Yellow Diamond: Chapter 3 - part 2

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Spring, Senior Year of High School

The breeze was soft and warm. The cherry blossom tree outside the classroom window had swollen buds, but it wasn’t in bloom yet. In dramas and movies, scenes of cherry blossoms fluttering in the air during graduation are common. But that’s a big lie—cherry blossoms don’t bloom at the beginning of March.

As Yuusei gazed outside, he noticed something. Near the decorated front gate stood Shun’ichi. Even from a distance, he spotted him right away. Facing Shun’ichi were two men in suits—one of them was Shun’ichi’s father, and the other... could that be Kunihiko-san? It had been about twenty minutes since the graduation ceremony ended, and most of the parents had already left. What could they be talking about?

Kunihiko-san was a friend of Shun’ichi's father. He’d heard the name “Kunihiko” so many times from Shun’ichi that it had naturally stuck in his memory.

Shun’ichi’s father wasn’t very capable when it came to daily life, so Kunihiko-san helped them out with various things. In the past, Shun’ichi had deeply resented Kunihiko-san’s involvement in their lives. The most symbolic moment had been exactly three years ago, during their junior high graduation.

Shun’ichi’s father had fallen ill and couldn’t attend the ceremony, so Kunihiko-san had come in his place. When Shun’ichi noticed, he got incredibly angry, shouting, “I didn’t ask you to come!” and “Why are you here? Go home!” No matter how much abuse was thrown at him, Kunihiko-san, with a calm expression, just kept filming, saying, “Your dad asked me to capture this for him.”

Although Shun’ichi claimed they were strangers, Kunihiko-san resembled Shun’ichi more than his actual father did—in both looks and demeanor. They really did seem like a blood-related father and son. Even a nearby woman, watching their argument, had muttered, “The son must be going through a rebellious phase,” so clearly, that’s how they appeared to others too.

In the early days of high school, Shun’ichi often complained about Kunihiko-san. But gradually, those complaints lessened. By the time they were deciding their future paths, Shun’ichi would say, “Kunihiko’s been giving me advice on various things,” signaling that his long rebellion had finally come to an end.

Out of the group of friends they had in junior high, only three of them ended up attending the same high school: him, Shun’ichi, and Ichihashi. His parents had pushed him to apply to a higher-ranked private school, but he’d convinced them by saying, “It’s better to be close to home. I’ll definitely get into medical school.” The high school was considered decent enough, so they allowed it. But that wasn’t the real reason he wanted to go. It was because the person he liked was going to that school. It was a secret he would never tell anyone.

Yuusei knew that, though they were friends, Shun’ichi didn’t particularly like him. But still, he wanted to stay close. Since class assignments were based on grades and future plans, he and Shun’ichi had ended up in the same class for all three years of high school, always together. Shun’ichi didn’t join any clubs. Instead, after school, he worked multiple part-time jobs. In junior high, he had worked to save up for high school, and now in high school, he said, “I’m saving up for college.”

Even though Shun’ichi was always busy with part-time jobs, he and Ichihashi had been making short horror films together and uploading them to video-sharing sites. Neither of them bothered to join the high school’s film club because they thought it would be “too much of a hassle.” Since Shun’ichi didn’t own a smartphone, they shot the videos on Ichihashi’s phone, and Ichihashi did the editing. When they needed extra help, they would call him. He wasn’t fond of horror, but he was happy to be involved with Shun’ichi, so he’d always agree, saying, “I guess I have no choice.”

Yuusei was in about 90% of the videos the two uploaded.

Filming the videos was fun, even if the view counts never really went up. That didn’t matter. The only time he felt the wall between him and Shun’ichi thin, and sometimes even disappear, was when they talked about those videos.

It was in June of their second year when Sakae, a girl from their class, joined what had been their trio’s fun video shoots. He had a bad feeling about it—she seemed to talk to Shun’ichi with such joy, and they stood so close. Neither Shun’ichi nor Sakae said anything, but about a month after the group became four, Ichihashi casually mentioned, "Looks like those two are dating," and his world went dark.

"…They haven’t told me anything," he muttered.

Ichihashi didn’t seem bothered by it. "They told me to keep it a secret, so maybe they're just embarrassed."

Even though hearing it directly from Shun’ichi would have been painful, not being told at all left him with a heavy sense of unease. Now, whenever he saw the two of them together, it filled him with a deep sadness. He had liked Shun’ichi since their first year of junior high, but after just a few months of knowing him, Sakae was now dating him—it felt so unfair. It hurt. It was a harsh reminder that just because you’ve liked someone for a long time, it doesn’t give you any advantage. That reality was staring him in the face.

Yuusei didn’t want to see them together, but when invited to film, he couldn’t refuse. He knew that if he pulled away now, there would be nothing left connecting him and Shun’ichi. So, despite the pain, he followed them.

There was always an invisible wall between him and Shun’ichi, but with Sakae, that wall didn’t seem to exist. He once spotted the two of them after school in the classroom, sitting by the window, facing each other across a desk and chatting. They hadn’t noticed him watching. He should have just passed by, but he couldn’t help eavesdropping, wondering what they were talking about. Then, he saw Shun’ichi gently pinch the tip of Sakae’s long hair and laugh.

His chest felt like it was being crushed. His breath grew shallow, and trembling, he quickly left the scene. His feelings were like a zombie—he knew they were dead, yet they still moved like a lingering ghost.

Despite the sweet atmosphere between Shun’ichi and Sakae, by the time autumn passed, Sakae stopped joining them for filming. At first, he thought she was just busy, but as her absence continued, he started to suspect something. Sure enough, Ichihashi eventually told him, "Looks like they broke up." He didn’t know the reason, and he didn’t ask. Shun’ichi didn’t say anything either. Just like how Shun’ichi never told him they were dating in the first place.

Yuusei found himself thinking something absurd—how stupid Sakae was for breaking up with Shun’ichi. If she was going to break up with him, she could’ve let him take her place at least once.

Even though Sakae was gone, the position of "the girl Shun’ichi likes" never fell to him. The wall between him and Shun’ichi remained. But still, they stayed together. They talked. They filmed videos. Maybe they were friends. More than just classmates, but less than Ichihashi. That middle ground was likely where he’d stay forever.

Back in junior high, he hadn’t understood why he held this position. He had been kinder to Shun’ichi than anyone else and felt he deserved to be closer, to have a better spot in Shun’ichi’s life. But after thinking about it over the years, he started to understand a little of how Shun’ichi must have felt back then.

Yuusei used to believe he was doing the right thing, thinking, “I need to help him.” But none of that was what Shun’ichi actually wanted or needed. Being helped in ways you don’t ask for—being meddled with—was annoying. Irritating. ...In Shun’ichi’s eyes, he was probably a nuisance. Even if he regretted it, he couldn’t undo the past. All of those moments had piled up to form the relationship they had now.

As he absentmindedly pondered these things, the three figures near the school gate had disappeared.

"Hey."

A voice called out to him, pulling him from his thoughts. He turned around to see Shun’ichi standing at the classroom door, looking at him.

"You’re still in the classroom? And you’re alone," Shun’ichi said, approaching.

"Ah, yeah."

Shun’ichi came closer and looked down at the schoolyard from the window. "This is the last time we’ll see this view, huh," he murmured.

"You made up with Kunihiko-san, huh?"

Shun’ichi furrowed his brow. "What are you talking about?"

"I saw you guys from here. Back at our junior high graduation, you were furious at Kunihiko-san for showing up."

Suddenly, a look of mild embarrassment crossed Shun’ichi’s face. "You really remember that, huh?"

"Well, it left a strong impression."

"I was just a kid back then."

You’re still a kid now, he thought, but swallowed the words. In April, Shun’ichi would be heading to a university in Hokkaido. When the homeroom teacher had heard Shun’ichi’s reason for choosing it—"I want to go somewhere far away"—he had been exasperated. He himself would be attending a university in Tokyo. Ichihashi was going to Kanagawa. The three of them were all heading in different directions.

Once, he had confided in his parents, saying he wanted to go to a university in Hokkaido that had a medical school. They had asked, "Why Hokkaido?" He couldn’t tell them it was because he wanted to follow the person he liked. And he didn’t have a strong enough reason to insist on it. Even if they ended up at the same university, without Ichihashi as a buffer, Shun’ichi might not pay attention to him. And if Shun’ichi got another girlfriend… Reliving the high school situation all over again would be unbearable.

Suddenly, something burst into the room through the open window. A white bird… a pigeon. It flapped noisily around the cramped classroom, its large wings flapping wildly, before landing on top of the cleaning supply cabinet.

"This is bad. We need to get it out of here."

Even though Shun’ichi said that, Yuusei wasn’t sure how to coax the pigeon outside. Shun’ichi, however, quickly closed all the windows and doors on the hallway side, then started opening the windows facing the outside from right to left. Scrambling to help, he began opening the remaining windows. The pigeon flew around the room, circling before perching on a narrow ledge above the blackboard. Tiny feathers floated gently down.

Shun’ichi pulled a broom from one of the lockers and began inching closer to the pigeon on the blackboard. It was clear he was trying to guide it toward the open window, but the scene was so absurd that if anyone walked in, it would look like "pigeon abuse."

"Hey, Yuusei! Stop staring and help me out!"

With no other choice, he grabbed a broom from the locker and joined in the chase. Why am I spending graduation day chasing a pigeon with a broom?

"Hey, it’s coming your way!" Shun’ichi called out.

He turned to look just as the pigeon changed direction, and before he knew it—thud—something collided with him.

"Ugh, whoa!"

He stumbled and fell between two desks. The broom slipped from his hand and went flying toward the teacher’s podium.

“Ugh…”

Shun’ichi grimaced, clenching his teeth in pain. He wasn’t hurt at all, though—he had used Shun’ichi as a cushion.

“S-sorry!”

Yuusei quickly scrambled off the human cushion. Shun’ichi groaned, “My back hurts,” as he slowly sat up, hunching over, enduring the pain in silence before looking around.

“Where’s the pigeon?”

Still sitting on the floor, they both scanned the ceiling. There was no sign of the pigeon. It must have flown out the window while they were tangled on the ground.

“Well, at least it’s gone.”

Shun’ichi frowned. “Not good for me. My back still hurts.” Just then, something soft fluttered in front of Shun’ichi’s face, and he reached out to catch it between his fingers. As it brushed against his nose, Shun’ichi let out a loud “Achoo!” A bit of snot dribbled out, and he hurriedly sniffed it back up. The sight was so ridiculous that he couldn’t help but laugh.

“Don’t laugh, idiot,” Shun’ichi said, but he was laughing too. They both burst into uncontrollable laughter, clutching their stomachs, joking, “That pigeon must’ve been really stupid.”

Then, suddenly, Shun’ichi stopped laughing. He reached out toward him. The wall that always seemed to exist between them was gone. The closeness made his heart race, and, irrationally, he thought Shun’ichi might kiss him. Of course, that wasn’t going to happen, but the thought made his body tense with anticipation.

Shun’ichi’s hand paused for a moment, then resumed its motion, plucking a small feather from his hair and holding it up.

“You had this stuck in your hair.”

His heart pounded, and his voice came out shaky. “Oh… right.”

Shun’ichi stared at him, uncharacteristically close. He usually avoided eye contact or kept a subtle distance, but today was different.

“Hey… you know…”

Shun’ichi started to say something, and he felt a mix of expectation and fear in the brief silence that followed. But then Shun’ichi dropped his gaze and muttered, “Nah, forget it.”

Shun’ichi stood up and brushed the dust from his uniform, which had gotten dirty when they’d fallen.

“Oh, I forgot. Ichihashi said we should take a picture together by the entrance. He’s going to be pissed if we don’t hurry.”

Still sitting on the floor, Yuusei heard Shun’ichi’s voice urging him, “Come on, let’s go.” He got up, brushed off his clothes like Shun’ichi had, and followed him. He didn’t walk beside him—he followed from behind.

“We’re all going to different universities, huh? I guess the next time we’ll see each other is at the coming-of-age ceremony or something,” Shun’ichi said, walking ahead of him.

So that’s it, he thought. After graduation, Shun’ichi wasn’t planning to see him again until the coming-of-age ceremony. But maybe that’s just how things are supposed to be.

Yuusei hadn’t felt sad during the graduation ceremony, but suddenly, a wave of emotion welled up in his chest. Goodbye, he said in his mind to Shun’ichi’s back. Goodbye, goodbye. No matter how many times he repeated it, the feeling of saying goodbye wouldn’t leave him, and it hurt so much, it felt like his heart was burning.

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