Chapter – 04
Sasauchi Kaoru’s Feelings
â Side: Sasauchi Kaoru
“But really, are you okay? When I heard about it yesterday, you said you had someone you liked, right?”
“To be honest, I might regret it a little… I wasn’t in my right mind yesterday either…”
When I said that, Kaito-kun’s face turned sad.
“I see… I’m sorry. It’s just that you were so cute, Kaoru, I couldn’t control myself…”
“C-cute…”
That was the first time anyone had ever called me cute.
Come to think of it, I didn’t have the time to think about it yesterday, but Kaito-kun had been calling me cute the whole time…
And he was also worried about me the whole time.
I felt happy thinking about that, but at the same time, I became incredibly embarrassed.
But then I remembered the sad look on Kaito-kun’s face and hurriedly spoke up. Just like earlier, I didn’t think Kaito-kun was at fault at all.
“I-I could have refused too, but I didn’t, so Kaito-kun isn’t bad…”
“I see, thank you… That makes me feel a lot better.”
I felt relieved when Kaito-kun smiled at my words.
And his smile seemed so radiant that I found myself captivated for a moment.
“Uh… yeah.”
“Kaoru? I’m also worried about you, so if anything happens, please rely on me. No matter what it is, I’ll help you.”
“…Is that okay?”
“Yeah. I’d be happy if you relied on me.”
We only talked for the first time yesterday, so why is he being so kind to me?
And not just “you can rely on me,” but “I’d be happy if you relied on me”…
All I can think is that Kaito-kun is such a good person.
“Kaito-kun, you’re completely different from the rumors…”
“Well, I don’t know about that. I was pretty wild in middle school, so… it’s not like it’s all lies, but it might be exaggerated…”
“You were wild in middle school?”
“Yeah. It’s not exactly interesting, but do you want to hear about my past? I’ve never told anyone, but I think I could tell you, Kaoru…”
I’m curious… How could someone so kind have such rumors about him?
It’s not quite right to say Kaito-kun is hated by everyone, but people are scared of him, and they all keep their distance.
Just like I used to… I hate myself for thinking that way without knowing anything…
“Until yesterday, I was really scared of Kaito-kun, but now that I’ve talked to you, you’re so kind and calming, and I want to know more about you… So, can I hear about it?”
“Yeah. Actually, I was an orphan…”
And so, Kaito-kun told me.
His past was far sadder than I could have imagined.
He had no parents and no place to belong.
That’s why he went wild in middle school.
But he said he was able to get back on his feet now…
I cried listening to him.
Maybe it was sympathy. I felt sorry for Kaito-kun.
And I was truly glad he was able to recover.
What he did in middle school was certainly not something to be proud of… but I’m glad he got back on track. I truly feel that way.
“So that’s what your past was like…”
The rumors weren’t entirely false, but I didn’t care about that… because the Kaito-kun now isn’t that kind of person.
It’s not like he’s saying this just to be nice.
That came through loud and clear… He looked so sad and lonely while he was talking.
And now… Kaito-kun is crying.
I had assumed, without any reason, that Kaito-kun was strong and never cried, but that wasn’t true at all.
Seeing him like that, I instinctively hugged him.
“You did so well…”
I said that and stroked his head.
Kaito-kun said nothing, just silently wept.
ââA few minutes later
“Thank you… Kaoru.”
Kaito-kun said that, looking embarrassed.
I thought he had a surprisingly cute side to him.
But I was comforted too, so…
“Yeah. It’s okay. You comforted me yesterday too.”
After a short pause, Kaito-kun spoke.
“I see. So, what are you going to do now, Kaoru?”
“What do you mean?”
“About Yamazaki Makoto.”
Makoto, huh…
“Yeah… What should I do…”
“Well, I’ll keep what happened between us a secret, of course, so just do what you want to do, Kaoru. Don’t have any regrets. Like I said before, I’ll support you too.”
“Okay. Thank you. I still think I like Makoto…”
“I see. But if something sad happens, come to me anytime. I’ll listen to your complaints or anything. It’ll take your mind off things, right? If you’re crying by the roadside when it’s dark out, like yesterday, I’d get worried.”
“Got it. Kaito-kun, you’re really kind… But why don’t you correct the rumors at school? You’re not the kind of person people should be bad-mouthing now!”
This was my honest question…
I heard he was wild in the past, but the current Kaito-kun isn’t someone who deserves to be spoken ill of…
I thought that, and my tone came out a bit strong.
“Well, it’s fine. The rumors are partly true, after all…”
“Kaito-kun, you told me I could rely on you, right? Then, how about I tell everyone that Kaito-kun has changed?”
“No, that’s okay. This isn’t something you should have others tell people for you. It’s something you should change little by little on your own…”
Hearing that, I thought to myself.
I don’t know what he was like originally, but he really has changed…
And unlike me, Kaito-kun is strong.
Being able to think you can handle things on your own… that’s honestly cool.
It’s something I couldn’t do.
“You’re so cool, Kaito-kun.”
“Huh?”
“Not about your looks, of course. I mean the way you think… Ah! But your looks are really cool too…”
I panicked at my own words and quickly corrected myself… I felt like my phrasing made it sound like I said he wasn’t good-looking, which would have been rude.
Actually, a lot of the girls in my class say that if Kaito-kun’s personality and womanizing ways were fixed, they’d definitely fall for him.
So, I do think Kaito-kun is handsome too.
Still, I like Makoto.
So from now on, I’ll interact with Kaito-kun as just a normal friend.
After that, we talked for a while longer and then parted ways.
â
ââThe next day, I went to school with Makoto as usual.
Makoto lives next door, and we walk to school together every day.
“Makoto… Why did you break your promise to me on Friday?”
“Oh, sorry about that. Something came up.”
“What kind of thing?”
I knew the answer, but I asked anyway.
“Oh, my mom asked me to run an errand for her, so I was in a hurry…”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. If you ask my mom, she’ll tell you. I went straight home on Friday.”
“I see…”
Why does Makoto lie?
Maybe the thing about his mom asking him to go shopping was true…
Well, it might be cowardly of me to think that way, since I was with Kaito-kun… but I still wish he hadn’t lied to me.
Normally, I would have been completely flustered, but today I was strangely calm.
Kaito-kun said he was going to do his best on his own… So I’ll try my best too.
I’ll try to be a bit more forward myself.
Even though he said that to me on Friday, maybe things can change from now on… and now I have someone I can rely on.
I thought about that as I headed to school.
