15 What It Means to Fall in Love
“Now then, I’d like an explanation for this, if you please.”
Riri-chan wore a forced smile I’d never seen before.
Scary, scary, scary…
It was clear that her outward appearance and inner feelings were at odds.
That’s what made it so terrifying.
I froze, bewildered.
“H-Hinase Riri?! What are you doing here all of a sudden?!”
However, Kokona-chan didn’t notice the subtle change in Riri-chan’s demeanor. She simply raised her voice in surprise.
Ah, I don’t think it’s a good idea to provoke her…
“Well, I saw two people leaving the classroom with bento boxes, and I got curious, and then I saw you two in the courtyard at this time of day? Sitting on a bench as if you were hiding, so I thought something was up, and… here I am.”
Her voice was unusually high-pitched, but the last part was strangely menacing.
Riri-chan, who was standing behind us, moved around to stand in front of us.
In contrast to the smile on her lips, her eyes, looking down at us, were devoid of emotion.
W-What is this…? I don’t think we did anything wrong…
“It doesn’t make sense for you to follow us and then act like this. In the first place, Amatsuki Suzuna is the one who brought me here. If you have something to say, say it to her.”
“…You’re right. You can explain this, can’t you, Suzuna?”
“Uh, um…”
Riri-chan should be the one who understands the situation best…
So why is she putting so much pressure on me?
I’ve never felt such unspoken pressure before.
“I was rejected when I asked you to eat lunch with me, Suzuna. But it’s fine with her…?”
“Huh…?”
I couldn’t quite keep up.
I understand what she’s saying, but her words and her attitude don’t match.
“And you’re even sharing your bentos… what’s that about? I wasn’t told anything about this.”
“W-Wait, Riri-chan. I told you I wanted to teach Kokona-chan how to cook…”
It was Riri-chan who listened to my worries after school and patted my head.
So why is she acting like this?
“I heard you. You said you wanted to teach her how to cook.”
“Th-Then…”
“But I didn’t hear a single word about making bentos and eating together.”
Eh… wait. Is that what this is about?
Well, wanting to teach someone how to cook and sharing bentos aren’t exactly the same thing.
But she should understand that it’s a related activity.
Especially Riri-chan, who knows the whole story.
“I thought it would be easier to start by having her try my cooking, rather than suddenly teaching her. It’s more persuasive…”
“I didn’t hear anything about that. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It’s not like I didn’t tell…”
“You’re keeping secrets from me, Suzuna.”
Eh…?
Is this… a secret…?
Even if I was hiding it, why is Riri-chan being so confrontational?
Did I do something that bad?
“…Kokona, what are we even watching here?”
Kokona-chan sighed, looking fed up.
Even I don’t fully understand what’s going on, so it must be even more confusing for her as a third party.
“Actually, you’re the cause of this.”
Riri-chan shifted her target to Kokona-chan.
“…What are you talking about?”
But Kokona-chan didn’t flinch.
“If you could cook properly from the start, Suzuna wouldn’t have needed to go to all this trouble.”
“…I didn’t ask her to. And it has nothing to do with Hinase Riri anyway.”
Kokona-chan turned away, snorting.
But Riri-chan wasn’t fazed by her rejection.
“Suzuna doesn’t even want to cook, but she made this bento for you because she wants you to improve.”
“…I understand that. I intend to learn.”
Oh…
Kokona-chan’s attitude towards cooking has changed.
Good, there’s hope for the Kokona route.
“Think about how much effort Suzuna put in to make you a homemade meal… how envia— no, I mean, appreciate her feelings.”
“…Did you just say something weird?”
“I didn’t.”
Kokona-chan took a breath.
“I still don’t understand why Amatsuki Suzuna would do this for Kokona—”
Kokona-chan looked at me, sitting next to her.
“—You liked Onii-chan, didn’t you? Why did you give up so easily?”
She asked for an answer.
“W-Wait a minute! Seriously, what’s that about?!”
…The one who cut in with a loud voice was Riri-chan.
“…Hinase Riri, you’ve been noisy this whole time.”
“No, no, this is the first time I’ve heard that Suzuna has someone she likes!”
Past tense, you know.
But I guess I have no choice but to answer honestly now.
“…I, Amatsuki Suzuna, was enabling Shindo-kun. But I decided to stop.”
“…Why?”
That answer was equivalent to denying the existence of the former Amatsuki Suzuna.
Kokona-chan, understanding this, questioned the meaning.
“I think by doing that, I, Amatsuki Suzuna, was also being enabled. Being relied on makes me feel like I have a reason to exist.”
“…And you threw that away?”
“Yes. Because I, Yukitsuki Mashiro, don’t think that’s the same as standing on my own two feet. I don’t want a one-sided relationship where one person relies on the other. I want to find someone who will support me, and who I can support in return.”
“…I see. So that’s your answer.”
Kokona-chan looked away from me.
“W-Wait a minute! I’m still processing this. Suzuna, you liked Shindo and made him lunch every day?”
“Apparently, that’s in the past. Good for you, Hinase Riri.”
Kokona-chan stood up from the bench, brushed past the bewildered Riri-chan, and returned to the school building.
…Well, her problem should be resolved now.
The one who’s troubled now is the heroine in front of me.
“Hey. Suzuna, the bento thing, and having someone you like… this is the first time I’m hearing about this.”
…She was starting to sound angry.
I wonder why.
“Uh, um… I came up with the bento idea last night, and Shindo-kun is… in the past…”
“That’s not good enough! Explain properly!”
“But… there’s nothing more to explain…”
Lunch break was too short to explain things in a way that would satisfy Riri-chan.
◇◇◇
The next day, during lunch break.
I felt lighthearted today.
Because Kokona-chan will now improve her cooking skills and progress down the Shindo-kun route.
This practically guarantees my life as a mob character.
I can finally enjoy a peaceful life without any worries.
—Clatter
The door opened, and Kokona-chan appeared.
She was holding a lunch bag.
“K-Kokona… you made one again today?”
“Yeah, here.”
Don’t worry, Shindo-kun.
Kokona-chan’s cooking skills will improve dramatically from now on.
You can finally say goodbye to depressing lunch breaks.
“Kokona, this…”
Fufu, is it already working?
I heard Shindo-kun’s surprised voice.
Pretending not to notice, I opened my sandwich wrapper, as usual.
“Here, Amatsuki Suzuna.”
—Thud
A slightly heavy sound echoed on my desk.
For a moment, I doubted my own eyes.
“…Excuse me?”
Kokona-chan placed a lunch bag on my desk.
Confused, I looked up at her.
“It’s lunch. You’re not cooking anymore, right?”
“Eh… why… me…?”
“You’re helping me improve my cooking, aren’t you? Then take responsibility until the end.”
…Eh, what is this?
Kokona-chan is giving Amatsuki Suzuna a bento…?
Ah, I don’t understand.
I don’t know this. I don’t know this route.
“But I have a sandwich…”
“You’ll be malnourished if you only eat that.”
W-Why is she worried about me…?
Aren’t Shindo Kokona and Amatsuki Suzuna supposed to be rivals…?
“H-Hey, Kokona… then how do you explain this?”
Shindo-kun’s strained voice reached my ears.
What was placed on his desk wasn’t a bento box, but a sandwich.
“Kokona’s not making lunch for Onii-chan anymore. Prepare your own from now on.”
“W-What?!”
“Kokona thought about it too. Until now, I’ve been desperate for Onii-chan to acknowledge me, but I think it’s okay now. Both Onii-chan and Kokona should become more independent—”
Wait a minute.
I-It might be my imagination, but…
That sounds similar to what I said yesterday…
“—You think so too, don’t you, Amatsuki Suzuna?”
And then, Kokona-chan winked at me, making sure only I could see it.
“Y-Yes, I do…”
…Oh no.
Another heroine has turned her back on the protagonist.
What’s going on with this game?
Someone, please announce the title.
※My Girlfriend Next Door is Super Sweet
…Where?!
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