After chatting with Akari for a bit, it was finally time for our call with Ota and Ito.
We flipped open Akari’s laptop and started the video call.
"Whoa, Hayashi-chan and Akari are together!"
"Yeah. I’m thinking of staying over tonight."
"Oh, I’m so jealous! Akari, you have to let me stay over next time too, just like Hayashi-chan!"
"Sure thing."
Our idle chatter began with everyone wearing smiles.
Come to think of it, both Ota and Ito still call me by my last name, yet they call Akari by her first. I didn't give it much thought back in high school, but it was clear that the sense of distance they felt toward me was different from how they felt toward Akari.
Well, that didn't really matter right now.
"Thanks for doing this today, both of you," I said.
I made sure to thank them first for carving out time to help with my speech. I’d already thanked Akari before the call started, which had left her beaming with pride.
"Eh?"
"I-it’s fine! We wanted to help you, Hayashi-chan. And it’s for I-chan’s sake, too, right?"
"Yeah, yeah! It’s no burden at all."
"No, I really appreciate it. Sorry for taking up your precious day off."
I was only trying to be sincere with my gratitude and apologies, but the atmosphere on the other side of the screen suddenly turned awkward.
...Why?
Akari let out a sharp clap.
"Alright, shall we get to work?"
With Akari’s command, we began drafting my speech.
That said, none of us had ever actually attended a friend's wedding. To be honest, we hadn't attended a wedding at all, period. I’d heard that family-only ceremonies or skipping the wedding altogether was becoming the norm for more and more households lately. Our lack of experience was just a symptom of the times.
It really feels like the world has become a colder place.
Weddings are supposed to be what girls dream of. I wish the era where that was no longer a given had never arrived. Even I—as much as it might not suit me—was one of those little girls who dreamed of a wedding once upon a time.
Still, now that I’ve gained a bit of independence, I can understand why people today feel the way they do. Why spend so much money on a single event?
In any case, our attempt at drafting the speech hit a wall immediately. As I mentioned, none of us had any personal experience to draw from. We had no idea what a representative friend was even supposed to talk about.
The three of us sat there, stumped.
"It’s still so surprising, though. To think I-chan would be the first one of us to get married."
"Really? I-chan was always popular with the guys. I figured she'd be early."
I take it back—we weren't all stumped. The two on the screen had long since forgotten about the speech and were busy losing themselves in gossip. Akari, meanwhile, was staring intensely at her phone.
This was turning into a problem.
The old me would have snapped and barked at everyone by now, but I knew better than to do that. I wasn't in a position to act like that anymore.
...Maybe it would be faster to just give up on this and beg Yamamoto for help?
"Megu."
"Yeah?"
"It says here that for a representative friend's speech, the most important thing is to just keep praising the other person."
...I really am a fool.
The moment things got difficult, I was ready to rely on someone else instead of trying to figure it out myself. I suppose that version of me was forged back in high school. If I shouted or acted intimidating, I could make people fall in line. Of course, I’d try to do what I could on my own, but the second I hit a wall, I’d give up and look for someone to lean on.
It seemed I’d developed a truly wretched habit over the years.
Akari hadn't been ignoring the task; she’d been silently searching the internet to find out what makes a good speech. She was sharing what she’d learned from a few articles, all for my sake.
I don't know, so I can't do it.
Instead of giving up that easily, I should have tried to push through like Akari was doing. Instead of resenting the two on the screen for being unhelpful, I should have been thinking of ways to get them to cooperate. That’s what it means to take responsibility for a task you’ve been given.
Then again, I still wondered why I-chan had asked someone like me to do this. Someone like Akari—who was kinder, sharper, and far more responsible—was clearly the better choice.
"Thanks, Akari."
"Don't mention it. These articles look like they’ll be a huge help."
"Let me see."
I pulled my glasses out of my bag and leaned in to look at her phone.
"...Megu?"
"What?"
"Can I have my phone back for a second?"
"Why?"
"I need to take a picture of Glasses Megu."
"Huh?"
"Oh... sorry."
Suddenly, I felt a wave of guilt. After everything she’d done for me, I was going to get prickly over a single photo? What a horrible woman I was.
"Fine. Do whatever you want."
"Oh wow, that is so emo."
"Yeah, yeah."
"Whoa! That look you give when you're peering down at the world through those lenses... it's perfect!"
"...You're such an idiot."
My impromptu photo shoot continued for quite some time.