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deus-ex-mona · 3 years ago

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Sekai wa Koi ni Ochiteiru: chord 1

Hi, this is Chapter 1 of the Sekai wa Koi ni Ochiteiru novel!

Kaname denseness index for this part: ♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎♡

Previous part (prelude)

Next part (chord 2)

~Misaki’s Feelings ~

It was a Saturday near the end of June. As classes had ended early that day, Misaki brought her trombone to the back garden of the school and began to play. Her club practice was scheduled to begin in the afternoon, though she had wanted to get some independent practice in before that. The song she was playing was a dull, basic practice song.

The sounds resounded towards the calming blue sky.

Sounds drifted out of the open windows of the school building, probably because other club members were practicing there. The music competition was drawing near, so it seemed that everyone was enthusiastic about it.

It seemed like the Wind Ensemble Club was not the only club that had a nearing tournament or competition, as the Drama Club students were practising their vocalisations on the roof, and students of athletic clubs were running around the schoolyard.

Misaki had promised to eat with Tsubomi during the lunch break, but she still had some time before then.

It was when Misaki had set up the trombone, thinking about getting a little more practice done, that it happened.

A group of boys was laughing as they walked towards her. One of them raised his voice upon spotting her, with a smirk on his face. “Oho?”

(I… I hate this…)

To make matters worse, they were her upperclassmen, a fact that she could visually discern, as the colour of the line of their school slippers was different from hers.

When Misaki stopped playing her trombone and lowered it, the boys looked at each other, as though wordlessly agreeing that it would be interesting to approach her, before walking up to her.

“Hey, aren’t you the girl who practised in our classroom a while back?”

Misaki flinched a little at his words. The Wind Ensemble Club usually practised in empty classrooms. She was probably seen by the boys at a time when the club had been practising in the classroom of a Third Year class.

Hoping that the boys would leave soon, Misaki pretended that she was unable to hear them.

(Geez, why are they talking to me…?)

Truth be told, Misaki was rather bad at dealing with boys.

Ever since she was a kid, her face would naturally turn red whenever she got nervous. When the boys in her class saw her reddened face, they bestowed the nickname of “Ripe Tomato” upon her, which left her completely traumatised.

Owing to them, Misaki still wanted to escape instinctively whenever she saw a boy. Even though she knew that she should not care so much about that incident, she found it difficult to forget the mental scars that still remained from the hurtful experience.

The boys would soon grow mean and say unpleasant things to her.

That was why, if she just ignored them, nothing bad would---.

“Come to think of it, I saw it too. You’re that trumpet-playing girl, right?”

(It’s a trombone!)

“You’re a Second Year, yeah? From what class?”

“The face on this girl has become real red.”

“Whoa, you’re right. She’s so cute. Just like a tomato.”

When Misaki ducked her bright red face, the group of upperclassmen became even more interested in her and started to tease her further.

“P-please let me pass…” Misaki whispered as she got up from the bench, though it seemed that the boys did not intend to let her leave. When she tried to forcefully push her way past her upperclassmen, she was immediately grabbed by the arm and pulled back.

“It’s fine, isn’t it? Don’t run away.”

“Yup, yup, play one song for us? Any song’s fine. You’re from the Wind Ensemble Club, no?”

(Because they’re my upperclassmen, I’d probably be in trouble if I just did as I wished!)

Misaki tried her best to resist them, all while cursing them out in her heart, though it seemed unlikely that they would release her hand.

(It hurts… I’m scared. I don’t want this!)

That was why she did not like boys. It was when she was about to cry that---.

“Hey, seniors. That’s a dangerous position to be in, right?”

Misaki was surprised upon hearing that laid-back voice of a male student. It was a voice that she knew well.

“Ah?!” the upperclassmen all looked up towards the second floor window of the school building.

The face poking out of the window belonged to Akutsu Kaname, a classmate of Misaki’s. With a refreshing smile on his face, he turned the packet of juice in his hand upside down and squeezed it tightly.

The juice spilled down all over the uniforms and faces of the upperclassmen, and they let out a loud scream. “Gyaaah!”

Misaki’s eyes widened at the sight.

(Akutsu, what are you doing?! Don’t you know that these are our seniors?!)

The upperclassmen seemed to be faring badly. It would be bad if they got angered and remembered the faces of Misaki and Kaname. Whether he knew it or not did not seem to matter, as Kaname looked down with a sly face.

“What the hell are you doing?!!” the upperclassmen yelled angrily as they stood up and glared at Kaname.

(Ah, see, I knew it. They really did get angry!)

Misaki’s face paled as she stood still like a pole, unable to do anything else.

The corners of Kaname’s mouth curled up slightly, as though he was enjoying the situation a little.

“I’m real sorry. I thought it was a garbage dump, because there was a ton of garbage piled together,” Kaname said, throwing the crushed juice pack at the group of upperclassmen. The item perfectly hit its mark, and the upperclassmen turned red, to the point where it looked as though they were about to burst into flames.

“We’re going over now. Don’t you dare move from your spot!”

“What class is he from?”

“Wait there!!”

“Don’t wanna!” Kaname stuck his tongue out at the hollering upperclassmen and slipped back out of the window.

Misaki took advantage of the fact that the upperclassmen were no longer interested in her, and quickly made her return to the school building.

“What should I do… I have to tell someone!!” Misaki impatiently ran with her trombone in her hands.

✿~♪~✿

Misaki went to the staff room to report the incident to either her homeroom teacher, Ms. Yagi, or her club advisor teacher. However, she seemed to have arrived at a bad time, as there was an ongoing staff meeting.

“Ah, geez… At a time like this!”

As Misaki ran down the corridor, looking for Kaname, she heard an angry voice yell from outside the window. “Oi, wait!”

She turned to see Kaname sprinting through the back garden, pursued by the upperclassmen. He seemed to be heading for the gymnasium.

“Akutsu!” Misaki jumped out of the school building and chased after them. If the boys started fighting seriously in the place where they were going to, they probably would not be able to stop. Plus, there were many opponents to defend against.

However, Misaki was unable to just watch in silence as Kaname got beaten up by the upperclassmen. If that happened, she would have no choice but to call someone, anyone, for help.

When Misaki finally caught up to them, Kaname was captured by the upperclassmen near the gym equipment warehouse.

“You’re terribly stupid, aren’t you?!” one of the upperclassmen stood up and made a grab for Kaname’s chest.

Misaki, thinking quickly, grabbed her trombone and blew into it with all her might.

“Puwaaaaa--n.”

Everyone stopped moving at the echoing sound. They all turned towards the source of the sound. Misaki hurriedly hid herself in the shadows.

As she held her breath, she heard the door to the gymnasium open.

“What, is this a fight?”

As they spoke, members of the boys’ Basketball Club curiously came out of the gymnasium. A large number of them were Second Year students, like Misaki and Kaname.

The upperclassmen probably realised how bad the situation looked for them.

“Remember us, you bastard,” they spat out such a cliched line as they ran away, with only a single glance back.

Misaki relaxed as she watched them leave, shakily sitting down in relief.

(Thank goodness…)

“What’re you doing, Kaname?” a member of the boys’ Basketball Club called out to Kaname.

“Nothing much, just killing time.”

“What’s with that? If you’re free, play basketball with us.”

“Don’t wanna. I’ll get all sweaty. I didn’t bring a change of clothes either.”

“Kaname, quit the Wind Club and join the Basketball Club. You’d just be a helper, but it’s fine, right?”

“Then it’d be fine if I asked you to join my club and play the trombone, right?”

“Impossible! The only thing I can play is the recorder.”

As they laughed together for a moment, someone called out to the members of the Basketball Club with an order. “Get back to practice!”

When the members of the Basketball Club returned to the gymnasium, the surrounding area was finally quiet.

“Hey, Sakurai.”

Misaki quietly raised her face, to find that Kaname was standing beside her without her realising it.

“What was that just now?”

“Eh? ...Eh?!”

“The sound cracked a lot, and the pitch sucked!! That’s just regular noise, isn’t it. B♭, do it again!!”

“Eeeeh, here?!”

(And he’s criticising me?!)

Kaname stared at Misaki with his hands on his hips, looking as though he would refuse to let her leave until she blew her trombone.

Having no other choice, Misaki picked her trombone up, putting the mouthpiece to her mouth. As she fearfully blew into it, the sound that emerged was a weak sound that seemed to show off her lack of confidence.

Kaname furrowed his brow as he listened to it.

(He looks like he’s given up!!!)

“Hey Sakurai. You only started playing the trombone after entering High School, right?” Kaname asked, to which Misaki nodded her head. “It has been over a year then, right?”

Misaki hugged her trombone as she nodded again.

(Akutsu’s eyes are completely fixed on me!)

“Even Middle School students who joined the Wind Club as complete newbies would be able to play decently by their second year, right? They’d also play at music competitions, right?”

(Urgh… My chest hurts… But that was an emergency earlier. The sounds I make are usually a little better though?!)

Just the other day, during club practice, their teacher had told Misaki “You’ve improved.”, and Kaname himself had praised her with a “Your sounds were better than before.”.

She had no excuse for it… It was true that the sound she had made earlier was terrible.

“Sa. Ku. Ra. I. Are you listening to me?!”

“Y-yes! I’m listening!!” Misaki replied, correcting her posture. Kaname sandwiched her cheeks with both of his hands. “Uh…”

Kaname’s hands were hot. Misaki’s cheeks warmed up as well.

“You lack practice! Redo it from your long tone practice!”

“Yesh…” Misaki answered with a strange voice, a consequence of having her cheeks squished.

Kaname played the trombone, like Misaki did. He was also the one who had been guiding her, who was a complete beginner at the trombone. Owing to him, even though Misaki was unable to participate in music competitions the previous year, she would be able to do so that year, which she was really happy about.

Plus, she admired Kaname’s playing, and thus decided to try her best to get a little closer to him. She wanted to try her best, however, Kaname’s spartan practice made it difficult. He would not forgive her for her mistakes, even though she was inexperienced.

Even so, Misaki was well aware that Kaname was hard on her because he did not want her to drag everyone else down with a subpar performance, but---.

“Alright,” Kaname nodded with satisfaction and dropped his hands from Misaki’s cheeks. “Then, let’s return to the music room right now and get practising. I’ll train you hard so that you won’t be an embarrassment to the trombone section!”

“Eeh, right now?! I promised to have lunch with Tsubomi though…”

“Sakurai, you have to practise harder than anyone else to catch up to us, right?”

“Uh… I’m so sorry…”

“It’s fine as long as you understand.”

When Kaname reached forward to grab Misaki’s arm, her head was muddled in disarray. Her heart rate increased when she felt the warmth of his body temperature as his hand touched her skin.

Kaname did not seem to care at all, but Misaki was nervous--- and troubled by it.

“Though, are you even tuning it properly?”

“I am! Its sound is perfect!”

“Hm… Then can I borrow it for a bit?” Kaname extended his hand out, to which Misaki instinctively moved her trombone away from him.

“Why did you make such a strange sound just now? Sakurai, are you actually a genius?” Kaname lifted Misaki’s trombone to his mouth as he spoke.

(...Eh?)

As Misaki stood there in confusion, Kaname blew a B♭ note.

“Eh… eeeeh, w-wait a min. Akutsu. That’s!!”

(I was using that till just a while ago…)

As Misaki stood in bewilderment, Kaname glanced at her with the mouthpiece on his lips, a mischievous smile gracing his mouth. With the situation being what it was, when he slid the slide of the trombone forward, a soft and pleasant sound echoed towards the sky.

(Aah, he’s really good at it… Unlike the lousy me, his sound doesn’t crack or waver at all.)

The sound Kaname made was clear and seemed to be able to spread forever---.

Misaki looked downwards as she listened to the sound.

Even though she was a complete beginner, even though she had no experience with playing musical instruments, the main reason why she had even considered the thought of joining the Wind Ensemble Club was because she met Kaname.

It had been when she was still undecided about which club to join upon enrolling in the school. By chance, the door to the music room that she had happened to pass by was left open, and the sound was drifting out into the hallway.

She had peeked into the room, curious to see who was playing the instrument, to see Kaname playing the trombone in his hand, all by his lonesome. He was producing a gentle, quiet sound, with each and every note being played with precision.

Even Misaki, who was not familiar with music, knew that he had been tuning his trombone. Tsubomi, who played the flute, did it as well, after all.

He used a machine called a tuner, which had the important task of matching the misaligned sounds.

Misaki had been unable to take her eyes off of him for a while…

He was cool, the sounds he played were very beautiful, and she had strongly admired the way that he had played the instrument.

On that day, she had called out to Kaname.

“Can complete newbies play the instruments as well?”

“It’s fine if you do,” Kaname had replied in response to Misaki’s question.

When Misaki had first joined the club, she found it much harder than she had expected. However, she was now able to keep up with everyone else. She still had a long way to go, but she felt like working harder every time she heard Kaname play.

She really wanted to improve her skills, so that she would be able to perform with Kaname.

Kaname lightly checked the sound, and started to delicately play the trombone right there and then.

(This song… It’s the one we’re practising for the Summer music competition.)

Kaname played sharp sounds at a light tempo. He even managed to handle difficult portions smoothly.

(Yeah, he’s really good…)

As Misaki listened to Kaname’s performance, she herself felt happy, and her heart felt light. When she was listening with utmost focus, Kaname’s performance came to a perfect end.

(Huh, why didn’t he play it till the end?)

When Misaki looked at Kaname, their eyes met.

“Did that make your heart pound a little?”

“Eh?!”

“Just kidding,” Kaname returned the trombone to Misaki, and headed back towards the school building with light steps.

Misaki’s head was burning, as though steam was about to pour out at any moment, and she gripped her trombone with all her strength. “It, it didn’t, you idiot!”

Kaname laughed with his back turned to Misaki. Though, truth be told, her heart had actually already been pounding for a while.

(He doesn’t even know his effect on others…)

Misaki pressed her lips together and looked downwards.

Kaname probably did not see it as a big deal. He was just joking with his usual light and easy-going personality.

Meanwhile, Misaki’s heart was about to burst. She was the only one who was overly conscious about it.

To Kaname, she was probably just a regular classmate, as well as a friend from their club. That was why he definitely did not care about it.

“Ugh…” Misaki crouched on the spot and groaned softly. “Dense idiot! There should be a limit to your obliviousness!”

She wondered why he was unable to notice it.

Even though it was so easy to understand, as it was written all over her face, and in her attitude.

She briefly considered the possibility that he was just pretending to be oblivious.

(No, that’s not it. He probably honestly doesn’t know it at all. I don’t think Akutsu has even realised that I like him.)

“He won’t realise it until I say it, huh…” Misaki mumbled weakly as she stood up with a sigh. Just like that, she shifted her gaze towards the sky.

Misaki felt as though the sounds Kaname had played still lingered around.

Misaki had had an unrequited crush on Kaname since they were in their First Year. A year and a half had passed since then. Only half of her High School life remained.

Their relationship would not change---.

Misaki wondered if they would stay that way forever.

She wanted to take a step forward. However, she was unable to take that step.

With the Summer of that year drawing closer, Misaki found herself remaining in an ambiguous relationship with Kaname.

~Tsubomi’s Feelings~

“Huh… Where’s Misaki?”

Natsukawa Tsubomi had gone to the back garden of the school to meet with Misaki, though there was no sign of her on the bench that she would usually sit on.

(...Did she return to the classroom?)

Tsubomi took out her phone to text Misaki, but she received no reply. The fact that the message was not even marked as read probably meant that Misaki was not even looking at her phone.

“Hmm… Maybe she ran away after getting caught up with some weird boy.”

When she began to head back to the school building, she heard the sound of the trombone coming from the direction of the gymnasium.

(Huh, this sounds like Kaname’s playing.)

Tsubomi turned and started to make her way over towards the source of the sound. If Kaname was there, Misaki may have been with him.

She wondered if they were practising throughout their lunch break.

Walking over with such thoughts in her mind, she found the two of them near the gymnasium.

(Aah, as I thought…)

If Tsubomi wanted to find Misaki, it may be faster to locate her if she were to look for Kaname instead. The two of them were often together.

“Idiot!” Misaki yelled with all her might, her face a bright red. It seemed as though something had happened between them. Kaname just laughed her shouts off, his back turned towards her.

“Ah, Natsukawa,” Kaname noticed Tsubomi’s presence and approached her.

“What did you do to Misaki?”

“Hm, nothing much,” Kaname replied vaguely with a laugh. “I’ll be heading to the music room, so tell her to come over for practice once you’re done eating.”

“Tell it to her yourself.”

“Well, if I talk to Sakurai now, she’ll definitely chew me out.”

“You made fun of her by saying something strange again, didn’t you? It’ll be your problem if Misaki comes to hate you.”

“Then, see ya later,” Kaname laughed as he ran off, effectively avoiding Tsubomi’s line of questioning.

“My goodness,” Tsubomi put her hands on her hips as she saw him off.

All three of them were from the same Middle School. Tsubomi and Misaki had been friends since Middle School, though they only started talking to Kaname once they entered High School. After being allocated to the same class, Misaki and Tsubomi both joined the Wind Ensemble Club, as though they were dragged in by Kaname.

Tsubomi’s family owned a music instrument store, and her mother taught music lessons. Due to that, she had been playing the flute since her childhood, though she only joined the Wind Ensemble Club in High School.

Kaname had been a member of the Wind Ensemble Club ever since Middle School. He also seemed to have visited Tsubomi’s music instrument store several times since then.

Had Kaname not invited them to join the Wind Ensemble Club, neither Tsubomi nor Misaki would have joined it.

Tsubomi walked over to Misaki, who was crouched down. “Mi. Sa. Ki.”

When Tsubomi called out, with her hands folded behind her back, Misaki finally raised her face.

(Huh, her face is bright red…)

Tsubomi wondered if Kaname had made fun of Misaki. It had been a long time since her face had turned this red. Tsubomi thought that Misaki was cute like this, though Misaki herself was conscious about it because her memories of being teased by boys in the past still remained.

When they first started High School, Misaki was unable to talk to Kaname at all. However, being seated next to each other, the two of them started to pass notes to one another. Owing to that, Misaki gradually became able to talk to Kaname, and, as a result, joined the same club as him.

The two of them had become so close that they were able to be frank with one another, and their relationship was occasionally the subject of rumours spreading around the class.

To Misaki, Kaname was different from other boys.

He was her first love--- a special person to her.

“Tsubomi~,” Misaki clumsily stood up, tears beading at the corners of her eyes.

“Have you eaten your lunch?” Tsubomi asked.

Misaki shook her head a little.

“I have pudding, wanna eat it?” Tsubomi showed Misaki the plastic bag she was holding in her hand. She had bought it at the school store before making her way over.

“Tsubomi, I love you!!” Misaki hugged Tsubomi tightly. Tsubomi gently stroked Misaki’s head in response.

Kaname seemed to still be oblivious to Misaki’s feelings for him. He was dense, and he was only interested in club activities and the trombone. Even though he had absolutely no clue about romance, he was oblivious to how charming he was, and the number of fans he had only increased by the day. It really was troubling.

“Ah, that’s right. Kaname told me to ask you to go to practice once you’re done with your lunch?” Tsubomi said, turning to look towards the back garden.

“Fuwaah!” Misaki blurted out nonsensically.

“There, there,” Tsubomi giggled as she patted Misaki’s back. “Let’s hurry up and eat!”

✿~♪~✿

Tsubomi had no idea as to how Kaname felt about Misaki, as she never heard about his thoughts on her. However, among all the girls, Misaki was the one who had the most interest in Kaname.

(I don’t think it’s a bad thing, though.)

Tsubomi quietly thought to herself as she sat on a bench in the shade with Misaki.

Misaki remained unable to confess her feelings, and the relationship between the two of them had not progressed at all, even after they became Second Year students. As someone who had been supporting Misaki’s love from the very beginning, Tsubomi found herself biting her lip as she watched from the sidelines.

“...Misaki, you’re not going to confess to him?” Tsubomi asked as she took a bite out of her sandwich.

“Eeh?!” Misaki yelled flusteredly. Her voice was a semitone higher than usual. “I’m not, I’m not gonna, why’re you asking?!”

Misaki flailed her limbs around while shaking her head quickly, and the lunch box she had on her lap looked as though it was about to fall. Misaki quickly stabilised the lunchbox, though she had an odd look on her face, as if she had just eaten something sour.

“Doesn’t love have an expiration date as well?”

“Eh, really?!”

“I read it in a magazine last time.”

“What, a magazine, huh…”

“Take it easy,” Tsubomi looked over at Misaki, who was stroking her own chest.

Kaname was very popular. He was confessed to about once or twice a month, and he occasionally found love letters in his shoe locker and desk. No girl had succeeded in confessing to Kaname because he had no interest in them. However, if there were to be a girl that he was interested in, he would probably go out with her soon.

It was something that Misaki knew as well.

“Misaki, you’ve had a one-sided crush on him for over a year now, right?”

“Yeah…”

“If you don’t say it, he won’t ever notice it for the rest of your lives, no? He’s so dense.”

“I know you’re right, but…”

“Say you don’t confess to him. And because you don’t, someone else may get ahead of you. Are you really fine with that?”

“I… I’d be troubled! But confessing is impossible for me. Akutsu is not aware of me at all… I’d only be rejected by him.”

“So you should confess to him, right? When you do, at least he’ll be aware of the fact that you like him, right?”

“Will that really be the case?” Misaki asked uncertainly after pondering over it for a moment.

“That will be the case… as was written in the magazine.”

“That magazine again? It seems unreliable…” Misaki’s head drooped as she sighed heavily.

As Tsubomi ate her sandwich, Misaki remained silent for a while, seeming to have something troubling her mind.

“It really is impossible…” Misaki mumbled pitifully when she finally opened her mouth. “I mean, I don’t even know how I should confess to him.”

“Method 1, give him a love letter. If you can’t say it to him outright, you’ll be able to effectively convey your feelings to him through a letter,” Tsubomi advised, raising her index finger.

“That’s as good as telling him that I love him if I gave one to him, right? Isn’t that more embarrassing than saying it directly?!”

“You can just leave the letter on Kaname’s desk, right?”

“He won’t read it if it looks too suspicious!”

“Method 2… Text it to him. Smoothly.”

“He’d just think it’s a joke and brush it off…”

“That’s true… Why not do it over the school broadcast, then?”

“That’s not a confession anymore, it’d be a public execution!”

“Then… isn’t saying it outright the best way to do it after all?” Tsubomi lifted a pack of coffee-flavoured milk to her mouth as she glanced at Misaki, who was holding her head in her hands.

“If I could do that, I wouldn’t have to worry like this…”

“I’ve got it!” Tsubomi quickly stood up. Misaki’s eyes widened as she looked up at her. “I’ll catch him and tie him up somewhere, then you’ll be able to confess to him, Misaki!”

“N-n-n-no way, no way no way no way no way!” Misaki flailed her arms around, a deep blush on her face.

“Really?” Tsubomi shrugged, her fist raised.

“Sometimes, you say the most ridiculous things, Tsubomi…”

“It’d be easier if Kaname confessed to you instead. Something like this,” Tsubomi placed her hands on Misaki’s shoulders and turned to look at her. “Misaki… I… love you.”

Tsubomi spoke with a serious expression on her face, lowering the tone of her voice. Misaki audibly gulped and leaned away as though she was trying to escape.

Just like that, Tsubomi returned to the bench. “Huh? Misaki?”

With both of her hands covering her bright red face, Misaki swung her legs, as though she was in agony.

“By the way, did you fall in love? With me, that is,” Tsubomi joked.

Misaki suddenly stood up. “Tsubomi!”

“You just imagined it, didn’t you?” Tsubomi laughed as she looked at the awkward expression on Misaki’s face.

(Misaki really is cute.)

“Tsubomi… Do you have someone you love?” Misaki asked as she sat back down properly onto the bench.

“Hm? I love you, Misaki.”

“I’m not talking about that! I’m talking about boys…”

“Boys, huh…” Tsubomi pressed her index finger against her chin and stared vacantly out into the distance. She had received several confessions. However, she had yet to meet a boy that she loved enough to date.

Tsubomi wanted to date someone who was fun to be with. Kaname was one such person. They were able to speak without hesitation with each other, and they occasionally played games and went to karaoke together. They even went to a fast food restaurant after school together.

However, Tsubomi felt that her feelings were different from the kind of “love” that Misaki had for Kaname. She felt as though she just liked him as a friend. She still had yet to understand the difference between having “love” for a friend, and having “love” for a potential romantic partner.

That was why Tsubomi felt a little envious whenever she looked at Misaki. She wished that she could find someone who would make her heart pound, who would share her happiness and sadness with her, who would share a mutual “love” with her with all their might.

“I wonder when people fall in love,” Tsubomi voiced her question softly.

(This is Misaki’s… first “love”, huh.)

Misaki’s first love began the moment she was assigned the seat next to Kaname when they first entered High School.

“Tsubomi…” Misaki trailed off, quickly turning her face back to the front. She ate her omelette, being unable to calm herself down.

Tsubomi lifted her last egg sandwich to her mouth as well.

“I wonder if Akutsu’s waiting…”

“If he were here, there’d be wrinkles between his eyebrows, right? ‘Sakurai, what’re you doing?’.”

When Tsubomi and Misaki looked at each other, they began to laugh softly together.

~Misaki’s feelings~

Even after club activities were over, Misaki remained in the classroom. The sky beyond the window was starting to darken, and fluorescent lights illuminated the otherwise quiet classroom.

She was seated lightly on a chair at a space at the back of the classroom, facing the music score. On the score, the indications that were pointed out to her during ensemble practice and section practice were written down in detail. She looked at the indications as she reviewed the entire piece from the beginning.

The needle of the metronome, which was placed on a desk, swayed from side to side, making a clicking noise as it did so. It was moving at a relatively slow speed.

Even so, Misaki still made a few mistakes. She was still unable to play the sound with the required power. Her pitch was off at some parts. She returned to the beginning of the song, stopping her hands once she reached the “Da capo” symbol.

“I really suck at this… Even though I’ve been warned many times, I still tend to miss the cues.”

After draining the water accumulated in her water valve onto a towel placed atop her lap, Misaki looked back at the music score. She smacked her cheeks and picked up her trombone again.

After she had played two bars, the door to the classroom opened with a clatter. When she stopped playing and turned around, she saw Kaname enter the classroom.

“It really was you, Sakurai. Are you still at it?” Kaname walked up to Misaki, carrying his bag and instrument case.

(Could it be that he heard my terrible playing from earlier?!)

Misaki quickly flipped through the music score in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. “Tsubomi’s still practising as well, so I thought I should get some more practice in.”

Misaki had thought that Kaname had gone home, though she now wondered if he had been practising independently in a different classroom. Or, alternatively, he may have been chatting with someone instead.

“Akutsu, are you heading back now?” she asked nervously.

“Hmm…” Kaname thought as he set his instrument case and bag down on a desk. He rewound the metronome, which had stopped without Misaki’s knowledge, and returned it to the desk. It began to tick away at a monotonous tempo.

“I thought of doing so, but decided against it.”

“Eh?”

“Where did you stop at?” Kaname asked, peering over at the music score from the side.

Misaki tensed up in nervousness when Kaname’s face unexpectedly got closer to hers. “I’ve gone through it from the beginning, but… I can’t play it well from the 17th bar onwards at all.”

“Ah… You do tend to lag behind there, don’t you, Sakurai?”

(Ugh… He’s right. It’s just as he says.)

Kaname glanced at Misaki and smiled mischievously. “Then, start playing from the 17th bar.”

“Akutsu, won’t you be late if you accompany me for my practice…? Your little sister’s waiting for you, right?”

Kaname had a younger sister. With his parents being abroad, Kaname was responsible for the care of his sister, as well as the housework. That was why Misaki felt bad about holding him back for too long.

“It’s fine. Our aunt is taking care of her today. Anyway, I’m more concerned about you now, Sakurai.”

With that said, Misaki found herself unable to say anything in response.

“Alright!” Misaki muttered, correcting her posture. Kaname was watching her practice closely. She picked up her trombone and took a deep breath.

Misaki was conscious about the fact that Kaname, who was standing behind her, was holding the back of her chair. Even though she was unable to calm down, she decided to focus on her practice instead, and began to play from the 17th bar as she was told.

Fifteen minutes passed---.

About 10 minutes remained until all the students were to leave the school. As Misaki played the trombone, Kaname tapped his feet to the rhythm. The tempo of the metronome remained the same as before, but it seemed to be ticking away more quickly and more impatiently than when Misaki had been practising alone.

Even though Misaki was doing her best to play without making mistakes, she was unable to catch up with Kaname’s instructions, which came flying out one after another. Kaname was always hard on her during practice, but he was unwilling to overlook the smallest of details that day.

With every mistake Misaki made, her confidence dropped, and the sounds she made decreased in volume.

(I’m even worse than usual today!)

“Play that part fortissimo.”

Immediately heeding Kaname’s advice, Misaki blew into her trombone strongly.

“That’s still too weak. It’s not even forte… You’re too slow at that part. Add more sharpness to your sound.”

(I-I know, but… I can’t keep up at all!!)

Misaki nodded, and began to play again, as if she was desperately chasing after the notes. The music score was spinning around in her head, and she felt like screaming.

When she eventually played the music piece to completion, Misaki collapsed on the music stand.

“Akutsu, you’re merciless…” she mumbled weakly, heaving a deep sigh.

(He had to give me so much advice, how depressing…)

“That’s a given. We’re in the same section, after all. I’ll be troubled if you don’t try your best, Sakurai.”

It was just as Kaname said. Even the First Year students were better than Misaki, as they had prior experience from their Middle School days. Misaki did not want to drag the others down forever.

(I have to do some self-reflection…)

As Misaki wallowed in her misery, Kaname’s usual smile returned to his face, a change from the serious expression he had on till then. “You really do start playing the 17th bar late. Do you find it that difficult?”

“It’s hard for my arm to reach the 7th position. I already have to try my hardest to reach the 6th position.”

“Hmm,” Kaname folded his arms in thought as he looked at the long tube, which was called a ‘slide’. The trombone had 7 fixed positions, and the sound it produced was changed by moving the slide. The positions were not marked out on the trombone, so they had to be estimated with a general sense.

“Try playing an E note.”

Misaki moved the slide to the 7th, and farthest, position and played the note as she was told to. Then, her body leaned forward, to which she was pulled back by Kaname.

“Posture.”

(Yeah, I know…)

Without the correct posture, the correct sound would not be made.

Misaki managed to stretch her arm forward, and although she was able to reach the position, the fact that she could not reach it easily frustrated her.

“Is that the most you can stretch out to? Can you try a little harder?”

(Easy for you to say, Akutsu, my arms are not as long as yours!)

When Misaki had first enrolled in the school, her hands were hidden by the sleeves of her uniform. However, her arms had now grown to the point where the ends of the sleeves fit perfectly around her wrists. It could be said that she had been doing her best.

(God, I beg you… Please let my arms grow a little longer!)

Such was an absurd thought that plagued the depths of her heart---.

“You have to stretch this much to get to the 7th position,” Kaname moved behind Misaki and guided her hand and the slide a little further forward.

(Eh…)

Misaki’s heart pounded wildly as she felt Kaname’s chest touch her back. Her body instinctively stiffened in her nervousness, and her breath hitched.

“Sakurai…?”

When Kaname called out the time signature, the slide slipped out of Misaki’s grasp.

“Ah!”

“Uwah!!”

The both of them grabbed the slide, which was about to fall, at about the same time. The two of them involuntarily exhaled deeply.

“That was close… Be careful. If the slide drops and gets dented, the cost of the repair would be quite high.”

“But, I was sur...pri...sed…” Misaki trailed off as she turned around to find Kaname’s face right next to hers. She was unable to move, as she found herself to be in the position to be hugged from behind.

Only the sound of the metronome continued to ring out in the quiet classroom.

Without looking away, Kaname exhaled quietly and slowly. His lips began to move.

“...Sakurai… Are you nervous?”

(I am… Isn’t it a given? Because you’re… so close… to me…)

Misaki subconsciously tightened her grip on her trombone.

Her heart was beating incessantly loudly.

Kaname suddenly dropped the serious expression on his face and began to laugh as though he could not control himself.

“Eh, why’re you laughing?!”

“Because you look so flustered, Sakurai.”

“A-Akutsu, you’re making fun of me again!” Misaki blushed deeply as she stood up quickly.

“Sorry, my bad,” Kaname apologised, though his laughter did not cease.

“You really are bad with boys, huh, Sakurai?” Kaname finally stopped laughing and straightened his posture back out. Then, he stopped the metronome and looked at Misaki over his shoulder. “Let’s leave. Natsukawa’s practice should be wrapping up soon, right?”

“Ye… yeah…” Misaki nodded. She noticed that it was the final call for the students to leave the school, and the school bell started to ring.

Kaname picked his bag and instrument case up and left the classroom. Misaki hugged her trombone as she watched him leave.

“You’re wrong… It’s not that I’m bad with them,” she muttered, her softly-spoken words being unable to reach Kaname’s ears. Her cheeks, which she held with her hand, were so hot that she found herself at a loss for what to do.

Kaname knew that Misaki was not good at dealing with boys, and about why and how it happened. She had told him all about it when they were First Year students.

Misaki also told him about the incident when she had been called a “Ripe Tomato”. At that time, Kaname had---.

“Rather than a tomato, how about an apple?”

He had said, laughing without a care in the world.

Owing to him, Misaki was able to overcome her past memories a little, but---.

Not all her feelings of being bad at dealing with boys, of fearing them, of disliking them, were gone. Even now, when she spoke to other boys, she got nervous and unable to speak well.

However, Kaname was different. She did not get nervous in front of Kaname because she was bad at interacting with him.

(Because, other boys would not… make my heart beat like this.)

Holding a hand to her chest, Misaki felt her heart pound wildly against her palm.

“...Misaki, you’re not going to confess to him?”

Recalling Tsubomi’s words from earlier, Misaki slowly looked down.

#honeyworks #sekai wa koi ni ochiteiru #sakurai misaki #akutsu kaname #natsukawa tsubomi #project sekoi: wind ensemble stars #instant ramen instructions comprehensions

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deus-ex-mona · 3 years ago

Text

Sekai wa Koi ni Ochiteiru: chord 2

Hi, this is Chapter 2 of the Sekai wa Koi ni Ochiteiru novel!

Kaname denseness index for this part: ♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎

Previous part (chord 1)

Next part (chord 3)

~Tsubomi’s Feelings~

The district music competition for the Wind Ensemble was held in early July. They managed to clinch the top placement, though not all schools that won the top placements could move on to represent the district in the regional competitions. Only the top few schools could be representatives in the regionals.

Unfortunately, Misaki and the others were just one step away from representing the district, thus marking the end of the competitions for that year. Considering the fact that they were in second place the previous year, it could be said that they put up a good fight that year.

Shortly after the rainy season had ended, the temperature rose, thus indicating the arrival of Summer.

In the middle of July, Tsubomi was practising independently in a classroom after her classes had ended for the day. As their club advisor was on a business trip, club activities were cancelled for the day.

The other club members had left for home, but Tsubomi had wanted to practice for a little longer. The instrument that she was playing was a piccolo. It was smaller than a flute, and it made a high-pitched and cute sound. She practised many times while looking at the music score, but her efforts were in vain as she always got stuck at the same part.

After watching Tsubomi practise repeatedly, Kaname, who was sitting opposite her, sighed in melancholy. Only the two of them were in the classroom at the moment.

Sitting with his back to the window, Kaname rocked his chair lightly. His head hit the windowpane every time he rocked.

Tsubomi relaxed her hands, lowering the piccolo from her lips. “Is something the matter?”

“Hmm… well,” Kaname replied terribly vaguely.

“Could it be about that confession you received?” Tsubomi asked.

The chair that Kaname was sitting on tilted with a clatter. “Why do you know about it, Natsukawa?”

“Everyone knows about it, though? Kaname, I heard rumours about how you were called out by a First Year and given a love letter.”

During lunch break that day, everyone in their class was gossiping about that topic. Above everything else, the fact that the girl was a very cute girl was established.

“Just who are you talking about?” Kaname asked, furrowing his brow.

“So you really got one.”

“Here,” Kaname took out an unopened envelope from his pocket. A name and class was written on the back side in girlish round letters. “Natsukawa, do you know this girl? I don’t know her at all.”

“If she’s a First Year girl, I don’t know her either.”

“Right… What should I do?” Kaname muttered, looking up at the ceiling.

“Isn’t it cute to confess to a senior by means of a letter?” Kaname mocked, a complicated expression on his face.

“Aren’t you happy about it?”

“I feel heavy when I think about how I’m going to reject her. I don’t want to see her cry… And it’s not like I’ve ever met her before.”

“Popular boys have worries like this too, no?” Tsubomi rested her cheek against her palm, her piccolo practice having been cut short.

“This has nothing to do with you, though.”

“Yup, this has nothing to do with me.”

“Yeah, but…” Kaname tapped the desk with the corner of the letter.

(The tempo is 40…)

Tsubomi found herself noticing such.

“...Just reject her with a pleasant expression on your face,” Tsubomi suggested.

Kaname put a rest, before continuing to tap with the corner of the letter at the same tempo again. “Natsukawa, you often get confessed to, right? Isn’t it troubling?”

“I’m not troubled? I reject them all, clearly and firmly.”

“Because boys don’t cry, right?”

“Even boys cry, though? I’ve seen them cry, at least.”

“Just how are you rejecting them?”

“I reject them normally. With an apology and such,” Tsubomi picked up the pen she had brought with her and wrote down the points she had noticed during her practice, as well as the points she needed to take note of on the edge of the music score. “So, what are you going to do? As a reply to that letter, that is.”

“What, huh… I don’t have any other choice but to meet her in person to reject her, right?”

“Be sure to read it properly, though? It takes courage to hand over the letter. I’m sure she tried her best to convey her feelings for you.”

“...Natsukawa, what kind of guy do you like?”

“Eh?” Tsubomi raised her head at the unexpected question. Ink gradually flowed out of the tip of the pen that she had pressed against the paper.

“What kind of guy would you agree to go out with?”

“...Hmm… A swift-footed person, I guess?”

“Then, someone from an athletic club?”

“No, no, I want someone who can run 100 metres within 9 seconds,” Tsubomi answered lightheartedly in an attempt to escape from a potentially serious conversation.

“So, unless they’re a Track and Field God, it’d be impossible for anyone.”

“You need to have high standards for your ideal person, right?”

“Your standards are way too high. Just where are the Japanese High School boys who are able to get such timings?”

“I dunno. Maybe one day, a prodigious sprinter riding a white horse would transfer in from another school?”

“A prodigious sprinter, but he’s riding a white horse? Can he really be considered swift-footed then?”

“Ah, that’s true.”

Tsubomi met Kaname’s gaze and they began to laugh. “Ahaha!”

“You’re funny, Natsukawa…!”

“...What if.”

“Hm?” Kaname looked at Tsubomi.

(If the letter was written by Misaki, would you really refuse her, Kaname?)

“What is it?”

“What kind of girl would you want to go out with, Kaname?”

“Me? I’d… want to be with a girl who tries her best?”

“Cute girls, long-haired girls, short-haired girls, girls with good personalities, there are many types of girls, right?”

“Then, I’d want to be with a girl who’s cute, has long hair, has short hair, and a good personality.”

“What an adequate answer… Then, have you ever fallen in love with a girl?” Tsubomi asked without hesitation.

Kaname was at a loss for words for a moment.

“So you have.”

“Why did you ask such a thing?”

“Hmm… Because I’m curious. I don’t know much about you while we were in Middle School, Kaname, so I’m wondering what you were like back then.”

The Wind Ensemble Club had a performance during a Cultural Festival while they were still in Middle School. Tsubomi had watched it with Misaki from a spot in the corner of the gymnasium. Kaname had played the trombone during that performance, which had left an impression on Tsubomi.

However, Tsubomi had never spoken to Kaname when they were Middle School students, and he did not know about her existence, as well as Misaki’s, in return.

“I haven’t,” Kaname answered simply with a light shrug of his shoulders. “I was busy with club activities, and didn’t have time for romance.”

“What a waste.”

In Middle School, despite the fact that there were cool boys in Tsubomi’s class, Kaname would always be more popular than them. He would also receive more confessions than them.

“How about you, Natsukawa? Have you ever fallen for a guy?”

“I don’t… think about stuff like that,” Tsubomi dropped her hand from her cheek as she looked out of the window.

There were boys that she got along well with in Middle School. However, when they suddenly confessed to her, she found herself at a loss for what to do. She disliked situations like that---.

Being surprised by the confession, expressing the fact that she had no romantic feelings for the other person, watching their dismayed reaction.

Such had always been happening to her.

Tsubomi was unable to return the feelings of the person confessing to her. That is why, to her, a confession was the same as a declaration of parting. Every time she was confessed to, she felt a sense of loneliness, as if she was about to be left alone.

“You don’t want to fall in love?”

“I wonder? I might think about it if a prodigious sprinter appears.”

Tsubomi exchanged a glance with Kaname, and they began to laugh.

The both of them were music-obsessed idiots. Their musical instruments were their lovers. Tsubomi wondered if they were somehow a little similar in that regard---.

~Misaki’s Feelings~

(Aah, geez. Ms. Yagi, you’re asking too much of me!)

Misaki rushed through the corridor after classes had ended for the day. As she approached the classroom, she heard laughter from within and stopped in curiosity. “Huh?”

The voices belonged to Tsubomi and Kaname.

The door to the classroom remained slightly ajar. When Misaki peeked into it, she saw the two of them together, leaning across a desk as they talked to each other.

(What are they talking about?)

Misaki was curious, but she was unable to hear the contents of their conversation. Being unable to enter the classroom, she squirmed by the door for a while.

(I wish I could stop hiding and go over to them.)

However, it seemed as though she would just be a disturbance to them. She knew that neither Kaname nor Tsubomi would see her as such, though. The two of them were just talking like they normally did.

Even though Misaki knew that, she just could not--- enter the classroom.

(The two of them… look like they’re having fun.)

Misaki crouched down with her back to the door as she listened to the sound of their laughter.

(I’ll be leaving first today?)

Misaki wondered if she should send a message to Tsubomi.

(Aah, but I can’t…)

She had left both her bag and her phone in the classroom.

Misaki’s expression clouded over.

(This sucks…)

Even though Tsubomi was her friend, her best friend at that, she found herself troubled by such a thing.

Misaki quietly left the classroom to prevent the two of them from noticing her presence as she headed off to pass a little more time.

✿~♪~✿

When Misaki returned to the classroom after practising by herself in the music room, she did not see Kaname there. After apologising to Tsubomi for her late arrival, the both of them left the school together.

The sky had darkened, and rain had started to fall.

“Ah… It’s really coming down, huh,” Tsubomi muttered, looking up at the sky as she opened her umbrella. Misaki, too, opened her own folding umbrella and stepped underneath it.

Misaki looked up as she walked, raindrops pitter-pattering against their umbrellas. “Ah, right, Tsubomi. Let’s get some gelato on our way back. My treat.”

“What’s up? Ah, I got it. You want to copy my notes, right?”

“That too, but… I made you wait for me, Tsubomi.”

“You’re curious about what happened with Kaname, right?”

“Eh, w-why?!” Misaki blurted out in surprise.

Tsubomi giggled.

Their shoulders bumped together.

“You look like you’re interested. It’s written all over your face.”

“Am I really… that easy to understand?” Misaki lowered her voice, embarrassed by the fact that she had been completely seen through by Tsubomi.

“He was confessed to. By a First Year girl.”

“Eh?! You’re kidding, when?!”

“During lunch break.”

“I-I didn’t know.”

During the lunch break, Misaki had been called out by Ms. Yagi to run some errands, so she only managed to return to the classroom just before the next lesson started.

Lightly shocked by the revelation, Misaki slowed down her walking pace. Tsubomi, who was walking next to her, walked more slowly to match her pace.

“He seems to have received a love letter, though?”

Kaname was always being confessed to, but hearing about it always made Misaki feel uncomfortable, no matter how many times she heard about it.

“Did Akutsu… reply to her?” Misaki asked fearfully.

Tsubomi looked at her with a smile. “He rejected her.”

“I see…”

“Are you relieved?” Tsubomi asked.

Misaki tilted her umbrella and gazed up at the sky. “That’s… but, someday, I… I wonder if I’ll be similarly rejected as well…”

Kaname had always been nice and personable in his interactions with Misaki. However, it probably had no deeper meaning to Kaname.

Even so, Kaname’s attitude made Misaki’s heart pound, and she naturally gained feelings for him. However, she was not different at all from the other girls who confessed to, and were subsequently rejected, by him.

Her feelings for him would always be one-sided---.

The greater Misaki’s special feelings for Kaname got, the more likely they were to deviate from his own feelings, and she found herself at a loss for what to do. She wondered if there would be a way for their feelings to overlap perfectly.

Both Tsubomi and Misaki had fallen silent, the sound of the falling rain filling their ears. Feeling the atmosphere get heavier, Misaki smiled awkwardly.

Tsubomi slowly opened her mouth as she looked at Misaki. “...You’ll be fine, Misaki.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“You’ll be fine,” Tsubomi laughed brightly, patting Misaki on the back. Misaki smiled back at her.

Tsubomi’s words were always able to cheer Misaki up---.

“Tsubomi, I’ll do my best!”

“Ooh, so you’re finally going to confess?!”

“That’s still impossible!” Misaki’s face reddened as she flailed her hands around.

(Even if I were to confess, there are steps to take…)

Suddenly confessing without taking each and every step was like being a person who had never practised swimming, and climbing up to the diving board to attempt to do a flip.

“Then, what are you doing your best for?”

“I want to become… cute…” Misaki mumbled softly in embarrassment.

“You’re already cute just the way you are, Misaki.”

“I’m not cute! I’m not the least bit girly… And my hairstyle isn't as nice as yours, Tsubomi…” Misaki tugged on her own hair. It bounced back against her head after she extended it out and released it, though her hairstyle remained as bad as ever.

Even if she had decided to try her best at cooking, Kaname was already much better than she was. He made his own lunch every day, and during cooking lessons, he even managed to slice his radishes perfectly. Misaki, whose best dish was her sunny-side up eggs, was unable to compete with him at all.

(I can’t tell him that I love him, no matter what.)

Even if she said it, she was sure that she would be laughed off.

“Alright, Misaki. Let’s go shopping!” Tsubomi linked her arm with Misaki’s.

“Eeh?! What’s this all of a sudden?!”

“We’re going shopping to buy makeover goods to make you cuter!”

“Such convenient goods aren’t sold anywhere at all!”

“They’re sold, they’re sold. It’s okay, just leave it to me!”

Misaki stumbled as she followed after Tsubomi, being pulled along by her arm.

✿~♪~✿

During the lunch break on Saturday, Misaki and Kaname were eating lunch together. Morning lessons had ended, and their club activities were set to begin afterwards.

They usually ate lunch together with the other members of the trombone section, though the fact that only the two of them were there made Misaki a little restless. The other Second Years were eating outside, and the First Years seemed to be running late due to extracurricular activities. Additionally, Tsubomi was eating her lunch with the other members of the flute section in a different classroom.

The familiar warm breeze blew in through the fully opened windows, though the heat and humidity in the classroom did not change.

Misaki ate a cherry tomato as she listened to the yells of the athletic club members. Kaname, who was seated across the desk, had been listening to music through his earphones ever since the start of the lunch break.

The sound of the trombone spilled out of his earphones. The song he was listening to was a piece of classical music that was often played by wind ensembles. He seemed to be subconsciously tapping his chopsticks against the side of his lunchbox to the rhythm of the music.

Misaki gulped as she looked at the lunch that Kaname was eating.

(Oh no, it looks really tasty…)

Kaname had a two-tiered lunchbox with rice balls on the first tier. Moreover, the rice balls were wrapped in a thin omelette, with smiley faces drawn on them in ketchup. The second tier had side dishes, such as some meat-wrapped asparagus and an avocado and shrimp salad. Such fancy side dishes had never been in Misaki’s lunchbox before.

The soft-looking omelettes in Kaname’s lunchbox were also of a beautiful golden colour.

The previous day, Tsubomi had suggested “Why not make lunch for him?” and had given Misaki some advice, but she did not think that the resulting meal was good enough to give to Kaname. If she gave him a failure of a meal, he would be disappointed instead of being happy about it.

Feeling a gaze upon her, Misaki raised her head to see that Kaname had removed his earphones and was now looking at her.

“Sakurai, what’s wrong?”

“Eh…?”

Realising that she had been leaning forward and staring at Kaname’s lunchbox, Misaki hurriedly sat back upright in her chair. “Nothing’s wrong?”

(It’s hot…)

Misaki patted her cheeks with her hands as she dodged the question.

“...Ah… Want some?” Kaname asked, offering his lunchbox to her.

“Eh?! No thanks. I have my own lunch.”

“You were looking at it as though you wanted some, though?”

“I just thought that it looks amazing… I’m not very good at cooking… I’m kinda envious,” Misaki casually pulled out her own lunchbox. She had made her own lunch that day with the intention of practising her cooking. Had she known that she would be eating lunch alone with Kaname, she would have asked her mother to prepare a cute lunchbox for her.

Her omelettes were overcooked and hard, having burned to a crisp. In addition, it was just a side dish that she had warmed in the microwave, yet they were completely brown in colour. The only colours in her lunchbox were from her cherry tomatoes and cucumbers. Her rice had been stuffed into the lunchbox with just some seasonings sprinkled atop it.

Misaki was too embarrassed to show her lunchbox to Kaname.

“I didn’t have that much time to spend on this, but… this is what I have.”

(Didn’t have much time?! This is what you have?! What?!)

“But your rice balls have faces drawn on them?”

“It’s because I was making some for my sister at the time. I don’t usually draw faces on them!” Kaname looked a little embarrassed by it.

“You’re kidding… You always make delicious-looking lunches.”

“That’s… Well, I don’t hate making them. But it’s actually really easy. It only takes about 15 minutes.”

“Y-you’re kidding… Mine was just an instant meal, but it still took me about an hour!”

“Eh, Sakurai, did you make that meal yourself?”

“Eh…?”

When she noticed that Kaname’s gaze was trained on her lunch box, Misaki hid it under the desk with a yell. “Whoa!”

“You don’t have to hide it.”

“I can’t show it to someone who makes such cute rice balls!!”

“Why? Ah, then, wanna trade something? I have confidence in your omelettes.”

(I’m the least confident in my omelettes!)

However, Misaki found herself unable to say anything about the other side dishes she had made.

“Here, Sakurai.”

When she was called out to, Misaki bit into the omelette that was offered to her. The next moment, her eyes widened in surprise at how delicious the omelette was. It lightly tasted of the soup stock, along with a slightly sweet taste. It was perfectly cooked in such a way that the inside of the omelette was moist and the outside was soft.

It was no longer on the standard of regular home cooking. Rather, it seemed like an omelette that was bought from a store.

(This must be what happiness tastes like~!)

As Misaki blissfully chewed the omelette, Kaname leaned forward to pick up a disaster of an omelette from her lunchbox.

“Ah!”

When Misaki instinctively raised her voice, the omelette was already in Kaname’s mouth. “You ate it?!”

“Yup,” Kaname nodded, a slightly awkward expression on his face.

(It tastes bad after all!)

“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry! It’s my first attempt. I’ll do better at frying omelettes… I’ll probably be better after my third attempt!” Misaki pressed her hands together apologetically as she desperately made excuses.

“It’s not as bad as my sister’s omelettes. Sometimes, her omelettes have shells in them, and sometimes she adds so much sugar that it turns out to be like a failed pudding instead.”

“Pudding?!”

“Compared to that, yours is still edible. It’s pretty good for a first attempt,” Kaname grinned.

(I see, he thinks it’s pretty good…)

Misaki hurriedly pulled her cheeks as her face seemed like it was about to burst.

(But he’s comparing it to his little sister, who’s in her Second Year of Elementary School!)

Being a Second Year High School student, Misaki felt that such a comparison could not be made.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to make a meal that will make you say it’s delicious, not in this life…” Misaki mumbled to herself, flopping her head down onto the desk.

“...Are you trying to make a meal for someone?”

“Eh?” Misaki raised her head and looked at Kaname.

As their eyes met, they remained silent for a while.

Kaname was the first one to turn his gaze away. “Well… Do your best?”

“Y-yeah…” Misaki replied softly as she sat upright.

Kaname put his earphones back into his ears, putting an end to their conversation.

~Kaname’s Feelings~

During the lunch break on Monday, Kaname was on the school roof with his two friends, Hatsuya Shuichi and Sasabe Mitsugu. Kaname was often with the two of them, ever since they had been classmates in their First Year.

The three of them ate their potato salads as they leaned against the fence.

“Why… Why is Aku-chan the only one who’s popular with girls!!” Mitsugu yelled noisily.

Kaname frowned. Mitsugu had been this way ever since he accidentally found the letter in Kaname’s shoe locker.

“Aside from me, isn’t Shuichi pretty popular too?” Kaname looked at Shuichi, who was wearing headphones without a care in the world, as he spoke.

Shuichi was eating his sandwiches as he listened to his music. He was tall, had good motor skills, and was an active regular in the Basketball Club, so he had many female fans.

“Because guys like y’all exist, losers like me are despairing!!” Mitsugu curled into himself like an armadillo and pretended to cry. Mitsugu was not tall in height, and he had a baby face. Even though he would have a rather popular face if he kept quiet, the fact that he was noisy and persistent made girls annoyed by his presence.

“Sasabe, you… can you shut up? If you do, I think girls will be more attracted to you?”

“Eh? No way! Aku-chan, introduce some girls to me? I’m begging you. Aren’t we best pals?” Mitsugu grabbed Kaname’s shoulders and shook him, causing the lunchbox on his knees to nearly topple over.

“Sasabe, my lunchbox is spilling. Wait, I mean, your croquette has fallen!” Kaname grabbed onto his lunchbox.

Mitsugu looked down at the bread he held in his hands. The croquette that was supposed to be there had rolled down onto the concrete. Mitsugu quickly picked it up and ate it.

“Eh, you ate it?!”

“It’s fine. Three second rule,” Mitsugu calmly munched on the croquette, stunning Kaname.

“No, it’s definitely more than that,” Shuichi, who was seated next to Kaname, pointed out as he removed his headphones. Kaname thought that he had not been listening to them, though he seemed to have heard their conversation properly.

After shoving the rest of his bread into his mouth and swallowing it, Mitsugu turned his distrustful gaze. “Aku-chan… you won’t help me get a girlfriend, not even secretly?!”

“Huh? Why’re you talking about such a thing?”

“Because you’re good friends with Natsukawa and Sakurai!”

“It’s because I’m in the same club as the two of them.”

“But you’re with them outside of club activities. Don’t you hold hands as you go home together?”

“No, I don’t…” Kaname replied offhandedly, having found it too troublesome to answer Mitsugu properly.

“Could it be that you’re dating one of them?! Which one?!”

“I told you, we’re not dating!”

(Why do I have to say such a thing?)

Kaname pushed away Mitsugu, who had gotten closer to his face.

“Are you dating our Natsukawa?! If you’re with Natsukawa, I’ll cry!”

(Aah, geez. He’s so persistent!!)

“Shuichi, help me deal with this guy!”

When Kaname asked Shuichi for help, he turned to look back at them from the sandwich he held in his hands. “Sasabe, it seems that if you annoy Kaname any further, he’ll flip you upside down and chuck you into the trash can, headfirst.”

Having said that, Shuichi turned his head to look at the front, as though his role was over.

“Aku-chan, you’d really do that to me…?” Mitsugu trembled in shock, tears beading at the corners of his eyes.

“No, I don’t think I’ll go that far…”

“Please, be even meaner to me!!”

“I don’t get you at all!” Kaname tried to pry Mitsugu, who was hugging him tightly, off, but he was unable to get him to let go. Kaname clutched his forehead in frustration.

Both Shuichi and Mitsugu had attended different Middle Schools from Kaname. Kaname got to know them after they enrolled in High School. When Mitsugu noticed him, he started to cling to him, and he somehow managed to get along with Shuichi, and so the three of them started to hang out together.

Mitsugu was usually rather noisy, but when he was not there, things got too quiet and unsatisfactory. He was not necessarily bad at his core. However, sometimes, he just got on Kaname’s nerves…

“But, really, don’t you want to date either one of them? They’re both so cute! It’s normal to want to get into a romantic relationship with them!”

“I don’t wanna. Anyway, I’m busy with club activities, so I don't have time for romance.”

“Then, then! Aku-chan, if you don’t wanna date them, and if you don’t have interest in romance, let me date Natsukawa!” Mitsugu kneeled down and held his hands together, as though in prayer, and looked up at Kaname.

“Should you really be asking me such a thing?”

“It’s a request from your best pal, though?! If I could go on just one date with Natsukawa, I’ll go straight to heaven!”

“No, really, why are you telling me that?”

“Because if I ask her directly, there’s a 100% chance that I’ll be rejected! But, if you were to be the one to ask, Aku-chan, there won’t be a single girl who’ll refuse you! I’m begging you. Even Sakurai would be fine!”

After looking at the begging Mitsugu for a moment, Kaname looked away. “...You can’t have Sakurai.”

“Eh?! Why?! Could it be… Aku-chan, do you really…”

“No, but you can’t.”

If Mitsugu were to get close to Misaki, who was bad at dealing with boys, she would definitely feel uncomfortable. Even when Kaname talked to Mitsugu normally, he was unable to keep up with his tension, and even when Kaname was just looking at Mitsugu from the side, he felt rather anxious.

Kaname did not want Misaki to feel as though she got worse at dealing with boys because of Mitsugu.

(If it was Natsukawa, well… she’ll be able to deal with it appropriately.)

“Aku-chan you lazy, perverted, stick-in-the mud, will you really be fine if I remain single for the rest of my life?!” Mitsugu crouched on the spot and began to cry again loudly. If Kaname showed him sympathy, he would cling tightly to it.

“I don’t care anymore,” Kaname turned around in frustration.

At that moment, the door to the roof opened, and the face of a female classmate peeked out. “Sasabe, Yagi wants you to come to the staff room in three minutes. Wait, why do I have to run errands for your sake? What a pain!”

Having finished speaking, the girl slammed the door shut with all her might.

“Eh, what… I’m kinda scared. Could it be that they found out that I put love letters into the shoe lockers of all the girls in the school?!” Mitsugu got up quickly, a frightened expression on his face.

“Eh?!” Kaname glanced at Mitsugu.

“You didn’t submit the consent form for the parent-teacher conference. If you don’t go in quickly, I think your parents will be called,” Shuichi answered.

“If that’s just it, please stop it!” Mitsugu stood up quickly, grabbing Kaname’s lunchbox.

“Ah, my lunch!” Kaname raised his voice, though the thief escaped in no time.

Kaname gripped the chopsticks in his hand as he looked at the closing door in a daze. “....How is he going to eat without chopsticks?”

“With his hand, I guess?”

Kaname looked at Shuichi in defeat. “Wait, what am I going to do without my lunch?!”

Kaname did not know the exact number of times he had been robbed of his lunch by Mitsugu. He always tried to steal side dishes when the opportunity arose, but Kaname was completely caught off-guard that day. He did not expect that Mitsugu would steal his entire lunchbox.

(More than half of it was still untouched…!)

As Kaname gritted his teeth in frustration, an egg sandwich was handed to him from the side.

“Do you… have enough for yourself?”

“I still have more,” Shuichi took a sandwich out from a plastic bag, the contents of which being many more sandwiches.

“Eh, you’re able to eat all of this?!”

“It’ll keep me full until school ends,” Shuichi finished his tuna sandwich in two mouthfuls. Shuichi ate a lot, despite his slim appearance. He was able to polish off an entire two-tiered lunchbox before homeroom began in the morning. The reason why his weight did not change much was probably because he practised hard in his club activities every day.

“...Thank you for the food,” Kaname meekly accepted the sandwich and opened the pack immediately.

“So, are you gonna tell me the truth about that?” Shuichi asked casually.

Kaname’s hand stopped for a moment. “Just how long have you been listening in?”

“Around the time I offered you the sandwich.”

(So it wasn’t out of goodwill…)

Kaname stared into space as he pondered, wallowing in regret.

“Why, huh… It’s easy to talk to Natsukawa. I don’t have to worry too much when I talk to her. But that’s the norm for Natsukawa. Not just for me, she’s like that with everyone else too.”

Kaname was able to understand her because he had a similar attitude as well.

“Well, that’s about right.”

“But, when it comes to Sakurai… I still don’t know much about what I feel for her,” Kaname expressed his feelings honestly with a sigh.

✿~♪~✿

At the entrance ceremony, both Kaname and Misaki were late to arrive, and thus had to stand outside the gymnasium as they waited for the ceremony to end. It was then that he realised that she had attended the same Middle School as him.

Kaname recalled seeing Misaki for the first time when they were in their Second Year of Middle School. It had been on a day near the end of their Summer vacation.

On that day, Kaname had gone to school for club practice at the Wind Ensemble Club, and, after practising marching under the scorching sun to the point where he felt like he was going to collapse, took a 15 minute break.

Wearing a t-shirt and track pants, Kaname headed to the drinking fountain outside. The water in his plastic bottle, as well as the sports drink he had in his water bottle had already been depleted, and Kaname was so thirsty that he was willing to drink anything.

However, there was already someone else at the drinking fountain. A girl from an athletic club was crying softly to herself, gripping the edge of the drinking fountain with both hands as the water continued to flow out.

The athletic clubs seemed to be in the middle of their tournament period, and Kaname recalled seeing a bus by the front gate that morning.

The girl was repeatedly wiping her face with the sleeve of her t-shirt, her tears seemingly endless.

(I wonder if she lost in the tournament---)

The clock in the school building showed the time to be past 5pm, about the time for the students to return to the school after the tournaments had ended.

Kaname did not move away, despite the fact that there had been other drinking fountains available. He did not want to bother the crying girl by drinking water next to her.

The girl seemed to be oblivious to how Kaname was watching her, and she would have probably felt awkward if she knew that she was being watched.

Kaname felt as though it would have been kinder to just leave her alone. He was neither classmates nor acquaintances with her, and he did not know what year she was in, nor did he know her name. He had no relations with her, so it would have been strange for him to call out to her. On her end, even if he were to say comforting words to her, she would not feel any sense of relief as they were complete strangers to each other.

(I’m sure that she’s having a very hard time…)

Thinking along those lines, Kaname continued to watch the crying girl from a distance. He was sure that she had tried her very best. However, there were also times when trying one’s best would not yield the desired results.

No matter how hard one tried, they may not get to reap their rewards at the end---.

Giving up was also an unfortunate option, if there was no other choice.

Kaname gripped the towel around his neck with both hands and turned around to leave. After taking two steps, he felt a little worried and looked back, to see the girl standing straight up and wiping her damp cheeks. As if she was trying to calm herself down, she took a deep breath and looked up at the sky.

“I’ll restart again from here.”

Ah, it seemed that… this girl seemed to be the type to never give up. She did not think that the outcome could not be helped, or anything along those lines. No matter how depressed she was, she looked upwards with a smile.

Kaname felt as though his chest was struck by the sight, and his legs began to move before he realised it. The towel on his shoulders was a new towel that he had bought to replace his old one.

Kaname draped the towel onto the head of the girl when she noticed his presence and tried to look towards him.

“Eh, huh?!”

As though she was surprised by the sudden action, the girl flew into a panicked frenzy, with her hand grabbing the towel that was on her head. Turning his back on her, Kaname hurried away without saying a word.

She had yelled with all her might.

Do your best---.

Such had been what Kaname wanted to tell the girl, whose name he did not know at the time, who had tried to face her hardships head-on without running away from them.

✿~♪~✿

At that time, Kaname did not have a conversation with Misaki, nor did she see his face. As such, the fact that she was unaware of it was unavoidable.

When Kaname saw Misaki at the entrance ceremony, he had a feeling of “Could it be?”.

“Were we from the same Middle School?” Kaname had asked as they waited for the entrance ceremony to end.

Misaki nodded with a surprised expression on her face. “Yeah, we were from the same Middle School.”

“So she was that girl from back then.” Kaname had happily thought upon hearing her reply. He did not know that they had taken the entrance exams to enroll into the same High School. Additionally, they ended up being classmates, with their assigned seats being right next to each other.

During their first homeroom period, Kaname had casually torn out part of his notebook and passed a note to her.

“Let’s get along from now on.”

She then nervously wrote a reply and handed it to him in return. “Likewise, let’s get along.”

(What kind of girl is she?)

Kaname wanted to know more about her, and they had been passing notes to each other ever since.

They then joined the same club, in the same section, no less, and began to spend much more time together than before. Occasionally, when it got late in the day, they would walk home together, side by side.

When they became Second Year students, Kaname learned more about Misaki than he did before. They were now able to speak normally to each other, and shared many laughs together.

They were able to speak their minds with each other. It was just that---.

“...I can’t gauge the distance between us.”

“Why do you care about such a thing?” Shuichi looked at Kaname in curiosity.

Kaname frowned slightly. “Isn’t it obvious? Sakurai will probably run away from me soon.”

“Sakurai seems to dislike boys, no?” Shuichi spoke smoothly.

Kaname felt as though his sandwich was lodged in his throat. “Wh… why?”

“Anyone would notice it at a glance.”

Kaname received the plastic bottle that Shuichi offered to him, and downed some water with a heaved sigh. “I guess that’s so…”

(It’s easy to understand Sakurai, her emotions are written all over her face…)

Kaname wondered if the “Tragedy of the Ripe Tomato” would occur again if everyone in their class found out about it. If that happened, it would be a sight too disastrous for him to lay his eyes on.

“I’m worried about Sakurai… Just looking on would be dangerous. So I can’t leave her alone.”

“...Is that it?”

“What more is there to it? Sakurai isn’t good at dealing with boys, but there’s nothing romantic between us whatsoever.”

Shuichi just silently looked at Kaname without saying another word.

It was just that Misaki was always trying her very best, which made Kaname feel inclined to pull her hand along.

(...Just what are these feelings of mine?)

#honeyworks #sekai wa koi ni ochiteiru #natsukawa tsubomi #akutsu kaname #sakurai misaki #project sekoi: wind ensemble stars #instant ramen instructions comprehensions

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deus-ex-mona · 3 years ago

Text

Sekai wa Koi ni Ochiteiru: chord 5

Hi, this is Chapter 5 of the Sekai wa Koi ni Ochiteiru novel!

Kaname denseness index for this part: ♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎

Previous part (chord 4)

Next part (chord 6)

~Kaname’s Feelings~

“Misaki’s going.”

The message that Tsubomi sent him had ended abruptly like that.

Kaname, who had come to watch the fireworks with the boys in his class, looked around after confirming that he had not received any new messages. The narrow path to the shrine was lined with booths, and it had just started to become crowded with other spectators.

As the Sun set in the sky, lanterns were lit up to brighten the streets.

(Should I contact her after all?)

Kaname felt like it would be difficult to find just a single person amidst the sea of people.

“Sakura…”

Recalling the image of Misaki’s tearful face, Kaname’s hand paused in the middle of drafting his message.

When Misaki had stopped him in the school corridor, she seemed to have something to say. Even so, he had just left her, brushing her off with a cold attitude.

Misaki did not want for there to be a misunderstanding between them, just because she had been teased by the boys. Thinking about the incident calmly, Kaname was able to understand that much

“Just what am I doing…”

Frustrated with himself, Kaname impulsively dialled Misaki’s number. However, the dial tone continued to ring out, without any indication that the call would be picked up. Kaname hung up the call with a heavy sigh.

(Even if I were to look for her, where should I even begin to look?)

“There are girls… There are lots of girls. Girls in yukatas!” Mitsugu looked around enthusiastically, holding grilled corn and some cotton candy in his hands. The jinbei that he wore, which had the words “Pretty Boy” written on the back, made him stand out even in the crowd.

Listening to the roaring voice of Mitsugu, Kaname glanced down at his phone again. Considering the current situation, he felt as though he should have invited Misaki out from the very beginning.

Deciding on a proper meeting time and place, meeting up, going around the stalls, and watching the fireworks---.

(Aah, but, that’d be a date…)

They were not dating or anything. When club activities ended late, they would go home together. When they took shelter from the rain in a family restaurant, they had made inane conversation with each other. During the examination period, they had also studied together in the library.

Ever since Kaname entered High School, he found that he had been spending more time with Misaki than he did with anyone else. Before he knew it, it had become a natural occurrence to have her by his side.

“Is it normal to be teased for it?” Kaname muttered under his breath. Misaki hated being teased by others. Everything had happened because Kaname had given her a memo.

(And yet, I got angry with her…)

Kaname messed with his bangs in resignation.

(I really should apologise to her properly…)

Kaname reached for his phone to send a message, when his ringtone went off. He got his phone out in a hurry, but the name shown on the screen was not Misaki’s.

(Shuichi…?)

Even though Shuichi had come to see the fireworks as well, Kaname could not spot him anywhere.

When Kaname answered the call, he heard loud background chatter on the other end of the line, as though Shuichi was in the middle of a crowd. Owing to the noise, he found it difficult to hear Shuichi’s voice.

“I saw… Sakurai a while ago…”

“Eh, Sakurai? Where?!” Kaname blurted out loudly, pressing his phone to his ear.

“...She was caught up with some strange people. I’m looking for her now, but I can’t find her anywhere.”

(...She was caught up?)

“Where are you now?”

“Around the second Torii gate.”

Kaname began to run, gripping his phone and shoving people away.

~Misaki’s Feelings~

(The fireworks are going to start soon…)

Misaki looked up at the sky as she sat on the stone steps of the shrine, seeming to be at a loss. She managed to make it this far with just her courage, but she had gotten caught up in some people who seemed to be drunk University students, had managed to get blue stains on her yukata from some shaved ice syrup, and the sandals that she was not used to wearing caused her legs to hurt.

(Should I try contacting Akutsu? But, if he’s having fun with the other boys, he may not come even if he finds out that I’m here…)

They did not arrange to meet in the first place. Misaki was just clinging to the small hope that they could meet by chance.

“This really is no good… huh…” Misaki mumbled weakly. As she grabbed her yukata with both hands and looked down, some girls in yukatas casually walked by her. Hearing their voices, Misaki turned back to look towards the shrine.

It was then that she remembered that the girls in her class had said that the shrine was a famous shrine for love fulfilment.

She knew that she could not just sit at such a place forever.

(I want to see Akutsu…)

She would be able to take another step, if it was for the purpose of seeing him.

Misaki stood up, having made that resolution in her heart.

Even if her love was unable to come to fruition---.

(I don’t want to give up.)

✿~♪~✿

Perhaps it was because there was a fireworks festival that day, the administration office of the shrine, as well as the amulet sales counter were still in operation, with a shrine maiden seated behind it. Deciding to take a look since she was there, Misaki saw various amulets with different purposes, such as for traffic safety or academic achievements, arranged neatly in a wooden box.

Among the amulets, Misaki picked one up that had been embroidered with “Love Protection”. The Milky Way and some stars were embroidered on the indigo-coloured fabric. On the back was a cute embroidery of characters resembling Orihime and Hikoboshi.

“Tanabata… huh.”

The amulet seemed to be exclusively sold in July.

Looking up at the sky, Misaki noted that it was the same colour as the indigo amulet, with stars twinkling amidst the darkness.

(God… please let me see him, somehow…)

“I’ll take this.”

Making a wish on the amulet she had picked out, Misaki handed it to the shrine maiden to have it put into a paper bag. When she received the bag, planning on returning---.

“Sakurai!”

Suddenly hearing a voice yell her name, Misaki’s heart thumped loudly. Turning around, she saw Kaname dashing through the torii gate and running up to her.

(You’re kidding… really?)

She had just made her wish. Even so--- Kaname really came.

Misaki squeezed the paper bag in her grasp.

(I really… saw Akutsu…)

As Misaki looked on in disbelief, Kaname put a hand on his forehead as he tried to catch his breath. His forehead was drenched in sweat, as if he had run over as quickly as he could.

“Akutsu…?” Misaki called out fearfully.

Kaname exhaled the breath that had accumulated in his chest before raising his head. “Sakurai, you didn’t look at your phone, right?!”

“Eh, my phone?!” Misaki hurriedly untied her pouch and took her phone out. When she checked it, she found new messages displayed on the screen.

(Ah, there are messages from Akutsu!)

Misaki wondered why she had failed to notice the messages. She had even been using her phone throughout the evening.

“Sakurai, Shuichi told me that you were caught up with some weirdos… But I couldn’t find you at all, and you didn’t even pick up the phone!”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think that you’d contact me.”

“...You weren’t forced to do anything unpleasant, right?” Kaname stared at her.

“I wasn’t!” Misaki quickly shook her head. “I’m okay. I ran away immediately… Aku...tsu?”

Misaki looked at Kaname, who had his head down in resignation, in confusion. “Could it be… that you were worried about me?”

“Of course I was!” Kaname raised his head and blurted out strongly, causing Misaki to flinch in shock. “Sakurai, it’s dangerous… Why didn’t you contact me when you arrived?!”

“I-I’m sorry, I’m really sorry!” Misaki frantically apologised. Considering how angry Kaname had been earlier at school, she did not expect that he would search for her, and worriedly, at that. She genuinely could not believe her eyes when Kaname had appeared in front of her.

A warm heat blossomed in her chest and spread throughout her body. She did not think that Kaname should be this worried about her. But--- she was happy about it.

She was happy that he cared about her, even a little. Even though she thought that he would no longer talk to her.

“Thank you, Akutsu,” Misaki smiled shyly, her cheeks slightly reddened.

Kaname glanced at Misaki before quickly turning away stiffly. “I guess… I’ll contact Shuichi. I have to tell him that I found you…”

“Ah, okay…”

Kaname turned his back to Misaki as he exchanged a few words with Shuichi over the phone. Misaki looked at his back. She wondered what was on Kaname’s mind. She wondered if the reason why he had rushed over to her was solely out of worry.

(Is that just it? What does Akutsu… think about me?)

She wanted to hear it---.

Kaname kept his phone away and finally turned back to face Misaki. “It’s not time for the fireworks yet… Wanna take a look around the night stalls?”

“Ah, but, what about those you came with, Akutsu…?”

“I told them that I went to find you, Sakurai, so it’s all good.”

As Kaname started to walk, Misaki hurriedly chased after him.

“I’m fine by myself. I came alone, after all,” she said as she fell into step beside Kaname.

Kaname stopped walking and looked at Misaki. “Sakurai, do you hate being with me?”

“I don’t hate it! But…”

It was not that she hated it. Conversely, it made her so happy that she felt rather troubled.

Misaki’s face heated up, and she let her gaze drift to her feet.

The light of the lanterns that illuminated the path to the shrine extended throughout the vicinity. Misaki could hear lively voices, as well as festival music drifting out of the speakers.

“But…?”

When Misaki looked up slowly, she saw Kaname looking straight at her. As she hesitated to speak, Kaname opened his mouth. “Tell me what’s on your mind, Sakurai. I’ll hear you out properly… I want to know what you’re thinking.”

“I…”

(I want to be together with you…)

Without being able to say that single phrase, Misaki felt her entire body begin to heat up. She secretly clenched her clammy fists.

“I-I wanna eat… candy apples!”

Even though she had decided not to say anything, she found those words flying past her lips.

(What did I just say?!)

Kaname stared at her blankly.

“Ah, t-that’s not it… I like candy apples and I want to eat them, but that's not what I wanted to say!!”

Misaki had intended to tell Kaname that she wanted to walk around the night stalls together with him.

(He’s gonna think that I’m just a glutton!)

As Misaki panicked, Kaname covered his mouth with a hand. “...Pfft!”

“Akutsu…?”

“Sakurai… you’re funny…!!” Kaname began to laugh, his shoulders trembling in his unrestrained mirth.

“Aren’t you laughing too much, Akutsu?!”

“You really wanted to eat candy apples that much?” Kaname continued to laugh as he spoke, wheezing a little as though he found it difficult to breathe.

“...I told you that that’s not it,” Misaki muttered in embarrassment.

Kaname coughed lightly before sighing a little. Then, he straightened up his back, which had been leaning forward when he was doubling over in laughter. Though, his eyes were still twinkling in amusement.

“Well, let’s be off. To buy your candy apples, that is.”

Smiling at Kaname’s words, Misaki nodded. “Yeah.”

Her face had turned red…

It was a special fireworks festival.

It was a special Summer festival.

With the current conditions, Misaki felt like she could muster a little more courage than usual.

✿~♪~✿

As the time for the fireworks to start got closer, the number of people increased.

In order to avoid the crowds, Misaki sat down on a bench near a lamppost which was a distance away from the night stalls.

Eventually, Kaname returned to her side and offered one of the two candy apples he had in his hands to her. “Here.”

“Thank you,” Misaki thanked him as she received the candy apple, which was bright red and shiny, even through the transparent bag it was wrapped in. As she removed the bag, Kaname sat down next to her.

“Hey, Sakurai.”

When Misaki turned around, she saw Kaname pondering in thought as he spun his own candy apple around. He stopped spinning it and turned to face her.

Misaki’s heart skipped a beat when their eyes met. There was a serious expression on Kaname’s face.

“I’m sorry… about what happened today.”

“Eh?”

“I didn’t mean to say what I did… I said way too much,” Kaname lowered the tone of his voice and turned back to face the front. “I just wanted to say that it was my bad.”

“That’s what I should be saying,” Misaki hurriedly replied. “I also thought that I should apologise for what happened today, Akutsu.”

She knew that she had to say it, but she found herself unable to say so in front of Kaname---.

Had Kaname not spoken up first, she was sure that she would still be hesitating to say so.

“You’re not at fault though? Sakurai, you were teased because I gave you a memo, right?” Kaname smiled a little awkwardly. “I have to think it through from now on. I shouldn’t pass too many memos to you…”

“...wanna…”

“Eh?”

“Don’t wanna!” Misaki yelled as she looked down.

She had been exchanging memos with Kaname ever since they had enrolled in the school. It had become an important connection for her.

“But Sakurai, don’t you hate being teased? There are also times when it could cause misunderstandings. I… don’t really care about it though.”

“It’s fine. No matter what, it’s fine. Even if I’m teased, even if I’m misunderstood…”

Kaname listened to her words without looking away, though he had a confused expression on his face. Misaki felt her heart rate increase.

(I don’t want us to stop… Is this selfish of me?)

“Akutsu, is it a nuisance for you…?”

“It’s not… but…” Kaname replied.

The two of them remained silent for a while.

“Is it really okay with you? Even if it causes misunderstandings,” Kaname exhaled lightly before checking with Misaki again.

“Yup, it’s fine.”

Misaki did not care about such a thing. Rather, she did not want to lose that important connection that she shared with Kaname.

“Then, you… don’t hate me, right, Sakurai?” Kaname asked with a straight face.

Misaki’s heart pounded. “...I don’t… hate you.”

“Really?”

“Really… really!” Misaki’s face heated up and she put the back of her hand against her forehead. She was unable to meet Kaname’s eyes straight on.

After a beat of silence, Kaname suddenly relaxed his shoulders. “Is that so? I’m relieved…”

“I’ll never hate you! I definitely…” Misaki mumbled, her face blushing deeply. “...won’t.”

“But, Sakurai, you declared that you don’t love me. You said that it was a nuisance to be misunderstood, so anyone would think that you hate me, no?”

“That was, well… I was troubled after being teased and subjected to strange rumours.”

“Then, you weren’t being serious when you said it, right?” Kaname’s eyes sparkled happily.

(I wasn’t being serious… because I…)

Misaki squeezed her eyes shut, her words clogged up in her throat.

Then, some sounds echoed throughout the sky. When she opened her eyes, she saw a brightened up sky. Almost at the same time that the sound disappeared, the sky darkened again. Lively cheers filled the air.

“Ah, the fireworks have started,” Kaname stood up, extending a hand to Misaki.

“Come on, let’s go, Sakurai,” Kaname smiled.

Misaki felt as though her heart was beating in tandem with the sound of the fireworks. She hesitantly reached a hand out, which Kaname grasped with his own.

Pulled along by Kaname, Misaki started to walk amidst the crowd.

(Because I really…)

With her heated hand, Misaki hesitantly squeezed Kaname’s hand back---.

✿~♪~✿

On the narrow path to the shrine, everyone else had stopped walking to look up at the sky. Every time the fireworks ascended to the skies, cheers were raised from the surrounding people.

Misaki spaced out as she walked, her half-eaten candy apple pressed to her lips, when Kaname suddenly stopped. Owing to that, she bumped into his back. As she stumbled backwards, Kaname turned back to look at her.

“That…”

“Eh?”

“You look pretty good in a yukata,” Kaname smiled shyly as he spoke.

Misaki was overjoyed to hear those words from him, and she felt as though she was floating on cloud nine.

“Ehehe…” Misaki laughed shyly as she looked at Kaname from the side. Unable to take her eyes off of him, she pressed her lips together.

Another big, golden firework illuminated the night sky.

“Oh, another one went up,” Kaname muttered happily.

Thump, thump, thump. Misaki’s heartbeat continued to ring out.

Feeling as though her heart rate was gradually increasing, Misaki put her hand against her chest. She grabbed the collar of her yukata.

“Tell me what’s on your mind, Sakurai.”

Recalling Kaname’s words, Misaki slowly looked down.

(Such a thing is obvious…)

There was only one thing that she wished for---.

(Aah, God. I beg of you. Please grant my one wish…)

Misaki looked up at the sky with her tearful eyes.

She wanted to get through to him.

“Hey… Kaname.”

The name that she called out for the first time wavered slightly. However, her voice was too quiet for Kaname to hear her.

“Kaname…”

She would only call out to him just one more time.

“I love you!”

A loud sound rang out almost immediately. The vivid fireworks that bloomed across the sky brightened up the area. Kaname’s side profile was also clearly illuminated by the fireworks.

“Those were amazingly big, yeah!” Kaname looked back, his eyes shining brightly. “Hm, what’s up?”

Misaki, who had been staring at him, quickly looked back up at the sky. “No, it’s nothing…”

Her neck felt hot, her pulse throbbing beneath her skin.

“...The fireworks are beautiful!” she said, dodging the subject.

“Right?” Kaname smiled.

Misaki looked up at the sky, feeling heat build up at the corners of her eyes. Otherwise, her suppressed tears would surely fall---.

(I love you…)

Misaki swallowed the words that she was unable to voice as she laughed with Kaname.

Even as her feelings remained unconveyed, the sound of the fireworks continued to ring out.

The Summer night’s breeze was warm and slightly humid.

She would never forget that day which she had spent together with Kaname.

She was sure that she would never forget it---.

~Tsubomi’s Feelings~

(Ah… the fireworks have started.)

Tsubomi looked out of the window in her room when she heard a faint sound ring out from the distance. The moon was shining brightly in the dark sky.

Sitting on her bed, Tsubomi looked down at the phone in her hands.

(...Has Misaki met up with Kaname?)

About an hour ago, Misaki had texted her an “I’m going!”, but she had yet to send a reply.

Do your best---.

Such was the simple phrase that she should have replied with.

Tsubomi hugged her knees.

(I know… that Misaki is cuter than me.)

Tsubomi knew how much Misaki loved Kaname, and about how hard she had worked. She had been watching over Misaki from her side the entire time. She had also given Misaki some advice.

Misaki had been her important best friend ever since they were in Middle School.

It was not a lie that Tsubomi wanted Misaki’s first love to bear fruit.

Or, that was how it should have been---.

Tsubomi jumped in surprise when her phone chimed. Checking the screen, she found a text message from Kaname.

“The fireworks are pretty. You should have come too, Natsukawa.”

A photo of the fireworks was attached to the message.

Gripping her phone tightly, Tsubomi looked down.

(Has Misaki… confessed yet?)

If she had, Tsubomi wondered how Kaname had replied to her.

Tsubomi had realised her own feelings for the first time.

Those feelings were one of “love”---.

Those feelings of “love” have been existing for a long time.

That was why there was a pain in her chest. That was why it was hard for her to see the two of them getting along.

Tsubomi found herself unable to support Misaki any longer…

“That lip gloss… Why not buy it? I think it looks good on you, Natsukawa.”

As Tsubomi recalled the moment when she was told those words, she subconsciously reached up to touch her lips. She felt as though the sensation and heat of having her lips traced by his finger still lingered.

Perhaps that had been the moment when she gained feelings for him.

Or perhaps, that moment had been even earlier.

Perhaps it had been when Kaname had invited her to join the Wind Ensemble Club.

Perhaps it had been during a Cultural Festival when they were still in Middle School, when she had watched him perform happily onstage, from her spot at the corner of the gymnasium where she had stood with Misaki.

When Tsubomi thought it over, she had no idea when she had fallen for him. However, those feelings were present in her heart. She had noticed that a small love had sprouted. She just did not understand her own self. She had been dense to her own feelings, and had only supported Misaki’s feelings instead.

“Why didn’t I realise it sooner?” Tsubomi mumbled as she looked at the photo of the fireworks.

If she had realised it…

She wondered what she would have done if she had realised it.

She wondered if she would have confessed before Misaki did.

Even if she did confess, it may not even have worked out. She had no idea what Kaname was thinking.

Tsubomi raised her head and got out of her bed. She left the room in her home attire of a hoodie and shorts, holding nothing but her phone in her hand.

As she ran down the stairs, heading for the front door, the door to the living room opened and her mother poked her head out.

“Tsubomi, it’s almost time for dinner.”

“Sorry, I have something important to do. I’m heading out!”

Thrusting her feet into her sandals, she left through the front door.

The sound of fireworks rising in quick succession echoed throughout the night sky.

Tsubomi ran towards the shrine, where the two of them were supposed to be at.

(I want to know what Kaname’s feelings are… I may be late, but I want to be sure!)

✿~♪~✿

“How about you, Natsukawa? Have you ever fallen for a guy?”

If Tsubomi had been aware of her feelings back then, she wondered how she would have responded.

Upon arriving at the path to the shrine, Tsubomi looked around as she tried to catch her breath.

(Misaki… Kaname…)

Fireworks ascended to the sky, one after another. Every time the fireworks bloomed across the sky, the people around Tsubomi stopped walking and cheered, as if they were impressed by the display. Owing to that, she found it difficult to move forward.

“Excuse me! I’m sorry!” Tsubomi squeezed between the crowd as she kept an eye out for Misaki and Kaname.

It was when she had approached the stone steps of the shrine after having gone down the pathway lined with stalls that she saw them. She stopped when she finally spotted the yukata-donning Misaki and Kaname together.

Misaki was looking at Kaname, who was taking photos of the fireworks with his phone. When Kaname turned around and said something to her, Misaki smiled bashfully.

(Aah, I see…)

Tsubomi slowly turned her back on the two of them. As the sound of the fireworks continuously rang out through the sky, she quickly left the place.

As though she was escaping---.

(Misaki confessed to him.)

From the looks of the situation, Kaname had probably accepted her confession. The two of them, who were standing next to each other, seemed to be dating each other, regardless of who looked at them.

(I was too late after all…)

“You don’t want to fall in love?”

Tsubomi’s chest clenched painfully as Kaname’s voice lingered in her ears. She squeezed her eyes shut.

She should have noticed her feelings sooner and had done her best.

She should have said “I love you.” to him earlier.

Even if she had her regrets, it was too late---.

(Why did I… come here?)

To stop Misaki from confessing to Kaname?

She could not do such a thing. She had been supporting Misaki up till then.

Or, was it to see how things had played out between the two of them?

Even though it had been painful to see things go well between the two of them, and she had run away instead…

Tsubomi headed to the back of the deserted shrine and leaned her back against the trunk of a tree.

“I hope they don’t work out,” she had wished as she made her way towards the spot.

Even though Misaki was her best friend. Even though Misaki had fallen in love with Kaname first.

Tsubomi regretted noticing her own feelings. If she had not noticed them, she could have had fun with them as a trio, just like they did before.

She would have been able to continue to see Misaki as her precious best friend.

Tsubomi wondered why she had to fall for the person that her dear best friend loved. She wondered why she could not have fallen for a different person instead.

Tsubomi had hoped for Misaki’s love to go well. She had wanted to cheer Misaki on without any hesitation. She had wanted to sincerely tell Misaki “Congrats.” when things went well for her.

“I won’t be able to say it anymore…”

Tears rolled down Tsubomi’s cheeks and splashed on her feet.

Tsubomi wondered what kind of expression she should have on her face when she next spoke to Misaki. She wondered what kind of expression she should have when she next saw Kaname.

The two of them were definitely dating each other. And yet, the thoughts continued to run through Tsubomi’s mind.

She had finally noticed it.

Even though she had noticed it.

Her love had ended, just like a bud that was unable to bloom into a flower---.

Tsubomi covered her face with both of her hands as she cried softly to herself.

She pressed her back against the trunk of the tree and sank down to the ground.

#honeyworks #sekai wa koi ni ochiteiru #akutsu kaname #sakurai misaki #natsukawa tsubomi #project sekoi: wind ensemble stars #instant ramen instructions comprehensions

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deus-ex-mona · 3 years ago

Text

Sekai wa Koi ni Ochiteiru: chord 3

Hi! This is Chapter 3 of the Sekai wa Koi ni Ochiteiru novel!

Kaname denseness index for this part: ♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎

Previous part (chord 2)

Next part (chord 4)

~Tsubomi’s Feelings~

After classes had ended on the day that their end-of-semester exams came to a close, Tsubomi and Misaki went to the shopping mall in front of the train station.

“Tsubomi, it’s really fine!” Misaki looked around restlessly.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Tsubomi pulled on Misaki’s hand as she led her towards the hair accessories corner of the miscellaneous goods store.

“I won’t look good with such cute accessories!”

“Misaki, you didn’t buy any clothes at all the other day, right?”

“Because I won’t get to wear them even if I bought them!”

“That’s why you should just take the plunge and invite him out on a date already.”

“We’re not going out though?!”

“Yup. So you can treat it as a trial date.”

“I’m sure that Akutsu’s too busy for that… I mean, he has club activities! And he has to take care of his sister! I don’t think he has the time to go out with me,” Misaki hurriedly made excuses as she looked away. Her face turned redder with each passing moment.

Tsubomi, who was crouching down, stood up with a sigh and turned to face Misaki. “Misaki!”

Misaki quickly straightened out her posture in shock when Tsubomi called out to her strongly.

“Who was the one who said that she wanted to become cute?”

“It was me… right?”

“Do you want Kaname to turn around and notice you?”

“I… do,” Misaki shyly admitted in a soft voice.

Tsubomi grinned brightly. “Then this magician will cast a spell of cuteness onto you before sending you off towards your castle-residing prince. Leave it to me!”

“Eh?!”

“Ah, look. Isn’t this hairpin cute? Hmm, but will Misaki look better in this instead?” Tsubomi picked out hairpins that would look on Misaki and slid them into her hair. One of the hairpins featured a cat, and the other had an apple on it.

When Misaki looked into the mirror, her face immediately lit up. “S-so cute!! But they’re too cute. I can’t wear them to school!”

“It’ll be fine during the Summer. Didn’t you see that senior wearing a panda on her head?”

“Eh, a panda?!”

“Yup, this apple really looks good on you, Misaki,” Tsubomi picked up the hairpin and headed towards the counter. “Excuse me.”

“Ah, wait, Tsubomi!”

“This is a present from me to you, Misaki.”

“Wha- no way. I’ll pay for it myself!”

“It’s fine. I want to give it to you as a present,” Tsubomi handed the hairpin to the female clerk to check out, and requested for the tag to be cut so that it could be put on immediately. After paying, she snapped the hairpin onto Misaki’s hair on the spot. “See, you’re cute.”

Misaki gently touched her own hair, a joyful smile spreading across her face. “Thank you, Tsubomi… I’ll take good care of this.”

“Yup!”

✿~♪~✿

Having finished their shopping, the two of them stopped by the food court. They ordered shakes and moved to an open terrace seat. The potted plants blocked out the sunlight, and the mist kept the air refreshingly cooling.

“Misaki, aren’t you going to call Kaname by his first name?” Tsubomi asked, resting her cheek on her palm. Misaki looked at her in surprise.

“I’ve called him ‘Akutsu’ ever since our First Year, so I think it’d be weird if I changed it from now on… or something,” Misaki mixed her strawberry shake with her straw as she spoke.

“I don’t think that’d be the case, though? Other girls call him ‘Kaname’, right?”

Rather, the fact that Misaki addressed him as ‘Akutsu’ was the unusual occurrence. She addressed him as such despite the fact that he got along the best with her out of all the girls.

“But, you see, it’s nerve-wracking.”

“Why not try calling him such as a trial?”

“But if I suddenly changed the way I call Akutsu, he’ll wonder why!”

“That kind of thing makes your heart throb, right?”

“I… guess so?”

“Misaki, won’t your heart pound if Kaname started calling you ‘Misaki’?”

Misaki blushed deeply as if she started to imagine such a scenario. However, immediately after that, she deflated, as though she were a balloon that had its air released.

(It really is easy to understand Misaki.)

Tsubomi giggled as she continued to talk. “He’d probably address you as such smoothly and lightly.”

“...He won’t call me that,” Misaki muttered, smiling awkwardly despite the troubled expression on her face. “You see, if I were to call him that, there’d probably be many different ways that he could take it…”

“I see…”

For Misaki, it was not just a regular name that could be called out casually. It was a special name to her.

The sounds of the cars in the parking lot, the distant voices of other people, and the cries of the cicadas all mixed together into a blur that drifted into Tsubomi’s ears.

✿~♪~✿

While Misaki visited the bookstore in the mall, Tsubomi was browsing a miscellaneous goods store. An assortment of lip balms was displayed in front of her.

(Come to think of it, I’m out of lip balm.)

Tsubomi stopped in front of the shelf and looked for the lip balm that she usually used. Playing the flute made her lips become dry and chapped.

“This is cute, right?!”

“Ah, you’re right. They came out with new colours.”

Tsubomi turned to see girls wearing uniforms from another school chatting away happily. They were looking at the coloured lip glosses in their hands. The lip balm, which was advertised by the popular model Narumi Sena, had a cute packaging.

(Coloured lip gloss… huh.)

The one that Tsubomi used was just a colourless, fragrance-free, medicated lip balm.

Tsubomi stepped to the side as the girls headed to the counter, holding the new colours of lip glosses in their hands.

(Wanting to become cute… huh.)

Samples of the lip glosses were also lined up along the display.

(Maybe I should try some for a bit?)

Succumbing to the temptation, Tsubomi picked up a lip gloss sample. She squeezed out some of it onto the tip of her little finger and applied it to her lips while looking into the mirror in front of her. Her lips were glossier than usual and had a pink tint to them, thus making her look more mature than she expected.

“How… does it look?”

“Hmm… it’s not bad, no?”

Tsubomi had been talking to herself, however, a reply sounded out from behind her. She jumped in shock and turned around. “Ka… Kaname!!”

Kaname, who had been looking into the mirror from behind Tsubomi, glanced down with his hand on his chin. Tsubomi found his gaze directed straight at her lips, and began to frantically wipe them clean with her hand.

“You don’t have to remove it. It looks really good on you.”

“N-Nah, it’s just that my lips were rather dry,” Tsubomi slowly turned down, finding it rather embarrassing to make eye contact with Kaname.

It was then that---.

Kaname’s hand suddenly reached out. His thumb traced Tsubomi’s lips, as though wiping them for her.

(---Eh?)

“You’re right. They seem to have gotten rough from playing the instruments,” Kaname muttered with his eyes on Tsubomi’s lips, before looking at her face in surprise.

Tsubomi, on her end, was staring at Kaname with widened eyes.

“Ah, my bad…!” Kaname hurriedly released Tsubomi’s chin, bringing his hand to his own mouth and covering it. His eyes darted around, as if he was in a panic.

“Just what was I doing?” Kaname mumbled in embarrassment.

He was moving subconsciously. That was just it---.

Normally, Tsubomi would have laughed it off with a “Geez, what do you think you’re doing?!”, thus putting an end to the conversation. However, she found herself at a loss for words that day. She also realised that her heart was pounding at a faster rate than usual. She felt sweat trickling down her warmed neck, in addition to her face.

Tsubomi kept a calm expression on her face. She had to act unbothered. Just like she usually did.

“Kaname… What are you up to?”

“I’m here to go to the CD shop with Shuichi. Then I saw you, Natsukawa… How about you? Are you here by yourself?” Kaname awkwardly spoke, still averting his gaze.

“I’m here with Misaki.”

“Ah, with Sakurai, huh…”

“Yup… I think she’s at the bookstore?”

“Hmm…”

Their conversation was more awkward than usual.

“Hatsuya is waiting for you. Go on, off with you!”

Shuichi was using his phone as he leaned against a pillar along the pathway.

“What, am I disturbing you?”

“That’s not it, but…”

Tsubomi felt restless when she was with him. For some reason, she disliked that feeling.

“Oh right,” Kaname spoke, as if he remembered something. “Natsukawa, what are your plans regarding the upcoming fireworks festival?”

“Eh… fireworks?”

“I think it’s next week?”

(Ah, come to think of it…)

There had been posters about it put up along the shopping district in front of the train station. At the fireworks festival, which was sponsored by the shopping district, there were many food stalls set up along the path towards the shrine. Even though it was not a flashy affair, it never failed to stir up excitement every year. The other girls in their class had also been talking about it.

“Are you going, Kaname?”

“Hmm… Well, I wonder if I’ll be going. I’ll have to see how things go.”

“I see… So you’ll probably be going.”

“Sasabe has been pestering me about inviting girls along. So it would be a huge help if you were to come, Natsukawa. If you don’t want to, I’ll just tell him that you couldn’t make it.”

“If that’s so, you should invite Misaki.”

“But Sakurai would mind because the rest of us are all boys, right?” Kaname replied in a reluctant tone as he casually looked at the lip glosses.

“Yeah, that’s true…”

“But if you come along, Natsukawa, Sakurai may come too,” Kaname smiled, his eyes half-closed.

Tsubomi slightly lowered her gaze.

(If Misaki… knew that Kaname was going, I think she'd agree to go?)

“...Hmm… I’ll think about it.”

“Then, if you decide to go, let me know,” Kaname, who had turned to leave, stopped and looked back over his shoulder. “That lip gloss.”

“Eh?”

“Why not buy it? I think it looks good on you, Natsukawa.”

Kaname returned to Shuichi’s side, his usual carefree smile on his face. The two of them conversed as they entered the CD shop directly opposite from the miscellaneous goods store.

“Why did he say such a thing…” Tsubomi tucked her hair behind her ear.

(He’s the person that Misaki loves---)

✿~♪~✿

“Thank you very much!”

Upon receiving the shopping bag, Tsubomi left the counter.

She did not buy it because of the words that Kaname told her---.

It was just that she thought that it would be nice to buy coloured lip gloss every once in a while.

Tsubomi placed the shopping bag, which contained the lip gloss, into her book bag. When she left the store, she saw Misaki, who had returned from the bookstore, looking around the pathway. Tsubomi smiled like she usually did as she walked over.

“Mi-sa-ki!” Tsubomi tapped Misaki on the back.

“Whoa!” Misaki turned around in surprise. “Tsubomi!”

“Did you buy anything?”

“Yup, some memo pads… because they looked cute,” Misaki smiled shyly as she lifted the paper bag from the bookstore.

“You’re still passing notes to Kaname?”

“It’s nothing like before. Besides, we mainly talk about club activities now,” Misaki smiled happily. Tsubomi softened her expression.

“I saw him earlier?”

“Eh, Akutsu?”

“Yup. He went into the CD shop with Hatsuya. Wanna call out to him?”

“No, it’s fine. I don’t have any business with him now…” Misaki’s gaze drifted towards the CD shop as she spoke, as if she was curious about it. Kaname and Shuichi seemed to be at the trial listening corner.

“Is it really fine?”

“Yeah…”

“Then… Wanna get crepes?”

“I do!”

Tsubomi and Misaki laughed together as they began to walk by each other’s sides.

(Misaki is my dear best friend---)

#honeyworks #sekai wa koi ni ochiteiru #natsukawa tsubomi #sakurai misaki #akutsu kaname #project sekoi: wind ensemble stars #instant ramen instructions comprehensions

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deus-ex-mona · 3 years ago

Text

Sekai wa Koi ni Ochiteiru: chord 4

Hi, this is Chapter 4 of the Sekai wa Koi ni Ochiteiru novel!

Kaname denseness index for this part: ♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎

Previous part (chord 3)

Next part (chord 5)

~Misaki’s Feelings~

During the homeroom period on the day of the closing ceremony, Ms. Yagi handed out report cards to the students. Misaki’s classmates were more excited than usual as Summer vacation would commence from the next day onwards.

“Listen up, you guys! I’ll be heading for the peak of Mount Everest from tomorrow onwards, so even if you tried to contact me, the radio waves won’t be able to reach me. Even if you get in trouble with the police, don’t tell them the name of the school, as well as my phone number. Got it?!”

“Yeees!” someone replied cheerfully, causing laughter to erupt amongst the students. Kaname was also laughing as he chatted with the boys seated in front of him.

(Kaname… huh.)

Just as Tsubomi had said, most of the girls in the class referred to Kaname by his first name. Kaname himself did not seem to care much about it as well.

(If I called him by his first name, would I get a little closer to him?)

Misaki absently wrote “Kaname” down on her memo pad. Immediately gaining a sense of embarrassment for the word that she had just written, she hurriedly folded the memo.

Misaki shoved the note into her pencil case and secretly glanced at Kaname. As if he had noticed her gaze, Kaname turned towards her, to which she quickly turned away.

Then, something hit Misaki’s head. When she took a look at it, it was a piece of paper, which had been torn out of a notebook, that was folded into a small paper plane. There was only one person who could have been the sender.

The corners of Kaname’s lips lifted a little as he returned to conversing with the boys.

When she opened the paper plane---.

“Do you have anything on today?”

Misaki took out a new memo pad.

“Nope? Why?”

After looking around once, Misaki reached out and tugged on Kaname’s shirt. Still facing the front, Kaname reached behind himself to receive the memo from Misaki.

(Is something happening today?)

“See you again at the opening ceremony of the second semester… Stay healthy, you guys,” Ms. Yagi said seriously as she left the classroom with a final command. “Dismissed!”

Everyone in the class stood up, as though they had been waiting for that moment.

“Kaname, what are you gonna do today?”

Several boys gathered at Kaname’s seat and began to chatter excitedly. Owing to that, Misaki was unable to get close enough to him to hand over the memo from earlier.

(I’ll hand it to him later, I guess…)

Misaki thought as she packed her textbooks and notebooks into her bag, when Kaname called out to her.

“Sakurai. Will you be attending club activities today? It seems to be individual practice though.”

“I’m skipping today. I’m going somewhere with Tsubomi.”

“Hmm… Ah, it’s fine then. I’ll contact you later,” Kaname said as he headed towards the door with the other boys.

“Yeah…” Misaki nodded, though her reply came too late for Kaname to hear it.

(Is everyone going somewhere?)

As Misaki stood up from her seat, the pencil case she had forgotten on her desk fell to the floor.

(Ah, whoa!)

Misaki picked up her scattered stationery and put all of it back into her pencil case. She tossed it into her bag and made to leave her seat.

“Sakurai, you seemed to have dropped something?”

The boys who were talking beside her bent over and picked something up. It was the memo that Misaki had stashed away in her pencil case.

“Aaah!!” Misaki instinctively jumped forward in her hurry to retrieve the memo.

“What is it, what is it?” the boys smirked. “Would it be bad if we saw this? What did you write on it?”

“Nothing, so give it back!” Misaki reached out towards the boy. He raised his arm to avoid Misaki’s grasp and threw the memo to another boy.

“Could it be that she was planning on asking Kaname out?”

“Come to think of it, Sakurai and Kaname always pass notes to each other.”

Misaki’s expression hardened as the words of the boys infiltrated her ears. Her heart started to pound wildly as she gripped her skirt with her clammy hands.

“Eh, are the rumours that the two of them are dating really true?” one of the boys commented.

“Eh, you’re kidding!” the surrounding girls jumped in as well.

“That’s not true at all…” Misaki spoke up in an attempt to get rid of the misunderstanding. However, despite her intentions, her words were voiced in a pathetically quiet register.

“Her face is bright red!” the boys began to laugh at the sight of Misaki’s face as she stood stock-still.

Misaki teared up as she found herself recalling the boys that had made fun of her in Middle School. If she cried, she would definitely be laughed at. She had no choice but to tolerate it---.

Raising her face, Misaki glared at the boy. “Please return that to me!”

“What did you write on it?” the boys who had gathered around began to open the memo.

(If they see that…)

“Stop it! Don’t look at it,” Misaki found herself yelling as her face paled.

“You wrote something like ‘Kaname, I love you~’, right?”

“No!!” Misaki’s raised voice echoed throughout the classroom. “I’m not dating Akutsu, and I don’t love him at all!! We just talk because we’ve been classmates since the First Year and because we’re in the same club. Our notes are just about our club activities… It’s a nuisance to be misunderstood that I’m in love with him, so stop it!!”

Misaki definitely did not want to be laughed at like this, nor did she want Kaname to find out about her feelings for him. Kaname would be displeased if he were to be teased about this as well.

Moreover, this was just a one-sided unrequited love on Misaki’s part---.

“I hate boys… Each and every single one of you!!!” Misaki spat out loudly.

The classroom quietened down to the point where one could hear a pin drop. It was the sound of an opening door that broke the silence.

“Ah… Kaname…” the girl who was closest to the door called out.

Misaki froze in shock.

Everyone’s gaze shifted towards the door.

Kaname silently looked around the classroom until his eyes landed on Misaki.

Misaki’s breath hitched in her throat, clasping her hand against her chest.

(Did he hear what was said…)

“...What’re you doing?” Kaname asked quietly. However, everyone else just exchanged looks of confusion with each other.

“No, nothing…” one of the boys eventually replied in feigned innocence.

Kaname entered the classroom and headed straight for the group of boys, removing the memo from their hands. He turned around with the memo in his hand and made to leave the classroom just like that.

Even after the door was slammed shut, a terribly awkward atmosphere lingered in the classroom.

(He’s angry… He definitely heard what was said earlier.)

“Akutsu… Wait… Wait!!” Misaki rushed out of the classroom in pursuit of Kaname. Running out into the corridor, she called out to his back. “Akutsu!”

“About earlier…”

When Misaki finally caught up to Kaname’s side, he stopped walking and pressed the memo from earlier against her. The memo remained folded into quarters, and did not appear to have been opened.

“Sakurai, even though we’ve been talking all this while… you’ve really been thinking of me as a nuisance the entire time.”

“That’s not true at all!!” Misaki shook her head furiously. However, Kaname did not meet her eyes, a severe expression on his face.

“It’s fine if you hate me, just say it to my face. Just, don’t talk to me anymore…” Kaname spat coldly as he quickly walked away.

Even though she wanted to give chase to him, even though she had to give chase to him, Misaki’s legs refused to move from the spot, leaving her standing there in Kaname’s wake.

(I don’t hate you…)

Misaki was happy to talk to Kaname. She had never thought of him as a nuisance.

(That’s wrong, hey, wait… listen to me.)

Misaki watched with tearful eyes as Kaname walked further away into the distance.

(I’m begging you, please listen to me…)

(Akutsu, I…)

Misaki crushed the memo in her hand.

A name that she could not call out.

Feelings that she could not say aloud.

Just a feeling of regret for the words that had been misunderstood by the other---.

Lacking just a little courage, the important words were unable to be conveyed.

Building up in her chest… her tears were about to spill out.

✿~♪~✿

Misaki ran up the stairs to the school rooftop, unwilling to let anyone see her crying face. No other students were there aside from her.

Closing the door behind her, Misaki sat down on the spot.

(What should I do… What should I do?)

“It’s a nuisance to be misunderstood that I’m in love with him, so stop it!!”

(I said something horrible about Akutsu…)

She hated being teased, so she had blurted out those words unthinkingly. Those words of hers pierced deeply into her chest.

(Even though it was a lie that I’m not in love with him…)

Kaname probably would have felt uncomfortable if he had known the truth. He may also have come to hate her because of it.

(No, he wouldn’t have hated me… he was just fed up.)

“Just, don’t talk to me anymore…”

Recalling the words that Kaname had spoken, hot tears welled up in Misaki’s eyes. Her tears flowed down onto the back of her hand.

Misaki gripped her skirt with her hands.

It had been the first time that Kaname had spoken to her in such a way. He did not even listen to what she had to say. That was how furious he had been.

(He may really not talk to me any more…)

She wanted to resolve the misunderstanding. She wanted to express her true feelings, especially the fact that she was not actually not in love with him.

The truth was—-

Misaki covered her mouth with her hands as her chest clenched painfully. Her vision was blurred due to her tears, and everything looked hazy to her.

(The truth is… that’s not it at all…)

Misaki wondered just how long she should continue to harbour feelings for Kaname. She knew that she would be unable to hide them from him. She did not want to lie to him any longer.

Squeezing her eyes shut, large teardrops rolled down her cheeks.

“—-you’re not going to confess to him?”

Misaki heard Tsubomi’s words echo in the back of her mind.

She wondered what she would do if her confession was not reciprocated. She wondered what she would do if her words were to be brushed off as an insincere comment.

(I’m sure that if I were to tell him… Akutsu, who has been unaware of my feelings all this while, would probably be surprised if I suddenly confessed to him. He would definitely have a troubled expression on his face too.)

However, if she did not tell him her true feelings, Kaname would continue to misunderstand her.

Misaki did not like that outcome. She wanted Kaname to know of her true feelings properly—-.

Even if she were to be turned down, her feelings would not disappear. She would not lose anything at all.

(I’ll just have to go back to the beginning…)

Misaki wiped her tears and stood up.

“Alright!” she slapped her own cheeks to pump herself up. She looked up at the vast, clear sky with her still slightly damp eyes.

She cried as much as she possibly could.

She had also finished tuning her heart.

She would “restart” from here on out again—-.

~Tsubomi’s Feelings~

“See ya, Tsubomi.”

“Yup, see you!” Tsubomi waved as she parted ways with the girl from another class that she had been talking to in the corridor.

(Summer vacation begins tomorrow, so I need to pack up my personal belongings in the music department room…)

When Tsubomi turned and began to walk towards the music department room, she heard Misaki’s panicked voice call out. “Wait!!”

Tsubomi looked behind to see Misaki leaving the classroom to chase after Kaname.

(The two of them are always together, huh…)

It was a familiar sight to see, but Tsubomi felt her heart clench for some reason.

(Huh, what was that… just now…)

Tsubomi had felt a little strange as of late. She had been feeling oddly restless and antsy. As she walked, she touched her hot cheeks. “Have I… caught a cold?”

When she reached the infirmary, the nurse was out, having left for a staff meeting. There was no one else in the infirmary, and the wind that blew in through the window caused the curtains to billow out a little.

Borrowing a thermometer that was on the desk, Tsubomi sat down onto a bed. Measuring her temperature, she found it to be 36.2°C.

“Huh, that’s kinda strange, I’m at a normal temperature…” Tsubomi placed a hand on her forehead.

(I feel like it’s kinda hot, though.)

She had definitely been feeling strange as of late.

Tsubomi laid down onto the bed, with things as they were.

“How about you, Natsukawa? Have you ever fallen for a guy?”

“You don’t want to fall in love?”

(Why am I remembering such a thing now…?)

Tsubomi gripped the sheets tightly.

Something seemed to be wrong with the two of them earlier. Kaname had left Misaki behind as he quickly went on ahead, and Misaki had also been looking downwards.

(Maybe something happened…)

Misaki seemed depressed. Tsubomi wondered if she should have called out to her.

Tsubomi heard a sound from the pocket of her skirt, signalling the arrival of a text message. When she took out her phone, still lying down on the bed, she noted that the message was not from Misaki, but from Kaname instead.

“What are your plans for the fireworks festival, Natsukawa?”

When Tsubomi saw the message, she remembered that she had yet to give Kaname a reply. The fireworks festival seemed to be happening later that day.

“Did you invite Misaki?”

A message responding to her reply was returned after a while.

“No, not yet. She’ll probably refuse my invitation if I asked her anyway. You invite her, Natsukawa.”

Immediately following the message was a sticker reading “Please!”.

After a beat of hesitation, Tsubomi replied with a sticker of her own, which read “OK!”.

“Thank you!” read the sticker sent by Kaname, which put an end to their texting chain.

“I wonder what happened…?”

Tsubomi had intended to send a text message to Misaki, but her hand stopped in the middle of drafting it.

(I should ask her directly…)

Thinking along those lines, Tsubomi got out of the bed.

Returning the thermometer to the desk, she left the infirmary.

✿~♪~✿

Tsubomi met Misaki at the main entrance of the school before leaving the school building together.

Misaki was less talkative than she usually was, and she had seemed somewhat absent-minded. She really was less energetic than usual.

“What happened with him today?” Tsubomi found herself asking as they left the main gate.

Misaki, who had been looking at the ground, raised her face. “Eh?”

“I saw you chasing Kaname down the corridor.”

“Ah, we kinda got into a fight…” Misaki smiled awkwardly, putting a hand behind her head.

“It’s unusual for you to fight with Kaname, Misaki.”

“I… guess so?”

“Yup, you’re always on good terms with each other. What’s wrong? Something about our club activities?” Tsubomi asked. Misaki hesitated before opening her mouth.

“Akutsu misunderstood something that I said… That’s why we got into a fight. But, I just can’t leave it as it is, so I want to talk to him properly,” Misaki replied with a serious, straightforward gaze.

“I see…” Tsubomi looked down.

(Misaki is amazing…)

Misaki always faced her own feelings head-on, gave proper answers, and tried to move forward.

“Words are hard, aren’t they?” Tsubomi mumbled.

Misaki had a lot of things to convey to Kaname. When she tried to put it into words, things did not work out, she was misunderstood by him, and their feelings were misaligned---.

“It’d be easier if you could just convey your thoughts to another person, like telepathy!” Misaki yelled in frustration as she looked up at the sky.

“That’s hard too in its own way, no? Especially if you convey weird thoughts to the other person. Something like ‘Ah, I wanna eat a bucketful of pudding.’, for instance?”

“I’ve also had thoughts about sleeping on a fluffy cream puff instead of a bed!”

“If you accidentally convey a thought like that, Kaname will be laughing at you all day long.”

“I wish I could convey only the thoughts that I want to convey.”

(I really think so too…)

Tsubomi and Misaki looked at each other and laughed together.

“Boys like events more than they like girls, don’t they?”

“Eh, is that so?”

“Speaking of that, I told you that Kaname’s going to the fireworks festival today as well, so keep an eye out for him,” Tsubomi spoke lightly as she patted Misaki’s back.

“Yeah!! I’ll do my best,” Misaki clenched her fists and nodded. Then, she asked a question of her own. “How about you, Tsubomi? What are your plans for the fireworks festival?”

“I’ll… pass,” Tsubomi looked down at her feet, feeling a small pain in her chest.

(I can’t go…)

“I mean, Summer vacation starts tomorrow, right? I’m going to bed early tonight to prepare for the radio calisthenics,” Tsubomi smiled like she usually did as she turned to face Misaki.

“Eeh, Tsubomi, you do radio calisthenics?!”

“I was asked by the Chairman of the neighbourhood association to be on stamp duty, so I have no choice but to do it. After that, I also have Bon dance practice.”

“That sounds hard.”

“I really think so too. I don’t want my dad to just take it easy. As his daughter, I have a duty to fulfill that by pushing him harder. Wanna do it together, Misaki?”

“I’m fine! I can’t get up early in the morning anyway,” Misaki flailed her hands around in protest.

Tsubomi giggled softly. “I can’t go, but… be sure to make up with Kaname properly, okay, Misaki?”

“Yeah…”

“You’ve got to look cute for it. It’s a fireworks festival. Wearing a jersey with sandals won’t cut it.”

“I’d just look like Yagi, then! I won’t ever go out like that, no matter what.”

“Ahahaha,” Tsubomi laughed out loud.

Their teacher, Ms. Yagi, was a Physical Education teacher. As such, she wore a jersey year-round, along with rubber sandals. Such a look had completely become her trademark.

“I wonder if that’s really true. I’m kinda worried because you’re occasionally careless, Misaki.”

“I’ll be okay today! I’m totally pumped for it,” Misaki answered, her head held high.

Tsubomi stepped forward towards Misaki. “Why not wear a yukata, then?”

“A yukata?!”

“You have one too, right, Misaki?”

When they were Middle School students, they had bought their yukatas together. They had planned to go to the Summer festival together, though their plans fell through because Misaki fell ill with a fever.

“Isn’t this the best time to wear it? I’m sure that Kaname and his friends would change clothes before going to the fireworks festival?” Tsubomi said.

Misaki visibly hesitated. “If… you say so.”

“I know so. It’ll be okay. I’m sure it’ll all work out for you, Misaki,” Tsubomi linked her arm with Misaki’s as she spoke.

“Tsubomi. Um…”

“Hm?”

“Thank you!” Misaki smiled shyly.

“Yup,” Tsubomi smiled in return.

Tsubomi was still unaware of her true feelings---.

#honeyworks #sekai wa koi ni ochiteiru #sakurai misaki #akutsu kaname #natsukawa tsubomi #project sekoi: wind ensemble stars #instant ramen instructions comprehensions

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deus-ex-mona · 3 years ago

Text

Sekai wa Koi ni Ochiteiru: chord 9

Hi, this is Chapter 9 of the Sekai wa Koi ni Ochiteiru novel!

Kaname denseness index for this part: ♥︎♥︎♥︎♡♡

Previous part (chord 8)

Next part (epilogue)

~Misaki’s Feelings~

After the Cultural Festival had ended, the festive mood lingered among the students for a while.

It was in the beginning of December when the students finally returned to their usual routines. The classrooms were now heated, and the windows were slightly frosted over. The weather forecast that morning had reported that snow would start to fall earlier than usual that year.

Speaking of it, Misaki was---.

“Eh?! Why?!” Tsubomi, who was seated across the desk from Misaki with a meat bun in her hand, looked at her in surprise. As classes had ended for the day, only Misaki and Tsubomi remained in the classroom.

“Why aren’t the two of you dating yet?! You confessed to him, right?!” Tsubomi asked, leaning forward across the desk.

“Yeah…” Misaki nodded a little.

“Akutsu accepted your confession, didn’t he?!”

Ever since the day of the Cultural Festival, Tsubomi had started to refer to Kaname as “Akutsu”.

Misaki talked to Kaname like they usually did, and they often hung out together, but she still felt like there was a distance between them. When Tsubomi looked at her in such a way, a pain inevitably blossomed in Misaki’s chest.

“That’s, well, I don’t know it myself…” Misaki mumbled.

Tsubomi stared at her, resignation evident in her eyes.

Misaki shrugged and bit into her own meat bun to avoid the awkward atmosphere. As she had just bought it, the meat bun was still warm.

“I told him that I love him, but Kaname hasn’t said it back to me… We haven’t talked about things like dating at all… so I don’t think that we’re dating. We haven’t gone out on dates either.”

They passed memos during class, and they walked to the train station together. The relationship between Misaki and Kaname had not changed much from before.

“Ah, but I’m satisfied with this! Yup. We talk a lot when we’re at school, and we sometimes eat lunch together.”

“What about the weekends? Isn’t that just because of club activities? Geez, just what are you doing? Even though I was so embarrassed to publicly declare that I had my heart broken,” Tsubomi sighed heavily as she sat back upright in her chair.

“Sorry…” Misaki apologised softly.

Tsubomi flicked her forehead. “You’re concerned about it again.”

“I-I’m not!”

“I’ve recovered from it. I don’t like the idea that the reason why you and Akutsu aren’t going out is because of me.”

“Yeah… I know. Whether we’re dating or not… I’m still not sure yet. If we became boyfriend and girlfriend, I wonder if anything would change from the way it is now… or something…”

Kaname knew that Misaki was in love with him. She was satisfied with just that.

Misaki reflected on that day when she had been so depressed, with the thought that she had lost everything, along with the thought of the possibility of being unable to talk with the two of them any longer. The fact that she was still able to talk to both Tsubomi and Kaname without anything changing between them was like a miracle to her.

“You don’t have any desires, do you, Misaki?”

“That’s not it at all! I have many things I want. I always have thoughts about going out to eat ramen together, or about eating meat buns together, or about eating lunch that Kaname had made!”

“That’s all food-related, though. I’m not talking about that kind of desires, you know? There’s more. Like wanting to walk home while holding hands, or wanting to get a little physically closer to each other.”

“I have… thought about things like that, but…” Misaki’s face reddened as she shrank into herself.

“It’ll be Christmas soon, so why not go over to his house?”

“I can’t just go over! Kaname’s probably spending it with his family.”

“He said that his parents won’t be back till New Year’s Day. He’ll be having a lonely Christmas together with his little sister Moe, you know? He’ll be happy if you go over, Misaki.”

“But I’ll just be a nuisance to him, I’m sure of it!”

“You won’t,” Tsubomi said bluntly with a smile. “You definitely won’t be. So, just go.”

“Are you… sure?”

“And while you’re there, you can kiss him.”

“No way, I can’t do that! We’re not dating or anything.”

“With that said, I think I’ll steal your first kiss, Misaki,” Tsubomi stood up from her seat and leaned forwards.

“Eh, wait, Tsubomi?!”

As Tsubomi got closer to her, Misaki tried to escape in a flustered frenzy. Her chair tilted backwards, being on the verge of toppling over.

Tsubomi grinned as she put her hand on the desk and looked at Misaki. “There’s my chance!”

“Aaah!”

The chair and the desk fell over with a clatter, bringing Misaki and Tsubomi down to the floor with them.

“Tsubomi!”

“Ahahahahahahaha, I’m sorry. It’s just that you were too cute, Misaki!” Tsubomi clutched her stomach as she laughed, pinning Misaki beneath her.

“Are you guys being lovey-dovey with each other again…?”

When Misaki looked up in surprise, she saw Kaname looking down at them with a complicated expression on his face. She had no idea when he had entered the classroom.

(Did he overhear our conversation from earlier?!)

“Aaah!” Misaki screeched in embarrassment. “Ka-ka-kaname!”

“It’s because you won’t make a move, Akutsu,” Tsubomi laughed as she propped the desk upright. “There we go!”

“Anyway, the club advisor, Micchi, is calling for you, new Club Prez.”

“Ah, that’s right!”

The previous month, the Third Year students had retired from the Wind Ensemble Club. When they stepped down, Tsubomi became the new Club President, with Kaname being her Vice-President. Thus, the two of them had become rather busy.

“Sorry, Misaki. It’ll probably take a while, so head back first, okay?”

“Eh, I can wait for you, though?”

“It’ll take really long, so you can’t! So with that, Akutsu, be sure to take good care of Misaki!” Tsubomi beamed and dashed out of the classroom.

Left behind in the classroom, Misaki and Kaname instinctively looked at each other.

“You heard her. So, what do you want to do, Misaki?”

He did not call her ‘Sakurai’--- but ‘Misaki’.

After the Cultural Festival, Kaname had started to call her by her first name. Kaname had always been referred to as “Kaname” by other girls, but he did not call any of them by their first names in return.

(I wonder if it’s okay for me to have expectations… He’s treating me a little specially, isn’t he…)

Spacing out as she thought about the good things that had happened to her, Misaki found that her gaze had subconsciously drifted towards Kaname’s lips.

“And while you’re there---”

Tsubomi’s words suddenly crossed her mind.

The moment Kaname’s eyes met hers, her face immediately heated up.

(Ju-just what was I thinking?!!)

“Misaki?” Kaname looked at her suspiciously.

Misaki diverted her gaze away.

“Ah, t-that’s right! Um… what should I do?” she smiled awkwardly, her heart rate accelerating, her body temperature rising.

She knew that she was being overly conscious of it.

However, she wanted to get closer to him---.

Until the distance between them became zero centimetres.

(If Kaname found out that I was thinking about stuff like this, would he laugh at me?)

“Wanna head back together?” Kaname softened his expression.

“Yeah… let’s go,” Misaki replied softly, looking up at him with a shy smile.

~Tsubomi’s Feelings~

Tsubomi, who had left the classroom in a hurry, slowly came to a stop in the middle of the corridor. There were no other students hanging around the corridor. A cold wind blew through it.

When she looked out of the window, she saw a gray, foggy sky spreading out into the horizon.

“I wonder if… it’ll snow…”

The snow would begin to fall, the year would progress, and the snow would melt.

Tsubomi was sure that she would have forgotten the small pain in her chest by the time Spring came around the next year.

When that time came…

She would be able to start a new “love”---.

“Alright, let’s restart!”

Voicing the words that Misaki would habitually say, Tsubomi felt energised and began to smile.

After stretching her body a little, Tsubomi started to walk again.

#honeyworks #sekai wa koi ni ochiteiru #sakurai misaki #natsukawa tsubomi #akutsu kaname #project sekoi: wind ensemble stars #instant ramen instructions comprehensions

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deus-ex-mona · 3 years ago

Text

Sekai wa Koi ni Ochiteiru: chord 8

Hi, this is Chapter 8 of the Sekai wa Koi ni Ochiteiru novel!

Kaname denseness index for this part: ♥︎♥︎♡♡♡

Previous part (chord 7)

Next part (chord 9)

~Tsubomi’s Feelings~

The Cultural Festival had ended, and the post-festival celebrations were about to begin in the courtyard.

Tsubomi headed up the staircase that led to the roof and stopped in front of the door.

(Kaname is already here, isn’t he…)

She could hear the sound of her heartbeat pounding in the depths of her ears.

Taking a deep breath, Tsubomi raised her head and reached for the doorknob.

Pushing the door open, the scene of the bright evening sky graced her eyes. In the middle of it was Kaname, who was standing there by himself.

“Natsukawa?” Kaname turned around upon hearing the sound of the door opening, an expression of bewilderment on his face. He probably had no idea as to why he had been called out.

(Because you’re so dense, I have to spell it all out for you…)

Stepping out from the doorway, Tsubomi ran towards Kaname.

(I’ll tell it to you now---.)

“Eh, hold on, Natsukawa?!”

Tsubomi reached for Kaname’s necktie as he flinched away from her.

She felt their lips lightly press against each other’s. Just for those few seconds, every single sound seemed to have disappeared from their surroundings.

Tsubomi released the necktie in her hands as she slowly opened her closed eyes.

Kaname was staring at her with his eyes wide open. He seemed to have been so surprised, to the point where he was unable to move.

“Natsu…” Kaname tried to call out to her with an unsteady voice.

Tsubomi opened her mouth to cut him off. “These are my feelings for you!”

Her voice was trembling as she conveyed her words to him.

“Eh… ah… eh?!” Kaname mumbled in confusion, raising a hand to cover his mouth. Even his ears had turned bright red.

“Hold on a moment,” Kaname put a hand to his forehead to lift his bangs, exhaling deeply. “You’re joking… aren’t you?”

“I’m not. I’m serious.”

(It’s not a joke. Kissing you was…)

Holding her wind-tousled hair down with one hand, Tsubomi looked straight at Kaname. “Hey… Kaname.”

When she called out to him, Kaname’s expression became serious as well.

“I love you.”

As she confessed, Tsubomi had a slightly tearful expression on her face, despite her smile.

On that day, under the Autumn evening sky, she had made her very first confession to the person that she had fallen in love with for the very first time.

(I want to know everything about you.)

(Hey, won’t you tell me---)

~Misaki’s Feelings~

As the post-festival celebrations started to commence, Misaki went out into the corridor with all her classmates. She stopped walking along the way when she spotted Tsubomi heading towards the roof by herself.

As she remained standing still, someone called out to her. “Misaki, let’s go.”

“Ah, yeah, go on ahead without me,” Misaki replied as she changed her course.

(Tsubomi…)

✿~♪~✿

When Misaki went up the staircase leading to the roof, she saw the sunset through the window.

She saw Tsubomi running towards Kaname, who had been waiting for her.

She saw Tsubomi grab Kaname by his necktie and pull him close---.

Her heart thudded as she looked at the overlapping shadows of the two of them.

Misaki hurriedly turned her back towards the door.

She was unable to hear any conversation take place between the two of them. Their surroundings were enveloped in a peaceful tranquility.

Meanwhile, Misaki was unable to do anything but to look down at the ground.

(I’m such an idiot…)

She should have taken the plunge and confessed to Kaname on the day of the fireworks festival.

She was afraid of destroying the relationship between the three of them, so she had decided to give up on him, or so she said.

But the truth was, she just did not have enough courage to tell him. She did not have the confidence to confess to him and to accept his response, no matter what it was.

However, what scared her the most was the fact that this love of hers was over.

(It’s just as Tsubomi said…)

Even if she had her regrets, it was too late for her.

“That’s why I’ll support you instead, Tsubomi! You’ve helped and supported me, so… If it’s you, Tsubomi, you’d look good with Akutsu. You definitely will! I’m sure that Akutsu… is in love with you too. It’ll work out for you!”

(I really am such an idiot… I couldn’t make a decision at all…)

She lost everything.

Misaki bit her lip as she ran down the stairs without a second look back.

Still, the sight burned into the back of her eyelids did not disappear.

Her precious best friend.

The person she was in love with.

Her first love.

All of it---.

✿~♪~✿

As the Sun set in the sky, the post-festival celebrations were in full swing. The performance of the Light Music Club was audible, even from the school building.

Misaki was sitting alone in her seat in the classroom, the lights turned off.

She opened the notebook that she had retrieved from her desk to look at the memos that she exchanged with Kaname, which were stuck onto its pages. As she read them again, all of the contents of the memos seemed to be rather pointless.

As she laughed at one of Kaname’s drawings, a droplet of water fell onto it.

Misaki cried as though she wanted to empty herself of her feelings. She cried as she tried to forget everything.

(They won’t stop at all… why won’t they stop…)

Misaki gripped the page tightly as she looked down.

“Kaname, I love you.”

Pasted onto a corner of the notebook was a memo that she had been unable to give him on the day of the closing ceremony of the first semester. It got completely soaked as her tears spilled onto it.

“Ka… na… me… Kana… me…”

She continuously repeated the first name that she was unable to call out even once.

Her chest felt as though it was being torn apart. She sobbed as she hugged the notebook.

(It’s your fault that my chest is hurting this much…)

“I love you!! Notice it already, you idiot!!” Misaki screamed with all her might, bursting into loud tears as though she was trying to spit everything out. “Aaaah!”

Her voice seemed to be echoing through the corridor.

Misaki wished that she could just redo everything again.

(Then, I’d be quicker to…)

Tears ran down Misaki’s bitten lips, dripping onto her desk.

“I love… you…”

It had been when she had said as such once again with a choked up voice when it happened.

The door to the classroom suddenly opened with a clatter.

“Um, hey…”

When she heard the cautious voice, Misaki slowly turned around, suppressing her cries in her throat.

“Akutsu…?!” she stood up in shock, her chair rattling noisily as she did so.

(You’re kidding, why?! Why is he here?!)

Misaki’s heartbeat began to pound more quickly, and she found herself to be at a loss for words.

(Just now…)

“Why are you screaming confessions by yourself…? Sakurai,” Kaname awkwardly looked away, rubbing the back of his neck.

(So he heard it after all…)

Misaki’s face turned bright red as she backed away while hugging her notebook. She stumbled when she tripped on her chair.

(I have to say something…)

“A-ah… Akutsu, what about the celebrations?” Misaki quickly opened her mouth, but she was unable to keep the pitiful tone out of her voice.

“You weren’t there, Sakurai, so I was wondering where you’d gone,” Kaname entered the classroom, closing the door behind him.

Misaki uneasily took another step back, only to find her back pressed up against the window.

“Why…?” Misaki asked softly, looking at her feet.

(You don’t have to come looking for me anymore. You… don’t have to be concerned about me anymore.)

Hearing nothing, Misaki came to the conclusion that he had left. Thinking along those lines, she closed her eyes and listened out for the sound of Kaname’s shoes.

“Why, huh…”

Misaki opened her eyes and slowly glanced up. Kaname was leaning on the seat beside hers, looking straight at her. The distance between them was about the length of a desk.

“Are you looking for… Tsubomi?”

“...Natsukawa’s already at the celebrations.”

“Akutsu… you don’t have to be with me, you know? I’m fine, so go over to Tsubomi. I think she’s waiting for you.”

“Why?” Kaname asked back.

Misaki found her words to be stuck in her throat.

(Because the two of you are already…)

“Why do you think that Natsukawa’s waiting for me?” Kaname asked again, in a softer voice than usual.

“Tsubomi… confessed to you, didn’t she?” Misaki continued to speak, averting her eyes from Kaname. “You’ve… started dating… right?”

Her voice sounded like she was on the verge of tears again.

Kaname stared at Misaki without answering her question.

She could hear the sound of a firecracker that someone had set off in the courtyard. It resembled the sound of the fireworks that they had seen together on that day, and--- her chest involuntarily tightened.

“We’re not dating.”

“Eh?” Misaki voiced out in response to Kaname’s words.

“She confessed to me, but… I rejected her,” Kaname smiled awkwardly.

“You’re kidding…” Misaki met his eyes. “You’re kidding… Akutsu, you’re in love with Tsubomi… right…?”

“Well, I don’t hate her for sure. To be honest, I was happy when she confessed to me.”

“Then, why?! Tsubomi… kissed you…”

Kaname’s face turned red before her eyes. “Eh, Sakurai, why do you know about it?!”

Misaki covered her mouth in surprise. Then, she awkwardly averted her gaze a little. “I saw it… but… just a little.”

Kaname held his face with one hand and sighed heavily in resignation. “Hey… are you guys really just messing around with me?”

“No! I just happened to… no, that’s not it… I was just curious… Ah, but I didn’t get a proper look at it! I’ll forget all about it! I’ll pretend that I didn’t see it!” Misaki quietened her voice and apologised. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s why, I… thought that the two of you were dating…”

“So, why were you screaming alone in the classroom instead of going to the celebrations?”

“That’s… not the point…!!” Misaki’s face turned bright red as she frantically scrambled for excuses. However, no matter how much she tried to feign innocence, she was unable to hide her honest feelings.

Misaki ultimately decided to look at Kaname, her eyes brimming with determination.

However, Kaname’s shoulders were shaking as he tried to suppress his laughter. “Sakurai, your face really does look like an apple.”

“I’m trying to say something seriously!!”

“I know,” Kaname softened his expression, placing a hand on Misaki’s head.

Misaki’s breath was caught in her throat as she was pulled forward. Her face met Kaname’s chest.

“I thought that… you’d cry, Sakurai.”

The thumping she heard was not the sound of her own heartbeat. It was Kaname’s heartbeat that she was hearing. She could feel his heat on her face through his shirt.

“That thought came to mind when Natsukawa confessed to me. So… I made sure to reject her properly.”

Misaki scrunched up her face as she pressed it against Kaname’s shirt.

She had been crying so miserably mere moments ago. But now---.

“I… I’m in love with you… Akutsu…”

“Yeah… I heard it earlier. Sakurai, your screams filled the entire corridor.”

“I really love you!!” Misaki repeated tearfully. To her embarrassment, her voice was trembling. “I really… really… love you!”

“I knew that you’d cry, Sakurai,” Kaname wrapped Misaki in his arms.

The moon shone through the window of the classroom, where the two of them were alone with each other---.

~Tsubomi’s Feelings~

On a temporary stage set up in the courtyard, with the performance of the Light Music Club in the background, students were confessing to the people they loved into a microphone. Every time a confession was made, either teasing remarks or cheers rang out from the surrounding students.

The full moon, which looked bigger than usual, illuminated the completely dark sky.

“Yamada, I’m in love with you. Please go out with meeeeee!”

“I’m sorryyyyy! Tanaka’s the one I loveeee!”

“Eh, me?! I’m really sorryyyyy!!”

Excitement rose from the surrounding students at that exchange.

“Everyone’s so stupid!”

“Ahahaha, true that,” Tsubomi laughed loudly as she clapped together with her classmates. However, her hands paused for a moment as her smile faded.

(It’s true…)

“I’m sorry, Natsukawa… I’m sorry…”

“Ah, Tsubomi, Misaki and Kaname are here.”

Tsubomi’s heart skipped a beat at her friend’s words. She turned around to see Misaki and Kaname standing at the back.

“Just what were you up to?” the boys asked. Kaname merely laughed sheepishly in response.

(Misaki…)

Misaki, who was standing next to Kaname, seemed to have noticed Tsubomi as well. Her eyes were a little reddened, a telltale sign that she had been crying.

(Misaki did it… go well for you? You told him, right…?)

Had it not gone well, the two of them would not have arrived together.

Kaname’s feelings had been determined from the very beginning---.

(Even though I knew it…)

“Well, too bad for you!! The next person who wants to scream, please come up!!” a boy from the Light Music Club called out into the microphone.

Secretly clenching her fist, Tsubomi turned to face Misaki, a faint smile on her lips. Then, she returned her attention to the stage and enthusiastically raised her hand. “Me!”

“That cute girl over there!”

When she was pointed at, Tsubomi ran up to the stage, all while having her back be pushed along by her classmates. Misaki looked up at her in shock.

As she stood in front of the microphone, Tsubomi wiped her clammy hands onto her skirt. From the stage, she was able to see all the other students. Kaname, too, was staring at her in surprise.

(So my confession… really ended up becoming a declaration of parting for me.)

After inhaling lightly, Tsubomi looked straight towards the front. “I’m Natsukawa Tsubomi, a Second Year student!!!”

Her voice, which was carried by the speaker, echoed throughout the courtyard.

“Today, I wished to confess to the person I love…”

(Aah, this is no good…)

She had thought that she would be able to smile throughout it all. She thought that she would be able to laugh it off with a smile.

However, she found herself unable to smile at all.

She grabbed her skirt with both of her hands as her uncontrollable tears began to fall.

“Do your best!!!”

Tsubomi laughed a little when someone called out to her.

Raising her head, she was met with the blinding glare of the stage lights. The lights shone into her tearful eyes, and her view of the students standing beneath the stage became hazy.

“...and I was completely… rejected!!!!!” Tsubomi yelled as loudly as she could.

“Eeeeh!” her classmates raised their voices.

After wiping her tears, Tsubomi looked at Kaname only once.

She was okay. She was able to say goodbye to her feelings properly---.

“And with that! I’m currently recruiting a kind boy who’ll be able to comfort me!!” Tsubomi laughed, flashing a peace sign.

Cheers arose from the surrounding students.

Her male classmates all looked back at Kaname at the same time.

“Eh, wha-what?!” Kaname backed away, as though he was about to break into a run.

“The culprit was you!!” Mitsugu, who was still wearing the maid uniform, shouted as he pointed to Kaname.

“Huuh?!”

Mitsugu snatched a megaphone away from a boy who was standing near him.

“Secure the suspect!!”

At Mitsugu’s command, the boys immediately crowded around Kaname.

“Wha- Sasabe, I’ll remember it!!!”

“Kaname, let’s make a run for it!!!” Shuichi grabbed Kaname’s arm as they turned around and ran off. The other boys chased after them, with Mitsugu in the lead, hollering loudly as they went.

Laughing a little at the sight, Tsubomi turned her gaze on Misaki.

“...I’m sorry,” she spoke softly into the microphone. Misaki’s facial expression morphed into one of surprise.

Misaki, who was standing below the stage, looked up at Tsubomi with moist eyes. Her lips seemed to be moving, as though to call out her name. “Tsubomi.”

Tsubomi laughed, feeling a little refreshed.

She was glad that it had ended like that---.

She was just happy to be able to think that from the bottom of her heart.

“Tsubomi…” Misaki squeezed between the other students as she ran towards the stage. “Tsubomi!!!”

Tsubomi caught Misaki with both hands as she jumped out towards her. The both of them stumbled a little and sat down on the spot.

“Me too, I’m sorry… I’m so sorry!!”

Tsubomi draped an arm around Misaki’s back as she cried. “Misaki… can I still continue to be your best friend?”

“Yeah… we’ll be best friends forever and ever. I love you!”

(I see… I guess all’s well, then.)

Contented, Tsubomi leaned against Misaki’s shoulder.

“Congrats, Misaki.”

Those were the words that she had always wanted to say.

(I’m finally able to say them---)

No matter how many more months passed in the near future, Tsubomi knew that her memories of that day would never fade.

She would be able to recall them in vivid detail forever.

The sad occurrences, the happy events, all of it.

As though it was a page filled with unforgettable memories of that emotional day---.

#honeyworks #sekai wa koi ni ochiteiru #natsukawa tsubomi #akutsu kaname #sakurai misaki #project sekoi: wind ensemble stars #instant ramen instructions comprehensions

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deus-ex-mona · 3 years ago

Text

Sekai wa Koi ni Ochiteiru: chord 7

Hi, this is Chapter 7 of the Sekai wa Koi ni Ochiteiru novel!

Kaname denseness index for this part: ♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎♡

Previous part (chord 6)

Next part (chord 8)

~Tsubomi’s Feelings~

By the time they left the school after finishing the preparations for the Cultural Festival, the Sun had already set, and stars were twinkling amidst the clouds.

Tsubomi and Misaki slowly walked side by side along the path towards the train station.

“The rice balls Kaname made were delicious, right?” Tsubomi recalled.

“Yeah,” Misaki nodded, her gaze trained up at the sky above.

Tsubomi walked forward and tilted her head to look into Misaki’s face. “Did something happen?”

“Eh?! Ah, no. It’s just that I’m wondering if I ate too many rice balls,” Misaki laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.

(So something really did happen…)

Tsubomi could see that Misaki was depressed. On the other hand, Kaname looked like he normally did.

“What happened while you were out shopping? What did you talk about with Kaname?”

“We talked about normal things… like about club activities and the Cultural Festival.”

“Is that all? Even though you were alone with him? You made no progress at all?”

“We were busy going around the different shops here and there.”

“You should have confessed to him while you were at it,” Tsubomi joked.

Misaki suddenly stopped walking. “I won’t ever confess to him!”

As soon as the strong words left her mouth, Misaki closed her mouth, as though she was surprised by what she had said. She looked around awkwardly, as if to distract herself.

Silence fell between the two of them for a short moment.

“...Misaki, you’re weird.”

“Eh? Why?!”

“You’re really weird. Could it be that you’re being considerate of me?”

“That’s not it at all!”

“That’s exactly it, right?!” Tsubomi yelled. Misaki flinched in shock.

(So that really was the case…)

Tsubomi heaved a sigh and looked straight at Misaki. “You’re being cautious of both Kaname and me, right?”

“That’s not…”

“Then, why aren’t you confessing to him?”

“It’s not that easy to say something like that… You see, you need to find the right timing to say it!” Misaki tried to say brightly, though her facial expression remained tense.

“That’s wrong, isn’t it? Misaki, if I didn’t tell you that I was in love with Kaname too, you would have already confessed to him, right?”

“That’s not true… I’m sure that I wouldn’t be able to say…” Misaki looked down, sounding as though she was on the verge of tears.

“You thought that I’d be hurt if your confession went well.”

“It’d be more likely to go well for you instead of me, Tsubomi!”

“You really think so…?”

“I’m fine! I’m just happy to be friends with Akutsu and you, Tsubomi. I love Akutsu, but dating him, or becoming boyfriend and girlfriend with him… I don’t think of such things at all… I mean, it’s impossible for me…” Misaki’s voice gradually became smaller and smaller, as if her confidence was seeping out of her.

“I see…”

(Misaki doesn’t want to destroy what we have. She doesn’t want to destroy it, so she has chosen to give up instead.)

“Shouldn’t have said that,” Tsubomi muttered as she listened to Misaki’s frantic ramblings.

“...Eh?”

(I shouldn’t have said that I’m in love with Kaname…)

Somewhere within her heart, Tsubomi knew that Misaki would have made such a choice. Even so, she did not want to blame herself for expressing her own feelings on the roof during their Summer vacation.

She did not want to spit lies to both herself and Misaki---.

“I understand how you feel, Misaki,” Tsubomi exhaled deeply before facing Misaki again. The night breeze tousled her hair as it blew past them.

“Tsubomi…”

“I’m going to confess to Kaname,” Tsubomi declared. Misaki’s eyes widened.

(See? You really were being impatient when you said that you were going to support me.)

Tsubomi knew that it was not that easy to give up.

(I mean, you love him, don’t you? If you really were serious about him… I don’t think you’d give up on him so easily.)

“Really…?”

“Misaki, if you won’t do it, I will. Because I love him. I really do love him! I don’t want to yield him to you, Misaki. I get really envious when I see the two of you getting along with each other. Even today, I actually wanted to go out to shop with Kaname. Also, did you know that I was there on the day of the fireworks festival?”

“...Eh?” Misaki’s eyes wavered uneasily.

“Misaki, when I saw you with Kaname, I thought that you had confessed and that it had gone well for you. Back then, I really regretted not noticing my feelings for him sooner. But, when I heard that you couldn’t confess to him, I was relieved. The two of you weren’t dating yet… I might still have a chance!” Tsubomi raised her voice as she gripped the ribbon of her school uniform.

(Misaki is unfair…)

Even though Misaki was the closest to him. Even though she had many chances to confess to him. If she had a little more courage, her dream might have come true.

Looking down, Tsubomi bit her trembling lips strongly.

As tranquility returned to the pathway beneath the night sky, the two of them continued to face each other. The headlights of a passing car illuminated them for a brief moment.

“...Are you surprised? You had no idea that I felt this way, did you?” Tsubomi asked, a slightly bitter smile tugging at her lips.

Misaki remained silent, a tearful expression on her face.

“Sorry, Misaki. But… I don’t want to give up.”

“Tsubomi!”

Tsubomi began to run, brushing off Misaki’s voice.

(Hey, Misaki. We had a lot of fun together, didn’t we?)

They had talked about various things. They had many sleepovers, during which, despite growing tired, they were unable to stop talking to each other. They had eaten gelato and gone shopping together on their way back from school.

Tsubomi had spent more time with Misaki than she did with her own family.

After they had started attending High School, Kaname joined them, and they often hung out as a trio.

When she noticed it, she realised that she had been taking it for granted. Laughing together as a group of three every day had become the most important thing for her.

(If possible, I want to be with the two of them forever…)

Tsubomi was afraid of the thought of losing everything. If it was possible for everything to remain the same, she would have wanted it to remain the same.

However, if she chose to let things remain as they were instead of expressing her own feelings, she was sure that she would come to regret it.

(That’s why it simply won’t do if you don’t step forward, Misaki.)

Even if it were to destroy the relationship that they currently had---.

~Misaki’s Feelings~

When Misaki arrived at school on the day of the Cultural Festival, she noticed that the corridors and the classrooms were decorated and that the preparations were complete. Students dressed in costumes were walking around the corridor, talking excitedly with each other.

When Misaki entered the classroom, she saw that Tsubomi was already there.

“I’m going to confess to Kaname.”

(Is she really going to… do it?)

Tsubomi was laughing and chatting happily with everyone, like she usually did. Misaki listened to her voice as she looked at her from a distance, when she found herself hit on the shoulder from behind.

When Misaki turned around, Kaname had just entered the classroom as well.

“Morning, Sakurai.”

“Ah, y-yeah, morning!”

When Misaki returned the greeting, Kaname walked past her, looking rather sleepy. He headed straight for Tsubomi.

“Natsukawa, what time are we going to start bringing the instruments over?”

“Doesn’t it start at 12 o’clock? The Drama Club will be using the stage before that, so we can’t use the wings of the stage till the very last minute.”

“Then, let’s tune the instruments in the music room beforehand.”

Misaki overheard the conversation between them as she remained standing by the door.

Kaname looked back over his shoulder. “So, Sakurai. What are you gonna do in the afternoon?”

“I’m just… gonna eat food, I guess.”

Not knowing how she should face the two of them, Misaki left the classroom, as though she was running away. She squeezed her eyes shut as she hurriedly pushed her way past the students gathering in the corridor.

“Sorry, Misaki. But… I don’t want to give up.”

✿~♪~✿

Even after the afternoon concert had ended, and all of the club members had returned to their classrooms, Misaki remained in the music department room by herself. When she put the music stand and the music score back into the case, which she returned to the shelf, she heard a noise from outside.

There were temporary shops set up in the courtyard, and the students from the athletic clubs seemed to be selling takoyaki and yakisoba.

(Last year, Akutsu, Tsubomi, and I bought and ate various things together…)

Misaki absently recalled those memories as she sat down on a folding chair and rested her cheek in her hand while leaning against a work desk. When she touched the pendulum of a broken metronome that had been left on the desk, it began to tick away. However, it began to slow down in the middle of its movements before coming to an immediate stop.

Tsubomi had already made a resolution in her heart.

(But, what about me…? What do I want to do? What do I want to become?)

Misaki had to make an immediate decision, but she was still at a loss.

“So you were here after all.”

The door to the music department room opened, to Misaki’s surprise. When she looked over at the door, she saw Kaname entering the room.

“Akutsu…”

“Here, for you,” Kaname approached Misaki and put the plastic bag he had in his hand on her head.

Misaki hurriedly caught the plastic bag with both of her hands before it could fall. “Ah, takoyaki…”

She could feel the heat from the freshly made takoyaki, even through the pack.

Kaname grabbed another folding chair and sat down opposite her. “I want to eat it too, so save some for me.”

“Yeah… thank you,” Misaki took out the pack and opened the lid. The pleasant aroma of bonito and sauce wafted out. “Thanks for the food.”

As she spoke, Misaki pierced a takoyaki with a toothpick and lifted it to her mouth. However, it was so hot that it was difficult to eat it all in one bite.

Kaname looked at Misaki as she fanned her mouth while she ate. “Don’t drop it onto the music score.”

Misaki nodded in lieu of a verbal reply.

“Sakurai, what happened between you and Natsukawa?” Kaname suddenly asked.

Misaki swallowed the takoyaki that she had in her mouth. “...Why?”

“Because the two of you aren’t talking to each other.”

“That’s… because we’re busy with preparing for this and that…”

“Hmm, it’s fine, then.”

“Akutsu… if Tsubomi were to…” Misaki closed her mouth as her eyes met Kaname’s.

(I don’t want to ask this…)

If Tsubomi were to confess to him, how would he reply, or something like that---.

As Misaki looked down at her own hands, Kaname tilted his head to prompt her to continue. “What is it?”

“I think that Tsubomi’s… rather amazing,” Misaki smiled as she changed the topic.

During the concert earlier that day, even though Tsubomi had difficult solos to play, she remained calm and played them like she usually did. She also took the initiative in helping out at their class. She had been more energetic than she usually was, and she seemed to have been having fun with Kaname as per normal.

However, Misaki was worried about Tsubomi’s upcoming confession, and was thus unable to concentrate on her performance. She was passing time in the music department room because she did not feel like returning to the classroom and enjoying the Cultural Festival with everyone else. She did not have the confidence to act like she normally did.

“Natsukawa was also acting strange, right?”

“Eh?” Misaki raised her head when she heard Kaname’s words.

“She had played her solo at a faster tempo than usual. She made mistakes in places where she had never made mistakes before. I don’t think the audience noticed it because she hid it well, but… it was the first time that I saw Natsukawa’s hands trembling.”

(Did that happen?)

Misaki had not noticed it at all. During the performance, she was more concerned about ensuring that she did not mess up. Kaname had been watching Tsubomi’s performance properly.

“...She was definitely nervous.”

It was normal for Tsubomi to be unable to maintain her composure. No matter who they were, everyone would be afraid of confessing.

(Such is the case, even for Tsubomi…)

“Natsukawa was? At a Cultural Festival concert?”

“That’s… I mean, her parents came to watch her!”

“Aah… I guess so,” Kaname picked up another toothpick, stabbed it through another takoyaki, and bit into it. “But, I guess even Natsukawa gets nervous, huh.”

“That’s right…”

“Sakurai, you’re always rather nervous. But you were shaking extra hard today, weren’t you?”

“I’m not used to it… I’m not as good as you and Tsubomi.”

“Isn’t it because Natsukawa and I have been playing for a long time? But, you’ve been working hard too, right, Sakurai? If so, why not be proud of yourself? The sounds you make sound better than before. There’s still room for improvement, but…” Kaname tapped Misaki’s head and smiled at her. “You’re playing properly, Sakurai.”

Just from those words of Kaname’s, heat spread throughout Misaki’s body, extending out from the back of her heart, and she subconsciously held a hand against her chest.

Kaname pulled his chair out and stood up as he made to leave the music department room. “Then, I’ll be off.”

“Akutsu!” Misaki called out to him.

Kaname stopped walking and turned around, standing in front of the door. “Hm? What?”

“Has Tsubomi… said anything to you?”

“No, nothing in particular?”

“I see…”

(Tsubomi… after all…)

“Why’d you ask?”

“Ah… um…” Misaki lowered her gaze, her words clogged up in her throat.

“Sakurai?” Kaname raised his eyebrows in curiosity.

“...Sorry, I forgot what I wanted to say,” Misaki smiled sheepishly.

“What’s with that?” Kaname laughed. “Then, see you later.”

“Yeah…”

Kaname walked out into the corridor, letting the door close itself slowly behind him.

The heat in Misaki’s chest turned into pain. She looked up at the ceiling with tears in her eyes. Her vision blurred as tears continued to accumulate in her eyes.

(I don’t want to give up either…)

~Tsubomi’s Feelings~

Having found herself some free time after finishing with helping out at her class, Tsubomi headed for the main entrance of the school.

Misaki had never returned after the concert had ended.

(It’s probably awkward for her to see me face to face… I guess.)

Such a thing could not be helped. The fact that she was being avoided, that is.

Tsubomi knew that it would happen as a result of her own choice.

Tsubomi took a deep breath in front of the shoe lockers and raised her head.

Even so, she had made her decision.

“Please come to the rooftop after school.”

Tsubomi checked the memo over again before folding it. She placed it atop Kaname’s shoes.

As she made her retreat, Kaname, who had come down the stairs, passed by her and called out to her. “Huh, Natsukawa?”

Tsubomi found herself unable to give him a reply. She just ran past him and rushed up the stairs.

When she reached the deserted corridor on the third floor, she leaned against the wall and tried to catch her breath. The hand that she had on her chest was trembling a little. She pulled it away from her chest and looked down at it.

“How unlike me…” she muttered, smiling awkwardly.

Even during the concert, she had messed up her solo. Her hands had trembled, and her fingers did not move the way she wanted them to. Fortunately, no one else seemed to have been aware of it, but Kaname would have definitely realised it.

Even at a music competition, she had never been this nervous.

(It really is scary after all… Misaki.)

Tsubomi did not know that confessing required this much courage.

Even though she had always told Misaki “Why not confess to him?” as though it was so easy to do so.

She had felt rather impatient as she watched Misaki fret and hesitate over confessing. However, when it came to herself, she felt rather timid, barely suppressing the urge to run away.

Tsubomi took out the lip gloss that she had bought at the shopping mall from her pocket. It had become something like a lucky charm for her. She held it in her hand.

“How about you, Natsukawa? Have you ever fallen for a guy?”

(I have…)

Now, she was able to--- answer him as such.

~Kaname’s Feelings~

As Kaname headed for the main entrance with Shuichi, Tsubomi passed by them. He turned back to look at her. “Huh, Natsukawa?”

He called out to her, but Tsubomi went up the stairs without giving him a reply, despite the fact that she should have heard him.

(Natsukawa and Sakurai… have both been acting strange?)

“Aku-chan!!”

Mitsugu’s voice suddenly rang out, and Kaname found himself tackled in a hug from the side.

“Ugh, Sasabe! What do you want? Wait… what’s with that get-up?”

As Mitsugu clung to Kaname, he stared up at him with tearful eyes. “Listen to this, Aku-chan. When I went to the Third Years’ maid cafe, there weren’t the cute older girls that I was expecting, but there were buff Rugby Club boys and pudgy Sumo Club boys wearing tight maid uniforms instead!”

“Ah… I see. Sounds like a disaster.”

(I mean, what an amazingly pointless story.)

“To make matters worse, it wasn’t a maid-run cafe. It’s a cafe that turns its customers into maaaaaaaaids!!”

“Ah, hey. You’re noisy and your story’s confusing, and don’t wipe your face on my uniform!” Kaname tried to push Mitsugu, who was wearing a frilly maid uniform and had a hairband on his head, away from him.

“Ah, it’s Sasabe. He’s wearing a maid uniform.”

“It’s really true. Ahaha, it suits you, Sasabe.”

The girls who passed by mocked Mitsugu and started to take pictures of him with their phones.

Mitsugu immediately stopped crying and began to squirm. “Eh, what? Could it be that I’m popular with girls for the first time in my life?! Hey, Aku-chan, Shuichi, I have a feeling that my time has come? I’ll be going off for a bit!!”

Eyes sparkling, Mitsugu jumped towards the girls. Surrounded by the girls, he made a pose of self-satisfaction as they took pictures together.

“He looks pretty cute, doesn’t he…”

“Don’t tell that to Sasabe. If you’re the one to say that, Shuichi, he’ll be traumatised,” Kaname smiled awkwardly as he made his way towards the main entrance with Shuichi.

When he tried to take his sneakers out of his shoe locker, he noticed that there was a memo placed on them and picked it up.

(...Natsukawa?)

Kaname looked up and glanced at the corridor.

Misaki gave him memos often, but it was rare to receive one from Tsubomi. If she needed him for something, she would usually send him a text message.

(Am I needed for something important?)

“What’s up?”

“Ah, nothing…” Kaname shoved the memo into the pocket of his pants and retrieved his sneakers. After changing his shoes, he left through the main entrance.

He would find out what he was needed for later.

He found himself thinking as such.

#honeyworks #sekai wa koi ni ochiteiru #natsukawa tsubomi #sakurai misaki #akutsu kaname #project sekoi: wind ensemble stars #instant ramen instructions comprehensions

7 notes · View notes

deus-ex-mona · 3 years ago

Text

Sekai wa Koi ni Ochiteiru: chord 6

Hi, this is Chapter 6 of the Sekai wa Koi ni Ochiteiru novel!

Kaname denseness index for this part: ♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎

Previous part (chord 5)

Next part (chord 7)

~Misaki’s Feelings~

After the fireworks festival was over, Tsubomi seemed to have gone to her grandmother’s house for an extended visit, and she did not attend club activities for a while.

The next time Misaki saw Tsubomi was in August. It had been a long time since they last met, but soon after they greeted each other in the morning, their club meeting started, so they were unable to talk to each other properly.

It was only during the afternoon break that the two of them were able to be alone with each other. Misaki waited on the roof for Tsubomi, who arrived later than she did.

“I’m sorry for being late. Did you have to wait long?” Tsubomi apologised, pressing her palms together in a gesture of apology.

“No, it’s fine,” Misaki replied with a smile. “I didn’t have to wait long at all.”

“Misaki… I’m sorry for not contacting you for a while,” Tsubomi said apologetically, a depressed expression on her face.

“It’s fine, I didn’t text you either! Besides, you couldn’t help it because you were at your grandma’s house. I totally get you. I often leave my phone alone.”

They sat down next to each other on the edge of the concrete, like they usually did, but the conversation had met an abrupt end.

“...Tsubomi, did something happen?” Misaki hesitantly asked. Truth be told, she was actually rather concerned about the fact that Tsubomi had not contacted her.

“...I wonder if it did?” Tsubomi set her lunchbox aside and clenched her fists tightly atop her lap. Her voice was not energetic at all.

“Tsubomi?” Misaki called out.

Tsubomi raised her head and looked at her. “Misaki, what happened… between you and Kaname?”

“Eh… Aah, yeah. That’s, well… I thought of confessing to him on the day of the fireworks festival last month, but… in the end, I was unable to confess to him,” Misaki answered with an awkward smile.

“Eh?!” Tsubomi yelled in shock.

“I thought that I would have been able to say it properly, though.”

“Then… You’re not dating him yet?”

“That’s exactly it! I don’t even know… what Akutsu thinks about me!” Misaki frantically waved her hands. Her cheeks gradually heated up.

“I see. I surely…” Tsubomi exhaled deeply as she covered her face with both of her hands.

“Ah, b-but, I’ll do my best! I want Akutsu to fall for me as well, and I want to convey my feelings to him properly. That’s why, I don’t want to run away anymore…” Misaki worriedly tilted her head forward to look at Tsubomi’s face.

Tears were trickling through the gaps of Tsubomi’s fingers.

“Tsubomi?!”

“I’m… so...rry…” Tsubomi mumbled softly, her face still covered with her hands. “I’m sorry… Misaki… I’m so sorry…”

“Eh, huh? Why?!”

There was no explanation for Tsubomi’s tears.

Not knowing what to do, Misaki floundered around as she tried to find the right words to say.

“Um… I also…” Tsubomi’s voice quivered as she looked at Misaki, as if she was at a loss. Her tearful eyes were wavering slightly. “I also… fell in love with him.”

“...Eh?”

“I’ve thought that I had to tell you this for quite some time… Misaki, I thought about texting you many times after the fireworks festival, but… I thought that it’d be useless to send such a message to you… I didn’t know if it was even okay to tell you about it… I couldn’t send anything to you because I was at such a loss,” Tsubomi looked down as tears streamed down her face. The words that repeatedly left her lips were “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”.

(So that’s what happened…)

Misaki had not noticed it at all. She did not even know that such a thing was troubling Tsubomi’s mind.

She wondered when it had all started.

She had confided in Tsubomi many times about her troubles with Kaname. Each time, Tsubomi had given her advice and encouragement.

It was because Tsubomi was there for her.

It was because Tsubomi had supported her.

Such had always been the case. Misaki relied on Tsubomi a lot. When she had first enrolled in Middle School and was worried about making friends, Tsubomi had been the first one to call out to her. Even when she entered High School and had found herself unable to talk to Kaname, Tsubomi had acted as the middleman between them.

(I always hesitate because I don’t have enough courage…)

Tsubomi was unable to express her true feelings, so she must have been fretting about them for a long time. It must have been hard on her. Even so, Tsubomi did not say a single word about it---.

(She must have just been putting up with me…)

Misaki had always been talking about Kaname in front of Tsubomi. She had not even considered the feelings that Tsubomi had felt while she was listening to her. She had only been thinking about herself all this while.

(...I’m a failure as a best friend.)

“I’m sorry… I didn’t notice your feelings at all,” Misaki pulled Tsubomi into a strong hug, embracing her with all her might.

“Misaki… You do know that… I love Kaname, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Kaname is the person you love… right?”

“Yeah…”

“Is it really okay… for me to be in love with him?” Tsubomi looked at Misaki anxiously.

“I mean, I can’t be helped, right…?” Misaki replied, looking down a little.

The feeling of falling in love with someone was something that could not be helped.

There were probably countless reasons as to why Tsubomi had fallen in love with Kaname.

“It’s all Akutsu’s fault!” Misaki clenched her fists.

A smile finally graced Tsubomi’s face. “Agreed.”

“It’s Akutsu’s fault for being so cool!” Misaki continued.

“Yup,” Tsubomi nodded.

“It’s his fault for being so kind. I’ll have to bop him on the head for it.”

“He’s too oblivious to everything!”

“Right, right, he’s really dense!”

Misaki and Tsubomi enthusiastically raised various points about Kaname together. The both of them were crying and laughing at the same time. They wiped their cheeks and eyes with their fingers.

“I see… So you’re also in love with Akutsu.”

“Yeah,” Tsubomi nodded, her cheeks reddening.

“Then, Tsubomi, we’ll be rivals… right?”

“Misaki you… hate it… don’t you?”

After mulling over it a little, Misaki replied honestly. “I don’t know!”

It would have been a lie to say that she was not shocked to find out that Tsubomi had fallen in love with Kaname. She did not even know what would become of them from that point on. Things may not remain the same as before.

However, Misaki did not know for sure if she hated it. She knew that it would be very painful to have her heart broken, and to have to give up her feelings for Kaname. It was also possible for Kaname to fall in love with someone other than the two of them, and the both of them would thus be rejected.

“I don’t know, but… I’m glad that you’re my rival, Tsubomi.”

Even if her love did not come to fruition, Misaki thought that it would be much better to see Kaname date Tsubomi, as opposed to dating another girl that she did not know.

Such was how Misaki had felt.

“After all… You’re my best friend, Tsubomi. My precious… most important best friend,” Misaki laughed shyly, feeling embarrassed at having voiced such words.

“Same goes for me,” Tsubomi looked at Misaki with a serious expression on her face. “You’re my dear best friend, Misaki.”

“Yeah…”

They held each other’s hands as they looked up at the same clear Summer sky.

No matter how much they changed, as long as they did not forget that fact, they would definitely be okay. Putting their true feelings into words, they were able to communicate important things with each other.

That day too, Misaki would “restart” from that point on---.

✿~♪~✿

Once club activities had ended, Misaki and Tsubomi quickly ran down the stairs together.

At the school entrance, Kaname had just finished changing his shoes. “Ah, Natsukawa, Sakurai, are you heading back?”

“Yup! I’m going shopping with Misaki!” Tsubomi smiled, grabbing Misaki’s shoulder.

“If you’re going to the mall in front of the station, I have something to do there too.”

“Sorry, Akutsu. We’re going on a secret shopping trip today!” Misaki said as she turned around.

Tsubomi met her gaze. “Right!”

The two of them changed their shoes and waved their hands to Kaname before leaving the school building. “See ya!”

Kaname saw them off, seemingly disappointed. Finding the sight funny, Misaki laughed about it with Tsubomi.

“Misaki, what do you wanna buy?” Tsubomi asked as they walked out of the main gate.

“Hmm… A magazine, I guess? I wanna see what this month’s love fortune is!”

“Fortunes, huh… I got it, I heard that the palm reading corner by the arcade is pretty accurate?”

“Eh, really?”

“Yup, they seem to have relationship compatibility fortune-telling as well.”

“Relationship compatibility fortune telling, huh… But we won’t be able to do it without Akutsu, right?”

“Then… wanna do it with me?”

“I do!”

“Alright, then! By the way, do you want to buy clothes as well? Misaki, you only bought a t-shirt last time, and it was a slightly strange t-shirt at that.”

“But it’s cute! It’s perfect for wearing at home, and I even sleep while wearing it.”

“If you only wear tanuki t-shirts, you’ll really end up looking like a tanuki!” Tsubomi began to tickle Misaki from behind.

“Aaaah, stop it, no!” Misaki yelled. As Tsubomi tickled her armpits, Misaki weakened and began to laugh uncontrollably.

The bell of a bicycle rang out as it passed by, and the two of them rushed to the side of the road to avoid it.

After looking at each other’s faces, Tsubomi glanced down at Misaki’s skirt. “Won’t it be better if… it were to be a little shorter?”

“Is that so?” Misaki looked down at her skirt as well.

“Yup, I think so.”

“But, won’t it be too eye-catching?!”

“I think it would have a nice feeling of tightness. Why not give it a try?” Tsubomi bent down and tried to lift Misaki’s skirt.

“Aah!” Misaki shrieked, instinctively holding her skirt down with her hand. When she turned around, her eyes met with Kaname’s as he walked through the main gate.

“A-a-a-aa-aah!!” Misaki stammered, unable to vocalise any words.

(W-why now… why now!!)

“Just what are you guys doing…?”

“Hmm… Skirt flipping?” Tsubomi smiled.

“Huh?” Kaname stared at her in bewilderment.

“If you do weird things in public, you’ll be reported,” Kaname tapped Tsubomi’s head as he walked ahead of the two of them.

“Geez, Tsubomi~!!” Misaki blushed deeply as she hit the laughing Tsubomi lightly.

✿~♪~✿

Summer vacation had ended, and the second semester of school had commenced, but their relationship had not changed at all.

Misaki was a little relieved about that fact.

They were able to laugh together like they usually did---.

When the athletic festival was over and the school uniforms had changed, it had become October before she knew it.

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror in the morning, Misaki carefully, carefully, slid a pair of scissors through her bangs.

(Alright, today’s the day that I… make them straight!)

As Misaki checked her reflection in the mirror, the door suddenly opened.

“Misaki, it’s about time…”

“Wha-!!” Misaki cut her bangs as she flinched in surprise, bits of her hair falling into the sink. She looked into the mirror in shock.

“Aaaaah!!” Misaki screamed at the sight of her slanted bangs.

Her older sister walked up to her side and burst into laughter. “You’ve really done it now.”

“It’s because you suddenly called out to me!”

(Aaah, what should I do? This looks strange, doesn’t it?! I’ll definitely be laughed at, right? Even though I knew it. I knew that I’d definitely fail if I tried to do it by myself!!)

“Hey, hand it to me?”

Misaki obediently handed the scissors to her sister, who proceeded to trim her hair for her with a steady hand.

“Your pin?”

Misaki retrieved the apple hairpin that Tsubomi had given her from the pocket of her uniform and passed it to her sister. Her sister brushed some hairs off her forehead and parted her bangs a little before snapping the hairpin in.

“Look at how cute you are,” Misaki’s sister patted her on the shoulder.

Misaki looked into the mirror while patting her bangs a little. “It really… doesn’t look strange?”

“No, not at all. If you’re done with it, lemme use the sink. I also have a lecture as my first period.”

At her sister’s words, Misaki cleaned up her hair with a tissue before freeing up the bathroom.

“Thank you, sis,” Misaki thanked as she left the bathroom. She saw her sister smile at her through her reflection in the mirror.

Misaki had also adjusted the length of her skirt to make it a little shorter than it usually was.

(My hair’s okay too…)

Misaki headed to the front door with her book bag and put on her sneakers.

“I’m heading out!” Misaki called out cheerfully as she left the house, the clear Autumn sky spreading out overhead.

~Tsubomi’s Feelings~

When she got to school in the morning, Tsubomi headed for the bathroom as she exchanged morning greetings with her friends.

Standing in front of the mirror, she took out the lip gloss she had in her pocket and applied it lightly to her lips. She smiled as she looked at her lips, which were glossier than usual.

“Yup… alright,” she capped her lip gloss and left the bathroom to return to the classroom.

“Morning, Natsukawa.”

When she looked back upon being called out to, she saw Kaname walking down the corridor. He was yawning sleepy, his hair still messy from sleeping.

“Did you play games all night long?”

"I was practising the song that we’re gonna play at the upcoming Cultural Festival.”

“Ah, I see. It’s a trombone bolero that’ll make you cry, right?”

“Likewise to you, you have a solo, right? Are you doing okay with it?”

“Hmm… sure am!” Tsubomi gave Kaname a peace sign.

“Really?” Kaname laughed. Then, he suddenly looked at Tsubomi’s face. “Did you put that lip gloss on?”

“Eh? Ah… yup.”

“It really does look good on you,” Kaname grinned as he entered the classroom. As soon as he got to his seat, the boys around him gathered and began to chat with him.

Tsubomi, who remained standing in front of the door, quietly put a finger against her lips.

(He noticed it…)

She subconsciously began to smile.

Just because of that, she felt motivated to do her best---.

✿~♪~✿

As the Cultural Festival drew closer, students in every class were busy preparing for it.

In Tsubomi’s class, the boys had started making signboards and sets for their booth. The girls had started to make fabric dividers, as well as costumes to be worn on that day. The banging of the hammer, along with the excited cheers of the students made the classroom more noisy than it usually was.

“Why’s our class just a bowl soba shop?

“Right? Who decided on this?”

As the boys started to complain, the door to the classroom slammed open.

“It was me. Any complaints?” Ms. Yagi entered the classroom as she spoke.

“Huh?! It was Yagi?”

“So much for student independence. This is tyranny!”

“Right, right, let’s do a swimsuit cafe instead!”

“Shut up!” Ms. Yagi snapped at the protesting boys. “When I let you guys decide amongst yourselves, you couldn’t come up with any good ideas. So it’s your fault!”

“But Yagi, you rejected everything!”

“Look, I brought this for you, so just work hard, okay?” Ms. Yagi raised a plastic bag in her hand.

“Ooh!” the boys cheered as they abandoned their work to gather around Ms. Yagi. They received the plastic bag from her and looked inside.

“What the hell, it’s all pickled plums!”

“Pickled plums are best eaten when you’re tired. They’re also good for dealing with the Summer heat!” Ms. Yagi nodded in self-satisfaction as she folded her arms.

“Huuuuh?!” the boys yelled angrily.

“It’s no longer Summer. It’s Autumn. What should we do with so many pickled plums?!”

“At least put them into rice balls!”

“Right, rice. If we have rice, we can cook it in the rice cooker in the Home Econs room, right?”

“Yes, yes, yes! I wanna eat the rice balls made by the girls!” Mitsugu, who was the only one sewing with the girls, inexplicably insisted with his hand raised.

“Sasabe, you’re gross,” the girls glared at him coldly.

“Eh, why?!” Mitsugu looked around in shock and confusion.

“I don’t want bad rice balls made by the girls. I’d rather have Kaname’s delicious rice balls instead.”

“I also want Kaname’s.”

“Eh?!” Kaname, who had been painting a signboard, blurted out when he was suddenly dragged into the conversation. “Why me?!”

“Because your rice balls are seasoned to perfection.”

“You’re a master at cooking rice.”

“You’re talented at shaping rice balls.”

“Kaname, make rice balls for us!”

“Ah, I also want to eat Kaname’s rice balls!”

“Please do this for all of us!”

The girls also began to raise their hands one after another.

“Akutsu, I like tuna mayo rice balls. I leave it to you!” Ms. Yagi made a request of her own as she patted Kaname’s shoulder.

“But Yagi, wasn’t it you who bought the pickled plums?!”

“Truth is, I actually can’t eat pickled plums… They’re too sour for me.”

“Then why did you buy them?!” Kaname shot back, eliciting laughter from his classmates.

“In any case, we need someone to buy rice!” someone raised their voice.

Everyone turned their gazes towards Misaki, who was sitting on a chair, hard at work.

“Eh?! Eh?!” Misaki looked around in confusion before standing up in surprise. “You want me to buy it?!”

“Ah… Then, I’ll go along too,” Kaname put his paintbrush back into the can of paint and stood up.

“Eh?!” Misaki gaped in shock as Kaname removed his work gloves and began to make preparations to head out for their shopping trip.

“Ooh, you’re going on a date!” the boys teased.

Misaki’s face turned a bright red as she looked down at the ground.

“We’re going because you guys want us to buy rice, right? If you’re going to make fun of us, I won’t make rice balls for you,” Kaname huffed as he prompted Misaki to leave the classroom. “Let’s go.”

“B-but!” Misaki looked towards Tsubomi, a sense of hesitation in her eyes.

Tsubomi smiled and patted Misaki’s back. “Just go.”

“Yeah,” Misaki replied softly as she quickly chased after Kaname.

Tsubomi sighed as she watched Misaki leave.

(Regardless of who looks at them, they look good together…)

~Misaki’s Feelings~

Misaki went to the store with Kaname to buy what they needed before they had to return to the school.

“We didn’t forget to buy anything, right?”

“Cloth and thread, craft paper, and more cans of paint…” Misaki took out her phone and checked the shopping list that she had created.

Kaname looked down at it from the side. “Rice and drinks, and… who the heck asked for snacks?”

“Ah, that was Ms. Yagi.”

“Yagi, huh… Wait, if she’s gonna make requests of her own, she should have at least offered to drive us,” Kaname picked up a plastic bag. As it contained plastic bottles and rice, it looked to be rather heavy.

“I can take that one,” Misaki offered. As she was carrying lighter items, she was still able to carry more things.

“It’s fine. This is lighter than a tuba case.”

“Sorry, Akutsu. You weren’t the designated shopper, yet you’re still helping me.”

“Hmm… why? I think I’m rather lucky, though?”

“Eh?”

“I was getting tired of working. Plus, I got an excuse to go out with you, Sakurai,” Kaname smiled as their eyes met.

The traffic light turned red and the both of them stopped in front of the pedestrian crossing. The Sun was setting, and the sky was beginning to turn orange.

As they waited for the cars to pass by, Misaki secretly glanced over at the sunlit side profile of Kaname.

Even after the fireworks festival was over, their relationship had not changed. They were neither too close nor too far from each other. They continued to spend time together like they usually did, maintaining the distance of being just “friends”.

However, Misaki had come to talk about Kaname with Tsubomi more frequently than she did before.

Hearing the happy voices of children, Misaki looked over at the park.

They were having fun with each other now. However, Misaki found herself wondering how much longer they would remain like that.

(I love Akutsu… I love him much more than I did before.)

But, if Misaki conveyed those feelings of hers, she was sure that the three of them would not be able to laugh together like they presently did. Someone would definitely end up in tears.

At the fireworks festival, she had intended on conveying her feelings to Kaname. Now, she found herself afraid of what would happen if he found out about her feelings for him.

The moment those words left her mouth, she would destroy that important relationship of hers---.

(Is Tsubomi afraid? Is she anxious?)

For Misaki, Kaname was the person she loved, and Tsubomi was her closest and best friend. They were both equally important to her, and she did not want to lose them. If it were possible, she wanted to laugh together with them as a group of three forever, much like they did now.

However, Misaki wondered what she would do if Kaname chose Tsubomi instead of her. She wondered if she would still be able to smile in front of them like she usually did if that time came. She was not confident in her ability to act as though she was unaffected by their relationship. It would probably be painful for her, and she thus decided that she would try to avoid seeing the two of them together if they got together.

Even if Misaki were to confess and have her feelings reciprocated by Kaname, the same thing would happen. Only this time, Tsubomi would be the one that got hurt. Even so, Misaki would not be able to say that she wanted to hang out with Tsubomi like they presently did. Tsubomi would probably avoid her out of sheer awkwardness instead.

(If that happened, I’d lose Tsubomi…)

“The light has changed… Sakurai?” Kaname called out.

Misaki quickly raised her head. The traffic light had turned blue, and the people who were waiting for the light to change had begun to cross the pedestrian crossing.

“Ah, I’m sorry, let’s get going.”

When Misaki quickly began to walk, Kaname grabbed her by the wrist. Misaki’s heart skipped a beat and she instinctively looked at Kaname’s face.

“Aku…”

“Did something happen?”

“N-nope, nothing?”

“You were spacing out during club activities yesterday. And you’ve been making lots of mistakes recently.”

“I’m sorry…”

(I’m really bad at this…)

Misaki looked down and apologised softly.

“Is it something that you can’t talk to me about?”

Misaki slowly glanced up to see Kaname looking straight at her. As if prompted by the look in his eyes, Misaki opened her mouth.

“For… for example!” Misaki looked away after she managed to get his attention before continuing to speak. “Akutsu, if… you had two cakes that you wanted to eat, but you could only choose one of them… what would you do?”

“Sakurai, the thing you were worrying about was food? Won’t it be fine if you just eat both?” Kaname looked at Misaki in bafflement. “So that’s what it was.”

“I told you that you could only choose one!”

“Hmm… then, I’ll eat the one that I rarely get. I can always eat the one I’d usually eat next time!”

(Aah, geez. That’s not what I meant!)

Misaki resisted the urge to stomp on the spot in frustration. “But what if it wasn’t a cake? What if it was a person instead?!”

“Who are you talking about?” Kaname tilted his head in confusion at Misaki’s impulsive question.

“That’s… someone. Someone very important to you, Akutsu…”

“I don’t know how to answer such a thing. I have to experience it to know… How about you, Sakurai? What would you do?” Kaname returned the question to Misaki.

Misaki looked down slightly. “...I don’t know either.”

“Then, isn’t it fine? You don’t have to come up with an answer until it actually happens,” Kaname’s expression softened as he tapped Misaki’s head lightly.

Through that action alone, Misaki’s chest tightened and she found herself unable to say anything.

(I don’t want to give up. But…)

It was not possible for everything to fit perfectly together. If Misaki were to choose someone over another, she would end up having to give up on someone. If that happened, their relationship would never be the same again.

She knew that, so she was unable to say “I love you” to Kaname.

If she did not try to convey her feelings, she would not lose anything at all.

If she did not desire to be closer to Kaname, she would be able to laugh with the two of them like they did now.

That would be a better outcome than losing either of them. She was satisfied with the way things were.

(Because they are both important to me… I can’t just choose one.)

That was why her feelings were already---.

“Sakurai?”

When her name was called, Misaki suppressed her tears and forced a smile.

“Let’s hurry before the light changes!” she said brightly and dashed forward. Kaname began to run as well.

The traffic light started to blink. It turned red the moment they finished crossing the road.

#honeyworks #sekai wa koi ni ochiteiru #sakurai misaki #natsukawa tsubomi #akutsu kaname #project sekoi: wind ensemble stars #instant ramen instructions comprehensions

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