"A lot of the people in your circle seem to be settling down pretty early, don't they?"
First there was Ishida, and then there was Hayashi, who had already gone as far as moving in with her boyfriend before they split.
We were only eighteen or nineteen, barely out of high school, yet people were already fast-tracking their way to domesticity and marriage. I couldn't help but feel a bit bewildered by it all. I suppose there’s always a bit of a gap between when men and women start thinking about marriage, but even so, they were definitely on the early side.
"Y-yeah, I’m shocked too..."
Hayashi seemed a bit thrown by my observation. Even she likely recognized that getting engaged at eighteen or nineteen was rushing things.
"I never would have guessed it’d be I-chan."
What made it even more surprising was that the one deciding on such an early marriage was Ishida, who had been famous for being the most serious, diligent student in our grade. The level of shock was understandably high. Even for me, given my own history with Ishida back in high school, it was a total curveball.
"So, what did your parents say?"
"Eh? ...Oh. They said a wedding invitation from I-chan arrived at the house."
"For what?"
"The wedding ceremony."
I see. That cleared up the gist of the call from Hayashi's mother.
"You should go," I said.
"Hmm..."
I expected her to agree immediately, but the response that came out was lukewarm at best. She sat there with her arms crossed and a troubled expression, looking rather ridiculous. It was a look that didn't suit her at all.
"What, you're not going?"
"I don't know..."
Come to think of it, when she went to see her old classmates the other day, her attitude had been incredibly reluctant despite her actually going. From my perspective, the people who swarmed around her in high school were mostly just obsessed with clinging to her for status. Perhaps, in Hayashi’s eyes, Ishida fell into that same category.
No, that probably wasn't it. After all, she’d just finished saying that Ishida was as kind as Kasahara. This girl was incapable of lying. If she said that, it meant she genuinely held Ishida in high regard.
"You should go celebrate your friend’s big day."
"I know that, but..."
So she did intend to celebrate for her. Then what was the problem?
"I don't have a dress for a party, and the gift money is a huge expense... My current financial situation is... well, you know."
Right. Because of everything that had happened, she was currently flat broke.
"I'll lend you the money, then."
"No thanks. I'll just borrow it from my parents if it comes to that."
"Oh. Right."
"...Plus, the main reason I don't want to go is that I’ll have to run into everyone else from high school besides I-chan."
"Ah, that makes sense."
I could sympathize with that. As I’d thought, the majority of the people around her back then were just there to ride her coattails. Hayashi probably hated the idea of reuniting with them or having to give them updates on her life.
"Just have Kasahara back you up."
"Good point. I wonder if Akari got an invitation too?"
"She must have. You three were practically inseparable in our third year."
Hayashi narrowed her eyes at me.
"What?"
"You sure were paying close attention to us, weren't you? Is that because your girlfriend was there?"
I looked away. I didn't think I deserved a sarcastic remark like that, but I kept the thought to myself.
"I’m going to try calling Akari for a second."
"Go ahead, go ahead."
Until very recently, I’d felt like Hayashi was intentionally avoiding Kasahara, but that tension seemed to have thawed lately. It was a good thing. I really wanted the two of them to be able to lean on each other.
Hayashi held her smartphone to her ear.
"Ah, hello, Akari? Yeah. Actually, you might already know, but... I-chan's getting married."
I turned my attention back to the TV. I could hear faint, high-pitched noises leaking from the phone; it was clearly Kasahara’s surprised voice.
"Right? Such a shock. Yeah... yeah... Ah, I wonder when they filed the paperwork. My mom didn't say. I'll have to ask later. ...Wait, what? You found someone like that recently too, Akari? ...Hey, don't worry about me!"
She was teasing Akari and getting teased right back.
"Stop it! Seriously, stop! I hate you, Akari! ...Wait, no, I’m kidding! Don’t cry!"
"What are you two even doing?" I couldn't help but interject.
When I looked over, Hayashi caught my eye and stuck her tongue out at me.
"Sorry, Akari. My roommate is bullying me. He tells me I’m only allowed to talk on the phone for an hour a day. Even though he won't stop cleaning no matter how much I try to limit his time. He’s the worst. Maybe I should report him to the police for domestic violence. I’m seriously considering it."
Since when did she start relying on the authorities for her jokes? For the record, I’d never once scolded her for talking too long on the phone, and lately, I’d been making an effort to keep my cleaning sessions down to an hour. ...Well, okay, sometimes there was a bit of additional time.
"Anyway, anyway, did I-chan send you an invitation too? Let’s go together."
Finally, she reached the main point. I felt a sense of relief to be out of the crosshairs of that awkward conversation.
"...Yeah. Right. Try asking your parents. Okay, I'll wait. Talk to you later."
Hayashi finally finished her call. Honestly, women are such a headache when they get together. She frequently mocked me for having no friends in high school, but if I thought about it, she was one of the reasons. She was the leader of the pack, and she’d made it very clear she hated my guts. Most people just followed her lead and looked down on me by association.
Thinking about it that way, Kasahara and Ishida were the odd ones out—they’d stayed by her side while still maintaining a civil distance from me.
Hayashi’s phone rang again.
"Ah, Akari? How was it? Oh, really? And? ...I see. So you were invited."
So Kasahara had received an invitation too. Now Hayashi could go celebrate her friend’s wedding without any lingering worries.
"...Eh?"
Or so I thought, until Hayashi’s voice turned ice-cold. I wondered what was wrong. When I turned around, she was glaring at me with a terrifying intensity.
"...Yeah. Got it. I'll conduct an interrogation."
...Oh boy.
I knew that tone. I’d definitely stepped in it somehow. I could tell just from the chill in her voice and her sudden shift in demeanor. But for the life of me, I couldn't remember doing anything that warranted an "interrogation."
Hayashi hung up the phone, slid off the bed, and marched right over to me.
"What is it?" I asked, bracing myself.
"...Akari’s parents weren't home, so she called I-chan directly."
"Okay."
"And she told her, 'I already sent your invitation, so you'd better come.'"
"That's great. Now you’ve got Kasahara to go with. Problem solved."
Hayashi didn't say a word.
"Look, while you’re out at the wedding, I’ll just find something to do. I won’t get into any trouble, so don't worry about me, okay? I’ll be fine. Go and have a good time."
"...I-chan told Akari something else."
"...What?"
"She told her to bring you to the wedding, too."
My jaw dropped.
...Why?
Was this some kind of spiteful gesture? Like when I was forced onto the graduation album committee, was she doing this just to mess with me?
"She didn't know your parents' address, so I gave her our address here. It’ll be passed through Akari, so your invitation should arrive in a couple of days."
"...What?"
"Are you absolutely sure nothing happened between you and I-chan?"
Hayashi’s gaze was sharper than I’d ever seen it.