Please Tell Me How to Remember Love - Chapter 2 Part 1

Chapter 2 – Green Apple Compote

“Sweet, sour, astringent and tasteless. It tastes like unripe fruit boiled in sugar and wine. The taste of resolve and commitment.”

At the end of this love, there was a resolution. There was a promise.

I could clearly feel their determination to fulfill that promise. Even if it meant that it would hurt themselves and someone else.

In that case, as a love eater, it would be disrespectful to take pity on the other person.

It was the taste of love that could have been fulfilled. But, Takayuki had his own resolve too. Once the love was eaten, he should bury his judgment about that love and respect the other person’s wishes.

“…I knew it. Heartbreaks taste bad. It’s inedible.”

That was why Takayuki only let out a curse as usual before he moved on.

No matter what he was thinking about the case, a solved case was a solved case.

The one thing that he knew for sure was that a certain girl’s path of love had been decided.

Whether this was a good thing or not, Takayuki wouldn’t know. After all, he didn’t understand anything about love.

* * *

It wasn’t like Aoi would bury her face in Yuzu’s belly every time she came by. Like a house cat, she’d only do it if she noticed that the latter let her guard down.

Yuzu also wasn’t reading her book 24/7.

Well, it was a matter of course, since there was no way that she’d be reading while eating or sleeping. Also, there were times when she’d be bored from reading and needed a change of pace. Despite Aoi’s calling her ‘Gloomy Bookworm,’ she got into this kind of mood sometimes.

That was why the two would occasionally hang out while playing games several times a month.

And for them, ‘hanging out’ included going against each other’s throat without holding anything back. Today, they were doing just that while playing a certain fighting game.

“One more! One more!”

“Good grief. The result won’t change no matter how many times we repeat this.”

Fighting games weren’t the only games they usually played. In all of their games, their skills were usually evenly matched.

Normally, Aoi would be the one who was good at everything. Even in games that she wasn’t good at, she’d improve her skills quickly and would easily beat any ordinary person that challenged her. But, Yuzu wasn’t an ordinary person, she was strong enough to compete with Aoi. She didn’t practice in secret, nor was she passionate about those games, she was just unnaturally good at them.

That was why the two of them got really competitive whenever they played something. And that was why Aoi always found herself frustrated whenever she got into a lose streak against Yuzu.

“Grr… That’s it! I’ll never play fighting games anymore!”

“Sure, that’s the first time I’ve ever heard those words. Anyway, what’s bothering you this time? What are you so preoccupied with to the point that you showed this kind of disgrace to me?”

“…Uu…”

Aoi let out a lethargic voice as she rolled around the floor.

The problem she was so preoccupied with was naturally connected to Takayuki’s relationship. Because of a strange occurrence, he had to be involved with someone who was also connected with the supernaturals, Himuro Reina, but that wasn’t the problem Aoi was worrying about. Rather, she was worrying about Yui, the girl who was lurking behind the scene.

“Yuzu, do you know about the girl called Takayama Yui? She’s in a different class than you…”

“I know her… Ah, she’s the one behind everything, isn’t she?”

“You’re quick on the uptake as always.”

In the first place, it was hard to imagine that Takayuki didn’t reveal his ability to someone that he trusted so much. They had been working together since middle school. There were bound to be some occasions where she witnessed him using his power. It would be more reasonable to think that Takayuki had told her about it previously, but she was unable to remember what happened exactly due to her memory being tampered. That would explain the reason why he looked surprised when he found out that Aoi remembered everything about his power… Aoi hadn’t told Yuzu about his power, so her line of thought stopped there.

“Well, to put it bluntly… Takayama-san is like a guardian? To Satou-kun. Their relationship is quite complicated. Her feelings toward him are also complicated… She doesn’t want to actively hurt him, but she has been trying her hardest to…change him? In any case, she’s conspiring with this girl, Kuramori Karin, to achieve whatever goal that she has. Takayama-san and Satou-kun are quite close to each other, though the former will definitely deny it if you bring the topic up to her. What do you think I should do in this situation?”

After much deliberation, she decided to reveal everything about her current concern while hiding about Takayuki’s power.

“Hmm…”

“Seriously, Takayama-san is so troublesome to deal with. It’s clear that she isn’t an ordinary person. Whenever I talk with her alone, she always has this intimidating aura. But, whenever I mention Satou-kun, her facade will crumble and she acts like a normal high school girl…”

“I see. So she’s the same kind of person as you. A pain in the a*s to deal with.”

“Ugh…”

Although she was suddenly stabbed by the sharp words and almost fainted in agony, Aoi recovered quickly.

“A-Anyway, she’s a pain in the a*s, right! Also, I got the feeling that if I were to tell Satou-kun about what she has been up to, things will get even messier. He’s probably going to be mad.”

“Definitely. He’ll most likely relieve you of your partner position.”

“N-No, no way, no way that’ll happen! The bond between Satou-kun and I is strong! That’s why we’re partners to begin with! …B-But, is there a possibility that he’ll actually abandon me?”

“Yes. Doing that means you’ll be getting in the way of Takayama’s goals. From what I’ve heard from you, Takayama is selfish and she’s obsessed with him for some reason. She doesn’t seem to be someone who’d be merciful toward her enemies.”

After hearing Yuzu’s words, Aoi let out a groan and pondered.

From their previous interactions, Aoi never felt any hostility coming from Yui. Rather, she had only been receiving advice on how to deal with Takayuki’s antics from her. That was why she was convinced that no matter what Yui’s goals were, Aoi’s current position wasn’t a hindrance to her.

However, at the same time, she had a premonition that off the chance that Yui became an enemy, she would be a really troublesome one to face.

“No matter what the reason behind her actions are, whether it’s right or wrong, she’s bound to be a tough opponent. She’s determined, unwavering and has the power to do whatever she wants.”

“I know. For me, Takayama-san is either a reassuring ally or a troublesome enemy. But, no matter what she is for me, I’ll never be swayed by her will. And I never intend to lose to her either.”

Aoi said with a smile. After seeing that smile, Yuzu let out a snort as if to say, ‘I was dumb to worry about you,’ and let go of the controller in her hands.

“Is that so? Do whatever. I’ll cheer on you if I feel like it.”

“Hehehe. Anyway, I feel like I’ve maxed out Satou-kun’s trust in me. I have plenty of time! I can do this!”

“But, isn’t he going to be busy with the matter regarding Amamiya-senpai and Kageyama-senpai tomorrow?”

“Ack!”

It was the second critical hit she received today. The damage was noticeably bigger than before as she took twice as long of a time to recover.

“…I-I mean, I don’t have any choice! Haru-kun had just been released from Renge-nee-san’s private lessons! That’s why I let her go with Satou-kun this time! I’d go to cheer her on, but I don’t want to put them in a strange mood!”

“I don’t know if you’re kind or just naive.”

“Regardless of what happened, Haru-kun is still precious to me! I want to cheer on her so that she can do her best at all times! As for Kageyama-senpai… Satou-kun will be there, I don’t think he’ll let her run wild without any restraints… In any case, I’m ignoring my childish jealousy! I’m exchanging their happiness with my life as collateral!”

“I see. So, you’re accepting this arrangement logically speaking, but you still can’t accept it emotionally.”

“…I mean…”

After making all those noises, Aoi suddenly became quiet.

She only mumbled something while clinging to Yuzu’s belly. It was clear that she was having trouble saying something back to her.

“…I’m his partner. And as a partner of a hero, I don’t want to look uncool…”

“Do whatever.”

Yuzu didn’t say anything to comfort her. But, unlike usual, she didn’t pry her away from her belly. Aoi knew that at times like this, Yuzu would pamper her for five minutes, so she moved quickly and buried her face on her soft belly, trying to recharge the energy that she had lost.

It was at this moment, during the time when Aoi was making up her mind to do better tomorrow after showing her best friend her uncool sides, Aoi’s phone rang.

“Ugh… It’s from Rinko-senpai? …Huh?”

Still clinging on Yuzu’s belly, Aoi operated her phone and checked the message she had gotten.

[Hello, Aoi. I want to have a talk with you tomorrow. Can you come to the clubroom at around noon?]

The text looked ordinary at a first glance, but Aoi knew. The senpai who sent her this message loved to joke around. Normally, her texts were just her messing around like suddenly sending something along the lines of, ‘Let’s go to the beach!’ at 2 am. And that wasn’t even the end of it as sometimes she’d send nonsenses that were locked behind cryptic images she found on the internet.

Her antics were so annoying that even Aoi, who had high tolerance for things like this, often contemplated to block her for good. But this time, that same weirdo sent her a real text.

“…Ugh…”

Aoi let out a groan before reluctantly replied to her.

Yuzu, who had been observing her, patted her head with an expressionless face.

“You’re such a sweetie, Aoi. Though you’re an idiot.”

“Shut it. Make sure to pat me gentler next time, okay?”

Yuzu’s voice, despite lacking any emotions in it, sounded warm for a second there.

It was as if she was comforting Aoi for the hardship she was about to go through.

* * *

“Sorry! Did you wait long?!”

At a less popular spot, a familiar voice suddenly called out to Takayuki. He turned around toward the voice’s direction to see the girl that he had been waiting for had arrived, while being slightly out of breath.

“No. I just arrived here myself.”

Takayuki tried his best to let out an amiable smile toward the girl who ran up to him and replied to her words properly.

It was easy to mistake him as a brusque person due to his appearance even though he was normally polite to other people around him. He was even willing to humble himself depending on who he was talking with. If he were to talk bluntly, that would mean either he was wary of the person he talked to or because he knew the other party well.

But, the girl in front of him was a special case. He tried to be as amiable as possible with her and treated her politely, but it was hard for him to treat her as a normal friend.

“I’m truly sorry… I should have arrived thirty minutes earlier than you, Master! I’m so ashamed of my immaturity…”

Because the girl in front of him was Kageyama Misato. The perpetrator of the stalking case that he and Aoi solved last month.

“No, it has nothing to do with immaturity or anything. If I make you wait for that long, Haruka-senpai will definitely give me hell for it. Rather, this is just right, Kageyama-senpai.”

“Uu… Such merciful words! I don’t deserve them, Master!”

“Also, stop calling me master already.”

However, the girl was clearly different than back when Takayuki caught her red-handedly as a stalker. Her hunched back had gone, giving her a rather stout impression. The long bangs that covered her eyes had been cut by a few centimeters and were held by a blue hairpin.

Previously, she was unable to make eye contact with anyone, but right now, her gaze was locked firmly to Takayuki’s. The dark, gloomy gaze she had was gone, replaced by a bright and strong-willed one.

“Understood! I guess I’m still lacking as a disciple, that’s why you don’t want to recognize me as one yet. I have to devote myself to you more before I get to refer to you by that. Is that what you meant, Satou-san?”

“Definitely not.”

However, her gaze was way too bright for Takayuki, to the point that he had to endure the urge to look away from her.

“Understood, Satou-san! You were the one who unraveled my distorted emotions and saved me from them! I guess it’s a long way to go before I can understand the true intention of your words. Is this the secret art of your school?” (T/N: Just to clarify, the ‘school’ here is 流派/ryuha, not 学生/gakusei. The latter is the school we’re familiar with while the former is like martial arts schools, schools that passed down their arts or technique and stuff.)

“Just in case, let me ask you something. What school do you think I’m part of, Kageyama-senpai?”

“Ugh… Sorry! I’m not good enough, I don’t have a single clue as to what kind of school you’re part of, Satou-san! Perhaps a school related to parapsychology… No, I have to look for more clues before I speculate…”

“Before you go to look for something strange, why don’t you look at yourself first, Kageyama-senpai?”

With Misato triumphantly saying the wrong things, Takayuki could only give out a wry smile.

Of course, there were reasons behind Misato’s words and actions. It was the side effect of Takayuki’s own power.

‘Sugar Spice,’ the power to devour the love of his target.

Last month, he used it on Misato, to eat the distorted feelings that tormented and turned her into a stalker.

However, his power was still something that differed from common sense. Most people were unable to perceive it correctly and instead would perceive it as something else entirely. As to how they would perceive it, it was different from person to person, depending on their own common sense. Even if that person was someone who was directly affected by that power, this would still be the case.

And so, as a result, following Misato’s own common sense, Takayuki became ‘an incredible consultant who managed to lift dark emotions within people’s hearts with mere words.’

She was so impressed with Takayuki’s skills to the point that she decided to devote herself as his apprentice, hoping that she could someday help someone who had darkness in their heart.

“I see. I have to look at myself first, reflect on what I’ve done, before I should strive to do better. Right, I haven’t atoned my sins toward Haruka-senpai yet.”

“…I don’t dislike that earnest part of yours, but I thought she said that she doesn’t care about your atonement? She won’t avoid you either way.”

However, just because Takayuki’s power affected her, it didn’t mean her true nature would change that easily.

In response to his words, Misato let out a weak smile and shook her head.

“No, I can’t accept that. Even if Haruka-senpai forgives me, I can’t forgive myself. I will continue to atone my sins until I can forgive myself. Well, I have to be careful so that Haruka-senpai won’t feel burdened by it…”

It seemed like Misato had a personality that if she entered a certain state of mind, her mood would swing into that direction whether it was bad or not. This personality made her strict to herself.

“Is that so? Alright, I’ll make sure that you won’t do anything strange to her.”

“Hehehe, thank you very much, Mast— I mean, Satou-san!”

“…You can call me whatever you like. Just call me normally at school.”

“Thank you very much, Master!”

To Misato’s cheerful grin, Takayuki let out an exasperated sigh while saying, “Good grief.”

“Master, can I ask you a question?”

“Haah… Let me tell you this first. I’m an amateur when it comes to psychology in general. I can’t give you the answer that you want.”

“Not that. Um… The people who’ve been staring at you for a while… The one who looks like a middle schooler who’s glaring at you and the pretty white haired girl who’s smiling happily beside her… Who are they?”

At Misato’s words, Takayuki shifted his gaze to the direction he had been afraid to look at.

“Satou-san… Were the rumors about you being a womanizer true?”

In the direction was Karin, who had been glaring at him for a while, and Reina, who was looking in her direction while smiling.

It seemed like someone had spread another bad rumor about Takayuki, who had been quiet lately. They made it as if he was a delinquent and a womanizer.

“Shut up, middle schooler. Look at my outfit. Do you think it’s appropriate for a date?”

Takayuki responded to the suspicion with a curse. Certainly, his outfit wasn’t fit for a date. Both him and Misato were wearing their school jerseys. The reason for this was because they were going to cheer on Haruka’s volleyball match.

“Reina-san said that things like that won’t matter as long as the two people involved are in love with each other.”

“Oi, Himuro, teach her properly. At this rate, she’ll be wearing jerseys on her dates.”

“What’s wrong with jerseys?”

“Hehehe. Correct answer, Karin-chan! You’ll still be cute even if you’re wearing jerseys!”

Seeing Reina smiling and the conversation turning in her favor, Karin puffed her chest while giving him a ‘See that?’ look.

At the sight of the two, Takayuki let out a sigh.

“Haah, now that there are two of them, it’s getting noisier… They are my acquaintances, Kageyama-senpai. Just treat them casually, or you can ignore them completely. Actually, just ignore them.”

“No, that’s a little… U-Um, nice to meet you. My name is Kageyama Misato. I’m indebted to Satou Takayuki-san over here…”

Seeing Takayuki’s dismay at the sight of the two of them, Misato let out a wry smile before introducing herself to them with a bow.

Karin straightened her back and returned her bow.

“Nice to meet you, Kageyama-san. My name is Kuramori Karin. I’m Satou-san’s fian— I’m a good natured caretaker of him. I’m sure we’ll meet each other a lot in the future, so please take care of me.”

“Ah… Y-Yes, likewise… B-But, caretaker?”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Himuro Reina. Karin-chan’s guardian. Please take care of me~”

“L-Likewise… U-Um, guardian? M-Master?”

To Misato who stared at him with a confused gaze, Takayuki spat out his answer.

“As you can see, they’re weirdos. Well, as long as you don’t touch them, they won’t hurt you.”

“I see. In other words, they are your friends?”

“Yes, sure.”

“I see! I should have known! But, great for you, Master!”

“I’m amazed that you could distort my sarcasm in a positive direction.”

While they were talking, the bus they had been waiting for arrived. Their conversation came to a halt as they all boarded the bus.

Yes, all of them, including Reina and Karin.

“We’re going to cheer for a senpai in her volleyball match. You two don’t need to come.”

““Don’t mind us!””

“Tch.”

Takayuki sat down on an empty seat while rudely clicking his tongue at the two.

Himuro Reina and Kuramori Karin. Someone who was connected with the supernaturals and her partner. Oddly enough, ever since Takayuki and Reina recognized each other’s identities, Reina had been acting together with Karin more often, similar to how Takayuki was with Aoi. Although Takayuki was distressed by this development, he understood that they did this because they were wary of him.

Their worries weren’t unprecedented too. At first, they treated him as a ‘foolish idealist’ but as soon as they knew about his ability, the possibility that he could become their enemy appeared, that explained the change in treatment that they gave him.

Of course, Takayuki also treated them differently than usual. His own safety aside, he had to also ensure Aoi’s. That was why he planned to have a long conversation with Reina as it would be better for them to talk it out rather than keep being wary toward each other. That being said, being followed by them on holidays felt bothersome to him.

“Um, Master? I know that I don’t have the right to say anything about this, but… Don’t you think it’s better for you to just report them to the authorities? Or at least be more straightforward in rejecting them?”

“That Kuramori girl is related to a friend of mine. Also, this matter is kinda connected to my family’s matters…”

From the seat next to him, Misato whispered her suggestion to him.

He appreciated her concern, but he shook his head anyway. It was true that it felt bothersome, but it wasn’t like they caused any troubles so far. There was no need to treat them roughly.

“Well, if it comes down to it, I’ll do something about it.”

After trying his best to make an amiable smile, Takayuki glanced toward the window to quell the irritation from his heart. He tried to reflect on himself since he unilaterally caused Misato to worry about him.

“…Sorry, Kageyama-senpai. Please go on without me, I have an urgent matter to take care of.”

“Eh? But the bus will be leaving soon!”

Without hearing the rest of Misato’s words, Takayuki stood up and walked away.

He dismissed Karin’s and Reina’s reactions, who were as surprised as Misato, as he said, “Sorry, I have an urgent matter to take care of,” to the bus driver and forcefully asked them to stop the bus.

And before anyone could react to him, he dashed away. The destination was a sideway a little bit away from the bus stop.

“Ah, jeez. I knew it.”

As he arrived at his destination, he looked around, paying no attention to the fact that the bus had left the stop already. However, even though he tried to look around as hard as he could, there was no one around except for him and ‘the other person.’

“It can’t be helped…”

Takayuki let out a wry smile as he suppressed his self-loathing.

“Oww… It hurts…”

He let out a smile to make sure that ‘the other person’, a little girl who was curling and sobbing, wouldn’t be frightened of him.

“Are you okay? Did you hurt your knee?”

“Eh? Onii-chan, who are you?”

While smiling, Takayuki said to the girl with bruised knees,

“Me? I am—”

“Just an idiot passing by!”

“Ugh!”

But, before he could answer her question, he received a chop to his side. The one who gave him that was Karin, who came out from behind him. It was a really sharp blow, clearly expressing her frustration toward Takayuki, who dashed out of the bus without saying anything.

TL: Iyo

ED: Iyo

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