The Berlin Wall, which had once divided Germany into two, collapsed due to one man's misunderstanding.
The man's name was Günter Schabowski.
As a spokesperson, he had misinterpreted a statement about the liberalization of foreign travel and said that he was free to go to West Germany. People rushed to the gates and the guards opened them unaccountably. And so the Berlin Wall came down.
One misunderstanding saved a country. Such a wonderful misunderstanding was possible.
And by comparison, I don't have to despise myself for thinking that Shirona was going to confess to me. I don't have to writhe in shame or torment myself. But even if I kept telling myself that, it was still endlessly embarrassing for me. Ahh, I want to die.
How likely was it that Shirona was going to confess to me in the first place? Someone, please explain this to me with statistics, or the numerical probability theory, or whatever you want to call it.
Regaining my composure, I turned my gaze back to Shirona.
"So someone has feelings for Arina, huh?"
"Yeah. A kouhai on the men's team has had his eye on her for a while."
I wasn't surprised that someone would have a crush on Arina. I've known for a while that she's pretty popular. it was only natural since she had some good aspects. I didn't think that there was anything strange going on. She's been popular all year long.
Now the problem is, why is she telling this to me?
"So, why are you telling me this?"
It was a frank question. To be honest, it was pretty much just, "So what?"
"Because I don't really know much about Arina-san… Sui seems to be close to Arina-san, so I thought you might be able to give advice."
"So you mean I'm supposed to be the one helping your kouhai."
"Yes."
"How do you think I can help?"
"You could be like a bridge?"
So she called me out here to help her kouhai.
But Shirona must have also known that Arina is reluctant to date anyone. So why do you want me to encourage it?
"Well, I don't know how much I'll be able to help until I talk to him."
"Right. So, let's go to the tennis courts."
The girls and boys were practicing on separate courts. At first glance, it didn't seem like they were interacting with each other much. However, during breaks, they would approach each other and chat, so it turned out that the kouhais would have ample opportunity to consult with Shirona.
Shirona pointed to one of them.
His name is Nakatani Taku. He's a first-pyear high schooler and was a part of the tennis club. His pretty and refreshing face seemed to make him popular with the girls. (My perception.)
I listened to Shirona explain.
"So, Taku wants to confess to Arina."
"I see, I see."
"And while we're at it, how close are you to Arina?"
"You're probably misunderstanding something…?"
I understand that he's attracted to her because of her looks.
I've often seen people act on the assumption that it's 'realistic' to pray for a 'yes', which would be less likely than finding a diamond in the desert, and 'maybe go out'. Everyone was clouded by her appearance.
But Arina rejects them.
I don't know if she just hates humans. Whatever it is, she makes her words so thorny in an attempt to eliminate anyone who approaches her. That's just Arina.
After I was standing around with Shirona for a while, the boys' side took a break.
Quickly, Shirona pulled me to the student.
"Taku-kun. This guy is Sui."
Nakatani Taku's personality was as refreshing as his looks.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Nakatani Taku."
"Hey, I'm Sui."
Shirona interrupted.
"You should ask Sui if you have any questions. Sui is the only person in this school who talks to Arina-san."
Shirona's words made Taku look skeptical. Hey, Arina and I don't have that kind of relationship. Don't be silly. I'll sue you for defamation.
"Thank you, Shirona-senpai. I'll talk to Sui-senpai about it!"
"Don't worry, even though he's a little weird, he's not a bad person. I'm going back to the club."
You added an extra detail, there.
Shirona went to change her clothes. It was just me and Taku.
Nakatani Taku opened his mouth first.
"Sui-senpai, what is your relationship with Arina-senpai?"
"Don't worry, it's not the worst-case scenario you're imagining."
Taku looked relieved at my words. He must have been quite worried since he let out a huge breath.
"On the contrary, what do you like about Arina?"
Taku began to mope. I don't know if he's that pure-hearted, but he hesitated to speak like he was shy.
"It's her gentleness, her beautifulness."
"Eh?"
A reflexive question mark came out of my mouth.
Arina is nice? Is this guy a masochist? If so, it must be really pleasurable to be by Arina's side. After all, a word or two from her would make an M grateful.
"Also her smile. It's super cute."
She was nothing like the Arina I knew. Who the hell is that girl? The Hiwa Arina I knew was ridiculously pointy. In addition, she was as cold as the Ice Queen.
Was that her other personality? If that was the case, then it makes sense, since they were complete opposites. Their personalities were so different that if they met, they would cancel each other out.
However, I generally understood what he was talking about. It's Arina's other personality.
"Taku, you're sure the person you have a crush on is Hiwa Arina, a 2nd year, right?"
"Yes? Is there something wrong with that?"
"Your description and Arina's personality are almost the complete opposite…"
"Eh?! What do you mean?! That shouldn't be the case!"
"But I don't see any similarities. The Arina I know is a thorny, venomous person. She's too different from what you're saying."
"That's definitely not the case! She's a really sweet person!"
"You say that, but Arina's been that way since her 1st year of high school. Even this year, when you started high school, she was like that."
"….No way."
"What is it?"
"Senpai. I've known Arina-senpai for a while."
"?"
"I went to the same junior high as Arina-senpai."
Taku clearly stated that.