A Wager with a Three-Year Deadline

When Mary's scream pierced the air, the emotion that surged through me wasn't anything other than impatience. If something had happened to that girl, I might have spent the rest of my life tormented by guilt. Yeah, thank goodness I wasn't too late. In that moment, I felt genuine relief that the child clinging to my back was safe.

Whine... huff. But for Chabchu, who adored Mary so much, something still felt ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠off, it seemed. Even as she trotted alongside me, her upward gaze toward the girl on my back carried a note of grievance in her whimpers. Without even turning around, I could vaguely sense Mary's condition from it.

"Did what I said earlier hurt that much?"

Even after I'd rescued her, she hadn't shown any sharp reaction. The wound from my words must still sting too badly for her to feel any gratitude toward me.

"......What."

Yet she replied curtly, as if trying to hide her feelings. I cut straight to the point with what I'd been mulling over.

"I mean, saying I don't like you."

"......"

"Should I apologize after all?"

"......No need. For something like that."

Her hands gripped my shoulders tighter, and her face buried deeper into my back. She seemed desperate to hide her emotions, her words clashing completely with what she truly felt.

"I already knew you hated me anyway."

"Hated you......?"

"Isn't that right? You find me annoying every time I pick a fight with you."

Annoying...... Sure, her constant interruptions during my study time had sparked that thought more than once, but I'd never imagined this tomboyish girl was aware of it.

"I know. I'm not a kid anymore like when we were little...... I know how arrogantly I've acted toward you all this time, and how it must look to others."

Were those words, born from such self-awareness, rooted in self-loathing? Had my remark made her reflect on her past actions and truly regret them?

"But even knowing that, I can't stop."

Yes, realizing that regret only now must be why her voice was laced with such anguish.

"You've been a pain in my ass since way back. Acting all mature like you're some grown-up, comparing yourself to me when all the other kids look up to you—it felt so presumptuous."

It started from the childish rivalry of a time when she thought she was the best in the world. Even as time passed and maturity set in, making her realize it was wrong, she was still just a pubescent student, not even a full-fledged adult. For this girl, heir to a massive corporation and taught only to stand above others, treating an equal must feel like uncharted territory.

"I've come to realize it was wrong bit by bit, but I just don't know how to treat you......"

A child who'd merely been ignorant, not malicious. Yet feeling her tremble with guilt made my heart grow heavier by the second.

"So, you really hated me that much?"

Mary asked in that state, her question piling onto the knot already forming in my chest.

"I was that annoying to you? So much that you never wanted to see my face again...... That's why you said you hated me so bluntly to my face?"

I hate you. Saying that would end things between us, just like that.

"What if I did say I hate you? What then?"

"Then I'd hate you too."

Her follow-up, confirming it, made a corner of my heart ache sharply.

"I'd cut you off and spend my life cursing you. And when you end up miserable without me, I'd laugh my ass off. Serves you right for daring to reject me."

From the resentment spat by this girl who'd shared most of my second life, I felt the life we'd built together crumbling. Protecting my own wounds by hurting others filled me with doubt, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I could foresee that feeling lingering forever.

"So, please don't say you hate me."

The girl whispered toward such a me. Perhaps with what could be called desperation. Yet her voice carried a hint of resignation too.

"Hearing that would just make this pain in my chest even worse......"

Carrying the girl who voiced her torment like that, I pondered for a while what to say in return. Saying I hated her would end it all. The nightmare I feared most wouldn't happen, and she wouldn't suffer because of me. Pain is fleeting, and even that fades with time. But caving to her fear of pain might bring greater suffering later.

"It hurts me a little too, hearing you say you hate me."

But pain, however brief, is still pain. Unlike me, she's still young and unaccustomed to it, so she might live in fear of future wounds. The same wariness toward liking someone that I feel.

"What......?"

"We're childhood ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠friends. Closer than some classmate you've known for just a year."

From kindergarten through elementary and middle school, we'd steadily built our bond. Closer than family...... No, in terms of emotional ties without blood, maybe even closer than family.

"We've known each other so long that hearing you say you hate me now would hurt my feelings too."

Yeah, that's what childhood friends are. Ruining that bond terrified me, so I uttered words that might contradict my resolve, aiming to preserve our current relationship.

"What the hell? That's so selfish. You say you hate me, but you don't want to be hated in return......"

"You're still misunderstanding. I don't hate you at all. I just said I can't like you romantically—I've never once thought of you as personally dislikeable."

How could I hate her? Among all the relationships I'd formed excluding family, she was the only one who'd stuck with me consistently for over ten years. If anything, she's on the positive side. From my perspective, it's more like an adult watching a child's growth. Strong pride, arrogance mixed with affection, yet unable to express it honestly, so she snaps and bickers—this girl growing into a proper lady was a goal in my second life.

"You're not at fault, Mary. It's just that I'm the pessimistic type with a jaded view of the world...... I struggle to share affection separate from basic human relations, so I can't accept your feelings."

So I hoped she wouldn't hurt anymore. That any wounds would be minor, and she'd step forward as an adult, overcoming that pain.

"So don't take it too hard. I don't hate you, and aside from dating, I'm willing to keep our relationship as it is going forward."

"Really......?"

As if my wish reached her, the grip on my shoulders gradually loosened.

"Yeah, you're plenty attractive, and there are lots of guys out there who'd like you romantically besides me."

But at those following words, strength returned to her hands, and I felt her trembling more vividly. Had I said something wrong? For this girl who hadn't shaken off her feelings for me yet, the idea of staying away from me must be unacceptable?

"Ah, yes. I found her, and I'm taking her back home now......"

Come to think of it, they must have been searching hard too, yet she called first. That thought lasted only a moment. Suddenly, Mary fiddled with the phone and abruptly hung up, then slid off my back, putting distance between us.

"Mary?"

"This is far enough. I can go the rest alone."

With those words, she limped away. I knew she was pushing herself, but I couldn't bring myself to stop her. I just inwardly pondered how to end this parting.

But the farewell that would normally come naturally felt choked today. See you tomorrow, or the next day, or someday...... I couldn't shake the thought that the gap between us had grown too wide for such words.

Whine.

As I stood alone on the street, Chabchu whined plaintively at my side. Realizing how late it was, I belatedly picked up the leash I'd dropped and turned away from the direction Mary had gone.

"Yeah, let's head home."

Maybe this was for the best. A conclusion where I could at least say I'd avoided the worst. Shaking off my hesitation, I set off for home. Like soil hardening after rain. Hoping time would forge her tender heart.

Yeah, even though I'd imagined we'd never cross paths again.

A few months after hearing I'd gotten into my dream school, as I prepared for the entrance ceremony, a call came from a familiar name. After a brief internal conflict, I steeled myself and picked up.

"......Mary?"

Was it bravado, or had she grown past that day's hurt?

"Where's the spot?"

"Cherry Blossom Park. And......"

Whatever it was, as the adult who'd watched her all this time, I couldn't just stand by. With that judgment, as I agreed to meet, Mary laid out her demands in a weighted tone.

"Wear your uniform when you come."

"Uniform?"

"You passed the exam, so you must have it ready."

"......Got it. Be there soon."

There must be some reason. Dressed in my uniform, I headed to Cherry Blossom Park, the spot she'd named. True to its name, around this time of year, the trees planted everywhere burst with soft pink petals in full bloom.

There, a girl with twintails waited ahead of me, her gaze fixed honestly in my direction.

"......You wore the uniform."

Seeing Mary in hers suddenly hit me: she's a high schooler now too. Soon, after this phase, she'll become a lady.

"So did you."

Her eyes seriously scanned me as she spoke. I chuckled and replied as lightly as possible.

"You told me to."

"Yeah, the sight we'll be seeing plenty of from now on. Me, and you."

But her follow-up carried weight, and its meaning opposed the anxiety I'd harbored. Seeing each other in uniforms until we're sick of it. That meant she'd keep facing me through high school, which to me signaled maintaining our current relationship. Not lovers, but childhood friends—with the same annoying days ahead.

"Mary, I......"

"No, don't say a word. I've already decided how it'll be with you."

No, that's not it. The look in her eyes as she faced me wasn't resignation—it was resolve.

"Thinking about it, you're so arrogant. A commoner like you presuming to judge and reject the feelings of someone from the upper class without even asking...... You think it's okay for the likes of you to dump me?"

Pride born from her upbringing. It felt thicker than usual, surely to mask her true feelings about what came next. That's the kind of girl she was. Unable to honestly bare her fragile heart in an environment that demanded arrogance.

"But I'm magnanimous, so I'll give you a chance. It's fitting for our relationship anyway."

As the girl tried to play the strong one like always, I easily foresaw what followed and braced my heart.

"What's the game?"

We'd always settled things with bets, so our future would likely follow suit.

"Saying 'I like you.'"

Mary declared it to me, who had anticipated as much. Her face flushed the color of scattering cherry blossoms. Yet she pointed her finger at me, expressing her resolve.

"From high school entrance to graduation—three years—we'll bet on which of us says 'I like you' to the other first!"

Still not entirely honest. But having finally recognized her own heart, her declaration carried a resolve straighter than ever before.