Chapter 4: The Fate of the Triangle

​───● The Childhood Friend JD Remembers ●○●

​‘See you tomorrow!’

​‘Yeah, see you tomorrow.’

​A verbal promise made in our youth.

​It was irresponsible, yet we believed with such innocent, naive certainty that we would surely meet again the next day.

​—It was fun.

​Even though it’s a memory of only a single year, it remains etched vividly in the back of my mind even now as a joyful recollection.

It was a hand-me-down glove given to us by a passerby…​It certainly wasn’t new; it was tattered and worn.

​But even today, it is my most precious treasure.

​Our parting came so suddenly.

​We didn’t have each other’s contact info to begin with. I just kept waiting for him at our usual spot, day after day.

​The next day, and the day after that…

​But in the end, he never showed up.

​…I cried. I cried my eyes out.

​—It wasn’t until much later that I realized I had loved him. That he was my first love.

​Beep-beep-beep-beep. The sound of the alarm jolts my consciousness awake.

​…Again. That dream again.

​I hadn’t had it at all since entering high school, but lately, I feel like I’m having it constantly.

​I force my groggy brain to wake up and go wash my face.

​There’s no point in dwelling on the past forever.

​I pat my face dry with a towel and pick up my phone, which is still plugged into the charger.

​Checking my notifications, I see a message from Masato.

​Masato: ‘Morning~ I’ll try to be at the station by 15:00.’

​Masato: ‘The forecast says it’ll rain around 18:00, so maybe we should head out early?’

​Today, I have a date planned with Masato. On top of that, tomorrow we’re supposed to go to a theme park with Mizuho.

​In short, these two days are a decisive battle.

​…And yet, my current feelings are incredibly difficult to put into words.

​I love Masato. To put it mildly, I adore him.

​The first emotion that took root in me was possessiveness—the desire to never let him go to anyone else.

​However, as I’ve come to know Masato more and more… I’ve started to think that every woman around him must be in love with him.

​…I love Masato more than anyone else. I have zero intention of yielding that spot.

​But this is Masato we’re talking about. If someone were to confess their feelings right now and ask to date him, would he actually take their hand?

​If that’s the case, then perhaps it would be better…..to just share him among all of us?

​I’m aware of just how reckless that line of thinking is.

​Even so, the fact remains that I want Masato, no matter what method it takes.

​Even if… he doesn’t belong solely to me.

​I type out a reply to Masato.

​Tonight, we plan to go shopping to prepare for the theme park tomorrow.

​Since there’s a bit of time before that—and Mizuho isn’t around because of her part-time job—we decided to fulfill a promise we made back when we went to the batting cages: to play catch together.

​I head over to the entrance where my softball gear is kept.

​I pick up the glove I used back when I was an active player… and my eyes fall on the tattered glove kept carefully in the back.

​I pick it up lightly.

​It’s a glove far too small to catch a softball.

​”…I wonder what he’s doing now.”

It’s one of a matching pair that the boy and I received…

​In my lingering attachment, I’ve kept it all this time. …To be more accurate, I just couldn’t bring myself to throw it away.

​”As long as he’s doing well, that’s enough.”

​I’m seeing him in my dreams, after all. It must be a happy memory.

​Nowadays, I can’t even really remember what we talked about.

​But since I kept playing softball throughout my student years after that, I have to laugh at how simple-minded I am.

​That was probably my first love.

​Mizuho said that childhood romances “don’t count.”

​Still, to me, it’s a precious memory.

​It’s still in usable condition, but it’s ancient. It’s incomparably harder to use than modern ones, so I gently tuck it back into the depths of the closet.

​It’s like a charm to me. This glove.

​”Well then. Better get ready.”

​Even if I have plans to exercise, I’ll be in front of the guy I love.

​There’s no such thing as being “too prepared.” Clothes, makeup… I have a lot to do.

​Shifting my mood, I stand before my wardrobe.

​I arrive at the meeting station.

​After passing through the ticket gate and scanning the area, I find Masato almost immediately.

​A long black coat over a gray knit sweater. Even in winter… no, because it’s winter, Masato’s great physique and fashion sense are reaffirmed.

​As always, his good looks are practically lethal..

​”Masato, sorry to keep you waiting!”

​”Oh, morning, Koumi. I just got here, so it’s fine.”

​The women nearby are looking this way with envy.

​Be jealous! I’m about to go on a date with this man!

​”Shall we go, then?”

​”You bet! Though, thinking about it realistically, playing catch in the middle of winter is kind of hilarious.”

​”Hey, hey! It’s not that cold yet!”

​It’s true that when we first talked about playing catch, it was still hot out, but it’s definitely gotten quite chilly…

​It’s about a fifteen-minute walk from the station to the park.

​Fifteen minutes is just a blink of an eye when I’m talking with Masato.

​”The worry is the weather. It looks like it’s gonna rain later.”

​”Yeah… if it looks like it’s about to start, let’s head back to the station early. I brought a folding umbrella just in case!”

​”Ah, I brought one too. Let’s do that.”

​Guh, Masato brought a folding umbrella too… and here I thought I’d have a chance for the ‘sharing an umbrella’ move…

​While I’m sad that one of my schemes failed, it’s obviously better not to get rained on, so I give up on that.

​”I have a glove, but it’s a really old one.”

​”Oh, really? Is it still usable?”

​”Probably… I think. Go easy on me, okay?”

​”It’ll be fine! I have an old glove too, and they’re surprisingly sturdy.”

​I don’t use that old glove anymore, but I used to use it all the time.

​Right up until my parents bought me a new one.

​”By the way, what position did you play, Koumi?”

​”Hmm, what do you think?”

​”Let’s see…”

​We stay animated with idle chatter until we reach the park.

​When the person walking beside me is Masato, my mood just naturally soars!

​”We’re here~!”

​”Oh, there’s really nobody around.”

​Is it because the weather isn’t great? There aren’t many people in the park.

​Well, maybe it’s just because only elementary schoolers think about playing outside at this time of year…

​I set my bags on a bench and rotate my shoulders to warm up.

​It’s been a while since I threw a ball! I hope I’m okay.

​Since Masato said he didn’t have a ball, I brought a softball. For just playing catch, a slightly harder ball should be fine, right?

​”Man, now I’m getting worried if I can actually do this.”

​”You’ll be fine! I won’t throw it hard!”

​”Be gentle…”

​I think to myself how cute even a slightly timid Masato is.

​After finishing our light warm-up, we take some distance. We aren’t doing anything intense, so we both keep our coats on.

​”Okay, here goes~ Hup!”

​”Whoa—!”

​I threw it lightly, but Masato couldn’t quite catch it, and it fell to the ground.

​”Sorry, it really is hard to catch a softball with this glove.”

​”Is it? Let me see?”

​Masato’s glove did look quite small, so I walk over to take a look.

​I peek curiously at his hand.

​”—Eh?”

​The voice escaped me involuntarily.

​I had seen that glove before.

​No, “seen it” doesn’t even begin to cover it.

​I had just seen it today. The glove I keep so carefully stored at my house.

​It was the exact same design.

​Old, tattered.

​The shock was like being struck by a heavy sledgehammer.

​My brain couldn’t process it.

​”…W-Wait a second, Masato.”

​”Huh?”

​”Where did you… buy this?”

​”Well, I didn’t really buy it. I think… I received it from someone.”

​My brain arrives at a single conclusion.

​A shock unlike anything I had ever felt in my life surged through my body.

​—How could this be possible?

​Even though I hadn’t consciously recalled it, the word—the name—slipped past my lips.

​”Are you… Ma-kun?”

​”Eh…?”

​The memories begin to resurface, bit by bit.

​The hazy outlines slowly begin to take shape.

​‘Let’s play catch tomorrow too!’

​‘See you tomorrow!’

​I remember the words said.

​I remember the promise exchanged.

​Even after we could no longer meet, I always wanted to see him.

​I always thought about how much I wanted to talk to him just one more time.

​Ah, I remember now.

​The first time I met Masato.

​He was on a bench, staring intently at his laptop.

​Thinking about it now, back then… the reason my feet naturally moved toward him was…​…Maybe it was because I had finally found the person I had wanted to see for so long.

​The dots connect to form a line.

​And once they are connected… what wells up is a joy beyond words.

​I pull off my own glove and throw myself into Masato’s arms.

​Only after I’ve hugged him do I realize that tears are streaming from my eyes.

​”It’s true… Masato, you were Ma-kun all along…! I wanted to see you for so, so long! Where did you go? Why did you disappear so suddenly?!”

​”W-Wait a minute, Koumi.”

​Masato grabs me by both shoulders.

It felt incredible knowing that the person I had always loved was the same one-and-only person I fell for all over again after we reunited.

​I could feel from the bottom of my heart that this truly was a fated encounter.

​My eyes meet Masato’s.

​Ah, I really do love him.

​Staring at Masato from right in front of me, and then—

​”I think… you have the wrong person.”

​”Eh…?”

​My body temperature plummeted instantly.

​Wh-What are you… talking about?

​”Th-That can’t be right? Because this is… the glove we got together, right? When we were little, in that park, for about a year, we played catch together the whole time—”

​”…I’m sorry.”

​I’m sorry? Why are you saying you’re sorry?

​”You’re joking, right? Listen, I’m not mad at all about you disappearing! I’m just so happy we could meet again. And the name! I’d completely forgotten it until now, but I remembered that I used to call you Ma-kun, and so—”

​I know I’m rambling at high speed.

​But the expression on Masato’s face as he listens is one of constant, apologetic pain.

​”…I’m sorry.”

​—I didn’t understand.

​I can say it now because I remember so clearly. The person playing catch with me that day, in that place, was definitely this Masato.

​The glove, too—it’s an ancient design you can’t buy anywhere now, and I know we got them together that day, so it has to be him.

​And yet.

​Why are you denying it?

​”Hey, even if you apologize, I don’t understand. I mean, I really looked forward to seeing Ma-kun back then, you know? Even when I thought I might never see you again, I couldn’t give up, so I even joined the softball club and kept playing…”

​I was aware that I was being incoherent.

​But I couldn’t stop.

​I couldn’t accept it.

​I didn’t understand the feelings of Masato, who kept looking down with such a tormented expression.

​Because I was scared.

​”Is it something you aren’t allowed to tell anyone? I-If so, I’ll keep it a secret! I’ll keep it hidden, so please… just say ‘that’s right’…”

​”…”

​”That’s all I need. Just a ‘yeah’ or ‘we met again’… just that…”

​Before I knew it, I was the one grabbing his shoulders.

​No matter how much I shook that slender body, his expression wouldn’t clear.

​My arms dropped powerlessly.

​…Something cold fell onto my head.

​”—Why are you lying?”

​”…It’s not a lie.”

​”Liar!!”

​A voice so loud it even surprised me burst out.

​”There’s no way I’m wrong!! You were Ma-kun, and we got two of the same gloves!”

​”…”

​”Even at the university, when I first found you, I naturally spoke to you! Thinking back, even from then, some part of my heart must have realized it…! This is such a happy thing, so why…!”

​Why are you making such a sad face?

​Words wouldn’t come; I bit my lip.

​The rain began to fall harder.

​The tears flowing down my cheeks had, at some point, changed from tears of joy to tears of sorrow.

​I turned my back on him and his unchanging expression.

​”…I’m going home.”

​Grabbing my things, I ran.

​I didn’t look back, not even once.

​”Why, just why…!”

​Pain, sorrow, confusion, and anger all swirled together.

​I could do nothing but look up at the rain-soaked sky.