Episode 10

“You can wear this.”
“Thanks.”

I pulled the tracksuit jacket over my arms. It was her size, so it was small — constricting, the sleeves too short.

“Ha. I knew it — too short. You look like you’ve outgrown it.”

Fujishiro was laughing.
That was unusual. She usually smiled with that cool, knowing expression. This was different.

She led me by the hand to the sofa, and a mug of cocoa appeared in front of me. Fujishiro was watching me with a steady, happy expression.

“Why don’t you stay tonight?”
“What?”
“You don’t have to feel awkward about it. No one’s coming home.”
“Even so — knowing you, you’d do something strange again. So no.”

Part of me was reluctant to impose — but the bigger part was the uneasy feeling of not knowing what Fujishiro might do.

“Then I’ll sleep on the sofa and you take the bed.”
“Why has staying the night already been decided?”
“If you go out now you’ll get cold again. I’ll lend you my exceptional bed.”

Why did Fujishiro always decide my plans with that self-satisfied air?

I found it irritating and unwelcome — and yet something in me couldn’t refuse, which made the feeling worse. Still, her point about not going back out into the cold had some logic to it.

“Haah…… I’ll sleep on the sofa.”
“Morishita, you really are stubborn. — Oh, by the way, why did you come to that place today?”

My heartbeat picked up at those words.

I had been reaching for Fujishiro without realising it.
I had gone to that shrine looking for Fujishiro.

But I couldn’t say that, so I turned the question around.

“No particular reason. Why were you there?”
“I had a feeling you’d come.”
“Don’t lie. You said you’d been waiting every day.”
“Ha — you’re right, I did say that.”

I had no idea what she found funny, but she gave a small laugh and brought the cocoa to her lips.
I lifted my own mug to drink — and stopped.

“There’s no chance this cocoa is somehow salty, is there?”
“That’s a bit much, even for teasing me.”
“The salt rice ball left some real scars.”
“Morishita, you really have no tact.”
“Okay, okay.”

I drank the cocoa. A viscous liquid spread across my tongue. The texture was terrible — part liquid, part undissolved powder.

And then——

Sweet……
Sickeningly sweet……

Fujishiro couldn’t even make cocoa properly, as it turned out.

Where was this fabled capable person?
Fujishiro was, beyond all expectation, a remarkably inept human being.

How anyone at school could venerate her as supremely talented and able to do anything was completely beyond me.

It was strange of me to say, but Fujishiro was, if anything, below average.

“Fujishiro — you really can’t do much of anything, can you.”

It slipped out, and the moment it did I panicked at how rude it was — but Fujishiro just gave a small, satisfied smile.

“No one’s ever said that to me before.”
“Why are you pleased about it? I’m making fun of you — saying you’re good at telling lies.”
“I’m good at presentation.”

This time she stuck her tongue out and looked at me with undisguised delight. Whatever I said seemed destined to be absorbed into her preferred interpretation of things, so I closed my mouth and gave up.

After that, neither of us said much of anything more.

The cocoa made me sleepy, and we ended up brushing our teeth and going to bed.

Fujishiro was arranging a blanket on the sofa.

“Are you really going to sleep on the sofa?”
“Because you said you didn’t want to share.”

That was true — and yet it wasn’t what I meant.

I’d never stayed at someone else’s house before, so I didn’t know what was right. Should I take Fujishiro’s offer at face value? Or steel myself for whatever she might do and just share the bed?

“Morishita’s making a rare stern face——”

I was wrestling with it all, and Fujishiro, oblivious, was peering happily into my expression. The irritation of it made me grab her arm.

“Fujishiro can just sleep in the bed too. I’m not shameless enough to take someone’s bed all to myself.”

I couldn’t bring myself to just say let’s share — that was too embarrassing. Even the words I’d managed felt like my face might combust.

When I said it, Fujishiro went suddenly quiet. The only sound left in the room was the drip of water from the kitchen tap.

“All right. Let’s go, then.”
“Don’t do anything strange.”
“Wow, no trust at all.”
“Obviously.”

I let her pull me by the arm into her room. I’d been lying on this bed reading manga countless times — nothing had changed — and yet somehow the scent of Fujishiro felt more vivid than usual.

She must use a floral laundry detergent. A very pleasant, flower-like smell.

I lay down on the bed and faced the wall. I pressed myself as close to the wall as I could and decided to ignore Fujishiro entirely and go to sleep.
That was my resolution — and then she did something.

A hand was placed lightly on my back.

“I said don’t do anything strange.”
“Putting a hand on someone’s back counts as strange? That’s a high bar.”
“It’s not.”
“I’m glad you came today, Morishita.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“I was worried that maybe things between us were over.”
“That’s your fault for doing something strange.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

What a peculiar person — apologising so meekly and still wanting to stay connected. There were plenty of people at school who could take my place, and yet Fujishiro kept choosing me. I couldn’t understand it.

Turning it over and over, my eyelids grew very heavy.

Sleepy…….

The warmth spread from wherever her hand was resting, moving through my whole body — and sleep came over me in waves, and I was gone.

The next morning, I left early, while it was still barely light, leaving a note of thanks behind.