Chapter 37 Words That Must Be Spoken
Standing at the school gate was Kanade.
Though he superficially had the energy to respond to the students greeting him, inside, he felt extremely nervous and uneasy.
Not long ago, Nagi’s sister Sayaka had messaged Kanade, asking if he wanted a ride to school today.
He had flatly refused.
He still hadn’t figured out how to face Nagi.
In this situation, staying in a confined space with her would be nothing short of torture for Kanade.
At the same time, there was another concern on his mind—
What kind of attitude would Nagi have towards him?
From their chat on Line last night, he learned that Nagi had a habit of keeping a diary, which was fortunate for her given her amnesia.
But did her diary contain anything related to him?
If so, what would it say?
Kanade thought back to the innocent and carefree Nagi who had once been by his side.
Then, images of her running away from him at the aquarium, after his confession, flashed through his mind.
The thought of “she has feelings for me” had been proven to be merely an illusion after that day at the aquarium.
The atmosphere of mutual affection between them had only been a facade they wore while pretending to be in love, and he had misunderstood it.
Thus, a tragedy had ensued.
So, what did he actually mean to Nagi?
Perhaps he was just an unremarkable childhood friend who made her feel at ease?
The kindness and smiles she showed him were nothing special.
After all, she was equally warm and considerate to others, treating them with a cheerful smile.
That was why Nagi was highly regarded by her classmates.
In the past few days, countless students concerned about Nagi had sent gifts to her, asking Kanade to deliver them.
“It’s already over…” Kanade silently sighed in his heart.
Whether he was willing to accept this fact or not, his relationship with Nagi had undoubtedly come to an end.
Nagi’s amnesia was merely a delay in the arrival of this outcome.
She would eventually regain her memory.
And when that time came, he would not be able to stay by her side anymore.
For a brief moment, Kanade felt a sinister thought flash through him: “As long as she doesn’t regain her memory, it’s fine.”
It was an utterly despicable thought, so ugly that it made Kanade feel nauseous.
As if heavy iron chains were—
—binding that angel, imprisoning her by his side.
“Good morning, Kanade~” Sayaka’s voice pulled him back to reality.
At the moment he had spaced out, an extravagant-looking car had stopped in front of him.
Sayaka rolled down the window.
Her exquisitely beautiful face revealed a captivating smile that drew the attention of passing students.
“Good, good morning, Sayaka-nee…” Kanade hurriedly bowed and greeted her.
At that moment, a cute head poked out from the back seat of the car.
“Good morning, Kanade… Kanade-kun?”
Nagi tilted her head as she spoke, seeming a bit unsure of her choice of address.
Upon seeing Nagi, Kanade felt a weight settle in his heart.
But he remembered he couldn’t show any expression that would make Nagi uneasy, so he forced a smile.
“Good morning, little Nagi…”
After the three exchanged greetings, Nagi opened the car door and got out.
Was it because they hadn’t seen each other for a few days?
Today, Nagi was wearing her uniform, radiating a shy and gentle aura.
She seemed entirely different from her usual sunny and cheerful self.
What surprised Kanade the most was that while Nagi usually wore black pantyhose, today she was only wearing white socks, revealing her long and plump legs.
In the sunlight, her fair skin on her thighs was somewhat dazzling.
This detail made Kanade acutely aware of the fact that Nagi had lost her memory.
She was no longer the Nagi he remembered.
So how would she treat him now?
If she had lost all memory of their time together since childhood,
Then between them, he was just an unremarkable stranger.
Feeling self-loathing and guilt, Kanade happened to make eye contact with Sayaka, who was sitting in the driver’s seat.
She gave him an encouraging look.
“Now, I leave it to you two young people! Little Nagi, I’ll pick you up after school, so don’t wander off~”
“Okay, I understand, thank you, Onee-chan.” Nagi nodded in acknowledgment.
Her demeanor and actions made it hard to believe she had lost her memory.
After waving Sayaka goodbye, Kanade found himself at a loss for words, unsure of what topic to bring up.
“Um, Kanade-kun? Is it okay if I call you that?”
“Y-yeah, little Nagi, you can call me however you like.”
Just like before.
Whenever Nagi and Kanade were alone, she would always initiate the conversation.
This remained true even though she had lost her memory.
“Really? Thank you, Kanade-kun. Sorry for making you wait here.” Nagi respectfully lowered her head in gratitude.
This made Kanade feel a bit uneasy.
But before he could respond, Nagi scratched the back of her head and revealed a shy smile: “Is this a bit different from the usual me?”
“N-no… It’s very much your style, little Nagi.”
“Really? But my diary says that greeting Kanade-kun should be more like this…” Nagi showed a puzzled expression.
Kanade was curious about what she had written about their daily greetings in her diary.
Seemingly sensing Kanade’s curiosity, Nagi explained:
“The diary mentioned that when greeting Kanade-kun, it should reflect my personality…”
“P-personality? Ah~!” Kanade paused for a moment to understand.
She meant that the greeting should be sunny and energetic, right?
“Surely Kanade-kun knows that too!? Then let me do it again—”
Nagi clenched her right fist against her mouth and cleared her throat, as if preparing to start over.
“I have no interest in ordinary humans; only aliens or time travelers—”
“—W-wait a minute!!!” Kanade hurriedly interrupted her, “What’s this!?”
“A greeting that reflects my personality.”
“Isn’t this just too much personality!? Is your last name not Hoshimiya but Suzumiya instead!?”
“But this is what mentioned in my diary, the scene for the first greeting, okay?”
“Are you sure you didn’t mix it up with some light novel?!”
“Eh~?”
“Why are you the one looking surprised? The one who should be surprised is me over here!”
“Could it be that the farewell method mentioned in the diary is also wrong?”
“Let me ask—”
“—I love you, and this sentence is definitely not a lie.”
“That’s too heavy!? Is it a forever goodbye? Is it a forever goodbye!?”
…..
“Heh heh heh… Just like what it says in the diary.”
In the end, Nagi couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Kanade-kun is the kind of gentle person who will join me in messing around no matter how strange my words are.”
“Ah, no…” Kanade also came back to his senses and shyly lowered his head.
Just now, their interaction made him temporarily forget Nagi’s amnesia.
“But, Kanade-kun… there’s something I feel I need to tell you…”
Nagi suddenly seemed to remember something, and her expression became serious.
Seeing this, Kanade could not help but feel his previously calmed heart start to race.
“…What do you want to say?”
Kanade unconsciously swallowed, his Adam’s apple moving slightly.
“Kanade-kun…” Nagi spoke in a low tone.
“…I think it’s not right for a minor to read such strange books.”
After saying that, Nagi’s cute face turned slightly pink.
“…Huh?”
“And, and although I shouldn’t judge others’ interests… I just think it’s inappropriate to be involved in such things at such a young age—”
“N-no, no, wait a second!”
Little Nagi, what on earth did you write in your diary!?
In that moment, Kanade developed a strong interest in Nagi’s diary, filled with curiosity about its contents.
He thought to himself that if he ever had the chance, he needed to take a good look at it.
