[Warning 15+]
Author's Note:
No way, I just checked tonight's rankings and we hit #1 in the genre charts and #3 overall! I'm so hyped!
Part One
~She Only Acts Like Her Old Self When She's with Me... Wait, Hold Up!~Chapter 9Hey, What The—?!
Since they were headed the same way, Hayato started walking back to the classroom with Haruki from the flowerbed.
Time was running out. The school entrance was still a ways off, so they picked up the pace, walking shoulder-to-shoulder just like the old days.
As they hurried along, Hayato suddenly felt Haruki's eyes on him.
"Yeah? What is it?"
"Oh, nothing~? It's not like I'm thinking, 'Wait, why do I have to look up at you now?', or anything like that~"
"…Are you a kid or what?!"
"Hmph!"
Haruki huffed and turned her head away.
That behavior was just so... ...Haruki. Hayato let out a half-laughing sigh, totally exasperated by her.
Childhood friends who hadn't changed a bit, then or now.
A bond built on the same past and shared memories.
But the second they step into that classroom, they'll instantly turn back into "just a plain male transfer student" and "the untouchable female star student."
"Oh, look! It's Nikaidō-san."
"Perfect, let's just ask Nikaidō. It's about that English assignment—this part of the translation specifically…"
"Sorry, mind giving me a hand with this one too?"
"Me too!"
"Oh, um, me? Sure, I'd be happy to help."
Having slapped her "perfect student" mask back on, Haruki was instantly swarmed by everyone, boys and girls alike. The population density around her desk shot through the roof in seconds.
Looks like they all had questions for her about the homework assigned yesterday.
(Right, I forgot Haruki's like a top student here.)
Hayato recalled what he'd heard yesterday. Still, he couldn't help but think that at least some of those people were probably just crowding around Haruki as an excuse to strike up a conversation.
And Haruki likely knew exactly what was up, too.
But still, seeing Haruki give those elegant, smiling responses, it totally made sense why she was so popular.
Even though his seat was right next to Haruki's, Hayato—a countryside boy who's definitely not a fan of crowds—decided to retreat toward the window and just watch his childhood friend from a distance.
("Camouflage," huh?)
Hayato remembered Haruki's words from yesterday.
Honestly, Hayato was one of the people who'd been totally fooled by that act at first.
But even though Hayato'd seen through it now, he didn't plan on making a big deal out of it.
To Hayato, Haruki was just Haruki.
Haruki probably had her reasons for the disguise. Hayato wasn't gonna pry, either. He had this feeling that if she ever needed to talk about it, she’d tell him herself—that’s just the kind of trust they had.
For now, Hayato just watched Haruki hustle with a wry smile, thinking, Man, she’s got it rough.
"Nikaidō's crazy popular, right? That's pretty much the norm around here."
"It's impressive. I mean, Nikaidō's definitely a total beauty, but… …eh, who are you?"
"Oh, right—I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Mori. Iori Mori. Good to meet ya, Transfer Student—er, I mean Kirishima."
"Yeah, nice to meet you too."
The boy who'd struck up a conversation had this flashy, bleached hair that really stood out. Mori was one of the dudes who'd been firing off questions yesterday.
With a smirk on his face, Mori claimed the spot next to Hayato and followed his gaze over to Haruki.
"I mean, for a new transfer student, trying to jump into that circle is a pretty high bar to clear, huh?"
"It's not really like that for me… …but what about you? You're not gonna go join 'em?"
"Nah, Nikaidō-san's 'the untouchable star' for a reason. Plus, I already have a girlfriend, so Nikaidō-san's more like... ...an eye candy, I guess?"
"Gotcha."
"I'm not the only one who thinks that way, either."
"Huh."
Looking around the room, you could see all kinds of people—some deep in conversation with friends, some frantically copying homework, others lost in the world of whatever paperback they were reading. It wasn't like everyone was constantly clinging to Haruki.
Even so, Haruki was something special.
And because Haruki was special, a lot of people probably figured she lived in a completely different world from them. Hayato was one of those people. At least, he was supposed to be. He was supposed to be.
"…"
"…I see, I see. Good luck with that, Kirishima."
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Hey, it's cool. I get it."
"Wait a sec, you've got the wrong idea!"
"Haha!"
Mori kept teasing Hayato, clearly getting a kick out of poking fun at Hayato.
Hayato couldn't deny that he was feeling a bit sentimental.
Feeling like he'd just been called out, Hayato protested desperately, mostly out of pure embarrassment.
Seven years was a lot longer than one might imagine. There was likely plenty they didn't know about each other anymore. But they weren't just kids like they used to be.
(This settles it… …I guess it really is better if I don't get involved with Haruki while we're at school.)
Good-looking, top of her class, and an athlete to boot. Nikaidō Haruki was the untouchable star and a total fan favorite. She was basically the school idol.
Haruki had mentioned she was "camouflaging." This meant there had to be a reason why she kept up those appearances. Playing along with it was surely Hayato's duty as her best friend and childhood buddy—the one bond that hadn't changed.
"Phew…"
"Kirishima?"
"Nah, it's nothing."
"You sure?"
A slight feeling of loneliness lingered in Hayato's heart.
However, Hayato exhaled as if trying to convince himself and simply watched Haruki from afar.
Then came the lunch break.
Up until that point, Hayato had just been watching Haruki get constantly swarmed by the other students.
—In this school, we live in different worlds.
That's why, for a split second, Hayato couldn't even process what he was hearing.
"Kirishima-kun, would you mind coming with me for a moment?"
"Huh… …Nikaidō-san?"
Apparently, Haruki didn't share Hayato's point of view at all.
Haruki's face still put that same calm smile as before—but her eyes had this desperate look of urgency that made it impossible for Hayato to say no.
All of a sudden, the entire classroom started buzzing.
Author's Note:
For the first time ever, I actually made it onto the front page of the daily overall rankings! We're also holding down the #1 spot in our genre. Thank you so much! Seriously, this is all thanks to you guys for reading and cheering me on. I'm gonna keep giving it my all with the updates!
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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