Chapter 52
When Ryosaku and his father arrived at the field, a large bus was already parked there.
When Ryosaku parted ways with his father and approached a group of second-year students, the girls from the group who were friends with Mieko all rushed up to Ryosaku.
"Takada-san!"
The first person to talk to him was Lisa Tanaka, Mieko's best friend until Mieko met Ryosaku and they started hanging out together.
"We still have some time before we leave, so why don’t you talk to us?"
"Eh...? Okay, but why?"
"Ryosaku-san, please talk to us over there by the horizontal bar play equipment. OK?"
The person who said this was Mayuko Takeda, the leader of the close group. She was the biggest girl in her class.
The group consisted of six people including three other children and Mieko.
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The horizontal bar play area that the girls had designated was an important memorial place where Ryosaku and Mieko became friends in early summer.
That iron bar... That day, Mayuko said as she rubbed the red, rusty bar on which Ryosaku called out to Mieko, who was hanging upside down, for the first time.
"Minegishi-san...she's gone, right? Ryosaku-san, you must be lonely...?"
"Huh...? Ah, yeah. Of course, I'm lonely."
"We're lonely too. Teacher Suzuki is gone too."
Mayuko...reminded her of the nostalgic Mieko...and gently rubbed the corner of her eyes.
"This Lisa too...She cried every day after Mieko-chan transferred to another school.It seems that the first friend she made at this school was Mieko-chan...Isn't that right? , Lisa."
"Yeah. That's why, after Mieko-chan started playing with Takada-san halfway through, I always had a grudge against Takada-san. Because Takada-san took Mieko-chan away from me. "
"I was like that too. Mieko-chan...wasn't she the smallest and most beautiful girl in our class...? She didn't even talk like me... You see, she still spoke in a cute way, like a child in kindergarten.More than a friend, she was more like my younger sister."
The other three girls were listening and nodding their heads.
"Actually, we... were really jealous of Ryosaku-san and Mieko-chan. You and Mieko-chan looked like you were having so much fun. I was jealous."
When Mayuko said that, Lisa continued.
"I...maybe I've fallen in love with Takada-san. Ever since Mieko-chan played with us after school, she's been waiting for Takada-san, right? If possible, Takada-san , I've thought many times that I wish you'd gone home with me instead of Mieko-chan. I'm sure everyone here feels the same way. Right...?"
"Yeah. I was jealous of Mieko-chan too, but...I couldn't get in between Takada-san and Mieko-chan."
"That's right. We knew we shouldn't get in the way."
Ryosaku was surprised.
"I can't believe that Mieko-chan's friends also care about me that much...!"
Lisa says.
"Takada-san... you've been looking lonely ever since Mieko-chan left. I... I couldn't stand watching Takada-san look so lonely."
"It was painful for me too. But...we didn't know what to say to Ryosaku-san like that..."
''I wanted to make Ryosaku-san feel better, but...Mieko-chan was the only one who could make Ryosaku-san feel better..."
Ryosaku learned that Mieko's group was worrying about him and watching over him from behind the scenes.
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"Well, Ryosaku-san. There's something I'd like to give you."
Mayuko said that and took out a pencil from her pocket.
"The last day Mieko-chan came to school, she handed out pencils to all of us.As she was leaving me, she asked me, "Mayuko-chan, give it to Ryosaku-Takada-kun." But Ｉ was so lazy that I completely forgot about such an important item and kept it in my desk drawer at home...I'm sorry."
On that pencil... there was a drawing of a "space flight rocket" that looked like something from Ryosaku's favorite science fiction.
"Takada-san, you liked SF, right? Mieko-chan said so. "He always reads picture books with me, but I wonder if he really wanted to read SF books." she said."
Ryosaku was surprised.
The first rainy day that Mieko came to the library... Ryosaku was indeed reading a science fiction book.
That time when Mieko poked Ryosaku in the right shoulder, causing him to fall off the chair and fall to the floor...the " illustration" written on the science fiction book on the desk...that... She remembered the rocket in the illustration...!
For Ryosaku, who treated Mieko so badly, she went out of her way to find and choose a pencil with Ryosaku's favorite science fiction rocket drawn on it...!
Ryosaku was moved by the pure feelings of Mieko, who still cared for him even in such a difficult situation...and he burst into tears.
"Hey, Ryosaku-san, don't cry. Mieko-chan must be sad. For some reason, Teacher Suzuki didn't tell us the name of the elementary school Mieko-chan transferred to...but I'm sure... I...I feel like I'll be able to meet her someday. Ryosaku-san... maybe you know where Mieko-chan is...?"
"No...I don't know either. Due to various things, I couldn't even say goodbye to Mieko-chan."
"That's right... Ryosaku-san, today is the day we can meet Teacher Suzuki again... If you cry that much, Teacher Suzuki will scold you, right?"
"I'm sorry. That's right... Yes, that's right. Well, I'm going to be like this today, but please take care of me."
"Okay, Takada-san, Teacher Mizuki is beckoning us, so let's go now. If we don't hurry, we'll be left behind."
"...Okay, let's go!"
And just like that, the sightseeing bus carrying Ryosaku and the second-year students began to move slowly towards City A in the southern part of the prefecture, where Teacher Suzuki was sleeping peacefully and waiting for them.
