episode_0010

Furuya Takeo

――

Three hours one way. That was the distance from the town we lived in to the town Kyotarou lived in.

As I drove endlessly down the highway, I received a rare call from Kyotarou.

He had unblocked my number. After a moment’s hesitation, I tapped the call button on the car navigation system.

“Is this about Tomoe?”

That was the only possible reason for Kyotarou to contact me. Had he reached her house already? No, he’d had a whole day; anyone could get there by train or bullet train if they knew the address. If anything, it was late. What exactly had Tomoe been doing during that blank day?

“What happened? Weren’t Tomoe and Takeo dating?”

Kyotarou’s carefree voice came through. I felt a slight sense of relief that it wasn’t something like Tomoe attempting a murder-suicide. Even so, had Kyotarou’s information remained stuck there?

…That’s right. I hadn’t told him, and Tomoe couldn’t have known either.

During the subsequent conversation with Kyotarou, I was surprised when that girl’s name came up.

Watashima Chihana. Was she also one of the gears of an unforeseen fate? And, like me, she seemed to be a coward. From the conversation, I gathered that Chihana hadn’t told them the most important thing. Kyotarou should have known it, and Tomoe should have known it too.

I hung up with Kyotarou and pressed down on the accelerator.

“Injured… She must have done it herself. Tomoe, was that really okay with you? Couldn’t you have handled it more cleverly? If only you had chosen me, I would never have let you suffer such pain.”

Surely, if things were different, by now she would have been under a dazzling chandelier, wearing a dress as beautiful as herself, delighting a large audience.

After speaking, I noticed the faint lingering affection I still held for Tomoe.

Love is truly troublesome. It had withered over six months, yet before I knew it, it had reignited. It burned up as if it were natural, and my body became dominated by it.

“…No way. I discarded the future of being with Tomoe six months ago. So, calm down. Right now, I’m just going to pick Tomoe up as her older brother.”

And then, I would take Tomoe back to her parents.

As a childhood friend, that was all I could do.

Tomoe would hate it. She had finally reunited with Kyotarou; she must be completely captivated by him.

So… I want to do what I can for her.

I need to clear up the misunderstanding. Watashima Chihana, you too should experience the pain, to a greater or lesser extent.

I don’t think Kyotarou, after hearing everything, would immediately turn back to Tomoe. But it should be a catalyst. We aren’t the kind of people who would end up knowing nothing, with a cheap lie creating a rift between us.

Even if everything goes wrong, Tomoe should be supported by me and Kyotarou.

As childhood friends, as best friends. The two of us will do our best to make Tomoe happy.

Knowing how kind Kyotarou is, he’ll surely agree to that.

And then, we’ll go back to how we were before. To a relationship like when we were children, as if nothing had happened.

“…This is it.”

Kyotarou’s apartment was a neat, two-story building. It wasn’t a mansion with a security guard at the entrance, but more like a weekly rental, the kind of place where someone on a temporary assignment might live alone.

He probably searched for and chose an apartment near the university. Though it was in the countryside, it faced a main road with a fair number of shops. Walking to the station would honestly be tough, but there must be a bus.

Hesitating, I thought it might not be right to go directly to his room, so I got out of the car and called Kyotarou.

“I’m here. It’s the apartment with the orange roof, right? …Ah, yeah, yeah, I’m parked illegally on the side of the road right now. It should be fine for a little while… Hm, okay, I’ll wait.”

He sounded the same, but there was a slight tension in his voice.

Had something new happened? At any rate, I was relieved it hadn’t turned into a police matter.

I heard the click of a lock, and Kyotarou, with his slightly longer black hair, peered out. I raised a hand in greeting, and Kyotarou returned a smile.

*You look well*, I was about to say, when in the next instant, Kyotarou was thrown into the air and fell to the ground. Before my mind could comprehend what had happened, my gaze caught sight of her.

It was Tomoe. Even though the cold had already started to bite deep, Tomoe was running barefoot, dressed in a black one-piece.

I tried to catch Tomoe, just like that day. On our high school graduation day, I had caught Tomoe with my right arm when she tried to run away from my embrace.

But seeing Tomoe run towards me, my body instead froze.

Tomoe’s eyes, likely swollen from crying, were puffy, her brow furrowed, and her makeup cracked like a broken surface. I felt fear. Tomoe, who had been as cute as a fairy in our student days, was now like a completely different person.

No, I did this.

Because I didn’t tell her about Chihana’s lie.

Because I forcibly kissed her.

Because I had always loved Tomoe.

I should have reached out my arms like before, but I couldn’t.

And then Tomoe ran into the road, looked at us for a moment, and then—

――――.

A cold sweat broke out all over me. Tomoe’s slender body flew through the air, hitting her head against the concrete with a sound I had never heard before. After that, Tomoe, run over by the car right before my eyes, lay there, not twitching at all.

“Tomoe!”

Kyotarou ran, and I followed him, but… Tomoe, lying face-up on the road amidst vivid blood, had her eyes closed as if dead, unconscious.

She was breathing; her chest was moving. But seeing her limbs twisted painfully and the bright red blood splattered around, I couldn’t bear it and instinctively covered my mouth with both hands.

Within minutes, an ambulance with flashing red lights arrived, and Tomoe was transported to the hospital. Kyotarou, Chihana, and I accompanied her to the hospital, waiting for Tomoe’s surgery to end.

During that time, I contacted Tomoe’s parents.

*We’ll be right there, thank you for the call.* Her parents said only that, then hung up, sounding busy.

“Tomoe’s parents are coming to the hospital right away.”

Only Kyotarou, Chihana, and I were in the waiting room.

“…Why, Tomoe…”

I glanced at Kyotarou, who had just mumbled that, then took a breath and broke the silence.

“Why? Watashima Chihana, you know the answer to that.”

“…What do you mean? What does Chihana have to do with Tomoe?”

As for Chihana herself, she remained silent, her face pale.

She probably couldn’t say it. She too must have been captivated by Kyotarou’s charm.

“Our high school lives were ruined because of the lie Watashima Chihana there told. Not only that, but I’m the one most at fault for going along with that lie.”

Evil must be judged someday.

No matter how far you run, you must atone for it someday.

“Kyotarou, you were told by Chihana that Tomoe and I were dating, weren’t you? …Well, you don’t have to answer. I heard it from her myself a long time ago.”

“Yes, but. Chihana, is that true? That you lied?”

“It’s true. You’re just too scared to say it, aren’t you? Besides, that doesn’t matter anymore. I heard that rumor when I was in my second year of high school. If I had denied it then, Tomoe wouldn’t have had to suffer like this. But I couldn’t deny it. Because I liked Tomoe too.”

One part was a lie, but the other wasn’t. I was undoubtedly in love with Tomoe, and I desperately wanted her to look at me. But Tomoe’s gaze was always on Kyotarou, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t win.

“…But you two were hugging on graduation day, weren’t you? Seeing that, I gave up on Tomoe. And you, Takeo, said it right there, didn’t you? You admitted it, that you were dating Tomoe.”

At Kyotarou’s words, I quietly shook my head.

“We weren’t dating. I thought that by reacting that way in that moment, I might be able to erase Tomoe’s feelings for Kyotarou, even just a little.”

“What is that… Then, what? Takeo, are you saying you forcibly kissed Tomoe? And if Tomoe’s words just now are true, Tomoe liked me, and yet, knowing that… in front of me…”

In the silence, Kyotarou hung his head.

If it were true, Tomoe should have been here too.

I should have let Tomoe and Kyotarou decide what to do with a fool like me.

“The surgery is over. Are the escorts for Yako Tomoe here?”

A nurse emerged from the operating room. I told her Tomoe’s parents would arrive shortly, but she explained the overview to us first.

Tomoe’s life was not in danger. However, her broken legs from the accident were unexpectedly severe, and she was highly likely to have a permanent disability. While they said she wouldn’t be entirely unable to walk, it would require considerable effort on her part.

They also said that while her fingers had been treated, complete recovery would be difficult.

Kyotarou asked about playing the piano, but the doctor’s reply was simply, “It depends on the individual.”

Afterward, the three of us—Kyotarou, Chihana, and I—went to Tomoe’s hospital room and stayed by her side.

“Kyotarou, why don’t we step outside for a bit?”

“…We can stay here. Right now, I don’t want to leave Tomoe’s side.”

“Just for a little while, please.”

After asking Chihana to look after Tomoe, Kyotarou and I headed to the hospital parking lot.

Perhaps because the mountains were nearby, the sound of insects felt close, and the air somehow felt different.

After taking a deep sniff, savoring the scent of nature, I turned to Kyotarou.

“Kyotarou, I want you to punch me until you’re satisfied. I know this won’t atone for anything, but I can’t bear to remain as I am.”

What selfish words those were. My guts churned as I said it myself.

But right now, that was all I could do.

Kyotarou approached me and grabbed me by the collar.

Yet, he didn’t punch me; he just brought his face closer.

“Say that to Tomoe, the one you hurt the most. Whether to forgive you or not is for Tomoe to decide. Besides… I’m the one who did the cruelest thing to Tomoe. I should have looked after her more properly. Chihana’s lie and Takeo’s lie don’t amount to much compared to what I did.”

*If only I had accepted Tomoe.* Saying that, Kyotarou began to cry.

It was wrong; all of us made mistakes.

How did we go so far astray?

Now, all we can do is wait for Tomoe to recover. Once she wakes up, I’ll properly apologize to her.

I don’t expect her to forgive me right away, but… even so.

――

Next Chapter: ‘Even so, I still love you.’