───────────────────────────
Dear Sajou-kun,
Good morning. This is Mina Ichinose.
I’m sorry for sending such a sudden letter. I had something I wanted to tell you, so I decided to write to you. This is the first time I’ve ever written a letter to someone like this, so it’s actually a bit embarrassing...
It’s been a little while since you left your part-time job during summer vacation. As for me, thanks to you giving me that push, I’ve somehow been able to manage serving customers. However, my shifts have moved to the evenings... so I’ve been going to bed a bit later. I ended up yawning the next day... and I was so embarrassed when Shirai-san saw me.
During all that, Sasaki-san, whom you also know, came by the shop on her last day off. she came to visit in the middle of her entrance exam studies, but when she found out you had quit, she was totally crushed. You didn't tell her, did you...? "He’s heartless!" she said, fuming in anger.
Since she said she had no way to contact you, she asked me to pass along her messaging app ID. Since it involves personal information... well, that’s why I put it in this letter.
Actually... I thought I might try starting it too, taking this as an opportunity... so, with my big brother and Yuri-san helping me, I managed to get the same app as Sasaki-san onto my smartphone. Yes, since then, I feel like I’ve slowly become able to face things without running away.
So, um... if it’s alright with you, I was wondering if I could... just like Sasaki-san... Um, if it’s a bother, please don't worry about it. I don't want to be a nuisance like I was during our shifts. It’s just that, well, I feel like I can’t talk to you very much at school... Um, I’m sorry for saying something so sudden. It’s fine if it’s just as an afterthought to Sasaki-san’s... so, if you’re okay with it, I look forward to hearing from you.
Mina Ichinose
───────────────────────────
Tucked behind the letter was a memo bordered with a cute floral pattern. Written right in the middle, in letters so large they practically screamed at me, were the name "Fuuka" and her account ID. That was probably all that was intended to be there; to the bottom right of it, the name "Mina" and a similar string of characters were added in small, apologetic-looking handwriting.
"……"
She’s too cute (Dammit).
What? She’s way too cute. What is this pounding in my chest? Isn't this more of a love letter than an actual love letter? How is this not a love letter? What is going on with this country? "Sasaki-san is mad, so I'll let you know her message ID"... Wait, is the main point of this just a message? Is it even possible to make someone writhe this much with a simple errand? What is this euphoria? Is it a liquid energy shot?
I feel like exchanging IDs could have just been done in person... For that matter, she should have my phone number saved from the summer job. To go through the trouble of writing a physical letter, what a clumsy girl... She’s way too cute, what kind of thing is she showing me during class... I want to scream, but I can't. I want to tell the world, but I can't. I feel like my body is going to spontaneously combust.
Middle schoolers, high schoolers, and college girls are all teaming up to make me suffer... As expected of a high school girl. She’s in a league of her own. Could this actually be a calculated move? Like a terrorist act where someone tries to make you laugh on a dead-silent train. Or maybe, going full circle, is this a letter of defiance...? Could she already be here to finish me off...?!
No, no, no, calm down, me. You’re overreacting. It’s the same as being told "Let’s be friends" in an online game, right? Have I ever been this moved by something like that? If anything, I wasn't even particularly happy then. I’d just reply with a flat "k."
A reply—Wait? What should I do about a reply? Do I have to write a letter too? Since she went this far, I have to write one, don't I...? Fine then. I’ll make the literary girl Ichinose-san groan with my masterful writing skills.
─────────────────────────
To Ichinose-san,
K, I'll add you.
Sajou Wataru
─────────────────────────
This might be hopeless.
I have never felt like paper was more of a waste than right now. Is this a side effect of using my smartphone too much...? I can't write long sentences. Even though it's just a reply, I feel like I’m picking a fight. I’m starting to feel homicidal toward the reply I wrote myself. If I were Ichinose-san, I wouldn't forgive me.
Ichinose-san, why did you have to send a letter... No, it’s not that I dislike it, okay? On the contrary, it gave me a second wind. The sense of euphoria is incredible. My brain is practically soaked in oxytocin right now, seriously. It’s just gushing out. I’m so moved I’m about to cry. Oxytocin is going to leak out of my eyes.
But look, the difficulty level is high, or rather... Hah?! Could this be her goal?! Does she hold a grudge for all the times I lectured her during the job, and this is her scheme to mess with me as revenge? Making me writhe during class was one part of the plan... No, no, no, that’s just my persecution complex. There’s no way Ichinose-san would think of something like that. Don't be so twisted just because you're unpopular, you bastard.
One more time. Let me look at the letter from Ichinose-san one more time. It will surely heal my jaded heart. Peek.
"……"
Dammit, she’s cute (Grrr).
...Wait a minute. Ashida was making a scene before the seat reshuffle, but couldn't Ichinose-san have heard her? Oh god, how embarrassing. We were making such a fuss even though it wasn't a love letter? And what’s more, the sender heard it...? Could anything be more humiliating?
◆
"So! How was it!?"
"Could you shut it for a second, Ashida?"
"Eh...?"
The moment I became self-conscious, the embarrassment intensified. Now, just Ashida making a scene is embarrassing. When I look at it from Ichinose-san’s perspective, I shrink even more. Right now, she might be laughing at me internally.
“No way, that’s hilarious (lol).”
She’s surely thinking something like—No, that's not right, is it? If that were the case, I wouldn't just be discouraged; I'd lose my faith in humanity. It’s okay... In Ichinose-san’s case, she’s probably worried that it might have been mistaken for a love letter. I should talk to Ichinose-san as soon as possible... for my own sake, too.
"Making a fuss over a single letter... Hmph, you're still naive."
"You suddenly got really annoying!"
I have to get past Ashida to go to Ichinose-san. She’s persistent and a formidable foe. You have no right to call me tactless, you know. It’s bad form to prioritize your own curiosity when you can sense someone's hesitation.
"This kind of thing isn't something you just talk about with others. Got it?"
"But Sajocchi, you’re the type who would just blurt it out. You have no delicacy."
"You really said it, didn't you?"
It wasn't a love letter, but thinking about whether it’s okay to share this is another matter entirely. Considering Ichinose-san’s personality, she probably wouldn't want other people to see it, and more than anything, I’m afraid of losing her trust. Going to talk to her directly is risky... Right now, Ichinose-san is being pestered by someone during every break. Not in a bad way, though.
"But I’m curious..."
"The delicacy inside me is screaming at me to keep my mouth shut."
"Just set her free already."
"I’m not holding her captive."
I get teased all the time, but this might be the first time I’ve felt such a sharp edge to her words. No, if I think about it calmly, maybe not... Maybe it’s her way of kicking me in the rear through the chair. She's been unrestrained in a bad way for a long time... Close call, I’m so used to it that it's practically become a greeting.
"—T-Then...!"
"!"
"Was it... a love letter... or was it not? Just that much..."
Natsukawa asked hesitantly. See this, Ashida? This is it. Yes, what you need is "humility." That refined heart that is curious but hesitates to ask. When someone asks like that, I feel like I have no choice—
...Wait a minute. Even so, do I have to say it? It’s embarrassing that I was so flustered when it wasn't even a love letter. And to have Natsukawa, of all people, find out... there’s a limit to how pathetic I can be...
"What is it? Was it that?"
"Well... it was, uh, close to it, I guess?"
"Eh..."
"What!? So it wasn't a challenge or anything!?"
I couldn't deny it. The fact that it was a letter, the contents, the clumsy charm—comprehensively, it was cute enough to make me tremble... It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she was trying to take me down. I almost let out a groan despite being in the middle of class. If I suddenly started groaning during class, I'd be a total creep. Still, I grin just thinking about it.
"Heh... in a way, she was here to challenge me."
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
Wait, why the sudden silence?
The atmosphere cooled instantly.