ACT II - The Lonesome Lunch

—

Just a bit more, until we reach Act III in the Theater of Life…

Let's accelerate things, shall we?

I already know it all, Seira-kun. You can’t hide anything from me. Feigning ignorance… Don't you know it's bad manners to lie to your elders, young man?

Perhaps, you think I sound upset…? Why, quite the opposite. I’m trembling in excitement; I’m most proud of you, my dear Main Actor.

Show me just a bit more now, before the curtain closes for the Finale…

—

How much I'd wish to say that my visit to Omoide no Kottouhinya had given me a clear sense of direction, but it was anything but that.

Something was definitely up, as things weren't making sense anymore. Pondering long on the topic, I just noticed more and more about just how bizarre this entire deal was. Receiving a pair of glasses for free, being able to see the past, and then on top of it, hearing 99-san's suspicious way of talking… What had I gotten myself into?!

But then, further thinking showed me that there was absolutely no harm these glasses were bringing to my life. My body felt completely alright even after spending time in the insanity of the Reveals, not to mention my sight had never felt this sharp in my entire life—not even my childhood with 20/20 vision!

And it was a no-brainer that they were a huge part of the reason why my friend group had come to life. I was the centerpiece, but it was my special spectacles that guided me towards having real friendships.

Objectively speaking? I had no reason to return the glasses. It wasn't harming me, it wasn't harming anyone. So what was with this impending feeling of doom, approaching day by day…?

Whatever it was, I simply decided to ignore everything. I wouldn't actively seek to get a Reveal, but if it wanted to happen, it could be my guest. If not? I'd just like to keep the aid for my nearsightedness, thanks!

That being said, I guess what got me the most shocked was the fact that Rena was working for Tsukumo-san. Just how wild of a coincidence was that?! She had never mentioned the antique shop to me, and I had never assumed it, despite the important evidence that was her hand fan!

Yeah, I had wondered if she had gotten them from the shop, but working there?! How was I supposed to know!

It was extremely awkward seeing her at school after knowing this fact. She was never too warm towards me in the first place, but now she was avoiding my gaze at every occasion…

Wait a second—Now that I think about it, there was a time where she was warm towards me: right during our first days of school!

She had introduced herself to me, talked with me just like the rest of the class; and showed interest in me, asking a lot of questions. I had even given her a little gift, as a token of our new friendship. But just a bit later, she had changed her attitude in a heartbeat. I just accepted my fate, and never questioned it all that much.

That needed to change, now.

I wrote a note, inviting her to talk during lunch break in the school garden, sliding it towards her in class discreetly. She noticed it, read it quickly and then raised her eyebrow. She didn't seem too happy with the idea, she folded the note and shrugged.

Was that a positive response? A negative one? Honestly, I'd create an occasion to talk with her, regardless. One effect of the recent events on me was that they were turning me into more of a go-getter. My darker moods didn't feel all that great, obviously. But at the least, they made me much more reckless, shutting down my inner thoughts.

I had no actual care for how things would turn out, I just had a vague sense of curiosity to see where things would go. Even then, I wasn't anticipating anything out of things. I simply observed the scenarios unfolding in front of me.

And this would be the part in the storyline where I finally had a proper talk with my seat neighbor.

…is what I thought, but she wasn't all that interested in revealing things from her side of things, despite taking up my offer to eat lunch with me.

"I don't even know why I accepted this. If you're just going to question why I didn't tell you about my part-time job, I'll leave right away."

A very welcoming intro, indeed…

"I mean, of course I'm curious about that, especially because you hid yourself from me the first time I entered the shop. But I can look away from that fact, thinking maybe you got embarrassed to see a classmate. What I can't just ignore, however…"

I looked directly at her face, as she silently bited on her sandwich, trying to detach herself from being the center topic of the conversation. I continued.

"... is your sudden attitude change towards me back then. I always thought I must have done something to deserve it, but no matter how much I think about it, I can't find a reason I could have offended you. Do refresh my memory; as I only remember us enjoying fun, friendly conversations."

She kept on avoiding my eyes, focusing on her lunch. After a long silence, she suddenly spoke up.

"Maybe my feelings towards you changed, that's all."

I wasn't about to let her go.

"Yeah, but even that must be caused by something. What was it? What was the trigger?"

She scowled at me, losing her cool with each passing moment. "How is this of any importance by now?! What happened has happened, I just started to see you in a different way, that's all…!"

Her cheeks were getting a red tint. Despite her anger, I had to get my answers.

"Why? Why, out of nowhere, would you start to see me in a different way?"

Rena stood up, with the intent to leave. "Why, why, why! Stop questioning me about this! I didn't know you were such a forceful guy, I thought you were much nicer!! I'm leaving."

I grasped her hand, despite knowing she'd push it away. I just needed to buy a few more seconds, to tell her that…

"I just want to apologize, Kogarashi-san. Obviously I've caused you some discomfort, and for whatever that is, I want to say sorry…!"

Her lips quivered and she pushed away my hand, an indescribable expression contracting her face. As she turned her back on me to run away, her voice was shaking. "This… This is why I hate you, Yuujin Seira…!"

I simply took out my bento and started eating it in the corner of the garden, surrounded by the chatter of students all around.