04 Careful Flag Management
“Um, Hinase-san… we’re almost at school, so could you let go of me?”
I pleaded with Hinase Riri, the girl who was holding my arm and showing no signs of letting go.
“Why? Did you not like it?”
T-Too close…
Why would she think I’d be okay with such sudden closeness…?
Is this the difference between a social butterfly and an introvert?
“No, but it’ll be troublesome if other people at school see us.”
“…Why? I don’t mind.”
Hinase-san tilted her head, looking completely unconcerned.
Is she really such an impartial person…?
But sometimes, that kind of universal love can be tough on introverts.
“No, no… for the Hinase Riri to be seen with a gloomy, corner-dwelling girl like me… it’ll damage your image. It’s better not to.”
“Hey, I’m not that big of a deal to be called ‘the’ Hinase Riri.”
…Is she serious?
Hinase Riri is supposed to be the super popular girl who gets confessions from boys all over the school.
She rejects them all, and the only boy she falls for is Shindo Minato…
Anyway, why is such a wonderful girl clinging to Amatsuki Suzuna, the representative of unremarkable girls?
“Um, Hinase-san. Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Why are you so eager to talk to me?”
“Because I’m interested in you, Amatsuki-san.”
Such a straightforward expression…
Honest words that I, a twisted person, could never utter.
It’s… kind of embarrassing.
“W-Why are you so interested in me?”
“Because you’re my benefactor, you saved me? Of course I’d be interested.”
…I’ve heard that before.
That’s a line that was meant for Shindo Minato.
It seems that me rescuing her in that situation really was a problem…
W-What do I do?
Two heroines who aren’t interested in the protagonist have been born.
“So, let’s become friends.”
She pressed closer.
…Why is she clinging to me so much?
Is this level of physical contact normal?
I don’t know, being bad at socializing.
Should I just ask her?
“Hinase-san, what do you think of me?”
Ah, even I think that question sounds kind of clingy…
I think my sense of distance is off too.
“Hm? I like you?”
But Hinase-san is also strange.
She’s too straightforward.
…And I want her to direct those words towards Shindo-kun.
Why is one of the heroines telling the childhood friend heroine that she “likes” her?
“What about you, Amatsuki-san? What do you think of me?”
She asked in return.
…W-What do I…
I don’t like or dislike her yet.
“…N-Normal.”
“Eh?”
Hinase-san looked surprised, and her grip loosened.
I seized the opportunity and ran away.
◇◇◇
I sat at my desk in the classroom, holding my head in my hands.
(By the way, my seat is at the back by the window, which is good.)
…What should I do?
Shindo-kun and Hinase-san’s intimacy level hasn’t risen at all.
While I’m just one person, wouldn’t it be a problem if the other heroines are the same?
“…I guess I won’t know until more time passes.”
Fortunately, there are other heroines.
If they connect with Shindo-kun, it might be okay.
Anyway, I’ll just keep quiet so I don’t mess up the direction of this story any further.
I want a peaceful school life.
I don’t want a rom-com with the protagonist, nor a flashy youth entangled with high-ranking girls.
I’ll make sure not to get involved with them anymore.
“Hey, Suzuna. What was that this morning?”
…Just as I was thinking that, Shindo-kun appeared in the classroom and called out to me.
Of course he did, his seat is in front of mine.
It’s troublesome that even our seating arrangement reinforces our childhood friend positions.
“What was what?”
“Walking to school with the school madonna, Hinase Riri. When did you two become so close?”
“…There was an opportunity yesterday.”
“It was so unexpected, I was shocked.”
I know that without you telling me.
“You’re not going to suddenly become a gal, are you?”
“…I’m not. The timing would be weird.”
A high school debut would be one thing, but a personality change now, as a second-year, when relationships are already established, would be crazy.
“Good. I’m relieved.”
“…I don’t understand why that would relieve you, Shindo-kun.”
“Because I want you to be my Suzuna.”
As expected of the protagonist. Such a self-centered statement.
“…I’m… just me.”
I might not be the original Amatsuki Suzuna, but I’m also a plain, inconspicuous girl.
I’ll make sure not to interact with Hinase-san anymore.
I should be able to live a peaceful life from now on.
◇◇◇
Classes ended, and lunchtime arrived.
Shindo-kun, who sits in front of me, stretched widely.
“Haaa… It’s over…”
Then he turned around to face me.
“Suzuna, lunch?”
“…”
That’s right.
This childhood friend diligently provided Shindo-kun with lunch every day without fail.
“I don’t have one.”
“…Seriously?”
Speaking of which, I forgot to prepare my own lunch too.
“I… can’t cook. From now on, please prepare your own.”
“Eh! But Suzuna, you’re such a good cook! Why?!”
“…A slump.”
“Is that a thing with cooking?!”
I don’t know.
But since I share her memories, I might be able to do it if I tried.
However, I have absolutely no intention of cooking.
Even if I have the skill, it’s meaningless if I lack the motivation.
“…W-What am I going to do? I’ll starve to death!”
Shindo-kun glared at me resentfully, as if he couldn’t accept it.
…That’s an exaggeration.
—Clatter
The classroom door opened.
“Onii-chan! I brought your lunch!”
Shindo-kun’s savior appeared.
Pink twintails, a petite and adorable girl.
Unlike Hinase-san, who clearly broke the school rules, her skirt length, pushing the boundaries but still within regulations, made her strangely relatable.
“K-Kokona…?! What are you doing here?!”
The girl who appeared carrying a lunch bag was Shindo Kokona.
As you can probably guess from her name, she’s Shindo Minato’s younger sister.
A new first-year student who started this spring, one year younger than us.
Also one of the heroines.
“I said, your lunch! Onii-chan, you went to school before Kokona finished preparing it!”
“Eh?! Why would you do that?!”
“Because Onii-chan always eats Amatsuki Suzuna’s lunch, right?! I figured you’d be trying to eat hers today too… but there’s none?!”
As you can probably tell, Shindo Kokona is a complete brocon.
Therefore, she’s always felt a sense of rivalry towards Amatsuki Suzuna, who has been close to Shindo Minato since childhood.
Now that she’s finally enrolled in the same school, she’s trying to take the initiative…
“Good for you, Shindo-kun. Now you can have lunch.”
As I chimed in, Kokona-chan turned towards me.
“Amatsuki Suzuna, you didn’t make Onii-chan lunch?!”
She addressed me informally even though I’m her senpai, probably because she sees me as a rival for Shindo Minato’s affections.
I’m the type who doesn’t care about seniority, so I’ll ignore it.
“Yeah, I’m not cooking anymore.”
“Does that mean… you’re giving Onii-chan to Kokona?”
…What a bombshell.
Well, she was always a high-strung character in the game, but…
It’s impressive how boldly she states it.
Incidentally, this part originally leads to a scene where Amatsuki Suzuna, who is usually quiet, unusually refuses to give in.
It’s a moment where you can glimpse her single-minded devotion to Shindo Minato…
“Giving him, giving him. Be happy together.”
“Wha…?! Amatsuki Suzuna approved?!”
I showed Kokona-chan that I had no intention of resisting.
“Hey! Kokona, don’t talk about me like I’m some object you can ‘give away’!!”
“That’s not… That’s not what I meant…!!”
And so, the two of them misunderstood each other.
He’s an oblivious protagonist, so her intentions went completely over his head.
Do your best, Kokona-chan. I won’t get in your way.
“Ah, Amatsuki-san. You don’t have lunch?”
Then, for some reason, Hinase-san appeared.
She usually eats lunch with the popular crowd, so why…?
“I don’t, but…”
“I forgot to bring mine today too. Want to go buy something together?”
And she was already holding my hand.
A silent pressure, or rather, a forceful act, saying “Let’s go”.
What a steely mentality, considering I ran away from her this morning.
Unable to refuse Hinase Riri’s invitation in front of the whole class, I was dragged away.
“…Ah, Amatsuki Suzuna is being corrupted by a gal.”
And from behind me, I heard Kokona-chan’s baseless misunderstanding.
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