98 – Clue
The senior naturally struck a pose. Her camera’s flash went off and her photographer became even more excited and directed her movements.
He’s quite skilled. Seeing a senior like that made her feel a little different than when she was the manager of the track and field team.
Should I say she is like a celebrity?
Although her senior knew her because of her personality, she was reluctant to be exposed to the public. She refuses numerous requests for interviews, autographs, or photos.
She doesn’t really like the existence of fan clubs.
However, her senior these days seemed to be changing little by little.
“Okay! “One last piece!”
Even her ordinary gestures give off a special vibe when her senior does them. Even her simple fashion looks like her model when a senior wears it.
It seems I’m not the only one who knows that.
Several people were approaching her to greet her or compliment her on her today’s shoot.
“…… “Can I stay here?”
And I watch it from afar.
She is not affiliated with any entertainment agency, nor does she have a manager. Being like this, I felt like I had become her manager.
“…… Sorry. I waited a long time. Manager.”
“No… But that name….”
How long will you use it?
Will I always be called manager by my seniors?
“Hmm?”
“No… It was fun. “Just watching.”
Shaking my head, I looked back at the studio where she had photographed her senior as her model.
“I see. “If that’s the case, I’m glad.”
I had an appointment with a senior on the weekend.
At the same time, she was scheduled for a photo shoot and interview for a magazine that day.
So, I was waiting here, watching her senior’s filming.
The interview was already finished and the filming was over, so the only thing left was to go back.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Oh, Mr. Takase! Great job!”
“Please come again next time!”
And it seemed like Today’s magazine was also a fashion magazine that was quite popular among women.
My senior is a track and field athlete.
She has a beautiful appearance and a body that is not envious of any model. She was attracting attention for her unique fashion sense.
No, that time has long since passed. By her senior year, she had already become a celebrity beyond school.
“……… Head. “You raised it.”
“Huh? Ah….”
To the extent that she slightly misses the short hair she saw when she was working as the manager of the track and field team, her senior had grown her hair down to her shoulders and had a feminine hairstyle.
The clothes she wore were also different from her usual boyish attire: a flowing long skirt. It wasn’t that she was dissatisfied with it, but she was feeling it a little bit for some reason.
“…… Senior. “Something has changed.”
“…… Is it.”
The senior who smiled and answered her question was still no different from the girl I knew.
“Before, we did interviews and filming like this. “You rejected them all.”
“That’s right.”
She gets on the elevator and presses the button to the first floor.
“But these days, you do it occasionally. Please also accept the upcoming fan club.”
“……… ….”
On her way home from school, she couldn’t believe her eyes when she happened to see the track and field team practicing. This was because she saw her talking without hesitation with the female students from the fan club who approached her.
Before, I didn’t even pay attention to them, saying they were a hindrance to practice.
Now we are showing a generous attitude towards them.
We are also receiving incoming external schedules little by little.
I didn’t know everything about my senior. It seemed clear that something about her had caused a change of heart.
“…… “Before, as an athlete, I thought all I had to do was focus on running.”
The elevator goes down quietly.
The senior muttered as he looked at the numbers going down.
“That is my identity. “Because I thought that was everything to me.”
That’s certainly what my senior was like at that time.
Despite her ankle injury, she remained alone and continued her practice every day.
“…… But not now.”
The elevator door opens. She follows her senior and leaves the building.
“Is that so?”
“Okay. Because….”
The hot sun shone on us.
The senior looked back and smiled softly.
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“Because you are next to me like this now.”
“……… ….”
“Even if it is not the athletics department’s argument. Even if you’re not a manager.”
That was natural.
A senior is a senior. Even though she was no longer the assistant manager, her relationship with her senior did not disappear forever.
Eri Takase still lives as her.
Even after overcoming her upcoming misfortune, she continues to follow the path she believes in.
I didn’t know what kind of life my senior would lead after that.
The Takase Eri I know falls apart after receiving a bad ending. I don’t know what will happen to my senior after he avoids that.
“……… That you would be by my side… “You can trust me, right?”
The senior asked, looking at me quietly without an answer.
“That’s right… ….”
Without even saying it was obvious. Women who recognized the senior approached him and started talking to him.
She responded naturally and had a conversation with them.
He then took a picture of her and shook her hand.
“…… “Shall we go then?”
The senior who looked this way asked casually.
As I approached and stood next to her, I recalled the conversation I had with Elena that night.
***
It doesn’t mean anything strange.
That day, after hearing Elena’s mysterious confession, I was quite embarrassed.
Like doesn’t just mean something rational.
Simply showing affection for the other person.
Regardless of gender, you can also ask whether you like or dislike this person in a human sense.
Her heart pounded for a moment, but she soon steeled herself not to be mistaken and looked at her outstretched little finger.
And I held her hand.
Even though it only has the little finger and thumb.
So, a promise was made.
No matter what happens, I hope you will be by my side as a precious person.
It was a request that was difficult to nod to because of the ambiguous content, the specific meaning of which was unknown.
Nevertheless, I accepted it.
Shiraishi and Haruna, wearing Juliet’s red dress, excitedly started acting, and while watching them, Elena said,
“…… “You promised.”
“……… Ah yes.”
The ‘no matter what happens’ part took a little while.
Because I already promised.
“When the young lady graduated from the academy, she was scheduled to marry her fiancé, who had already been decided.”
“……… Yes?”
I froze up without realizing it because of the sudden bombshell announcement.
“Misadjustment at the girls’ academy I previously attended. Unsatisfactory friendships. Discord with the owner. “There are many reasons, but that is the main cause of running away from home.”
“……… ….”
Marriage to another man decided by the family.
I left home in vehement opposition to that.
As a result, I went to the academy where Yuuki, whom I had made a promise to when I was young, was there.
When I heard that, the puzzle fell into place.
“……… “It looks like you didn’t hear.”
“Yes….”
Of course, I heard from Shiraishi that she was distressed because she could not adapt to her previous environment.
However, this was my first time hearing about an engagement.
I didn’t expect it at all.
“The young lady did not want to do it, but her master also pushed her strongly.”
“……… ….”
I see.
The more I listened, the more I understood her actions and motives.
He was obsessed with promises made in the past and followed Yuuki around, as well as the discord between his family members.
The fact that he couldn’t answer my question when I asked him if he didn’t like Yuuki.
“You are now standing at a dead end.”
“……… ….”
“For her, these days may just be an aberration, a passing memory.”
Shiraishi can’t even resist as much as possible because she has someone she likes after all, so she can’t marry that guy.
“I… I don’t want that to happen.”
If time passes like this, I have no choice but to marry the man chosen by my family… That kind of future awaits.
In her original world, Shiraishi, unable to endure it, leaves the Yuukiwai neighborhood and runs away from home.
If you don’t even do that, you will be dragged away and have to spend your life with a man you don’t like.
“I… “I wish there was a boy by her side.”
“……… ….”
“And… “And the friends you cherish so dearly.”
Looking at Shiraishi and Haruna, she spoke calmly.
“…… Breaking off the engagement… “Is there any possibility?”
Even if Shiraishi enters into an unwanted marriage, she still wants him to remain by her side as her friend.
I understand what Elena means.
However, I could not accept that.
“The owner wants her to grow up to be a virtuous lady who will not cause any more accidents.”
“What does it matter…” .”
“When you get married… If she becomes a man’s wife and takes on a position of responsibility, she will live an increasingly demure life… “It’s something to look forward to.”
“……… ….”
In other words, unless some serious problem arises, there is no possibility of breaking off the engagement.
Shiraishi looked very happy while chatting with Haruna while looking at the flower bed.
As if he was not conscious of the coming future at all.
But when we go back and I’m alone, I’ll still think about it.
As I looked at them, I continued to be lost in thought.
***
“It’s still a beautiful garden.”
The senior said while looking around.
“Yes~! “Because Elena takes care of it thoroughly every morning!”
Shiraishi smiled brightly as he shouted proudly. Next to her, as always, was Elena.
Senior was also invited by Shiraishi through me.
Her senior was also worried about her not being seen for a long time, so she readily accepted the offer.
Even pushing today’s scheduled schedule forward.
“But Eri, you become more and more beautiful every time we meet each other like this!”
“…… Is it.”
“Tall height and slender body. “How can you have such flawless skin without any blemishes even while exercising!”
“Stop it…” No matter how much I am, such excessive praise is….”
Of course, Shiraishi welcomed his senior very warmly.
The three of us were enjoying a tea party.
“I’m serious! “I heard that you came back today from a photo shoot!”
“You can even call it a pictorial… “I just took a few pictures during the interview.”
“Still… !”
I saw an excited Shiraishi and a senior smiling embarrassedly at her honest praise.
It seemed like she was a little wary of her senior at first. We are so close now.
While I was feeling relieved seeing them, I saw a maid approaching from afar.
Elena stepped forward and asked if I was the only one who felt puzzled by that urgent appearance.
“…… What happened.”
“Oh, that…” !”
The Shiraishi family maid, Yua, who I am also acquainted with, glanced back and then whispered into Elena’s ear.
“……… Hmm.”
Elena’s expression upon hearing that does not change.
That’s why I couldn’t guess that something urgent had happened.
“…… Please tell him to wait there for a moment.”
“Yes.”
Mr. Yua, with his head down, hurriedly runs towards her mansion.
However, those steps also stopped.
“You are here!”
The back of the garden where we hold the tea party.
This was because an outsider who could be seen by anyone had entered there.
Shiraishi, startled, jumps up from her seat.
Elena stood in front of her as if to protect her.
“……… “Mr. Ryosuke.”
“I can’t wait at the front door forever. “I came because the back of the mansion was very noisy.”
At first glance, he was a buxom young man dressed in sophisticated clothes.
There are several employees following him behind him.
“Miss Akira. I heard that you are very sick… “You look pretty healthy.”
“Ah, ah… Ryosuke… sir….”
The blonde master approached slowly.
He came rushing over with the employee following him and glanced this way.
When I made eye contact with him, I realized something intuitively.
This man is Shiraishi’s fiancé.
And……
“But this beautiful woman…” “Who is that commoner?”
“……… ….”
I have seen this man before.
“Miss Akira. You really are so kind. I heard that they never accept sick visits… I can’t believe you spend your time in such a friendly manner with other people….”
“Well, that’s not it… I am… !”
“Leaving my fiancé alone… Drinking tea with such a vulgar man….”
In an instant, his relaxed expression suddenly changes, and he approaches Shiraishi and tries to grab her wrist.
So I quickly got out and stood in front of him.
“……… Move.”
When our eyes met, he growled and showed his hostility towards me, but he did not back down.
“Ah… Mi, Minsu….”
I heard Shiraishi’s voice mumbling as if to stop me.
I had to protect Shiraishi.
An unspecified number of men kidnapped her.
I didn’t know the reason or the reason at all, but I remembered her face.
And this man called Ryosuke was also one of them.
I was a little scared, but then I felt like the clues were being solved and I confronted the man in front of me.