My vision is stained completely red...
It sounds like Iino is saying something while crying, but I can't hear anything...
For a moment... I couldn't understand why I was in this situation, but I quickly came to my senses.
On my way home from student council work, as I was walking Iino home, I saw a car speeding towards me at a crosswalk.
Iino is so engrossed in nagging me that she doesn't notice.
My body moved faster than I could even utter a sound... I pushed Iino off the straight path of the oncoming car.
...I didn't save them with the intention of dying myself.
I intended to push Iino away and then dodge.
But the next moment, my body felt an incredible impact and I was thrown into the air. Perhaps it was fortunate that I didn't feel any pain... No, even if I had felt pain, something else would have been coursing through my body.
...What was coursing through my body right now was an overwhelming sense of regret.
The chairman rescued me from the dark abyss...
Senior Shinomiya, who didn't give up on me despite my sloppiness and self-indulgence, and taught me how to study...
Senior Fujiwara has always been someone who doesn't hesitate to speak his mind to a talkative junior like me, and has always treated me as an equal, doing whatever he pleases...
Tsubame-senpai treated me without prejudice, even though I had a bad reputation...
The regrets that keep swirling in my mind are endless...
Maki-senpai, Tsubasa-senpai...
The leader, the Great Buddha, Onodera...
And most importantly, the girl who was desperately shouting at me right in front of me...
Despite her small stature, she possesses a sense of justice and responsibility that is disproportionate to her size.
She will surely be troubled by this incident. My body won't move, but as long as my mouth can move... I'll let this body do one last job. With that resolve, I mustered my last bit of strength.
"I...Ii...no...!"
"Huh?! I...Ishigami?! I'm so sorry!! I...I!!"
"Guh?! You... you're not... at fault!"
"Huh!?"
I said it, I managed to finish saying it...and just as quickly as I finished, my eyelids became heavy.
As my vision gradually shrunk, the last thing I saw was Iino sobbing like a child.
"Hmm... what?"
When I regained consciousness, the first thing I felt was a sense of unease.
I was lying on the road just a moment ago, but... I don't feel any pain anywhere in my body, and besides, where am I...? A classroom?
So, was everything that just happened a dream?
However, I still can't shake off this strange feeling of unease...
"...!"
Looking around the classroom, I realized the source of the strange feeling.
This is... not a high school classroom!?
This place is...
"Ishigami, everyone's already gone home, you know?"
I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned my gaze to the source of the voice.
"Huh?! Otomo?!"
I'm certain we'll never meet again...that smile will never be directed at me again.
No doubt about it... I feel like I'm back in middle school!!