Volume 4 - Me, Her, and our Changing World
Chapter 8
For some reason, I found myself sitting in a family restaurant with Chinatsu clinging to my right shoulder, looking a little calmer now. Across from us sat Toudou-san, Hojoin-san, and Sakurai-san.
You might be wondering how I ended up here in the first place. The reason is a little strange, but it’s actually not that complicated.
Right before my part-time shift, I’d gotten a call from an unknown number. When I answered, I heard Satou-kun’s voice telling me the name of this family restaurant, its location and that I needed to come right away because Chinatsu was in trouble.
I had no idea how he’d gotten my number or why he even knew her current situation. Still, I couldn’t imagine him going through the trouble of finding my contact info just to prank me. And my instincts told me that he wasn’t lying when even the messages I’d sent to Chinatsu weren’t showing as read, which was unusual.
So, trusting my instincts, I caught a taxi that had just dropped off a passenger outside the pub, told the driver the destination, and sent a quick message to my work group chat. Luckily, my coworkers replied “OK” almost immediately.
Thanks to the taxi driver who must’ve sensed my urgency and sped all the way there, I arrived quickly. Even from the entrance, I could tell something was off as there was a tense, awkward atmosphere around Chinatsu and her friends seated at their table.
When I called out her name, Toudou-san and Hojoin-san both looked at me blankly, but more than that, Chinatsu looked terrified. Seeing her like that made me truly glad I’d come.
I couldn’t thank Satou-kun enough.
—And, once I arrived, I realized Sakurai-san probably deserved some thanks too.
“Um, sorry, but for now… just to confirm…” Toudou-san began timidly, her eyes still red from crying. “Satou… kun… it’s correct to say that you’re Chinatsu’s boyfriend, right?”
"Yeah, you're right, but... I'm the one who should be sorry. To be honest, I haven't really grasped the situation at all. It would be a huge help if you could explain things a little."
I answered her question and asked one of my own. I just wanted someone to explain how things had turned out like this.
"...I’lll explain. But first, Chinatsu… and Satou-kun... I am truly, truly sorry! I saw the message on Chinatsu's phone and my mind… just went blank.... I jumped to conclusions and said such cruel things... I'm such a terrible person. I'm so sorry."
"...No, it's not your fault. I was the one who was wrong from the start. Just like you said, Saki... I... I wasn't being honest about my true feelings. I was scared. I'm so sorry, Saki. And to Yukko and Rena, I'm sorry, too."
In response to Saki's apology, Chinatsu replied, looking at the three of them in turn. Then, Toudou-san explained to me everything that had happened up to that point. How she’d wanted to look something up but her phone battery was low, so she borrowed Chinatsu’s. How she accidentally opened Chinatsu’s messaging app when a notification popped up and saw my message at the top. How she noticed my profile picture, which I’d changed around the new year’s, was the same as Satou-kun’s. And since she knew Chinatsu didn’t add boys to her contacts, she’d misunderstood completely and said terrible things out of distrust.
"...I see. Thank you for explaining. I understand the situation now, and I don't really have anything to add. If I had to say anything, it's that I’m glad I got here in time and that you two didn’t end up having some ugly falling out.”
"Satou… I know we've never really spoken before, but... you're a genuinely good person. I'm so, so sorry. I know I called you 'number two' before without thinking. ...And Chinatsu, it must have been awful for you, hearing your boyfriend being called that. I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say except... I'm so sorry."
Chinatsu had told me before that Toudou-san could be impulsive but generally straightforward and easy to get along with, that is, as long as her first crush wasn’t involved. She looked so down now that I actually started feeling bad for her.
Honestly, I think it was just a combination of bad luck and my own lack of confidence, which made me hide our relationship so awkwardly in the first place..
"...No, it's okay. Hajime forgives you, so as long as you don't call him that anymore, we're fine. For me... yeah, maybe it hurt so much because I really do think of you as my friend. ...And like I said before, I'm the one who's truly sorry for making you feel like I was always hiding things. I'm sure that was the real root of your misunderstanding. ...So, since we have the chance... I know it's long overdue, but would you be willing to listen to my story?"
Once my exchange with Toudou-san ended, Chinatsu spoke up again, this time to all three of them.
She loosened her hold on my arm but kept her hand in mine.
Her fingertips were cold, a clear sign of how nervous she was. Still, I understood that she was determined to fix her relationship with her friends. Hoping to give her even the slightest bit of reassurance, I tightened my grip, wrapping my hand fully around hers.
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"I see, so that's why you transferred here from that middle school... It must have been hard for you because of those jerks, Chinatsu."
"Oh, you think so too, Saki?" Sakurai-san chimed in. "Honestly, I don't think you can blame the girl best friend that much. But the guy who was her boyfriend? He's the absolute worst."
“I agree,” Hojoin-san added calmly. “He misunderstood his feelings for his girlfriend’s best friend and completely ruined everything. And as for that male teacher afterward… personally, I’d have liked to see him fired.”
After listening to Chinatsu’s story, all three of them concluded that her ex–best friend’s ex-boyfriend was the true villain.
Also, the way Hojoin-san said ‘fired’ sounded genuinely scary.
“Everyone…”
Chinatsu murmured, looking almost relieved by their reactions. Honestly, I could understand both her feelings and theirs.
Chinatsu had been traumatized by what happened with her best friend in middle school which became the reason was why she was afraid to talk about it. But even back when she told me, I thought the same thing her friends were saying now: Chinatsu hadn’t done anything wrong.
She was simply a good person who’d gotten hurt for being too kind. So hearing these three say the same thing made me quietly relieved.
"...And, I guess... Satou is the one who helped soothe your heart after everything, huh, Chinatsu? I mean, even right now, the way he's looking at you is just filled with such an incredibly gentle and loving gaze."
"Ehehe, that's right. I was saved by Hajime."
Toudou-san looked at me with a surprised expression as Chinatsu answered so bashfully. It was a smile so warm and sweet it made me, the person she was smiling at, blush in embarrassment.
“I’m so jealous.”
“So bright…”
“My, my.”
The three of them, sitting opposite us, all turned a little red themselves after taking the full force of that smile.
With this kind of atmosphere, I honestly started thinking maybe I should just excuse myself.
Before I could, Sakurai-san cleared her throat and said, “Anyway, are you two still planning to keep your relationship a secret? If so, we won’t say anything… right, Saki-chan, Rena-chan?”
“Yes, of course.”
"It’s fine with me too."
But underneath their words, I could sense the question, Are you truly okay with things staying like this?
And truthfully, I’d been wondering if it was right for things to continue as they were.
Sure, I hadn’t wanted the attention or gossip that would come from everyone knowing. I’d told myself I wasn’t confident enough to stand beside her publicly, so keeping it private had been easier.
But after what happened today and seeing how that secrecy had almost warped Chinatsu’s friendships, I realized that wasn’t right. If everyone had simply known I was her boyfriend, this whole misunderstanding would never have happened.
My hand brushed against the keychain attached to my key case in my pocket. Maybe the fact that our relationship had deepened physically had also affected my thoughts, but now, my feelings were firmly grounded. I wasn’t wavering anymore.
“Chinatsu… say… I know it might cause you some trouble, but… what do you say we stop hiding it?”
“Eh? But…”
“I mean, keeping it secret makes things easier for me, yeah. But if it’s wearing you down, then it’s pointless.”
Seeing Chinatsu's slight hesitation, I smiled at her. I tried to put all of my conviction into both my words and my expression, letting her know that everything would be okay now.
"Mhm, okay... but, ah! I know this sounds incredibly selfish of me, especially since I was the one who suggested we hide it, but now that you've said that... the thought of being able to be with you openly at school... makes me really, really happy!"
A warm smile slowly spread across her face as she nodded and spoke. Then, as if to prove it wasn't just words, she leaned in and affectionately nuzzled her head against my shoulder. And this was all happening in a family restaurant, with her friends sitting right there in front of us, mind you.
"Hey, Chinatsu, in case you forgot, we're still here, you know…? And I'm not saying you two don’t look great together or anything, but seriously, aren’t you a little too head over heels for him? After all that trauma and fear about being honest with your feelings… what in the world happened to make you end up like… well, this?”
Toudou-san's question was met with eager nods from both Sakurai-san and Hojoin-san, who were clearly dying to know the answer.
Eh, if we're really going to talk about everything that happened up until now next, I seriously want to step out for a moment.
