45 I Want to Know More
Futaba Yuu.
Her blue, short hair flowed smoothly, and she had a tall, slender figure.
Her almond-shaped eyes and mature demeanor gave her an androgynous aura.
And she seemed interested in me, saying I seemed “interesting.”
This was as expected, but…
“What’s your name?”
Apparently, she wants me to introduce myself.
I’d be happy to.
“Shindo-kun, introduce yourself.”
“Ah, well, I’m Shindo—”
“Thank you, but I was asking the girl.”
That didn’t work.
Apparently, she’s interested in me, not Shindo-kun.
I don’t understand why.
“I’m Amatsuki Suzuna…”
“Suzuna-chan, huh? I’m Futaba Yuu.”
I know.
I know you well, since you’re also a heroine.
“So, what did you mean by me falling for him?”
“Shindo-kun here is a perfect match for you.”
I pointed at Shindo-kun next to me.
Futaba Yuu is a cool, melancholic girl, bored with her everyday life.
She should be immediately interested if she sees someone as interesting as him.
“Hello, I’m your future husband.”
Ah… this guy is really something.
No, maybe this will work.
He’s so strange that Futaba-san should be intrigued.
“…You’re joking, right?”
Ah, it didn’t work at all.
She’s probably turned off.
What are you doing, Shindo-kun?
“No, she’s the one who’s joking. She tricked me by saying she could see the future. She’s the root of all evil.”
“Hey, Shindo-kun, don’t blame me just because your joke flopped!”
“It’s the truth! You said she was a potential girlfriend, but she’s not even looking at me! I’m the victim here!”
This guy…
I’m trying to get him together with a heroine out of a sense of responsibility, and he’s pushing the blame onto me.
“Hmm, so Shindo-kun, you were instigated by Suzuna-chan?”
“Yes, that’s right. It’s all her scheme. If you want an apology for my rudeness, tell this girl. I, the victim, will be taking my leave.”
Saying that, Shindo-kun turned on his heel.
Wait, wait, what are you doing?
“Hey, why are you leaving?”
“You should apologize to your senpai for your rudeness. And to me later.”
After saying what he wanted to say, Shindo-kun went down the stairs.
I was left alone.
…This is awkward.
“So, why did you do this?”
Futaba-san looked at me, her smile unwavering.
“…Because you two are a good match.”
“You can say that even though you don’t know anything about each other?”
“I just know.”
“Fufu, you really are interesting.”
…Why am I being labeled as “interesting”?
I’m not the funny one.
“I think Shindo-kun is more interesting.”
“Hmm? No, he seems to lack confidence.”
She gave a unique reason.
It’s true that in the original story, Shindo Minato would have already formed a harem by now.
Shindo-kun, without that, might be lacking in confidence.
In that sense, her argument might be valid, but it’s also contradictory.
“If you’re interested in someone confident, then I don’t think I’m your type.”
“Is that so? You seem somewhat confident to me.”
“…I’m telling you I’m not.”
“People are often unaware of their own qualities.”
Futaba Yuu’s insightful remarks are characteristic of her, but this is off the mark.
I’m not confident.
I’m the type of person who can’t be confident even if I want to.
So I wish she wouldn’t say such strange things.
“Um, I should go back now.”
“Really? That’s too bad, I wanted to talk more.”
No, there’s no point in talking to me.
I wanted Futaba Yuu to talk to Shindo Minato.
“Sorry, I’ll excuse myself.”
“Okay, see you later, Suzuna-chan.”
Futaba-san waved her long, slender arm.
I bowed slightly and left the rooftop.
…Nothing is going my way.
◇◇◇
“Well, well, Suzuna-san? Don’t you have something to tell me?”
Back in the classroom, Riri-chan was waiting for me, sitting with her legs crossed, her bento box open on my desk.
“…Sorry I’m late.”
“You are, aren’t you? What were you doing?”
“I was… submitting a late assignment to the staff room…”
That was the excuse I used to get away from Riri-chan.
“It takes at most three minutes to walk to the staff room, six minutes round trip. So why did it take you thirty minutes?”
This is bad.
She’s angry, Riri-chan is angry.
Should I tell her the truth…?
No, if she finds out I was with Shindo-kun and another heroine, she’ll be even angrier.
Riri-chan hates being neglected.
“Um… the teacher asked me to do something else.”
“Hmm? What?”
“Uh… well, right before I was about to ask, the teacher got a phone call, and I had to wait until they finished.”
Th-That was close…
I somehow managed to come up with a plausible excuse.
“What? That’s terrible. Didn’t they say anything?”
“No, they apologized. They thought I had already left.”
“Huh? Then they should have told you from the beginning. This is why I hate inconsiderate adults.”
“W-Well… I was also being… obedient and waited.”
“It can’t be helped, Suzuna. Actually, you’re amazing for waiting so patiently.”
“R-Really? Ehehe…”
Alright!
I managed to deceive her.
Now, if I can just have a peaceful lunch—
“By the way…”
“Hmm?”
“I said six minutes round trip, but you walk pretty fast, Suzuna. So I thought it was strange after five minutes.”
“…You were timing me?”
I didn’t know she had such a meticulous side.
“And you don’t really like adults, Suzuna. I know because I’m the same, so I thought there’s no way you’d stay in the staff room for that long.”
“…Well, it was agonizing.”
What is she trying to say?
Why is she digging into a resolved issue? This kind of pettiness isn’t like her.
“So, ten minutes after you left the classroom, I went to the staff room.”
My blood ran cold.
“You weren’t there, even though I waited for thirty minutes. Was my eyesight bad?”
“…Uh, um…”
I desperately tried to suppress my trembling knees.
“Ah, I asked all the teachers who were there, and they said they didn’t see you come to the staff room.”
Th-This is impossible…
There’s no room for excuses.
“Suzuna, I’ll ask you one more time. Don’t you have something to tell me?”
“I… I have something to report.”
It goes without saying that I was severely scolded by Riri-chan after that.
46 Grant Me a Wish
I calmly explained what happened on the rooftop, trying to be objective and hiding my true intentions.
However, after being thoroughly scolded by Riri-chan, I realized there was little time left of lunch break.
“You really do fuss over Shindo a lot, Suzuna.”
“Ah, no, it’s not like that.”
We were eating our belated lunch.
Riri-chan still seemed to have more to say. While she wasn’t angry anymore, she continued to grumble.
“I know you’re childhood friends and close, but you never usually interact with anyone like that, Suzuna.”
“…I don’t want to do that either, if I can help it.”
I don’t want to interact with him at all, but Shindo-kun just wouldn’t get along with the other heroines, so I ended up getting involved.
I have to interact with him now to avoid interacting with him in the future.
It’s ironic, but I can’t laugh about it.
“Then don’t.”
“There’s such a thing as… a complicated relationship, you know? It’s like that.”
A relationship that will eventually be severed.
“Hmm… well, I’m not happy about it.”
Riri-chan often gets upset when I interact with other heroines or Shindo-kun.
The source of that emotion was a bit of a mystery.
But lately, I’ve started to understand.
The feeling I had when I saw Riri-chan and Tachibana-san together.
Riri-chan called it “jealousy.”
Since she used that term herself, there’s no doubt that she also feels that emotion.
“Riri-chan, is that… jealousy?”
Riri-chan froze at my question.
“J-Jealousy…? Why would you think that?”
“Because when we were talking about you playing volleyball with Tachibana-san, you said it was jealousy…”
“…Ah, I see. So my own words came back to bite me…”
Riri-chan made a troubled expression.
“What would you think if I said it was jealousy, Suzuna?”
“…Eh?”
What would happen if she said it was jealousy?
Jealousy, or envy, is a feeling you have towards someone you “admire” or someone you have “romantic feelings” for.
But Riri-chan would never admire me.
Then… romantic feelings…?
No, that’s ridiculous.
Riri-chan is supposed to fall for Shindo Minato.
Even if she doesn’t have feelings for him now, could those feelings shift to someone else other than the protagonist?
Even if that were possible, there’s no way she’d have those feelings for me.
“Ahaha… no, don’t think about it so seriously. It was just a hypothetical.”
Riri-chan laughed lightheartedly, trying to dispel the awkward atmosphere.
“You’re right… it was a hypothetical.”
“Exactly. I was just teasing you about Kaede. I didn’t think you’d take it so seriously.”
That’s right… there’s no way.
I’m bad at communication, so I take everything literally, even jokes.
“Sorry, I don’t understand those kinds of things.”
“I’m just worried about you, Suzuna.”
“Worried?”
“Yeah, because you’re kind, Suzuna. I’m worried that other people might take advantage of you.”
…I’m not particularly kind.
But I don’t mind being worried about by Riri-chan.
“I see. I’m sorry for making you worry.”
“It’s fine.”
“But I feel bad, so…”
“Well, it wasn’t good that you neglected our lunch break.”
“Y-Yeah… I’ll do anything as an apology.”
Riri-chan froze again.
“A-Anything…?”
“Well, within reason.”
I can only grant very small wishes.
But I thought it would make Riri-chan feel better if I did something, rather than nothing.
It’s the least I can do to atone.
“A-Anything…? Anything means… anything, right…?”
Riri-chan suddenly raised her voice.
I think this is a normal conversation between friends, but is it different?
“S-Suzuna, you sometimes drop bombshells, so I can’t underestimate you…”
“Is that so…?”
Is this really such a surprising thing?
…No, I don’t think it is.
Riri-chan seemed deep in thought.
“Calm down, calm down… I can’t rush into this…”
She muttered something.
“Ah, you probably don’t have any wishes for me, anyway.”
“I do! I have plenty! It’s just that there are too many to choose from.”
“Really…?”
“Yeah, I’m worried they might make you hate me.”
“H-Hate me…?”
What is she imagining me asking her to do…?
She’s not thinking of anything weird, is she…?
Riri-chan pondered, weighing various options.
“Okay, I’ve got it. Suzuna, are you free tomorrow?”
Tomorrow is Saturday, so there’s no school.
I don’t have anything to do, since I’m not in any clubs and don’t have any friends.
“I’m free.”
“Great! Then come shopping with me tomorrow.”
“Shopping…?”
“Yeah, I could go alone, but it’s more fun with someone. I want to go with you, Suzuna.”
“I’m fine with that.”
Or rather, it’s such a simple request.
I would have gone even if she hadn’t made it a wish.
“Ehehe, then it’s settled!”
Riri-chan’s expression finally softened.
She’s been frowning since we returned to the classroom, so I’m glad she’s cheered up.
“I’ll let you know the time later.”
“O-Okay. And where are we going?”
“Just shopping in town. So can we meet at my house?”
“Okay—”
Wait.
Tomorrow is a holiday.
That means we’ll be in casual clothes, not our uniforms.
Wouldn’t that make the difference between Riri-chan and me even more obvious, creating an unbearable situation?
Ah, this is bad.
It’s an obvious thing, yet I’m getting nervous…
“Riri-chan, can I make a suggestion?”
“What?”
“How about we both wear tracksuits so we can easily recognize each other when we meet?”
“Absolutely not.”
“…I figured.”
What clothes do I even have in my closet…?
The childhood friend is the losing heroine.
I think Amatsuki Suzuna’s casual clothes were also unremarkable…
And I, Yukitsuki Mashiro, have terrible fashion sense, so I don’t even know what to wear.
I couldn’t stop sighing.
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