CH 26

I'm pretty angry right now, you know.

Translated by Dawn

Edited by Dawn

I’m pretty angry right now, you know.

The next morning.

“Ah, you’ve caught a cold. You should stay home and rest today.”

Mom said, looking at the numbers on the thermometer screen.

Running home in the heavy rain yesterday seemed to have taken its toll on me.

But there was only one week left until the test.

Since I had to compete with Yamamoto, I couldn’t take the day off today.

“N-no, I’m not resting—”

“What are you talking about, when your body temperature is this high?”

Mom showed me the screen of the thermometer.

It read 38.6 degrees Celsius. The moment I saw the number, I felt as if my body had become sluggish all at once.

Mom looked at me coldly as I collapsed onto the bed.

“Really…you’re stupid for coming home without an umbrella on a rainy day like that.”

“Yeah…”

“…Anyway, don’t leave the house today. I’m at work and Mai is at school, so you’ll be on your own, but you’re going to have to behave yourself, understand?”

“…Alright.”

Mom huffed when she heard my reply, got ready, and left the house.

Mai came into the room next.

She was peering at me through the doorway with a smirk on her face.

She was wearing the school uniform that I had been wearing until just two years ago.

Except for the skirt, of course.

“Hey, are you angry with me?”

“Shut up. You have morning practice, don’t you? Get out of here.”

“Your cute little sister is worried about you, and yet you talk to her like that.”

“You are being a little noisy. You also have morning practice, so why don’t you get going?”

“…..”

Mai slammed the door shut with a sullen look on her face.

The sound of the front door closing followed, sounding rather hollow.

Then, I was left on my own.

“What to do with today’s notes…”

A soliloquy echoed through the quiet room.

I thought I was used to being alone, but perhaps it was because I had been spending a lot of time with other people recently that I felt a little lonely.

This and that, everything—

“It’s all Mizutani’s fault…”

Come to think of it, I didn’t end up having a good talk with Mizutani.

I thought she wasn’t hurting that badly, but maybe she was enduring more than I thought. I was so weak from a cold that I bothered to remind myself of it.

“That’s why we shouldn’t have gotten along…”

The words were sucked into the ceiling.

The cooling sheet on my forehead felt nice and cool.

…….

…………..

Not good, I shouldn’t sleep today.

Mom told me to stay in bed, but it was bad for me since I had to study.

I slapped my cheek a few times and forced myself to sit up.

I got up, sat down in my chair, and opened my notebook and textbook.

In this condition, I couldn’t do maths and other mind-intensive subjects.

I should focus on memorization subjects today.

So I had to beat Yamamoto—

*****

—Ding-Dong.

While studying, I suddenly heard such a sound and came back to myself.

Looking at my watch, I saw it was just before 4:00 p.m. 

I had been studying for almost nine hours since then.

Nine hours, huh…

Mai left after 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. meant 16:00, so…

Perhaps it was the double combination of a cold and fatigue, I was thinking with a foggier mind than usual.

Then, the sound of “ding-dong” echoed through the house again.

It was the intercom.

The intercom rang, which meant that someone had come to my house.

And now, there was no one else in this house but me.

…ah, I should answer that.

“Yes, yes, I’m coming.”

I got up from my chair and headed for the front door.

I opened the door, thinking it was probably a delivery service or something, and was surprised to see an unexpected sight.

“…Eh?”

“Good morning, Aizawa. How are you?”

A blonde girl with blue eyes held up a plastic bag in front of her.

I rubbed my eyes and checked again, but it was still the same.

Mizutani Karin. She was the girl who asked me to pretend to go out with her.

Seeing her in her school uniform, I guessed she came by on her way home from school.

“I’m fine, but…”

—Why is she here? Did I tell her where I live?

I had so many questions that I didn’t know where to start.

I guess she saw something in my expression.

Mizutani rummaged in her school bag and pulled out a thick file.

“I brought a copy of my notes from today’s class and the handouts that were handed out.”

“Ah, yeah, thanks…”

Puzzled, I accept the documents.

When I looked up, I met Mizutani’s jewel-like eyes again.

“How did you find my home…?”

“I threathe…wait no, I asked Kano-sensei and she told me about it.”

“Did you just say you threatened her—”

“I didn’t say that. On the contrary, Aizawa, do I look like the kind of person who threatens people?”

Mizutani smiled at me.

I had no choice but to reply, “No, not at all”.

By the way, if I had to give an example of the word “threat,” it would be what Mizutani just did.

With a natural motion, Mizutani began to remove her loafer.

“Can I come in? I don’t want to stand around and talk here.”

“…that’s usually what the other person should say.”

“Don’t worry about the details. So, what do you think? No?”

“No, I’m not saying no, but…”

Mizutani stopped taking off her loafer and looked back at me.

Today, she seemed to be more aggressive than usual.

I wondered if there was some kind of change in her mental state.

“…Don’t you have piano practice today? You usually have to practice every day.”

When I asked her that instead, Mizutani resumed her movements.

She answered without looking at me, aligning her loafers so that the toes were pointing toward the door.

“Don’t worry. I told her I’d to study for the test.”

But I thought Mizutani’s mother was strict when it comes to piano?”

“…My mother is a vain person.”

Mizutani’s hand stopped for a moment.

“I don’t think that’s an answer.”

“She can’t stand it when her own daughter gets a red mark.”

“…I see.”

The relationship between Mizutani and her mother might be more complicated than I thought.

She used to say something like “I was just doing as I was told” about the piano, so she must have something on her mind.

When she stood up and looked back at me, Mizutani took something out of her bag again.

It was my folding umbrella that I lent her yesterday.

“Here.”

“Ah, thank you…wait, did you come here just to return this?”

“No. …I really wanted to talk to you today, Aizawa.”

“…Huh. That pleases me as a boyfriend.”

When I jokingly said this, Mizutani stared at me with a straight face.

Her face was sculpted, so it was very powerful at a time like this.

I involuntarily flinched.

“You know, Aizawa…I’m pretty angry right now.”