Haibara’s Teenage New Game+ - Volume 7 - Chapter 3.5

Third Interlude

I was so anxious about the plan that I ended up going to the riverbed myself. When I arrived, Miori was sitting at the bottom of the stairs, and for some reason, she had me take a seat next to her. I was on pins and needles as I watched the two boys fight.

“Boys are so dumb,” Miori said, breaking the silence between us.

I gave her a sidelong glance. She wore a conflicted expression as she stared at the riverbed. At the end of her gaze were three boys, lying on the ground after the fight had ended. They peered up at the night sky, conversing about something.

“You know... I wouldn’t have expected to hear that from you,” I replied.

“Really?” Miori tilted her head with a puzzled look.

“If anything, you strike me as the type to consort with boys.”

“Oh... True, I guess I used to be like that.”

“And you’re different now?”

“Yeah, I could never go along with their current level of idiocy.” Though her words were cold, her tone was warm. “I was anxious that someone would get hurt, but... Look at them! They look happier after throwing some punches, and they’ve reconciled too. I’m so done with them.” She sighed. “Stupid of me to be seriously worried about them.”

A fight between the boy she’s in love with and the boy she used to date. Not to mention, she’s a hostage, although in name only. Miori must have mixed feelings about this. I mean, the situation’s way too chaotic... I wonder how she feels right now. Judging by the way she watched the boys as though she were looking at a dazzling light, I couldn’t even begin to imagine what was going through her head.

The three boys’ laughter rang through the air from where they lay on the ground. It sounded like they were having a fun laugh together. Though it was too dark for me to see their faces, as long as Reita-kun’s smile had returned, I would be wholeheartedly content. Not that I was in any position to wish for that, though.

“Hey, Miori...” I mustered up the courage to say her name.

“What’s up?” She regarded me with an oddly tender gaze.

I didn’t know how she could make such an expression when the person who had maliciously put her in a nasty spot at school was sitting right next to her. I wasn’t sure what I should start with. In the end, the only words I could utter were this: “I’m sorry.”

Any attempt to explain my actions would only be an excuse. I didn’t think she would forgive me. If she asked me whether I’d apologized to make myself feel better, I wouldn’t have been able to deny it. No matter how remorseful I felt, the crime I had committed wouldn’t disappear.

But contrary to my expectations, Miori smiled and replied, “It’s okay. I forgive you.”

“Why? You shouldn’t forgive me so readily after everything I did.”

“No, it’s okay. After all, you apologized to me. I can tell you mean it too. Besides, that rumor was my fault anyway.”

You’re wrong. I spread a twisted version of the truth with evil intentions. Then I said mean things and dumped freezing cold water on you—I have no excuse.

Miori should’ve known all that, but she repeated herself once more. “It’s okay,” she said. “Hasegawa, do you love Reita-kun?”

“Yes,” I answered.

“Then it’s a given you’d feel angry that I dated him half-heartedly and manipulated him.”

“Sure, but I did something no one should ever do.”

Miori jabbed me lightly in the shoulder.

“Ow!”

“We’re even with this.”

I’m no match for her. She’s being compassionate to someone like me because she doesn’t want me to beat myself up too much.

“I know what it’s like to let guilt drive you over the edge. You should still reflect on what you did...but don’t torment yourself too much. I’d hate to lose a classmate.” The weight behind her words owed to the fact that it had been a recent experience for her.

“Right... Thank you.” Though I agreed with her, I couldn’t grant one part of Miori’s request. I had already reported my wrongdoing to the school. I would likely receive my punishment tomorrow.

Perhaps I would take Reita-kun’s place as the suspended student. Considering how grave my crime had been, I might even be expelled or have to make a visit to the police. But I deserved that much, so I didn’t care.

“Done talking?” Someone descended the stairs. I couldn’t make out her face in the dark, but it was Hondo Serika’s voice.

Come to think of it, they mentioned Serika would be here, but I didn’t see her... Was she giving us space so we could talk?

“Serika, what were you doing?” Miori asked.

“Watching Natsuki and Reita fight gave me an idea for a killer song, so I drafted it up,” she replied.

I was completely off the mark. She’s as enigmatic as ever.

“Welp, looks like everything’s wrapped up.” Serika glanced at Reita-kun and the boys, and then swept her gaze over us. I had a feeling that if I asked her what “everything” encompassed, she wouldn’t answer. She really is enigmatic.

“What are they doing?” Miori said, straining her eyes.

I turned towards the riverbed too. The boys had gotten up at some point and were now throwing something into the water. I could see faint ripples forming on the surface of the river.

“Are they skipping rocks?” I asked.

“What? That seems fun. I want to do it too!”

Serika began to run towards the boys, but Miori stopped her. “No, you’re not supposed to join in. We’re going home.”

“You sure? Shouldn’t we say something?”

“I’m sure. At times like this, it’s best to leave the boys alone.”

Miori had a point. Although they were only silhouettes in the darkness, their laughter reached our ears. The three of them were having the time of their lives. A smile inadvertently crept across my face as I watched them absentmindedly.

It’s baffling how they can be so excited when they’re simply skipping rocks... Still, I’m happy to see Reita-kun like that. Even if my love is never returned, I can be satisfied with just this.

“What are you doing, Hasegawa?” called a voice from behind me.

Miori and Serika were looking in my direction. It was as if they were waiting for me.

“We’re going home!”

The next thing I knew, my hand was being pulled along. Miori, grinning mischievously, looked like the moon shining in the night.

***

After the rock-skipping contest with Natsuki and Tatsuya, it was late into the night, so we dispersed. I was walking home, determined to have a proper conversation with my father, without running away.

“Reita,” someone said from behind me.

I turned around. “Oh, Koya.” He held a can of coffee in each hand, and tossed one to me. “Don’t tell me you were watching.”

“Yep. Let’s chat for a bit there.” He pointed to the park up ahead.

I followed him obediently, and we sat down on a bench.

“That was a funny fight,” Koya mused as he lifted the tab of his coffee can.

“What was funny about it? It was an awful display of skill,” I said.

“It’s not every day I get to see you shaken up so much.”

I can’t argue. I didn’t even think I would lose to Natsuki. It’s true I pulled my punches so I wouldn’t hurt him, but it’s also true that he took advantage of my moment of weakness to land a solid blow.

“Still, I didn’t expect him to send a challenge letter. You don’t see that much these days.”

If Koya doesn’t see challenge letters much, the tradition must really be out of fashion... “Natsuki’s the kind of guy to pull stupid shenanigans like that with all seriousness.”

“And who was the one who got bogged down by his stupid shenanigans?”

“I know. I lost.”

The feelings I’d kept hidden had been exposed by Natsuki’s earnestness. I couldn’t help but want to return to everyone once again. The moment those feelings welled up inside me, my defeat had been sealed.

“What a throwback. It’s just like the duel we had in middle school,” I remarked. When I had been debating whether I should rejoin the soccer team or not, Koya had suddenly challenged me to a fight.

“I couldn’t watch all your waffling. I figured it’d be faster to force you back. You couldn’t hide that you wanted to return when you were agonizing over it in the first place.”

My hesitance had shown in our duel. In the end, I’d lost to Koya because of that. I had been ejected from his gang and forced back to the soccer team. But I had been happy with it. It was hard to go back to the team after withdrawing once, but I had still wanted to play soccer with all my teammates.

“Koya, I’m grateful to you.” Strangely enough, my current situation resembled that one. Natsuki was light-years weaker than Koya, but he’d struck me with his words.

“Are you going back?”

“Yeah.” Though Koya didn’t specify where, I knew what he meant. “Thank you. You took me in when I had nowhere to go. You saved me.” I wasn’t thanking him for only the recent events, but also for what he had done for me in middle school. He gave me a place to belong when I was in trouble.

“We’re friends. Of course we help each other.” He thumped my back. Getting hit by his large hands hurt.

Koya took those who, for a variety of reasons, didn’t have a place to go under his wing and fostered a relationship where they all helped one another. Furthermore, once you were recognized as one of their own, the way they treated you didn’t change even after you left.

His gang had been formed by kids who were drawn to the way Koya operated. For better or for worse, he could lead such a ragtag bunch because of his charisma.

“You fit in where you’re at now,” Koya said, indirectly implying that he and I were cut from different cloth.

I liked being friends with Koya and the boys. But I felt somewhat out of place with them. There were a handful of insignificant reasons, like our values, personalities, and mannerisms. Koya must’ve sensed my slight discomfort.

“But don’t forget: You can come back anytime. I don’t turn anyone away.”

“Yeah. Let’s hang out again.”

We downed the rest of our coffee and stood up. Koya turned away from me, raised his hand goodbye, and walked away.