The Lion's Fang and the White Flower: A Secret Love of Missed Confessions
The summer before their second year of high school. Botan, a member of the literature club, is called out by her classmate, Raiga Shishio, who she secretly has feelings for. With a serious face, Raiga says, "There's something I've always wanted to tell you." Botan's heart races.
But his shocking confession is: "I have a crush on your best friend, Suzume. I need your help." Hiding her heartbreak, Botan forces a smile and agrees. Thus begins a week-long slapstick romantic comedy filled with tangl
The Lion's Fang and the White Flower: A Secret Love of Missed Confessions - The Night Before the Cultural Festival, the Shattering Mask
The after-school chime echoed throughout the school building.
Normally, this was the moment the classroom buzzed with the most noise. Today was different. With the culture festival looming tomorrow, the sounds of everyone rushing around already filled the hallways.
Botan slipped out of the classroom alone.
In her hands, a paper bag held the props for the literature club's stage presentation. Inside were origami flower petals and rough sketches of hand-drawn background art.
(*Just a little more. Just a little more and it'll be over.*)
She walked down the hallway, telling herself that.
She still couldn't get Suzume's earnest gaze from behind the gymnasium yesterday out of her head.
*"I want you to tell me the truth."*
Back then, Botan had laughed it off.
*"Raiga likes you, Suzume. So I'm rooting for you."*
It was a fake smile.
She wondered how the dimple that only appeared on her right cheek had looked to Suzume.
(*I know. Suzume knows.*)
Suzume was sharp. She was good at reading people's hearts. Surely, she had seen through Botan's lie.
Even so, she hadn't pressed further. In her own way, she'd tried not to hurt Botan.
She stepped out onto the connecting corridor to the club building.
The July afternoon sun reflected off the window glass, dazzlingly bright. From the other end of the hallway, she could faintly hear the brass band practicing.
The culture festival—the Kasumi Festival.
There was a legend that any couple who danced at the post-festival campfire would be brought together. That kind of giddy atmosphere felt terribly distant to Botan right now.
The literature club room was in a corner on the third floor of the special classroom building.
It was a small room, originally a storage space, about six tatami mats in size and surrounded by bookshelves.
She opened the door.
No one was there.
She let out a sigh of relief.
The club room was a mess from preparing for tomorrow's presentation. Half-finished manuscripts and prop materials were piled up on the desks. The bookshelf by the window was crammed with novels and poetry collections brought in by the members.
Botan placed the paper bag on the desk and opened the window.
A lukewarm breeze drifted in. In the distance, the surface of the Aoba River glittered and sparkled.
(*Alright.*)
She gave a small nod, as if to psych herself up.
There was a mountain of things to do. A final check of the petals for the stage. Fixes to the background art. Copies of the script for the dramatic reading rehearsal.
"...Alright, let's do this!"
She tried saying it out loud.
Her voice echoed hollowly in the empty club room.
——How much time had passed since then?
While she was absorbed in her work, it had grown completely dark outside the window.
The tents set up on the school grounds for the festival flapped and swayed in the wind.
As Botan was pasting petals onto a backing board, her hands suddenly stopped.
Her fingers were trembling slightly.
(*Huh?*)
She tried to pick up the scissors, but couldn't muster the strength.
Days of sleep deprivation and stress.
Raiga, Suzume, Reiji—her head was such a mess that she hadn't been able to sleep properly at night.
"......Ah."
The blade of the scissors grazed the tip of her index finger.
A bead of red blood welled up.
It wasn't a serious injury. Just a tiny little cut.
But.
Botan stared at that red dot, frozen in place.
(*Why?*)
Why was she so tired?
Why was she in so much pain?
Why—?
The ache deep in her chest was far greater than the pain in her fingertip.
"...What am I even doing?"
She murmured quietly.
Her voice was hoarse.
Outside the window, she could hear the cheerful voices of students preparing for the culture festival.
Those voices felt terribly far away.
——That was when it happened.
BANG!!
The club room door was violently thrown open.
Botan looked up.
Standing there—was Suzume.
Her usual fluffy bob was disheveled, her blue hairpin tilted precariously as if about to fall. Her large hazel eyes were drenched and messy with tears.
"Suzu...me...?"
Before Botan could even get the words out.
Suzume rushed into the club room.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Botan...!"
Suzume clung to Botan, sobbing uncontrollably.
"There's something... I haven't been able to tell you all this time...!"
Botan was stunned.
"W-wait, calm down. What happened?"
Supporting Suzume's shoulders, she desperately tried to talk to her.
But Suzume just shook her head.
"I—I've always... been in love with Reiji...!"
Botan's hands stopped.
"...Huh?"
Suzume lifted her tear-streaked face.
"Ever since middle school, the whole time! I've only ever looked at Reiji! But Reiji... he's always looking only at you, Botan...!"
The words came spilling out, one after another.
"Even on sports festival day! Even during culture festival prep! Reiji's eyes were always following you! I—I couldn't stand it, it hurt so much...!"
Suzume gripped the sleeve of Botan's uniform tightly.
"So, so... I took advantage of Raiga being kind to me! I pretended not to notice his feelings...! I was using him, I...!"
Only Suzume's crying echoed through the club room.
Botan couldn't find any words.
(*Suzume... likes Reiji?*)
A name she never expected came out of Suzume's mouth.
(*All this time? Since middle school?*)
Feelings she never knew her best friend had.
(*She... used Raiga?*)
Suzume, who was always so kind, had known about Raiga's affection and stayed silent—.
"I'm the worst, aren't I...!"
Suzume cried out.
"I knew you liked Raiga, too! And yet, I only ever thought about myself! I pretended not to notice how much you were suffering...!"
"Suzu...me... that's..."
She tried to say it wasn't true.
That Suzume wasn't to blame.
But the words wouldn't come.
Because—Botan had been the same.
Botan had also hidden her feelings, put on a smile, and deceived everyone.
Just like Suzume.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Botan...!"
Still clinging to Botan, Suzume wept aloud.
Botan could only stand there, utterly stunned.
(*What should I—*)
——Just then.
*Clatter.*
There was a noise outside the club room.
Both of them started and looked towards the door.
Beyond the open door—in the dim hallway, there were two silhouettes.
"...Raiga."
Her voice trembled as she said his name.
Standing in the hallway were Shishiou Raiga and—Toudou Reiji.
Raiga's face was frozen in shock. His dark, intense eyes were wide open. Beneath the bangs swept up by his headband, a faint sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead.
Behind him, Reiji stood quietly. His narrow, sharp eyes were keener than usual, staring into the club room.
"...Did you hear all of that just now?"
Though Raiga's voice was restrained, anger seeped through.
Suzume flinched, her body trembling.
"Rai...ga..."
Unable to look Raiga in the face, Suzume hung her head.
A heavy silence filled the club room.
Botan felt her heart pounding like a frantic alarm bell.
(*He heard. Everything.*)
Suzume's feelings for Reiji.
That she had been using Raiga.
——And that Botan liked Raiga.
"Suzume."
Raiga took a step into the club room.
"You—were you using me?"
His voice was a mixture of anger and deep sorrow.
Suzume could only nod, trembling.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
"Sorry isn't good enough!!"
Raiga raised his voice.
"I was—I was serious! I really did like you! And yet, you—!"
At those words, a sharp pain shot through Botan's chest.
(*He was serious—*)
She knew. She knew Raiga's feelings were genuine.
That was exactly why she had decided to support him.
But—.
"Raiga, calm down."
A quiet voice resonated in the club room.
Reiji, who had been silent until now, stepped forward.
Raiga glared at him.
"Reiji, you too—you heard what she said! That Suzume likes you!"
"Yeah, I heard. Everything."
Reiji nodded, casually brushing up his center-parted bangs as he always did.
And then, his narrow gray eyes—looked straight at Botan.
Botan was pinned down by that gaze.
"So, I'll say it too. Right here, right now. Everything."
Reiji slowly walked into the club room.
"Botan."
Hearing her name, Botan's shoulders twitched.
"I—like you."
The atmosphere in the club room changed in an instant.
Raiga looked at Reiji with an expression of utter shock.
Suzume lifted her tear-soaked face.
And Botan—her mind went completely blank.
"Do you remember the day of the sports festival?"
Reiji continued quietly.
"You were crying alone in the corner of the classroom. You thought no one was there, so you stifled your voice."
Botan's breath stopped.
(*That day—*)
The day of the sports festival. The day Raiga had spoken to Botan while she was carrying the heavy tent poles.
After school that day, Botan had been in the classroom alone, crying.
She didn't even know why she was crying. Her chest just hurt, and the tears wouldn't stop.
(*He saw that?*)
"I happened to come back to the classroom to get something I forgot. And there—I saw you."
Unconsciously, Reiji traced the silver necklace hanging from his neck with his fingers.
"It was from that moment. I couldn't stop thinking about you. Every time you forced yourself to smile, it pained my heart. While you kept saying you'd support Raiga, you were falling apart more and more—I was watching it all along."
"Reiji... you..."
Raiga murmured, dumbfounded.
Reiji glanced at Raiga.
"Sorry, Raiga. I never told you. But—I can't hide it anymore. There's no point in hiding it."
A heavy silence fell over the club room.
All four of their feelings were now laid bare.
Suzume had liked Reiji.
Raiga had liked Suzume.
Reiji liked Botan.
And Botan—liked Raiga.
The tangled, messy love square was now exposed in broad daylight.
Botan felt dizzy from the chain of revelations she hadn't known.
(*Suzume was hiding her feelings for Reiji from me all this time.*)
(*Raiga was—used by Suzume.*)
(*Reiji was watching me all along.*)
——And.
(*I like Raiga.*)
But she couldn't say that anymore.
If she did, what would happen to this relationship—?
"...Hey."
Raiga spoke, his head hanging low.
"What... are we supposed to do now?"
His voice was so weak, it was unimaginable coming from the usually earnest and justice-driven Raiga.
No one could answer.
Suzume covered her face, crying.
Botan stared intently at the blood seeping from the wound on her fingertip.
——That was when.
"We've already come to a point where we can't rewind."
Reiji said quietly.
"In that case—let's talk about everything. Somewhere with no one else. Somewhere we won't be disturbed."
Botan looked up.
"...Where?"
"It's obvious."
Reiji looked straight at Botan with his gray eyes.
"The Class 2-3 classroom. That's where—it all started, right?"
——Where it all started.
Monday. The day Raiga called Botan to the rooftop and confessed that he liked Suzume.
The day all the gears started going wrong.
"We're sneaking into the school at night?"
Raiga asked, surprised.
"Where else is there? We never know who might come here."
Reiji glanced towards the hallway.
The voices of students preparing for the festival could still be heard from there.
"...Alright."
Botan gave a small nod.
She clenched her trembling fingers tightly.
(*There's no turning back now.*)
She understood that clearly.
This love square—could never return to its original friendship.
If that was the case.
Then at least, until the very end—they had to clash with their true feelings.
"Suzume, can you stand?"
Botan reached out her hand to the sobbing Suzume.
Suzume looked up at Botan with eyes blurred by tears.
"Botan... I..."
"It's okay. Let's go."
Taking Suzume's hand, Botan pulled her to her feet.
————
The school building at night was eerily quiet.
The students preparing for the festival had long since gone home, and the hallways were empty.
Only the green light of the emergency lamps dimly illuminated the corridors.
The four of them crept quietly, climbing the dark stairs.
One step, then another.
With each step up the stairs, a whirlwind of emotions swirled in Botan's chest.
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