“Would you like to go to karaoke? I thought I’d like to hear your singing in advance.”
“Ahaha. Is that just an excuse to ask me out on a date, Akasaki-kun?”
As usual, Rin teased him and laughed loudly, but Haruya maintained a serious expression throughout.
He had come prepared.
That seriousness must have shown on his face.
Seeing this, Rin let out a light sigh.
“Geez, you’re such a worrier. I’ll prove to you that my singing is fine♪”
“…Thank you.”
She’s willing to come to karaoke.
Just getting that commitment was good enough.
“Well, we haven’t had much chance to talk lately, just the two of us.”
“Yeah.”
And so, Rin and Haruya headed to the karaoke place.
They were both silent during the journey.
Usually, she would cheerfully provide topics of conversation, but seeing Haruya’s serious demeanor, she seemed to have refrained from doing so.
Upon arriving at the karaoke box, they decided on drinks and entered the room.
Sitting on the sofa and taking a sip of her melon soda, Rin spoke up.
“— The Eika Festival preparations were tough, weren’t they? It got busier day by day, so it feels both long and short in a strange way.”
“Yeah. I feel the same way.”
“So~? The reason you suddenly became worried about my singing and asked with such a serious face… was it because of Sayucchi?”
…Sayucchi, huh.
That must be Kawada Sayuki’s nickname.
Haruya couldn’t hide his bewilderment at how close the two had become during band practice.
(… Huh, Sayucchi? I feel like she was always terrified of that gyaru-like girl until the band practice started…)
“I knew it, Sayucchi told you.”
Rin sighed, as if seeing through his expression.
“It’s just that I was concerned…”
Haruya picked up the remote control while averting his eyes from her.
Even from the corner of his eye, he could feel Rin’s gaze piercing him.
He had picked up the remote somewhat reflexively, but her eyes seemed to be pleading [You’ll sing, won’t you?].
“I’m looking forward to hearing Akasaki-kun’s singing.”
“…You haven’t forgotten the purpose of why I called you out today, right?”
“Ah~ yeah. I just need to let you hear my singing, right?”
“…Well, if you understand.”
In reality, that was just to ease the atmosphere.
To make it easier to peel off her iron mask, even if just a little…
However, thinking about it now, he realized he knew depressingly few songs he could sing.
(I’m not good at singing…)
Perhaps because he had no intention of singing himself, Haruya panicked at this moment.
Now, what should he do?
While pretending to be calm, as a desperate measure, the song Haruya chose was…
[♪～～～～]
As the melody started playing, Rin’s face contorted with a “Ugh.”
Ignoring Rin’s expression, Haruya started singing with a refreshing look on his face.
After finishing the song and quietly sitting down, Rin spoke up immediately.
“Akasaki-kun, it’s not funny at all to resort to joke songs just because you’re bad at singing.”
Her voice was very low.
No, it’s scary…
Was Rin’s true face this frozen?
It made him feel that way, and Haruya broke out in a cold sweat.
“…Sorry.”
As he made a fist on his knees and shrank his body, Rin let out a light sigh.
“Seriously. I’d be much happier if you sang with all your heart, even if you’re not good at it… I honestly don’t mind if you’re not good. Well then, it’s my turn now~”
The cold voice from earlier was nowhere to be heard, and Rin cheerfully took the remote control, laughing.
“Alright, let me prove how good my singing is.”
She stood up from her seat and brought the microphone to her mouth.
Rin began to sing along with the melody.
(…Oh no. She’s too good, it’s going to make my poor skills stand out…)
There was nothing to criticize about her singing.
In fact, she scored 95 points.
All Haruya could say to Rin, who was flashing a V-sign at me, was…
“I’m surprised by how good you are.”
It was a rather ordinary comment.
“Thanks. You can tell I’m pretty good even with just one song, right?”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
“Yeah. I didn’t expect this level from you, Kohinata-san, since you were also focused on the school decorations.”
She had been putting effort not only into band practice but also into decorating the school.
It must have been quite a workload.
“Haha. We were both so busy with the executive committee work that we didn’t really know each other’s situations. But you seem to be doing well, Akasaki-kun.”
“Well, I’ve gotten used to the work. If anything, Kohinata-san, you seem to have become much brighter compared to when you first started on the executive committee.”
“Haha. Well, yeah~ That’s why I told you, didn’t I? That I would change on that day.”
That day she’s referring to must be when she met those two female students.
Until then, Rin had somewhat faded into the background in the executive committee, but from the next day on, her presence became prominent in the committee. Of course, Rin in class was… still as bright as ever.
But that’s precisely why Haruya concerned about this change.
Because even the Kohinata-san at the [café] turned out to be an act.
“It might be none of my business, but… we’re on the same executive committee, so if you’re pushing yourself too hard, please tell me.”
“Haha. You’re strange, Akasaki-kun~ At first, you seemed reluctant, but now you’re so kind. Could it be that you’ve fallen for me?”
It seems Haruya way of interacting with her changed after learning that she was Rin Kohinata at the café.
Haruya shakes his head and answers.
“No, that’s not it. I just thought you might be pushing yourself too hard…”
At those words, Rin’s eyebrows twitched for just a moment.
Then, as if nothing had happened, she opened her mouth.
“…I’m not pushing myself too hard. I’m just stretching myself a little.”
(The reason I’m worried is that this stretching seems to fall within the category of pushing too hard…)
Seeing Haruya’s expression, Rin let out a deep sigh.
“I’ll admit that I’m trying hard to show my best self… or rather, working hard to present myself well. That’s why you called me out here, right? Because you were worried.”
“Huh…”
“Haha. Did you think I didn’t notice? I knew you didn’t call me out just because you were nervous about singing.”
“…”
Then why did you come?
As if understanding Haruya’s unspoken question, Rin began to speak.
“Even during homeroom, I sometimes caught you looking at me with concern. I can tell that much.”
“I… I see.”
“Yeah. And to be honest, I was starting to get tired of those worried glances. That’s why I agreed to meet you~”
Her expression was that of the usual bright Rin Kohinata.
But each of her words stung my heart.
“…You know, Akasaki-kun.”
Rin continued, her face darkening.
The atmosphere changed, and Haruya found himself holding his breath.
“I’m fine… The executive committee work will be over soon anyway. So please stop worrying.”
“…”
[Rin-chan seems to be pushing herself too hard somewhere…]
Suddenly, Sayaka Kawada’s words flashed through my mind.
Haruya just couldn’t shake the feeling that Rin was pushing herself too hard.
Haruya couldn’t even bring myself to nod or say [I understand].
Then, as if unable to bear seeing Haruya like this, Rin roughly scratched her head with an “Ah~”.
“I’m telling you I’m fine! How many times do I have to say it?! Try to understand how I feel when you keep looking at me with those sad eyes every single time. Listen, the Eika Festival is just around the corner. Once we push through until then, it’ll be over! Akasaki-kun, don’t overthink things… It’s starting to irritate me.”
Rin pointed her finger at Haruya decisively.
She sat down, turning away slightly with a “Geez…”
At first, Haruya was taken aback by Rin’s sudden change in attitude, but soon he burst out laughing.
“…What’s so funny? Isn’t this what you wanted?”
“No, I’m just glad I finally got to see the real Kohinata-san.”
“It’s because you were being so persistent… I just got fed up.”
The sweet, devilish tone was gone, replaced by a somewhat curt manner of speaking.
But just as quickly, she reverted to her usual bright Rin Kohinata.
“Don’t you prefer this over that rude version of me?”
“I’m not so sure. I… I’m happy to have seen your true self. It’s reassuring.”
Haruya had never seen her speak like this at the café before.
So he felt relieved that he was able to get her to open up, even if just a little.
He had been worried that he couldn’t repay her for always taking care of him at the café.
Perhaps his feelings showed on his face, because Rin said one thing, looking displeased.
“…I don’t like it.”
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