"Takanashi-san! Your injury—how bad is it!?"
Senpai must have seen the school nurse and realized I was inside, because she burst into the room with frantic energy.
The moment she spotted me, a brief look of relief crossed her face, but it vanished instantly as she rushed to my side and leaned over the bed.
"Sara-senpai, I’m fi—"
"Should we go to the hospital right now? I'll go with y—"
"Sara-senpai!"
I already knew the best way to calm her down.
When I spoke firmly while looking her straight in the eye, Sara-senpai looked startled for a moment, and then her expression softened into something more sorrowful.
"M-my apologies. I lost my composure."
"Sara-senpai, I’m okay, so please just try to relax for now."
The school nurse had been quietly observing us, and once she was sure Senpai had settled down, she finally spoke up.
"I see Satsukawa-san came running for him this time too... I see, I see. Well, for the time being, Takanashi-kun is fine. However, his right wrist looks a bit suspicious, so it would be best to go to a hospital and have it examined."
"His right wrist... in that case, I will be the one to accompany him."
The moment she heard that reply, a mischievous grin spread across the school nurse’s face.
"Apparently, Takanashi-kun took a spill because he was so distracted worrying about his favorite person, you see?"
"...Eh?"
Senpai looked genuinely puzzled.
If someone said something like that out of the blue, anyone would react that way. More importantly, the nurse! I shouldn't have told her!
"Sensei! That’s enough!"
"Well, in that case, it might be a good idea for that person to take care of him. Whoever they might be," the nurse added playfully.
Why was this person saying that right to her face? Aren't these things supposed to be kept in confidence?
"Sensei! Why would you say that..."
"Well then, I’m going to go have a word with Takanashi-kun's homeroom teacher. Since it's lunch break anyway, feel free to stay here and keep him company while you watch over him, alright?"
After dropping that bombshell, the nurse strolled out of the infirmary. What was with that woman...
"Takanashi-san..."
Unlike her usual self, Sara-senpai now looked a little bashful.
I hadn't seen her make an expression like that in days. It made me happy, but it was also incredibly embarrassing.
"Um... was it because of me?"
Senpai asked, her face still tinged with that shy embarrassment.
Being asked so directly was, as I expected, difficult to handle.
"No... well..."
"Takanashi-san, did you fall because you were worried about me?"
Normally, Sara-senpai would have been able to see right through me, but this time, it seemed she wasn't going to let me off the hook until she heard an honest answer.
"Well... yes."
"...I understand. In that case, I shall take responsibility and take care of you."
She probably wasn't quite back to her usual self yet. Still, seeing her look even a little bit happy made me feel better... even if my wrist was throbbing.
I had originally intended to set aside some time to talk properly after school, but we were going to need time to go to the hospital anyway. Since we happened to be alone, I decided to take the plunge and speak now.
If she was suffering because of me, I wanted to resolve it as quickly as possible.
"Regarding the talk I wanted to have after school... could we do it now?"
When I suddenly changed the subject, Senpai’s expression stiffened. I pushed forward anyway.
"First, let me say just this. If the things Sara-senpai is worrying about involve me, then no matter what they are, I will accept them. I affirm everything about you, Senpai. With that in mind, I want to ask: if I were worrying about the exact same things you are, what would you do?"
If he were troubled by the same things as me?
In other words, if Takanashi-san were worried that his jealousy was so deep that I would hate him...
There is no way I could ever hate him for that.
It would mean he felt that way because he loves me, and knowing that would make me so very happy.
If Takanashi-san wished for it, I would cut ties with all other men... Ah.
...It makes me happy?
If it were me, I would be happy...
Sara-senpai seemed to realize something, a look of sudden clarity appearing on her face. I hoped she was moving in a positive direction.
"Takanashi-san, I was afraid to tell you this. I was so afraid that you would hate me... but when I thought about you feeling the same way, I realized it would make me happy. So, I will find the courage to tell you."
It seemed she had finally reached a decision.
Thank goodness. It was going to be okay; if it was something that made Sara-senpai feel happy, there was no way it wouldn't make me happy too.
"...I became jealous because you were getting along so well with other women. I was jealous seeing you do things with them that I thought were special between us."
Bit by bit, Senpai began to speak, her face still clouded with anxiety.
"I have never felt like this before. Just seeing you close with another woman was painful, and I hated that you were smiling at them... but more than anything, I hated myself for thinking those things. I was sure that if I told you, you would hate—ah."
I pushed myself up from the bed and pulled Senpai into a hug.
I couldn't help it; I was so overwhelmed with love for her that I couldn't hold back any longer.
For her to be jealous, to bottle it all up because she was terrified I’d hate her, to suffer all alone... this was my fault. Even though I’d been so determined to teach her about love, I’d failed to make her realize that she was the only one who mattered.
What should I do? How could I make it right?
One thing came to mind. In the past, I had done it unconsciously—without even realizing what I was doing—but now I understood. And the current Senpai should be able to understand too.
That was when I decided what we were doing after school.
Senpai fidgeted slightly in my arms. Even if it was on impulse, I was still holding her without saying a word. Since I’d promised to teach her about love, I had to stop being shy and tell her exactly how I felt.
"Senpai, jealousy is an inevitable part of love. This might sound wrong, but the person on the receiving end is actually happy about it. That’s why I’m happy you felt that way, Senpai. Because it means you love me that much. Even for me, if Sara-senpai were getting along with other guys, I’d definitely be jealous too. If that happened, would you hate me?"
Senpai settled quietly into my embrace. She moved her head against me, shaking it from side to side.
"Thank you. So please, don't be afraid of being jealous. I'd rather you tell me, because it makes me happy. Besides, this was my failure for not making you feel secure enough."
Sara-senpai didn't say anything, but I knew she was listening to every word.
"I want you to feel secure, so you're definitely coming with me after school. You have no right of refusal. Just follow me quietly, okay?"
I said it with a bit of a joke to lighten the mood, and Senpai gave a small nod against my chest. I was starting to worry because she was being so quiet when—
Sniff...
Wait, was she crying?
"I was so scared... even when I tried to tell myself it would be okay, I kept wondering what I’d do if you hated me. If you hated me, I..."
"Senpai, I could never, ever hate you. If anything, I'm the one who should worry about you finally getting fed up with me—"
"That’s impossible! If anything, I’m the one who—"
"No, I’m the one—"
"I am!"
Haha.
Fufu...
When we both realized we were having the exact same argument, we couldn't help but laugh. It was a cycle that was never going to end.
"Well, let's just agree that we're both going to be fine."
"Yes, you're right."
As long as Senpai was smiling, it was a good result.
Now, all that was left was what I had planned for after school...