First Story – Let Me Listen to Your Lingering Regrets Part 5.2

The road to Yuji"s home was blocked. We went ahead and waited for him on his way home.

"But Senpai, what are you planning to do by personally talking to Yuji? Are you seriously going to ask him straight if he has feelings for Shion? But he rides a bike to school, will you just call out to him to stop?"

"It"ll work out somehow." Senpai answered nonchalantly with a horrible whistle.

"He"s coming." Riding the bicycle, Yuji was heading towards our direction. Not knowing what to say, I hid behind a telephone pole.

"Jump out". Senpai whispered.

"Huh?"

"I"m telling you to jump out! Go!" Hurriedly saying so, Senpai pushed my back. Unable to stabilize myself, I fell forward on the road.

"Wha–"

"Ahhhh!"

Yuji"s bicycle stopped right before it hit me. I would"ve been hit if he was riding it a little faster.

"Are you okay?" Senpai ran to me and helped me up. How shameless of him to lie  when it was him who pushed me.

"I"m sorry! Were you hurt?" Yuji asked worriedly. 

"Yeah…"

"She"s fine. This girl is just clumsy and gets into trouble everywhere. Sorry if we surprised you." Senpai was blabbering nonsense. This was the first time I wanted to kill someone. 

"Were you really not hurt? I"m so sorry."

Yuji got off his bike and bowed in apology. Such good manners, Senpai should learn from him.

"Don"t worry, she"s really fine… Eh?" Senpai looked at Yuji with an exaggerated expression.

"Could you possibly be Yuji?"

"Um, yes." Yuji stared at me and Senpai in shock. "Have we met before?"

"No, we haven"t. Actually, we"re relatives of Shion Kisaragi. We"ve heard a lot about you from her."

"Miss Kisaragi"s relatives?"

"That"s right. She said you were good friends and showed us your photo. She kept saying you were too handsome so I remembered you." I told him as I ma.s.saged the lump on the head. Is this part of my job? I swear I"ll get my revenge someday.

"I see." Yuji"s expression darkened.

"What a great coincidence that we ran into each other like this. I"m quite curious to know what kind of friends Shion used to hang out with. Can we chat for a bit?"

"Huh? But it"s already late…"

"It won"t take too much time. Let"s talk at the coffee shop over there. In fact, there"s something I"d like you to ask you as well. Come on."

After hesitating for a moment, Yuji eventually agreed.

"Seems like you got along well with Shion-" Senpai suddenly took a sip of his coffee, so his words were abruptly cut off.

"Not really, it"s just that we had many chances to hang out together. I"m sorry to hear what happened. My deepest sympathy." As the steam from his coffee wafted towards his chin, Yuji explained.

I"m not sure if it was his really his taste or he was just being polite but Yuji ordered the cheapest coffee. Senpai also ordered the same, although I doubt whether he really knew the different types of coffee. Meanwhile, I got cinnamon tea. 

"That"s kind of you." Senpai said as he shifted his body shifted into a more relaxed position.

"Shion often talked about you. She said you were cool, smart and friendly to everyone." 

"Kisaragi did?" Yuji"s brows curled into confusion.

"Something wrong?"

"Nothing, I was just surprised. Miss Kisaragi never told me that herself. That"s what I liked about her. Other girls would normally shower me with flattery words… I mean, I do appreciate it but it gets annoying sometimes." Yuji bowed his head as his face reddened.

"Sorry, that sounded like I was bragging about myself…"

"It"s fine. There"s nothing wrong with saying you"re popular. So then, what kind of person was Shion for you?"

"Well, she was a quiet girl who didn"t talk much. Mostly she"d just nod and agree to whatever I say." Saying that it made him feel comforted, Yuji continued. "Although Miki and Miss Kisaragi were best friends, the three of us hung out a lot together. But even so, she didn"t talk to me much. That"s why, learning that she told you such things about me was surprising."

Senpai nodded in agreement.

"She also got along well with Miki, right?"

"Yes. If Miki was the sun, then Miss Kisaragi was the moon. The two of them were very close. But like I said earlier, Miss Kisaragi was very quiet. We didn"t talk much and when we did, it felt like she was forcing herself to talk to me. But she did give me casual replies." 

"It"s hard to decipher a woman"s heart. Shion might have had the same thinking as him, right?" Senpai took another sip of his coffee as he ruffled my hair. Even if he asked me, I wouldn"t know since I"ve never been in love. But it seemed like I had to say something somehow.

"I think Shion really liked you. Miki as well. She said the three of you are good friends." That should be a reasonable and safe answer, right?

Senpai asked me to refill his coffee, so I complied.

"Yes, the three of us hung out a lot together. Probably more than I hung out with my male friends? I first met Miss Kisaragi after I entered high school and we became cla.s.smates. I once forgot my textbook and she silently shared hers with me. But when I thanked her, she was still quiet. That was quite embarra.s.sing."

"So that"s what happened." Senpai remarked.

"I"ve never seen her interact with someone else other than Miki. I was always worried about her especially when Miki was away. I don"t know how to explain it but it felt like I couldn"t leave her alone. And she also had a charming smile."

"That"s what you liked about her, right?" I heard myself saying. It seemed like Shion"s feelings have somehow reached him.

"I"m not sure if I liked her or I just couldn"t leave her alone…" Yuji answered evasively.

"Yuji." Senpai said as he sipped his second cup of coffee.

"It bothers me a bit, but you"ve been referring to Shion by her surname but you call Miki by her first name. Is there a special reason?"

"Oh, I didn"t notice it at all." While playing with the spoon in his cup, Yuji croaked. 

"How do I say it… Miki"s easy to get along with. Our personalities really match. With Miss Kisaragi, it always felt like there was a wall between us. Like there was a territory I couldn"t get into. So without realizing it, I just called Miki by her first name and Shion by her last name. 

Senpai raised his brows slightly.

"Even though you were friends with Shion first?"

"Indeed, we became friends first but without Miki, we wouldn"t have developed a close relationship. The two of them were always together so we naturally became friends. It"s a bit rude to say this but it was like Miss Kisaragi was always following Miki."

"It"s fine, it"s better to be honest. I"m sure Shion wouldn"t mind." Senpai noted after thinking for a while.

"But… It"s rude to say this but it seems like you have moved on quite fast. Wasn"t Shion your close friend?" 

There was a look of surprise in Yuji"s face.

"I"m sorry if I offended you. But I"ll be honest. Now, I"m more worried about Miki. She seemed to be doing well but after Miss Kisaragi pa.s.sed away, it was clear that a hole had opened up…"

Looking rather helpless, Yuji ground his teeth in vexation.

"They were like sisters. Miki was the older sister and Miss Kisaragi was the younger one. I don"t think anyone would be able to move on from the grief of losing like your half. I feel powerless. Only Miss Kisaragi could fill the hole she left."

Senpai nodded in understanding. "Now, you"re more concerned about Miki than Shion, aren"t you."

"Yes. No matter how hard it is, the ones who are left behind have to continue living. This may be cruel to say considering you"re her relatives but, we can"t live in the past. More than anything, I want to take care of Miki now."

"That"s right. That makes sense." Senpai replied in a calm tone. 

"Lastly, is it okay if I ask you a weird question?"

"Yes."

"Then I"ll be direct. Did you have any romantic feelings for Shion?"

"Romantic feelings?" Yuji"s eyes went wide in shock.

"That"s… I didn"t have any romantic feelings for her. Wasn"t it the same for her? In any case, we were just really good friends."

"Is that also the same for Miki?" As Senpai asked, Yuji bowed his head and his ears went red.

But after a while, Yuji admitted. "Miki is special to me. Even though the three of us were always together, I really got along well with Miki. Even though as the school idol, Miki"s like an unattainable flower, I like her.

Hearing that, my shoulders dropped in disappointment.

"The investigation ends here, right? Such a cruel result for Shion…"

"Hmm?" As if I wasn"t here, Senpai answered absentmindedly.

"But will Shion be able to accept this? Won"t she become a wandering soul?"

"It"s hard to understand a man"s thoughts. Besides, didn"t you say Yuji"s popular among the girls? The person himself wasn"t concerned about it. It"ll be fine."

"You think so?"

"Of course. Temporary feelings fade over time. Although in this case…"

"Is there anything wrong?"

"Yuji said that Miki and Shion were like the sun and the moon."

"What about it?"

"Well…" Senpai scratched his head.

"Let"s check out Miki as well. We still have time."