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“Phew…”
I don’t think it was more than two or three minutes.
Akanishi-san’s ragged breathing gradually began to calm down, and she let out a big breath.
The trembling in her body also seemed to be almost gone.
“…Are you calmer now?”
“Yes…I’m sorry, I suddenly showed you something strange…”
When I waited for the right moment and spoke to Akanishi-san, she finally replied, but for some reason, she apologized.
“No, it’s fine. Or rather, I’m the one who should apologize. I’m really sorry. I grabbed your hand without asking…”
“No, I’m not worried about that. It’s just that…”
So I denied it right away and bowed my head, but Akanishi-san’s expression was still dark.
Rather than flattery, she seemed to be saying that she was really worried about something else. I hesitated whether to ask, but I decided to ask her.
“Um, then what is it…”
Akanishi-san’s reaction up until now had clearly been abnormal.
She was visibly shaken, and it was clear that she had stepped on a landmine.
If holding her hand wasn’t it, then the only other thing I could think of was when she saw me hugging Misaki, but she was trying to talk to us at the time.
So it might not have been that, and I don’t have enough information to judge.
I’m not perceptive enough to be able to guess what it is, so I won’t know for sure unless I ask her directly.
After my question, Akane lowered her eyes slightly, then hesitantly opened her mouth and whispered.
“…Her eyes… they were scary.”
“Huh?”
I was taken aback for a moment.
Akane had answered my question, but I couldn’t quite grasp the meaning of what she said.
As if sensing my confusion, Akane continued.
“That person, Misaka Misaki… right? The way she looked at me was really scary. It was like she was looking at me as a clear ‘enemy’.”
“Misaki…?”
Thinking back, I remember Misaki trying to grab my arm as if to show off to Akane.
I shook her off and went to Akane, but I had my back to Misaki at the time, so I don’t know what kind of expression she had on her face.
But I do think Akane was genuinely frightened.
So, does that mean Misaki glared at her and Akane got scared?
Akane is petite and doesn’t seem like the type to get involved in conflicts, so it’s possible that she turned pale because she was intimidated and felt hostility.
“Yes… It’s been a while since someone looked at me like that. So I remembered it… and my body started shaking. It’s pathetic, I know…”
As she spoke self-deprecatingly, I felt a sense of unease, even though I was starting to understand.
(A while…? )
What does she mean?
She also said she remembered, so does that mean she has experience with being treated with hostility?
As I hesitated, wondering if it was okay to ask, she continued.
“…Can I ask you one more thing? That person is Misaka Misaki, right? The ex-girlfriend who was dating Tsujimura-san…”
I was startedled when she said “ex-girlfriend,” but I nodded.
It had come up before, and she already knew that I had dated Misaki.
This was probably the first time she had actually seen Misaki’s face, but there was no point in denying it.
Especially after she had witnessed such a scene, it would be pointless to try to deceive her.
Convincing myself of that, I decided to tell her about Misaki.
“…Yeah, that’s right. Misaki and I dated back in middle school. We broke up, but today she just happened to get into an argument with me. I don’t have any feelings for her anymore.”
“I see. That person…”
Akane seemed to be thinking for a moment.
Her face was still pale and her cheeks were white. She probably hadn’t recovered yet.
I wondered if she should rest in the infirmary. I opened my mouth to say so, but before I could, she spoke up.
“I think I may have met that person before.”
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“Huh…?”
My mind went blank for a moment.
I hadn’t expected Akane and Misaki to have any connection.
“I didn’t talk to her, but I definitely remember seeing her. Her atmosphere seemed a little different, though.”
“But Akane-san came from Tokyo, right? Misaki has always lived here, and I don’t think she’s ever been to Tokyo.”
Although it ended up sounding like a rebuttal, Misaki has lived in Iwate just as long as I have.
Since it takes almost three hours by Shinkansen and costs money, there’t shouldn’t be many opportunities to go.
“That’s…”
As she started to speak, Akane-san’s body swayed.
I thought it was dangerous and moved to support her body, but she steadied herself before I could.
It seemed like she still wasn’t feeling well. The wind outside was still cold, and it had been a mistake to bring her here.
“I’m sorry. It wasn’t a good idea to bring you all the way to the courtyard. Should we go to the infirmary? I’ll tell the teacher, so it would be better if you skipped afternoon classes.”
“…I apologize. I think I’ll do that. I’m still not feeling well.”
I walked beside her to shield her from the bitter wind and matched my pace to hers.
When I stood next to her, I realized that Akane-san was half a head shorter than me, and it made me realize just how petite she was.
“I’m really sorry about today.”
“You don’t have to apologize so much. Rather, Tsujimura-san. Are you free tomorrow?”
“Uh, yeah.”
Tomorrow was Saturday, so school would be closed.
Akane-san looked at me out of the corner of her eye as I replied, not having any particular plans, and continued.
Would you like to meet tomorrow? she said. Let’s talk about what happened today.