As I Know Anything About You, I'll Be The One To Your Girlfriend, Aren't I? - Volume 1 Chapter 4.2

Just Like You Did for Me 2

“Excuse me.”

“Huh, what…?”

The chime rang several times, and even when it was time for the next lesson after physical education had ended, the teacher hadn’t come to the infirmary.

Instead, the person who appeared was the one sitting closest to me in the classroom.

“Kujo-san, what’s wrong?”

“…I suddenly felt very unwell.”

That’s all there is to it. Saying so, she entered the room and sat on the bed next to mine.

“…Are you okay not lying down?”

“I got better after coming to this room, as expected of the infirmary. It’s filled with healing powers.”

“That’s an overestimation.”

Kujo-san, who placed her full trust in the infirmary, didn’t seem to be particularly unwell.

“…I heard you were hit by a ball.”

“Yeah. I didn’t know soccer balls were that hard.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

My head is slightly dizzy, and I feel a bit off balance, so I can’t return to the classroom yet, but it shouldn’t be a big deal.

“I’ll go back to the classroom after the afternoon classes.”

It’s the fourth period now, and lunch break is next. I should be okay after resting for that long.

Hopefully, the infirmary teacher will come by then.

“I see…”

“…?”

Kujo-san stared intently at my face. What’s wrong?

“Is there something on me? Ah, I don’t think I have a nosebleed.”

“No, it’s not that, …earlier the ‘stress value’ was…”

“‘Stress value’?”

“Never mind, never mind, it’s nothing, it’s nothing. So, in short, you seem a bit down.”

Kujo-san spoke quickly, and I laughed while hiding my right hand that was oozing blood.

“I’m fine, but thank you.”

“No, it’s not like…”

──Did Kujo-san come to the infirmary worried about me?

It feels a bit self-conscious to think that, but still, the color I see from her made me think so.

“…It’s nice weather.”

Breaking the brief silence, Kujo-san said that while looking outside the window.

Holding the dense light of summer in her eyes, she adjusted her slightly reddish hair with her hand, always seeming like some kind of joke.

An unreal beauty.

I remember clearly being completely captivated the first time I saw her. When Kujo-san suddenly appeared in the art room, I thought God had shown me an illusion.

This is what is referred to as beauty.

If there’s something even slightly comparable, aim to paint it.

That’s what I thought, absent-mindedly.

“…It’s beautiful.”

“Yes, the sky is very beautiful. It’s definitely summer. Will you paint a sky next?”

“Maybe. …I do paint skies from time to time. I like them. My name has ‘Sora’ in it, after all.” (tln : Kanji for Kuuya has Sora in it)

“I see, that makes sense.”

Kujo-san, whose name carries the character for ‘red,’ smiled faintly.

Being alone in the room with her, it’s hard not to be conscious of the color I see from her. It’s a constant feeling like walking on thin ice.

I’m scared of love. The past, where something important was taken from me, remains cold and silent, always by my side.

I think I shouldn’t get close to Kujo-san. I don’t know when my body and heart might start to feel unbearably cold again.

Being together in fear would be disrespectful to her.

“Does your name come from the sky, Miyashiro-kun?”

“No, it’s more from being empty. Like an empty canvas that hasn’t been painted on, that’s the naming sense. Both my parents were painters.”

“Ah, that’s nice.”

Talking about my parents will always be an open wound for me. Even having this conversation is pushing it. I’m aware I’m crossing a dangerous bridge.

“What are your parents like, Kujo-san?”

“Normal, completely normal. Even if you take the average, median, or mode of all Japan, I feel like families like mine would come up. I often hear, ‘How did a daughter like you come from us?'”

But, talking with Kujo-san was enjoyable. Her spirited way of speaking and the mountain of words and knowledge she brought up.

Her intellect shines as brightly as her appearance. I liked that. So, I ended up talking.

What I should do or what I want to do, I’ve become unsure.

While talking with Kujo-san, the fourth period had ended.

“Hm, did someone come?”

“Seems like it.”

And right as lunch break started, there was a knock on the infirmary door.

“Come in.”

“Excuse me…! Ku-Kuuya…!”

When I answered, the one who entered was Suika with a pale face.

“Suika! That face, are you feeling unwell… Ah, no, that’s not it. Did you come for me?”

“Yes! Are, are you okay!? Does it hurt!?”

Suika rushed over with incredible speed, yet her actions were graceful. She then sat on the chair between me and Kujo-san’s beds, leaning forward to look at my face.

Her expression was so worried it made me feel guilty.

“The ball hit your face, and you fell down and were brought here to the infirmary…”

“I’m okay, just a bit dizzy.”

Even as I said that, Suika looked like she was about to cry.

“I can’t trust the ‘I’m okay’ that Kuuya says about himself…”

“That’s not…”

I wanted to deny it outright, but I couldn’t, knowing there were many instances where Suika’s words couldn’t be discounted.

“Ku-Kuuya, I have a good idea! Let’s ban soccer from this town…”

“No, no, no, it’s my fault for being distracted.”

“Ah, ah, sorry, it’s my bad habit. Um, um, then…”

She took a deep breath and corrected herself.

“Let’s ban soccer from this world…”

“I didn’t expect you to scale it up, not what I had in mind.”

“Ah, ah, then let’s do this! Archery!”

“Archery?”

“When you’re having PE, I’ll stand a little away with a bow and arrow! If a ball looks like it’s going to hit you, I’ll shoot it down! This is a brilliant idea!”

“Thank you, thank you, Suika. I’m really happy about your feelings. But let’s not.”

“Are, are you doubting my skills!?”

“I’m not worried about that at all, it’s everything else. Like the law.”

After such an exchange, Suika finally calmed down.

“…Um, isn’t the infirmary teacher here?”

“Seems like they haven’t come yet. But I’m feeling much better, so it’s okay. I’m planning to go back to the classroom after lunch.”

“Uu… are you really okay? Really?”

“I even have an appetite, so I’m mostly healed.”

“…Then it’s okay, but if you feel any discomfort, please tell me immediately…”

She said, gripping my sleeve tightly. I always seem to worry her.

“…By the way, Kuuya”

“What?”

“Could it be, is there something else? …You look a little down.”

Suika is incredibly sharp when it comes to matters about me. But, this is something I can’t talk about.

“Nothing in particular.”

“…Is that so.”

She might not be convinced, but she didn’t pry further. That distance was comforting for me.

“That’s right, if you have an appetite, let’s have lunch, Kuuya. Eating and drinking are allowed in our infirmary! Some students sometimes eat lunch here with the infirmary teacher.”

“Maybe I should. Ah, but my bag is in the classroom.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered!”