24 I’m Always the One Who Cares
“Alright, Suzuna. Let’s go home together.”
“Eh…”
After school, Riri-chan spoke to me.
It seemed like a normal occurrence, yet it wasn’t.
Because we were in the classroom right after homeroom, and most of our classmates were still there.
Going home together in this situation would be like announcing our friendship to everyone.
“It’s normal for friends to go home together, right?”
“W-Well…”
She was serious.
Riri-chan seriously intended to go home from school with me.
“Hey, Riri, what are you doing?”
A girl’s voice called out from behind Riri-chan.
It was Tachibana Kaede-san.
She’s often with Riri-chan, and also high up in the school caste.
She’s beautiful, but her sharp demeanor gives her an unapproachable aura.
“Ah, sorry, Kaede. I’m going home with Suzuna today, so you guys go ahead without me.”
“Oh, okay. That’s fine, but… that’s unusual.”
Tachibana-san, standing next to Riri-chan, glanced at me.
She must be thinking, “What are you doing with such a plain girl?”
I can tell.
“Yeah, we recently became friends.”
“Hmm. I didn’t know that.”
“Right, Suzuna?”
Riri-chan brought me into the conversation, even though it would have been fine if they just talked amongst themselves.
She doesn’t know that introverts can’t handle these sudden conversational passes.
My lack of social skills, honed from years of avoidance, comes out at times like these.
In a bad way, of course.
“…Uh, w-well… yes.”
As expected, my eyes darted around, I stumbled over my words, and mumbled.
Someone kill me.
“Are you really that close?”
Tachibana-san smiled faintly, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly.
She might be holding back laughter at my blunder.
“We are. We hang out a lot.”
“I see. So, Amatsuki-san, did you change your hairstyle because of Riri’s influence?”
Surprisingly, even Tachibana-san noticed the change in my appearance.
It was probably because Riri-chan was nearby, but I was still surprised.
“I don’t know about that, but I did tell her she’d look cuter if she changed it up. It suits you, doesn’t it?”
Ah… Riri-chan.
Why are you putting me in the spotlight even more?
Please don’t bring up such strange topics with Tachibana-san.
Riri-chan is being nice to me, so she says I’m cute, but…
Basically, no one cares about Amatsuki Suzuna.
It’s awkward being asked about the change in someone like that’s appearance.
“Yeah, I think it’s nice. I always thought of Amatsuki-san as the serious type, but with your hair down and no glasses, you look younger and cuter.”
Tachibana-san said something bizarre.
“See? Kaede thinks so too, Suzuna.”
“A-Ah… yeah. Thanks.”
Well, it’s probably just flattery.
Even Riri-chan said that friends flatter each other.
With someone she barely knows as a classmate, of course she would choose a safe, non-committal response.
“But Riri has a habit of forcing her opinions on others if she thinks she’s right. You should be careful, Amatsuki-san.”
“Hey, that’s mean.”
“It’s true, isn’t it?”
Tachibana-san chuckled pleasantly and then turned on her heel, leaving the classroom with the other girls.
Just as she appeared, she was a smart person.
“So, Suzuna?”
“So, what?”
Riri-chan asked me in a formal tone.
“Kaede didn’t say anything even after I told her we were friends, right?”
“…She did ask if we were ‘really that close.’”
“That’s because your reaction was so weak. She was normal after that, wasn’t she?”
“Well… yeah.”
It’s true that Tachibana-san didn’t say anything more about our relationship after that.
“See, you worry too much, Suzuna. People don’t care about me as much as you think.”
“…I wonder.”
“It’s true. So let’s be closer at school too.”
I wonder if it’s okay.
Wouldn’t people be jealous if I tried to step out of my usual role?
That worries me.
“Come on. School’s over, let’s go.”
Riri-chan took my hand and started walking.
…Since when?
At first, I tried to shake her hand off.
But now, I don’t feel like doing that at all.
When Riri-chan holds my hand, I don’t even feel like resisting.
I think I’m allowing Riri-chan to lead me.
I realized that it’s a fact I have to accept.
◇◇◇
“Hey, Suzuna. Are you free today?”
Riri-chan asked as we left the school gates.
“…Well, I guess I am.”
I don’t usually have anything to do.
I’m not in any clubs, I don’t have a part-time job, and I’m not devoted to Shindo Minato anymore.
Even when I go home, I just read manga and novels or play games.
“Do you want to come over to my place?”
“…Excuse me?”
I was so surprised that my voice cracked.
“What’s with that reaction? I didn’t say anything weird.”
“No, it’s just… that’s an important event.”
“Is… it?”
I’ve heard that line from Riri-chan before.
It’s an event in the original story, in the Hinase Riri route, after becoming close with Shindo Minato.
I never thought I’d hear that line directed at me.
Riri-chan is probably inviting me casually because we’re friends.
But the invitation was exactly the same as in the original story, so it startled me.
“It’s not out of your way, Suzuna, so what do you say?”
I know.
Riri-chan’s house is in a high-rise apartment in the center of town, in the downtown area.
That’s why she’s often seen there.
“…Okay. What are we going to do at your house?”
“Eh, what do you mean—”
Riri-chan furrowed her brow, as if she hadn’t thought about it.
“—Come to think of it, what do you usually do at home, Suzuna?”
Apparently, she’ll decide what to do based on my interests.
“…”
But it was hard to say.
Reading manga and novels or playing games…
It’s the epitome of being an introvert.
I acknowledge that I’m an introvert, but I don’t want to flaunt it.
I’ve resigned myself to the fact that there’s no point in hiding my introverted personality, but showing my introverted hobbies is a high hurdle.
Riri-chan probably wouldn’t understand.
“Why are you silent?”
“…I… watch movies and anime.”
I wasn’t lying.
Just being vague.
“Hmm, Western films?”
“…Japanese films.”
“What genre?”
“…I watch everything from romance to war movies.”
“I see.”
I wanted to end this topic.
I feel like I’ll only reveal more flaws if she keeps digging.
“What about you, Riri-chan? What do you do at home?”
“Hmm? Lately, I watch anime and online videos. I’m an otaku, so I do that kind of stuff a lot at home. I also watch movies and dramas.”
“H-Hmm…”
That’s… unfair…
Popular people can call themselves otaku without shame and enjoy those kinds of hobbies.
Or rather, if she watches movies and dramas too, she’s just a person with diverse interests.
And I’m sure she has many other hobbies.
I’m envious. It’s wholesome and aspirational.
Meanwhile, I enjoy my hobbies in secret, hiding in the shadows…
“Then tell me your favorite movies, Suzuna. We could watch one of those.”
“…Ah, okay, leave it to me.”
I’ve completely dug my own grave.
It’s not a hobby I can readily share.
My footsteps grew heavy due to my own blunder.
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