Chapter 3. Purity

Chapter 3. Purity CHAPTER 3 Purity

“I think this is the first time I’ve ever been here…”

During lunch break, Masachika received a text request to talk in person, so he headed over to the second-floor corridor of the club building and pushed open the door leading to the outside stairs. The unusually weighty metal door groaned on its hinges as a crisp autumn gust swept past him. Squinting against the breeze, he ventured onto the outdoor steps where a listless voice floated up from the first-floor landing below.

“Oh! About time! ‘Sup?”

“Yeah… ‘Sup?” he replied as he descended the stairs, still confused as to what was going on.

“Sorry to keep you waiting… Why did you want to meet here, though?” he asked, gazing down at Nonoa. She was the one who had sent him the text. The metal fire escape provided little shelter from the elements, and it was still a bit chilly this time of year. Put simply, this was Masachika’s way of indirectly asking her why she didn’t ask him to meet in an empty classroom instead, but Nonoa seemed genuinely confused, raising an eyebrow.

“Why? Because we’ll be able to hear if someone’s coming,” she replied, peering up the stairway before casting him a sidelong glance.

“I’m totally looking out for you, you know? Like, you’d be the one who’d be in trouble if someone caught us alone in an empty classroom, right?”

Masachika found himself speechless, confronted with multiple possible interpretations of her statement. The most straightforward interpretation would have been that she was being considerate—helping him avoid any gossip that might erupt if they were spotted alone in an empty classroom, given her middle school reputation. On the other hand, she might have been insinuating that it wouldn’t be good for Masachika if either Maria or Alisa caught them together.

No good would come from asking her to explain herself, though.

After coming to that decision, Masachika immediately pulled himself together and shrugged.

“So? What’d you want to talk about?” He raised his guard again, uncertain of her motives. Nonoa, however, pivoted away, resting her elbows on the railing while her gaze drifted toward the horizon. Several seconds passed until she replied.

“I mean…it’s not really a big deal or anything, but…”

“ … ?”

Masachika furrowed his brow, since Nonoa was usually straightforward with what she wanted. Intrigued, he positioned himself beside her at the railing, following her gaze across the schoolyard…until she eventually uttered:

“You said you’d listen if I ever wanted to talk, right? So, like, why not now?”

“…Oh, all right.” Masachika nodded after realizing that she was referring to when the band members (and friends) went to the amusement park. Great. What is she gonna ask me to do? he wondered. However…

“It’s not like I want you to say anything, okay? I just want you to listen.”

Masachika found himself transfixed by her profile, thoroughly bewildered by this departure from her usual demeanor. As she gazed into the distance, her silhouette revealed an unexpected vulnerability…tinged with melancholy that stirred guilt within him for having ever doubted her.

“…Yeah, sure. I made you a promise.”

“Thanks.”

Being thanked so sincerely was the nail in the coffin that threw him completely off balance.

What the…? Does she seriously only want to talk?

Masachika scratched his head while Nonoa nonchalantly pressed onward with the conversation, unfazed by his evident confusion.

“So, like, Saya, Take-C, Hikaru, and I went to the mall yesterday to get a president for Alisa’s b-day.”

“…Yeah, I heard.”

They had invited Masachika to the mall as well, but he had to decline, since he was already going shopping with Yuki.

“And when we were eating lunch, like, Saya and Take-C started to talk about some anime and really hit it off.”

“Really?”

“He probably started watching it after he saw Saya get that capsule toy at the amusement park.”

“Ohhh, makes sense.”

Masachika couldn’t help but wonder how Takeshi, who wasn’t much of an anime fan, managed to keep up with Sayaka’s otaku talk…but it seemed he had done his homework behind the scenes. It was one thing to think about getting into someone else’s hobbies for their sake, but actually putting in the effort was a different story.

I’m seriously impressed, Takeshi. Good job, man.

Masachika genuinely felt respect for Takeshi as he figured out what Nonoa was getting at.

“…So you felt left out because they were talking about something without you?”

“Hm … ?” Nonoa ambiguously grunted back, then shook her head, much to Masachika’s surprise.

“No, I mean, like, that much is fine.”

“ … ? Oh.”

“Yeah.”

Nonoa nodded nonchalantly, her expression indifferent, leaving Masachika puzzled. But just as he tried to make sense of it…

“Like, I’m fine with that…but my mom sent me a text when they were talking,” she continued, only adding to his confusion.

“ … ??”

“So I took out my phone to see what she said.”

Nonoa narrowed her gaze, then continued with a melancholic expression:

“And Saya didn’t even get mad.”

“ … ?”

“Usually, she’d scold me or whatever if I took out my phone when we eat…but she was having so much fun with Take-C that she didn’t even notice. It made me feel like I was low priority to her…”

Nonoa fell silent as Masachika stared at her profile, struggling to find the right words to comfort her.

What the…? Is she seriously telling me about an actual problem she’s having?

Masachika couldn’t help but be a bit more cautious around Nonoa today, since this was the first time they’d been alone since she tried to seduce (?) him at the amusement park. But this conversation had nothing to do with that. These were just typical high school worries that anyone her age could relate to.

Her expression carried a mix of dissatisfaction, confusion, and loneliness that made Masachika feel both guilty and sympathetic.

“That’s—”

“Oh, you don’t need to say anything. Like, I just want you to listen,” Nonoa interrupted, letting go of the railing and briefly stretching out her arms.

“Hmm… I mean, how are you supposed to respond to stuff like this? Right? Like, I don’t even know how I feel,” she stated with a dismissive air, but Masachika couldn’t simply let it go. He felt shame and regret for having suspected that Nonoa might do something to Takeshi and for continuing to be wary of her when she had only wanted to talk.

…I shouldn’t have been so biased.

There was no doubt that Nonoa was telling the truth. Besides, if she had intended to do something to Takeshi, she wouldn’t have told Masachika about it. She would have done it in secret, just like she always did. In other words, she wouldn’t seek anyone’s approval or opinion.

Which meant…that she really did just want someone to listen. She was confused and tormented by these emotions that she had never experienced before, like loneliness and alienation, so she had turned to Masachika for help…and yet, he hadn’t believed in her when he should have.

But what should I say…?

Masachika knew that offering shallow sympathy or empty comfort wouldn’t help Nonoa. In fact, trying to impose his own interpretation on emotions she herself didn’t understand would be tactless and arrogant.

Therefore, he struggled, wrestling with his thoughts until he could find the right thing to say.

“All right… Well, I’m always here to listen if you want to talk.”

“Ha-ha. Thanks.”

Nonoa’s smile made Masachika’s lips curl as well.

This was probably the right answer. Many people managed to sort out their own feelings by verbalizing them to someone, so that was probably all she needed. In other words, all Masachika had to do was listen, and Nonoa would eventually find her own answers to her emotions.

Yeah… She’s not a bad person either.

From Masachika’s perspective, Nonoa was simply being true to her own heart, pursuing her path without concern for others, and this purity only seemed unorthodox to others because humans were social creatures.

But perhaps, one day, through new relationships and understanding her emotions, Nonoa would begin to laugh and cry like everyone else.

I honestly can’t imagine it, though.

Simply imagining her like that made him shudder.

“Anyway, is that all you wanted to talk about?”

“Hm… Yeah, that’s about it right now. I feel a lot better already.”

“Really? I’m glad,” Masachika exclaimed from the bottom of his heart. The fact that the girl in front of him was having trouble just like any normal high school student and had confided in someone else made him feel strangely happy. But…

“You know what? As a thank you, I’m gonna let you touch my butt.”

The casualness of it made Masachika freeze for a few moments.

Then the irritation hit, making a muscle in his face twitch.

“The one that costs fifty thousand yen for a two-second squeeze? I think I’ll pass. I’d rather not be killed by your fans.”

“Really? I’m wearing a thong today, though.”

“Are you kidding?!”

“Nope. Check it out,” Nonoa said, lifting up her skirt with her right hand, allowing her milky-white skin to peek out. Her thighs were slender and the epitome of beautiful, but just as her round, shapely bottom came into view, Masachika jerked his head away and gazed upward.

“Did you see it?”

“…No.”

He was talking about the thong, not her rear…which said a lot.

“Oh, right. You’re totally a boob-guy, not a butt-guy. Should I have, like, shown you my bra?”

“How’d you know that?” he asked with a serious expression, but Nonoa casually replied:

“Huh? ‘Cause I catch you sneaking peeks at Alisa’s rack all the time.”

“Seriously?!” he squeaked in a reflexive fluster before immediately realizing that she tricked him into admitting it. Or that was what he thought, but Nonoa was clearly dead-serious. “…Really? Wait. Do I actually stare that much?”

“I mean, you’re not staring, but your eyes seem to linger for a second around the goods from time to time.”

“Whaaat? But come on. It’s just a second, right? If someone were wearing a really fancy necklace, your eyes would naturally be drawn to it, right? This is no different.”