CH 40

The next evening. I was lying on my bed in my room, diving into the sea of the Internet.

I was looking for a place for a picnic that I was planning to have with Ageha over the weekend. I’m looking for a place for it.

I’ve just realized that you usually invite someone to a picnic after you’ve decided on a place, but since I invited her on a spur of the moment, it couldn’t be helped.

I had already done some research yesterday and decided on a few candidates.

Basically, I picked a famous place like a big park.

She wants to go somewhere she doesn’t usually go, but if it’s too far away, the picnic will be less meaningful, so I’m trying to make adjustments.

I sent a list of places that would not take more than an hour by train to her via Nyan.

The read receipt came immediately.

However, the reply did not come immediately.

Probably, she is checking the details of the places I posted one by one.

I was a little nervous.

This is the kind of thing that tests your sense of style.

I get off the bed and walk around the room, trying to suppress my restlessness.

Then, after a few moments of waiting, the phone on the desk booms and shakes.

‘I think they’re all good!’

‘I can’t narrow it down, that’s why I’m talking to you.’

‘I’m having a hard time thinking of a menu for my lunch!　Besides, didn’t I leave it to you to choose the place?’

‘That’s true, but …I don’t know, even if I choose a strange place.’

‘It’s okay. Anywhere you choose will be fun, Haru-kun!’

‘Thank you…’

I can’t let go of the sudden words like this.

I would like Ageha to think a little more carefully about how his remarks will affect the other person.

‘Then, let’s go to the fourth place I sent you. It’s not so crowded, and I hear it’s a good spot.’

‘Roger that! I’m looking forward to it. Oh, look forward to your lunch!’

‘I’m looking forward to it.’

When I’m chatting with Ageha, the corners of my mouth unintentionally loosen.

It is only after I turn off my phone that I realize this.

“I hope it doesn’t rain, but…”

I collapsed on my bed and muttered while staring at the ceiling.

Picnics are no fun when the weather is bad.

I want the earth to do its best so that we can eat Ageha’s lunch in nature.

For the time being, the location has been decided, so I’m going to take a look at the schedule.

What time should we meet to arrive around noon?

As a boyfriend, I want to escort her smartly.

… Well, no matter what I say, I’m still relying on her, but it doesn’t look cool.

“Yes, that’s right.”

I still can’t get used to the fact that Ageha is my girlfriend.

In the end, she told Karen everything.

She told her that she had confessed to me a week before Christmas, that she had been rejected, and that I had confessed to her at the amusement park.

At first, Karen was confused when she heard that.

To be honest, I’m sure I’d be confused too if I heard the same thing.

Anyway, now I really don’t have anything to hide from Karen anymore.

Thanks to this, the guilt I feel toward Karen has been lifted, and compared to six months ago, I really feel that my days are dramatically more enjoyable.

Considering the fact that the main reason for this is Ageha, my love for her is growing.

“Well, that’s right, I have to put together a schedule…”

Shaking my head, I take a moment to collect my thoughts.

There are only two days left until the weekend break, and if I am careless, I will arrive at the day of the event unprepared.

As soon as I pulled out my phone to open the Internet again, a notification from Nyain appeared on the display.

I looked at it, wondering if it was from Ageha, and saw that it was a message from Saijo-senpai.

◆

“Hi, sorry for the long wait.”

I was summoned by Saijo-senpai, and as I looked up at the orange-tinted sky, I quickly made my way to a hideaway coffee shop that I had used before.

As I rang the doorbell and entered, Saijo-senpai, who was seated in the back, raised one hand in a familiar gesture.

We bailed lightly and sat down across the table from each other.

Saijo-senpai was dressed in his soccer team practice uniform, just as he had been in the past.

“No way, I didn’t expect you to come. After all, it was sudden.”

“Well, I was just free.”

I simply accepted the menu list offered to me.

The message sent by Saijo-senpai asked if he could come to this coffee shop now.

Of course, if you can’t, it’s okay.

After a few dozen seconds of deliberation, I decided to go.

The reason for Saijo’s call was simply because I was curious about the reason why he wanted to see me, and more importantly, because I no longer felt the jealousy that I might have felt in the past, I felt more relaxed.

The last time I saw Saijo-senpai, or rather talked with him, was probably when we were picking out a birthday present for Ageha.

Saijo-senpai, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, was just the same as before.

I ordered a fruit juice and asked Saijo-senpai about it as I closed the menu.

“Um, aren’t you and Karen together?”

“Aizawa-san? Yeah, well. Practices are often prolonged recently, so I try not to go home with you. I’m sorry to keep you waiting…. Besides.”

As usual, Saijou-senpai had a gentle smile that everyone liked, but that smile faded for a moment.

“Saijo-Senpai?”

“Ah, no, it’s nothing…. Yes, that’s why I called you.”

As if interrupting the conversation, Saijou-senpai cut out in rapid succession.

“Have you noticed anything strange about Aizawa-san lately? It doesn’t matter if it’s something trivial.”

“Karen? I don’t know about… I don’t see anything that’s bothering me, is there something wrong?”

“No, if you don’t have any, that’s fine. If it’s just my imagination, that’s all that matters.”

“Is that all you have to say?”

“I thought it would be a better idea to talk about these things in place than in Nyain. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to put you through all this trouble.”

“No, no, I’m fine, but…”

Saijo-senpai’s expression was grim.

I am not sure what he is trying to say, but at least something is happening to Karen.

I couldn’t be a stranger to this situation.

While I was thinking about how to start the conversation, the fruit juice I ordered was placed in front of me.

I sucked on it.

The sweet, fruity flavor fills my mouth.

As I swallowed, I felt a pleasant flow of fruit-like particles.

“… I don’t mind if you ignore this.”

Unexpectedly, Saijou-senpai stared at me with a mysterious look on his face.

“Yes.”

“What do you think of Aizawa-san?”

“What?”

I let out a stupid voice involuntarily at the question that was too out of the ordinary.

However, Saijo-senpai’s expression was serious.

“Um, what do you mean?”

“I mean it literally. …I told you before? I was upset that most of her memories were shaped by another man and not by me.”

“I heard it, but it’s because we’re childhood friends.”

Methodically repeat what was said before.

But today, He wasn’t satisfied with that.

“…that’s not the problem.”

Somewhat rough voice.

I couldn’t stand the anger that oozed out, and I kept silent.

“N-no, I’m sorry. I’ve been worried about a lot of things lately.”

While I was silent, Saijo-senpai lowered his head in a hurry.

“No, well, I know how it feels to think a lot when it comes to someone you like.”

“Come to think of it, you do have someone you like, don’t you?”

“Yes, well.”

I decided not to tell him that I had started a relationship with her.

I wasn’t in the mood to say that right now, and I didn’t feel the need to say it.

So Saijo-senpai leaned back tiredly and let out a deep breath.

I had no idea what he was thinking or what he wanted to say, so I just had to shrug.

Holding his eyes, Saijo-senpai opens his mouth.

“No, I didn’t call you to talk about this.”

I silently stare at Saijo-senpai as he mutters to himself.

When Saijo-senpai, who had just settled down, met my gaze, I felt strangely awkward.

But when I didn’t look away, Saijou-senpai said to me with his original gentle smile, but with a serious look.

“Anyway, if you notice anything strange about Aizawa-san, please let me know. Even if it’s something trivial. Because… I’m Aizawa-san’s boyfriend.”

Saijo-senpai said something to me as if he was chewing something, and all I could do was nod my head.

In the end, we broke up without any further significant conversation.

When I returned to my room, my mind was filled with a vague sense of anxiety, unlike before I left home.