Bokura wa Itsumo [Chapter 28]

Summarized by: Sarah

The chapter starts with a shot of the bag Saeka was packing at the end of the last chapter, and Saeka thinking that this bag is packed with her love, courage, and one more thing... The scene switches to the next morning, with Saeka reading an email from Nori that says she doesn't feel well and won't be coming to school today. As Saeka walks into school, wondering if Nori is OK, she notices the other girls are staring and giving her dirty looks. In her classroom, the other girls sadly congratulate her. Saeka thinks that if what happened yesterday (Kyou getting her out of her punishment) was passed around by email, even though it was true, how did the story turn into her and Kyou dating? Saeka starts to try to deny that when Kyou comes in and stops her. Someone declares that they're getting the first picture of the new couple. The male students point out that it's annoying, but they really do make a well-matched couple, so they won't interfere. The female students say that, after drifting from girl to girl, Kyou returned to the old, familiar port. (Saeka: “Who's this 'old port?'”) Saeka again tries to explain that they aren't dating, and Kyou butts in to say that they'll have to excuse them. He and Saeka have to go do something. Kyou drags Saeka off to an empty classroom, then leans against the door, noting that was close. Saeka, furious, swings a chair at him, and Kyou yells at her that was dangerous – careful with the chair! Saeka asks him how this happened. Why did him taking her to see Yanaidu turn into the two of them dating? Kyou-chan brought his car to take her, but that's a strange reason to start that rumor. Saeka says that she'll go to the staff room to talk, and Kyou tells her not to do that. If it's something he did, it wasn't taking her to see Yanaidu. He told them that he was who she was meeting at the station, and that they were dating. It seemed like a good solution, but it turned into this. Saeka asks him why he would go so far as to do something like that. Kyou responds, “You don't understand? You really don't, Saeka?” He looks at her firmly, and Saeka thinks back to what he said when he confessed to her, and the other times she's seen him lately. No way... could he actually have been serious? They continue to look at each other, and Saeka thinks that she's being overloaded with memories... and she hits him in the face, yelling at him not to touch her. (Kyou notes that she hit the other side of his face, this time.) She tells him that she doesn't understand... she can't believe him. All she does is take jabs at him, say bad things about him, call him an idiot... Where in all that did he find something to love? He tells her that what she said is true, but it's all right, because he found it. So he fell in love with her. Kyou then turns away and remarks that, when he puts it like that, “unrequited first love” sounds sort of girlie. “First love...” Saeka says, walking towards him. How many girls has he attacked with that line, she wonders? Kyou apologizes, but he can't help it. It's just how it is. Nori told him he was an idiot when he told her, too.

Hearing him mention Nori, Saeka's eyes widen. She gets him to confirm that he told Nori, and Kyou tells her that Nori was with him in the staff room, so he didn't think he could keep it from her. Saeka realizes what must have happened with Nori as Kyou continues. Nori is with Haruna now, so he thought it was probably all right for her to hear his feelings. Saeka is thinking that, even if that is the case, hearing about that is most likely why Nori stayed home today. Kyou mentions that, actually, Nori did seem a little strange after school yesterday. She asked him what should she do if she's hurting Haruna... With that, Saeka turns to run out of the room. Kyou yells at her to wait, but she tells him she's sorry, she can't do this with him right now. He stops her in the doorway and asks if there's any chance that his unrequited love will cease to be unrequited. They look at each other a moment, and she flatly tells him that there's no chance and runs out of the room. Kyou looks a little hurt as she runs off, then crouches down with his head in his hands. He looks up and says, “I finally got that across.” Rejected, huh... Kyou imagines a stamp card titled “Kyou's Heart Point Rally,” getting his first stamp and wondering if he will be rejected to the bitter end. Back in the classroom, Saeka is emailing to ask Nori if she can come by her house after school, and finding that Nori doesn't answer. Some of the girls from class ask Saeka if Nori is all right; she had a nosebleed yesterday. It went on all day, like a machine. Hearing that, Saeka gets more worried, and continues with her email as class begins (thinking Nori probably won't respond). Saeka looks at her name written on her notebook, and there's a flashback to the first day she went to her calligraphy class. Over her shoulder, Yanaidu asks, “Your name is read as 'Saeka,' right?” She responds that it is, thinking that she never liked her strange name. Yanaidu tells her that the “Sae” in her name is difficult to write, but it's such a nice character. It seems dignified. Saeka remembers that she looked it up in the character dictionary. After that day, she came to love her name. As the flashback ends, we see Nori in bed, sleeping through her phone ringing. Saeka's messages say that she'll apologize many times over. When Nori heard [that Kyou liked Saeka], it must have really shocked her. As Saeka goes home from school and retrieves the bag from the beginning of the chapter from under her mattress, the messages continue. Saeka would hate it if their relationship fell apart, but it's all right, because nothing has changed. Saeka isn't going to date Kyou-chan... he was probably just trying to find a new girlfriend again, anyway. Nori should just keep looking after Haruna, as Saeka only has eyes for Sensei. Saeka heads out of the house, looking back and thinking, “I'm going, Nori.” The text repeats from the beginning of the chapter, about how that bag is filled with Saeka's love and courage... that, and her resolve.

The chapter switches to Haruna by the river, leaving a message on someone's voice-mail. Haruna says, “This is Sekikawa... I'll be in touch.” He closes his phone and stands there looking out over the city, and then he's suddenly hit in the back of the head by an eraser. He turns around to see what that was, and finds Nori's brother holding a ruler, declaring, “I'm not afraid of you!” Haruna gives him a strange look, saying, “Huh?” Yuu backs away a bit, his eyes closed, and repeats that Haruna isn't so scary. Haruna walks away telling him that he seems to be after the wrong person, but hears Yuu yelling at him to wait. He realizes something, and turns back, asking, “Are you Nori's...?” Yuu yells back at Haruna that it's probably him who's making his sister cry. Haruna looks a little upset, and listens as Yuu continues to explain. Yesterday, she came home crying. She said nothing was wrong, but she was still crying, and she missed school today. It's probably Haruna's fault, since he's her boyfriend. Yuu puts his head down and tells Haruna that, ever since he was a small child, he's been in poor health, and Nori has taken care of him. Even when he was in the hospital, Nori was always, always there with him so he wouldn't be lonely. After putting everyone else ahead of herself, his sister finally found a boyfriend. But if [that boyfriend] is going to make her cry, then he won't allow it. Yuu also starts to cry, and Haruna smiles gently and says, “So that's how Nori always is, huh?” To Yuu's surprise, Haruna crouches down in front of him, and asks him his name. Sakurada Yuu... Haruna tells him he's sorry – he loves Nori. He loves her a lot, but... He picks up Yuu's eraser and hands it back to him before standing up and looking away, saying, “But... I don't think it's possible for me to surpass Kyou-chan.”

Translator's Commentary: This is the first time we get a family name for Haruna. So Haruna hates rivers, but has the character for “river” in his name. Next chapter: Finally, Haruna's more detailed backstory.

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