Chapter 2: Temptation

Chapter 2: Temptation

Date: x/xx

Weather: Sunny

I’ll try harder next time. I’ll just wait for the right moment.

+++

The next day after school, the clubroom was lively as Yaegashi Taichi and the others entertained themselves with their own independent activities.

“Alright gang, let’s call it a day!” club president Nagase Iori declared with a grin.

That day, the six of them (Inaba Himeko was unable to attend due to a prior engagement) had briefly discussed the upcoming issue of the Culture Bulletin. Now they were headed home.

One by one, each of them split off to go their own separate ways... and by the time the train arrived at Taichi’s station, he was all alone.

Tucking his commuter pass back into his bookbag, he passed through the turnstiles. A pleasant breeze brushed his cheek, and he stretched lightly. He could smell something sweet—probably from the bakery in the station square—and his stomach rumbled, but he decided not to splurge today. He’d only just gotten his allowance money for this month, and he needed it to last. So instead Taichi headed to the bicycle parking rack.

Summer was just a month away, and the weather was getting warmer and warmer.

Ahead of him, he could see two high school students walking down the street, holding hands. He watched them for a moment, then pictured himself and Inaba in their place.

Ever since the two of them made it official, Taichi had started to pay closer attention to random couples on the street, observing them, comparing their relationship to his own, making note of things for future reference.

Next the girl curled her arm around the guy’s bicep—the exact sort of thing Inaba liked to do. Maybe I don’t need to be so uptight about PDA stuff... but still, it’s kinda cringey... and what if it makes someone uncomfortable? Not like we could do it in the clubroom, either... Not after everything we’ve gone through—especially with Nagase—

[———]

Somewhere in the distance—in the far recesses of his mind—he thought he heard a tiny, faint sound. A voice. In his head. But this was merely a blip of abnormality, and it was gone before he ever became conscious of it.

He felt someone behind him, so he turned... and there she stood. Nagase Iori.

“What the...? What are you doing here, Nagase?” Taichi asked, dumbfounded. She lived in a different town entirely, so she had broken away from the group fairly early on... or so he seemed to remember. Did she have some sort of errand to run around here? If so, she hadn’t mentioned it... and yet, here she was.

“Just wanted to... talk to you about something. Are you free?”

The goddess of Yamaboshi was gazing up at him, batting her lashes.

“I mean... can’t it wait until tomorrow?”

...Did I just turn her down? Why would I do that? He wasn’t sure. All he knew was that his mouth was moving on autopilot before his brain could catch up. For some reason, he felt a strong, visceral discomfort... as though his animal instincts were telling him it wasn’t safe to be here.

“Why? Do you have somewhere you need to be?”

“Well, no... I don’t have plans or anything... Okay, sure.” God, I’m so stupid. Nagase needs to talk to me—why would I turn her down for no reason? Obviously it’s gotta be important or else she would’ve just called or emailed! What is wrong with me?

“Wanna grab a table at a diner or something?”

“No, that’s okay. Here’s fine.”

“Oh... Alright then.”

The breeze carried a hint of a summery scent as it rustled Nagase’s long, silky hair. Around them, the first trappings of dusk began to fall—a frighteningly perfect match for the despondent look on her face. Some of the passersby glanced back at her on their way to the turnstiles, as if they were captivated by the sight.

Her eyes fixated directly onto his, making him tremble down to his core.

“What if I told you... I’m still not over it?”

All at once, a hush fell over the train station, almost as though the two of them had been transported to a world all their own. Then the illusion faded, and Taichi snapped back to reality.

“Wh... Uhh... Not over what, exactly?” His voice shook—why? What was there to be afraid of?

“You. I’m not over you, Yaegashi Taichi.”

Why this? Why now?

Her lips curled into a dreamy, bewitching smile with the barest hint of loneliness.

Meanwhile, Taichi reeled. This was all too sudden... or was it? He had already processed what she’d said, but for some reason, he didn’t want to accept it. Why? Because... it was just too hard to believe.

“What are you... talking about?” Clinging to the faintest shred of hope, Taichi forced the words out of his throat.

But real life, as it turned out, was merciless.

“Taichi... I still love you.”

I thought we made a clean break, but maybe not... No, of course not. After all, what romance was complete without complications?

And so that beautiful fiction came to an end... and harsh reality returned once more.

□■□■□

The next morning, Taichi arrived at school feeling unusually tense. After all, Nagase had confessed to still being in love with him, and now he was probably going to have to interact with her in class.

Yesterday, after she’d said her piece, she walked off without waiting for an answer... almost like a declaration of war.

—I’m not over you, Yaegashi Taichi. I still love you.

He’d thought all the loose ends were tied up, but apparently they weren’t, and it came as such a shock that he failed to respond at all. He had so many questions... and absolutely no idea what to do about this. Mainly he wanted to know how this conversation had gone between Nagase and Inaba.

Though the two of them had both fallen in love with him around the same time, they didn’t let anything or anyone get in the way of their friendship, not even Taichi himself. And if prior experience was anything to go by, Nagase must’ve already had the entire “I’m still in love with him” talk with Inaba before she ever floated it past him...

He looked over at Nagase’s desk. Evidently she had yet to arrive—

“G’day, mate!”

“Waaaagh?!”

Speak of the devil. Out of nowhere, he heard her voice directly behind him.

“Jeez! You okay, Taichi? You really let out a yelp there!”

“Oh, uh... It’s nothing... G-Good morning...”

“Oookay... What’s gotten into you today?”

“W-Well...” Can you blame me, considering what you said to me yesterday? But he couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence. Now was not the time to bring it up again.

“Anyways, it’s really hot out today, am I right? I’m glad these summer uniforms are less bulky, but personally I’m tempted to take it another step further, if you catch my drift.” She grabbed the hem of her vest and flapped it against the short-sleeved blouse she wore beneath, ventilating herself. “It’s gettin’ hot in here... Hm hm hm hm hm hmmm...”

She was her usual sparkling self... to an insane degree. Almost like she’d completely forgotten what went down between them yesterday. But Taichi knew she could be an exceptional actress when she wanted to be, and he understood that was what she was doing now.

“Bonjour, Iori! Good morning! It’s a real scorcher out there, huh?! Morning, Yaegashi-kun!” called Nakayama Mariko as she walked over, her pigtails bouncing.

“Bonjour, Nakayama-chan! I’m sweating buckets already!” Nagase replied cheerfully.

“...Wait, what the? What’s the matter, Yaegashi-kun? You’re not giving me the cold shoulder, are ya, pal?”

“No, of course not. Good morning, Nakayama.”

“Hmmm... You seem kinda out of it, Yaegashi-kun. You’re gonna throw me off my game! Actually, on second thought, probably not. Oh, Yui-chan, good morning!”

“Oh, Yui’s here! Yui! Wait until I tell you about my day yesterday!”

And with that, the two girls dashed away, leaving Taichi behind. Only then did he realize he’d broken out in a cold sweat.

Once they were gone, Watase Shingo walked up, as if on cue. “Sup, Yaegashi. Look, dude, I’ve been thinking. You know how girls tend to flock to you for some reason? Maybe if I hang around you, I’ll have more opportunities to talk to girls... specifically Fujishima-san. I mean, not that I have trouble talking to girls or anything, but when it comes to her... Wait, what’s with that look? Bro, she’s not gonna come talk to us if you’re over here looking like a grump!”

Unfortunately, he lacked the composure to make one of his usual witty retorts.

What was Nagase thinking?

How did she expect him to react?

And what was he supposed to do with these feelings that by all accounts should have been dead and buried?

After school that day, the cheerleading representatives from each grade were scheduled to have their first rehearsal. And after summarily losing a round of rock-paper-scissors held between the six representatives of 2-B, Taichi was chosen to stand in for them at a prep meeting during lunch.

He hastily finished his food, then headed off to the meetup location.

On the way, he thought he heard a voice in the back of his mind—

“Have you given any thought to what I said yesterday? Y’know, my feelings for you?”

Goosebumps shot up his arms. There she was, in a corridor in the North Wing. Once again, it was like she popped out of nowhere.

This part of the building was reserved for special purpose classrooms, and as such, hardly anyone would ever come here of their own volition, much less during lunch. Normally Nagase would be eating right about now. This was no coincidence—she had intentionally followed him to a more private part of the school in order to talk to him.

He took it all in: her symmetrical features, her summer uniform worn over her perfect figure, her stunning smile... Wait, what? What was there to smile about right now?

“I’m... not sure what you want me to say, Nagase.”

“I’m not playing around with you here.”

Instantly her expression turned serious, captivating him. Something told him he could never escape her. Her flawless beauty felt like a threat.

“Look, Nagase, what’s gotten into you all of a sudden? This is just so random... I can’t understand...”

“Were you even paying attention, Taichi?”

What was that supposed to mean?

He had already messed this up once, and after that, he had vowed to see her for who she really was... Had he failed her again?

On that early June day, the air should have been sweltering... and yet he felt a chill.

“See, I’ve decided to put myself first for a change.” She smiled faintly.

Inaba’s face flashed through his mind. According to her, it was thanks to Nagase essentially giving her permission to pursue her desires that helped her change for the better. But now this? Hadn’t their precarious love triangle been sorted out already?

Was it all starting up again, or had they never really “stopped” in the first place? Would this just keep going and going and going—right up until they all broke apart?

“Look, uh... What did Inaba say about all this, exactly?”

“I haven’t said anything to her. I mean, not like I need to, right?”

Technically she was right, in the sense that this problem only affected the two of them... but that just wasn’t the sort of friendship she and Inaba had.

It felt like Nagase had gone back to that cold, distant, frightening version of herself... Granted, that side of her was always in there somewhere... It was simply a matter of whether or not she chose to let it show...

“Don’t worry. No one will find out unless we tell them. So just think about it, okay? You and me, more than friends?”

More than friends... as in...

“What brought this on?”

“Nothing much. I just decided to stop holding myself back. From now on, I’m gonna get what I want.”

Holding herself back? Had he and Inaba been imposing that on her somehow?

“No... That’s not possible...”

Their romance was over. They had both agreed on this. Plus, she and Inaba had agreed to stay friends... and Inaba was his girlfriend now... so...

“In this world, everything is possible. Nothing is forbidden,” she whispered, her lips glistening seductively.

After school, when Nagase turned up at cheerleading rehearsal, she was back to her usual jovial, friendly self.

□■□■□

The next morning, Taichi encountered Nagase on his way to school. His heart skipped a beat and his body tensed, but he quickly recovered and jogged up beside her.

“Nagase, we need to have a little heart-to-heart, okay?”

These days, being alone with her made him feel eerily uncomfortable.

“Hmm? What’s up?” she asked in a chipper, perfectly innocent voice.

Already he could feel himself getting defensive. Was this the real her, or just another mask?

“It’s about what you said to me.” He knew he couldn’t run from this. Even if it meant he had to break her heart, he couldn’t put it off. He needed to reach out to her in good faith.

Chances were good something had pushed her to start acting this way, just like last time—which meant there was a high probability that something serious was going on.

“What I said to you? Uhhh... Could you be more specific?”

“You know, yesterday? And the day before that? All that... stuff you said?”

“Okay, I’m trying to think of any important conversations we’ve had recently... Uhhh...” She furrowed her brows in contemplation. If this was an act, it sure didn’t look like one—it was too convincing. Then again, this was Nagase Iori, after all. “Sorry, Taichi... I really can’t think of anything. Help me out here! Did I say something wrong?”

Her smile was a perfect celebrity smile, flawless and completely unreadable. He’d have to navigate this conversation without any hints. Was she testing him or something? In that case, he was just going to have to put it all on the table.

“You know, the thing where you... said you love me?”

Nagase stopped short, frozen in place. A moment passed.

“...Who said that?” she asked, her voice so icy it stung, and Taichi found he was frightened.

“You did...?”

“And I said that to...?”

“Me. Yaegashi Taichi.”

“Are you sure I didn’t mean it platonically?”

“Trust me, I’m sure.”

Her smile stiffened until it wasn’t really a smile anymore—just a gnashing of teeth. It was the most terrifying “smile” Taichi had ever seen.

“Look, Taichi... I’m really not that hung up on it. Not when I talk to you, not when you’re canoodling with Inaban, not ever.”

Her voice sounded cheerful, and yet somehow forced... almost mechanical.

She took a step toward him.

“Because we settled it, remember?”

Another step.

“So this thing you’re doing? Dredging it all back up again?”

She leaned forward until he could feel her breath in his face—until he could practically count her eyelashes.

“Extremely fucking disrespectful.”

Her words dripped with sheer venom.

Taichi could only stand there as she turned and walked away.

As it turned out, his actions that morning had angered Nagase quite a bit. She had been giving him the cold shoulder all day.

From Taichi’s perspective, this didn’t feel very fair at all, considering she was the one who had started this whole mess to begin with.

But then, between classes...

“Hey, Taichi?”

He was walking down the hallway on the first floor when it happened. Once again, she popped up when he was alone. No hesitation, no bitterness, just business as usual. It made no sense. Nagase Iori wasn’t making any damn sense.

“Listen—”

“Hold it, Nagase. You’re really jerking me around here, you know that? First you play dumb with me, then you treat me like I don’t even exist, and now everything’s all hunky-dory again? Seriously, what’s going on with you?”

He was so beyond confused. What was he supposed to believe at this point?

“Huh?” Her eyes widened. “Oh, uh, well...”

“I admit, maybe I could’ve handled things better on my end, and I apologize for offending you... but you’re the one who ‘dredged this up,’ not me.”

“I was just... worried that... someone would overhear us...” she mumbled feebly.

This wasn’t the reaction he had anticipated, and it made him hesitate. He was starting to feel like he was being too harsh on her.

“Fair point, I guess. Not like we were the only people on the street.”

“Right?” She grinned, suddenly back to her usual high spirits. Her mood swings were getting a little ridiculous. “So anyway... Whenever we’re around other people, just think of it as an act. I’ll only be the real me when we’re alone. I’ll say ‘This is the real deal,’ and that’s how you’ll know. That’ll be the signal,” she blurted out quickly, and Taichi couldn’t get a word in edgewise.

The Nagase he knew despised the idea of anyone thinking she was “just acting”—she had agonized over this very thing for months. Hence he never imagined she’d ever suggest it of her own accord... and yet here she was.

“Why save the ‘real you’ for only when you’re around me?”

“Because I realized you complete me, Taichi.” She smiled playfully, like she’d just let Taichi in on a special secret, and he found himself enchanted. It all started to feel real... There was just something about Nagase that made it hard to argue with her...

“So here’s what I’m thinking, Taichi.”

The sublime beauty drew her lips to his ear. She smelled so... girly. He couldn’t move a muscle.

“You don’t have to break up with Inaban. Just get with me.”

Her lips twitched, ever so faintly alluring, like the Forbidden Fruit.

“I don’t need to be your number one.”

Taichi hastily jumped back. “Nagase! We can’t—”

But she put her index finger to his lips, silencing him.

Just then, two first-year students walked by, staring at them curiously. Nagase waited until they were gone, then took out a pen and notepad and wrote him a hasty note:

After school, Chihiro and Enjouji didn’t turn up at the clubroom, as they allegedly had some kind of class meeting. For the first time in a while, it was just the five of them again.

In the clubroom, Nagase was happy to chat with anyone but Taichi. As the others laughed, he sighed and lowered his gaze to his notebook, attempting to will himself to finish his math homework... but instead he drew a big, angry scribble with his mechanical pencil, then quietly erased it.

“Look, Inaban, if you just...”

“Hey! Knock it off, dumbass! I mean it! Pfff... gahahahaha!”

Nagase was goofing off with Inaba without the slightest trace of guilt... It was actually downright eerie how normal she could be. Was this her way of saying “It’s our little secret”?

Over the past few days, she was an ever-changing kaleidoscope, and there was a stark contrast between all these different versions of herself. So stark, in fact, he was tempted to believe that one of them had to be an impostor... but of course, he knew that couldn’t be true. They were all the real her—he just couldn’t quite wrap his head around it.

She had professed to still be in love with him, and truth be told, he was having trouble comprehending it. What was her motive?

At one point, the two of them had been in love. Their feelings were reflected in each other so strongly, it was possible they would’ve ended up together, supposing it had happened at a more opportune time. Back then, their hearts were on the same wavelength... but in a twist of fate, their love had ended before it ever really began. The communication between them was crystal clear in this regard.

The romance between them was sweet and special. Maybe it was a little premature, but it was still real. Hence they’d wiped the slate clean rather than try to salvage it. But now Nagase was already prepared to try again? It must’ve taken a serious amount of introspection to get to that point.

So what about Taichi himself? Was he ready to try?

He’d confessed, she’d accepted it, but they didn’t make it official, so he’d confessed again, and that time she’d turned him down, and then when they’d finally established an understanding, they’d agreed they’d press the reset button on the whole thing. Now, months later, she claimed she still wasn’t over him.

But was he still the same person who fell for her?

“What’s the matter, Taichi?”

“...Huh?”

Inaba had long since stopped trying to act tough all the time, and now she peered at him with concern in her eyes. There was nothing quite as reassuring as seeing that candid expression of emotion painted atop the lush canvas of her natural beauty. Taichi felt a spark of warmth return to the icy wasteland of his heart.

“Oh, no, I’m fine.”

Things were different now. He was dating a girl named Inaba Himeko, and she was the love of his life.

“You sure? You seemed a little out of it on the phone last night.”

He could see himself in the reflection of her glistening eyes.

“I’m fine... I promise,” he replied, averting his gaze as though she might see right through him. His chest ached. He felt like he was betraying her.

That was when Nagase joined the conversation. “Ooooh! Inaban’s been talking to a boy on the phooone!” she teased.

“S-So what?! He’s my boyfriend, you know... For that matter, since when did I replace Taichi as your favorite punching bag, huh?!”

This stupid drama with Nagase had screwed him up so much, it was starting to make his beloved girlfriend worry about him.

He needed to settle this mess once and for all—and that meant he needed to meet with Nagase at the park like she’d asked him to. With that in mind, Taichi cut his time in the clubroom a bit short, claiming he had an errand to run. After all, if he waited for club activities to wrap up, he wouldn’t make it to the fountain by 5 PM, as specified on the note.

When he rose from his chair, Nagase didn’t react at all. Maybe she didn’t want to risk drawing suspicion by heading out at the same time.

“Where are you going? I’ll come with you,” Inaba offered, but he was forced to turn her down. His chest ached when he saw the hurt in her eyes.

The park was a short walk from Yamaboshi school grounds in the opposite direction of his usual route home. It was a large, open space, but there was only one fountain, so they’d likely find each other without much difficulty.

Glancing at the sports teams still in the middle of practice, Taichi cut across the athletic field.

What was Nagase planning? What was she after? He couldn’t plan any countermeasures until he figured that out... and his powerlessness infuriated him. He wasn’t going to find the right answer on his own; he needed an unbiased perspective on the matter. Man, I wish I could ask someone for advice about this.

When stumbling alone only led to dead ends, sometimes the solution was to get a second opinion. But who could he possibly turn to?

Right then, the air crackled with energy.

“Hold it, Yaegashi-kun,” a majestic voice called, seemingly from the very heavens above.

Taichi turned to find a girl standing there, practically radiating charisma, her glasses glittering with the light of hope, her hair pulled back and bangs pinned up, wearing the Yamaboshi uniform so perfectly she might as well have been a model on the school pamphlet. It was Fujishima Maiko, her pose so confident and bold, it was almost as though she had gone back to her halcyon days as class president.

“Fuji...shima...?” Her timing was so unbelievably perfect, Taichi could scarcely process it.

“You need my advice, don’t you?”

It was so ridiculously too good to be true. A split-second ago he had half-jokingly wished she were around to lend him her wisdom, and now here she stood—as the glorious leader they all once knew, not the broken bird she had become. It felt like something out of a dream.

But Taichi didn’t question it; he was ready to spill his guts. After all, if he didn’t have this conversation now, there was no telling when he’d get another chance.

“Can you promise not to tell anyone?”

“Who do you think I am?”

There was no doubt about it. Fujishima was back to her old, dependable self again.

“Well, you already pretty much know the details of my love life, so I’ll just cut to the chase. Nagase, uh... She told me she still loves me... Don’t tell anyone, okay?!”

“Just go for it.”

Her response was so instantaneous, she didn’t even pause to think about it.

“...What?”

“I’m telling you, just do it.”

“Do... what, exactly?”

“What I’m saying is, just make her your side chick or whatever.”

He had turned to her for an answer, and yet... this wasn’t the answer he had hoped for. To actively hope for an answer like this would make him a monster.

“Look, uh... I know that’s probably how you would handle it, but...”

After all, he knew Fujishima was a proponent of “free love” and all that... but still, something about this wasn’t quite right. Even if this genuinely was her best solution, wouldn’t she have at least phrased it a little differently?

But in spite of his hesitation, Fujishima looked directly into his eyes and pressed on. “It’s the best option for everyone involved, which means it’s the right thing to do. This way, everyone wins.” She smiled warmly, compassionately, like the Holy Mother herself. “Trust me.”

There was a loud creakkkk as the forbidden gears in his head slowly began to turn.

When Taichi arrived at the specified fountain, the sun had begun to set. Nearby, an elderly woman was walking her dog, and some grade schoolers were riding their bikes together. All in all, it was an idyllic little scene... and yet he felt restless. A storm was raging inside his heart.

On his way here, he kept replaying everything Fujishima had said to him. For as long as he’d known her, she’d gone by so many stupid nicknames—Love Guru, Apostle of Love, Goddess of Love—and now here she was, telling him to cheat on his girlfriend. It was obviously the wrong answer... and yet, if Fujishima felt so confident about it...

No, no, no!

He shook the stupid idea from his mind. Nagase would be here any moment, and he needed to be ready.

A vision of her floated to the forefront of his mind: the memory of that terrifying temptation.

—You don’t have to break up with Inaban. Just get with me.

—I don’t need to be your number one.

The words lingered in his ears like viscous honey. He could practically feel her breath again, its scent dizzyingly sweet.

No! I could never! The whole idea is ridiculous! ...Isn’t it?

No matter how strongly Fujishima encouraged him, no matter how much he respected and trusted her, something about what she said was off... No, it was more than that. He wasn’t sure when it started, but lately, it felt like something was off about the whole world... and he most certainly didn’t recall doing anything to provoke it—

“What the heck...? What are you doing here, Taichi?”

Snapping back to reality with a start, Taichi looked around for the owner of the voice—because whoever it was, it sure wasn’t Nagase.

Then he spotted her standing a short distance away. It was Kiriyama Yui.

“...Kiriyama?”

Not only that, but for some reason, Uwa Chihiro was with her.

“I was just on my way to the dojo when I saw Chihiro-kun running over here. I figured he must’ve forgotten about karate practice, so I went after him to remind him, and then he tried to pull a fast one on me, but I caught him, and... well, here we are!” Kiriyama cheerfully explained with a lighthearted shrug. Beside her, Chihiro grimaced awkwardly. “So anyway, what’re you up to? Meeting up with someone?”

“Y-Yeah... You could say that.”

But in the end, Nagase never showed up at the park that day.