Chapter 40

Chapter 40: A Perfectly Ordinary Event Scene

Summer grasses—

All that remains of warriors’ dreams.

The event grounds, which had spent the day rising and falling between excitement and disappointment, excitement and disappointment again, were now nothing more than an ordinary field.

Once the event ended, all the passion, cheers, and drama vanished as though they had never existed.

The venue setup had been fairly simple to begin with, so most of the dismantling was already finished. What remained were the food stalls and vendors, but those fell under the jurisdiction of the Event Management Club.

The audience that had displayed such astonishing unity only moments ago had dispersed in every direction.

Professors returned to their laboratories with skewers of grilled chicken still in hand. Students who had been drinking beer wandered off toward part-time jobs, after-parties, or whatever else awaited them.

Life resumed.

As though the chaos of the Childhood Friend Derby had merely been a fleeting dream.

“Well then, Kirishiro-san. I hope we can continue working together in the future.”

“Likewise. I’ve learned quite a lot from this experience.”

And so, remaining behind were the members of the Event Management Club discussing future plans with us—

And one defeated dog.

“…………………………..”

That dog, naturally, was Inugashi Kaito.

The man who had briefly, gloriously become the protagonist.

Only to be crushed immediately afterward.

“Then let’s discuss the details another day.”

“Of course. I look forward to working with you.”

With bright smiles, Vice President Nirazaki of the Event Management Club and I shook hands, bringing the discussion to a close.

Looking back on things, the event had probably ended slightly in the red.

The latter half had seen food and drink sales skyrocket, but it had never been a profitable project to begin with. A modest loss was unavoidable.

More importantly, however, I had demonstrated my ability to attract a crowd—even if my methods had been somewhat forceful.

That was a significant achievement.

The Event Management Club was, at its core, a gathering of festival enthusiasts.

As far as they were concerned, if an event was fun, then a little financial loss was a small price to pay.

“We’d rather keep hosting events,” seemed to be their philosophy.

Maintaining a good relationship with them would certainly be useful in preserving my perfectly ordinary university life.

“Hm. Looking back, it was a good event.”

“More importantly, are you really planning to just leave that there?”

After the adult discussions concluded and we were about to begin our postmortem meeting, Taketsuru spoke up.

By that, of course, he meant Inugashi.

The man who had remained frozen in place ever since the event ended.

“Even if you say ‘leave him there’…”

After shining brilliantly for a single moment at the end, Inugashi had immediately been silenced beneath the overwhelming weight of numerical reality.

As a result, he’d transformed from the designated hate sink into a tragic protagonist.

Or at least he should have.

Several sympathetic people had approached him.

“Cheer up! Getting rejected happens!”

“Don’t let it get you down!”

“Plenty of fish in the sea!”

Yet he had responded to none of them.

Not a single word.

I wasn’t planning to abandon him.

But honestly…

What exactly was I supposed to say?

I didn’t even know the full history between him and Meiko.

Just as that thought crossed my mind—

The hallucination popped into existence.

──────

『Inugashi Kaito』

Status: Emotionally Numb

Kaito had always been an obedient child.

He listened carefully to those around him.

He was talented.

Gifted.

As the successor of a ninja lineage stretching back generations, his future had always been considered bright.

Kaito himself never questioned any of it.

He was taught.

He learned.

He followed instructions exactly as given.

And everything worked out.

Because of that, he never had a reason to doubt the system.

People called him a genius.

A once-in-ten-years prodigy.

That was how Inugashi Kaito was evaluated.

Then one day, he met Nekoyanagi Meiko.

A girl his own age.

A member of the main branch of the ninja families.

Someone standing above even him.

Intrigued, Kaito approached her.

When he learned her family carried significant debt, he casually offered assistance.

“Wouldn’t it be easier if I helped you?”

A perfectly natural proposal.

At least, from his perspective.

Then Meiko thoroughly beat him into the ground during a practice match.

Not even close.

The once-in-ten-years genius couldn’t touch her.

Couldn’t even reach her.

Because Meiko was different.

She was a monster.

The greatest prodigy the Nekoyanagi family had ever produced.

Kaito was stunned.

Unable to accept what had happened, he asked her:

“Why are you so strong?”

Meiko’s answer was simple.

“Because I think for myself and work hard, I guess?”

That answer changed his life.

After that day, Kaito stopped blindly obeying others.

He stopped accepting instructions without question.

No matter who gave advice, he would first compare it against his own judgment.

Only after convincing himself would he act.

And it worked.

Remarkably well.

The once-in-ten-years genius became a once-in-a-century genius.

But there was a side effect.

In matters of love, his own feelings and everyone else’s advice never aligned.

No matter what anyone told him—

“I think my way is better.”

—that became his guiding principle.

Because his instincts worked everywhere else.

Because his judgment was usually correct.

He couldn’t admit that romance was the one area where his intuition was fundamentally broken.

And so his misguided actions continued to irritate Meiko.

Again.

And again.

Until eventually, the distance between them became impossible to bridge.

──────

The hallucination disappeared.

So that was the story.

In short…

His emotional development had stalled somewhere around elementary school.

The kind of kid who believed:

“Girls like red roses, obviously.”

And then never updated the software.

Because trusting his own judgment worked in every other aspect of life, he became convinced it would work in romance too.

Even when reality repeatedly proved otherwise.

Honestly…

Even after learning all that, I didn’t have much to say.

It wasn’t particularly tragic.

Nor especially profound.

It was simply a teenage boy suffocating beneath his own swollen ego.

If Kuwajima suffered from the “Middle School Delusion Curse,” then perhaps Inugashi suffered from the “Adolescent Boy Curse.”

The kind of curse found in countless light novels.

I’ve seen plenty of characters like that.

Characters who continually miss each other because they can’t let go of their own assumptions.

And there’s really only one cure.

Accept that you were wrong.

Grow up.

Become an adult.

“Meiko.”

“Yeah?”

“I just saw his past through a hallucination. Want me to put him out of his misery?”

I asked the question sincerely.

How did Meiko see Inugashi now?

Once upon a time, he had probably just been another boy.

A peer.

Someone sharing the same circumstances.

Someone she could naturally call a childhood friend.

But somewhere along the way—

At least where romance was concerned—

He had transformed into something completely different.

Meiko wasn’t stupid.

Far from it.

Her insight bordered on frightening.

She undoubtedly understood Inugashi’s feelings.

And if she understood them and still rejected him—

Then that was the answer.

Human relationships were cruel.

Mutual love wasn’t normal.

It wasn’t guaranteed.

It was something special.

Even the head of the Inugashi family probably viewed this entire situation bitterly.

After all, Kaito was a once-in-a-century genius.

If not for his hopeless romantic dysfunction, the family’s future would have been secure.

Perhaps the proposed marriage between him and Meiko hadn’t merely been about debt.

Maybe it had been a desperate attempt to stabilize him.

And since I was the one who had completely shattered that possibility—

Perhaps it was my responsibility to deliver the final blow.

That was why I asked.

My mother had assigned us the Ordinary Examination with the instruction:

“Handle Inugashi yourselves.”

But if Meiko truly wanted it, I was willing to step away from that test.

I had been prepared for that possibility.

Yet—

“It’s okay. I’ll do it.”

For once, Meiko smiled at me sadly.

A genuine sadness.

Come to think of it…

This was only the second time I’d ever seen that expression.

The first had been the night she informed me she would be getting married.

“Kaito.”

“Meiko!”

The moment he heard her voice, Inugashi reacted.

The same man who had ignored everyone else instantly looked up.

His eyes carried the desperate hope of a drowning man reaching for driftwood.

Meiko’s eyes, meanwhile, were cold.

Not cruel.

Not angry.

Simply the gaze of someone standing safely aboard a ship, looking down at a drowning person below.

“The book I like. Why did you remember it?”

She spoke in formal language.

Polite.

Distant.

The choice of words alone illustrated the distance between them.

Under our watchful eyes, Inugashi answered.

“I remembered… because back then…”

“Because you regret it?”

“…………”

He fell silent.

Meiko maintained that transparent smile.

Then continued.

“I remember too. Back when we were about to enter middle school, you asked me what my favorite novel was. I answered Holy Remains Chromaconia. Do you remember what you said?”

“…………I…”

“Something like, ‘If you’re reading such a stupid book, then the day I surpass you must be close.’ Wasn’t that it?”

Bitterness visibly crossed his face.

Still, he desperately tried to defend himself.

“I was young! Afterward I became curious and read it properly! I reread it over and over! I even kept up with the sequels! I… I wanted to talk to you about it!”

“This is the first time I’ve heard any of that.”

She paused.

Then gently shook her head.

“And besides… No. It’s too late.”

“What…?”

At that moment, Meiko glanced at me.

And I remembered.

The first time she’d lent me that novel.

She hadn’t seemed particularly confident I’d read it.

When I told her I had finished it, she’d looked genuinely surprised.

When she asked whether I’d enjoyed it, she’d done so cautiously.

Almost fearfully.

So that was it.

That hesitation had been a defense mechanism.

A tiny scar left behind by an old betrayal.

Which was why—

“Gouto-kun finished it in a single day. He gave me his thoughts immediately. He didn’t exactly call it amazing, but he immediately asked for the next volume. Do you understand? Do you understand how much that meant to me?”

“Wait! Please wait, Meiko! I—I really did—!”

“That’s why it’s too late.”

Her voice remained calm.

Steady.

“I won’t return your feelings. Everything I am already belongs to Gouto-kun. A shinobi’s oath isn’t revised.”

“……………!”

Historically speaking, hadn’t ninja changed masters all the time?

The thought crossed my mind.

But I wisely kept my mouth shut.

Because Taketsuru and Kuwajima had each firmly seized one of my shoulders.

The pressure radiating from them clearly communicated:

Do not.

Say.

Anything.

“Goodbye, Kaito. The person who used to be my childhood friend. And now… Someone unrelated to me. At least don’t misunderstand the meaning of those words.”

“Meiko… uuu… aaaahhhhhhh…!”

Inugashi’s knees gave out.

He collapsed to the ground.

And cried.

Not dramatically.

Not heroically.

Just a young man finally confronting a reality he could no longer deny.

Meiko left him there and returned to us.

“It’s done. Sorry, Gouto-kun. Depending on how things go, this might hurt your exam score.”

Her face still carried traces of sadness.

But there was relief too.

The relief of someone who had finally settled a long-standing issue.

In other words—

The matter of Inugashi Kaito was over.

Completely.

I nodded.

“That’s fine. And honestly? I’m grateful for this moment.”

“Huh?”

Meiko blinked.

Taketsuru and Kuwajima both stared at me with expressions that plainly asked:

What nonsense is he about to say now?

Ignoring them, I walked straight toward Inugashi.

Then cheerfully declared:

“Alright, Inugashi! Now that that’s settled, let’s make up and become friends!”

“Huh?”

“WHAT!?”

“Eh!?”

“Gouto-kun!?”

Every single person present was stunned.

Even the Event Management Club members who were still cleaning up stopped what they were doing.

But why?

Why was everyone so surprised?

Had they never seen a perfectly ordinary story before?

“Do I really need to explain?”

“Yes, Kirishiro,” Taketsuru replied.

“Please enlighten us ignorant fools as to what exactly is going through your head.”

Since he asked, I reluctantly explained.

Honestly, I would have expected Meiko to understand immediately.

“I study these things, you know. When two people fight by putting everything they have on the line, they become friends afterward with a surprisingly high probability. Especially when they’re fighting over a woman. The standard sequence is that the loser eventually says, ‘I’ll leave her in your hands.’ That’s why I organized this entire conflict in the first place. To reach that perfectly ordinary event scene. So come on, Inugashi! Let’s reconcile! Entrust Meiko to me wholeheartedly! Your problem gets solved! My perfectly ordinary daily life is preserved! Everybody wins!”

“………E-Eh?”

Inugashi stopped crying.

Instead, he stared at me as though witnessing an unknowable cosmic horror.

Strange.

All I was doing was behaving like a perfectly ordinary college student.

Was that really the look one gave a worthy rival?

──────

【Me @ Apparently Appraisal Skill★】

Comment:

“There’s seriously something wrong with your mental state…”

──────

The hallucination sure talks a lot of nonsense.