“Takuto.”
On the train heading towards Ichinatsu Town Station after finishing practice at the studio, Sako quietly spoke up.
“Hm?”
“Um, what do you think of that person, Maika-san?”
“What do I think...? what's that supposed to mean...?”
While confused by the sudden question, I realized that this was the reason for her bad mood at the counter earlier. But what was this? This atmosphere of accusation emanating from this blonde girl...?
“Just answer.”
Looking at her serious face, I tried to think about it for a bit.
“No, it's not like I think anything. She's just someone I talked to for the first time today, right? If anything, we hardly spoke at all today. I just said ‘Domo’. My conversation count with her is the same as yours, Sako.”
“Hmm...”
Her shapely cat-eyes peered even deeper into my expression.
“What are you trying to say...?”
Feeling uncomfortable, I asked for her true intention while averting my eyes, and Sako gave a small nod.
“You might not be aware of it yourself, Takuto, but both at the After-Festival Party and today, when you're looking at that person, you have the same face as you did ‘back then’.”
“Back then?”
Sako exhaled a little and said.
“When you first lent me amane's CD at our house.”
“Ah...”
I see. I'm starting to understand a little of what Sako wants to say.
“In other words, are you worried that I might have the same feelings for Kamino-san that I have for Ichikawa?”
“That's part of it, but it's a bit different.”
Then, Sako shook her head slightly.
“If anything, I'm saying the fact that you say ‘Ichikawa’ there is the dangerous part.”
“What does that mean?”
Not understanding, I knitted my brows.
“Mmm... I'm not very good at putting difficult things into words.”
“I know that, but you're the one who started talking, Sako...?”
“If you know, then it's fine.”
Saying that, the corners of her mouth rose by only 0.something millimeters, and Sako began her explanation.
“Basically. Um... Takuto, you admired amane, and before you knew it, those emotions became your current feelings for Ichikawa-san, right? You don't remember where that boundary line was, do you?”
“Well... yeah.”
Certainly, there wasn't a clear moment when my feelings changed.
“So, although you told that Ariga-san person what you did, you yourself might actually be uncertain about how much of a distinction you're making between ‘Ichikawa Amane’ and ‘amane’, or something like that.”
It sounded like a vague ending, but this was Sako's way of being sincere.
Sako was by no means a talkative person. She surely had many things on her mind, but she lacked confidence in expressing them, so rather than stating things definitively, she tried to lead me to the answer by making me think.
“Hmm, what I said to Ariga-san back then wasn't a lie, though.”
“I know that.”
“Is that so...”
I organized the task given to me by Sako.
In other words.
I explained to Ariga-san that my feelings toward amane were ‘admiration’ and my feelings toward Ichikawa Amane were ‘love’.
But Sako is saying there's a part I don't understand. That's true.
It's certain that those two feelings (‘admiration’ and ‘love’) exist, but I don't know if they are completely separate feelings that coexist, or if they are just two different names for one connected feeling seen from different sides.
Or rather, I don't even know what I'm saying right now. Yuri-neesan, help me...
That being said. There's still one thing I know.
“If you're talking about me eventually going for Kamino-san, that won't happen. I'm not that unprincipled.”
“I know that too. If you were a bit more unprincipled, I would have changed my moves too.”
“Hey...”
When I tried to vaguely rebuke her ominous phrasing, Sako spoke in a clear voice as if to cut it off.
“Anyway, it doesn't matter, but seriously don't go falling in love with some senior who just popped up out of nowhere after breaking up with Ichikawa-san. Honestly, even Ichikawa-san is someone who just popped up out of nowhere from my perspective.”
“Out of nowhere...”
The topic became difficult to answer, and a sudden silence fell.
Feeling somewhat awkward, I said, “By the way, if it's something I shouldn't ask, please ignore it, but what was that conversation the other day about?” I tried changing the subject.
“What was ‘the other day’?”
“The talk with Hazama.”
“Ah...”
After showing a sign of hesitation, Sako said, “Well, mainly it's a story I didn't want Ichikawa-san to hear... but if it's Takuto, it's fine.”
She looked straight into my eyes.
“But, do you really want to hear it?” she questioned.
“Um, well...”
I nodded back at those eyes.
“Hmm, fine then.”
Sako took a long breath and told me in one breath.
“You know, I told him once again, ‘I have no intention of dating Kenji’.”
“Seriously...?”
That was a more solid topic than I had imagined.
“Yeah. ‘So, think properly about Erina’.”
Was Sako okay with that? The question crossed my mind, but there was no way I could ask that.
Even so, this childhood friend probably sensed it somehow.
“It's not like I can switch over that easily either,” she continued.
At this point, the intention behind her earlier question “Do you really want to hear it?” hit me hard. Sako knew very well it would turn out like this.
“Even so, it's not like I'm trying to start something with Takuto at this point, which is obvious.”
Still, Sako continued to speak, and even so, the corners of her mouth rose by 0.something millimeters.
“I still want to cherish the ‘me’ who liked Takuto for now.”
“I see.”
I couldn't say ‘thank you’ or ‘sorry’ here, and no other suitable words came to mind, but I thought I would at least accept that powerful statement. I didn't really know if this was right, though.
“Why don't you want to tell Ichikawa about that?”
I think telling me is much harder.
Then, she said.
“That person, despite being a genius, is quite considerate.”
“Because amane is a very precious place for me.”
Sako tightened her lips and then quietly announced.
“I don't want to destroy any more precious places.”