Living with the Arrogant Queen from High School is Surprisingly Not Uncomfortable

That evening, after we finished eating the dinner Hayashi Megumi had prepared, we were each spending our time as we wished.

The only sound filling the room was that of the TV. Normally, you’d hear the sound of the satisfying videos Megumi liked to watch, but not today.

When I glanced at Megumi, I saw that she was looking at her ex-lover’s graduation album she had found in his room.

Flipping through the thick pages one by one, she was quietly absorbed in it.

What could she be thinking about right now as she looked at the graduation album? Wearing her glasses and looking down, lost in the album, I couldn’t guess what was going on in her mind.

“Hehe,”

Megumi suddenly chuckled.

“Did you find something funny?”

“No, I was just thinking that there are hardly any photos of you.”

“Did you deliberately look for my photo?”

“Well… yes.”

Megumi looked away sheepishly, a dry smile on her face.

“Hey, do you want to look at it together? It’s really quite nostalgic.”

Quite nostalgic, huh.

Perhaps that was a feeling born from her having enjoyed her high school days to the fullest.

“Nostalgia is an emotion that comes after parting,” I said.

“Oh, you always say things in such a roundabout way,” she replied.

“Do you think you would feel nostalgic remembering a conversation with someone you only met once when you made a cash card at the bank?”

“That’s a really roundabout question.”

“Would you?”

“Hmm, I wonder?”

“Would you?”

“Well… No.”

“That’s right. You wouldn’t. Because a parting that you don’t recognize as a parting with someone you’ve only met once is not a parting. In other words, the feeling of nostalgia is born only after experiencing a parting that you can recognize as a parting. A parting that you can recognize as a parting is only possible if you’ve built a considerable relationship with that person.”

“Even though it’s a roundabout way of saying it, does that mean… you didn’t build such a relationship in high school?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Ahem,” I said with a proud look on my face.

“Megumi.”

Then I looked down at Megumi’s words.

I moved next to Megumi with a sullen face.

When our shoulders touched, she took a step away from me.

Megumi turned the pages of the album slowly enough for me to follow with my eyes.

The graduation album started with introductions to the school and teachers. Then, group photos of the teachers. Familiar faces like Mr. Kakogawa were lined up.

I never thought I’d come to feel nostalgic looking at the faces of the teachers.

Then, there were group photos of each class and individual photos of the classmates. Some had come with outlandish hairstyles for the graduation album, which was a bit amusing.

After a series of class photos, there were photos of events that took place over three years.

The entrance ceremony in the first year. School camping trip.

Internship in the second year. School trip.

And the mock exams in the third year.

The annual choir contest and sports festival. The cultural festival had its own pages for each year. Was this to pad the number of pages?

“By the way, weren’t you the executive committee chairman for the cultural festival in your third year?”

“Yes, I was. But there are no photos of the campfire.”

“This is the scene where you were confessed to by a guy, right?”

“…Yeah.”

Why bring up Kasahara’s name here?

Feeling a twinge in my heart, I responded with a hard-to-describe expression.

“There’s also… the entrance ceremony, you were assigned to greet the new students.”

“Well, I am smart, after all.”

“Eww, you’re so annoying.”

Megumi chuckled.

“I don’t remember at all. But on the other hand, aren’t you in only this many event pages?”

“Well, I didn’t particularly want to stand out.”

Then came the sports festival page.

The so-called extroverts were in photos, wearing short-sleeved gym clothes, exercising. The composition of the photos was impressive. I was somewhat impressed.

But…

“They didn’t train hard enough.”

As someone who was once into weight training, their physiques were lacking. If anything, I was more well-built.

It may sound like bragging, but it’s nothing but the truth.

“By the way, I think I saw you at the school’s café during high school.”

“Do you mean the Pablo?”

“Yes, that’s right. You were going to the gym, I remember. I clicked my tongue when I saw that, so I remember clearly. Ahaha!”

Well, that’s not an ‘ahaha’ situation, is it?

“So, you were into weight training?”

“That’s right.”

“Really, can you stop?”

“Why?”

“Because you tend to get obsessed with things, and it ends up being harmful to your health.”

… I fell silent at her words, the same as what my parents would say.

Then came the pages introducing the club activities, and the album ended.

No, it wasn’t the end.

The history of the society that happened while we were in high school.

And on the last page…

There were messages written in colorful highlighters and ballpoint pens.

“It’s nostalgic. We all wrote these for each other.”

“Huh, you guys did that? You all must have been really close.”

“When you say ‘you all’… I’m sorry. I won’t say anything more.”

Well, when you say ‘you all’, you can guess what she means.

Didn’t you write messages for your friends?

That must have been what Megumi wanted to say.

And the reason she stopped herself.

That was because it was too clear.

What was too clear… should be understood without saying.

“Well, I’ve always been an outsider.”

“You weren’t an outsider, you just didn’t have any friends, right?”

“Guess so.”

“I’m sorry. Because of me, I’ve opened up your old wounds.”

“Old wounds… You make it sound like the fact that I didn’t get any messages on the last page of the graduation album was a trauma.”

“Isn’t it? I’m sorry. I guess you’re not that type of person.”

Megumi took each of my words and returned them with even more hurtful words.

It’s fine to understand, but I wish she would consider my feelings a bit more.

“In the second and third year, there are photos of the campfire, but not in the first year.”

“They must have intentionally left it out. It must be a form of harassment towards someone.”

“Maybe someone on the graduation album committee disliked you.”

“Well, I was quite disliked.”

Megumi fell silent.

Was she astounded by my nonchalant admission?

But her face looked somewhat sad, and perhaps she fell silent for another reason.

Megumi turned the pages of the album back to the front.

And we arrived at the pages with the photos of our classmates and group class photos.

“Your eyes are half-closed.”

Pointing at the class group photo, Megumi said.

“…I’ve always been unphotogenic.”

“I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s fine. I’m used to it.”

“…Everyone looks so young.”

“Don’t talk like an old woman.”

“I can’t help it. Even though it hasn’t been a year, a lot has happened.”

“…That’s true.”

“Do you remember your classmates’ faces and names?”

“Of course. Although I’m not sure about the other way around.”

“Really? …Then,”

Megumi pointed at a female classmate’s photo. She even covered the name with her other hand.

“What’s her name?”

“…Uh”

“I knew it. She’s my best friend. I’m a little angry, you know?”

“…Ah, no. I remember. It’s Ishida, right?”

I messed up.

I should’ve just honestly said I didn’t know her name.

Megumi widened her eyes in surprise, then narrowed them after a while, and I thought,

“What happened between you and Ichchan?”

“…Nothing, okay?”

I looked away as I said so.

Of course, Megumi didn’t believe my words.