The competition between the juniors and seniors of the cheerleading club ended in the juniors’ victory.
The one who received the MVP award was Hazel, the hero of the comeback.
She was delighted. However, one could assume that the victory and the MVP prize she held in her hands weren’t the only reasons for her bright smile.
After the game ended, a wrap-up party was held—this time truly attended only by students.
Henry, who had come after rejecting Laila’s confession, sat in a chair placed in one corner, unlike his usual self.
Ah, I want to lie down. Utterly exhausted, he was lost in thoughts he would never normally entertain.
“Wow!”
Someone shouted right into his ear. Henry jumped in surprise and sprang up from the bench as if bouncing off it.
Whipping around, he saw Hazel standing there, still showing traces of having just finished the game.
“Ah, you scared me.”
Henry hid his utterly gloomy mood and barely managed to pull up the corners of his mouth as he spoke to Hazel. She smiled brightly and approached with quick little steps, sitting down a little distance away beside him.
“What are you doing here alone? That’s not like you.”
“…It’s not like I always want to be stuck among people.”
Henry lied nonchalantly and closed his eyes while looking at the sky.
In truth, as Hazel said, Henry Lowell always wanted to be among people. Because that’s what put his mind at ease.
For Henry, a situation like this was actually a first in his life.
Being among people and possibly making eye contact with Declan Russell—he had left his spot first to avoid that distressing scene, even just imagining it.
“Really? That’s unexpected.”
“Why are you here? Not having fun?”
“You rejected Laila’s confession, didn’t you?”
Henry let out a deep sigh at the words that somehow sounded accusatory.
“Did that rumor already spread that far?”
“She came crying, you know? Everyone in our club knew Laila liked you. It’s been going on for a really long time. You haven’t dated anyone since you broke up with Joseph at the end of last month. That’s why Laila confessed with such high hopes.”
Henry let out a short sigh.
“…Wouldn’t it be worse to accept her out of pity when I don’t have feelings for her?”
“That’s not wrong. But it’s a bit much coming from you? You never rejected confessions unless you had a girlfriend.”
A light laugh was heard.
The other person was Hazel, who had experienced dating him. She knew perfectly well that Henry didn’t give his all in relationships and didn’t only date people he had feelings for.
So it was hard to deny it.
“…You’re similar.”
When Henry answered in a somewhat displeased voice, Hazel burst into laughter.
“I was.”
“Why the past tense?”
“Because I’m not anymore? Look at me. It’s been almost a month since I was rejected, and I’m still only looking at Declan.”
Her voice sounded quite confident. No, perhaps she even seemed proud of herself.
Henry ended up shaking his head at that sight.
“Did you come to say this? To ask why I didn’t accept Laila’s confession?”
“No!”
The cheeks of the girl answering confidently turned a gentle shade of red at some point. She shyly lowered her head, paused for a moment, and then spoke.
“I asked Declan out on a date. Since he taught me well and I won and even got MVP, I asked if he’d like to go to celebrate.”
“…Really? Did you get an answer?”
It was as expected, and it was the content he had hoped for.
Henry Lowell had definitely been waiting for this moment. His plan was to reach the point where Declan Russell and Hazel became lovers again.
Looking at her flushed cheeks, he seemed to know the answer.
Therefore, he should show her a happy reaction, but he didn’t feel happy at all. Contrary to what he thought, his mind didn’t feel at ease either. It was strange.
Henry, who had thoughts slightly different from when he had made his initial plan, pretended not to notice and listened to Hazel’s voice.
Maybe he rejected her?
“Yes! He said yes! He said let’s meet this weekend!”
“…That’s good.”
The exact answer he had expected came back. Henry’s voice, telling her it was good, strangely sank.
Thankfully, Hazel was so excited about the weekend date plans that she didn’t notice Henry’s odd expression.
She suddenly grabbed Henry’s hand and said,
“Thank you so much. It’s all thanks to you. I don’t know if Declan was deliberately avoiding me, but there was no chance to talk, so honestly, forget about dating—I thought I wouldn’t even be able to talk to him until graduation.”
Does that guy avoid people too? A small question arose on Henry’s face.
Hazel’s round eyes were gently folded. Her gentle eyes, similar to Declan’s, drooped downward, and her plump, round lips drew an attractive curve.
Even to Henry’s eyes, which held no interest in her, it was an utterly lovely smile.
He understood a little why so many male students at this school hopelessly had crushes on Hazel. If I had ordinary tastes, I might have liked her too, Henry thought.
At this point, he became curious.
“Why do you like Russell?”
Hazel’s round eyes widened. The red that had been just a blush on her cheeks spread across her entire face.
She fidgeted with her hands. After pausing for a long while, she answered in a shy voice.
“…He’s kind.”
“Kind?”
Does she not know what kind means?
Henry looked at Hazel with a somewhat bewildered face.
Declan Russell not only didn’t smile much, but his facial expressions didn’t change much to begin with. Thanks to that, it was difficult to gauge his thoughts.
From what he had observed today, simply attributing it to not being close to him wasn’t enough—even among those who always gathered around him, Declan showed no difference in attitude.
…Though, he might have been different in front of his girlfriend.
Seeing Henry’s suspicious look, Hazel hastily explained.
“No, Declan is kind! Really! It’s just a different kind from you.”
“…What kind?”
Henry tilted his head and asked back. It wasn’t to tease her—he genuinely didn’t understand.
If she was embarrassed, she could just say she was too embarrassed to say.
Perhaps because she felt indebted to him for his help, she struggled with embarrassment but forced herself to explain.
“He doesn’t really ask me various things, you know? So when I start to think he’s not interested in me, he suddenly notices and takes care of things about me that even I didn’t know.”
Did he? …No, maybe he did.
Henry was secretly recalling the “good points of Declan Russell” that she was telling him about.
“And um… he’s not interested in gossip. I’ve never heard him say anything like ‘so-and-so did such-and-such with so-and-so,’ that kind of thing. He doesn’t even know about the rumors floating around school. It’s been almost a year since he transferred, and with so many people around him, you’d think he’d know the famous stuff.”
Henry flinched for a moment.
The night at the main house last weekend—he recalled the voice that had questioned why he should tell others about his secret.
Thinking back, it seemed Declan’s attitude hadn’t changed before or after discovering his secret.
He had thought it was an attitude meant to torment him, but what if it wasn’t that—what if it was just his personality?
Then, I…
Henry hadn’t forgotten the thoughts he’d had about his actions all this time. His face burned at the thought that perhaps all of it had been delusion.
It was fortunate that Hazel couldn’t see his face, since he was absorbed in thinking about “Declan’s merits.”
“Also. He listens to everything I say. He doesn’t say nice-sounding things that make you expect something for no reason. Rather than lie, he just won’t say anything. That… makes a person feel really reassured? It makes me feel like whatever I say will be okay.”
Hazel breathed out softly and smiled brightly.
“It’s not just to me—he acts that way toward everyone around him. Sometimes that made me feel a bit sad… But looking back, I liked Declan because of those things.”
Henry, who had much on his mind, couldn’t easily continue speaking.
All of Hazel’s words felt both unfamiliar and familiar. Because the Declan Russell that Henry Lowell knew was like that too. He wanted to deny it, but words of denial wouldn’t come out.
Ah, damn it. His stomach churned again.
I shouldn’t have asked.
“…I hope it goes well.”
Henry spoke quietly. It was definitely sincere. He thought that his current unhappiness was because his help hadn’t achieved perfect fruition.
So he had the strange feeling that once he heard the news that he and Hazel had become lovers again, he would be okay.
“I’ll wait for good news.”
At his words of encouragement, Hazel smiled brightly. Her eyes sparkled.
“Yes!”
Looking at her, Henry thought,
That expression is what a face thinking of someone you like must look like.
And I, who must hide everything, will never be able to even imitate it.
