Side Story - Kazuya and Shiori (6)

I trudged toward my classroom, flashing a forced smile to everyone who greeted me on the way there. They were all asking why I looked less energetic than usual, but I managed to dodge the issue smoothly. I finally reached my class and slid the door open.

“Good morning—”

“Hagiwara-kun!!”

“Oof!”

Before I knew it, someone had thrown themselves at me so forcefully that I nearly fell down. Thankfully, I only staggered before holding on to the door for support.

“Ah, I-I’m sorry!” The perpetrator quickly peeled themselves off me and backed away.

“A-Aya-chan? What’s wrong? It’s not like you to be so excited in the morning.” I greeted her while steadying myself on my feet.

Shiori’s best friend, the petite girl who narrowly escaped crisis yesterday, fidgeted anxiously in front of me. I was glad that Aya didn’t have any injury on her body, which meant that it was worth getting beaten up by angry yakuzas to save her.

“T-That’s…can I talk to you somewhere else?” Aya’s eyes darted around the room.

I realized that her unusual action had stirred everyone’s curiosity, so I pulled her to the first place I could think of.

“…the infirmary?” Aya tilted her head, but she still sat on the bed meekly.

“Yeah, if anyone asked, I can say that my wounds still hurt.” I grinned at her, trying to lighten the mood.

But apparently I chose the wrong method, because Aya’s face darkened the moment I mentioned my wound.

“…I’m sorry. You’re hurt because of me, and I haven’t even thanked you for your help.” Aya lowered her head. “Thank you for saving me yesterday, Hagiwara-kun.”

“No, don’t mention it. I myself was saved by Shiori-chan, so I can’t really be proud of it.” I scratched my head in embarrassment.

“Ah, right! I want to ask you about Shiori!” Aya instantly perked up, as if her previous gloomy mood never existed. “She and Kagura-kun didn’t show up at all this morning, and then there’s that message from Shiori! Did you also receive the same message?”

“Hm? A message? Speaking of which, I haven’t checked my phone since yesterday…” I fished around my pocket and took out my phone.

Just as Aya said, there was quite a few messages from Shiori in my inbox. I skimmed over them, which mainly asked if I was alright after getting beaten up. When I reached her last message, I nearly dropped my phone from the shock.

“Wait, what?! She…she’s…” I stared wide-eyed at the message, unable to form coherent sentence.

“Dear Kenshou-kun, I’m sorry for getting you caught up in the incident yesterday. I hope you weren’t injured too badly, and that you will recover soon. This might be a little sudden, but me and Kazuya won’t be coming back to school. We’ll be putting everyone around us in danger if we do, and besides, we’re going to get married, so think of this as our early honeymoon.”

“That girl is crazier than I thought…!” I cradled my aching head. “Is she seriously going to marry someone so dangerous?!”

“I-Is that all? Did she say anything else to you?” Aya urged me anxiously.

I lifted my face and continued reading the message.

“We will be fine on our own, so please don’t look for us and keep living your life to the fullest. Thank you for being such a good friend for me and Kazuya. I hope that you will find happiness. With love, Shiori.

P.S., if you ever made Aya cry, I’ll ask Kazuya to beat you up, so cherish her well!”

“That’s none of your business…” I muttered to myself, smiling wryly as I read her last sentence. I could feel how much she cared about Aya, and how much she trusted me to be by her side now that Shiori had left.

“Well? Is there anything else, Hagiwara-kun?” Aya asked again.

“No, she basically said that she’s getting married to Kazuya and she won’t be coming back.” I closed my phone and kept it in my pocket. There was no way I could tell Aya about that last sentence, since she hadn’t even realized my feelings for her.

“I see…so Shiori had made up her mind.” Aya’s shoulder dropped with dejection.

I couldn’t bear to see her so downtrodden, so I pasted my usual grin and patted her shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Aya-chan. It’s Kazuya and Shiori we’re talking about here. I’m sure Shiori must have thought of everything before deciding this, and Kazuya will protect her from any danger. Besides, they’re perfect fit for each other. Rather than being sad, won’t it be better if you be happy for them?” I suggested.

Aya smiled weakly. “Mm…I guess you’re right. I think…I’m just a bit sad that Shiori didn’t hesitate to choose Kagura-kun over me. It feels like…our childhood friendship doesn’t really matter to her, you know? Maybe I’m the only one who thought of her as a friend…”

“No, I’m sure Shiori-chan think of you as her best friend.” I interrupted her. “I’m sure she worries and agonizes over her choice, because you’re her precious friend. But she chose to leave, because she didn’t want to put you in the same danger as yesterday. At least, that’s what I think.” I amended, trying not to sound so forceful.

Aya laughed lightly at my words. “Thank you for trying to cheer me up, Hagiwara-kun. If you weren’t here…I don’t know what I would do.”

I smiled back at her. “Hey, that’s what friends are for.”

For now, I added in my heart. We might only be friends now, but I swore that I would change our relationship into a closer one. After all, Shiori managed to win over the scary heir of yakuza family. How hard would it be to make an ordinary, lovable girl like Aya to fall for me?

I leapt to my feet, my body felt lighter than before I came to school. I spun around and offered my hand to Aya.

“Besides, it’s not like we won’t ever see Kazuya and Shiori-chan again. Why don’t we both try to live our best so that we can face them proudly someday?” I grinned.

A bright smile lit up Aya’s face as she took my hand. “Yes, you’re right. Please take care of me, Hagiwara-kun.”

“Yeah, leave it to me, Aya-chan.”

*****

Years later, thanks to Kenshou’s tireless and persistent effort, they both became a couple and happily married to each other.

They even visited Kazuya and Shiori’s grave together with their children, but that was a story for another day…