Himeouji 8 (Patreon)

8 - The Three People’s Path

RAW

Even after that, the momentum did not stop——.

Students, teachers, and many other people involved in the school made repeated apology pilgrimages in an effort to be forgiven, but Himeouji stubbornly refused to listen.

He treated everyone equally and was always polite to his elders, but now he only opens his heart to Yuuma.

Perhaps because of this, even Yuuma, who was clearly treated as a special existence, had people getting close to him, asking him to somehow intercede with Himeouji.

“It’s troubling”

“I got you”

At lunch time, when they were limp and tired, the two reported with only such short words and encouraged each other toward their future school life.

“Enough already, they should just give up… I didn’t even reply, you know?”

“That’s exactly why it spread here though…”

“Aah, I see!”

“It’s not ‘I see’ okay?”

“Haha, Yuuma, is good at tsukkomi too huh?”

“It’s not a tsukkomi though!”

It may not sound like encouragement if you hear it from the side, but it was a fun conversation for both of them.

As they cannot talk satisfactorily in the classroom, talking and laughing in places like this is a form of nourishment, if it can be put that way.

“In the classroom, how should I put it, our time, or maybe leeway… the space is”

“Maybe we'll just have to endure it for about a month.”

The classrooms are constantly overflowing with people, not just every morning, but at every break time, with a steady stream of visitors.

Some people seem to receive the apologetic, fawning treatment of the flip-floppers as a feel-good factor, but for both of them it's not.

If they were no longer harboring malice, then they should just stay away and not get involved like they used to——to those around them, they both thought so.

“One month huh… that’s long, that’s crazy long”

“Aaah, it doesn’t feel that way…”

“Because it was painful. If it wasn't for Yuuma, I might have been broken.”

It's been about a month since the incident——that's the time until the arrest the other day.

There was a wall called Yuuma along the way, even so, the malice didn't stop, and Himeouji was probably hurt in a place Yuuma didn't know about.

“...Thank you, Yuuma. Not only I, but my parents and the housekeeper are also very grateful.”

“No... I was actually going to call out to you sooner. Because of my hesitation, I was quite late... sorry.”

“Eh, is that so?”

Come to think of it, Yuuma hasn't told him that.

“... I didn't know if I should call out to you or just leave you alone. But, as expected, I knew that If I see that kind of complexion on you, it'd be bad to leave you alone.”

“Nn… looking at it from outside, that might be true.”*

Himeouji squints his eyes, perhaps remembering that time.

“Then——I’m glad I went to school by bicycle, even if I had to push myself to do it.”

“... If I didn’t meet you at that time, I’m scared just by thinking about it.”

“We both have good luck huh.”

Yuuma looked at the giggling Himeouji, carefully considering something.

In fact——even if that happened, he would surely be fine.

He was cornered that much, and must have wanted to be released.

“Reaally——you did your best, Ryou”

“...Yuuma, you’ve been saying that all the time. That ‘you did your best’”

“Eh? Did I really?”

When he said it like that, if he thinks back on it, it certainly might become his favorite phrase.

“...It's probably because my old man used to praise me like that.”

Mostly when they were riding their bike, but his father's compliments were always like that——it feels like.

Himeouji, hearing this, seemed to want to ask something for a moment, but then smiled vaguely, as if he couldn't make up his mind.

“He is a good father. He still did maintenance even though it’s so sudden, he even lent the bike.”

“Aah… well, that’s right.”

Talking about his family, especially when it comes to compliments, makes him feel embarrassed——at the same time, it's also painful.

At the time, Yuuma's expression may have been slightly distorted, reflecting his emotional state.

“...Yuuma, this may be something you don't want others to hear, but can I hear it?”

Himeouji said so, as she had finally made up his mind one beat later.

“That set up, I can kinda imagine what it is.”*

Sure enough——what he wanted to talk about was about his mother, and his sister.

…

“My mother cheated on my father and they got divorced, and apparently my sister is the child of the man she cheated on him with. I didn't even know about it for a while after the divorce, I only found out in middle school.”

However, even after that, Yuuma still treated Nishina Miu as his little sister, and she adored Yuuma as his older brother——back then, at least.

After a while, the mother married that man, but despite him being the real father, it seems that his relationship with his daughter wasn’t good.

“Well, that's why… I don't know if she was looking for a father figure, but she might have been dependent on me.”

Hearing the story, Himeouji furrowed his eyebrows as if he couldn't sort out his mixed emotions.

“...That might be why she’s so desperate.”

Of course, Nishina was among the people who fawned them.*

She calls Yuuma ‘brother’ and reverts to calling Himeouji 'Ryou-kun', and treats him in a friendly manner, as if he has opened up to him.

Or maybe it should be said——it was an attitude one gave towards his older brother and his best friend who liked him.

Of course, Yuuma was unmoved, but Himeouji seemed to be at a loss as to what to do because of this story.

“This isn’t something you should care about, she's not a kid anymore.”

They should make their own decisions about socializing, if they’re involved in a crime aside, if they’re not, then it’s their own fault.

“Well, I say that, but I’m the one who spoiled her though.”

“That might be true…”

“Please say ‘that’s not true’!”

That's impossible——said the laughing Himeouji, but he seemed to agree about Nishina.

“Well then, let’s see——I'll forgive her if Yuuma forgives her, let’s go with that.”

“It's going to be a heavy burden for me…”

“Let’s just say, it’s your responsibility for spoiling her.”

“...I got it, I’ll do something about it.”

If the already heavy burden on Himeouji could be reduced even by just one person, it wouldn't be a bad thing, he thought.

“So——since it’s a good opportunity, can I ask you about everything else?”

“‘Everything’?——is there anything else?”

“There is! First, that… things like, about Kitabayashi-san…”

He is somewhat reserved probably because he heard that Yuuma and Kitabayashi were childhood friends before, and thinks that it was his fault that they became estranged.

“Kitabayashi and I lived close to each other, so we've been together a lot for a long time. Because of that relationship, our parents also got along well, and just as we were about to have a family——the divorce incident happened.”

(T/N: it cut off, I think it was ‘about to have a family get-together with both families’, the one from chapter 1.)

Since then, only Yuuma and his father have interacted with the Kitabayashi family, and his mother seems to have cut ties with them.

As for Nishina Miu, she is Yuuma's younger sister, and it seems that she was allowed to interact with Kitabayashi Ayaka, albeit not actively.

However——that may change a little due to this incident.

After all, Ayaka herself is now being treated coldly at home.

“Eh? Really?”

“It's her own claim, so I don't know how much I can believe that.”

In the Kitabayashi family, the only boy's name that was talked about was Yuuma, at least until they graduated from middle school.

This was also the reason why the parents were probably secretly hoping that eventually——.

However, when the daughter entered high school, she only started only mentioning the name of another boy——namely, Himeouji, and even when asked about Yuuma, she only gave a curt response.

Even if they weren't her parents, they would have noticed something had happened.

If it's just a difference of feelings, it's still——.

Such expectations of her parents were completely betrayed when even Himeouji’s name was not mentioned for a while because of the false accusation incident after that.

Perhaps because the sensible Kitabayashi family's parents were disappointed with their daughter's dishonesty, although they didn't blatantly reject her, they said they couldn't treat her like they used to.

“——Wait, Yuuma, isn’t that too detailed? Did Kitabayashi-san tell you all that?"

“No… her parents, came to my house to apologize…”

“Th-that… how should I put it, thank you for your hard work…”

Due to these circumstances, although a cold treatment is probably an overstatement, she has been shown a curt attitude by her family, and is feeling depressed.

When they were together, she invited him to her house, probably hoping that by doing so they can show that the relationship is back on track, improving her treatment.

“——I was too shameless after all. Nishina-san aside, you have no intention of forgiving Kitabayashi-san and the student council president, right?”

“Eh? Are you bringing up the president as well?”

Obviously, I would——Himeouji opened her eyes wide. It’s a bit scary.

“Ever since they found out about my false accusation, I heard that they haven’t put their heart into their work at all. Other members have been asking me to come back when they came to apologize.”

“I've heard, too, that jobs are not going around in all sorts of places.”

The problem is not just a lack of motivation on Hibiki Toujou's part, but Himeouji’s departure in the first place has led to a fraying of most of the work he had taken on.

“I did properly hand it over, you know? Because they wouldn't ask anyway, I even left them the detailed instructions I made, and if they used them, it would have been fine somehow.”

The indignant Himeouji snorted, but according to the leak that Yuuma heard, it was purely due to the student council's incompetence.*

The part that was supplemented by Himeouji's resourcefulness, cannot be covered due his absence, it’s starting to collapse from that part.

“——With how angry you are, it seems you don't have any intention of returning.”

“You’re the same aren’t you? You even got a love letter from the president.”

“It's just a solicitation letter... please don’t call it a love letter, seriously.”

Letters from Toujou arrive almost every day to the fed up Yuuma.

Whenever Yuuma opened the shoe rack everytime he went to school, it was always placed there, like a horror newspaper, and every time he looked at it he felt like his lifespan was dwindling.

“...By the way, what kind of things are usually written?”

“Why do you even ask, that kind of thing”

“We-well, you know… just, out of curiosity?”

For some reason, Himeouji is embarrassed. It could be that, he has never received a letter from a girl.

(For example, maybe he only ever received direct confession, that’s something only allowed to happen to someone who has a beautiful face…)

“Aren’t you thinking something strange? Though, if you don't want to say it, I won't ask.”

“No, it's seriously a solicitation letter. It doesn't matter, you can just read it.”

Yuuma mindlessly handed over this morning's portion, thinking that the content is not really a big deal.

Without hesitation, Himeouji opened it and looked through it.

Yuuma, whom I trusted, I am extremely sorry that I betrayed you due to a momentary hesitation.

As of right now, I haven't called out to Himeouji anymore, I haven't invited him, I've only apologized once, and I don't follow him around because it might trouble him.

Even so, I want Yuuma, only you, to stay by my side and support me.

The blame lies completely with me, it's fine if Himeouji won't forgive me, even so, I only want Yuuma to forgive me.

I'll do anything if you have forgiven me, so I want you to come back.

As long as Yuuma is here, we can overcome any hardship, that’s what I believe——.

Roughly speaking, the contents are like that.

“——See, it’s not a big deal right?”

“Like hell it’s not! This is definitely a love letter!”

“No, like I said, it’s a solicitation letter… ‘We are in trouble, please help us out’, was what it said right?”

“That’s right, that's a solicitation letter!”

Throwing back the love letter, or rather the solicitation letter, Himeouji crossed his arms and sat back in his chair with a thump.

“That's the one you should never take. You won't be able to escape.”

“Don’t worry, I don’t feel like taking it. After all, I’ve learnt my lesson.”

Even as he said this, Yuuma thinks, this might be a bit of, you know, a grudge.

As soon as he entered high school, he was rejected one after another by his childhood friend and younger sister, Yuuma was looking for a relationship to cling to, no matter what it is

That was when he remembered her, who said that she would definitely call out to him.

And so, when Yuuma went to the student council room, he was cut in two with a single stroke.

Yuuma felt sorry for selfishly making that his last bastion, but he felt that the shock of being rejected was greater than the previous two because of that.

Because of that, he holds a stronger grudge——maybe he hasn't completely overcome it yet.

I wonder if she’s trying to clear away these feelings——.

“——No, there’s no way it’s like that.”

“Eh, what's up all of a sudden—ah, did I say it out loud?”

“Yeah, you did. With all your heart!”

Face to face, finger to finger, brows furrowed, Himeouji said.

(T/N: I’m pretty sure it’s an idiom. But the dictionary doesn’t tell me anything.)

“Either way, she should have approached you from the start. But she got a strange sexual urge and only approached me, and that's why this happened. It's all her own fault."

He said this more eloquently and quickly than usual, his hand patting his shoulder with a pop.

“You shouldn't bother with that person any more. It's just a waste of Yuuma's feelings, for that person.”

Himeouji concluded, and repeated this over and over again as if to persuade him. It was an extraordinarily rare sight——.

————

(T/N: I might decide to take a break once in a while. so, don't be surprised if there's no release. Though I doubt the break will take more than one day. also, depending on the chapter length, it may take more than one day to translate it, so again, don't be surprised if there's no release.)

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