"You’re a good person, Seigo Harano."
Shika Kagura finally spoke her first sentence and instantly attached the label of a "good person" to Seiji for the second time.
"I’ve already heard you say that at Drama Club." Seiji looked at her."Although I don’t really think I’m such a good person… But perhaps I am, just a little."
"Someone told me that you’re ‘light itself.’"
Seiji was rendered speechless upon hearing this.
A feminine… no, the image of a boy in female clothing flashed through his memory. He felt a sudden urge to cover his face!
But he still had to ask to make sure.
"Who did you hear that from? Was it Hoshi Amami? Do you know him?"
Shika nodded in response.
Seiji ended up clutching his face when Shika nodded.
‘Hoshi, it’s one thing if you’re just thinking it in your mind! Are you really telling others as well!? It’s too embarrassing!’
After mentally cursing his absent junior, Seiji decided to give Hoshi a proper education with his fist when they next met.
"Seigo Harano?" A confused voice called out his name.
"Oh, my apologies, I was just…" Seiji coughed and lowered his hands again."You’re classmates with Hoshi?"
"Same club." Shika’s answers were rather succinct.
"What club?"
"Literature."
"I see…"
So Hoshi was in the Literature Club, hmm. It seemed quite suitable for him.
‘No, wait!’
"How did he tell you about it?" Seiji’s face began to twitch.
‘Did that guy tell the entire Literature Club about his wild fantasies!?’
Shika remained silent.
‘Hey there, don’t remain silent here! I’m nervously waiting to hear what you have to say!’
Seiji was filled with tension as he awaited Shika’s answer.
If that idiot junior of his really did tell the entire Literature Club something so embarrassing… damn it! This wasn’t something that could be taken care of with just one educational punch!
Achoo… Hoshi sneezed while doing housework at his aunt’s house.
"Senpai’s work has probably ended now… Man, I want to go as well," he muttered to himself as he wiped down a surface.
But first, he had to clean up his aunt’s house.
After all, they were going to live together now. He felt it would be best to get everything cleaned.
Anyway, Aunt Rika seemed to be so strict, but her home was…
Hoshi couldn’t help but smile wryly as he thought back to the chaotic mess in the house when he first arrived.
Aunt Rika seemed to feel awkward about it as well.
Still, she was always busy with work and lived by herself, so it was understandable that her house was messy.
Hoshi felt that the first thing he should do after moving in was to clean up the whole place, both for his aunt and for himself.
He decided that this was more important than going to work at the confectionery store. Even though he really wanted to be next to Senpai at work, he controlled his urge and didn’t go to the store.
He should do what was necessary first… Did this count as maturing?
‘When I see Harano-senpai again, I’ll tell him… and reveal Aunt Rika’s true living conditions at home!’ Hoshi chuckled to himself as he imagined the conversation.
He had no idea that the next time he met his Senpai an iron fist would be waiting for him.
In the park.
Shika remained silent for a long period of time.
Finally, she averted her gaze before speaking.
"I asked him why it was that… he didn’t die."
Seiji who had been waiting for the answer was stunned at the unexpected response.
Why Hoshi didn’t die?
This type of question… it sounded almost as if… she knew Hoshi Amami originally should have died!
Seiji’s expression instantly changed.
"Why did you ask him that question?" His mind went through various scenarios, but he decided to seek clarification from her first.
Shika gazed off into the night with a calm expression.
"He also asked me this, just like you."
"My answer was that… I saw it."
"He had an expression… that said he wanted to die."
‘An expression?’ Seiji raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Then, he seemed to understand what I meant, as he thanked me for caring about him. Actually, I didn’t care about him… I told him that as well. I just wanted to know who had… changed his mind when he had wanted to die… into someone who saw the light again."
Shika slowly moved her gaze back on Seiji’s face again as she spoke.
"He then told me that… he met the light itself. The light’s name was… Seigo Harano."
Seiji was speechless.
Her story was rather choppy, but he could understand her meaning.
For a moment, he thought that Shika had some sort of… mystical ability, but it must have been his misunderstanding.
She didn’t actually witness Hoshi’s death. She only noticed Hoshi’s dark expression when he was in a mental abyss, and from that she inferred he was going to…
But that didn’t end up happening to Hoshi. Instead, he recovered and even surpassed his original self’s spiritedness.
This made Shika feel something was strange, hence her question.
Hoshi answered her… in a rather immature middle schooler’s way.
Seiji inwardly breathed a sigh of relief after confirming his fears were unfounded, and Shika wasn’t someone with mystical powers.
He was also relieved, as apparently Hoshi hadn’t informed the whole club about the way he considered Seiji to be the light itself.
"That guy may have exaggerated a bit too much. His analogy was a little… you know." Seiji scratched his face."All I did was help him out a little… He was having some difficulties due to a certain issue, and I helped him out. That’s all there is to it."
Shika stared at him.
"While he was telling me this, it seemed as if he were exuding an aura of light. That type of aura… it was my first time witnessing such a thing. I’ve never seen it before."
Fine then! This girl and that guy… were both part of the Literature Club!
Did all Literature Club members find it so easy to accept the immature thinking of middle schoolers?
‘I surrender,’ Seiji mentally sighed.
"You… well, whatever you guys want to say, it’s up to you. I don’t feel like I’m light itself; I merely did what I should have as his Senpai and his friend, as it was within my power to do so."
Shika tilted her head slightly."So you’re admitting it?"
‘Hey, girl, just how did you understand that as I was admitting it!?’
Seiji forced down his urge to retort.
This wouldn’t end if he continued to deny it.
Seiji sighed inwardly.‘I might as well take the direct approach with her.’
"Fine then. I suppose… I am the light."
Damn it, only after he said it out loud did he realize how embarrassing it sounded!
Seiji forcefully clutched his face with his hands.
"I admit it, okay? I’m the person who gave him light, so he views me as light itself! I’m the physical actualization of light!! Then? So what!?"
He gave up on himself as he covered his face.
His words sounded way too much like the immature rambling of a middle school student!
‘Why am I acting like this deep into the night in a dark park together with a middle school girl that I barely even know!?’
Seiji could only console himself by thinking that he had just done something equally embarrassing and pretentious two days ago. Compared to how he acted towards the twins, this was nothing…
…But this made him lose even more spirit!
At that time, he had relied on his imposing manner to get by! And after that was class time, which barely managed to help him stop thinking about it!!
Seiji was engulfed by his dark memories. The physical actualization of light was about to collapse.
"I… also want to have the light," Shika stated in a soft, calm voice.
Her voice didn’t contain any particular emotions. It was a simple, pure desire.
"Could you… give me light as well?"