Chapter 7. Music

Chapter 7. Music CHAPTER 7 Music

The day after the Halloween party, Masachika headed to the music room to honor his commitment to Elena, since he had agreed to play piano for her brass band’s concert in return for her support during the Run. Therefore, starting today, he would be joining their practice sessions, whenever he didn’t have student council responsibilities to tend to.

“It’s not like all songs have piano parts, and I’m sure someone with your skills will be fine if you miss out on a few practice sessions.”

Masachika couldn’t help but feel his stomach twist as he reflected on his schoolmate’s puzzling confidence in him.

With my skills? I haven’t really practiced piano in years, so I’m extremely rusty… I don’t even have a piano, so it’s not like I can practice at home, either… I’ve been practicing on my air piano, but that’s about it.

The burden of anticipation bore down on him, each step toward the music room leaden with reluctance. Yet even at this plodding pace, he would still reach his destination eventually. Pausing before the first music room’s entrance, Masachika took in a deep breath, steeling his resolve before opening the door.

“Hey—”

“Welcome to my harem!”

“Is that really how you should be introducing your club?” he jested as Elena welcomed him with open arms. Elena, however, proudly puffed out her chest.

“Heh! It’s not a problem at all! I mean, it’s the truth, after all! Right, guys?” asked Elena as she sharply turned around, making sure every member of the brass band was nodding.

“Hi.”

“So right of you to say that.”

“Oohoohoo.”

Each one wore a beautiful smile with textbook-perfect manners, reminding Masachika of something Elena once told him.

“Everyone at school is either a gentleman or gentlewoman who ignores my jokes, or they’re just really quirky, which forces me to play the straight man. It’s rare for me to find someone that I can freely goof off with like you.”

So these are the gentlemen and women that politely ignore her jokes.

Looking around, Masachika saw that the brass band, which was roughly eighty-percent female, consisted almost entirely of members who looked like they came from wealthy families. Put simply, they were all gentlewomen, much like Yuki’s public persona at school.

Tough audience, to say the least…

Masachika sympathized with Elena, since it must have been difficult for her to have her brilliant attempts at humor always ignored with such grace. However…

“See? I told you I had a harem!”

“Wow, you’re a real man.”

Elena turned around with a big smile and gave Masachika a big thumbs-up, leaving him both dumbfounded and impressed at the same time. Hands planted firmly on her hips, she broke into hearty laughter.

“Ha-ha-ha. Well, you’ve got to be a real man if you want a harem like me. Right, guys?”

“Hi.”

“So right of you to say that.”

“Oohoohoo.”

“I feel like they’re not even listening to what you’re saying. Anyway, this bit’s getting old, so—”

“It’s not a bit!”

“All right, this ‘character’ is getting old, then.”

“Shut up! I have to play a character to get out of bed and out of the house every day!”

“That’s… I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t apologize. I was kidding. I’ve always been a little eccentric and more than a little lewd. ☆ ”

Elena struck a pose with a dazzling smile, her commitment to the bit impressing even Masachika. It also made him realize that the heavy tension he had felt before arriving had completely vanished as he bowed.

“I get it. You’re trying to lighten the mood so that I can fit in more easily, right? Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me!”

“Why?!”

“Stop being so formal and polite! We talk how we want in this club, and we don’t care about power dynamics. We all treat each other as equals in this club, right?”

“Hi.”

“So right of you to say that.”

“Oohoohoo.”

“Are they bots?”

He shifted his focus toward the club members who had been repeating the same lines since he’d arrived, but all he saw were their impenetrable smiles. It was actually starting to get a little scary.

Then again, they are really quirky in a way…

On closer inspection, Masachika realized that only three members had been doing all the talking while the rest just sat there, smiling in silence. Therefore, for the time being, he decided to mentally refer to these three as “Hi,” “So,” and “Oohoohoo” for the time being.

“Anyway, once again, this is Masachika Kuze, and he will be playing piano for us during our performance in December, so let’s give him a warm round of applause!”

When Elena initiated the applause, every brass band member joined in. There was no trace of suspicion or hostility toward outsiders—only genuine welcome radiated from them. Masachika felt relieved…yet simultaneously, the weight in his stomach grew heavier as he realized just how much they expected from him.

“All right, then! Let’s introduce ourselves. Of course, it would take forever to do everyone, so let’s just have the representatives for each grade for now. The rest of you can find time during break to individually introduce yourselves to him later. Is that okay?”

“Oh yeah. Sure.”

“All righty, then. Get to it, ladies!”

After Masachika nodded, Elena did some sort of bizarre hand gesture, drawing three female students forward—the very same trio that had been parroting the same lines the entire time.

Of course, it’s Hi, So, and Oohoohoo.

Masachika felt a little awkward, since he had just given each one of them nicknames in his head. Nevertheless, the three female students began to introduce themselves, oblivious to his secret.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Haitani. I’m a third-year student, and the vice president of the club. I play the clarinet.”

Her name is literally Hi…

“Nice to meet you. I’m Souma, and I’m a second-year student. I play percussion instruments.”

Her name is literally So…

“Nice to meet you, Masachika Kuze. I’m Arai, and I’m in Class A. I play the flute.”

Ah, so close. She’s not an Oohoohoo. She’s an Ara ara.

Masachika mentally punched himself, expelling the absurd thoughts from his consciousness, then put on a serious expression and bowed.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Masachika Kuze. I know I will only be working with you all for a little over a month, but I hope that we can—”

“Come on! Stop being so formal!” Elena cut in, flinging her arms upward as she positioned herself between Masachika and the trio of girls. She then leveled a penetrating glare at the startled temporary pianist.

“Have you been listening to anything I’ve said?! I told you that we don’t do this polite, formal stuff around here. We say what’s on our mind here as equals.”

“Sure, but it’s my first day here, and everyone is being so polite to me, so—”

“They’re polite to anyone! But this is how they usually are! So I want you to be who you usually are and act around them the same way you act around me!”

“Uh-huh… Your president seems to have a lot of opinions on the subject, but are you guys okay with that?”

“Hi.”

“So right of you to ask us that. We are totally okay with that.”

“Oohoohoo.”

After getting permission (?) from the three girls, Masachika relaxed his shoulders a little while Elena, wearing a satisfied smile, placed her hand on his shoulder.

“All right, then. So…can you play something for us?”

“Huh?”

“Consider it your way of introducing yourself to us. Everyone wants to hear him play, right?”

A chorus of excited nods, not just from the trio but from every expectant gaze in the room, pressured Masachika to agree.

“Okay… Just one piano piece, right?”

Their soft cheers filled the room while Masachika, battling a facial twitch brought on by the sheer innocence of their expectations, settled in front of the piano.

Hmm… I definitely wasn’t expecting to play a solo piece today… What should I play?

The concert’s set list, which Elena had shared with Masachika in advance, included a variety of compositions, from famous orchestral pieces to recently popular J-POP tunes, and even the theme song of a blockbuster animated film. As Masachika mentally went through the list, he decided to start with the anime theme song, figuring it would be good for getting everyone pumped up. After lightly humming the tune and tapping his fingers on his thigh, he placed his hands on the keys—

Huh? Why am I even playing piano? His fingers froze. Why should he play? For whose sake was he playing? That was, of course, for Elena and…for the brass band.

But why?

That was when it hit him.

Oh, right. I have absolutely no personal reason to play the piano.

Masachika lacked any real drive to play for them. Even though he’d promised to perform, that wasn’t enough motivation. Maybe that was why…his fingers refused to move.

Wait, wait, wait. Who cares if I don’t have a personal reason to play. I don’t need motivation. I just need to play…

Yet, his fingers still wouldn’t move. The keys before him seemed to blur, and in the back of his mind, his mother’s hateful glare burned vividly—those piercing, contemptuous eyes.

H-huh? Where is C on the piano again? Where do I even start…?

A ringing filled his ears as his consciousness was slowly dragged into the memories of that day—

“Oh, right.”

Elena’s voice yanked Masachika back to reality, his fingers still frozen on the keys. He looked up to find his schoolmate with a hand on her forehead, gently shaking her head.

“Where are my manners? We should play for you before we can ask you to play for us. We need to show you how we play so that you can match our style.”

“Elena…”

After putting on a show of being forgetful, Elena turned around to face the other brass band members.

“So today, let’s help Kuze get to know us! Kuze, you just sit right over there and watch, okay?”

Masachika hesitantly settled into a chair by the wall while the others, though a bit baffled by the sudden change of plans, obediently followed Elena’s lead and got into position.

“Okay, guys. Don’t worry about him. Just play like you normally do. Now, could we have our lovely instructor come help us? Ahem.”

“Nnng!”

A woman, who had been fast asleep in a chair by the window, jolted awake.

I figured she was the club’s supervisor. Elena didn’t even bring her up once, so I wasn’t paying any attention to her, but…

The club supervisor had been sleeping with her head resting against the wall since Masachika arrived. At first glance, she appeared to be in her thirties. She stood up while rubbing the back of her neck and looking around for her baton.

“Uh… Yeah, I’m ready. I wasn’t sleeping. I wasn’t sleeping at all.”

“You were obviously sleeping.”

“Nope. Isn’t that right?”

“Hi.”

“So right of you to say that.”

“Oohoohoo.”

“Guys, don’t baby her just because she’s our teacher.”

“Hi.”

“So right of you to say that.”

“Oohoohoo.”

The brass band members smiled as if this were commonplace while Masachika watched the woman suppress a yawn as she rummaged around for her baton.

Wait… Is she really the club supervisor? I mean, I’ve never seen her at school before… Oh, maybe the school hires her part-time to do this?

He continued to rack his brain until the woman, her baton in hand, shot him a quizzical stare.

“Hmm? Do we have a visitor today? During this time of the year?”

“Really? I told you about him. That’s the pianist that I scouted. Remember?”

“Did we talk about that? Hmm…”

The woman’s brow furrowed as she frowned slightly. Masachika nodded his head, but before he could react, she shifted her gaze back to the club members. And the instant her baton rose, the previously tranquil music room crackled with tension.

“ … !”

The charged atmosphere made Masachika sit straight up…and then the baton fell, unleashing a wave of sound that crashed over him.

Whoa…!

Listening to a performance with this many musicians, in a room of this size, at this distance—the power was on a completely different level from the performances Masachika had heard in concert halls. It was to the point that it was both otherworldly and overwhelming.

Th-this is incredible… Elena looks so cool right now…

A vivid, bright melody stood out among the perfect harmony. It was the sound of Elena’s trumpet.

Incredible…!

He closed his eyes, immersing himself in the overwhelming sonic brilliance, a dazzling shower of music. When the final note faded, he couldn’t help but applaud. Delighted expressions, including Elena’s, could be seen here and there, only to be replaced by serious focus the instant their teacher raised her baton once more. These were, without a doubt, people who were passionate about music.

Whoa… This is really cool.

He truly felt that way. But at the very same time…

Am I going to be able to fit in? With these people? Me, the guy whose music steals joy from every ear? The guy who doesn’t have an ounce of passion for music? The guy who cannot let go of the past?

“…”

He felt out of place.

That was how he felt while he listened to the brass band’s performance.

“All right, that should do it for today. Go home.”

“““Thank you very much!”””

The instant the bell rang signaling the end of club activities, the woman who had been conducting immediately gathered her belongings and left the room as if she were utterly exhausted. In a way, Masachika couldn’t help but admire her complete lack of interest in unpaid overtime, staying only as long as she was contractually obligated to.

“…She really is something else, huh?”

“Ha-ha-ha. Totally unexpected, right? She’s actually a pretty famous musician, though. Oh, Ms. Susume actually graduated from here too, by the way.”

“That’s not a name you hear often, huh?”

“Right? …So, what’d you think?” asked Elena.

“That was incredible. I’ve never listened to a brass band performance that up close before, and I was blown away,” Masachika replied, giving his unreserved praise.

“Heh. Right? Our club’s pretty stinkin’ good if I do say so myself.”

Masachika bowed to Elena as she proudly puffed out her chest.

“Anyway…I just wanted to say thanks. You saved me.”

“Hmm? Oh…”

After a brief pause, Elena seemed to realize that he was talking about when he froze at the piano.

“I did that because I was worried that I’d done something to bother you. Anyway, I’m glad it helped.”

“You saved me. I mean it.”

“Hmm…” Elena glanced briefly at the club members behind her before asking Masachika in a low voice, “So do you think you’ll be ready to play by our next practice session?”

Masachika nodded back, directing a grateful look her way for not probing him for details.

“I mean…yeah. I think I’ll be fine…but that thing earlier…” Masachika fell silent for a brief moment before continuing. “I just had no idea why I was playing piano… Like, what’s the point?”

He was overcome with embarrassment as soon as the words left his mouth. Elena, however, simply blinked in mild surprise before crouching down in front of Masachika, nodding empathetically.

“Oh, you’re the kind of person who needs a reason to play, huh? Music isn’t a goal to you. It’s a means to an end, huh?”

Elena’s unexpected understanding startled Masachika. He felt as if she’d spoken directly to his soul.

Music was just a means to an end. She was right. For Masachika, the piano had only been a means to make his family—to make the people he loved—happy. He only ever played because it made his mother and sister happy. In fact, he probably had never played piano simply for the sake of making music, not even once.

“…The brass band club obviously doesn’t need someone like me here, right?”

The cynical, self-deprecating words slipped off his tongue. Though he regretted them immediately, Elena merely raised her eyebrows.

“Hmm? I don’t see why you think this is an issue,” she responded.

Elena’s casual reply caught Masachika completely off guard.

“Motivation varies from person to person. I personally think it’s all about having fun, but other people might pour all their passion into winning competitions and whatnot.”

“Yeah…”

After giving her that ambiguous response, a particular question sprang to his mind.

“But…why did you ask me to play piano for your performance? If it’s all about having fun to you, then I feel like you could have asked just about anyone to play for you.”

“Hmm? Because…I felt like I could create something musically unique with you… Sorry, that came out a bit too pretentious. Let me rephrase that.” She immediately corrected herself, tilted her head, and continued, “Put simply, the moment I heard you play piano, I was like, ‘I would love to perform with a piano accompanist like this.’ That’s basically it.”

Elena looked up bashfully at Masachika and added, “So…just be yourself and do whatever feels right, because that’s what I’m going to do. Don’t overthink it and tense up. Just play the way you want to. Though, I guess that’s probably easier said than done.”

She stood up, proudly puffed out her chest, and smugly made a suggestion.

“But it’s called ‘playing’ music for a reason—because it’s meant to be fun.”

“…”

“Uh… You were just thinking how that sounded sooo corny, weren’t you?”

“…Yeah.”

“Oh, shut up! Sorry for not being able to come up with something cooler on the spot!”

Masachika flashed a strained grin as he hurriedly fled from his livid schoolmate, swallowing the one question that had been on his mind: Music is supposed to be fun?

“Anyway, I’ll see you guys later.”

“Yeah, see you next week.”

After exchanging farewells with Elena and the rest of the brass band, Masachika retired from the first music room, but the moment he closed the door, he glanced down the hallway and noticed a male student with his arms crossed leaning against the door. Masachika instantly averted his gaze, feigning obliviousness as he attempted to stride past, but of course, life was never that easy.

“So you really are helping out the brass band club, Kuze.”

“What are you doing here? You have way too much free time,” Masachika complained, side-eyeing Yuushou since he was too uninterested to even face him. Yuushou, however, shrugged in an unnecessarily pretentious manner.

“Yes, because my club lost over half of its members thanks to a certain someone . So while I don’t have too much free time, I do have a little more time than usual.”

“Yeah, thanks to you for what you did. Anyway, unlike you, I’m busy, so bye.”

Just as Masachika was about to leave, Yuushou started to say something when a nearby door swung open, revealing a familiar figure.

“Whoa. Not every day I see you two together.”

“Nonoa…”

Seeing Nonoa coming out of the second music room reminded Masachika that they had band practice today, so he took a peek behind her and spotted Sayaka, who was evidently there to watch.

“Finished with band practice already?”

“Yeah, we’re just gonna clean up and chat for a bit before heading home now.”

“Nice.”

Curious to see how Yuushou was reacting to Nonoa, Masachika spun around, only to find an empty space where his schoolmate had been standing.

“Hmm … ?”

“Like, Yuushou left the instant I got here? He hates me, if that wasn’t totally obvious.”

“Oh… I wonder what he wanted,” Masachika muttered, a hint of awkwardness creeping into his voice as he stood before the girl who insisted she was despised.

“No clue. Probably came to listen to you play piano,” she replied.

“What? No way…”

Masachika opened his mouth to refute her claim, but he promptly stopped himself, realizing that maybe she was right, and that scared him for some reason.

Wait. Hold up. Is he obsessed with me now? Because that would be really annoying…

He frowned at the thought of some guy being overly interested in him, especially one that he didn’t particularly like at all. He shook his head, dispelling the thought, when he remembered he had something to tell Nonoa.

“Oh, hey. I heard you brought Alya to the nurse’s office the other day? So I just wanted to say thanks.”

Nonoa tilted her head in bewilderment for a few moments until it hit her.

“Oh, that? Don’t mention it. She wasn’t lookin’ so hot, so I just dropped her off.”

“Really? Well… I appreciate it. By the way…” After looking around cautiously, Masachika lowered his voice and asked, “…do you know why she wasn’t feeling good?”

Though Alisa had kept the exact cause to herself, Masachika deduced from her story that someone had said something unpleasant to her regarding her election campaign. In fact, he had already heard that some of Yuki’s fervent fans had been harshly criticizing Alisa after Yuki bested her during the Run. Fans like that had previously branded Masachika a traitor for not partnering with Yuki anymore, making obnoxious comments about him whenever they could, but he had chosen to ignore them because he understood their perspective. But this…

If someone was so mean to Alya that she couldn’t get out of bed…then they’re going to pay.

He waited for her response, simmering with rage…but Nonoa just shook her head.

“Sorry, but she was already pretty depressed when I found her, so, like, I have no clue what happened to her?”

“Oh… Well, that’s nothing you have to apologize about. If anything, I should be the one apologizing.”

“For what?”

“Uh…”

He was apologizing for ever doubting Nonoa for even for a moment, just because Yuushou had said that she should not be trusted…but there was no way he was going to be able to tell her that. Instead, his response emerged clouded in ambiguity—until Elena’s offhand comment from before resurfaced in his mind.

“By the way, is being in a band fun?”

Nonoa readily nodded, although she seemed a bit skeptical as to why he was changing the subject.

“Yeah, it feels good to sing, so I guess it’s fun?”

“O-oh.”

Nonoa also enjoyed music—a fact that, despite the casual nature of his question, genuinely surprised Masachika…and left him a little shocked as well.

Even Nonoa enjoys playing music…and yet, I…

Masachika’s visible hint of depression only deepened her confusion, and she began to fidget slightly.

“Anyway, can I go now? I wanna go to the bathroom.”

“What?! O-oh, right. Sorry for stopping you like this.”

“It’s cool,” she replied, taking a step forward. “…I mean, you can come with me if you want.”

“No!” Masachika retorted immediately, baffled by her casual yet outrageous invitation. With a small sigh, he watched Nonoa laugh her way into the distance, then he started walking toward the school building’s entrance.

At any rate, it looks like Nonoa enjoys music in her own way, too.

It was a sensation unknown to Masachika. With that being said…

I’ve only ever played alone.

Playing music with others was completely foreign to him. The closest he’d come was a few duets with his piano teacher years ago, and even those were a blur—he couldn’t honestly recall if he enjoyed it.

And…

He suddenly had flashbacks of his past—the memory of that day had become a deeply rooted trauma beyond his imagination, forcing him to grit his teeth while he shook his head.

The more I think about it, the more I’m worried that I’m not going to be able to really help them.

A sigh slipped from him as he calmly reflected on himself, his thoughts drifting back to the words he’d shared with Alisa on the day Elena had asked him to play the piano.

“You have a passion for supporting those with passion.”

“That’s why…it’s going to be okay. You’ll be able to make Elena’s dream come true.”

“…”

Masachika knew full well that Alisa had no intention of pressuring him, but the weight of her trust and the brass band members’ expectations settled on his shoulders like an unwelcome burden.

The brass band’s performance was incredible…so I want to be able to help them if I can. But…

Even if he wanted to help, he doubted whether he had the skill and talent to do so anymore. He wasn’t even sure he could play the piano during their next practice session.

“This is gonna be a lot harder than I thought,” he muttered as he turned the corner, but just as the entrance came into sight, he locked eyes with Maria, who was standing by the shoe shelves.

“Oh, Kuze? Are you on your way home, too?”

“Yeah… Are you waiting for Alya?”

“Yep. She said she had to head over to the teachers’ room for a second.”

“Oh.”

Then Maria casually asked, “So how was it? The brass band club.”

“…We just got to know each other a little today. That’s all,” Masachika replied vaguely, knowing she was going to ask.

“Anyway, see you tomorrow,” he added while heading over to grab his shoes—

“Whaaat? Come on, let’s walk home together. Alya will be back here any minute now.”

She stopped him with her innocent smile, though she was frustrated on the inside.

“I can’t today. I—”

“By the way, Chisaki did the funniest thing today during the student council meeting.”

Sh-she’s already talking about something else.

Maria, beaming with joy, eagerly began recounting what happened at the student council. And with that smile of hers shining so brightly, there was no way he could tell her he wanted to go home, so he stood by her side and listened—albeit reluctantly.

“And then, Touya was like, ‘That’s not The Butterfly Dream!’”

“Ha-ha-ha.”

Masachika was laughing at her story, but…

“Anyway… How was the brass band club? Really.”

“Huh?”

The instant Masachika let his guard down, the conversation veered sharply, leaving him utterly blindsided. He froze while Maria gazed at his profile, her smile tinged with sorrow.

“Something happened, right? You look sad.”

“…”

Under Maria’s all-encompassing gaze that seemed to see through everything, Masachika remained silent, staring ahead for what felt like an eternity…until he eventually let out a sigh and gave in.

“I just saw how incredible they were…and I lost all confidence in myself. That’s all.”

He simply stated the facts without getting into the details. Maria, however, gently reached out to place a hand on his head…but after glancing around at the other students passing by, she rested her hand on his shoulder. It was as if she could peer beyond the walls that he had carefully built around himself, seeing straight through his facade of bravery.

“Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, okay? The people in the brass band have been practicing for a long time. It’s only natural to feel like you’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

“…Yeah, I mean, I get that…”

“And Elena understands that as well. Nobody is going to be disappointed or feel let down just because you can’t play everything perfectly right off the bat.”

“ … !”

Masachika flinched. The words struck his heart like a revelation, unraveling the pressure he hadn’t even realized was suffocating him—the weight of Alisa’s trust, the brass band’s expectations—the sense of duty to live up to it all.

Oh… I was afraid of being a disappointment…

Looking back, it had always been that way—pushing himself to meet his grandfather’s or his mother’s expectations—unconsciously trapping himself in the fear of letting them down. Masachika found himself smiling, realizing that those unspoken anxieties were now gone. Maria’s own smile softened with relief as well.

“You don’t have to do everything perfectly. All you have to do is work your hardest. And you know what? If you find out it’s too hard or painful to continue, then you can always run away, because I’ll always be there to console you.”

“Ha-ha… That’s reassuring.”

His laugh was genuine, although he did feel like it would be game over for him in more ways than one if it got to that point. Then, just as he began to relax his shoulders…

“By the way, why have you been looking away from me the entire time we’ve been talking?”

Her bewildered question felt like a kick to the groin. With Maria’s eyes fixed on his face, a bead of sweat ran down his cheek.

“I was just checking to see if Alya was coming. That’s all … ,” he replied with an air of innocence.

“…Then why won’t you even glance in my direction?”

“What are you talking about?” he replied, his gaze briefly landing on Maria in her school uniform—only to be instantly hit with a vivid memory of her drunken escapade from the day before yesterday. His eyes shot away just as quickly.

“Why did you turn your head away from me like that?”

“I saw a bug fly by…”

“Even though it’s almost winter?”

“Bugs still fly in the winter. If anything, they travel in massive swarms, and it’s really annoying, especially lake flies. Whenever you go anywhere near water—”

“Did something happen the day before yesterday in the student council room?”

Maria’s spot-on remark left Masachika speechless, prompting her to lower her eyebrows.

“I knew it…”

“Uh…”

His account of the previous day’s episode had been deliberately vague, merely mentioning that she had become intoxicated and promptly fallen asleep—an explanation Maria had accepted as truth at the time. Yet now, for some reason, she seemed to have some lingering doubts. What were they? What was she hung up on that made her skeptical? As Masachika mulled over the possibilities, Maria fidgeted with her clasped hands, looking apologetic, and began to explain herself.

“I’m really sorry. I usually avoid sweets with alcohol in them, and up until now, I’ve never lost my memory outside of the house. But I guess I let my guard down the other day because I was with you and Elena…”

While most of what she said was reassuring, one thing continued to gnaw at his mind.

“You’ve lost your memory while you were at home before?”

“…A-a few times, I guess? And every time, Alya gets so mad at me…”

“What did you do to her?”

“I-I don’t remember…but I apparently get really clingy whenever I get drunk…”

While pressing both hands against her cheeks, Maria peeked up at Masachika through her eyelashes.

“So…I’m worried that I did something like that to you, too…”

“…”

Masachika looked up into space for a moment to think.

Would that count as “being clingy”? I mean, she got physically clingy with me, but…

She wrapped her arms around his stomach and legs, pulled him onto the couch, straddled him—

“Ngh!!”

A rush of indecent thoughts flooded his mind, forcing him to clear his throat reflexively. It was a reaction that unsurprisingly made Maria startle and promptly spiral into a flustered panic.

“I-I knew it. I did something to you, didn’t I?!”

“M-Masha, relax. People are staring,” warned Masachika, lowering his voice while gesturing at the students passing by. Maria’s eyes widened, realizing she was getting loud. She quickly covered her mouth with both hands in a flurry of embarrassment. Her anxious gaze darted about while she squirmed uncomfortably, leaving Masachika to contemplate just how much information he ought to share with her.

Then again…maybe I should just be completely honest with her? That would be the sincere thing to do…

The bold thought crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

Have I lost my mind?! “Oh, by the way, you straddled me while you were half-naked!” There’s no way I could tell her that! She’d be so embarrassed that she’d faint!

Plus, even if he were completely honest with her, that would simply raise the question of how he managed to “put everything back where it belonged.” Besides, simply recalling what he did to cover up the scandal made him feel like he was going to die of stress and guilt as he tightly clenched his teeth.

I mean…what could I have even done? Someone could have walked in on us, and then, who knows what would have happened? I bet if Chisaki caught us, she would have kicked down the door and then given my entire life a hard reset!

But none of the excuses made his guilt go away, and it was one that even surpassed the guilt he felt for lying to Maria, so…

“You, uh… You wrapped your arms around me and dragged me onto the couch. So in a way, you were a bit clingy?”

He decided to downplay what happened with every fiber of his being. She didn’t remember anything, after all.

All I have to do is tell her part of the truth, then I can take the rest to the grave. Mwa-ha-ha!

But Masachika soon realized just how naive he truly was.

“Is that really…all that happened?” Maria asked once more, as if she were certain about something, but even then, Masachika’s answer remained the same.

“Yeah. Why do you ask?”

“I… It’s just…” Maria mumbled vaguely, her eyes shifting nervously. After a quick glance to ensure no one was around, she stood on tiptoe, leaned in close to Masachika’s ear, cupped her hand to the side of her mouth, and bashfully whispered in Russian:

“ < Because…my bra wasn’t all the way on when I woke up…so I thought…that maybe… > ”

“ … ?!”

“ < And I felt like there’s no way my bra slid off like that just because I was hugging you…so I thought that maybe… > ”

A single piece of evidence led her down a path that Masachika hadn’t been expecting, causing his eyes to wander in that direction.

“Ngh … !”

Maria sank back down from her tiptoes, puffed out her blushing cheeks, then shielded her chest with her arms. By the time Masachika realized he had messed up, it was already too late.

“ < Waaah! Now I can’t get married to anyone but you, Sah! > ”

“Hey, wait!”

But just when he thought he was going to get slapped, Maria spun around on her heel and dashed down the hallway.

“ < You have to marry me, no matter what now! > ”

“Who says that while running away?!”

Masachika immediately tried to chase after her…but she ran into the girls’ bathroom.

“She was…surprisingly cool with it,” he observed, having regained his composure thanks to Maria. Usually, people would just continue to run away until they were out of breath, but in terms of simply escaping, this was definitely far more effective that running around frantically. In fact, Masachika couldn’t come up with a better way to tell someone you didn’t want to talk right now. Therefore, he promptly retreated from the front of the girls’ bathroom, even though that partly had to do with the fact that people were giving him awkward stares.

Uh… I probably shouldn’t just leave Masha like this and go home…but I can’t just wait for her here like this, either…