chapter 6:
Preparing for the Cultural Festival, and the Classroom at Sunset
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“What is it that you want to know about me?”
—Ever since Kirishima-kun cornered me with that question in the hallway, my heart has been swaying between anticipation and a faint touch of fear.
He knows.
He’s realized that the way I look at him isn’t how you’d look at just a classmate.
And he knows that my curiosity is about to step deep into his territory—maybe too deep.
That afternoon, after school, I sat alone in the newspaper club room, writing down today’s events in my “Observation Diary.”
(His reaction when I asked that question that hit the core. And those cold eyes that seemed to see right through everything…)
Just remembering it makes my heart race.
This isn’t simple observation anymore. It’s a quiet psychological battle between us.
That’s when it happened.
The door to the clubroom opened softly with a click.
Standing there, wearing his school blazer, was Rei Kirishima.
“…Saeki.”
His voice was lower than usual—calm, but carrying a weight that didn’t allow refusal.
“I need to talk to you.”
He walked slowly into the room and sat down in the chair right across from me.
The setting sun poured into the room, and silence fell between us. I swallowed hard.
“Wh–what is it? If it’s an interview for the newspaper, I’m always happy to help…”
I tried to play it off as usual, but his serious gaze made my forced smile freeze in place.
“You looked at Yuuto’s graduation album, didn’t you?”
The words were direct—no way to dodge them.
“…What are you trying to do? Dig up my past and turn it into an article?”
His voice carried a quiet anger, and a hint of resignation.
Back in middle school, he must have been subjected to those cruel, curious stares.
Imagining that pain made my chest tighten.
I dropped the usual act and faced him head-on.
“That’s not it.”
My firm tone made him blink, slightly surprised.
“At first, maybe it was. You were just… too perfect, Kirishima-kun. I thought there must be some juicy scoop hiding behind that. I admit it—and I’m sorry.”
I bowed deeply.
Then, raising my head, I continued.
“But after seeing that photo, I changed my mind.”
“…Changed your mind about what?”
“Because—it’s amazing!”
This time, his expression clearly said What on earth are you talking about?
“To go from who you were then, to who you are now… I realized how much effort that must have taken. That’s not something to be ashamed of. It’s something to be proud of—something I think is really, really cool.”
Those were my true feelings—no lies, no mask.
I genuinely respected the effort he’d put in.
Rei’s expression went completely blank, as if I’d caught him off guard.
The tension in his eyes began to melt, replaced by something unfamiliar—confusion.
Maybe until now, whenever someone found out about his past, they either mocked him or treated him like something strange.
But my reaction was neither.
“…You’re really weird, you know that?”
After a long silence, he muttered that softly.
But the sharp edge in his voice was gone.
“I get that a lot!”
I answered with a grin, my usual energy slowly returning.
Rei stood up and headed for the door.
“…Do whatever you want.”
His tone was still curt, but somehow softer than before.
“Just know what’ll happen if you write something unnecessary.”
With that sharp warning, he left the room.
Alone again, I let out a long breath.
(I wonder if my words reached him… even a little.)
It felt like I had managed to melt just a bit of the ice wall that surrounded his heart.
Our relationship had definitely moved to a new stage today.
He wasn’t just an observation subject anymore.
We were now partners in a shared secret—co-conspirators.
And thinking that made the days ahead feel like they’d be far more thrilling—and far more interesting.
