Chapter 18: Signs Before Disappearing
"Good morning~"
"Morning~"
...Accompanied by the morning greetings from students, a new day began once again. For Aragaki Takiya, the usual classes held no sense of novelty. Additionally, since he rarely put energy into socializing, he was now naturally enjoying his break time.
"Aragaki, don't you have any other friends? I see you spacing out every time."
"Friends? Of course I do. Besides you guys, Kato, I also know a friend named Hachiman Hikigaya. It's just that he's in the hospital right now. I can introduce you to him once he's discharged another day."
"Hospital? Is it serious?"
"It's not a matter of whether it's serious or not. A few days before school started, Hachiman... how should I put it, he was injured while performing a courageous deed, so to speak. He's still recuperating in the hospital, but he should be out soon."
Aragaki Takiya said thoughtfully. He had originally planned to visit Hachiman Hikigaya a few days ago, but the daughter who suddenly fell from the sky had disrupted his plans. Thinking about it now, he felt a bit sorry for Hikigaya.
"Is that so..."
Watching the pensive Aragaki Takiya, Kato Megumi's thoughts seemed to drift back to a few years ago. He didn't seem any different now than he did back then, or was it just that she hadn't noticed?
...*Ring ring~*
"Ah~ Class is finally over..."
Hearing the familiar school bell, Aragaki Takiya's tense nerves began to relax. His academic performance was only upper-middle tier, so he kept his mind focused during class to maintain his attention. Only the ringing of the bell could allow him to recover his state.
"Forget it, I'd better go buy a bun to tide me over, otherwise they'll be sold out if I'm late..."
Watching the students leave in groups of two or three, Aragaki Takiya gave up on continuing his rest. Since the school lunch break was less than an hour, he hadn't chosen to bring a bento. Thus, when he got hungry at noon, a bun became a good choice.
Arriving at the familiar vending machine, Aragaki Takiya skillfully inserted coins and took out a bun, buying a bottle of juice along the way, and then began looking for a place to rest.
The classroom?
Uh, there might be other people chatting in the classroom, so it wasn't a very good choice.
Maybe the rooftop would be a good choice?
Having made up his mind, Aragaki Takiya decided to spend his break on the rooftop. However, as he passed the entrance of the school building, he suddenly spotted Kato Megumi eating a bento alone in a corner.
"Should I go over to Kato's side?"
This thought suddenly popped into Aragaki Takiya's head and grew uncontrollably. While he was hesitating, Kato Megumi, sitting on a bench, also noticed the boy standing not far away. She smiled and waved. With just that simple gesture, Aragaki Takiya knew he had to change his mind.
"Is Kato always alone at noon?"
"Isn't Aragaki the same?"
The girl didn't answer Aragaki Takiya's question directly, but instead spoke similar words to his with a smile. Hearing this, Aragaki Takiya instinctively froze for a moment, but he didn't say anything and quietly sat down beside her.
"Want to try some~?"
The girl's voice sounded in his ear. Aragaki Takiya, his train of thought interrupted, shifted his gaze. What entered his sight was a hamburger steak held by chopsticks.
"Uh, I'll pass. I didn't bring any utensils, and I already bought a bun..."
Aragaki Takiya shook his head, declining the other's kindness. He disliked accepting favors for no reason. Although he and Kato Megumi were friends, eating someone else's bento for free always gave him a strange feeling.
"Alright, I guess I'll have to enjoy it by myself then..."
Seeing him refuse, Kato Megumi didn't say anything. She just quietly tasted her bento, occasionally shifting her gaze to the soccer field not far away. There were students playing soccer there even at noon, but whether it was a shot on goal or a ball being intercepted, her expression didn't change at all, as if watching this soccer match was the same as watching ordinary flowers.
"Does Kato have anything she's interested in?"
"Eh? Why do you ask that?"
Hearing Aragaki Takiya's question, a ripple appeared in Kato Megumi's otherwise calm expression.
"Um... I just feel like you're not interested in those common sports, and usually when everyone gathers together, you just follow along with what others are doing. I even remember Aki-san having you try out bishoujo games last time, so I was a bit curious..."
"Ah~ Interests? Window shopping, shopping, and looking at celebrities and stuff... those should count..."
The girl recalled her hobbies while observing the boy's reaction. Aki Tomoya had also asked this question before, but she didn't know if the boy in front of her would give a different reaction.
"I see. Then Kato's interests are quite broad."
Hearing her answer, Aragaki Takiya nodded. Compared to him, she already had broad interests. After all, besides reading novels, he had no other hobbies, and as for bishoujo games, he had never even touched them.
"Is that so? Then does Aragaki think these interests are very ordinary?"
"Ordinary? Why do you say that?"
Listening to her question, Aragaki Takiya was a bit puzzled. He couldn't associate interests with the word "ordinary," or rather, he had never thought those two words could be combined.
"Because Aki-san asked a similar question before, but when I mentioned these hobbies, he thought they were very ordinary."
The girl's tone didn't fluctuate at all, as if the subject of the question wasn't herself.
"Interests and hobbies shouldn't have anything to do with being ordinary. After all, if it's something you're interested in, how can it be ordinary?"
Aragaki Takiya explained while thinking. Perhaps he could say a certain person was ordinary, but he couldn't link it to interests. After all, for everyone, how could the things they're interested in be ordinary? So-called ordinary interests are probably just relative... "Hey! Can you see me?"
While Aragaki Takiya and Kato Megumi were chatting away, in a convenience store outside the school, Shiina Kaede encountered something that terrified her. Even though she just wanted to pay for the things she bought, the cashier in front of her seemed unable to see her.
"How can this be?"
Looking at the cashier who still hadn't noticed her, Shiina Kaede felt like fleeing the place, but then she seemed to think of something and hurriedly pulled out the phone Shiina Mahiru had given her yesterday.