As I Know Anything About You, I'll Be The One To Your Girlfriend, Aren't I? - Volume 1 Chapter 3.7

Leave That Culture in the Heisei Era 7

Kujo’s PoV

I didn’t just dislike him; I even hated him. And now, here we are.

“Miyashiro-kun, why are you… in the library? Don’t you always spend your after-school hours drawing?”

“I was planning to, but I thought I’d better doing the math homework first. If I go home, I’ll definitely end up not doing it.”

In the light tinged with the hue of sunset streaming through the window, I am here with the person I like. His gaze frequently meets mine directly, and his words are spun solely for me.

“When I was solving problems at that desk, I saw Kujo-san coming in with that heavy box. I thought I should check if you were okay, and just in the nick of time, too, before you fell off the ladder. I’m glad I made it.”

“…Thank you, really. Um…”

If I’m ever going to muster the courage, ──it’s probably now.

“I want to thank you, is that okay?”

“Thank me?”

“Yes. I…”

When I feel like hiding my true feelings and thoughts, I tend to speak quickly, adding unnecessary words.

So, now I am going to.

“Are you good at math?”

Take a slow breath and only say what’s necessary.

The only things I want to convey.

“Do you want to work on the assignment together?”

The time it takes for him to answer feels like an eternity, during which I remember.

How much I loathed this person.

And how I fell in love with him, half a year ago.

◆◇◆

Every time I heard the phrase “being human,” I couldn’t help but frown.

To me, that phrase seemed to point to things like sensibilities not bound by rules, judgments made on the fly, or irrationalities that seemed illogical.

None of that seemed beautiful to me.

What I found beautiful was synonymous with what was orderly.

Cold, relentless rules and clear logic. The order built upon these shone like the most brilliant gemstone to me.

The various laws of mathematics and physics were always mesmerizingly attractive.

That’s why I loved engineering. Because with the beautiful power of mathematics and physics, I could make sense of this reality.

Disliking “humanity” and not meshing well with those around me was inevitable.

Apparently, my brain developed early enough to be labeled a genius, and by the time I was in elementary school, I had completely abandoned the very notion of socializing.

To begin with, I couldn’t find interest in the topics people around me talked about. And conversely, what interested me was of no interest to them.

It didn’t take long for me to lose interest in humans themselves. I hardly talked to anyone other than my family and didn’t feel inconvenienced by it.

I, a genius who truly understood what beauty was, lived differently from those who got excited over trivial matters.

The world needed people like me, and the rest were just surplus.

Even though I was aware of my arrogance, I had no intention of changing and lived proudly.

That was how I, Kujo Kurenai, lived my life ── until December of my first year in high school.

“It’s so cold…”

That day, I was wandering around the school building after classes. The sunset had already begun, and the corridors were growing dim and cold.

However, I had a purpose for roaming.

“Alright, this one opens too.”

An unauthorized copy of a master key. I was checking its functionality on various doors.

I would unlock a door, feel satisfied, and then lock it again. I didn’t plan to check every single room, but I wanted to inspect most of them.

After going through most of the floors with classrooms, I headed to areas like the music and resource rooms.

In front of me was the art prep room. Light was on in the adjacent art room, presumably the art club in action (at this point, I didn’t know there was no art club).

Well, I might as well check just the prep room then.

Without knowing what awaited me, I inserted the key into the lock with a very light-hearted thought.

But turning it, I felt nothing. Oh, it was already unlocked.

Feeling somewhat curious, a whim made me decide to peek inside. Despite my disdain for such illogical actions, I went ahead and did it that day.

If there was a crossroads of fate, this was it. But then, “fate” is too unscientific a term, perhaps it’s better to call it a critical juncture for the future.

Sliding the slightly aged door open with a clatter, I stepped inside. Flicking the light switch on, after a lag typical of old fluorescent lights, the dim interior was illuminated.

The room, true to its name as a prep room, was lined with tools likely used for drawing, not that I knew much about them.

And then, ── there were paintings hung on the walls.

Not many, maybe five or six in total.

“…”

I distinctly remember the sound of me swallowing my saliva.

Because, even from a distance, I realized something.

It’s not just “good,” or “beautiful.”

There was no room for such thoughts. It wasn’t about that, it wasn’t about that at all. What was in this room was beyond such dimensions.

A loud alarm was going off in my head. An instinctual warning that I should turn on my heel and leave immediately.

So, I ignored it. Because it wasn’t logical. I didn’t want to rely on intuition.

With an intensity that made me forget to blink, I closely observed the first painting.

A forest scene. Quiet and mysteriously gentle, just standing in front of it made me feel enveloped in a sleep-like softness.

The second, next to it, was a bird. Its lone journey through the twilight brought not swiftness or sharpness but a painful wistfulness and a pride in its flight.

…I see.

Those struck by it would surely feel it piercing deep. Such formidable paintings. I see, I see, impressive, indeed.

But it’s okay. I can observe these without losing my composure, without being shaken from my foundation.

Don’t scare me like that.

With a sigh, I relaxed, took a few steps further into the room……

And then, I encountered the third painting.

“A────────”

The moment I recognized it, I was blown away.

My ability to grasp reality was completely stripped away, and I could no longer perceive the surrounding scenery or the passing time.

In my world, there was only me and that painting. Everything else was blown away.

It was a painting, yet it was also an impact itself.

“…Ah, W-what…, huft…”

When I returned to reality, looking outside, the sun that should have been setting was completely gone.

How long had I been standing here? I had no idea.

A copy of the master key lay at my feet. I hadn’t noticed it slipping from my hand or hitting the floor.

I touched my face. …Hot. Hot, hot. Incredibly so.

Of course, it would be.

“!”

I glared fiercely at the painting before me.