Vol. 1 Chapter 14 – Monyo Monyo

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The end credits finished rolling, and the lights in the theater came on.

Honestly, it was kind of underwhelming, and with all the grotesque scenes, I was worried it might have put Ayano-san in a bad mood, but she just said,『That was interesting, wasn’t it?』and didn’t seem bothered at all. She’s really good at finding the good points in things, and that helped a lot.

“Hey, Fujimura-kun.”

After we left the theater and had walked a little way, Ayano-san suddenly stopped in her tracks. She pointed at a movie poster displayed on the wall and let out a self-satisfied little laugh through her nose.

“This movie, I’m in it, you know.”

“Huh?”

“It’s just a minor role, though. I’m one of the victims who gets killed by the culprit.”

“Y-You’re serious…?”

It wasn’t some low-budget indie film or late-night drama directed by someone nobody knew. This was a movie that aired commercials on national TV and had a bunch of famous actors starring in it.

While I was still genuinely surprised, she stood with the poster at her back, humming happily.

She gave me a look that seemed like she was expecting something. Even I, Kyousuke, am not that dense.

“Alright. I’ll go see it.”

“Ehh? You don’t have to, really, it’s embarrassing.”

“Then I won’t watch it.”

“…I see.”

“I’m just kidding. I’ll definitely go.”

Her expressions changed as quickly as mountain weather, going from embarrassed to sad and back again, but in the end, she settled into a bright, dazzling smile.

When I think about it, I actually still don’t know what kind of work she does.

I’ve heard she’s a model, but I have no clue what magazines she’s featured in, or what else she might do.

I’m interested. There’s no way I wouldn’t be.

But since she never brought up this kind of topic, I just assumed it was something I shouldn’t ask about. Before I knew it, not thinking about it had become a habit, and here we are.

“What’s wrong?”

Maybe because I was making a complicated face, Ayano-san tilted her head a little, looking a bit worried.

“It’s just… I realized I don’t really know anything about Sasagawa-san.”

We haven’t known each other for that long, but we are definitely friends.

It feels awkward to pry into someone’s private life, but at the very least, I should learn a little about her work. That way, I can support her anytime.

“Then, should I tell you my secret?”

Saying that, she took Kyousuke’s hand and walked forward with determination.

I felt like she hadn’t really understood what I meant, but her confidence as she marched on made me hesitate to say anything. For some reason, I ended up being brought to a karaoke place.

I braced myself, wondering if she was about to share something that could only be said in a private room, something no one else could hear.

But Ayano-san just casually queued up a song, did a light vocal warm-up, and grabbed the mic.

‘Huh? What about your secret?’

The intro began to play and Ayano-san swayed side to side with the rhythm.

It’s not like Kyousuke was trying to get a secret out of her or anything, but now that things have gone this way, he actually can’t help but be curious. Having to listen to a song in this kind of mood is just awkward.

But Kyousuke immediately understood. He realized what she meant by『secret』and why she had brought him here.

Ayano-san sang enthusiastically.

She looked like a popular singer, but she was, in her own way, just the right amount of terrible at it. Maybe because her voice itself was nice, the flaws stood out even more—almost like they were thirty percent worse than they really were. If she’d used the scoring feature, she definitely wouldn’t have gotten a score above eighty.

She sang through the first verse—the A melody, B melody, and the chorus—then caught her breath and pressed the stop button.

While she looked at me with a sense of accomplishment, I hesitated to say anything, unsure of how to respond. Then, she lowered her eyebrows and smiled. 『I’m actually really bad at singing』 she said.

“That’s why, unless it’s a big group where I don’t have to sing much, I don’t go. I wouldn’t want you to get disillusioned over something like this.”

It’s not like that was what Kyousuke wanted to know, but Ayano-san went out of her way to open up to him like this. There was no way he could be honest about how he really felt now. As for her work, maybe he’ll ask her, or Sayo-san, another time.

“All right, now it’s Fujimura’s turn.”

“Me?”

“I told you something, so you have to tell me a secret too. Anything’s fine.”

“When you say a secret…”

“There’s gotta be something. Something I don’t know about you, Fujimura.”

It’s not like there’s nothing. Everyone has one or two things they’d rather keep hidden.

But being put on the spot like this is tough. Secrets are things you keep tucked away so nobody can see them—that’s what makes them secrets. You don’t just hand them out like candy.

Which one he choose is important, too.

If he told her something sexual, or something too embarrassing, it might haunt him forever. For example, if he said that back in middle school he thought he had secret powers of darkness, she’d probably burst out laughing, but then she’d definitely keep bringing it up every time after.

“It’s not really a secret, just something I can say now, I guess.”

Ayano-san nodded eagerly, totally interested in what I was going to say after such a long preamble.

“In April, when I helped you out with that guy hitting on you, it was actually just a coincidence. I was really planning to just walk past, but I almost tripped and then… well…”

“R-Really?”

I nodded and looked down at the same time.

Ayano-san’s voice sounded kind of disappointed.

‘Maybe I should’ve gone with something else…’

If he’d confessed that whole thing about thinking he was some dark sorcerer, at least she wouldn’t have been let down.

His own carelessness is giving him a headache.

“…Thank you, Fujimura.”

She closed the distance between them, took his hand, and held it.

“Even if it was just by chance, I was really happy. The fact that I felt like you saved me was real.”

Her slightly damp, warm skin touched his and it felt like her warmth spread even more.

Seeing the gentle smile on her lips, that little knot of guilt in his chest calmed down.

“In that case, I’ll tell you something I can only say now, too…”

“Y-Yeah?”

“Back in middle school, I had more money than most of the people around me, so a lot of times people would hit me up for cash. I wish I could’ve just said no, but I was scared of ending up isolated. Even after I became friends with people, I was scared of being disliked or being alone again, so I always felt like I had to buy my friends things.”

Unlike body temperature, in that voice he glimpsed a cold and dry solitude, like the autumn wind.

“That’s why, remember, I said I’d treat Fujimura to a meal at the cafeteria? As thanks for helping me.”

“…Yeah, I vaguely remember that.”

“I insisted it wasn’t enough to just say it with words, that I had to give you something. But when you turned me down… that made me happy.”

The autumn wind skipped past winter and stepped straight into spring. Leaning her shoulder against him, she smiled softly, saying,『Now that I think about it, getting treated all of a sudden like that must’ve been awkward』.

He recalled something she once said.

“Even if it’s something ordinary, something anyone could do… is it wrong to think of the person who did it for you first as someone special?”—that day when she asked him that.

Back then, he had just been happy to be needed. He hadn’t even considered what might be behind her words.

I see, he thought in understanding. For her, whose busy work life prevented her from having a proper school experience, money was probably the easiest way to avoid loneliness.

‘…Ah, damn it.’

He felt anger toward the people around her back then, and his idle left hand clenched, nails digging into his knee.

Ayano might’ve been at fault for offering to pay, but the ones who accepted it were just as bad. Had they never once questioned whether they were just mooching off her?

Had they never felt any pity for Ayano, who called such relationships『friendship』?

This was surely a story Ayano had already put behind her.

Even if he were to feel angry now, there was nothing he could do.

He knew that. He knew it well.

And yet—

“──!”

Suddenly, Ayano leaned forward and snatched Kyousuke’s left hand.

When he looked up, there she was, her face flushed and eyes glazed with a thin film of tears, wearing a desperate expression.

“Fujimura, you were thinking something weird, weren’t you?”

Her large eyes blinked rapidly, and she stared at Kyousuke, who froze with his mouth dumbly agape.

“I’m really… having so much fun right now.”

“Ah, a-ah.”

“So don’t make that face.”

He nodded twice, three times.

The length of her eyelashes, the delicacy of her eyes, the luster of her lips — all of it came into his vision whether he wanted it or not. Even her breath felt almost tangible.

His anger was overwritten by embarrassment, and now he simply wanted her to move away.

But Ayano, still maintaining her posture, confirmed with a slightly sulky face,『Really?』

“If you tell me one more thing, I’ll believe you.”

Saying that would make it two each, Ayano narrowed her eyes sharply.

Even being asked for just one more was difficult. In this kind of situation, he couldn’t think straight. Yet he didn’t have the strength to push her away either, and the distance between them gradually closed.

“A-a mole.”

Before his thoughts could come together, those words slipped out of his mouth.

“When Sasagawa-san first talked to me, I noticed you had a mole under the corner of your eye… and for some reason, I really liked it. Sometimes, I… I look at it, yes.”

It wasn’t even a secret — just a confession. But he hoped it would be enough to let him off the hook.

As he grew anxious, Ayano suddenly turned away with a swift motion, putting a bit of distance between them.

A blush spread from her cheeks to her ears, and she bit her lip while staring intently at him. As if sulking. As if embarrassed.

“…From now on, no looking without permission.”

“Wh-what do you mean, no looking…”

“If you’re going to look, tell me first!”

“That’s completely unreasonable.”

“Well, it’d suck if you looked when I had a weird face! Sometimes I let my guard down too!”

“No, Sasagawa-san looks beautiful no matter when I see you.”

The moment he said it, he realized he had picked the wrong words. Not that it was a lie — it just came out too directly.

Ayano’s eyes opened wide, her mouth slightly agape, and she froze.

“I-I’m sorry” he apologized, unsure what exactly he had done wrong.

He just wanted to break this awkward mood somehow.

“…Mmmh!”

“Huh? Wh-what?”

Grumbling like a sulky child, she started slapping Kyousuke with light pats.

“Mmmh, mm-mmhh!”

“What? What is it?!”

“I don’t know, but I feel all squirmy inside!”

“Squirmy?”

“Like, all mushy and weird!”

“That doesn’t help me at all.”

Pechi pechi. Pechi pechi pechi.

Like a child petting a beloved animal, she kept patting him gently yet relentlessly. Kyousuke endured it, producing a mental string of question marks above his head. It didn’t hurt, but it was just baffling.

“Ahh, geez! I’m gonna sing, okay?!”

“O-oh…”

Ayano screamed into the mic.

A high-pitched howling sound rang out, but she didn’t care at all and queued up a song.

He still wasn’t entirely sure what had just happened, but seeing her start to sing like that made it clear she wasn’t actually upset. He let out a relieved breath, and maybe because his tension had finally eased, he suddenly felt the urge.

“I’m gonna run to the bathroom real quick.”

He called out to Ayano, who was passionately singing, and stepped out of the room.

As he reached the front of the bathroom, his hand instinctively reached for the men’s room doorknob—but then stopped mid-motion.

‘…Wait, is it okay to just walk in like this?’

Feeling the air flowing beneath him, Kyousuke broke into a cold sweat.

Ayano:「The manga you lent me was really interesting.」23:42

Ayano:「Is there a continuation?」23:43

Kyouー:「I’ll bring it tomorrow.」23:45

Ayano:「I want to read it now.」23:46

Kyouー :「I’ll be over there in ten minutes.」23:48

Ayano:「I’ll make a late-night snack then.」23:48

Ayano: Sticker: 「待ってるよ！」(“I’ll be waiting!”)