Before My Memories With You Melt Away in Tears - Episode 51

Even after I arrived at school, my mind remained floating. Sitting at my desk in the classroom, I still couldn’t settle down. It felt like I wasn’t fully present.

“Ayaka, you seem really happy today. Did something happen?”

Shuri asked, noticing my mood.

“Is that so?” I replied, though my smile wouldn’t go away.

“You’ve been with Ikeda-senpai, right?”

Fujino said, as if she could see through me.

I froze when I heard her. After all the times I’d talked to the two of them about my feelings, how could I possibly explain that even though I had said I would break up with him, I changed my mind? Would they be disappointed or upset with me?

Worries bubbled up inside, but lying wasn’t an option for me.

“Well, it’s about Kyoya-kun,” I said hesitantly.

“Kyoya-kun? Oh, really?”

“You changed how you call him? That sounds special, in a way,” Shuri teased.

The teasing made me blush, and I quickly covered my mouth with my hand. I wasn’t expecting them to react like that.

“Wait, wait. Don’t make fun of me!”

“You’re saying Kyoya-kun with that cute face, how could we not tease you?” Fujino said, grinning.

“Exactly! You look so adorable when you say it like that,” Shuri added.

“Stop! Don’t tease me!”

“Sorry, sorry. So, what happened with this ‘Kyoya-kun’? It doesn’t sound like anything bad happened, though.”

They both laughed, but I nodded and began to speak.

“He told me that no matter what happened in the past, I don’t need to stop loving him now,” I said quietly.

“Wow…”

“I see.”

Their simple responses made me look up, and I saw both Shuri and Fujino looking at me with gentle eyes.

“I’m really glad that Kyoya-senpai could help you look forward, Ayaka.”

“Shuri…”

“Yeah. I’m happy that Kyoya-senpai truly understands how you feel.”

“Fujino…”

Their words made me feel warm inside, but also a little tight in my chest. I quickly wiped away a tear that was starting to form in my eyes and whispered, “Thank you.”

“But Kyoya-senpai is really amazing.”

Shuri murmured quietly.

“From what you said, it seems like he doesn’t know the whole story about your past or how it connects with his own, but still, he’s willing to accept everything and wants to be with you. I think that’s incredible.”

“Yeah,” Fujino agreed.

Maybe one day, Kyoya would find out the whole truth. And when that day came, I wanted to protect him and his heart, just like he had protected me. I didn’t want him to get hurt, and I wanted to be there for him if he ever did.

But then, I wondered if that was just my own arrogance. There wasn’t much I could do, after all, and even if I wanted to protect him, there were things beyond my control. I had yet to fully understand how much I could truly protect.

A week had passed since I talked to Kyoya. I felt like our emotional distance had shortened significantly. There were still moments when I questioned if someone like me truly deserved to be with Kyoya, but every time I felt that way, I remembered the words he had said to me.

At lunch, Kyoya and I sat facing each other in an empty classroom. The summer heat made it too hot to eat outside, so for the past few days, we had been eating in this empty classroom.

But today, before we started eating, Kyoya suddenly said, “Sorry!”

“Today, I have to meet with the homeroom teacher after lunch. I’ll have to go to the teacher’s office as soon as we finish eating.”

“Wow, that sounds tough. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

Kyoya looked at me closely, almost as if checking something.

“Are you really okay?” he asked, his gaze intense.

“What do you mean?” I asked, confused.

His eyes stayed fixed on mine, as though searching for any sign that I might be lying or pretending.

I sighed and gave in. “Actually, I’m a little lonely.”

“I knew it,” Kyoya said softly.

“Lunch is the best part of my day because I get to spend it with you…”

His words made me smile, and then Kyoya gently patted my head.

“I’m lonely too. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. If it’s the teacher’s call, then there’s nothing you can do.”

“I wonder if I should just skip it,” Kyoya said, half-joking, half-serious.

His words caught me off guard. I didn’t expect him to say that.

“What? Wait, what do you mean?”

“I’m just kidding,” he said, but his expression showed that he really didn’t want to go. “But it shows how much I don’t want to go, you know?”

I nodded and smiled. Kyoya returned my smile before standing up to leave.

“I’ll go now. I’ll probably head back to class afterward, but…”

Kyoya seemed a little uncertain, so I smiled and finished his sentence for him.

“Maybe you’ll be done quickly, right? If you don’t mind, can I wait for you here?”

“Really? But it might take a while, and I might not be able to come back on time…”

He sounded apologetic, but I shook my head.

“I want to wait here, thinking you might come back. Is that okay?”

“…Thanks.”

Kyoya smiled at me and said, “I’ll be back soon,” before leaving the empty classroom.

Now I was alone, and with Kyoya’s pace, I had finished my lunch earlier than usual. I wondered what I should do next while cleaning up my lunchbox.

Just then, I heard the sound of the classroom door opening with a loud creak.

Maybe Kyoya forgot something and came back. I quickly looked up, glancing toward the sound.

But what I saw wasn’t Kyoya…

“Kanna-senpai?”

It was Kanna, glaring at me.