11 The Childhood Friend’s Risk Hedge
…This isn’t good, is it?
It happened during lunch break.
Watching the tragedy unfolding before me, I started to feel anxious.
“What’s wrong, Onii-chan? You’ve stopped eating.”
“…N-No… It’s just… the taste…”
A seemingly harmonious lunchtime for the Shindo siblings.
The younger sister prepares lunch, and the older brother eats it.
It should be a heartwarming scene, but how did it end up with such an unsettling atmosphere?
“The taste, what?”
Kokona-chan’s tone sharpened at Shindo-kun’s vague response.
Her tone sounded angry, and Shindo-kun flinched and recoiled.
“…No, it’s so delicious that… it’s a waste to eat…”
“I see, that’s good then. Which part was the most delicious? Tell me so I can keep it in mind for the future.”
“Ah, well… this grilled squid is quite…”
“That’s tamagoyaki.”
“?! Wh-Why does this egg have such a springy texture…?!”
“Huh? Onii-chan, what was that?”
“Ah, no… It’s so delicious, I thought it was grilled squid!!”
“Onii-chan, were you always such a fan of squid…?”
Listening to them gave me a headache.
How can you mistake an egg for squid…?
Is there something wrong with Shindo-kun’s taste buds, or is Kokona-chan’s cooking from another dimension…?
Well, I think it’s the latter…
“S-Suzuna…”
Shindo-kun turned to me with puppy-dog eyes.
Unable to bear it, I stuffed my face with my sandwich and looked out the window to escape.
“Hey! Amatsuki Suzuna isn’t making lunch anymore, so stop looking away and eat Kokona’s bento!”
“A-Ah…”
“Do you have a problem with that?!”
“No, ma’am!!”
Initially, I thought this situation would be fine because Kokona-chan’s cooking skills would improve.
But I overlooked a crucial point.
In the original story, there’s a scene where Kokona-chan challenges Amatsuki Suzuna to a bento battle.
However, Shindo-kun always chooses Amatsuki Suzuna’s bento.
From that defeat, Kokona-chan studies Amatsuki Suzuna’s bento and her cooking skills improve.
In other words, Kokona-chan’s cooking skills improve because she has Amatsuki Suzuna as a rival.
But what about now?
“Ah, these asparagus are more crisp and delicious than usual.”
…Aren’t they just undercooked?
“That’s broccoli.”
W-Wrong again?!
“?! W-Why is it just the core…? Where’s the fluffy part…?!”
“Eh, was it bad…?”
“No, it’s like haute cuisine!! I’m in awe of your originality!!”
“Oh, good. I’m glad.”
Yes, she’s on her own now.
Since Shindo-kun can’t refuse Kokona-chan and continues to eat her cooking, she’s not getting any proper feedback.
…At this rate, I can’t imagine their relationship improving or her affection level increasing.
Two heroines have already dropped out, and I want to avoid any more casualties.
◇◇◇
There’s a reason why I need Shindo Minato, the protagonist of this game, to end up with one of the heroines.
An ending where he doesn’t end up with a heroine means a bad ending for a dating sim.
In that case, the story is forced into an ending where Amatsuki Suzuna watches over the lonely Shindo Minato.
Of course, since it’s basically a bad ending, there’s no depiction of them becoming lovers or anything.
However, Amatsuki Suzuna, who has feelings for him, is the only one left in the end.
Even though it’s not depicted in the story, it wouldn’t be strange if they ended up in a relationship afterwards.
Anyway, I don’t have any feelings for him, so I don’t want to be forced into that kind of situation.
“…That being said, this is troublesome.”
I finished my sandwich and stood up.
I needed to come up with a plan.
I went out into the hallway to think things over alone.
I headed towards the music room at the back of the school building, where there were fewer people.
The number of people gradually dwindled.
“Amatsuki-san!”
…A cheerful voice called out from behind me.
“Hinase-san… did you… follow me?”
I can’t imagine Hinase-san being here for any other reason.
“No, it’s a coincidence.”
Her eyes darted around.
She definitely followed me.
“I’m trying to think about something.”
“Then let’s talk!”
“Did you… hear me?”
“You hate it when we talk in the classroom. It’s fine here.”
Saying that, Hinase-san linked her arm with mine.
“H-Hey… Hinase-san, what if someone sees us?!”
“It’s fine, we’re just friends.”
No, it’s not that, it’s our social standing, how it looks…
As if sensing my impending objection, Hinase-san forcefully pulled me along.
“Okay, I get it. We just can’t be seen.”
She opened the music room door.
It was empty inside.
“See? This is fine, right?”
“…Not really.”
“It’s not bad either, right? So what were you thinking about?”
“…It’s nothing to do with you, Hinase-san, so there’s no point in telling you.”
“Then it’ll be easier for you to talk about it casually. Sometimes it’s better to talk things out than to think in silence.”
…She was forceful just a moment ago, and now she’s saying something sensible.
Hearing her say that, it sounded strangely convincing.
I’m weak against Hinase-san at times like these.
“…Do you know that Kokona-chan is making lunch for Shindo-kun?”
“Yeah, I saw you staring at them earlier, Amatsuki-san. So I kind of figured it out.”
…Huh?
That’s a strange sequence of events. Why does she know about it through me…?
Well, it’s not something worth questioning.
“Kokona-chan doesn’t seem very good at cooking, and Shindo-kun seems to be struggling eating it.”
“Is that so? Does that bother you?”
“Well, yeah… Kokona-chan is working so hard to make it, so he can’t say anything bad, but I feel bad for him having to eat it.”
Actually, I’m just worried about managing his affection level.
“Are you that close to the Shindo siblings, Amatsuki-san?”
“Well, yeah… I’m childhood friends with the older brother.”
“Hee… So you feel bad for him, huh?”
Hinase-san’s tone of voice seemed unusually low.
…C-Could it be?
Is she starting to develop feelings for Shindo-kun as a heroine?
“Hinase-san, are you interested in Shindo-kun?”
“Eh? No, he’s just a classmate. I haven’t really talked to him much.”
“…But are you a little interested?”
“? Not particularly.”
…It’s no use.
It’s probably my fault for making her skip the event.
It’s going to be extremely difficult to get her interested in him from here.
Then, I’ll just have to rely on Kokona-chan.
“Shindo, what did you do for lunch before? Couldn’t you just go back to how things were before Kokona started school?”
“…No, absolutely not.”
Going back to how things were means Amatsuki Suzuna making lunch.
Then the bento battle with Amatsuki Suzuna would begin, and Kokona-chan’s cooking level would rise.
But at the same time, there’s a risk of increasing my affection level with him. That’s not what I want.
“Why?”
“I used to make his lunch. I don’t want to do that anymore.”
“…Huh?”
“Eh?”
Suddenly, Hinase-san’s voice sharpened.
It was the first time I’d heard such a tone from her. It was scary.
“You… made lunch for Shindo, Amatsuki-san?”
“Uh, yeah… but…”
Hinase-san leaned closer.
But it wasn’t her usual playful manner. It was an unspoken pressure, a sharp intensity.
I instinctively recoiled.
“…Ah, sorry, sorry. I was just surprised. You did that much for him, Amatsuki-san.”
Hinase-san smiled apologetically, her voice returning to its usual brightness.
The stark contrast only highlighted how different she was just a moment ago.
“Y-Yeah… I’m not doing it anymore, though.”
“Is that so? Did something happen between you and Shindo?”
No, something happened with me, the new Amatsuki Suzuna, not with him.
“Well, Kokona-chan is making his lunch now… and I didn’t want to cook anymore…”
“But you still care about him, don’t you, Shindo?”
Hinase-san’s voice hardened again, though not as much as before.
“Well… yeah. He’s my childhood friend.”
Or rather, he’s the protagonist, so I’m just scared of when his clutches will reach me.
“I see, your childhood friend. …That makes sense.”
Hinase-san nodded several times.
But it seemed like she was forcing herself to accept something she didn’t quite understand.
“I thought you were trying to keep your distance from people, Amatsuki-san, but is it different with a childhood friend?”
“Uh… well, I guess so.”
Strictly speaking, it was the original Amatsuki Suzuna who maintained that childhood friend distance, not me, Yukitsuki Mashiro.
But I can’t erase the actions she took. That past remains.
“Then, it’s okay if I treat you like a friend too, right?”
Hinase-san moved closer again.
With the wall behind me, I had nowhere to go.
“What do you mean by… treating me like a friend…?”
“Names.”
“Names…?”
Hinase-san’s face was close.
Close enough to feel her breath.
“Let’s call each other by our first names. It’s too formal to always use last names and honorifics.”
“Eh…”
“It’s unfair that only Shindo gets that childhood friend level of closeness. Treat me like a friend too.”
Hinase-san’s beautiful almond-shaped eyes.
I’m still not used to them focusing solely on me.
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