Chapter 4 Part XI

That night, I clutched my phone tightly. My hand was sweating so much you'd think the air conditioning in my room wasn't working.

"We got closer to Sakura, but… Is it really okay for me to say that?"

"Yesterday I would've said no, but our chances are better today. Ahh… I think we still have a way to go yet, though. You're making yourself all frazzled."

I'd guessed that Sakura would probably grow closer to Kushida, specifically. But I had a feeling that Sakura had erected a rather high wall between herself and other people. Unless we could get her to climb over that wall, calling on Sakura as a witness would be difficult.

"That reminds me, why did you try to get Sakura to take off her glasses?" I asked Kushida.

"Well, I mean… I thought saying so might be kind of cruel, but… I just feel like her glasses don't really suit her, for some reason. It's like she doesn't really need them, or something. I don't understand it myself. I also thought that we'd met somewhere before, but that was probably just a misunderstanding."

"Well, perhaps that was just your imagination, Kushida? I mean, Sakura is pretty far from being stylish, right? I mean, so am I, but she even chooses clothes with plain colors so she stands out as little as possible."

"Yeah, there's that. I don't think that she's concerned with fashion or anything. But I wonder why?"

Back when her camera fell and Sakura had bent down to pick it up, I'd seen her glasses from the side. Something about them had struck me as being out of place.

"I felt like there's something a little off, like she's wearing fake glasses."

"Huh? Sakura-san wears fake glasses? But she said that her eyesight was really bad…"

"Although real glasses and fake ones appear similar at first glance, there is definitely a difference between them. Real glasses show some distortion on the lenses. There wasn't any distortion on Sakura's glasses. At first, I thought that there was definitely some link between those fake glasses and Sakura's fashion sense, but then I found myself puzzled over something she said today."

"Appearing fashionable with glasses? Hmm, that doesn't sound normal."

If she wanted to liven up her appearance with decorative items, she should have bought other clothes or make-up.

"Or maybe it's to cover up some kind of complex? Like how someone thinks they'll appear intelligent by putting on glasses?"

"There's that. Wearing glasses does make you look smart."

"In Sakura's case, though, she probably wears them because she doesn't want others to see her true self. She's always slouching and won't look people in the eye. I doubt it's simply because she dislikes other people."

I felt like there was some hidden way to get over that wall. Something.

"I knew it was right to bring you along, Ayanokouji-kun. I feel like you're very observant of people."

I was a little embarrassed. The best part of interacting with Kushida was how we were able to connect and converse naturally. People who didn't know how to get closer to another person would bungle and compromise until they got to a point where they just gave up.

"So then—"

Just as I was about to continue the conversation with Kushida, my phone buzzed. I checked the caller ID without Kushida knowing. If it were Ike or Yamauchi, I'd call them back later. But if it were Horikita…I'd have to think about it. That's what I was prepared for, but…

The name on the screen read "Sakura."

"I'm sorry, Kushida. Can I call you back in a bit?"

"Oh, sure. Sorry for talking so long."

Though there was a heavy regret in those parting words, I didn't have the time to address it. I answered Sakura's call before it cut out. After pressing the call button, I waited several seconds, but the line remained silent.

"Um… Hello. This is Sakura…"

"This is Ayanokouji."

Even though we'd exchanged contact information, I found it a little strange that she'd called me. Even when I formally exchanged contact information with someone, nine times out of ten I wouldn't get a call.

"Thank you for coming out with me today," Sakura said.

"Oh, no problem. It wasn't really a big deal. Don't worry about it. You shouldn't fuss so much and keep thanking me."

"Okay…"

Silence followed, but it wasn't Sakura's fault. I didn't really know how to respond to her. I thought of how Kushida took the lead in our conversation. Still, I had to do my best on this call.

"What's the matter?"

"Umm…"

More silence. What should I do? Please, Hirata. Teach me.

"What were you…thinking about?"

Sakura asked me a rather ambiguous question. What was I thinking about? She likely didn't want to know my thoughts on how cute Kushida looked in casual clothing, or how exceptionally interesting I found Sakura herself. I had no idea what Sakura was expecting.

"Did something happen?" I asked.

Something about the emotion behind her words made me uneasy, so I cast a verbal line to see if I could reel in anything else. However, the line tautened and snapped as soon as it touched water.

"I'm sorry, it's nothing. Goodnight."

Sakura ended the call without even giving me a chance to reply. No "please wait" or "hold on." I thought about calling her back, but I couldn't understand why I'd failed in our conversation. I thought about it carefully while washing my face. I'd spent about 10 minutes talking with Kushida, but during that time, there weren't any signs that Sakura had tried to call or left messages.

Perhaps Sakura had planned on calling Kushida after talking to me? I had a hard time imagining that. Normally when you had to call two people, the first person you'd call would be the one you knew better. In this case, I was the only person she could call and see, so I was the reasonable choice. Just to be sure though, I went ahead and sent a chat message to Kushida and asked her if she had heard from Sakura.

A few minutes later, Kushida confirmed that she hadn't heard back from Sakura. Just as I'd thought.

"I was asked to invite you as well, Ayanokouji-kun. Did you talk to Sakura-san?"

When I'd met Kushida that morning, she'd said something like that. Because Sakura got really nervous when she was alone with Kushida, I had thought she'd just invited someone else who was suitable for the task, but…was it not like that? Aside from a crazy dream like it being love at first sight, was there some reason I had been chosen to go? I remembered something I'd felt while talking with Sakura today.

Sakura and Kushida struck up most of the conversations, but I'd broached a topic. Namely, the clerk at the store who'd helped with the repair order. I hadn't brought up anything else. What if that's what she'd meant when she asked, "What were you thinking about?"

All of the puzzle pieces I'd collected were too small, and too few. I was able to conjure up several scenarios and speculations, but they all lacked credibility. I didn't have enough information to come to a definitive decision.

Normally I'd have thought that asking around at school would be fine, but in Sakura's case, things wouldn't be so simple. If I just went up and started talking to Sakura, who normally didn't talk to anyone, it would make her stand out. She wouldn't like that. I prayed that the anxieties I'd developed over the phone call were unfounded, and decided to get ready for bed.

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