Chapter 18 – If We Lose
By the time the final rounds ended, the second floor had begun to stir again.
The blockade was lifted. Festival-goers returned. Class 2-C filled slowly with students carrying half-empty bags of snacks, cheap masks, and stories from other rooms. The hallway buzzed with noise—laughter, shoes squeaking against polished floor tiles, doors sliding open too fast.
Kotarō didn't move.
He sat at his desk. The one near the window. Same seat as always. His hands were on his knees, his bag already packed. He didn't even remember doing it.
"They're laughing.
The festival moved on.
Like nothing happened."
Someone shouted from down the hall. A student ran by with a streamer wrapped around their head like a bandana. A girl from the next class laughed so hard she dropped her juice.
"It's not their fault.
They weren't there.
They didn't hear the way Ayumu rearranged the air."
Across the room, Haruka was surrounded by classmates.
They were talking about one of the haunted houses. Someone teased her about being the only one who wasn't scared. Another offered her some leftover takoyaki.
She smiled. She laughed. She said thank you.
But even from here, Kotarō could see it.
"That smile doesn't belong to her.
It belongs to someone trying to be okay."
She laughed again. A little too quickly. Then looked down, brushing a loose hair behind her ear.
Kotarō watched her. And made a decision.
As students began grabbing their things and heading out for the day, Haruka stood with her bag, about to follow a small group of friends.
Kotarō stood, walked toward her, and called softly:
"Shizune-san. Can I... talk to you?"
Her friends turned. She smiled and waved them ahead. "I'll catch up."
They walked down the hallway together in silence until they stopped near the window at the stairwell, where it was quiet.
The last of the sun hit the edges of the glass. Kotarō exhaled.
"I didn't get it before. Debate."
She tilted her head slightly.
"I thought it was just logic. Performance. Something you learn."
He gripped the strap of his bag tighter.
"But today, I felt it. I felt what it meant to be outmatched. To be seen through. It wasn't about making points. It was about being undeniable."
Haruka said nothing.
"I want to win tomorrow. Not because we can. But because now, I need to."
He looked up at her, eyes steady.
"If we lose, I'll join the English club. And I'll beat Ayumu there."
Haruka blinked. Then laughed.
A real laugh.
Short. Soft. Real.
"You know, you sound like a protagonist now."
Kotarō rolled his eyes. "Please don't say that."
She grinned.
"I mean it. That was the most dramatic thing you've said since the school year started."
There was a pause. She looked at him with something warmer than amusement.
"Thanks. For not giving up."
She turned. Walked back toward the stairs.
Just before vanishing, she waved over her shoulder.
"Let's win tomorrow. So you don't have to keep that promise."
Kotarō stood there for a while. Just him. The hallway. And the cooling air.
_"Tomorrow.
Not to avoid losing.
Not to repay anyone.
Not even to prove myself.
Tomorrow, I'll win. Because now, I want to."_
Chapter End