Chapter 14: Adopt the Awkward. It's Worth It

"It's over..." Kenta said, grasping at the grass.

As for what exactly was over, that was beyond anyone's capacity to understand.

"It's over!"

Regardless, something was over.

Looking at the mourning Kenta, Airi was the first one to speak.

"So that's how it would look..." she said. "I wonder how it felt. Actually, I'll still need that marker, Haruto."

"Sure, here you go."

Maybe it was because nobody understood King Kobra's pain, or maybe they just enjoyed seeing him suffer for his own dumb choices, but nobody—not his crush, not his best friend, and not the horned girl who had come back from the dead—cared that the boy was whimpering in the grass. Instead, each of them bent down with their own markers to draw some more lines.

"You people have no soul! I shall pray for you to find solace for these corrupted thoughts that plague y'all!"

Such did the priest's son proclaim as the markers approached, yet before they could reach his shining head, a hand knocked the markers over and wrapped itself around Kenta.

"Shhh... It's okay. They won't get to you. I'll make sure of that."

Ironically, that was the same hand that was holding a red marker not long before. It was Yuurei's hand that grabbed the sobbing Kenta and hugged him tightly under the shocked gazes of the other two present.

"*sniff*... Yuurei?"

"Yuurei?"

"Yuurei-chan?"

All three called out the girl's name using different tones, yet all of them were equally surprised.

"Still, the girl, whose hair was now completely white and hid all emotion, hugged the boy with her eyes closed, her hand gently patting the boy's bald head even though the marker would not be wiped of that easily.

"Yuurei... What is this about?"

The first one to say something was Haruto, who couldn't help but grab his chest, for where his heart should have been, he felt like a bottomless hole had opened up.

"What does it look like? I'm protecting the boy you two were trying to bully."

"Protecting?" Airi also spoke up. "But that looks more like you're—"

"So what? Is anything wrong with that? Don't you two also do this behind closed doors or something? You're a couple, after all."

Together with Yuurei's words came a gaze that landed right on Haruto. These eyes were pure white, yet the way she looked at him said all that needed to be said.

Hah... she really does hate me...

The conversation between Airi and Yuurei continued as the demon girl caressed Kenta, but none of it reached Haruto's ears. The only thing on his mind was how his friend was being shown love by the girl he had taken for granted as being his.

Those soft strokes should have been on his head, not on Kenta's. The soft voice she spoke with should have been ringing in his ear, not in King Kobra's. He should have been the one to feel her touch, not his friend. Now that she could touch someone, why was it not him?

"After all, I've waited so long..." Haruto whispered, prompting a "Huh?" from Yuurei. However, when the boy had the chance to speak up, he refused. After all, he was in no position to make demands.

The way she held him—the way Yuurei protected Kenta dearly—why couldn't Haruto have done the same to the girl back then? That day, behind the high school building, why was Haruto such a coward? Why did he freeze up?

"If only I would have grabbed you..."

Sorrow and regret leaked from his broken whispers meant to reach nobody.

"Then you wouldn't have..."

And when these memores rushed back, Haruto felt his vision get blurry.

"No... not that! Not again?"

Thus, the young man turned his back on the scene before his eyes and ran as fast as he could, hoping that his feet could outrun his own thought.

"I like you, Haruto..."

A fruitless endeavor. There's no way to leave your memories behind. Haruto knew that all he could do was keep them hidden, anxiously waiting for the day when they would once again escape.

So, as he ran, the boy saw it all again. He saw the cool and collected girl dragging him by the hand. He saw her blushing face as they stood behind the school. He saw her lips part, and though no words came out, he read them perfectly.

Then, he saw the tears well up in her eyes. He saw her turn around. He saw his stretched hand and the car that crossed right in front of him.

Finally, he saw the girl lying on the ground, her eyes wide open and her hand touching his face, telling him her last words that he had forgotten.

"Huh? Why?..."

The most hidden of all his memories then came to the surface. It was the one memory he had locked so well he forgot it existed.

"Why did I have to wait so long?..."

*****

"It's fine... you don't need to worry about him. I'm here and that's enough~"

Yuurei's voice was soothing to Kenta. She spoke to him in a way he had never been spoken to before—a way that made him forget about any worries.

Before him, he caught a glimpse of Airi's worried look. Although at first she was looking after Haruto, she didn't follow him. She was still there, witnessing King Kobra's first romantic moment.

In a way, it felt like a dream come true. He had two girls worried about him. It was the first time Kenta had had a cute girl care for him, let alone two. The tight hug, the soft voice, the hand caressing his head—it all felt like heaven on earth. It felt like that's how life should be, and it invited Kenta to close his eyes and let himself drift away in this pleasure.

Yet, it didn't feel the same when he looked at Airi. While her gaze was also filled with worry toward him, it was not the same kind of worry. Airi's eyes made Kenta feel nervous. No, they made him feel guilty, as if he were hurting his dear senpai, and she could do nothing about it.

"Huh... so that's how he felt like..."

"Hm? What was that?" Yuurei asked, but instead of receiving an answer, she was gently pushed aside.

"I'm sorry, babes..."

As Kenta tried to get up, he felt as if his knees could collapse under his own weight. He felt like his whole body was punishing him for not following his dreams.

"But I think this cobra has turned vegan..."

Alas, Kobura Kenta was first a good friend and only then a hopeless lover. For the second to apply, the first had to be true.

"But maybe we can take a picture before Airi-chan-senpai graduates! One that will remind you of me ten years down the line, and if it all falls flat now, you can call me then!"

Using these as his parting words, Kenta ran after his friend, leaving his only chance at being popular behind.