I Made a Girl Cry (1)
“… Hmm.”
It felt like watching a game made by someone who’d never actually played one.
The core structure was resolved within the bounds of common sense, but the finer details left the impression of being a total mess. That was the state of the materials Akari had handed over, which Mitsune Ruri had passed on to me.
To call them "materials" was a stretch; they were just a mass of text containing nothing but the traces of her earnest, desperate effort.
I think I finally understood why Ruri had called me over.
“These aren’t even usable as materials, and it’s hard to bring it up to her directly.”
“So?”
“…… I came because I wanted to ask for Yamada-san’s opinion.”
Knowing the original work and seeing the colors of her emotions, it sounded different now. Mitsune Ruri was currently harboring a dislike for Akari. There was a suspected cause for it, too. Namely…….
‘It must be a misunderstanding.’
Mitsune Ruri’s father had been a biker. He was the kind of man who gambled, cheated, and smoked every single day. For that reason, Ruri hated delinquents.
“I’d rather have Kayama-san handle the presentation, and if Yamada-san could do the research……”
Even so, Ruri seemed to be trying her best to approach this as rationally as possible. But I already knew. If I left the presentation to Akari, that would be a whole different kind of problem.
“Hmm. I don’t know.”
“…… ‘I don’t know,’ you say?”
A timid personality means going through hell when it’s time to present.
“Honestly, we haven’t even started for that long yet. Right?”
“………”
“I don’t think Akari did this on purpose. You know that, too, don’t you?”
The traces of her hard work were something Ruri was aware of as well. Ruri, who hadn’t seemed to want to be in the same group as Akari, reluctantly nodded.
To be this uncomfortable meant that the smell of cigarettes on Monday wasn’t something only I had noticed.
I let out a deep sigh and said to Ruri.
“For now, let’s just give it a try.”
I thought I might have to persuade her, but—
“…… I might have been a bit sensitive.”
Ruri nodded for the time being.
“Yeah, thanks.”
“… ‘Thanks’? You’re a strange person.”
I understood Ruri, too. Kayama Akari was a person who looked a bit sharp and like a delinquent, after all.
When I returned to the classroom with Mitsune, Akari was busily writing something in her notebook. As a notable detail, my notebook was spread open next to hers.
It was the notebook where I’d copied down the math assignment.
“What are you doing?”
“!”
Akari jumped in surprise like a small kitten, nearly toppling backward along with her chair.
However, being accustomed to such clichés, I gently grabbed Akari’s wrist, preventing her from falling.
“Am I… really that scary to you…….”
“S-sorry…….”
Akari rubbed her wrist. My eyes drifted to the notebook on her desk.
Taking a quick peek, I saw that Akari was looking at my presentation materials and copying them into her own notebook.
But, how should I put this.
☆ Must look this up! ☆
＃ Things for Yamada-kun to use in the presentation!
○ This material goes here…….
…… Uh, yeah.
‘You really worked hard.’
I felt like I understood the person named Akari a little better. Unlike her appearance, she had a side that put in the effort.
“… Ugh.”
*Pshhh-*
She seemed to be the type who was weak to embarrassment, more than I thought.
Avoiding my gaze, Akari kept her head bowed low after that.
‘She’s going to explode if I touch her.’
And then, various complex colors began to mix around her. Some were colors I recognized, but others were not.
‘What is this? I’ve never seen someone with such a diverse range of emotions.’
A human of a different breed than the Golden Retriever, Suo-senpai.
I looked at the stiffly frozen Akari and said,
“I’ll take the notebook for a second, okay?”
“… That, um, okay…….”
“I’m seriously getting angry now.”
“…!! S-sorry……!”
I tucked the notebook Akari had been looking at under my arm. Akari stood there, not knowing what to do, her two hands neatly clasped together. She was on the verge of tears. For the sake of our future, I opened my mouth.
“I’m so angry I can’t stand it. The materials I prepared aren’t even about that part.”
“………?”
“Mind if I sit next to you?”
As if I’d actually get angry.
I wasn’t the type to get mad just because someone looked at a notebook. Besides, Akari was a wonderful student who put in the effort.
“Watch closely.”
She was so embarrassed, and I felt like things would be awkward for a long time if I didn’t, so I took the initiative to be friendly.
If a cold war started in our group—
‘Stop staring, Ruri.’
If a cold war broke out between the two of them, it would be my loss. After sitting next to Akari, I offered some advice on the materials.
“… Ah.”
I spent about five minutes explaining things, and I was a bit surprised.
“Did you understand?”
“So that’s why… you scrapped articles like this.”
I thought she was a fool, but she wasn’t.
Once I pointed out a few things, Akari absorbed them like a sponge.
‘Her common sense is a bit lacking, though…… Hmm.’
Akari, who had understood almost everything in the notebook, nodded. She had a brain that could easily get to E if you taught her A, but she felt lost because she didn’t know B.
I felt like there was something there, but I didn’t bother asking. Class was starting soon, and intruding on someone else’s daily life was just a nuisance.
“Thank you… Yamada-kun.”
“I’m seriously angry.”
“A-again? W-what are you angry about…?”
“Just kidding. Ask me if there’s anything you don’t know.”
It seemed like it would be fun to tease her. Teasing a girl who looked like a delinquent mercilessly.
There’s no such thing as a kind otaku for a delinquent girl—I could probably film a work like that, but…….
‘Let’s hold back.’
I returned to my seat. Praying that our group project would go just a little bit better from now on.
I sat down and turned on my phone. I wanted to ask Suo-senpai for advice, wondering if she’d ever experienced something like this. And then.
I replied to Suo-senpai, who was about to go on a rampage. I folded up the thought of asking a second-year senior for advice. Well, Suo-senpai is just Suo-senpai.
***
On my way home, I stopped by Ishikawa’s place for a moment. I meant to borrow a manga, but I made a fatal mistake. “I left my bag behind. I’m seriously going crazy.” I should cut down on the gaming I do in the early morning hours. It’s not just about my health; it’s terrible for my memory. Ishikawa offered to go with me, but after telling him it was fine, I hurried back to school.
The time was past 5 o’clock, and the Wednesday air was warm. As the sun set, the world began to be dyed in gold.
Passing the road where dandelions bloomed and cutting through the rice paddies and vegetable gardens, I reached the school.
‘What’s with the motorcycle?’
Ignoring the motorcycle, which I assumed belonged to some delinquents, I headed for the classroom.
Since it was on the fourth floor, my knees were starting to age in real-time.
‘Everyone’s gone.’
At our school, almost all club activities take place on the first floor, in the gym, or on the athletic field. Since the labs and home economics rooms were also empty, the fourth floor was truly a space with no one around, to the point where it felt a little eerie.
*Thud, thud.*
Walking through the hallway where cold air lingered, I headed toward the classroom. I was just going to grab my bag and head home quickly.
“…?”
However, as I approached the classroom, a strange sound drifted toward me. All the windows should have been closed, yet the scent of spring wafted in. Passing through the hallway following the soft breeze, my feet stopped for a moment at the classroom’s front door. Someone was acting in the empty classroom, bathed in the sunset light.
“Oh, Romeo. Why are you Romeo……?”
Akari? Is that right..?
From her voice to her expression, it wasn’t Kayama Akari at all. Rather, it would be more fitting to say it was a completely different person.
I quietly shifted my weight at Akari’s focused appearance. I wondered if I’d gone crazy, secretly watching someone else.
I should just turn back without making a sound. If I turned around as if nothing had happened, as if I hadn’t seen anything, Akari wouldn’t have to be embarrassed, and it would be a win-win.
But something cast a spell on me.
“Ugh… the feeling isn’t coming through. Again!”
Her green hair caught the light pouring in from the open window. Kayama Akari, hunched over. She had stacked books on one of the desks and mounted her phone there, then stepped back.
She closed her eyes and seemed to focus.
“Ah! Romeo, you are……!”
The timid face changed into a thousand different colors.
‘Huh.’
Kayama Akari, spreading her hands and acting with confidence. Wherever Akari’s fingertips pointed, I could see a Romeo who wasn’t even there, and the settling dust looked like confetti for her. Even if I closed my eyes, I could feel every emotion she was trying to convey.
I felt as if the spring sunset had cast a spell, but that didn’t seem to be it. Akari was just acting like magic.
“……”
I hadn’t known why her emotional colors were so numerous and diverse. There was a secret like this. I learned a new fact: a person who uses their emotions in many directions has far more colors than an average person.
And the fact that she practiced acting in an empty classroom meant…….
‘She doesn’t want to show it to anyone.’
I understood. I would respect that.
I finally turned around, as quietly as possible so my footsteps wouldn’t be heard. This time, I really was going to leave.
But then, an unexpected situation erupted.
“Oh, isn’t that Yamada? What are you doing there?”
“!!!”
One of the trio suddenly cut in. It wasn’t like he was a ghost, but my heart nearly stopped.
“I asked what you’re doing?”
The guy with the shaved kiwi-like haircut asked. This was truly troublesome.
“… Ah. What’s-it-called, um.”
A crashing sound echoed from the classroom.
“Hm?”
“Um.”
Since a voice had rung out on the fourth floor where no one should have been, it was clear she had been startled. At that sound, the kiwi-head glanced behind me and said,
“Yamada, are you going into the classroom too? I came because I remembered I left something behind.”
“…… Oh, yeah?”
Not a single sound could be heard from the classroom side. But I couldn’t ignore the aura wafting from beyond the door.
……
Seriously, I should have packed my bag better.