Before My Memories With You Melt Away in Tears - Episode 9

Ayaka nervously glanced at the clock. Only two minutes had passed since the last time she checked. She sighed and turned her attention to copying the Classical Chinese text written on the blackboard. But even as her hand moved, the words didn’t register in her mind.

The fourth period was almost over. That meant Kyoya would be coming to the classroom soon. He had said they would have lunch together, but where were they going to eat? Surely not here. The courtyard? The rooftop? Or maybe a vacant classroom?

As she pondered this, someone poked her lightly on the back.

“Eh—”

As she turned around, her eyes met the teacher’s, who was standing in front of the blackboard, smiling at her.

“Sorry to interrupt your thinking, but could you come up and solve this problem?”

“Eh? Ah…”

It seemed like she had been called on, and not only the teacher but her classmates were all looking at her. She could see Fujino and Shuri laughing in disbelief.

“Alright…”

Ayaka quietly replied and made her way to the front of the classroom to solve the fill-in-the-blank problem on the board.

“Correct. Even if you already know the answer, make sure to pay attention to the lesson.”

“Sorry…”

She bowed her head, then returned to her seat. Because she paid attention in class after that, she was suddenly startled when the bell rang, signaling the end of class.

When the teacher’s orders were finished, Ayaka hurriedly rushed out of the classroom. If she stayed any longer, Kyoya would arrive. As Fujino and the others had said, her classmates probably wouldn’t say anything about Kyoya, but she still wanted to meet him as far away from the classroom as possible.

Standing on the landing of the stairs leading to the third floor, she thought this would be a good spot. If Kyoya came, she would see him immediately. Once they met up, she would ask where they were going to eat and head there right away. Then…

“Hey? Ayaka-chan?”

As Ayaka was lost in thought, Kyoya’s voice came from above her. She looked up to see Kyoya standing at the top of the stairs, staring at her in surprise.

“What are you doing, standing here?”

“Uh, well…”

“Do you have something to do on the third floor?”

Well, yes and no.

But saying something like “I’ve been waiting for you” would be too embarrassing to admit.

What should she say?

“Wait, did you come to meet me…?”

“…!”

“Just kidding… Or, wait, really…?”

Kyoya’s words made Ayaka’s cheeks turn hot. She might have even been blushing.

Seeing Ayaka’s reaction, Kyoya’s face lit up in a smile.

“Eh, w-wait, really? You came to meet me… I’m so happy!”

The way he said it, almost savoring the words, made Ayaka even more embarrassed. But at the same time, a feeling of guilt grew within her.

The only reason Ayaka was standing here was to make sure Kyoya didn’t come to the classroom. It had nothing to do with trying to make him happy or wanting to see him. It was simply to avoid him being seen by others.

She knew that by lying, she wouldn’t make Kyoya sad. But seeing his bright, happy expression made it impossible for her to keep lying.

“It’s not that…!”

“It’s not?”

“It’s not that I came to meet you. It’s just that… if you came to the classroom, people might talk or cause a scene, so I…”

She closed her eyes and tightly clenched her hands. Had she disappointed him? Would he think she had lied to him?

Either way, he must be feeling disillusioned. He might even regret confessing to her in the first place.

She was so scared of what he might say, she almost wanted to cover her ears. But what reached her ears was Kyoya’s ever-gentle voice.

“It’s okay. I understand.”

“Eh…?”

When Ayaka looked up, Kyoya was smiling at her.

“We’re in the way here. How about we move somewhere else to talk?”

“Ah…”

Ayaka noticed that the students who had finished class were avoiding them as they made their way down the stairs, clearly bothered by the conversation taking place in the middle of the landing.

Kyoya led her to a vacant classroom on the first floor.

“This room is for club activities, and I have the key.”

“Club activities?”

“Yeah, the Go club. Oh, I see you’re laughing. Our Go club is pretty strong, you know? Well, I’m just doing it as a hobby, so I’m not that great.”

Kyoya said it cheerfully.

“Go? I always thought it was something old men played.”

“Well, that’s true. Shogi has been getting more popular lately, but there are actually a lot of people our age who play Go too.”

“Really?”

Ayaka had only ever heard about it through TV reports or online articles. But she realized that even though she didn’t understand it, there was so much more hidden behind what she saw.

Like the real feelings Ayaka hid behind her forced smiles.

So, what was Kyoya really trying to say with his words, “I understand”?

“You said earlier that you understood…”

“Yeah, I said that.”

“So why did you still seem so happy when you heard it?”

Ayaka asked him directly, and Kyoya gently answered her.

“Even if there were other reasons, what made me happy was that you were waiting for me, Ayaka-chan.”