Silent Kohinata: Volume 1 Epilogue

Epilogue: Drawing the Face is Something to Look Forward To

[Illustration: Epilogue - Drawing the Face is Something to Look Forward To]

Fortunately, the infirmary was close to the student council room, so we woke the school nurse, who had been dozing off there, and carried the student council president and vice president over together. No matter how ridiculous the reason, they were definitely bleeding.

As payback for being dragged through all this, I left a note by each of their pillows saying, 【You owe me one.】 before heading home. And I meant one favor from each of them, not one between the two.

It would have been one thing if they'd only dragged me into it, but Keiichi, Saejima, and even Kohinata had gotten caught up in the mess too. The next time something happened, I was going to make use of the student council's authority as a little insurance.

Incidentally, the dozing school nurse glanced at Kohinata and sighed, "Ah, the usual," which suggested those two were regulars at the infirmary.

If the damage only got worse the cuter Kohinata became, what on earth would happen once her expressions fully returned? There was no doubt the infirmary would run out of beds.

"Apparently, you're not supposed to draw a face on a teru teru bozu¹ right away."

After the commotion with the student council, the scene shifted to my house.

When I told Saejima and Kohinata what Takada had said before, they both looked surprised. Though in Kohinata's case, all she did was raise her eyelids the tiniest bit more than usual.

Using the cheap white cloth we'd bought on the way home, we were hard at work making teru teru bozu. We were gathered around the kotatsu just like the last time the four of us hung out, but even though we weren't playing games, I was still sitting next to Kohinata.

I mean, if I moved now, it would look like I was avoiding her.

I figured Kohinata probably felt the same way, but... ever since we'd started walking home, she'd seemed awfully distant. Aloof, even. It had to be because of what happened in the student council room, right?

"So we can't draw the faces yet? That's a shame..."

My comment stopped Saejima's hand just as she'd finished shaping hers and was about to draw the face. I felt bad for taking the fun out of it, but this was so we could get back to our usual daily lives tomorrow. She'd just have to bear with it.

"By the way, Tomoki apparently thinks these expressionless teru teru bozu are cute. He says he likes their silhouettes and how nice and round they are."

"──Ah... Hmm, I see. Yeah, I guess they are pretty cute!"

At Keiichi's casual remark, Saejima turned a knowing grin on me. Keiichi did the same, of course. These guys... they definitely knew I was comparing Kohinata to the teru teru bozu when they said that. He absolutely said "expressionless" on purpose!

With the air around us practically turning pink, Kohinata silently stared at the teru teru bozu she'd made. Judging by the way she was pouting with a pen in one hand, she was probably unhappy that she couldn't draw a face on it.

"I think yours turned out cute too, Kohinata."

I called out to Kohinata to escape Keiichi and Saejima's teasing, and she glanced at me before deliberately turning her face and gaze up and away. It was so exaggerated that it was actually cute.

She must have been incredibly embarrassed about rubbing her head against a classmate like that. But I'd been embarrassed too, so she didn't have to avoid me so blatantly.

It'll probably go back to normal with time, I thought, fondly watching the back of her head, when Saejima teased, "If you keep acting so aloof, Sugino-kun is going to hate you~."

At that, Kohinata gave a small twitch without turning around.

Then she timidly glanced back at me, only to snap right back to her original position the instant our eyes met. There was no way I'd hate Kohinata over something like this... but, well, it was kind of cute, so maybe I'd watch her for a little longer.

As I watched Kohinata fidget, Keiichi, looking oddly satisfied, muttered, "It really is spring."

"It's already late April, you know? Of course it's spring."

I knew what Keiichi meant, but I deliberately played dumb.

Because the feelings we had for each other weren't those of a boy and girl our age, but something closer to a father-and-daughter relationship. I wanted Kohinata to be happy, and she was trying to fill the hole left in her heart two years ago.

It was probably only because I was a classmate her own age that she felt embarrassed about it.

"I'll be sad if you keep treating me so coldly, you know."

Saying that, I rested my hand on Kohinata's head. If I thought of her as a little kid instead of a classmate, I could just about manage it. It was still more than embarrassing enough, though, and if she brushed my hand away, I'd probably be depressed for days.

But my fears proved unfounded. Still facing away from me, Kohinata straightened her back and moved her head toward my hand as if asking to be petted.

After I stroked her head for a while, Kohinata turned around to face me. But perhaps she was still embarrassed, because she kept her head down and refused to meet my eyes.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

Since she'd turned toward me, I tried asking, but she gave no response.

She simply stared intently at my chest, fidgeting restlessly.

Eventually, as though she couldn't hold back any longer, Kohinata dove into my chest──or rather, headbutted it.

As I watched Kohinata desperately rub her head against my chest, one utterly trivial thought crossed my mind: I guess I can see why a group like the KCC exists.

Translator's Notes

¹ Teru teru bozu (てるてる坊主): A traditional handmade doll made of white paper or cloth and hung in a window to wish for sunny weather.