The Lie and What Follows

“Okay? Make sure you’re back before dinner!”

“Yes.”

“And don’t cause any trouble for your senior!”

“Yes.”

“And don’t think about taking the lead!”

“Yes.”

“Anything else…?”

“I’m off!”

I dash out of the house.

Haruka had turned into Mom.

She’s not the baby-faced type.

Today is the long-awaited first date!

Headed to the station, let’s go!

But I can’t possibly feel that way.

After all, I was so nervous yesterday that I hardly slept at all. By the time my body finally did fall asleep, it was already bright outside. I have pre-date insomnia.

Somehow, I managed to wake up at 10 o’clock.

I had a late breakfast and Haruka scolded me, saying, “What will you do if you can’t eat lunch with your senior at this rate!”

I ended up just having coffee until it was time to leave, and just before I went out, I received instructions from Mom Haruka.

It’s true it’s our first date, but not taking the lead, yeah. Sorry. I have no idea what to do.

It’s a 15-minute walk from my house to the station.

It’s 11:30 now, so there’s plenty of time. But I know that making a girl wait is probably not good, so I just hope Adachi-san isn’t waiting.

I briskly walk toward the station.

Adachi-san was there.

She was in black skinny jeans, a crop top, and a jacket, messing around with her smartphone.

It’s difficult to approach and talk to her, but technically, I’m her boyfriend.

Summoning courage, I move closer to her.

…I can’t speak up. She has a really stern look on her face.

Still, it’s rude to keep her waiting, so I timidly try to speak.

“Um, excuse me.”

“Huh?”

Scary.

She’s glaring at me, really glaring.

“Oh, it’s you, Endo. You’re here.”

Realizing it’s me, a smile emerges on her face.

…Honestly, I thought she was cute.

Anyway, ‘you’re here’? What? Scary.

First, let’s apologize for being late.

“Uh, sorry for keeping you waiting.”

“Nah, it’s fine. I just got here early.”

If I agree, she’ll probably beat me up.

“But your casual clothes, huh. Nice.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Huh? You don’t have anything to say?”

Ah, this is what Haruka taught me yesterday!

“Um, well…”

“Hm?”

“You’re really stylish.”

I didn’t know how to compliment her properly. I just said the first thing that came to mind, but I know it’s not good.

Mistakes are immediately apparent. Life is difficult.

“Stylish… pff.”

She laughs through her nose.

“Endo, I didn’t expect much from you, so it’s okay. Minus five points.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“Why are you saying thank you?”

Is that negative? Are we in society now?

Anyway, let’s go eat.

“And then, Shiori is really mean, you know. It made me so nervous…”

We went to a stylish café near the station for lunch.

Adachi-san chose a pancake set.

I chose pasta.

I wondered if pancakes alone would be enough, but what arrived was three times larger than I expected.

Can Adachi-san eat all this by herself?

That worry was not unfounded.

“Phew, I’m done.”

Adachi-san puts down her fork and knife and slides her plate of pancakes toward me.

“Ah, are you full?”

“Yup. It was supposed to be a shared pancake anyway. I can’t eat it all alone.”

Shared pancake. I see. That’s the concept.

“Then, I’ll help myself.”

“Go ahead.”

She starts playing with her phone while I cut into the pancake she’s already started and bring it to my mouth.

…Wait? This is basically an indirect kiss, right?

No, it’s not weird to think that at my age, right? Everybody does it.

Honestly, I couldn’t really taste the pancake.

“Today, I have a place I want to go, so let’s just wander around until then.”

After leaving the café and wondering what to do next, Adachi-san made a suggestion. There was no reason to refuse, so I agreed.

Our destination was a large shopping mall. Probably for window shopping. I understand the behavior of girls during such times because I occasionally go with Haruka.

“What do you usually do on your days off, Endo?”

We have a casual conversation with Adachi-san.

Even though we’re dating, we don’t know anything about each other.

“So, usually, I stay at home, clean, cook, stuff like that.”

In fact, I don’t really have any hobbies to speak of.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I ask Adachi-san a question.

“What about you, Adachi-san? What do you usually do?”

“Hm. I mostly hang out with Shiori and the others. Sometimes we go somewhere with Kenta and the gang too. You know, because Hana and the others are dating.”

As expected, the social butterflies, or “Ikejo” group, seems to be close and often hang out together. Just from the atmosphere in the classroom, I can tell Kiryu likes Adachi-san, and Ninomiya seems interested in Kondo.

When you think about it, it’s amazing. Lines are intertwined. The only ones who seem to have a straightforward relationship are the baseball boys and basketball girls.

I suppose that, as you hang out, relationships between boys and girls naturally form. Not that I have any friends.

…Did Adachi-san never have anyone she liked within the group?

Actually, why am I even walking next to Adachi-san right now? Until I know the true affection behind her confession, I won’t be able to resolve this feeling.

“You’re really smart, aren’t you, Endo?”

“Um, I guess so.”

“I really admire that. I’m so-so.”

“Adachi-san, I think you’re amazing too.”

I was happy, so the words just slipped out.

“Oh? Where?”

A little flattery appears in Adachi-san’s eyes.

Oh no, did I steer the conversation in a weird direction? Calm down. There are plenty of great things about Adachi-san.

Stylish? No, that’s not a compliment.

Trendy? That’s also probably wrong.

Crazy Yabamizawa? I don’t even know what that means anymore.

“Um.”

“Hm.”

This is bad. Really bad. I have to say something quickly.

“Well, you’re really kind. When you confessed to me, I was actually really nervous, but your voice was so gentle that I initially thought of just asking to be friends, but when I heard your voice, I wanted to date you. So, um.”

I rushed and ended up adding unnecessary explanations.

“Huh?”

Adachi-san looked stunned.

Her face gradually turns red. Realizing what I had blurted out, I also became too embarrassed to look at Adachi-san’s face.

“Ah, I need to go to the bathroom for a bit!”

The conversation paused, and as I shifted my gaze to the items in the store, Adachi-san said that and ran in the direction of the women’s restroom.

To wait for her, I sat down on a bench located a little away. Casually looking around, I noticed an elderly woman squatting with heavy bags.

Although there are people around, nobody is talking to the old lady. Feeling a bit of sadness and irritation at the situation, I run over to her.

“Um, are you alright?”

I was a bit out of breath, but the old lady seemed to hear me well.

“Ah, thank you. I’m just a little tired. Just resting.”

She replied. But it didn’t look like she was just resting.

“Excuse me. If it’s not a bother, shall I carry those bags to your destination?”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll be able to move after a little rest.”

The old lady hesitated, but I decided to take the bags anyway.

“It’s okay. I’ll carry them properly. Let’s go to that bench over there.”

I took the old lady’s hand and started walking toward the bench where I was sitting earlier.

“I’m sorry. I got separated from my granddaughter, and she said she would come to pick me up in a little while.”

“No problem. Does your granddaughter know where this is?”

I was a little worried because we had moved away. But then,

“Grandma!”

A girl about my age ran toward us.

“Oh, you’re early, Hina-chan.”

“Oh my God, why were you here? I was worried.”

She had strong-looking eyes and ash-colored pins holding her hair, which reached her shoulders. A very cute girl. This must be her granddaughter.

And she was Ninomiya.

“I’m sorry. I felt a little sick. This young man was helping me.”

“Ah, sorry. Thank you for helping my grandma! Wait, Endo-kun?”

She bowed her head deeply and then quickly raised it.

“Ah, hello, Ninomiya-san.”

“Endo-kun… Thank you so much. You really helped my grandma. Ah! I’ll give you something as a thank you!”

“It’s totally fine. I’m glad they were able to reunite. I’m also keeping someone waiting, so I’ll excuse myself. See you at school, Ninomiya-san.”

Adachi-san must have returned from the bathroom by now. If Ninomiya sees me with her, she’ll definitely misunderstand, so I want to avoid that.

“Alright, I understand. I’ll thank you again later!”

“Don’t worry about it.” Waving goodbye to the two, I approach the area near the restrooms where Adachi-san is fiddling with her smartphone, looking in my direction.

“You did well.”

She comes closer with a slightly teasing smile.

“Sorry for making you wait, Adachi-san.”

“Hm, it’s okay. Was that Ninomiya? It’d be problematic if people found out we’re together.”

It seems Adachi-san doesn’t want our relationship to be public knowledge. But for some reason, Kiryu from the Ikejo group knows about us. Maybe she’s an exception because she’s a close friend?

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“I thought you weren’t the type to do such things, but you’ve changed my mind. Plus five points.”

Oh, I’m back to 100 points. …It’s 100 points, right? Not zero because of the plus and minus, right?

“So, shall we go to the place I want to visit?”

“Ah, sure, that’s fine.”

We leave the shopping mall and pass through the ticket gates, as we apparently need to take a train to our destination.

After a few minutes on the train, we arrive at one of the larger general sports halls in the prefecture. …Wait, what? The sports hall is our destination? Are we here for physical exercise? Looking at Adachi-san, her stylish outfit could also be interpreted as sporty.

Blending sportswear and fashion must be another trait of the Ikejo. Respectable. I didn’t ask what we’d be doing, so it’s my fault. My current outfit is fine for running, so there shouldn’t be any problems.

“I think we’ll be fine, Adachi-san.”

“Hm? Fine with what?”

“Ah, we’re not running?”

“Heh. We’re not running. We’re here to watch a game.”

…Of course. Yeah, I knew that. What was I thinking with the blending of sportswear and fashion?

In the three-court gymnasium, a basketball game is underway. We sit in the upper rows of the bleachers. Looking closely at the teams, I see our school’s basketball team practicing. The game must be starting soon.

Now I understand. Adachi-san came here to support the game.

“Today, Kenta has a game, and I wanted to watch it. Sorry.”

“Ah, I see. No problem, I’ll cheer too.”

“Thanks.”

The game begins. Our basketball team isn’t particularly strong, but the team captain, Kenta Kondo, shines even to a basketball novice like me. Every time he scores, the crowd erupts in cheers. Even as the team struggles, Kenta’s leadership lifts the spirits of his teammates.

It’s clear that Adachi-san’s focus is solely on Kenta Kondo.

…Her eyes are those of a girl completely in love.

The game ends. The score is a close 82-79, a loss. Teammates praise each other with tears, and the audience gives them a big round of applause.

“Shall we go?”

Adachi-san quietly stands up, signaling it’s time to leave.

“Don’t you want to meet him?”

“I’m fine, I got to watch the game.”

“Alright.”

As we exit the gymnasium, I make a quick detour to the restroom. Because it’s near the bleachers, the entrance is a bit far from where I left Adachi-san waiting. After finishing up, I hurry back to her. As I do, I overhear her talking.

“You came too, Riko? Wasn’t today supposed to be your date?”

“Yeah, sort of. We were nearby, so I thought we’d stop by.”

From the voice, it’s probably Kiryu talking. She must have come to support Kenta as well.

“Isn’t it unusual to come watch a men’s basketball game on a date? Your boyfriend must be really understanding.”

“Nah, it’s fine.”

“Wasn’t it a mediocre date if you came here?”

“It’s fine, okay? Shiori, you should go too. He’s about to come back.”

“I haven’t seen him yet, your boyfriend. Why don’t you join us for the celebration party? Ah, is it a secret?”

…For a moment, I can’t understand the meaning of the words. Uso-koku. Fake confession. Ah.

“It’s really okay. You’re being persistent.”

Adachi-san didn’t deny it.

“Alright, alright. Sorry. I’ll go join the guys then. Mai and the others are still in the cheering section.”

“Hm.”

As I hear Kiryu’s footsteps walking away, I hide in the shadows of the building for about two minutes. I can’t sort out my feelings.

Adachi-san is playing with her smartphone, probably waiting for me. I should hurry.

“Ah, Adachi-san.”

“You’re late.”

Upon seeing me, Adachi-san’s face slightly brightens.

Looking at that face, my chest tightens.

“Adachi-san, there’s a post-game gathering for the basketball team, right? You should join that. I’m feeling a bit sick.”

“Really? Are you okay? Let’s go home together.”

“Why? It was a fake confession, right?”

“Huh?”

“I overheard you talking with Kiryu-san. Sorry. So, it’s fine.”

Unable to take it anymore, I turn my back on Adachi-san and run away. Will she realize I’m not actually sick? Well, it doesn’t matter. I need to get away from here.

“Wait! It’s not like that! Endo! Wait!!”

I hear Adachi-san’s voice behind me, but I don’t stop.

I don’t really remember how I got home that day. Before I knew it, I was lying on my bed in my room. Haruka must have said something when she saw me, but I wanted to be alone.

It took a long time to stop crying that day.

Ah, I guess I really did like Adachi-san.