Staring straight at me, Hiiragi pointed a trembling finger.
"Going...? Why are you even here, Hatsukade?"
"I'm tagging along on your trip."
"Ehh?!"
Her shrill shriek echoed through the ticket gate area, prompting passersby to turn and wonder what the fuss was about.
"Wait, wha—w-what are you talking about?!"
"Exactly what I said. Your parents asked me to keep an eye on you because they were worried about you going alone."
"Mom and Dad did?!"
"As proof, here's their contact info."
I held up my smartphone screen.
Hiiragi leaned in frantically to look, utterly stunned. "Unbelievable..."
"I-I haven't even exchanged contacts with them yet..."
"I got their info because I plan to send them daily updates on you every night. Come on, let's get moving. We'll miss our train. By the way, where are we heading?"
"...The ocean."
Hmph. Going to the sea for a journey to mend a broken heart—how utterly cliché.
Still,
"Sounds like we'll get to eat some good seafood."
"Ah, sorry, my brain cannot process this."
I tapped my phone against the sensor and walked through the gate.
Looking back, I saw Hiiragi hanging her head in complete dejection, her eyes entirely hollow.
Waiting for the limited express train on the station platform, I sipped a canned coffee from a vending machine while watching her deeply unconvinced expression from the side.
Well, fair enough.
If I were setting out on a solo trip and a classmate suddenly attached himself to me out of nowhere, I'd question his sanity too.
Even so, I had my own reasons, and I wasn't backing down.
"Hey, Hatsukade. I appreciate the concern, but it's Friday and we have school. Your parents will worry too, so you really should just go home."
"I've already handled my responsibilities on that front without a hitch. I contacted the school, too."
"Where do you even get that kind of drive...?"
Letting out a heavy sigh, Hiiragi dug her fist into my upper arm.
"I just can't fathom why you'd go this far for me."
"Because you're running off on some stupid journey of self-discovery all because of me."
"...Eh, wait. Hatsukade-kun, what are you talking about?"
Sweat beaded on her forehead as she forced a strained smile. I reached out and took her by the arm.
"You don't have to play dumb. I already know everything."
"Y-You know...? No way. Could it be..."
"Yeah. The guy who saved you that day and got his butt bitten by a Chihuahua was me."
"...!"
The train pulled in.
Tugging her by the arm, I stepped forward.
"Wait, no, no way! This is no time to get on a train!"
"I'm sure we have plenty to talk about."
"Why are you so calm?! There's nothing! Nothing to talk about at all!"
I tightened my grip on her hand as she tried to pull away.
"...Au, au, au..."
With that, she fell into an embarrassed silence.
Explaining it wouldn't have convinced her anyway, so riding the momentum to push through saved us both from wasting time.
◇
Because the train was crowded, it took quite a while before we could find seats and talk.
Beside me, Hiiragi buried her head in her hands, muttering under her breath.
"I-It's so embarrassing... I just want to die."
She looked up at me with a tearful expression.
"Since when did you know?"
"I saw your social media yesterday."
"I see... Of course you'd find out from that. I should've just deleted the account."
Her voice was subdued—completely unlike her usual self.
Energy was supposed to be her whole thing; what was she moping around for?
"Hatsukade, there's so, so much I want to say, but please let me say this one thing first."
"What is it?"
"Back then, thank you for saving me from getting bitten."
"..."
"I always promised myself I'd tell you that if we ever met again."
Looking utterly drained, she forced the corners of her mouth up into a faint smile.
"Don't worry about something that happened so long ago. It wasn't a big deal."
"It is a big deal! You got bitten real good, your pants were soaked in blood, and you definitely have a scar, right?"
"I don't care whether there's a scar on my butt or not. It's not like I can see directly behind me anyway."
"Still, if it had been me, I would've regretted that scar for the rest of my life, you know?"
"Then I'm glad I protected you, Hiiragi."
"...!"
She hastily averted her eyes, falling quiet. I broke the silence.
"Hey, Hiiragi. Is being in the classroom so painful that you'd rather repeat a whole year?"
"..."
"If you're troubled because you can't take back saying you'd fully support Amanatsu's feelings, you've got the wrong idea. Amanatsu isn't the kind of person who'd want you to throw away an entire year."
"As her best friend, I know that better than anyone. Nakina is a good girl."
Letting out a long, drawn-out sigh, Hiiragi lifted her head.
"I'm in love with you, Hatsukade."
"...I know."
"No, you don't get it at all. I've loved you for so long. I fell for you the moment you saved me, and because I wanted to date you someday, I worked so hard to make myself cute. I practiced cooking because I wanted you to like me, and I built up a following on social media just so I could find you again."
Hiiragi gave a weak chuckle.
"And even now, I'm still in love with you. It's weird, right? I never felt that way around you at school. But seeing you rush over like this is only making me fall for you more."
"Just so you know, I have no intention of dating anyone. So no matter what you do, the outcome won't change."
"That's not the point. If I gave it my all and got rejected, I could accept it and move on. Like you said, love isn't just about mutual feelings. Getting your heart broken is a valid part of love too, I think. But... when I'm not even allowed to try and make you like me, I just don't know where to direct all these feelings I've held onto for so long. That's what hurts."
So that was why she wanted to put distance between us and clear her head.
Looking at it from her perspective regarding Amanatsu, I could understand her feelings.
Given the fake confession incident, Hiiragi undoubtedly felt a strong sense of guilt toward Amanatsu.
Even so...
"You're taking things to an extreme. I'll say it as many times as it takes: Amanatsu doesn't want that. That guilt of yours is just running you in circles."
From my standpoint, all I had to do was reject everyone equally.
If Hiiragi confessed to me, got turned down, and could finally let go, then she should just do that.
Then she could go back to school like normal.
Hiiragi let out a soft chuckle.
"You always act like you know everything, Hatsukade, but you don't know a thing about me."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"This isn't about guilt. I mean, the person I fell for is you, right?"
With a faint blush on her cheeks, she spoke in an upbeat tone.
"Back when I was about to get bitten, you were so cool when you jumped in. I fell for you at first sight, but at the same time, I admired you and wanted to be like you. Helping people in trouble, cheering on people who are struggling. Well, I'm an idiot, so sometimes I cause trouble or end up getting disliked, but that's how I truly feel deep down."
Standing up, she stepped into the aisle to face me directly.
"First love is important... but friends are just as important. I can't choose between the two!"
Having found her stride again, Hiiragi clapped a hand onto my shoulder with a bright, energetic grin.
"So with that said, let's put an end to the gloomy talk! You're already too late for school anyway, so let's just make the most of it and have fun today!"
"Aren't you being awfully carefree?"
"Things'll work out! Tomorrow's Saturday, so you can just stay one night and head home, Hatsukade."
"Don't go deciding my schedule on your—"
Before I could finish, Hiiragi pressed her fingertip against my lips.
"No objections allowed! You don't need to worry about me. This is the result of positive thinking!"
"..."
Indeed, if her actions were backed by such resolute conviction, maybe it wasn't my place to interfere anymore.
◇
The town where Hiiragi and I stepped off the train carried the distinct scent of the ocean breeze.
It was a famous destination that bustled with locals and tourists alike in the summer, well-known enough that even I recognized the name.
Swinging her long blonde hair and swaying her shoulders as she walked cheerfully, Hiiragi pointed out various spots, telling me which restaurants had great food.
Her destination was a relative's place situated right by the beach.
It seemed she hadn't set out on a completely aimless journey after all.
The ground floor of the three-story building featured an automatic sliding door. Stepping inside the stylish, wood-paneled interior, I was met with a large counter.
I read the sign mounted on the wall beside it:
Marine Activity Blue Note
"Your relative's place is a diving shop?"
"Yup. Though it's not just diving—they handle pretty much everything."
Surfboards and snorkel sets lined the walls.
With bottles of liquor arranged along the shelves behind the counter, it seemed they operated as a bar as well.
It practically dripped with extroverted charm.
A perfect match for Hiiragi's relatives.
Just then, despite it only being June, a muscular, heavily tanned middle-aged man walked out from the back.
"Yo, Sakura! Haven't seen ya since New Year's!"
"Uncle Toshiie! Thanks for having me starting today!"
"Sure thing! We've been short on hands, so a live-in helper is more than welcome."
Toshiie-san—who sported a name, build, and mustache straight out of the Sengoku period—widened his eyes in surprise the moment he caught sight of me.
"Is he your boyfriend, Sakura?"
"No, I'm not her boyfri—"
"I like ya! As of today, you're officially my nephew!"
I genuinely worried whether the Hiiragi family was too trusting for their own good.
"I'm just accompanying her. I don't possess a single shred of romantic feeling toward Hiiragi."
"What's that now? And here I was getting all choked up thinking Sakura had finally snapped out of that foolish crush of hers."
The story had spread all the way to her relatives?
Was she the laughingstock of her entire extended family...?
"Uncle Toshiie, Hatsukade misplaced his romantic feelings and emotions somewhere along the way, so he's always making a sour face."
"Is that so? Well, I don't mind a stoic guy like that either."
Right then,
a puppy came tumbling out from the back room.
"Waf?"
An... Akita puppy?
My knees buckled as I dropped down. Despite a flash of anxiety about getting bitten, my hand was already reaching out before I even realized it.
"Hau, hau."
The pup began eagerly licking my fingertips.
"S-So cute..."
"Hey, Sakura, where's the sour face you were talking about?"
"Come to think of it, he had that exact same melted look around Rooney too... Wait, does that mean I'm losing to a dog, let alone Nakina?"
◇
Strange...
I was supposed to have followed Hiiragi here fully prepared to repeat a year of high school if necessary.
Yet after spending the afternoon playing with Fujimaru-kun the Akita puppy, evening had slipped effortlessly into night.
I didn't even remember what the sashimi platter Toshiie-san treated us to tasted like.
I felt terrible about it.
That was just how deeply meeting Fujimaru-kun had shaken my core.
"Hey, Hatsukade."
Hiiragi, who had come over to hang out in the guest room assigned to me, pouted in dissatisfaction.
"I was really looking forward to today, you know. I wanted to make lots of memories and find some closure for my feelings. But ever since we got here, we've barely said two words to each other. You could pay a little more attention to me, couldn't you?"
Quite a shock, wasn't it?
Even I was astonished at myself.
"I was powerless against Fujimaru-kun's charms."
"I mean, fine, but... why do you love dogs so much anyway? You were traumatized after getting bitten by a Chihuahua, right? Usually, people end up hating them."
"Because I got bitten."
"Eh?"
"Getting bitten that day is the exact reason I fell in love with dogs."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Stretching my body, stiff from hours of playing with Fujimaru-kun, I took a sip of the coffee Toshiie-san had brewed for me.
"I don't know if you remember, but my childhood friend was with me that day."
"Yeah."
"She had loved dogs ever since she was little, but back then, I didn't care for them at all. But when I got bitten, she burst into tears and wouldn't stop bawling."
Even now, I could picture it as clearly as yesterday.
My childhood friend—Miko—had been hysterical with worry over my injury.
She cried so hard that I didn't even have time to register the pain; calming her down had been an ordeal in itself.
Ever since that day, she refused to go near dogs.
"I didn't want her to hate something she loved just because of me. So I figured if I came to love dogs myself, maybe she wouldn't feel so guilty about it. And before I knew it, I was the one completely hooked."
Well, my dad was a die-hard dog lover too, so I probably had a natural predisposition for it anyway.
"Hehe, yep, I really do love you, Hatsukade."
"Where did that come from all of a sudden?"
"Because the reason you fell in love with dogs is just so wonderful. The guy I fell for turned out to be even cooler than I imagined."
Hiiragi clutched her hands tightly against her chest, looking genuinely happy.
Perhaps because she had just gotten out of the bath, her long hair was tied up in a ponytail, carrying a faint, sweet scent of shampoo.
"Sorry for thinking you were kind of a jerk at school and complaining about you to Amanatsu and the others."
"Don't worry about it..."
"Thanks. So, did you ever date that childhood friend?"
"A lot happened, and we grew apart."
"Is that the heartbreak you mentioned before?"
"Yeah. It's a pain to explain, so don't ask for details."
"I see... Hmm."
Standing up, Hiiragi clasped her hands behind her back and leaned to the side.
"Well, romance is complicated. I'm definitely feeling that firsthand. And if I stay around you like this, Hatsukade, I'll probably just get even more confused. So let's say our goodbyes here."
"..."
"I've told you everything I felt, so you understand where I'm coming from now, right?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, then that's that. I'm going back to my room now."
"...Good night."
"Good night, Hatsukade."
◇
The next morning, I sat across a table inside Marine Activity Blue Note, chatting with Toshiie-san.
Just then, a sleepy-eyed Hiiragi walked out, stopping dead in her tracks with wide eyes.
"Huh? Hatsukade, what are you and Uncle Toshiie talking about this early in the morning?"
I held up a piece of paper.
"Ah, he just hired me as a live-in part-timer."
"?!?!?!?!"
"Now I get to see Fujimaru-kun every day."
"Au—wait, what?! Eeeeehhhh?!"
Hiiragi dashed over and snatched the contract from my hands.
Her arms trembled violently as she gripped the paper.
"W-Why?! But I told you how I felt, and you said you understood—"
"Yeah, of course I understood. But what makes you think I'm obligated to go along with it?"
"Haaah?"
"I have never once regretted saving you from that Chihuahua."
"..."
"Thanks to that, I fell in love with dogs, and both that lost Chihuahua and you were saved. But listen to me, Hiiragi. If that encounter leads you to throw away your friendships with Amanatsu and Shinonome just to repeat a school year..."
Looking straight into her eyes, I paused to draw a breath.
"Then I will end up regretting that day."
"...!"
"And that is something I will never allow."