"Hi! What are you doing here, Hoshino?"
Even though she was asking, there was not a hint of doubt in her eyes. She already knew why I was here.
...Is there any need to keep this up?
Realistically, there wasn't. If we both knew the other was lying, then there was no point in keeping it going. And yet, her smile didn't waver, nor did mine.
I didn't know about her, but my reason was simple:
My pride wouldn't allow it.
This was how I'd chosen to live—and I was going to do it until the end. I was sure she felt the same.
Then... whoever breaks first loses.
A single tear slid down Mei's cheek, cutting through the matted dirt and sweat. I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket, bent down, and wiped it away.
"What are you crying for? Are you that happy that we won?"
Mei giggled, her fingers curling around my wrist. "Why wouldn't I be? This is my last sports day… of course I'd get emotional!"
"I didn't know you were the type to cry over something like that."
Mei's eyebrow twitched.
"You didn't? The first time we met in kindergarten, you made me cry just like this."
"Well, you were also a kid back then. People change."
"You think so?"
My hand stopped for a split second.
"Of course, I think so. Do you think people just stay the same forever?"
"Hahaha, good point. You've changed a lot since then!"
"How so?"
"You used to be such a pure kid! Now look at you."
My smile strained.
"Well, what can I say? I've changed." I paused. "I don't think you've changed that much, though."
Mei tilted her head. "Why's that?"
"Well," I said, my voice low. "Back then, people always asked you for favours, and you did them happily. You still do now. I don't get how you've managed to keep that up over the years."
The dried tear on her cheek grew cold, as if it had been frosted over.
"...What can I say, I like helping people!"
"Even if they don't help you back?"
She suddenly grew still.
After a few seconds, she drew a sharp breath.
"Yes!" she said, her voice dropping an octave. "As long as I can help, that's all that matters to me!"
A tense silence filled the alley as we both ran out of things to say. I continued wiping away her tears, passing the time.
By this point, I was tired. So incredibly tired. And I knew she felt the same. Yet, neither of us stopped.
I glanced at her sleeves.
A bitter taste tainted my tongue.
I don't want to do this…
I took a deep breath.
But…
And parted my lips.
It's time to put an end to this.
I would've liked to avoid this for as long as possible. I was more aware than others of how much effort Mei put in to become the perfect student.
But if it meant choosing between that and myself—the answer was simple.
…Sorry, Mei.
"Why do you always wear long sleeves, Mei?"
Her whole body jolted.
She looked up at me, a flicker of an all-enveloping black in her eyes.
It almost looked as though she was... pleading, begging me to stop.
I looked straight into that darkness.
It's too late, Mei. I'm sorry.
Her eyes widened as the realization slowly hit her. She opened her mouth, desperate to say something.
"It's because–"
"That time when I ran into you, you said you were on a jog, yet you didn't change out of your school uniform."
I took a short breath, then continued.
"Throughout the whole day, you kept your jacket on the whole time. Even though you should have been hotter than anyone else."
Her fingers—which were still curled around my wrist—tightened. I didn't stop.
"And one more thing…"
The darkness in her eyes grew deeper and deeper, consuming my reflection within them.
"Please!"
I stared at her with cold eyes, my smile unwavering.
"When we practiced for the three-legged race, your grip around me loosened—as if it hurt to hold on..."
I swallowed hard, then pushed the remainder of the words out.
"What are you hiding, Mei?"
Everything stopped.
Her grip loosened until her hand fell limp at her side. She stopped breathing, stopped blinking, and so did I.
Our eyes stayed locked onto each other the whole time.
Then, slowly, Mei's smile fell.
There was no hate. No anger. Just—nothing.
"...You win."
Her voice was devoid of everything—no pitch, no emotion, just a flat, hollow sound.
I let my own smile slide off until it fell into the same cold, detached expression.
Mei chuckled. "Wow. You look awful."
"So do you."
Mei grabbed me by the collar and pushed me away. I staggered back a half step. Her head lowered as she grabbed her arm.
"If you want to know so bad… then I'll show you."
She slowly rolled up her sleeve, pulling the fabric back toward her elbow.
My eye twitched slightly.
...I knew it.
I didn't scream. I didn't run. I just looked. It was all I could do.
"...Looks like it hurts."
On her wrist were multiple slash marks. They extended from a little bit below her palm halfway up to her forearm.
Mei looked at me and offered a hollow smile. "It does, but it isn't the worst."
My throat constricted as I pushed the words that had formed on their own down.
...Yeah. I guess so.
Unable to bring myself to say anything, I reached for her sleeve and gently pulled it back down.
"Wow," she whispered. "How gentlemanly of you."
I couldn't help but chuckle.
"What a sick joke."
"I can only say something like that because it's you."
"...You got me there."
After pulling down her sleeve, I slowly got up and held out my hand.
She stared at it before shaking her head. She traced her gaze along my arm before it finally settled on my eyes once more.
"...I don't want to go home."
"...Neither do I."
Mei grabbed my hand and tugged me down. She didn't have enough strength to pull me down, so I went willingly.
I sat down next to her. Not too close, not too far.
"Then... let's not go home," she said, her gaze fixed into the distance.
I didn't give her a reply. I just stayed where I was.
Within the shadows, our hands still held onto each other, gripping tight—never letting go.
It wasn't romantic.
It wasn't pure.
It was something broken.
And we were both fine with that.
End of Volume 3: A Phony.