Chapter 2: The Happy Prince and the Canvas

When I opened my eyes, I didn't know where I was for a moment.

Getting out of bed, I surveyed my surroundings──and only by accumulating visual information did I finally realize I was in my own room. "...It feels like someone else's room" I mutter, then leave the unfamiliar room and go down to the living room. There, my father (the man who had introduced himself as such) was already relaxing on the sofa with a newspaper open.

「Good morning.」

「...Good morning.」

Somehow, I managed to reply without stumbling. I actually wanted to add "gozaimasu" to the end of the phrase, but if he really is my father, using formal language would be strange.

Today is Sunday. To be more specific, it's the day of my date with Yukinui, and we're meeting at the station front around noon. ...I could have slept in a little longer, but the fact I woke up a little early, I wonder if it means I'm subtly nervous, I thought as I washed my face in the washroom, and when I returned to the living room again, two cups were steaming on the round table by the sofa.

One belonged to Hisatoshi, who is apparently my father. In that case, the other one is probably mine.

「Did you make coffee?」

「Yeah.」

「Thanks.」

I said as I took the cup in my hand and took a sip. ──It's unexpectedly sweet. With milk, with sugar, maybe even condensed milk. But I could tell with one sip. I used to like this taste.

──A small spark crackled at the back of my head, and a memory returned──

「Tou-san, do you ever think about remarrying?」

He asked this while sitting on the living room sofa, drinking the coffee his father had made for him. His father, sitting in a chair at the square table, replied with a question of his own.

「Do you want me to remarry?」

「No, it's not that, but... isn't it been seven years since Kaa-san died? So I was thinking even if Tou-san did remarry, Kaa-san probably wouldn't be angry.」

「Your mother probably wouldn't have gotten angry even if I had remarried right away, though.」

「Ahh, I guess so.」

Slurp. The sound of two men drinking coffee filled their silence.

「To begin with, Kusuke. I still love your mother.」

「...Well, that's a lovely story and all. But in reality, you're alone now, right? What are you going to do when you get old? I'll probably move out, you know?」

「Old age, huh. I haven't really thought about it, but well, I'll manage somehow.」

「......」

「Don't worry about unnecessary things, Kusuke. Just as you said, you can leave home. Do as you please. ──That's what I did. So you should do the same.」

「You don't have to tell me.」

He says, looking thoughtful, and takes another sip of coffee. Staring at him, smiling slightly, so as not to be seen, his father continued.

「For you to live as you please. That is my current wish.」

Getting flustered at those words, he said "...What's with you, Tou-san? You're awfully talkative today" scratching his cheek and giving a small, wry smile.

I shake off the dizziness. Then, I took another sip from the cup I was holding. ──A sweet taste. The me in my memories was probably drinking this same flavor, I thought.

「──Good morning, Tou-san.」

「Mm... Ahh, good morning.」

His shoulders twitched ever so slightly, but Tou-san still feigned composure and responded to my second morning greeting. I was glad I remembered. To me, this person is my only family.

And as I was feeling somewhat bashful, ding-dong, went the drawn-out chime of the doorbell. It seems we have a visitor, this early in the morning. Tou-san stood up and went to the entryway.

Next, I heard a somewhat muffled voice that I recognized from somewhere.

「Good morning, Otou-san.」

「Iromachi-san. I must remind you again, I'm Kusuke's father, not your...」

「Don't mind the details. Is Kuu-tan here?」

「......」

「He is, isn't he. Could you call him for me?」

「…Wait a moment.」

Then Tou-san returns to the living room. He wore an apologetic expression.

「Sorry, Kusuke. I was debating whether to pretend you weren't home for your sake, and she saw right through me.」

「...Yeah, it can't be helped, Tou-san. I don't think she's a girl we can handle.」

「So, Iromachi-san is here. If you want to let her in, feel free.」

Leaving me with only those words, Tou-san, with a posture that brought to mind the Imperial Japanese Army at the time of its defeat, shut himself in his room. ...It's a trivial thought, but just what kind of girl is Iromachi, to make my father consider pretending I'm not home?

◆◆◆

In any case, sighing about it won't get me anywhere. Steeling myself a little, I headed for the entryway──and there stood Iromachi, dressed up with her casual clothes and makeup perfectly done, ready for an outing.

「...U-Uoh. What's up?」

「K-Kuu-tan!? Kuu-tan, you're in your pajamas! Blue and white polka dots, with a cutely sticking-up tuft of bedhead! Ahh, how lovely!? Could it be that you, in order to show me this wonderful sight, are purposefully in your sleepwear? Thank you, Kuu-tan! With this, I can go on for another half a year! ──I can't stand around. I must clearly record this divine image with my smartphone, save it, and then upload it to the cloud... haah, haah...!」

「Alright, please go home.」

「Noo──D-Don't close the door, Kuu-tan! The photo shoot isn't over yet!」

「Shut up! It's your brain that's over!」

Even though I said something quite harsh, it has zero effect on her. When I tried to close the door, she stuck her foot in the doorway like a persistent salesperson and pointed her smartphone camera at me through the gap. Pashashasha, the sound of continuous shutter clicks echoed. What is this, this is scarier than a bad horror movie.

After the one-sided photo shoot unfolded, Iromachi finally seemed satisfied, let out a single sigh, and put her smartphone in her skirt pocket.

「Later I have to enlarge these photos, print them out in a large size, connect them to make a poster, and stick it on my ceiling... fufufu.」

「Stop it. I'm not in Joh***'s or anything, so please stop.」

「Now we'll always be together.」

「Don't say scary things so casually...」

Even when I retorted like that, Iromachi just laughed, looking rather amused. I was thinking that phrases like "pushing on a curtain" or "wind blowing through a willow" really suited this girl, when she straightened her clothes and spoke again.

「Good morning, Kuu-tan.」

「G-Good morning, Iromachi-san... What brings you here so early in the morning?」

「What brings me here, what a greeting. Even though at school, you always eat lunch with me.」

「I mean, this is my house. That has a different meaning than eating at school...」

「Do you think so? From a broader perspective, I don't think there's much of a difference between eating together at school and flirting and smooching at Kuu-tan's house.」

「O-Of course there's a difference! Mainly in the "flirting and smooching" part!」

Even when I shouted that, Iromachi only laughed cheerfully. The feeling of her having the upper hand was incredible.

To begin with, I'm completely bewildered by this situation... a beautiful classmate showing up at my house on a Sunday morning, what is this reality. It'd be a lie to say I'm not happy, but for me, having lost my memories, Iromachi is not yet a casual acquaintance, so my confusion was also great.

「By the way, Iromachi-san, you knew where I lived...」

「Yes, of course. You've invited me over once in the past, you know?」

「Eh, seriously? You and I were already that──tsk.」

──A slight headache. The sensation I was gradually getting used to struck my head. What had been lost, floats up to the surface. I reached out for it, one more time──

「So this is Kuusuke-kun's...」

「There's not much to it, but come on in.」

「There's not much to it, but come on in.」

Saying so, Iromachi stepped into his house. She looks around with great interest, then lets out a small sigh. She had a somewhat nervous look about her.

And so the two of them go to his room. Iromachi looked around again and muttered.

「A boy's room is surprisingly clean.」

「Mmm, you think so? I didn't think I kept it that clean, though. ──Then, sit wherever you like.」

「......」

「Mm? What's wrong?」

Thinking it strange that Iromachi had suddenly frozen, he asked. On the other hand, after a moment of deep thought, she tilts her head and asks a question.

「In this case, where should I sit?」

「Eh? I said sit wherever you like──there's a bed, a chair for the desk, and a cushion you can sit on, so do as you please.」

「...Just to confirm, we're just friends, right?」

「Yeah, that's right.」

「In that case, the bed is not a viable option. When visiting the home of the opposite sex, sitting or lying down there is strange unless you are lovers or in a relationship equivalent to it.」

「...Eh, really? Then Karen──」

「In that case, the next easiest place to sit looks like it's on the beanbag cushion... Huh? It looks like it's been used quite a bit.」

「Yeah, that's my usual spot.」

「Meaning, if I sit there, it will become an indirect butt-touch.」

「...A mysterious word just came out, but well, I guess so. ──But that much is fine. At school, we do a lot of indirect butt-touching with a lot of people. We're butt-sluts.」

「Isn't that word even more mysterious... But this case is a little different from school. There, the chairs are shared, but this is clearly something you use as your regular spot. Sitting there, um… doesn't it evoke sexual acts?」

「It does not! ...You know, Iromachi, you're overthinking this a bit. Then just sit there.」

Saying so tiredly, he pointed to the chair in front of the desk. This time, Iromachi looked dissatisfied and said.

「That spot is, well, how should I put it... We're certainly friends, but , isn't it keeping that much distance is lonely?」

「Ahh, you argue every point! ...It's all the same no matter where you sit, so just do what you want.」

He says in a half-exasperated tone, and plops down on the bed. Then Iromachi, after looking around restlessly, with a flushed face──sat down gingerly.

She sat with about half of her bottom on the edge of the bed, next to where he was sitting.

「...What was the point of your whole argument from before?」

「I-It's fine, isn't it? You're the one who said it's the same no matter where I sit.」

「You suddenly demand I invite you to my room and all. Have you changed a bit recently, Iromachi?」

「Do you think so? I don't think so... but…」

「But?」

Iromachi pauses for a moment, then gives him a sidelong glance. Then, with a small smile, she declared.

「If I have changed, it might be your fault.」

「...Um, Iromachi-san? I just remembered... I didn't invite you to my house, you were the one who said you wanted to come to my room, weren't you?」

「~~~~~~♪」

「Don't try to cover it up by whistling Vivaldi's "Spring". That's amazing, by the way.」

「Now, now. A man's magnanimity is shown in his ability to forgive a woman's lies, Kuu-tan.」

「The one who told the lie shouldn't be saying that.」

In response to my retort, Iromachi looks delighted. It was as if she knew I would say that.

「Anyway, you got another memory back, didn't you. Why did that happen just now?」

「Who knows... I think there was probably some word in what you said that stimulated me...」

「What about the conditions? As a trigger for you to regain your memories, are words still the biggest factor?」

「I guess so... There are various other things that act as triggers, but words might be the most common so far. A certain keyword comes from someone's mouth, and when it catches on the index in my brain, it feels like it pulls out the memorized scene──do you get what I mean?」

「I see, that's an easy-to-understand explanation.」

──But if that is the case, then being cautious might indeed be difficult.

Muttering, Iromachi whispers something to herself. It was at a volume I couldn't hear, and it seemed like she was imprinting that fact onto her brain by repeating it aloud herself.

As I was watching that act with a dubious eye, Iromachi suddenly looked up... and then, as if it were an afterthought, she stated the reason she was at my front door.

「And that's why. Let's go on a date, Kuu-tan.」

「What "that's why" led to that!?」

At the sudden invitation, I couldn't completely hide my agitation. It was a huge difference from when Yukinui had invited me. It took that girl quite a while to finally say it...

「B-By the way, a date... w-when?」

「From now, of course. The schedule is to hang out from just past eight in the morning until eleven at night. By the way, an extension is also possible. In that case, we'll be skipping school tomorrow.」

「......」

A date is usually something you get approval for much earlier, coordinate each other's schedules, and maybe even mentally prepare for... I thought, but I couldn't voice it.

In any case, I have a clear reason today why a date is impossible──so I opened my mouth.

「I'm sorry to say this when you seem so excited, but, um, Iromachi-san. I have plans today──」

「......」

Iromachi makes an obviously dejected face. I had expected her to get furiously angry, or conversely, give me a scary smile, so I was a little taken aback by her dejected reaction. The gap is cute...

「Is it something worth breaking your date with me for?」

「It's not breaking anything, we never made a promise... but anyway, that was a prior engagement.」

「...Hanayashiki? Or is it Yukinui?」

「......」

「I see, Yukinui. How dare that woman.」

「No, how did you figure that out now?」

It wasn't just her seeing through my father's lie, her powers of observation were sharp enough to rival any mentalist out there. ──Then Iromachi stares right into my eyes. Since she had just read my mind moments ago, I was feeling somewhat uncomfortable, when she suddenly broke into a smile.

「But, I understand. You have a date with that woman today. ──Then, I'll give up for this time. I'll pick another day, so at that time, will you go out with me?」

「Y-Yeah! In that case, of course!!」

「Fufu, thank you.」

A gentle smile appears along with a soft voice. ──I was completely shot through. I can feel my heart rate increase. In this kind of situation, I had been bracing myself for Iromachi to be more selfish and say something like "ditch your date with that woman", so I was won over by her good grace. I see... so Iromachi could make this kind of face too...

However, it was with her next statement that she showed her true colors.

「Well then, it may be presumptuous to call this compensation, but... could you let me up to your room now?」

「Heh? Why?」

「Hey, Kuu-tan. I came here today with the intention of going on a date with you, you know? So for us to just say goodbye without anything happening, don't you think that's cruel? ──Well then, pardon the intrusion.」

「That's no explanation! And don't try to come in without permission!」

「I'm sorry, I'll explain more logically. In this situation, you have two choices. Choice A is to quickly let me come in, dote on me a little, let me be appropriately satisfied, and send me home. Choice B is to abandon me in this pent-up state, and endure an unpleasant gaze from the shadows for the entire duration of your date with Yukinui──those are the two. The one I hope for is of course A, but the choice is Kuu-tan's. Now, choose.」

「...If it's until just before noon, come in.」

「Uwaai, yaay!」

Watching the childlike, frolicking Iromachi, a sigh escapes my lips. She's good-looking, so if only something else about her were different, she should be a normally cute girl... I thought about the girl with the beaming smile.

◆◆◆

After that, Iromachi wreaked quite a bit of havoc in my house until she left in the afternoon.

First, as soon as she entered my room, she started rolling around on my bed. I was in a complete panic. When I rebuked her, saying, "Stop it, why are you doing that?"──she retorted, "I hear cats have a habit of marking their territory with their scent". I couldn't say anything more.

Next, she made breakfast on her own with things she found in the house. It was incredibly delicious. She also made a portion for my father. Tou-san also had a somewhat complicated expression on his face that it was so delicious.

After that, we spent the time in my room, talking about trivial things. ...Alone in a room with a girl. There's no way I wasn't nervous, but I wonder why. Being with Iromachi wasn't that hard. She's not the healing type, so why could that be...

By the way, this is an epilogue, but... a few days later. On my bedside table, in the small space where I keep books and a box of tissues, I found a pair of women's black panties mixed in. It was completely Iromachi's doing. It was no doubt a trap for when I brought Yukinui or Karen into my room they'd found it and say "What's this?", and when I discovered it, I felt an unspeakable terror──

A-Anyway, that's what happened. A lot happened in the morning, but... I switched gears, and now I'm at the station front.

「Oii, Yukinui! Sorry, did I keep you waiting?」

「Ah... n-no, I wasn't waiting──actually, you kept me waiting a little, but by not saying that, I should be seen as a considerate woman by Kuu-san, so, I wasn't waiting.」

「Why do you have to say all that?」

I retorted, and looked straight at Yukinui, who was standing alone in front of the station. ──Of course, she was in casual clothes, a cute and girly getup that suited her.

「......I-I don't like being stared at so much...」

「Ah. S-Sorry!」

Yukinui said, hugging herself with both arms, her cheeks turning crimson. ...I was captivated. When I thought that I was about to go on a date with such a cute girl, I got carried away.

Of course, my main objective today is to get my lost memories back, but... for that purpose, I take in the fact that I'm doing something incredible right now. A date. A date with a cute girl... this is bad, my heart rate is soaring.

「S-So? From here, what did the past me do?」

「You said "let's get a bite to eat", and took me to a certain place. ──Come.」

As told, Yukinui and I started walking together. It seemed we were heading into the shopping district near the station. It's close to my house, so it looks like I used to hang out around here.

And so we arrived. The first place we reached on my and Yukinui's date was──

「A beef bowl place?」

「Yes.」

「...No, wait. Let me sort this out. ──Today is that thing, right? The "date course that I took Yukinui on in the past", and you're guiding me, that's the theme, right?」

「Yes.」

「And the very first stop is a beef bowl place?」

「Yes.」

「......」

「I'm sure Kuu-san will be a virgin until you die.」

「What a power word to blame me with...」

When I replied to Yukinui's rather harsh statement, she continued with a look of amusement.

「Honestly, when you first suggested we go in here, I was about to refuse. But you said, "It's my treat!" with such a nice smile, that I couldn't say anything.」

「...Emm, well... I apologize for the trouble the past me caused.」

「Hark, and let it be so.」

I felt the use of the words was a bit off, but Yukinui looked cool to me. Despite being subjected to this, she continued the date afterwards, could she be an angel?

And so we entered the shop. I stood in front of the ticket machine and said to the angel──I mean, Yukinui.

「At least let me treat you, so buy whatever you want.」

「Thank you. In that case──a large beef bowl. With a salad, a soft-boiled egg, and a standard side of beef plate as well, please.」

「...You eat a lot, for your size.」

「Once, when I went to a non-conveyor-belt sushi restaurant with my family, I was eating so much because it was so delicious that my father begged me in tears, saying "Mizore, can we go home now? Please?"」

「Hang in there, fathers of Japan!」

「Since then, a rule was made that whenever we eat out as a family, I have to first eat two convenience store onigiri.」

「What a sad episode, even though no one is at fault.」

「I love convenience store onigiri too, so I'm happy.」

「Wait, so it's a happy ending?」

While having such a conversation, I purchased the meal tickets Yukinui specified. By the way, I got a regular-sized beef bowl.

I grab the tickets that came out and try to hand them to an employee. Then Yukinui told me, "It's fine to do it after we sit at a table". It seems I've forgotten the finer rules... I sat at a table facing Yukinui, and handed the tickets to the employee who brought us water.

「Beef bowl, huh... It's the first time since I lost my memory.」

「Speaking of which, how has your diet been since the accident?」

「With every meal, I'm remembering things I like and dislike. There's almost nothing I can't eat, and often while I'm eating I'll think, "Ah, I might have liked this". Yesterday I had pudding for dessert and almost passed out. Isn't that stuff too delicious?」

「I get you. ...Speaking of which, I think that after we ate the beef bowl here, Kuu-san bought me pudding at a convenience store before going to the next place.」

「Stop adding to the date plan so obviously. How could something be that timely?」

As we had this back-and-forth a few times, our beef bowls were brought over. That was fast! Even though we just handed over the tickets, do beef bowls really come out this quickly?

Surprised, I brought my face close to the beef bowl. The sweet smell of the sauce tickled my nostrils.

「「Itadakimasu.」」

Our voices overlapped. Having taken off her jacket and entered battle mode, Yukinui drops the soft-boiled egg into her bowl with a practiced hand, picks up the nearby chopsticks, and begins to eat. Pakuri, pakuri, pakuri. I don't know how she did it with her small mouth, but her way of eating was both bold and refined, and it was pleasant to watch.

I reach for my chopsticks as well and turn to my beef bowl. ...Come to think of it, I haven't had a chance to eat beef since I lost my memory, I thought as I took a mouthful.

「Mm... it's good──」

The taste of the meat and rice spread slowly in my mouth, and I felt the umami──the next instant.

For some reason, I suddenly felt sick. To be more precise, I felt a foulness in my mouth.

Was it the smell or the texture? What had looked so delicious moments before, what should actually be delicious, turned to dirt only in my mouth. No matter how many times I chewed, mochari, mochari, only a sense of disgust oozed out. I start to panic a little. What is this? What on earth am I eating right now?

「Gh, ugh──」

「...? What's wrong, Kuu-san?」

Yukinui stares at me with a puzzled look. I couldn't react to her at all and desperately covered my mouth with my hand. I try to swallow it by force, but I can't. This is bad...

I quickly look around and find the restroom. I hurriedly left my seat and went straight there.

「Ugh, mm... oeeeeh! ...haah, haah, damn... gohoh.」

In the nick of time. I spat out what was once a beef bowl, now chewed into a mess, into the Western-style toilet. After doing so, I immediately felt much better. I let out a sigh, fuu.

I flush the toilet and return to the table where Yukinui is. Then I drank just a mouthful of water to wet my throat.

「A-Are you okay? Kuu-san. You seemed to suddenly feel nauseous...」

Yukinui asks me in a weak voice. Anxious eyes, a concerned gaze. It seemed I had made her worry quite a lot, so I replied in as light a tone as possible.

「Yeah, sorry for making you worry. For some reason, I felt a little sick after eating the beef bowl...」

「Eh. Why?」

「I don't know. I thought I was feeling fine, but maybe I misjudged... Sorry for ruining the mood.」

「D-Don't worry about that, but... are you really okay?」

「Yeah. My appetite's completely gone, but I don't think there's anything physically wrong with me. So──there. Yukinui, you eat plenty for me.」

「Y-Yeah...」

While glancing at me worriedly, Yukinui nevertheless did not stop her chopsticks. I felt kind of bad, it's a date, and yet...

As I was thinking that, she suddenly looked at me with a thoughtful expression and said.

「W-Well, this is hard to say, but, emm...」

「What is it? If you have something to say, don't hesitate.」

「In that case, um──can I have your beef bowl?」

「......」

「Ah, I saw the favorability meter for me inside Kuu-san's head just go "hyuuun" and drop. I messed up.」

「N-No, well, it's fine, you know? It's fine, but... how do I put it? Is that something to say now? Couldn't you have waited until you finished your own portion? Is what I thought.」

「S-Sorry... I was so excited for my date with Kuu-san today that I forgot to eat my two convenience store onigiri... I thought if you were going to leave it, I'd want to eat it, so I got impatient.」

「So you imposed the convenience store onigiri rule on yourself too.」

By the way, when she just said "so excited for my date with Kuu-san", I got excited too. The fact that she was looking forward to our date made me super happy.

For now, since I had no intention of eating anymore anyway, I pushed my beef bowl over to her. "Sorry it's half-eaten, but here you go", I said as I handed it to her.

「T-Thank you! It's fine even if it's half-eaten. In fact, thank you!」

She said making a mysterious comment and started to eat what was formerly my beef bowl and her own beef bowl alternately. The beef bowl isn't going to run away, so take your time.

◆◆◆

「Gefuh. Fuuー I'm full.」

「...Could you please comment on the rather shocking act of a girl burping, Yukinui-san?」

「It happens sometimes.」

「Isn't that a little too bold?」

「Not at all. Burping is normal. Besides, when I'm with Kuu-san, I don't fart. Even if I feel like it, I hold it in. Because that's what a girl does. ──Fufun.」

「No, even if you puff out your non-existent chest so proudly...」

「......Non-existent chest?」

「Well then, Yukinui-san, what's our next destination?」

「Don't change the subject. What do you mean with non-existent chest?」

「...It's my fault, so please don't look at me with those raptor-like eyes. I'm sorry.」

「Shut up. More importantly──here, look Kuu-san. Like this... if I force them together like this, they're there! It's a bit hard to tell through clothes, but they're there! If I gather my forces to the center from both flanks like this, they're there! Even if they're small, I have boobs! Look!」

「I get it. I get it, so please don't shout things like that out here on the street.」

「No, you don't get it! Kuu-san, you haven't been looking this way at all! ──I have boobs! I have cleavage! They're a modest size that barely reaches a C-cup with a push-up bra, though! Here, touch them, here! Kuu-san! Kuu-san, touch them! This area here is the cleavage! I've managed to make some right now, so here!」

「No, seriously, give me a break! Don't you get it!? My face is bright red right now! And I think Yukinui is the one who will regret it when I actually touch them! Are you okay with that!? Is it really okay for me to touch your boobs right now!?」

Our lighthearted post-meal chat took a turn, and because I had stepped on Yukinui's complex, we got into a huge argument. However, my words finally seemed to get through to Yukinui, and she suddenly muttered a small, "Ah..." and at the same time, her cheeks flushed so red it looked like steam was about to come out of her head.

She then stares at the ground bashfully. Yukinui covered her face with both hands and muttered.

「E-Emm, well... just now, I kind of went wild... sorry...」

「No, it's fine... It was my fault to begin with. I'm the one who should be sorry...」

「..."Gather my forces to the center", what was that... ahhhh...!」

Yukinui was now feeling embarrassed by what she had just said.

Now then, while having such a fun (?) conversation, we head for our next destination. After a short walk, we arrived at a place that made me think, "they had something like this in a town like this".

「S-So with that, we've arrived at Kuriage Fishing Center! Yay, clap-clap!」

「Umm, Yukinui? I think it's probably better not to get all hyped up to hide your embarrassment. You're just digging yourself into a deeper hole of shame.」

「......」

「Ow ow ow! Stop the shin! Stop kicking my shin!」

「Kuu-san, you're mean. That was where you were supposed to play along. You blockhead. No longer human. Rashomon.」

「The last one isn't even an insult...」

While bickering amiably (?), we go to the fishing pond reception. We pay the entrance fee there and also rent a rod and bait. Perhaps because it was a day off, there were quite a few people at the fishing pond. The clientele consisted of a few couples here and there, and mostly families. Feeling a somewhat idyllic atmosphere, Yukinui and I enter an empty space. We sat side-by-side on small box-like chairs.

「By the way Yukinui, what did the past me say when he brought you here?」

「It didn't seem like you were particularly good at fishing or anything. I think the nuance was just that it would be fun if we went together.」

「Fhunn? And in reality?」

「When I'm with Kuu-san, most things are fun.」

Gah, my heart was seized in a vice grip. I look at Yukinui in surprise. She seemed to be in a good mood, absorbed in the task of rolling the fish bait into a ball. ...Yukinui really has a powerful impact with the things she says when she's off her focused like this. If I'm not careful, I might fall for her in an instant.

「I-I see... then, if we can have fun like that this time, maybe I can get that memory back.」

「...Yeah. I'm sure of it.」

「Alright. Then, let's go fish!」

I psyched myself up again, swung the rod with all my might, and cast. In that instant, it went flying into the distance──only the bait. The impact of the cast made it slip off the hook. Pochan, the ball of bait landed far away, and the hook alone sank into the water's surface much closer.

「Pu, pufuh... K-Kuu-san, just now... only the bait...」

「O-Oi, don't laugh. I didn't know either──fufu.」

「If you cast it that hard, that's what happens... kufuh… a bunch of carp are gathering where the bait fell... even though there's no hook... fufufu.」

「D-Don't laugh, kufuh──ahahaha!」

It was a somehow pleasant time. In the end, I still haven't regained my memories with her, so to me, Yukinui is still a stranger I can't quite trust──but just for now.

Just for this time while we were laughing together, I felt like I could be certain that she was an important girl who had been by my side for a long time──

「Oh, another fish! That makes five carp now.」

「...But that one's not very lively. A small fry.」

「Don't nitpick when someone else is happy...」

「...It's not fun if I don't catch anything.」

「I seem to recall you saying that most things are fun when you're with me...」

「Wh──I didn't say that...! I think...」

Apparently, that last statement was unconscious. Yukinui said so and looked down with a flushed face.

But, she is right. No matter if we're here on a date, if she's the only one who gets skunked (doesn't catch a single fish), she'll be down, and more importantly, she won't get to experience the real pleasure of coming to fish.

Maybe I should pass her the rod next time I hook something──just as I was thinking that.

「Got one...! Nn!」

Yukinui's float was dragged straight down into the water. A hit!

She reflexively raises her fishing rod. ──The rod bent. The fishing line swayed. The end of it was certainly connected deep within the water.

「I-I did it! Kuu-san, I caught one! And I think this one's big!」

「Yeah, it looks big! But you haven't caught it yet, so don't let your guard down!」

「You beast! Show yourself already!」

Yukinui stands up in excitement. In that instant, she lost her balance and let out a "Wahtoto!" as she stumbled forward. Ahead of her is the fishing pond──I hurriedly stand up as well.

Yukinui stumbled forward, but still held onto the rod. "Awawa!" A precarious balance. If a few more seconds passed, it looked like she would go zapuuun right into the pond, but I managed to grab her rod from the side. A-Alright! With this, I don't have to worry about Yukinui falling into the pond──

「Hey, Kuu-san! Don't grab my rod! Don't get in the way!」

「Ehh!? But you'll fall into the pond if I let go!」

「I want to catch it with my own strength!」

「So stubborn about the weirdest things!」

At my retort, Yukinui laughs, "ahaha". This is fun. ──No, this isn't the the time to be having fun.

Even after that conversation, as I kept holding onto Yukinui's rod, she shouted.

「Don't support the rod, support my body!」

「Eh... y-you mean──」

「Hurry!」

Urged on by Yukinui, I panicked and let go of the rod, and immediately held Yukinui's body... her small frame, from behind. "Hyan!" A strange sound escapes Yukinui's mouth. My heart was pounding for a different reason than before. ──H-Huh!? Wait, is my hand touching a bad spot right now!?

「Nnh!? K-Kuu-san!? W-Wait, that spot is...!」

「S-Sorry! I'm really sorry, but please just hurry up and land that thing!」

「...O-Okay!」

I support Yukinui's small body from behind as she lurch forward, pulled by the rod. In response, Yukinui pulls the rod with her full power. She let out a war cry worthy of a hero facing a demon king "Uoooooh!" and swung the rod up with all her might.

It was at that moment──that the fishing line snapped at the base of the rod with a putsun sound.

「Gugyah!」

「Ugeh!」

Unable to support Yukinui as she falls backward, I fall backward too. ...And so Yukinui and I collapsed, drained of strength. After being dazed for a while, Yukinui, still in a sitting position, glared at me.

「I didn't catch it.」

「Yeah, that's too bad...」

「Even though you touched my boobs.」

「......」

I avert my flushed face. So she noticed. She noticed, didn't she.

Of course, it wasn't on purpose. I didn't do it with the objective of touching Yukinui's boobs, but... well, from Yukinui's perspective, that doesn't matter. The one who touched is guilty. That can't be helped, so I simply bowed my head.

「Sorry, Yukinui... I'm really sorry...」

「......」

However, Yukinui doesn't reply to my apology. Figuring I must have made her quite angry, I braced myself for a verbal lashing in the next instant, but what came out of Yukinui's mouth were unexpected words.

「...W-Were they soft?」

「Eh──excuse me?」

「I-I'm asking if my boobs were soft! Don't make me say something like this twice...!」

「......」

I can't help but fall silent. ──No, this makes no sense. Why am I, after just apologizing for touching Yukinui's chest, now being asked about its resilience? Isn't a maiden's heart too difficult to understand?

「H-Hurry up and answer...」

As I remained silent, Yukinui, looking thoroughly embarrassed, looked down with her flushed face and muttered so. ...A-Anyway, realizing that by remaining silent now I was humiliating her──I summoned up my courage and spoke my honest impression.

「W-Well then, if I'm to answer honestly... it was mostly the feeling of the bra, so they didn't feel very soft...」

「N-No way!? Even though you got to my nipple through the bra!?」

「Could you not make such an outrageous statement out of nowhere!?」

「B-But, what about the parts that weren't the bra!? I felt like you were touching parts that weren't the bra too! So, was that area soft?」

「Well... honestly, I couldn't really tell that far...」

I only realized I had touched Yukinui's chest because when I caught her, I felt a hard sensation with my fingertips, and when I thought about what it was, I realized it was her bra. ──So, my true impression was that I couldn't really feel the texture of Yukinui's chest itself.

「N-No way... And I felt like Kuu-san was having his way with me...!」

「...Um, Yukinui-san? Could you please not say that kind of thing outside?」

「Even if I can't win against those two in size, I thought I could win in softness... uhh, so I'm not just a flat-chest, but a low-quality flat-chest that's firm and not fun to grope...」

「Oii, are you okay, Yukinui? Rather, what's chest quality?」

「My skin tone is good, and they're very firm, and yet...」

「O-Oi, Yukinui? That's enough of that, okay?」

「Even though they're a pretty pink...」

「Oi Yukinui! Cherish yourself!」

I shout with my entire being. However, whether she heard me or not, Yukinui hugged her knees and sat down on the spot with tears welling in her eyes. She looked like a toddler who had gotten lost on an errand. D-Don't be so dejected...

I scurry over to her, flustered. She then continued in a tearful voice.

「Uhhh, Kuu-san... do I maybe have no feminine charm?」

「──」

Her gaze pierced me. I felt an endearment in her wavering, anxious eyes. ...In response, I met Yukinui's eyes. Seeing her dejected state, I couldn't help but want to encourage her.

「That's not true. Your boobs are, well... you know? Maybe they're not that big, but I think it's wrong to get depressed and think you have no charm because of that.」

「Really...?」

「Yeah. The size of one's boobs isn't proportional to a woman's charm. In fact, there are women out there with just big boobs who aren't charming, right?」

「True... like Iromachi...」

「I have no comment on that...」

I said with a wry smile, and told Yukinui something important that would surely encourage her.

「Hey Yukinui. Can I say just one terrible thing that will also be a salvation for you?」

「The lead-in sounds kind of scary, but... what is it?」

「Guys like girls who feel a complex about their small chests.」

「...Fufu, you're the worst.」

Tears still remained at the corners of her eyes, but she smiled as she said that. So I smiled back at her and gently extended my hand──she took my right hand. While inwardly flustered, I pulled the hand I had impulsively offered and helped her to her feet.

And so my date with Yukinui ended without achieving its main purpose of regaining my memories.

But as a date, it ended up being a fun day with a lot of time spent laughing together.

「By the way, what about Kuu-san? Do you actually prefer small chests?」

「Did you forget? For me, the bigger the better──Ouch!」

「Read the room, you insensitive jerk.」

◆◆◆

Several days after my date with Yukinui. That day, after school.

「Mmm! Ice cream is best eaten on a cold day!」

I was currently walking home with Karen, who didn't have club activities today. But even though we were walking home, it wasn't a journey in a hurry to get back──we were currently sitting on a bench in front of a convenience store where we had bought some food, eating ice cream and chatting.

「Haa, this ice cream is deliciousー I don't wanna go home.」

「Mm? What's wrong all of a sudden?」

「Hey hey hey, listen Kuu-kun! Listen Kuu-kun!」

「I'm listening, and I will listen, so don't repeat yourself like that. Are you a parrot?」

「Lately, my mom seems to have felt a sense of crisis about my low level of feminine skills. She's been trying to teach me a ton of houseworkー... Today when I get home, I have to help prepare dinner with herー It's so depressingー」

「You're depressed over just that... It's a good thing to help with dinner preparations. Help your mom out.」

「Eh? Why do I have to do something so troublesome? No way.」

「......」

She said it with a face that said, "what kind of stupid thing are you saying?" ...She's amazing. Apparently, the idea of making her own food doesn't exist in the slightest for Karen.

「In this day and age, you can get delicious food delivered to your house with a single phone call, you know? So cooking is just too stupid to bother withー If I have time for that, I'd rather do strength training or running! I want to spend my time satisfying the M-desire within me!」

「I'm absolutely sure that spending that time learning to cook would be more meaningful than spending time on that...」

「Chihchihchih. You don't get it, Kuu-kun. ──There's nothing like the deliciousness of water you drink when you get home, barely making it, after running to the point of near-death and seeing the other side of a runner's high!? I want to drink that water again... uhehehe... oops, I started drooling just thinking about it.」

「I don't know, running is supposed to be a super healthy exercise, but the reason Karen does it's super unhealthy...」

「I can kind of understand the feelings of young people who get hooked on drugs!」

「You should stop running immediately!」

Even when I retorted like that, Karen just laughed cheerfully, "Ahahaー". It was obvious she had no intention of stopping. She finds way too much pleasure in pushing herself. I thought, and returned to the original topic──the "problem of Karen's low feminine skills", and asked what I wanted to ask.

「...This is a hypothetical. If you were to, um... become someone's wife.」

「Eh? I'm going to be a bride? Could it be, Kuu-kun's!?」

「W-Why does it come to that? I said "someone's wife", didn't I?」

「Ah, I see. ...Ehehe, what a shame.」

「──」

Karen said, with a slight smile. It was a casual gesture, casual words, but in response, my heartbeat quickened. That wasn't intentional, so it showed her natural cuteness, or rather... n-no, no. I have to get back to the topic.

「A-Anyway, it's just a hypothetical. ──For example, when Karen gets married and becomes a wife. In that case, what would you do at home?」

「Mmm, I wonderー? I can't do housework, I'm bad at cleaning, and for meals, I can just order delivery... huh? I'd be free all the time. If I get married, I'll be free all the time. ──Waai! Then when I become a bride, I'll go to the sports gym all the timeー! And then, I'll get a body like a bodybuilder! Iyaa, I'm looking forward to itー It's the best lifeー!」

「...The man who becomes your husband in the future is going to have a really hard time...」

I kind of understood why Karen's mother started frantically teaching her housework... and at that moment.

──A faint blow runs through my brain. It's a small flash of lightning. The flash ran through my head along with the pain, and in its place, it left a memory of the past in my hippocampus──

「Do you, like, have any desire to get married?」

The two of them walk side-by-side through the bustling cityscape. He asked Karen, with a naturalness as if he had just picked the topic because he was running out of things to say. She then turns a vibrant smile to him.

「Of course I doー! Becoming a bride and wearing a wedding dress is a dream every girl has when she's born.」

「Fuhn...」

「What I'm a little hesitant about is that I can't give up on a shiromuku either! ...When I was a kid, a neighborhood girl I was close with got married at a shrineー Seeing that, I thought, she's so beautiful! I want to get married at a shrine too! ──so hmmm, it's a tough choice!」

「...But you can't do a single household chore.」

「Well, yeah! So, I think I'll marry someone who can do houseworkー But if that's the case, does that mean I have to earn the money? Well, it sounds more fun than housework, ahaha.」

「......」

It should have been a normal conversation. But he falls into a deeply pensive expression. His gaze upon the girl next to him quietly, but surely, grew heated.

「But you knowー I haven't been in love or anything yetー It doesn't feel real.」

「I see. Then maybe it was a bit too early to talk about it.」

「Yeah. But there is one thing I've decided──」

「Mm? What is it?」

「That I don't want anyone but Kuu-kun to be the MC at my wedding! To me, Kuu-kun is, really, um... it's embarrassing so I won't say it! But that's why, I want it to be Kuu-kun!」

「──」

She was walking ahead of him to hide her embarrassment, so she didn't see his face.

Then, he suddenly grabs Karen's hand. Surprised by this, she turned around.

「Kuu-kun...? Hey, what's wrong? It hurts if you squeeze that hard...」

「──Eh. Ahh, my bad...」

「Are you okay? You're making a kind of scary face. Should we rest a bit?」

「No, I'm fine. It's okay. I just──realized my own feelings, that's all.」

Since when did this discrepancy arise?

He squeezed her hand again, this time making an effort to be gentle.

「──」

「??? Kuu-kun, what's wrong?」

I can't answer Karen's words. That just now was, a little... no, a considerably important past for me. Of course, the emotions themselves didn't come down to me, but still, I understood.

Apparently, I liked Karen before the accident.

Not as a childhood friend. I was able to confirm that I liked her as a member of the opposite sex.

The psychological descriptions were still vague, so it was difficult to perfectly understand the emotions of that time, but it's my own business... the moment I remembered it, that much I understood.

「Karen──」

「Mm, what? Ah... did you get your memory back again?」

「Yeah, well... it wasn't much of a memory, though.」

「...Fuhn, I see.」

Karen murmured, with a smile that seemed to suppress her joy. My heart races at that mature-looking smile. My face feels hot for some reason. ...I found that I couldn't look Hanayashiki Karen in the face properly.

I'm conscious of her, that must be it. But it was hard to come up with a clear answer as to how conscious I was. ──The current me, who has remembered that I used to like Karen. Does this me, like Karen now? Or am I just conscious of her because I remembered?

For now, I shake my head several times to rock my emotions back to a flat state. Then, I put those feelings on the shelf for a moment and continued the conversation we were having in the present.

「A-Anyway... Don't you think you should probably practice cooking just like your mother says? Then your feminine skills, which are apparently low, will naturally rise.」

「Wh──Kuu-kun, isn't that way of putting it naturally rude!? And actually, my feminine skills are high, you know? If you measured it with a Scouter, I think I'd have about 530,000 in feminine skills!」

「That comeback itself shows your low feminine skills...」

「I love "Dragon B***"! I love shonen manga! Yeii!」

She was the kind of girl who would be perfect as a guy friend.

I give a wry smile at that and fiddle with my smartphone. The search words were "feminine skills test"──sure enough, an article for a feminine skills check came up, so I asked her.

「"During this season, do you take care of unwanted hair?"」

「Unwanted hair? There's no such thing as "unwanted" hair on a person's body.」

「"Do you change your makeup to match the fashion?"」

「I don't even wear makeup normallyー ...Come to think of it, I once tried to practice makeup and used up a whole tube of lipstick, and my mom got super mad at me. Ahaha...」

「"Do you always carry a handkerchief?"」

「After using the restroom, I usually wipe with my uniform.」

「..."Do you always keep your room clean?"」

「It's clean! Because my mom cleans it for me!」

「Diagnosis result. ──Your feminine skills are already dead. Let's hope for the next life.」

「No waaaaaay!?」

I closed the page before the site's result appeared and gave my own diagnosis. In response, Karen is holding her head, but why did she even think her feminine skills were high in the first place?

And so, after finishing our ice cream, Karen and I stood up from the bench and started walking to finally head home properly. ...Because I had regained that memory from before, I felt a strange sentimentality, or to put it plainly, my heart was pounding more than usual while walking next to Karen, but to hide it, I asked Karen something I had forgotten to ask Iromachi today.

「Hey Karen. Do I dislike beef bowls?」

「What? Beef bowls, it's not a matter of dislike or... ah!? Don't tell me, Kuu-kun, you ate a beef bowl!?」

「Ah, yeah...」

「Oh noー」

I didn't intend to hide it, but I lost the timing to say that I ate that beef bowl with Yukinui, and Karen urged me to continue with a deeply bitter face.

「So, what happened? Were you able to eat the beef bowl?」

「No, I couldn't. I ate just one bite and threw it up... It's after an accident like that. I thought I threw up because of my physical condition──」

「That's not it, Kuu-kun. You see, Kuu-kun, you can't eat beef. ...If I had known this would happen, I should have told you earlierー sorry.」

「No, that's fine...」

I felt like I had just heard something shocking. I can't eat beef? Me?

But, that's strange. Because Yukinui had said that I had invited her to a beef bowl place. To begin with, wasn't that day's date a rehash of the past, with her recreating the date course that the past me had taken her on... wasn't that the story?

But apparently, I can't eat beef. In fact, I couldn't eat it. ──That means, even if I had gone on a date with Yukinui, it's almost unthinkable that I would go into a beef bowl place with her.

So, Yukinui's claim that we had dated in the past was a lie?

And, what truth does that lead to?

I think carefully. Then, I asked Karen another question that I needed to ask.

「Just by the way. Did I keep the fact I can't eat beef a secret from everyone but you?」

「Mmm? That's kind of a weird question, but I don't think so? I mean, your thing with beef is on a whole other level... so I don't think you were hiding it. If anything, it's something you would have to take the initiative to tell people.」

「So, any person who was reasonably close to me would know that much...」

「Yeah. ──Well, there are only a handful of people who are close to Kuu-kun though!」

「Don't say such cruel things in the middle of the conversation. Are you a master at hurting me?」

I retort that, and organize my thoughts in my head. ──If we were reasonably close, they would know. Come to think of it, the bentos Iromachi made for me never had beef. It was always pork or chicken, so she must have known that, naturally.

But, she──

『A-Are you okay, Kuu-san? You seemed to suddenly feel nauseous...』

Her concern showed no sign of falsehood.

It doesn't feel like she knew and was trying to trap me. ...In that case, she didn't know. Something that someone reasonably close to me would have known.

「...I guess I'll have a little talk with Yukinui.」

Though I wasn't keen on it, I muttered in a low voice so Karen wouldn't hear.

Because after we've had a heart-to-heart, there should be a beginning for her and me.

◆◆◆

「S-So? What did you, want to talk about...?」

The next day, after school. In my classroom, already emptied of people.

I, who had called Yukinui out beforehand, had her sit in my seat for the time being, and I sat in Iromachi's seat──next to Yukinui. Facing the fidgeting girl, I puzzle over where to start the conversation. Right, I don't want to condemn her. I just want to have a heart-to-heart talk.

...But well, how different that is from condemnation is a delicate matter.

「It's not a big deal. But... I thought it would be difficult to keep being with you without having this conversation. Even if it's hard, I thought we need to talk.」

「...W-What?」

It seemed she understood it wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation. Yukinui asked timidly.

So I continued, not in an interrogating manner, but as an extension of a casual chat.

「You and the me before the accident weren't particularly close, were you?」

「──!!」

「Or rather, I think we were just strangers... what about that?」

「...That's not, true...」

That wasn't a denial. Merely shaking her head weakly, with a face that looked like it was about to burst into tears, can hardly be called a denial of my words.

While feeling pained by her state, I didn't let up my pursuit.

「Apparently, I'm really bad with beef.」

「...Eh?」

「And when I asked Tou-san why, it seems what I was eating on the day Kaa-san died was beef. Since then, I haven't been able to eat beef at all. ──So, even if I did go on a date with Yukinui, it's hard to imagine I would go to a beef bowl place with you.」

「Ah...」

「Also, even if we had entered a beef bowl place, I absolutely would not have ordered a beef bowl. But at that time──when I bought the beef bowl, Yukinui didn't say anything. You didn't tell me to stop, nor did you say I ate something different on our previous date. Am I right?」

「Y-Yeah...」

「Meaning, the story that you and I had a date in the past was a lie. We apparently weren't that close. ──By the way, it seems anyone who's a little close to me knows I dislike beef. But you didn't know that. Because you didn't know, you chose a beef bowl place, a place I never would have chosen, as a location I took you on a past date. You also didn't warn me when I ordered the beef bowl.」

「......」

「The date was a lie. You don't know me well. On top of that, not a single memory came back. So, I thought──that maybe a past where I was with Yukinui never existed in the first place.」

「...T-That's...」

「If you have a rebuttal, let me hear it. If I'm wrong, you can get angry at me. How about it?」

While regretting that I had somehow ended up interrogating her like a criminal, I asked the last question in as gentle a voice as possible. ...Silence falls in the classroom. Yukinui's face was downcast, her shoulders trembled slightly, and she took repeated shallow breaths.

I waited quietly for her words──and eventually, Yukinui looked up.

With a fleeting expression on her face. A single pearl-like tear fell from her eye.

「I'm, sorry...」

「......」

「Sorry... I'm sorry, Kuu-san... What you said is correct... I'm a liar. That was the first time I ever went on a date with Kuu-san, and I didn't know that Kuu-san couldn't eat beef... I'm sorry for making you go through that...!」

「I see... Can I ask why you did something like this?」

「Y-Yeah... u-uguh... hihku...!」

「It's okay, I'll wait. Talk when you've calmed down.」

That first tear must have led to a breakdown. Yukinui began to let drops fall from her eyes, one after another. ...Thinking that a girl is crying so sadly because of what I said makes me feel somewhat apologetic. I waited for Yukinui to recover for a while, and eventually, she opened her mouth while rubbing her eyes roughly with her palms.

「I had no relationship with Kuu-san...」

「Yeah.」

「Iromachi-san and Hanayashiki-san did... I don't know the details, but a proper connection. So, when Kuu-san woke up, I thought I'd be left behind... again.」

「Again?」

「Yeah. ──The truth is, I wanted to talk to Kuu-san much earlier. I wanted to chat like this. But, I'm a coward... so I couldn't. Before I could, our classes changed, and the distance between me and Kuu-san grew even wider──and then, Kuu-san had the accident.」

「......」

「I was so sad I cried every night... I couldn't stand it, so I went to the hospital. There, seeing the unresponsive Kuu-san, I thought... why didn't I do anything? ──Even though I love him so much. Why did I just watch from afar? I regretted it.」

Yukinui said those words with a self-deprecating smile. Then, she wiped her eyes once more──and with a quiet, yet certain heat, she looked at me.

「I thought, I don't want to have any more regrets. I thought, I'll do my best to talk with Kuu-san. That's, I lied too. I thought I would become a cunning woman. ...If he's lost his memories, then my starting line is the same as the other two, I thought such a cowardly thing. The ugly me. But, it's better than doing nothing. I was tired of being a simple-minded girl.」

「......」

「Of course, I could have tried to get along with Kuu-san purely, without lying. But, in that case... I thought I couldn't win against the two who had a relationship with you. ──I wanted to win, I thought. I couldn't stop myself from thinking that. That's why, I──」

「I see...」

「...I'm sorry, Kuu-san. For being like this. For lying, I'm sorry...」

「No, that's...」

Apologizing for lying, that itself is fine. I get it.

But, for her to apologize to me for her own character, that felt a little different. ...Because, she was desperate. There was something she wanted to do, even if it meant lying. So for me, the victim, to want to forgive her, is that... an unforgivable indulgence?

As I was thinking, as if relieved from getting it all out, Yukinui suddenly offered a lovely smile.

「Actually, I was in the same class as Kuu-san in our first year.」

「Heeh, really...? At that time, what about Iromachi-san and Karen?」

「Hanayashiki-san was in a different class. Iromachi-san was in the same class, and had been next to Kuu-san since back then.」

「I see, so you and Iromachi go way back...」

「...At first, I just thought it was a pair of weirdos sticking together. But, at that time──the one time I talked with the pre-accident Kuu-san, in that art class, I... ehehe.」

「I see. So it wasn't like we were completely unrelated.」

「But, just that one time. Probably, for Kuu-san──Kuu-san?」

──A gentle dizziness assails me. Tingling electrical signals raced through my brain. The pain is shallow. But it's a long headache. The scene was pulled out from a deeper place than usual──

「「......」」

There were only two people in the art room. Him and Yukinui. He was painting on a canvas with an air of complete absorption, and Yukinui was watching him with a look of exasperation. ──She was in charge of the key to the art room, and she couldn't lock up until he left.

Yukinui quietly approached from behind him and called out.

「Not done yet?」

「──Uwah!? N-No... sorry.」

「What are you painting?」

Yukinui looks at the painting on the canvas. ──He was quite good at painting. A picture of townspeople joyfully clamoring around a prince's statue. On the shoulder of that prince statue, a single swallow, also with a happy look on its face, was perched.

「...What's the picture of?」

「W-Well, it's embarrassing to explain, so I'd appreciate it if you'd let me off...」

「I can't go home because of you. I'd like you to at least do that much.」

「...Do you know the fairy tale, "The Happy Prince"?」

「Only by name.」

「To put it simply──there's a town suffering from poverty, and to help that town, the prince's statue, with the help of a swallow, distributes the gold used on its body... well, it's a story of self-sacrifice. Self-sacrifice is beautiful, that the act of doing so yourself, rather than seeking a reward, is itself precious──something like that.」

「Fuuhn.」

「I found this story while surfing the net yesterday and read it. I thought, "what a nice story, I like this". But at the end, what do you think happened to the swallow and the prince?」

「What happened?」

「The swallow died without being understood by anyone, and the prince was disposed of as scrap. ──It does say something about their souls being saved by an angel, but... what do you think?」

「I'm not satisfied with that...」

「Right? Fairy tales have that side to them... and I got pissed off by that, so I'm painting this picture.」

「???」

Yukinui tilted her head, looking like she didn't quite understand. To her, he scratches his cheek bashfully and delivers his conclusion.

「I wanted to see a happy ending.」

「──」

「The swallow didn't die and flew around, the statue was beautifully restored, and the pair of them were rewarded──happily ever after. I wanted to see a story like that. But I'm not a writer, so I can't do that... so at the very least, during art class, I wanted to finish this painting.」

「......I see.」

「So, please wait just a little longer. I'll be satisfied once it's finished.」

「...Yeah, I'll wait.」

He then tackles the painting once more. And she.

With a slightly different heat than before, quietly watched him──

「...Come to think of it, something like that did happen. "The Happy Prince", I hated and loved it so much.」

「Eh... Kuu-san, d-did you... remember?」

「Yeah. I caused you trouble back then, Yukinui.」

「──」

Tears once again overflowed from her eyes. She looked down, covering her face with her hands, and let out a sob , "Uhhh". ...I'm worried she might get dehydrated. But, for her to cry just because I remembered that means the memory I just saw must be that important to Yukinui.

The fact that she treasured that one scene so much──that made me happy.

And so, as I waited for Yukinui to calm down again, suddenly.

Her face still a mess from tears... she looked at me and said this.

「Thank you, Kuu-san. For me, just the fact that you remembered something with me is enough. ──It was short, but thank you for everything until now.」

「Eh...?」

「Goodbye, my dearest person.」

After declaring so with a fleeting expression, Yukinui stood up from her chair and headed for the back door of the classroom with unhurried steps. ──One step, then another, the distance between us grows.

And so, the relationship between Yukinui and me was about to end.

◆◆◆

Thinking back to the beginning, it was strange.

The foundation of the person I'm now is "I want to regain my memories"──that alone. If so, the moment I found out Yukinui was an unrelated person to me... a stranger, she would have ceased to be a beneficial person to me, so the action I should have taken toward such a Yukinui should have been the cold one of "ignoring" her. And yet──still, I talked with her.

We had a proper talk, and I tried to start a new, correct relationship with Yukinui.

Doesn't that already mean I wanted to forgive her for lying?

「──Yukinui!」

I stand up from my chair with great force. Yukinui, who was opening the door and about to leave the classroom, jumped with a start and stopped. She looks back this way, timidly.

「Uhh... Kuu-san...」

Her face was unbearable to look at. Yukinui, who possesses blessed features, now has swollen eyes, a runny nose, and cheeks flushed like a monkey's. Her cute face is ruined.

But, I found the real her.

I thought as I took one step, then another towards her. Then, so that she wouldn't run away again. So that she would properly receive my words──

I grasped that small wrist, which looked like it would break if I squeezed it too hard, with these hands.

「Eh... w-why...? Stop it... Let go...!」

「Listen to me, Yukinui.」

「S-Stop it...! Don't be kind to me! I-I'm terrible... I lied to Kuu-san! A-And yet, don't do this to me! If you do this, I... I...!」

「To begin with, I was planning to forgive you today.」

「──」

The moment I said that, Yukinui stared at me with a dazed expression.

Then her expression changed rapidly, over and over──as if she were searching for the correct expression for this situation.

Joy. Remorse. Pain. A smile. ──Biting her lip and shaking her head was her final conclusion.

「...Kuu-san is too kind. I lied. I hurt Kuu-san. So, I have to receive a punishment that fits...」

「Who is hoping for that?」

「Eh...?」

「I, the victim, am not hoping for it. So then, who is it that hopes for that punishment?」

「T-That's...」

Yukinui's gaze darted around. She looks at me. She looks somewhere other than me. ──Apparently, she hasn't realized that she's at a disadvantage in this discussion.

Because it's obvious, isn't it? Yukinui is the perpetrator, and I'm the victim. And if I, the victim, forgive her, then of course──there is no punishment for the crime anywhere anymore.

「I-I am…? I want to be punished, so...」

「Uwah, how ridiculousー That's ridiculous, Yukinui. ──You lied. That's certainly a bad thing. Of course, it's not like I wasn't mad for being deceived either. But... the lie you told isn't so unforgivable.」

「I-Is that... so?」

「Yeah, that's right. Because you're the one who lied, you seem to be taking what you did very seriously, but from my perspective, the one who was lied to, it's not a big deal at all.」

I even think she should have told a bolder lie. She should have said we were actually lovers, and done whatever she wanted. ──But, she didn't go that far.

In short, Yukinui is bad at lying.

Conversely, that was nothing other than proof that she was a good person, incapable of lying.

「Anyway, why don't we stop overthinking things? ...It's fine now. You're a liar, and you had no relationship with me at all in the past, and we never even went on a date, but from now on, you'll have a relationship with me. That's all that matters.」

「Is that... okay? I, such a──」

「Yeah. Let's be friends, Yukinui.」

「...Uhh. Uwaaah, uwaaaah...!」

Yukinui starts crying out loud again. She grips my hand with both of hers, putting force into it. Then, she gently brought my hand to her own face and pressed her cheek against it preciously. ──Honestly, I was seized by the impulse to hug this adorable girl, but I didn't. I thought of starting a proper relationship with Yukinui, but I'm not in love with her. So I couldn't do that.

「You're crying a lot today...」

「Uhhhh... K-Kuu-san...! T-Tha... thank, you... uhhh...!」

「Yeah... Cry as much as you like. I'll wait as long as it takes.」

「Uhhh, Kuu-saaan... uhhhh...!」

And so, Yukinui continued to cry, holding my hand preciously. She's been crying nonstop for a while now, so I'm starting to get seriously worried if the liquid in her body will run out... but well, I think I'll let her do as she pleases.

──Because on that day, I was the one who made her wait.

This time, it was my turn to wait until she was content.