SCPK 62

Chapter 62 

 School Festival Day 2①

“Ugh… I really couldn’t sleep at all last night.”
I’d been restless ever since. Yesterday had been really tough.

It was just past 7 a.m. in the morning. It was still way too early, but since I had nothing to do, I decided to go to the Kannagi house early.
I used the spare key to get inside. Seiya and Tsukiyo were probably still asleep.

“Whoa!”
“Ah!”

As soon as I entered, I saw Tsukiyo sitting in the living room chair.

“G-Good morning.”
“G-Good morning.”

For some reason, it felt awkward… like there was an unspoken distance between us.
After that confession, I had somehow managed to carry the completely asleep Tsukiyo all the way to the Kannagi house.
I used the spare key to get inside, just contacted Seiya and Mizusato-san, laid her down on the bed, and went home.
I couldn’t undress her, of course, so I left her in her uniform. Don’t get me wrong—I didn’t do anything naughty!

Tsukiyo was still in her uniform… well, the only difference was her hair, still soft and fluffy, carrying the scent of shampoo. She must have taken a morning shower.
Thinking of her just out of the bath felt… strange somehow.

“You’re up early today.”
“I went to bed too early yesterday… so I woke up at dawn. You’re early too, aren’t you, Taiyō-san?”
“I’m kind of the same.”

Tsukiyo stood up and picked up her school bag.

“Shall we take a detour on the way to school?”

Since Mizusato-san, Sera-san, and Urahara-san were there, Seiya wouldn’t oversleep. Today would be fine.
So Tsukiyo and I took a different route to school than usual. I wonder how much she remembers.
If she remembered up to the part where I hugged her, that would be extremely embarrassing.

“Today’s your viewing day, right?”
“Yes. Nothing special is happening, so I’ll definitely watch the play.”
“They really put a lot of effort into it this time. The performances of the two leads are a must-see.”
“What about your princess, Tsukiyo? I’m more interested in that part.”

Tsukiyo blushed and shyly pressed her lips together, looking adorable. The leads were Seiya and Amatsu, right? Seiya’s lead role was supposed to be kept secret, so it would probably cause a huge stir.
The story: the top two guys from Mr. Con try to win the heart of the girl who got second place in Miss Con. And the rest was written by Urahara from the literature club. It seemed like it would be interesting.

As we walked through the morning park, casually chatting, Tsukiyo’s behavior started to change slightly.
It seemed like she was probing… Tsukiyo turned to face me.

“T-Taiyō-san… about yesterday…”
“Yesterday… what about it?”

She had brought it up after all. If we kept walking like this, we’d reach school soon.
Tsukiyo asked with a slightly anxious expression.

“Yesterday… on the way back… from the time we were walking on the road, I… I have no memory at all… did I do something?”
“Do you really remember nothing?”

Tsukiyo nodded hesitantly.
I see… she doesn’t remember from that point.

“When I realized it, I was at home, lying on the bed… my uniform had been taken off, and I was just in my underwear.”
“Whoa! Wait a second. I carried you to the bed, but I didn’t do anything! I just asked Mizusato-san to take care of the rest!”
“I-I see. Thank goodness…”

Why do I have to do things so halfway… it’s stressful.
From Tsukiyo’s perspective, she must’ve been shocked to wake up like that… same for anyone who had been undressed.
But whether it was good or bad that she didn’t remember… I couldn’t tell.

“I’m not sure if it was a dream… or reality…”

Tsukiyo lowered her gaze, her face turning red. Even her ears were bright pink.

“I… dreamed that I was being hugged by Taiyō-san on a park bench… it was… so vivid.”

She spoke carefully, as if savoring each word. Her memory around this part was really hazy.
I wondered how she’d react if I said, “Yes, that really happened.” Would she become even more embarrassed?

I smiled gently at Tsukiyo and answered.

“Nothing happened. Nothing happened yesterday.”
“I-I see… then maybe it really was a dream.”

I had already sensed, for a while now, that Tsukiyo’s feelings for me weren’t just affection—they were love.
From the hiking trip we went on together, to the school festival preparations… even yesterday’s omelet rice incident… these couldn’t be explained by mere friendship.
I had no idea what drew her to me… but Tsukiyo was probably in love with me. She was too shy to say it out loud.

If I were to ask her to go out with me, we might be able to become a couple.
But I would never confess to Tsukiyo.
I cannot accept her feelings.

Ever since that time… my heart hasn’t changed.

That’s why nothing happened. Nothing happened yesterday. Everything is fine as it is.

“Phew…”

Tsukiyo and I continued on to school.
The second day of the school festival had begun.

…Little did I know that the choice I made would later mark the beginning of a massive explosion.