The String of Balls - Final Chapter

With those words, Kotone left the room with a lifeless look on her face.

Huh? Did I go too far? Kotone is also a crybaby, so I’ll have to comfort her later.

“Fufu…Thanks Fumie. That felt good.”

When I stroked its head, it started to play around, purring like a cat.

Even while I was changing, he clung to me, and I had a hard time getting him off. He was closer than usual on the way to school, and even during break, he would often send me passionate glances from the window in the hallway.

Apparentl,y she had a serious discussion with her boyfriend and broke up, but it seems like she had some trouble with her friends. Still, Moon’s reputation hasn’t been affected, so it seems like things didn’t get complicated.

In the end, Kotone ended up missing school that day.

The next day, in the afternoon, in response to Fumie’s request to go out since it was a Saturday, we went to one of the largest shopping malls in the prefecture, a little distance from the school district.

Kotone was being stubborn and ignoring my messages and phone calls, so I was thinking of giving her a present to cheer her up, so this was a godsend.

I also wanted to go on a date with Fumi. It’s not that I dislike s3x, but I’ve been feeling too horny lately, and I wanted to do something that a normal couple would do.

“Koto, isn’t this cute?”

Moon pointed to a pair of stud earrings decorated with small silver stars in the display case.

Until now, he had been wearing earrings because he was afraid of getting his ears pierced, but now he said he wanted to wear matching earrings with me.

He wants me to drill a hole, he wants to drill a hole in me.

I’m pretty sure you’re not allowed to pierce other people’s holes, but…the thought of engraving myself into Fumie’s body…I swallowed hard and nodded.

Since it’s just a small accent, it’s not very noticeable, so even a gloomy person like me can hide it with my hair, and just wearing something that matches Fumie makes me feel excited.

“Isn’t it a little too cute for me? I think it suits you though…”

“It suits you! Koto, you’re so cute!”

When I’m praised with those sparkling eyes, I can’t help but smile with joy.

It’s not like I’m waiting to be complimented or saying something annoyingly humble like a cute girl would say, like, “I’m not cute,” but the truth is, I’m not cute.

Objectively speaking, I don’t think I’m particularly good-looking. I wouldn’t call myself ugly, but I’d say I’m somewhere around average. …But that’s just wishful thinking.

If you look at Fumie and Kotone, you’ll understand even if you don’t want to.

But Fumie doesn’t lie. She genuinely thinks I’m cute. So it’s no wonder I’m so excited.

“…Thanks. Then, shall I have this one?”

“Yeah! Sorry—“

As Fumie pointed to a set of two earrings that were reasonably priced so that even high school students like us could afford them, one pair of earrings suddenly caught my eye.

Gold hoop earrings with a beautiful, thin treble clef charm.

Somehow, the image of Kotone came to my mind. Kotone, will you wear it? Both Koto and Oto seem to be related to music, so I thought it was a bit simplistic… But I’d be happy if you wore it.

“Um… sorry, I’d like this too, please. Ah, the bill is separate.”

“…Are you giving it to Kawasaki-san?”

I took Fumie’s hand, which was pouting and sulking, and intertwined our fingers.

When I stared into her eyes, Fumie blushed and looked away shyly. My hands, which were clenched tightly, started to sweat, and I could feel Fumie’s body heat.

“…That’s unfair.”

“Hehe, if I only buy it for Fumi, Kotone will get sulky, right?”

“…I’m the only one who has a matching outfit, right?”

“Yeah. Fumie is the only one who can make holes in me.”

“Then that’s fine…”

Fumie let go of my hands, took out an equally cute pink tri-fold wallet from a cute white pouch, and handed me half the amount.

“I want to be given a present too…”

Splitting the cost of buying a set of earrings means that we give each other gifts, not that we’re just sharing the money…

But from what I’ve read, it seems like only Kotone is getting a present from me. I’ll give her one, even if it’s just for show.

“Please. Yes, this is separate…”

It must be a hassle for the store clerk. They must be wondering why the bills are separate.

Despite my thoughts, the pierced earrings were quickly and efficiently packed into the cases with a smile on their faces. Just as you would expect from a professional.

Leaving the shop, he handed Fumie a beautiful blue cloth case.

..It’s kind of like a proposal.

“Thank you, as always, Fumie. Let’s put them on together after you finish your first piercing.”

“Hehe… yeah. It’s like… a proposal…”

“Hehe, I thought so too. Is it something like this?”

Kneel on one knee, hold the bottom with your left hand, and open the lid with your right.

“Fumi, please stay by my side and smile forever.”

“Yes… yes…!”

Fumie, who seemed overcome with emotion, grabbed me in a hug, and the force of it all caused me to fall backwards.

Looking around, people passing by looked at me with lukewarm looks and chuckled.

I’m so embarrassed I could burst into flames! It was just supposed to be a little joke!

“…Well, it’s getting a lot of attention…”

“Ehhh… hmmm.”

“Hey, you idiot! Come back! Already!”

I closed my eyes, tore the letter away from me that had come at me with no regard for the time, place, or occasion, and quickly left the place.

After that, we looked at Fumie’s clothes, she picked out some clothes that would suit me, we played at the arcade, we ate some popular sweets, and we played until we were exhausted. Fumie seemed to be having fun from start to finish, and she seemed to enjoy our time together.

“Phew… that was fun. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to go out and relax like this with Fumi.”

At dusk, we sat side by side on a bench in the square in front of the station and, with the grace of high school students, sipped our frappes topped with chocolate chips and chocolate sauce.

“It’s our first time together since we became lovers, so it’s a date.”

Fumie replies, her face dyed red by the sunset.

Unlike the cheerful words from earlier, this one is meek and startling.

I understood what Fumie had said before. “The way you look at someone you like.” I guess I’ve been looking at Fumie with those eyes all this time.

That is what the sentence is now directing at.

These are not eyes directed at a childhood friend, but big eyes that reflect the person I love, me.

“…The proposal wasn’t a lie.”

“Ehehe… yeah, I know. You like me, don’t you?”

“I haven’t had a crush on you for over ten years for nothing. Even today, my heart was pounding all day, and I thought it might not last.”

I love writing.

No matter how hard I try to get rid of this feeling, it won’t go away, and even if I put a lid on it and pretend not to see it, one day I won’t be able to suppress it again.

I grew up with a love for writing. It’s an inseparable part of who I am.

Kotone may have seen through my feelings. Even if she thinks I can’t do anything without Fumi, I can’t help it…

I made a show of it to spite her, and I did something uncool. I need to apologize to Kotone properly.

“Koto, I want to kiss you.”

He tugged on the sleeve of my loose hoodie and made a sudden, straightforward demand.

Their touching shoulders, their interlocking hands, and their intertwined fingertips all get hot.

Well…I told you to go after you get home, right? There are a lot of people here…”

“No. I want to know.”

It seemed my answer didn’t matter from the start, and he slowly came closer to me as he spoke.

When we were close enough to each other’s breath, as if it was etched in my mind by instinct, my eyes naturally closed, and I accepted the words.

The moist feeling and the body temperature of the person you love.

The hustle and bustle around me could no longer be heard, and all that could be heard was the pounding of my heart and the reluctant sound of my lips kissing, which sounded awfully loud.

“I love you, Koto. Stay by my side forever.”

As he gazed upon me with those calm, gentle, and warm eyes, my racing heart began to calm down.

I’m nervous, but at the same time, I feel safe. These contradictory emotions feel good.

“……Yeah”

I smiled back and nodded slightly, and Fumie stood up with a grin on her face.

When I looked up at my face,

“…Let’s go home. Outside, you know…”

There was my beloved childhood friend, the cutest of them all, blushing and looking away.

“Hehe… You can’t get piercings, can you?”

“…I don’t know!”

I stood next to Fumie, who had turned away, and without a word, he tightly held my hand, and we started walking.

On my way to the station, I thought I saw a tall, familiar beauty out of the corner of my eye.

I felt that way because…he was holding the hand of someone I didn’t know and had a smile on his face that I didn’t recognize.

Convincing himself that he was seeing things incorrectly, he took Fumie’s hand and approached the beautiful woman.

As the distance between us closes, I realize that it wasn’t just my imagination.

“Kotone”

“…Kotonoha…and Hayama-san too…”

Was there something bad that would happen if someone saw it?

I wish we could just keep holding hands.

“What a coincidence. What are you doing?”

“… I was just playing with my friends. Do I have to get your permission to play with my friends?”

Why does he speak so rudely?

Even though I didn’t say anything.

“So the friend Kotone is talking about is someone who holds hands with her lover’s hand, blushes, and looks entranced? That sounds like the type you’d like. Older, kind-looking… Ah, maybe that person is your first love? That’s great, is there a date today?”

“Are you blaming me?”

“You’re blaming me? Me? I was just asking… Hehe, you’re weird, Kotone.”

Did I hear something that would make you scold me?

“I hope it goes well. I don’t want to get in the way, so let’s go, Fumie.”

“Uh, yeah…”

As they pass each other, he mutters in a spat-out voice.

“Liar.”

I guess he was the one who taught me how to kiss better. I also lied when I said I wasn’t cheating on you. I also lied when I said I’d be with you forever.

Lies, lies, lies. Total lies.

When they told me they liked me, when they told me they loved me, they were just playing around and making fun of me because I’m a gloomy person.

This was the reason why he was still hesitating as if he had something to hide when he helped me mediate my argument with Fumie.

I’d buy a present and get excited imagining the happy look on their face…I wonder what I was doing.

It must have been so much fun to see that idiot get so happy and serious, not realizing that he was being made fun of.

…I feel like such an idiot.

“Koto…I’m not going anywhere.”

The strong grip of his hand gave my stuttering feet the strength to walk a little further.

While he was pulling my hand, even though he was supposed to be holding my hand, we were rocking back and forth on the train, and to our house, we didn’t say a word to each other.