The morning after my reconciliation with Yuri.
Leaving the hotel a step ahead of the others, Hinako and I offered our brief goodbyes.
"Well then, if you’ll excuse us."
I bowed to the staff at the front desk.
The bag slung over my shoulder threatened to slip. It was packed with teaching materials from the Summer Seminar and the swimsuit I’d used at the beach. The weight felt like proof of how fulfilling this past week had been.
"Thanks to you, I’ve had a truly meaningful week."
"The pajama party and the beach were so much fun. I want to do something like this again!"
It seemed Tennoji-san and Narika had both made wonderful memories. I couldn’t help but feel a swell of happiness at being able to share that sentiment.
"By the way, where did Konohana-san get off to?"
"She realized she’d forgotten something and went back to her room."
In all likelihood, I would be leaving the hotel before she even made it back down.
There were still other students from Kikou Academy staying here. For that reason, just like on the way here, the plan was for us to head home in separate vehicles.
A car was supposed to arrive shortly. Shizune had instructed me to head out as soon as it arrived without waiting for Hinako. We couldn't ride in the same car anyway, and we would be reuniting at the Konohana family mansion eventually. It was a logical arrangement.
"Itsuki. If things ever get tough, remember you can always talk to me."
Yuri, who seemed to have stepped away from her kitchen shift for a moment, spoke with her hands on her hips.
"Yuri, just so we're clear..."
"I know. I'm not trying to be 'useful' to you anymore....But at least let me be a busybody."
Yuri flashed a defiant smile.
"Because I'm Itsuki’s big sister, after all!"
Seeing her look so proud of herself, I replied with a sense of relief.
"...We're the same age, you know."
The current Yuri wasn't trying to justify her existence by being useful. She simply wanted to act like an older sister.
If that was the case, I could live with it....Even if it was slightly awkward.
I glanced outside to see a black sedan idling at the curb. The driver caught my eye through the window and gave a slight nod. It was the car provided by the Konohana family.
With one last nod to everyone, I climbed into the car.
"That's right... I'll at least let myself be a busybody."
Just before the window rolled up, I thought I heard Yuri murmur those words.
◇
After returning to her room to retrieve her luggage, Hinako walked through the hotel grounds with Shizune.
The forgotten items were her Summer Seminar textbooks. She doubted she would ever use them again, but they felt like a physical piece of the memories she’d made over the past week. Leaving them behind felt wrong.
They followed a path shaded by thick trees, avoiding the direct glare of the sun.
Partway through, Hinako came to a sudden halt.
"Young Lady?" Shizune asked, tilting her head.
"Shizune... would you mind if I had a moment to myself?"
"To yourself?"
Shizune looked surprised; it wasn't a request Hinako made often.
"Yes. I just need to think."
"...Understood. I will keep my distance."
Shizune nodded respectfully and stepped away.
She remained far enough back to give Hinako space, yet close enough to maintain her watch. It was clear she had no intention of actually letting Hinako out of her sight, but the way she pointedly looked in another direction was her own brand of kindness—a silent assurance that Hinako could pretend she wasn't there.
Hinako sat down on a nearby bench. A heavy sigh escaped her lips.
She should have been coming away with nothing but good memories. Between the pajama party and the beach, she had enjoyed a taste of the ordinary life she could never experience at the Academy.
And yet, her heart had grown heavier with each passing day.
(During the pajama party...)
She remembered Yuri’s words.
The softhearted Itsuki prioritized others to the point of self-neglect. Yuri had said that, because of this, he often carried heavy burdens without even realizing it.
(When we spoke at the beach that night...)
She remembered what she’d asked Itsuki after they finished with the sparklers. When she had asked if he wanted to see his old friends, he had said yes.
(When Itsuki chased after Hirano-san...)
When asked if Hirano-san was important to him, Itsuki had answered "She is" without a second's hesitation. Hinako could still see the raw sincerity in his eyes.
"Konohana-san? Is something the matter?"
Someone had approached her without her noticing. Hinako looked up to find a petite girl standing before her.
"Hirano-san... no, it’s nothing."
"Are you sure? You look a bit down."
It was a sharp observation. A faint crack appeared in Hinako’s mask of the perfect Young Lady. Her true feelings began to seep through the fissure.
"...Tomonari-kun looked so happy to see you."
"Well, it had been a long time."
"Is a reunion with an old friend truly that joyful?"
"I don't think about it in such grandiose terms, but isn't that usually how it is?"
'Usually'—that one word gnawed at Hinako’s heart.
Who was it that had stolen that sense of 'usual' from Itsuki for so long?
Itsuki lived every day with such desperate intensity that he neglected himself. Who was it that had forced him into that environment?
Who was it that had kept him from his old friends?
Who was it that had torn Itsuki and Hirano-san apart?
"Perhaps what I'm doing is..."
Her chest ached. If Yuri weren't standing right there, Hinako was certain she would have burst into tears.
She felt the color drain from her face. The ground beneath her, once so firm, suddenly seemed to give way, and she felt a wave of sorrow as if she were being swallowed by an endless abyss.
She couldn't understand why she felt this way. She couldn't identify the true nature of this emotion.
"—You know, I was misunderstanding things a little bit."
Seeing Hinako turn pale, Yuri suddenly began to speak.
"I used to think people from Kikou Academy were all stuck-up. But after talking with you, Tennoji-san, and Miyajima-san, I realized I was wrong. You're all so serious, living life with everything you've got... and just like us, you're all experiencing ordinary love."
Yuri continued with a gentle smile.
"Even so, it seems like ordinary romance is hard for someone of your status. Even if it’s not an arranged marriage, complete freedom to love whoever you want is difficult... or so Tennoji-san told me."
Yuri looked up at the sky for a moment before turning her gaze back to Hinako.
"That's why I've actually started wanting to cheer you on. I don't intend to give him up, mind you—but it would feel unfair otherwise."
What didn't she intend to give up?
What was unfair?
Hinako understood none of it.
Nothing at all——.
"Konohana-san. Let me tell you why you're hurting so much."
To the ignorant, unaware Hinako—Yuri made her declaration.
"Konohana-san, you're in love with Itsuki."