Apologizing to Sasaki-kun, I left the soccer pitch. The way he’d nodded with a faint smile and a simple "I understand" left a lingering impression on me.
At the end of the committee meeting, Wataru had stepped out with an air of still having things to do. If that was the case, he was likely in a nearby classroom or the Student Council Room. Over an hour had passed since then... but there was a chance he was still at school.
───Are you really going?
I’d made the decision to move, but my feet felt strangely heavy. Questions bubbled up from within, pressing down on my chest. I might just be a distraction if I found him. Even if I asked him what I wanted to ask, he might not have the answer. Was "now" really the right time? Wouldn't it be better to wait until I was calmer, until my heart had settled?
I might be a nuisance. I might be annoying. Or worse, he might not feel anything at all.
Back during the Trial Enrollment over summer vacation, I hadn't thought about anything. When the work ended and Wataru was nowhere to be found, I felt a rush of disappointment and loneliness. Then, the moment I spotted that familiar back, I’d found myself running toward him before I even realized it.
I didn't have that kind of courage now. I was afraid to hear Wataru's true intentions. I didn't have the bravery to just give in to impulse and run.
".........Ah............"
When I reached the school entrance, I found exactly what I expected: Wataru's shoes were still in his locker. He wasn't in any clubs... but knowing him, he was undoubtedly still here working, just like he had been in the Executive Committee room.
I headed toward the classroom used by the Cultural Festival Executive Committee. The hallway was silent, and it seemed as though not a single student was left. However, the classroom door was shut and locked. Wataru wasn't here. In that case──.
"The Student Council Room, maybe........."
I knew where the Student Council Room was because of our room changes for certain classes, but I’d never actually been there. I didn't know what they did or how hard they worked. All I knew was that Wataru's older sister stood at the top of the social ladder as the Student Council Vice President. Among the girls, she was an object of intense admiration, especially since she was always surrounded by the other council members. Come to think of it, Wataru really was the brother of such an incredible person...
On the third floor, voices drifted from inside the Student Council Room. The door was closed, and unlike the other classrooms, the design made it impossible to see inside. But when I strained my ears, I could hear the Vice President's voice calling Wataru's name. Hearing that lone female voice felt like a godsend.
..................But what should I do?
This was my first time visiting the Student Council. The only member I’d ever really spoken to was Wataru's sister. It would be bizarre to just walk in, say "Excuse me," and try to drag Wataru out. It wasn't even a matter of courage; I just knew it would create an awkward atmosphere.
".........Ugh............"
◇
I walked past the Student Council Room to an open-air passage. There was a staircase there that led from the ground-floor pilotis all the way to the roof. Since the glass door to the building was left open, I’d be able to hear immediately if someone came out of the council room. I decided to sit on the stairs leading to the roof and wait secretly for Wataru to emerge.
The voices from the Student Council Room eventually quieted down, as if they’d shifted their focus back to their work. I’d heard that the Student Council was even busier than the Cultural Festival Executive Committee lately. They probably didn't have time for idle chatter.
The Student Council. The representatives of the student body. It wasn't a position anyone could take lightly. I’d heard this school had gone through its share of trouble in the past. I imagined the weight of responsibility they carried was incomparable to being a member of the Cultural Festival Executive Committee. And in that environment, Wataru's sister served as Vice President, the only girl in the group.
I was envious.
It wasn't that I wanted to be the Vice President myself, but I wanted to be like her. Someone capable, reliable, and steadfast in her own identity. None of the stories Wataru told gave me that impression, but seeing her standing tall on the gymnasium stage during school events made her look so cool. And to think Wataru was her brother, and she’d been his big sister since they were little──ah, no, that's not what I meant.
Was this the same kind of admiration Kei felt for Shinomiya-senpai? If I were a woman like that, maybe I could have been more useful to the committee. Maybe I could have been more of a help to Wataru. If only I could have that kind of confidence──.
"More..."
"──Eh?"
"Eh? Ah........."
Our eyes met. Honey-brown hair and a short skirt. The very person I’d been sitting there admiring. Wataru's sister──Sajou Kaede-senpai──was standing right in front of me, staring with a look of pure shock while clutching a cardboard box full of posters.
"What do you mean 'more'...? Uh, sorry, was I in your way?"
"N-No...! It’s not like that...! I-It’s nothing!"
"I-I see...?"
"A-Ahhh........."
She definitely thought I was a weirdo. She definitely did.
I could feel the color draining from my face. I heard the sound of something inside me reaching its limit and crumbling away. I think this was the closest I’d felt to wanting to die all year. No, I couldn't do that. I couldn't leave Airi behind. I hadn't even done anything to repay my parents yet. I couldn't die here.
"──Kaede-san? Was someone there?"
"Yeah. Well, I say someone... wait a minute. Is that... Natsukawa-san?"
"Y-Yes........."
An upperclassman wearing glasses appeared from behind the Vice President, a small stepladder in his arms. If I remembered correctly, that was Kai-senpai. He was a second-year, and I occasionally heard the girls talking about him. He was another object of admiration. Realizing that only made me more embarrassed.
"Wow, you look terrible... no, I mean, what are you doing sitting around in a place like this?"
"Um... I was... waiting here..."
"Waiting...? Wait, does that mean...?"
"Yes... for Wataru... Wata──Ehh!?"
I answered with a shattered heart, only to realize the situation.
The Vice President was standing right in front of me. That meant she’d just opened the door to the Student Council Room and walked out. I’d been so deep in thought that I hadn't heard the sound at all. I’d become so absorbed in my own head that I’d tuned out the world.
"A-Ahm, is Wataru...?"
"Wataru left before we did, though..."
"Eh──"
"Ah, okay, I get it. I’ll bring him back right now. Give me forty seconds──no, ten. If that brat doesn't pick up──"
"Eh!?"
Wataru had already left. He wasn't in the Student Council Room anymore. As I stood there in shock, the Vice President pulled out her phone. I let out a yelp when I heard her say something that sounded distinctly threatening.
"──Sajou-kun should still be in the Executive Committee room."
"...!"
"Wait, Takuto, are you serious?"
"Yeah. He said he’d forgotten to return a laptop and got the key from Ishiguro-kun. I doubt he’s left the school yet."
I stood up instinctively at his words. The Vice President tucked her phone away and looked at me as if asking, "Well, what are you going to do?" Her eyes, which usually had a heavy, bored look to them, were rounded with a hint of amusement. The way her pupils reflected the purple light was exactly like Wataru’s, and I almost found myself entranced.
"Um, I..."
"Ah, well... yeah. He’s a handful of a brother, but look after him. He’s got no delicacy, but he’ll do whatever you tell him to. Feel free to boss him around as much as you like."
"Ye──wait, what?"
I almost agreed out of habit before the sheer weight of her words hit me. I’d heard stories of his antics, but my impression of his sister had shifted to "the kind older sister" ever since Wataru collapsed. I suppose that's just how she treated her brother.
"──Also, well... I’m sorry for showing you that scary side of me the other day. That’s all."
With that, the Vice President turned away and started walking toward the West Building. Kai-senpai followed behind her, giving me a small bow and a wry smile.
The "scary side." She must have meant when she’d dragged Ishiguro-senpai and Wataru out of the Executive Committee room to try and make them quit. Her aura back then really had been terrifying. But even so, I could feel how much she cared for Wataru in every word she spoke. I might respect her, but I could never hate her. And,
That was exactly why──I wanted to know why Wataru was trying so hard.
Offering a silent prayer of thanks, I headed back into the school toward the wing where the Cultural Festival Executive Committee room was located. The sun had dipped lower than before, and the hallways were growing dark; the light pouring in was no longer white.
I reached the hallway outside the room. Like before, there was no sound, no sign of anyone. The only thing I could hear were the distant cries of students in after-school clubs. I almost doubted if Wataru was actually here.
And yet.
"──Ah."
The back door of the Cultural Festival Executive Committee room was open.
I walked toward it, one step at a time. The orange carpet of light stretching from the window felt like it was guiding me. As I got closer, my body grew cold with tension, slowing my stride. From somewhere, an early autumn breeze warmed by the sunset pushed against my back.
I was afraid. I was afraid, but I wanted to know. I wanted to see him.
The classroom I peered into was being swallowed by the early evening, draped in deep shadows. Dust motes caught in the slanted orange light drifted like sparkling grains of sand. It was a sight I’d never seen before, having never stayed at school until this late.
And there, by the window, was a single boy.
"──Heave-ho... Huh?"
"Ah..."
As he stood up from the desk, he noticed me. The faint smile on his face instantly shifted to surprise. The pupils in his wide eyes were the exact same color as his sister's.
A moment before that──the profile of his face I’d seen for just a split second was burned vividly into my mind.