The Softer Minami-chan

“Is there… anything I can do?”

Kinoshita’s eyes, staring straight at me, seemed pleading despite her words of service.

Her complexion was a bit rosier, like she had applied a touch of blush to her cheeks.

Perhaps this slight flush was her natural color. If so, the past few weeks hadn’t been for nothing.

“Anything I can do… we’re doing that right now.”

We were studying in the food court.

Some people can’t focus when studying with others, but Kinoshita wasn’t one of them.

She never loses concentration or drags on with small talk; she has the willpower to cut it off quickly. And having such a diligent person in front of me makes me more focused too.

“N-no, that’s not what I mean!”

Hmm, what’s she getting at? I glanced at her and saw her making funny gestures.

Like, “um,” and “like this.” She was spinning her hands as if throwing a pot and then holding her head.

“You’re funny, Kinoshita.”

“Are you making fun of me!?”

She looked up with an “ugh!” Her expressions had become more vivid.

“…I truly appreciate it.”

“…Appreciate, huh?”

“Why do you look like you have no idea what I’m talking about!? Impossible!”

“I wouldn’t say I have no idea.”

I just hadn’t been thanked in a while, that’s all.

It’s been a while since I meddled in someone’s business, so that’s understandable.

I have been thanked before, but it didn’t last long.

“Well, I’m glad things are going well.”

“Yes. Truly. I don’t have to lie about my feelings or suppress them. I just lacked what was necessary, and you made me realize that.”

“You don’t have to take it so seriously.”

“But I am. It’s the first time I’ve felt this way in my life…”

It was a delicate smile.

It wasn’t that she could no longer do something she once could, but something she had never known until now.

I understood a bit. If Kinoshita was now standing somewhere she’d never stood before.

“And that’s why! Is there anything I can do for you?”

She seemed embarrassed and blurted it out.

“So you feel like you owe me and want to repay me?”

“Yes, exactly! To receive help without giving anything in return… I think it’s unacceptable as a person.”

“You’re serious…”

“Yes, I am serious. That’s all I am.”

But there’s really nothing I need done.

I mean, relying on others to live isn’t a perfect life. That’s why I do things myself. If I receive help, I pay for it.

If I gave first, then I don’t expect anything in return.

Before expecting, I’ve often had my help brushed off as unnecessary.

“So, please tell me anything.”

“Anything?”

“Yes, anything!”

Saying “anything” makes me nervous. Kinoshita nodded eagerly, waiting for my answer as if it were the result of a quiz.

Well… um. Then.

“I want you to live a healthy life…?”

“What?”

“To be healthy and happy both physically and mentally for a long time.”

“How is that a repayment to Goda-san????”

Her head tilted so much it looked like it might snap.

The light in her eyes flickered out. She looked like she did when we first met at the bookstore.

“Be serious!”

“You’re the serious one, Kinoshita.”

“There’s no such thing as a “serious department”! Everyone should live seriously!”

“That’s quite an ambition…”

But really, my interaction with Kinoshita is to prevent future classroom issues… if she lives a long, healthy life, that solves it.

“Let me ask you instead, Kinoshita.”

“What?”

“You said ‘anything,’ but I don’t think money or goods are appropriate.”

“…I think if it’s something I can do… but I can’t pay a large sum.”

“Large sum, huh.”

“Considering what you’ve done for me, I don’t know how much to pay…”

“You’re very serious.”

So.

“What could you do for me, Kinoshita?”

“W-what could I do!?”

I don’t know much about Kinoshita’s personal life, so this is a good opportunity to ask.

“So, Kinoshita Minami-san, what are you good at?”

“Uh, um… s-studying…”

She said it and immediately held her head.

“Wow…”

“Don’t say ‘wow!’ P-physical education isn’t that bad either! And in art… I pass!”

She only talks about grades.

“What about things unrelated to school grades?”

“Unrelated to grades…?”

She looked like a cat gazing into space.

“What do you do on your days off? You don’t just study, right?”

“On my days off… I have a part-time job.”

A part-time job. That’s unexpected.

“Oh? What kind?”

“Various day jobs. Setting up venues and such. Arranging chairs thoroughly.”

I could easily imagine Kinoshita meticulously arranging each chair. If one was slightly off, she’d spend time adjusting it.

“…I see. How do you use that money?”

“Currently… I’m just saving it.”

Kinoshita looked down slightly. Saving money isn’t a bad thing.

If my mom hadn’t banned it, I would’ve been saving money from a part-time job too.

“Hopefully, you’ll find a way to use it someday.”

“Yes, hopefully.”

Kinoshita smiled back.

…Hmm. There seems to be something more, but it’s too personal to pry.

“So, your life is complete with work, studying, eating, sleeping, and bathing…”

“Why do you say it like that!?”

Kinoshita started sobbing. Because she probably doesn’t hang out with friends. If studying is the first thing she mentions about her days off, the next is a part-time job. What else is there?

“You don’t seem like the Instagram or TikTok type either.”

“Instagram… Oh, the thing everyone talks about.”

“Yeah, this level.”

“You’re very harsh. Really harsh.”

“You see, what I can ask you to do for me in return is to keep working hard, studying hard, and living healthily.”

“Ugh…”

Kinoshita slumped on the table, her HP seemingly at zero.

“Well, I never intended to ask for anything in return──”

I was about to say when.

“Ah!”

Kinoshita sat up abruptly.

“I cook my own meals!”

“Oh.”

“And in home economics, I was good at sewing and crafts! I sew up holes in my socks──or, well…”

“Kinoshita?”

Instantly boiling Kinoshita covered her face and slumped again.

“…I got carried away and said too much… a girl who sews up holes in her socks…”

“That’s fine. It’s economical.”

“Go ahead and laugh. I’m sure I’m the only one among your many friends who’s said such a thing…”

“That’s true.”

You’re the only one who’s mentioned it.

“…Ugh… wah… wah…”

She started crying for real. The stares from around us were painful.

Asking for help with sewing or cooking would be a hassle if my mom found out… but oh well.

“Then, could you cook for me or make something next time? Either is fine.”

“…Really…?”

Kinoshita half-raised her head. Her face was feverishly red. It could fry an egg.

“O-okay. I’ll do my best…”

Wiping her eyes, she nodded like a five-year-old after falling down. Her cheeks puffed up as she tried not to cry. Good job, good job.

“I only helped you make friends, so you don’t have to go all out.”

“But now people listen to me, and I’ve been thanked for the first time.”

“That’s just because of the friend effect added to what you usually do.”

I smiled and said,

“I need to use the restroom.”

I stood up, hearing a murmur from Kinoshita, muffled by her arms.

“But… it’s all because of you…”