Chapter 72: Tanaka-kun's Conflict.
After Nozomi forced me to go out and clear my head, I sat absentmindedly on my bed, thinking back on everything.
I don't have the ability to see through to a person's true nature.
Of course, I fell for her with all my heart, and I thought I was facing her sincerely, but as a guy... no, as a person, am I missing something?
When I remember Nozomi from earlier, I can't help but give a little smile.
Yeah, that's right. There's no need to rush or force myself into a new romance or find someone I like. Just as I'm coming to that conclusion, I hear Mom's voice from downstairs.
Mom: "Kousuke! Tanaka-kun is here!"
Tanaka-kun? What's up?
"Let him come up!"
Tanaka-kun came up to my room on the second floor.
He's familiar with my room, but for some reason he's not coming in?
When I open the door, Tanaka-kun is just standing there, head down.
"What's wrong? Come in?"
Tanaka-kun quietly enters my room, and even after coming in, he's silent for a while.
As if making up his mind,
Tanaka: "...Kousuke-kun, I have to apologize to you..."
Why?
Tanaka-kun was filled with regret.
What he started talking about, bit by bit, was—
He couldn't stand seeing me hurt over what happened with Satsuki.
He quickly realized I was showing symptoms similar to a fear of girls.
Watching me throw myself into studying and club activities as if to punish myself, it was tough for him as a friend.
That's when he met Yukari Tomonaga.
Yukari Tomonaga was the only girl I didn't feel afraid of.
That's when Tanaka-kun immediately sensed that Yukari Tomonaga would shine if polished.
Yukari Tomonaga wished to change and asked for my help. I turned her down, but Tanaka-kun thought it might be a chance for me to change or overcome my trauma, so he got me involved.
It's true, even just filming the two of them for three months from the sidelines, it was wonderful.
As a love story, as a diet project, as a documentary, it was interesting...
Before I knew it, Sho had also arrived.
Sho gestured for me to just go on as usual, and sat on the usual sofa in the corner of the room.
He also gave a wave to Tanaka-kun.
Tanaka-kun continued.
I thought this documentary could help Kousuke-kun overcome his trauma, give Tomonaga-san a reason to change, and for me, create an interesting project that revealed a side of 'people'.
I couldn't see the true nature of Yukari Tomonaga...
I never expected Kousuke-kun would end up feeling this pain and bitterness...
Tanaka-kun fell silent for a moment, then started crying.
Tanaka: "Kousuke-kun... I'm sorry! Saying sorry doesn't fix anything, but I gave you—gave your feelings—the chance to get hurt... Even though you turned it down at first, I dragged you into it... I don't even know what to say..."
Tanaka-kun kept apologizing, tears streaming down his face.
It's not like this is your fault, is it?
"Tanaka-kun, look at me. We've been together all this time, and I didn't see Tomonaga-san's true nature either. In fact, I almost started dating her and didn't notice a thing—so I'm the one who didn't see it coming..."
Tanaka-kun doesn't even try to wipe away his overflowing tears.
Tanaka: "I believed there was potential in movies. Of course, people have likes and dislikes, and there's good and bad. But if the cast and the creator put their passion into it and work together, it gives people strength—or it can help them. I really believed that. ...But now, I've lost confidence."
I urge him to go on.
Sho just listens quietly.
Tanaka: "What I made with good intentions ended up influencing the beauty contest, and made the students who watched it support Tomonaga-san. It affected the contest results, changed Tomonaga-san, and ended up hurting you again, Kousuke-kun."
"But that's just hindsight, right?"
I mean, isn't it?
Tanaka: "Even so, I can't forgive that project. At first, I thought Tomonaga-san's class was using me. But my project ended up swaying the contest results, trampling on the feelings of people who cared about the contest. She used it as her own commercial, betrayed you, and helped create a Cinderella story with that jerk—ended up carrying the legend of Yukari Tomonaga... The power of movies that I believed in... I was wrong..."
Tanaka-kun sobs, desperately trying to muffle his cries.
Sho stays silent.
The words I can offer are...
"But hey, we made it together. Even if it turned out like this, those three months were tough, but also fun, right? Don't deny that. Your passion and your project moved people's hearts—the documentary was a huge hit, and Tomonaga-san's appeal came across so well that her popularity shot up and she almost won Miss Hokusho. The documentary was so good it made her a star. That's what happened, right? You thought about what would benefit me, her, and everyone involved in the project, and came up with it—Tanaka-kun, you're amazing. As a film project, it was a big success, wasn't it? Don't make that face, hold your head high, okay?"
Sho nods enthusiastically.
But Tanaka-kun says,
"Even so! I wanted to help you! When Sarakata-kun and I were getting bullied and didn't want to go to school, Sho-kun helped us. But the ones who actually solved it were Sho-kun and Kousuke-kun... I haven't been able to repay either of you! ...I'm grateful to Sho-kun. But Kousuke-kun, you saved me. I edited that riverside duel for Sho-kun's revenge, and that's when I first learned how much fun video editing could be. I fought through sports festivals and cultural festivals with your ideas! Watching you and Sho-kun's friendship, Sarakata-kun and I said we wanted to become best friends like that, too."
See the main story, "Showdown (lol)" series.
Sho keeps listening, fiddling with his smartphone.
Tanaka: "I owe you, Kousuke-kun. I wanted to be someone you could count on... I wanted to be able to say, with pride, that I'm your friend...!"
So that's what you were thinking...!
When I look at Sho, he nods at me, still looking at his phone.
He's not the most perceptive guy, but when it comes to manly stuff, he's like a general who can see ahead.
I speak to Tanaka-kun, who's crying from regret.
"...Don't worry about it. It just turned out this way, but I know you came up with this project for me, and I'm grateful. Sho and I don't keep score—between best friends, there's no debt. Of course, I'd help you if you were in trouble, and you'd do the same, right? We've been together all this time, went to the same high school, right? We're already best friends, so don't say stuff like that."
Tanaka: "...Am I really your best friend, Kousuke-kun?"
Tanaka-kun starts crying again.
Sho finally speaks up.
Sho: "...Just three days ago, I had almost the same conversation with Aoi. Saying things out loud really is important."
"...Is that a jab at me for being so quiet?"
I laugh—"Ahaha!"—and bump fists with Sho.
Tanaka-kun, still crying, joins in for a fist bump, too.
Once Tanaka-kun stops crying, he says what he needs to say.
Tanaka: "I talked it over with everyone in the film club and decided to shelve this project. I also filed a complaint about this year's Miss Hokusho not being fair. The film club's documentary was too biased and swayed the votes, which seriously damaged the fairness of the contest. We're not submitting the documentary to any external film contests, and I told the student council we'll destroy it."
All that blood, sweat, and tears from the last three months—gone?!
Tanaka: "So what! It's like a potter smashing a bowl they don't like right after making it! I liked Tomonaga-san. ...Like I told you, Kousuke-kun, I thought I could step aside for you. But not anymore—I'll never forgive anyone who does this to my best friend! ...There will be payback."
I've never seen Tanaka-kun this angry before.
Because the film club filed a complaint with the student council about the beauty contest,
Tomonaga: "(The film club) repays kindness with betrayal."
With that comment, the small group in the film club who still supported Tomonaga-san were wiped out, and the film club united on stripping her of the Miss Hokusho title.
Then, thanks to Tanaka-kun's intel, we quickly found out that Tomonaga-san was already causing trouble in Class 6.
She always said she just went with the flow, but...
That's when Sho brought up an old story from Kureha-san, with Tomonaga-san in it—
When she sided with the bullies, betrayed her best friend, and threw muddy water on a white dress. When Sho told that story, Tanaka-kun and I exchanged glances.
Tanaka: "That's scary! So she picked a white dress and made a bitter face about it?! I can't believe she picked a white dress...! She threw cold muddy water from a dirty instant noodle cup on a girl with a heart condition in the middle of winter... gross."
"According to Tomonaga-san's side, she said she was friends with Kureha-san, but was too timid and just went along with the crowd, so she felt sorry for not helping. But apparently the reason she stopped coming to school wasn't bullying, but illness, and she never attended once during back in middle school, but now she's at Toko High School and seems healthy, so she's relieved. That's what she said?! She really twists things to suit herself..."
I mean, that's from Kureha-san's point of view, okay? But still,
Tanaka-kun and I were both shaken by Sho's story about Tomonaga-san.
I really have no ability to judge people...
*See the main story for more details.*