him he wouldn't want me to see... But I fell for him anyway. I wish I could fix those parts, too. It might be delusional, though."
Kazuki couldn't hear Kirie's words anymore. Instead, he reached out to her without thinking.
"Hey! What are you—?"
Kirie flinched and easily dodged his hand. She frowned and chided, "That's not appropriate, Kazuki."
"But... I love you!"
"I'm in love with Shito right now... I'm sorry."
Her gaze, filled with pity, lingered on Kazuki before she said, "You should talk properly with Shinohara-san again. I'm leaving now."
With that, she abandoned the stunned, motionless Kazuki and walked away.
*****
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