I’m Feeling Better, In A Way

"Is it okay? Working in the organizing committee."

"I'll be alright. After all, our senpais are very capable."

"Haha, well, the current and former student council president are

working well together."

Second day of the school festival. Masachika had invited Takeshi

and Hikaru to go around the school grounds together in between working for

the executive committee.

"Besides, originally, the main job of the current student council

president and vice president is to deal with the Raikokai[1]

. So, even if I'm

not there, it won't cause much trouble."

"Ahhh, the Raikokai... are coming today?"

"Do we know specifically who is coming?"

"No, that's the President and Sarashina-senpai's responsibility ,

so ...I don't know the details either. And to be honest, I'm not really

interested."

"Is that so? It seems like a lot of people want to take this opportunity

to get to know them somehow."

Masachika cowered as Takeshi continued, "Some people try their

best to attract their attention by coming up with creative decorations at the

entrance of their classrooms" while turning his attention to the surrounding

exhibits.

"I'm just an ordinary citizen whose parents are diplomats."

"No, I think it's quite admirable that your parents are

diplomats. ...What's more, it's a good career, right?"

"For this school's standards, it's not that special, I suppose. In fact,

there's even a theory that unless you have something like that, you won't

even pass the interview for the entrance examination."

"Yeah, well, there's a rumor that... admissions are pretty much

filtered by family background."

"And here's another thing."

Masachika and Hikaru laughed as Takeshi made a circle with his

thumb and forefinger as he said this.

"Well, that's how it is. But hey, who cares about that kind of talk,

right? Anyway, I'm free for a while."

"I see. Oh, there's a takoyaki stall over there. I'm gonna go buy

some.... What about you two?"

"I'm good."

"Me too... Don't worry about holding back, feel free to buy some."

"Understood. Well, wait a moment then."

After saying this, Hikaru went to the takoyaki stall. As Masachika

looked at his back without looking at him, Takeshi suddenly smiled and

called out to him.

"Well, how was yesterday?"

"Yesterday? You mean the... quiz game show?"

"No, I don't! After that, you know... you had a date with Alya, right?"

"Oh, well, it was not really a date... Were you watching us? You

should have said something."

"Well, yeah, I mean..."

At Masachika's words, Takeshi smiled vaguely and glanced at

Hikaru.

(I see, you tried to call out to us, but Hikaru stopped you.)

Masachika read his intentions correctly and smiled slightly.

"You didn't have to be so careful."

"Well, it seemed like there was a good atmosphere between the two

of you.... Actually, how is it between you two? Since you're campaign

partners, maybe the two of you had developed that type of relationship?"

What a difficult question to answer.

Although he understood Alisa's fondness for him, Masachika had

little intention of developing a relationship with Alisa. There was also the

rational notion that it was risky to bring "colorful" affairs into an election

campaign. In addition, Alisa herself did not seem to realize that her liking

towards him was romantic in nature. In general, the distance between them

was closing, but overall no progress had been made.

"...Well, we get along, but that's it. We're not really dating or

anything."

"I see......"

"What? You're in a hurry to get ahead of me?"

"No, that's not it! I just──"

"Um~ excuse~ me."

Then, they were interrupted by a voice from the side, and Takeshi

turned with a puzzled expression, saying, "Huh? Me?" Masachika also

looked in that direction, where a girl of the same age, who seemed to be an

external visitor, stood. She had short hair dyed in a bright color and had a

rather adorable appearance. With a slightly upward gaze, the girl shyly

asked Takeshi a question.

"We are students from Donano High School, and we are looking for

someone to show us around... If you'd like, could we go around together?"

"What, oh, us?"

"Yes."

The girl smiled charmingly. The name of the school she told

Masachika was the name of a fairly well-known all-girls high school in the

area. Masachika looked and saw two other pretty girls standing a short

distance away, who appeared to be her companions. Well...

(Ah, I see.)

Masachika guessed when he saw them glancing toward Hikaru. Most

likely, their primary interest was in Hikaru. To avoid drawing unnecessary

attention from other boys by openly approaching an attractive guy, they

deliberately approached during a moment when their main target was away,

attempting to fill in the gap, so to speak....

"Wait, really? No way! Are you serious?!"

Not seeming to notice their thoughts, Takeshi scratched his head,

grinning as hard as he could. Clearly smitten, he looked at the three girls

one by one and then glanced towards Masachika as if to say, "Man, I'm in

trouble." Then, turning back to the girls, Takeshi brought his hands together

in front of his face with a snap.

"Sorry! I'm really happy and honored to be invited, but we actually

have girlfriends! We don't want to get killed out of jealousy, so we can't join

you. I'm really sorry!"

"Eh? Oh, I see... Well, if that's the case..."

Perhaps I was caught completely by surprise. The girl blinked

frequently with a straight face and returned to her friends with a slight tilt of

her head. After watching the three of them leave, Masachika called out to

Takeshi, who was still holding his hands together.

"Since when did you have a girlfriend?"

"I couldn't help it, could I~? I couldn't think of any other way to say no

without hurting those girls."

"Well, I think you made a nice decision there, but were you happy

with saying no...?"

At Masachika's question, Takeshi turned around with a grimace

expression and gritted his teeth as hard as he could.

"Y-You can't be serious! It's not faaiir~! Ah, what a waste! This might

have been my one and only chance to be popular!"

"No, it's......"

Unable to say that it was a misunderstanding, Masachika struggled to

find the words to say anything, leaving him speechless.

Meanwhile, Takeshi, who had been holding his head and squirming

in front of him, eventually let out a sigh and slumped down in resignation.

"But I'm sure Hikaru wouldn't like the idea of going around with girls

he didn't know... and you didn't seem too keen on it either."

"Yeah, well......"

"Right? That's why, well, it's for the best. Even if we ended up going

together, I don't think I would have done well anyway."

When Takeshi said that with regret, Masachika sincerely thought,

"He's actually a good person......"

(Well, I already knew that much... I hope it pays off for him.)

Why couldn't he get a girlfriend, even though he was such a good

guy who cared deeply for his friends? As Masachika questioned the

absurdity of the world, Hikaru came back with takoyaki in his hand.

"Sorry for the wait... Wait, what's with Takeshi?"

"Moping about the loss of a possible lucky encounter."

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"

As Hikaru tilted his head in confusion, a rattling sound nearby

interrupted them, followed by a startled, "Ah!"

As they turned their gazes, they saw a female student holding a

plastic basket, looking flustered. It seemed that she had collided with

someone, and the bouncy balls she was carrying inside the basket had all

fallen out. The balls bounced off the ground and the legs of pedestrians,

scattering in various directions.

"Oh dear."

Masachika looked at the scene and wondered for a few moments

whether he should go to help.

(It's a bit far away, and even if I went to help her now... she might

not even care if she lost a few balls in the first place. It would be

unnecessary for me to intervene.… and anyway I'm bad with balls.)

In those few moments,

"Hold this for me."

"Oh."

Hikaru took action.

After pushing the takoyaki to Masachika, he did not hesitate and

moved toward the female student.

He quickly picked up as many balls as he could see, even the ones

that had gone under the nearby food stalls. Without hesitation, he got down

on the ground to retrieve them, even if his hands and knees got dirty with

dust.

When Masachika and Takeshi caught up to them, they had almost

finished collecting the fallen balls.

"Oh, thank you. Really."

"No problem, just be more careful next time."

Hikaru waved his hand and looked as the female student bowed to

him. Seeing this scene, Masachika told Takeshi with a knowing look on his

face.

"You see, Takeshi, that's the type of man who is popular."

"Damn, I can't compete against that......."

"No, I'm not trying to be popular......"

"I understand. But it's still pretty impressive to be able to act

decisively in situations like that"

Seeing Hikaru with a troubled expression again, Masachika praised

him without holding back.

Hikaru was always like that. While most people would hesitate for a

moment, thinking things like "It could be troublesome" or "I might end up

embarrassing myself," , Hikaru was always the first to extend his hand and

help. Even if it was someone he wasn't comfortable with. Regardless of the

other person, he embodied the true meaning of "helping each other when in

need." Hikaru was a kind-hearted person to the core.

(The two of you.... are really truly nice guys.)

Masachika was proud of his friends. He could say that with all his

heart. That's why... there were things Masachika couldn't turn a blind eye

to. There were things that he could never, ever pretend never happened...

"....Well then, I should be going soon"

"Oh, okay. See you at rehearsal."

"Good luck with your committee work."

"Oh!"

After the three of them had been going around together for about 40

minutes, Masachika left them and headed for the club building. However,

instead of entering the club building, he went around to the back. There

were no exhibitions or stalls in that area, so only those who got lost would

venture there. Underneath a large tree at the back, precisely in a blind spot

from the windows of the club building, the person he was supposed to meet

was waiting.

A girl stood there, wearing a cap pulled down low to hide her face. As

Masachika approached her, he called out in a calm voice.

"Yo, Shirotori."

A cold greeting. There was no "Sorry I made you wait" or "Sorry for

calling you out," it was far from friendly. In response, the girl also responded

with a gaze that lacked any trace of friendliness.

"...What do you want?"

The name of the girl who asked curtly was Nao Shiratori. She was a

former student of Seirei Academy who transferred to another school before

the second semester, and until just a little over a month ago, she was the

vocalist of the band which Takeshi and Hikaru were originally a part of. She

was also the one who caused a terrible scene when she left, causing the

band to collapse.

"Why did you go as far as using something like this to call me out.....

What's your intention?"

With her unfriendly attitude intact, Nao took out an envelope from her

pocket. It was entrusted by Masachika to Nao's former homeroom teacher.

In fact, Masachika, who had doubts about the band's collapse, had

been looking for Nao, who might know the truth about it. However, Nao had

changed her smartphone number when she transferred to a new school and

deleted her SNS account, so he could not contact her at all. Even with

Masachika's various contacts, she was completely missing and out of touch.

Masachika then made a plan to contact Nao's former homeroom

teacher, who was the only person who could get in touch with Nao.

Masachika persuaded the teacher by saying passionately, "I really want to

send a letter to Nao who suddenly transferred to another school." However,

what was in the envelope was neither a love letter nor a letter of regret for

parting, but an invitation to ... the Seirei Gakuen Academy Festival and a

single sentence message.

"What the hell is this? 'Come or I'll expose the truth to the members

of the band'......"

Masachika cowered with a cold expression as Nao read the message

and stared at him.

"You know what I mean, and you know it better than anyone else.

That's why you took me up on the offer and came all the way here."

"......"

In response to Masachika's words, Nao remained silent. The two of

them locked eyes, as if trying to figure out each other's next move.

Masachika heard from Takeshi that the band collapsed because Nao

told Ryuichi Kasugano, the bass player who she was dating at the time,

saying, "We were just going out casually," and exposed that "she had

actually only truly liked Hikaru." As a result, Ryuichi was severely hurt, and

Riho Minase, the keyboardist, was so shocked by the behavior of her

childhood friend Nao that they both left the band.... Of course, it was

hearsay, so it was uncertain how accurate the details are. However,

precisely because Masachika observed the band from an outsider's

perspective, there were certain lies that he could detect.

"You're not in love with Hikaru, are you?"

"!"

Nao responded to Masachika's assurance by raising her eyebrows

and twisting her mouth.

Seeing this expression, Masachika's theory was only confirmed

more.

It was after Nao revealed that she had feelings for Hikaru after Riho

revealed that, "Nao said there was someone she liked in the band when she

joined." This was something that Masachika directly learned from Riho after

the band had already disbanded. When Nao joined the band as the fifth

member, she told Riho about her ulterior motive, and those words were

what she shared with Masachika.

Riho didn't seem to notice, but Masachika immediately realized the

intention behind that conversation. It was a way to deter Riho. If Nao simply

wanted to join the band, her motivation could have been as simple as "I

want to be in a band with Riho." There was no need for her to confess her

romantic feelings unless it was a tactic to sabotage any potential

relationship between Riho and someone else. Judging from the subsequent

events, it was likely that the "someone" in question was Ryuichi.

Normally, it would be a simple story of two childhood friends falling

for the same guy. That should be the end of it....

(Listening to Takeshi's story... It's the opposite, isn't it?)

According to Ryuichi, Nao didn't show much affection towards him

after they started dating. Was it just her way of hiding her true feelings? No,

it didn't make sense for her to intentionally provoke Riho and then become

passive. In that case... Perhaps Nao didn't want to lose someone else, not

Ryuichi...

"The person you liked was─"

"Stop."

With a hard voice, Nao interrupted Masachika. But Masachika did not

stop.

"No, I won't stop."

Masachika blithely rebuffed Nao's clear protest. Then he took a step

closer to Nao and said the decisive words.

"The one you were in love with... wasn't Hikaru nor Ryuichi, but

Minase."

".....!"

Nao's eyes flashed with anger at Masachika's assertion, but

Masachika was undaunted, and he confronted her with his own theory.

"The reason you went out with Ryuichi was because Minase had

feelings for him. When you found out about Minase's love for him, you

joined the band and went out with Ryuichi out of the selfish desire not to

have Minase taken away from you. Isn't that right?"

In response to Masachika's confident question, Nao opened her

mouth, seemingly unable to find any words. She opened and closed her

mouth several times before turning her head down. After that, Nao's

shoulders trembled for a while as if she was trying to hold something in, and

then she answered in a squeaky voice.

"...Yes."

And with that as a trigger, Nao opened up and admitted her true

feelings.

"Yes, I do! I have always loved Riho! I've been with her since I was a

little girl, and I've always protected her! Riho was the best for me, and I was

the best for Riho! And yet.....!"

Gritting her teeth and shaking her voice, Nao stared furiously at the

ground. Kicking the ground with the toe of her shoe, Nao screamed, her

chest heaving.

"But Riho fell in love with Ryuichi! Even though she said she was

afraid of men! Ah, mouuu!"

"....."

"...So, in response, you went out with Ryuichi, whom you didn't

really like?"

"Yes, I would rather lose my Riho than let her be deceived by a man!

If it was like that, it didn't matter anymore!"

It is a distorted... but pure love for a childhood friend of the same

sex. After howling furiously, Nao's face contorted into a crumpled

expression. The expression she now showed was a mix of frustration and

regret.

"But when we started going out... Ryuichi was a really nice guy ...

and even though I'm like this, he was very kind to me, and he said he really

liked me.... I thought I could understand why Riho would like someone like

this......"

A single tear spilled from Nao's right eye as she confessed. Wiping it

away with her hand, Nao continued with sobs.

"Riho was still the same, kind as ever.... She always would say with a

smile, 'I'm rooting for the both of you.' Even though she liked him first....

Both Ryuichi and Riho are incredibly kind, when on the other hand I've only

deceived and hurt both of them.... It's all my fault, but I don't know what to

do anymore...."

As Nao spoke, covering her eyes with both hands and almost spitting

out her words like blood, Masachika closed his eyes.

Surrounded by kind-hearted people, Masachika could only imagine

the torment of continuously spewing lies to them. At first, it was simply a lie

born out of the desperate desire to not lose the person they cared for. But

as they continued to tell lies to protect those lies, they found themselves

gradually engulfed in falsehoods, while their four kind-hearted companions

remained untainted. Behind the smiles directed at their friends, they must

have endured countless struggles and regrets. How much disappointment

and self-loathing they must have felt towards themselves was something

Masachika could only imagine.

And when everything was about to be revealed, Nao told a final lie to

hide her biggest secret... her love for Riho. She uttered the lie that she

had feelings for Hikaru, pretending that she had harbored romantic affection

for him.

(Well, well, I can't blame you.......)

For Nao, her love for Riho was something she wanted to protect and

keep hidden, no matter what else she had to do. Even if it meant giving

herself up to a man she didn't even like. If that was the case...

Masachika had no intention of blaming Nao.

It was often said that a person's true nature comes out when he or

she is cornered, but Masachika believed this to be false. When a person is

really cornered, the first thing that comes out is not their true nature but their

instincts. It was the fundamental defense instinct of living creatures to

protect themselves. Not many people could overcome this feeling with

reason. That was why Masachika's heart could not blame Nao for lying in

the end when she was cornered. But...

"What about the remaining four?"

"..."

Nevertheless, one should not look away from it.

"Maybe it's fine for you to run away. However, you know, those four

people are still being affected by what happened back then."

"......"

This information was probably the last thing Nao wanted to hear. But,

knowing this, Masachika confronted her with the reality of the situation.

Ryuichi and Minase had stopped showing up at the light music club

and had both not spoken to Hikaru since that incident. To be honest,

Masachika couldn't stand to watch it. The three of them used to be such

good friends, but now treated each other like they didn't exist.

"Oh, well....."

He heard Takeshi still goes to see Makino and Ryuichi every now

and then.

"Takeshi still seems to be going to see Ryuichi and Minase every

now and then. However, he seems to be troubled by it. He acts as if nothing

has changed on the surface, but he actually looks quite worn out. He's

always been someone who cared deeply about his friends more than

anyone else."

"......"

At Masachika's words, Nao looked down deeply. After a brief silence,

she murmured and asked,

"What about Riho?"

In response to that brief question, Masa honestly stated the facts

while thinking to himself, "So Riho is still the top priority after all."

"As you know, Minase is naturally someone with a small circle of

friends. Now that she's no longer part of the light music club, she's

completely isolated. I've heard that she attends classes with a gloomy

expression, doesn't talk to anyone, and then quickly goes home after."

"Uuu."

Masachika quietly asked Nao, who bit her lip while keeping her face

down.

"Did you really think that Minase and Ryuichi would get together if

you were gone?"

"!"

"How can that be? Ryuichi is not the type to jump from woman to

woman so easily, and Minase─"

"I already know that even without you telling me!"

At that moment, Nao looked up and glared at Masachika.

"What are you talking about? Who do you think you are? Who the

hell do you think you are?"

Masachika felt as if he had been doused with cold water with these

words. He then looked back at his own words and actions, and suddenly

came to himself.

(Hey, why am I being so sarcastic?)

He had no intention to blame her in his mind, but he found himself

saying things that struck a nerve within Nao. He had intended to convey

only the facts, but in this case, it was as if he had half-jammed her.

Masachika was astonished to realize this now.

(No, no. I didn't mean to say this......)

Gazing down, Masachika reset his mind once and searched for the

words he really needed to convey.

"...Indeed, I'm just an outsider. I have nothing to do with the band

and have no right to interfere."

"......"

But... I definitely don't think the five of you should be left the way

you guys are."

"! Kuh."

Masachika carefully talked to Nao, who gritted her teeth and turned

away.

"You're okay with this? You'll leave all of them with a

misunderstanding."

"......"

"I say this because I've been there myself... The worst form of

breaking off with the ones you care about is the one that makes you blind to

all the good and happy memories you had before it."

Just as Masachika, not long ago, continued to seal his memories of

Maa-chan in the back of his mind as unpleasant memories. Now that the

misunderstanding was cleared up, he had nothing but regrets about that.

(Well, that's another thing I can't say about... can I?)

As his head cooled, so did his heart, and there Masachika turned on

his heel. Then, knowing it was none of his business, he gave a final advice

over his back.

"As I said before, I'm just an outsider. I don't know who you guys are,

the relationships between yourselves, or any of the specific details. So I'm

not going to tell you what to do... but if things continue as they are now,

the band will end up being the worst memory of the five of you, you know?

Especially for Ryuichi and Minase."

After saying that, Masachika left the place without looking back. He

entered the club building and headed upward to avoid people. He climbed

over the barrier in front of the stairs and went up the stairs leading to the

rooftop and fell on his back after landing at the top of the stairs.

"Haa......"

A deep, heavy sigh exhaled from his cold chest.

"...Why did I say such an accusatory thing?"

He talked to himself in the form of a question, but the answer came to

him. It was because Masachika had always been angry with Takeshi and

Hikaru being hurt.

Masachika really thought that the five band members should not be

separated from each other like that. For that reason, he thought he should

persuade Nao to get the five of them back to talking terms. That, he had no

regrets about.

"What I regret is that... I pushed and hurt Nao more than

necessary. It's that I, an outsider, took my anger out on Nao, leaving the

injured party aside. And I thought I was doing it... calmly."

But in reality, he was not calm. The anger that had been growing in

Masachika after his two precious best friends had been hurt had been like a

live fire inside him for a long time, and it had made him aggressive toward

Nao, which was expressed in his words.

(Was it really necessary to send such a threatening message and

expose the secret in front of the person who wanted to keep it hidden... Did

I really think it was necessary to make them taste even a fraction of the pain

that Takeshi and Hikaru experienced?)

Masachika bit his teeth as Nao's gaze as those thoughts came to his

mind. He felt a strong sense of regret and self-loathing. That was all

Masachika could think of right now.

"Who do I think I am... really? Acting so presumptuously as an

outsider with no connection, what have I done?"

Someone had to do it. But he didn't mean to be heroic. If Masachika

had done nothing, the incident would have faded away and been buried in

time. It was Masachika's ego that dug it up and exposed its hidden contents.

Masachika thought it was the right thing to do, and he did it even though he

was not asked to do so by anyone. That's all it was. However... looking back

now, it seemed like it was just unnecessary meddling.

Even if Masachika had done nothing, those five may have eventually

reconciled in some way. Just as Masachika and Maria were destined to

meet again and resolve their past misunderstanding.

If there was a solid bond among those five, then surely...

(That's right! To me, she was just an acquaintance, but to Takeshi

and Hikaru, Shiratori is a friend!)

Then Masachika became even more depressed as he realized that

he had hurt a "friend of a friend."

(Ah... this is bad. I feel like dying... I'll have to apologize to

Shiratori later)

His thoughts fell into a complete negative spiral, and Masachika

rolled onto his side, clutching his head. As it was, he was feeling endlessly

depressed...

"Kuze?"

Masachika was about to leave... when he heard a voice from below

that he was not supposed to hear, and he jerked up. Then his eyes met

those of Maria, who was peering at him from the floor one level below, and

his heart leapt.

"What's wrong, Masha-san?"

"I happened to see Kuze-kun, who looked kind of gloomy, and I was

curious... so I followed you."

Saying this in a concerned voice, Maria went up the stairs and sat

down next to Masachika. She then looked at Masachika with concerned

eyes.

"What's wrong?"

Masachika returned with silence in response to that question, which

was filled with nothing but pure concern. Still, Maria did not rush him, but

gently wrapped her hands around his fists, which were clenched in his lap.

Slightly moved by the warm, gentle touch, Masachika blurted out a

reply with a grim expression on his face.

"I hurt someone."

"I see. Why did you do it?"

"They hurt my friends... No."

Shaking his head from side to side, Masachika reiterated.

"I got angry because my friends were hurt, and without considering

the circumstances of the person involved, I directed my anger at them. Even

though they had their reasons.... I should have understood those reasons

and instead, I let my anger dig into their wounds."

When he said that much in one breath, Masachika laughed to

himself.

"I'm... feeling a bit sorry now that I screwed up. I'm sure I'll be fine

as soon as I feel better, so don't mind me."

Maria stared at Masachika with a serious expression on her face as

he said this in a light tone of voice. Then... she slowly got up on her knees

and hugged Masachika's head tightly from the side.

"There, there."

A further gentle pat on the head confused Masachika.

".....Why? Um, why are you hugging me?"

"Kuze-kun seems to be hurt. That's why I'm comforting him."

"Well, did you listen to what I just said? This whole situation is

completely my fault, and I was just reflecting on my actions based on my

emotions......."

"So you have no right to be comforted?"

"!"

Having hit the nail on the head with her gentle voice, Masachika was

at a loss for words.

Perhaps realizing by his reaction that she had hit the bull's-eye,

Maria continued with a small smile.

"So, Kuze-kun, that's what you think, huh~? But you know what? It

doesn't matter to me whether you have the right or not!"

"...Oh."

Masachika was overwhelmed by Maria's declaration that she was

going her own way, as if to say, "How do you like it?"

"It doesn't matter how Kuze-kun feels! I'm just spoiling you because I

want to, that's all!"

"I see."

Masachika couldn't say anything else after being told that clearly.

(If Masha wants to do this, I guess I have no choice now~)

As a sense of resignation and indifference welled up within him,

Masachika's gaze became distant. While gently stroking his head, Maria

spoke to him.

"Kuze, you've never taken advantage of others, have you? It's as if

you don't think you have the right to take advantage of anyone."

"......"

Maria's sharp statement left Masachika speechless. It was true. He

had forced his sister to work hard and then lead a lazy, self-defeating life, so

he could not allow himself to be spoiled by anyone. He had always thought

so.

"When I see you like that, Kuze, my heart feels tight. It feels like a

mix of pain and longing, and it makes me want to spoil you so much."

"...Huh, I see."

Masachika responded with a half-smile and a curt reply to the words

that made his back tingle. However, Maria seemed to see through

Masachika's shyness and gave a small laugh.

"If you cannot forgive yourself, I will forgive you. If you end up hurting

yourself, I want to protect you from the pain."

As if to prove her words, Maria continued gently, slowly patting

Masachika's head.

"Please, don't say things like that. Since the day we met at that park,

you have always been an important person to me. So.... don't force yourself

to be strong. Don't try to endure it alone."

Those last words resonated deeply in Masachika's heart.

(Ah, this person....)

Maybe she really does understand. Maybe she understood

Masachika's weakness, his mistakes, and everything else, and was trying to

gently wrap her arms around him.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah."

"I see...."

"....Yeah."

A conversation that wasn't really a conversation. But he was sure

that Maria was getting the message. Masachika closed his eyes and rested

his body in Maria's arms. She responded with a smile to Masachika's

sweetness as much as she could.

How much time has passed since then? Masachika, feeling a little

calmer, opened his eyes.

"I feel like I've always been spoiled by you, Masha."

"Huh? Is that so?"

"Yes... I think I've always relied on your kindness."

Since the day he met Maria again in that park, Masachika had been

recalling his memories of Maa-chan from time to time.

The Maa-chan in his memories was always cheerful, kind, and

warm... He was saved by such a Maa-chan. He honestly thought so now.

"I see... But it's the same for both of us, you know. I received a lot

of kindness from Saa-kun, too."

"Haha, is that right?"

"Yeah, right. Too many to count."

Maria said so, but Masachika was sure he had not returned even half

of the kindness he had received.

(That promise, too, was never fulfilled in the end......)

Thinking back to the promise he once made to Maa-chan, which he

recalled about a month ago, Masachika felt a little sad.

(I wonder if it's not too late.... No, it's definitely too late... My skills

have significantly declined as well.)

He was feeling a little down again, and as if sensing this, Maria's

squeezing force increased... and Masachika felt a bit embarrassed.

"Well, setting that aside for a moment. It's about time I go......"

"Hmm? Why is that? You can rely on me even more, you know?"

"Well, this position is a bit......"

Or rather, Masachika was quite conscious of a certain heavy weight

on his shoulder. And his right ear feeling the rhythm of Maria's heartbeat

was... well, it was a kind of happiness.

"Ah......."

Seeing how Masachika avoided making direct references and spoke

vaguely, Maria wore a half-troubled, half-blushing smile and separated

herself from him.

"Mouu, Kuze-kun......"

"Sorry."

"Mmm, well, you're a boy, aren't you? It can't be helped~"

When Masachika nodded his head in agreement, Maria opened her

arms with a smile filled with the compassion of a holy mother.

"I don't mind, Kuze-kun. Come here."

"No, no, that's..."

"Oh, I see. You can't ask for affection yourself. Then how about I

come to you~?"

"N-No, wait─!"

Startled, as he tried to push her away, he was quickly captured by

Maria's arms as she leaned forward. And then─Masachika experienced an

overwhelming force of motherhood.

◇

".....That was intense."

Masachika, who had been forcibly drowned in motherhood at the

hands of Maria, was heading to the music room with somewhat unsteady

steps. The band was about to have their final rehearsal for the live

performance... but his mind wasn't focused on that at the moment.

It was so amazing that all his regrets and sense of self-loathing were

completely wiped away. It was so amazing that he was exhausted.

(On the contrary, I wonder how Marsha was so lively and

energetic...)

While Masachika was drained of energy, Maria, whom he parted from

in front of the stairs, seemed to be overflowing with energy. Perhaps,

indulging her desire to pamper him had served as a stress reliever?

(Oh no... Could it be that every time I feel down in front of Masha, this

is how it ends up? If that's the case..... I have a feeling that someday, it's

going to be a serious problem.)

A mysterious sense of danger struck Masachika, sending shivers

down his spine. At that moment, his eyes met Yuki's from across the hall.

"Yuki......"

"Masachika-kun...?"

Masachika straightened his back in a hurry and pretended to be

unconcerned. However, Yuki raises her eyebrows at Masachika

suspiciously and walks up to him with an archaic smile on her face.

"Masachika, I see you are here."

"Huh?"

"There was a request for additional equipment. Can you help with it?"

"Ah, yeah."

Pressured by her ironclad smile, Masachika followed Yuki to the

warehouse. Without any conversation, they arrived at the warehouse, where

Yuki unlocked the door and went inside to make sure no one else was

──── Masachika learned about the violence of motherhood.

there. As soon as she saw no one else in the warehouse, Yuki rushed to

Masachika and grabbed him by both arms from the front. Then, looking up

at her brother's face from a close distance, Yuki asked with an expression

that seemed to indicate a sense of futile danger.

"Onii-chan, are you okay!? Do you need a love beam to cheer you

up?"

"I don't need it."

"Lovey-dovey beeeeeam!!"

"I said I don't need it!!"

And so, pampered by a kind onee-san and spoiled by a younger

sister... the care of these two people helped Masachika recover his mood

a little.