15.5 Chapter 6: An Intertwined Past

At night, my roommates were getting excited from trifling conversations.

I was worried about Akito, but he withdrew his energy and spent the whole day recovering. He didn't seem to have any trouble speaking while lying down. While I occasionally returned cues that I was listening and contributed small bits of material, I was mostly passing the night on my phone while acting as a spectator.

As I was surfing the net while waiting to get drowsy, I got a single chat message.

"I kinda wanna call you, is that fine?"

Such a message came from Kei.

A minute has passed since I opened the chat. We usually have about one conversation a day.

From how she didn't use any emojis or stickers, I could guess that it was serious.

"I'm in my room right now so wait for three minutes."

We hadn't reached curfew time yet, so it wouldn't be difficult to leave the room.

After I sent a reply, I quickly made to leave my bed.

"I'll get a drink."

I used convenient words that you could employ at any timing and went from the room to the hallway.

It was past 9pm. I didn't see any students passing by.

From there I went to the deck and roughly confirmed the surroundings.

After I confirmed that no one was there, I called Kei.

"Hello?"

"Sorry for being so sudden. But I wanted to call you no matter what."

She said cute, girlfriend-like words.

Is this the desire to hear 『I just wanted to hear your voice for some reason』 from your lover?

"You know-"

After a short pause, Kei cut through.

"I've heard bad rumors about you. Won't you explain them to me?"

"Bad rumors?"

Hm? The words I had expected didn't come. Rather Kei seemed to be in a bad mood.

There was a long silence. A reply didn't come right away.

"Bad rumors?"

I didn't hold it in and asked a second time, but I could only feel her annoyed. She didn't answer.

On the contrary it seems like she's suspicious of how I repeated a phrase word-by-word.

"Does nothing even come to mind?"

"Nothing comes to mind."

I answered right away, but a few things came to mind.

The first and primary thing was sure enough Ichinose.

Nagumo saw us talking and knew that something unordinary was going on.

And since he knew about my relationship with Kei, it wouldn't be strange if he touched on it. Even aside from that, me pairing up with Satou who confessed to me once, and us chatting with Matsushita ran through my mind.

"Nothing really comes to mind?"

She paused for a second and asked one last time as if she were passing judgement.

"None."

But I still stuck to pretending that I didn't know anything. If she knew what specific 『something』 she was talking about, then she wants me to confess the thing I had with Ichinose or with Satou. But as long as she didn't know anything specific, if I half-mindedly say those things then it might only make her feel worse. If your meat is cut then sever their bone.

...Actually, why did it become like this instead of a sweet phone call?

"Kei?"

When I tried encouraging her by calling her name, she spoke as if her lips were trembling.

"You- that- there's a rumor, they say you're seducing a Junior!"

"...Hm?"

Even after hearing the contents of the rumor, I didn't understand and tilted my neck.

It's different from the something I expected it to be.

In the end, not saying anything I wasn't prepared for was the correct choice.

"From where and how did you hear that gossip?"

"I don't know! But- why did I hear that you've been repeatedly meeting with a 1st year!?"

A 1st year girl. The person who comes to mind is Nanase...

As she said, we have been meeting and talking a lot during this vacation.

It's not as if we were meeting in secret or anything, so there were many witnesses.

I understood the situation, so this shouldn't take long.

"She's just my junior."

"I know! I mean, you'd be out if she weren't just your junior!"

Indeed.

"And! I heard that you've paired up with Satou-san in the treasure hunt!?"

She said. It looked like Kei somehow heard of one of the things that came to my mind.

"I certainly didn't tell you, but since it's you wouldn't you know right away?"

There were many people who saw me walking around with Satou in the treasure hunt. Even Matsushita knows.

"I-I knew that instantly but you see... I knew that but you see."

Seemingly full of dissatisfaction, she muttered some words that I couldn't hear.

"The truth is I wanted to pair up with Kiyotaka."

"I know how you feel, but the order would be messed up wouldn't it?"

"Bu-"

"By the way how did you do, being paired with Mori?"

"...You want me to tell you?"

"No, it's fine."

Since the mood got even worse, I'll stop getting deep into it. I could keep listening to her complaints like this, but especially since the topic was on Satou, I'll try to change it.

"You spoke with Satou about what you're gonna do."

"Eh? Ah, ah yeah. Sure enough I wanted to tell only Satou-san first."

"Well, there's no harm in that. By the way did you have that conversation on the phone or chat?"

"Of course not. Things like this have to be spoken face-to-face. It was in a cafe."

"A cafe huh. Do you remember being heard by anyone?"

"I'm careful myself so no, not really. At the very least we weren't heard by any 2nd years so don't worry."

Indeed, what Kei should be most careful of is the 2nd years.

The 1st years and 3rd years fundamentally don't show as much interest in the love matters of other school years.

All the more if the subject is me.

But with the 3rd years it's the opposite. It wouldn't be strange if they ate up everything about me.

"Ah~ but, there were 3rd year girls on a nearby seat so it was a bit hard to talk."

Kei looked back on the time she met with Satou to correct her answer.

From Kei's viewpoint as someone who doesn't know many things, she wouldn't expect to be marked by the 3rd years.

"It's a good thing she understood."

"Yeah. But is it really okay? To publicize the fact that we're dating."

"Of course there's no problem."

Rather, I understand that it'll be necessary sooner or later.

If we're pushed into it from the back then as much as we're pushed, it'll be a pain to deal with other things.

"Well you said you'd publicize it, but it's not like you'll declare it in front of our classmates. You'll say it naturally in front of your friends, and from there more people will know as time goes on. That's all."

They would have a lot of thoughts and reactions, but it's not such a big problem.

"But look... Kiyotaka is popular."

"Is that so?"

"Uwa, it's so annoying that you don't feel like you know anything about that-"

"Then you don't have to tell me, do you?"

"Yeah, that's right, but even if I know that I worry so I'll end up saying it won't I!"

It wasn't as if I didn't understand what she was saying, but that's contradictory.

"Aren't you declaring it to get rid of unnecessary feelings?"

As long as one thinks that the person they like doesn't have a boyfriend or girlfriend, they might mount intense attacks. In order to avoid that, they reveal the fact that they're going out with someone.

With that, most people would give up and stop attacking.

Of course I know well that there are a few exceptions but...

"I'm worried..."

Kei fears those few exceptions more than enemies she can't see.

"You might not know this yet, but there are girls who fall in love with boys who have girlfriends and zealously try to steal them away."

"I see."

"Is that okay? I won't forgive cheating."

Considering Kei's dependency, she'd definitely never permit her boyfriend to cheat on her.

That's something I understood even before we started going out.

"Don't worry. I won't do that."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Really really?"

"Really."

A useless exchange repeated.

But that useless action was something you could put under the process of romance, as showing your love.

"Do you... love me?"

Just to be careful I scanned my surroundings once.

Of course at this time, there probably weren't any students who would want to visit the dark deck.

"Yeah, I love you."

Since I knew that no one was around, I was able to say it without hesitation.

"...nfufufu."

"What's with that creepy laugh?"

She's definitely happy. I thought she would reply with the same thing, but to think that it would make her laugh.

"I mean, it was funny when I thought that you were saying that while minding your surroundings."

It looks like my actions can somehow be seen by Kei.

"I'll cut the call."

"Aah wait wait. Say it one more time."

"Mu."

When she demanded I say that I loved her another time, my words caught up in my mouth for a moment.

"I said I was going to buy some drinks so I have to go back soon."

"Hey! Say you love me!"

"I just did."

"I want to hear it one more time!"

How selfish. No, besides that, even though it's the same words the weight has changed this much.

"...I love you."

"......Pupu."

"Oi."

Kei tried to hold in her laughter, but it leaked out in the end.

"Yeah, I knew you were the best. ...I'll never give you to anyone else."

I had just said that she didn't need to worry about that right now, but it looked like her worry was just getting worse.

"Is it okay to not ask it from me?"

"If I ask, will you say it?"

"I wonder-?"

"Alright, see you tomorrow."

"Just a minute! That's where you ask me isn't it!?"

How do I say this? Since a while ago she's been looking like she was giving me a choice but she hasn't.

"Then say it."

"You're throwing it around! It's like you don't care! It doesn't sit well with me~!"

"...Please say it."

"Eh~? What should I do~"

I held in what I wanted to say and waited for Kei's reply.

"...I love you."

Shortly, and while laughing just a little bit, no, while embarrassed, Kei answered.

"Good night Kiyotaka."

"Yeah, good night."

After I cut the call, the words 'I love you' Kei said to me resounded in my ear.

"Not bad."

The thing called love is truly interesting.

It was a moment in the night when I thought that.