I opened my desk drawer and took out a candy tin. It was a “treasure chest” of sorts that Mizuki had once given to me. Inside were things that carried memories that I had created with her, and once in a while I’d open it and give the contents a good look.

     I gently placed my white collar inside that treasure chest.

     Lately, I’d been losing control over myself. If things kept going like this, then someone other than Yume would end up seeing us, so at the very least I had to stop bringing this to school.

     I sighed.

     I couldn’t get what happened with Mizuki the other day out of my head. In the end, I had told Sorahashi-san to go home right after. When I explained that Mizuki was already at home and feeling under the weather, Sorahashi-san had wished her well.

     I wasn’t given the chance to take care of Mizuki.

     I made the offer, but Mizuki had said that she’d just sleep it off and holed up in her room. She was feeling fine the day after, so I supposed there had been no need.

     I took a letter out from the treasure chest. It was a letter that I had received from Mizuki a long time ago, and I’d already read it many times over. But in this past year, I hadn’t at all. I felt like doing so would just make me start counting up the things that I’d lost.

     The chest contained many other things, such as presents from Mizuki and pictures that we had drawn together. These sorts of mementos ought to have warmed my heart, but now, just looking at them made it ache.

     At that moment, I heard laughter from the living room.

     I quietly left my room to take a peek.

     「And then, my friend—」

     「Ahaha, they’re so funny.」

     Mizuki was there with our parents. They were all smiling and seemed to be enjoying themselves.

     It wasn’t like I was being ignored. I was certain that if I took a step forward, I would be able to join that circle.

     But in front of me, there was always an invisible wall that I couldn’t get past.

     Mizuki was smiling — a cute smile that she’d only ever shown me. She was sitting in her usual seat, and our mom was sitting in mine. In the first place, this house never belonged to us, so why did I feel like it was being taken from me?

     Mizuki was able to laugh just fine, but I couldn’t when I was in this house. I’d already forgotten how to laugh innocently.

     I returned to my room, having nothing in particular to do today.

     Well, not having anything to do on a Saturday was pretty normal for me.

     I laid in bed and checked my phone. There were no messages from Sorahashi-san.

     『Are you free right now?』

     I sent a meaningless text to her. I wasn’t expecting her to reply. After all, she was quite popular and always surrounded by other people. She was surely hanging out with someone today as well.

     Just as I had that thought, my phone started vibrating. It was a call.

     I tapped to pick it up.

     「Hello?」

     『Ah, Kurumi? What’s the matter?』

     「Well, it’s… Sorahashi-san, why’d you call me?」

     『I mean, it’s quite rare for you to send a message like that. Are you in some sort of trouble?』

     「No, it’s nothing like that…」

     Mizuki was happily conversing with our parents. It certainly wasn’t something I hated, but it didn’t make me happy either.

     So then, why was there this weight in my stomach?

     Why had I sent that strange message to Sorahashi-san?

     …No. Truthfully, I should know why.

     「Sorry, that was a lie. …Hey, Sorahashi-san.」

     I unconsciously slipped into a sweet tone, just like the one Sorahashi-san usually spoke in.

     「Today, if you’re free… wanna go on a date with me?」

     I was surprised at my own words.

     It was the first time I’d ever called an outing a date. I’d never even invited someone out so directly before. Today, though I was calmly inviting her out on a date. It wasn’t like me to do something like this, but at this point…

     Indeed, at this point.

     Was this behavior that was like me, or was it not? I no longer had a grasp on myself. After all, this wasn’t the first time that a side of me that I wasn’t aware of had suddenly made itself known.

     I could hear some commotion over the phone. It seemed like she was outside.

     「If you have other commitments, don’t force yourse—」

     『I’ll go! I’m absolutely going! Where should we meet? Should I come pick you up at your house?』

     She seemed unusually energetic.

     Maybe she was feeling especially good today.

     Curious, I began to speak.

     「Tell me what station you’re closest to. I’ll head over there.」

     『Okay! Umm, let’s see. The easiest one to get to from your station is…』

     I wrote down the name of the station that Sorahashi-san had told me in my notes. After the call ended, I looked it up and it seemed like it wasn’t too far from home. I got my bag and belongings ready and then opened my closet.

     I had some clothes that Yume had picked out for me earlier, so I’d wear them today.

     Because I was the one that had called it a date, I felt a bit hesitant to be going out in my school uniform, especially since it was a weekend.

     The outfit that Yume had picked out for me was incredibly cute. Honestly, I didn’t think that it was my style, but both she and Mutsuki had said that it looked great on me. Strangely, those two seemed to be on the same wavelength.

     I let out a small sigh and opened my makeup bag.

     I usually didn’t put that much effort into makeup. I only did the bare minimum as a matter of etiquette. Because of that, I didn’t know much about how to do my makeup for a date, but I wanted to at least make sure I didn’t get any weird looks while I was next to Sorahashi-san.

     I brushed my hair with more care than usual and then headed out of my room.

     「…Ah.」

     At that moment, my eyes met with Mizuki’s.

     She was giving me a weird stare.

     「…Does this outfit not look good on me?」

     I said, pinching at my skirt a little. It was shorter than the one on my uniform, so I felt a little cold. I was wearing tights, so it wasn’t awful. But I still felt anxious. Yume wore shorter skirts pretty often, so I wondered if she didn’t feel uncomfortable in these sorts of clothes.

     Maybe I was wondering this because I wasn’t used to putting effort into my fashion.

     「If I say it doesn’t, then… Will you stay at home forever?」

     Mizuki said, lowering her gaze.

     「…I’ve never seen those clothes.」

     「I only bought them recently.」

     「With Sorahashi-san?」

     「No, with my friends Yume and Mutsuki.」

     「You’re going on a date.」

     「Huh?」

     Maybe she had overheard the phone call. As I stared at her wide-eyed, she clenched her fists.

     「I can tell. Your makeup and hair are different from usual. …Who is it with? Sorahashi-san?」

     Did Mizuki not like her? They were amicably chatting just the other day, but I didn’t know what went on in her mind. For this past year, I’d lost sight of her.

     「Yeah.」

     「Kurumi… Kurumi, you…」

     Her hands were clenched so tightly that they started to go white.

     「If you say you don’t want me to go, then… I won’t.」

     I was looking forward to my date with Sorahashi-san. But if Mizuki really was against it, then I wouldn’t go.

     I knew what I was saying was underhanded. Maybe I wanted Mizuki to think that I still needed her. Maybe I wanted her to tell me to stay by her side, just like before.

     How foolish I was.

     How hopeless.

     「…That’s not fair.」

     「Mizuki?」

     「No fair. Why are you saying that now? If you’d told me that earlier, then I^[1]…!」

     She looked down.

     And then, continuing to do so, she walked past me back into her own room.

     「…Have fun, Kurumi.」

     With her hand on the doorknob, she spoke.

     Our eyes had already broken off contact.

     「…I’ll be back, Mizuki.」

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^[1] In the original text, Mizuki refers to herself in this line using her own name as a personal pronoun. The intended effect is to show that she’s acting more childlike, perhaps because her cool exterior is being ripped off by the shock of her dear Onee-san going on a date with another girl.

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