Episode 4 – Rebellious phase?

A few minutes after parting ways with Renka.

After walking the longer-than-usual route to school, I headed straight for the classroom of Class 2B.

As I opened the door with a creak—

“—Ah, there you are, Akito ! ! What’s wrong with you, man !?”

As if he had been waiting for me, my classmate, Yuzuka Hideki, suddenly spoke to me.

Hideki had dyed his hair a bright blonde and had a flashy appearance, but he was still handsome.

And he was…like Renka, one of my childhood friends.

“Akito and Renka coming to school separately…! ! What happened, seriously !?”

Hideki glanced toward the back row by the window.  

There, with a sullen expression, leaning on her elbow, sat the school’s most beautiful girl…that is, Renka.  

Then, I looked away from Renka and said,  

“Nothing happened. If I had to say something, I just realized that it’s weird for a boy and girl who aren’t dating to keep going to and from school together all the time.”

“Eh…!? Well, that’s true, but…! But somehow, it just feels so weird ! It’s like me, a rice lover, suddenly switching to pastries for breakfast—that kind of weird feeling !”

“What’s with that perfectly incomprehensible analogy…”

But I get what Hideki’s saying.

Renka and I have been going to and from school together almost every day. If you suddenly stop doing that, it’s only natural to wonder what happened.

“Anyway, don’t worry about it. I guess I’m just growing up.”

“G-growing up !? Akito, you’re not seriously thinking about getting together with Renka, are you?”

“I don’t know what you’re imagining, but it’s not that.”

Typical Hideki…

Hideki is what you might call a mood maker. Ever since we were kids, he’s always been good at livening up the atmosphere with his natural cheerfulness.

I’m not really into noisy stuff like that, and I’d even say I’m not good at it.  

But strangely enough, I’ve never felt uncomfortable talking to Hideki. It might be because we’re childhood friends, but I also think Hideki has a unique way with words.  

As I was thinking about that…

“Hey, Akito kun !? What’s going on here !?”

…Another noisy person was striding toward us.  

A lively-looking beauty with glossy black hair tied in a ponytail—Nanami Sena.  

She was also one of my and Renka’s childhood friends.  

“I was really surprised, you know !? When I saw Renka coming to school alone, I thought my heart was going to stop ! !”

“That’s a bit of an overreaction, don’t you think?”

“It’s not an overreaction ! We’re talking about Akito and Renka !? Those two who were so close…uuuhhh…!” 

Sena takes out a handkerchief and starts crying dramatically.

“Could it be…Akito kun has finally entered his rebellious phase? But that’s no good, Akito kun. Don’t make Renka mama so upset.”  

“Hey, Sena ! Who’s mama? Who’s mama ! !”

Thud ! ! …Renka slammed her desk and stood up forcefully.

Then someone in the class murmurs cheerfully, “Here we go again.” They look at me andRenka with smirking expressions on their faces.

…Sena often teases me and Renka by comparing us to a parent and child. Because of that, even my classmates who aren’t my childhood friends have come to think of me as Renka’s only son. As someone who used to be interested in her romantically, I didn’t like it and kept denying it.

“Eh? But Renka is always taking care of Akito kun, isn’t she? She fixes his bedhead and makes his lunch. Right, Renka mama?”

Sena teased Renka with a mischievous smile.

Then Renka blushed bright red and said,

“That’s not it ! I just can’t stand how sloppy Akito is…”

“Oh, is that so? Then maybe we should start calling you two ‘husband and wife’ from now on?”

“Husband and wife…! Hey, Akito ! ! You better say something ! !”

Renka’s cheeks flushed red, and she puffed them out. …She’s too cute, this beautiful girl.

Then, Hideki tapped me on the shoulder.

“Hey, Akito, what are you standing there for? Aren’t you going to show us your usual parent-child comedy routine? …Oh, maybe a husband-and-wife comedy routine would be better?”

“I’m not Renka’s child or her husband…”

“I know that. It just means that we see you two as being so close.”  

Hideki gently pats my back.  

…That’s right. Neither Hideki nor Sena know Renka’s true feelings.  

Then this is a situation where I need to speak up.

“Hey, Sena.”

“Hm? What is it? Did you get bullied by your beloved Renka mama and got mad?”

“Sorry—but could you please not say that again?”

She hates me—that’s Renka’s true feelings.

Yet, her childhood friends and classmates keep calling her “mom” or “husband.” It’s easy to imagine how unpleasant that must be for her.

In fact, Renka’s face is bright red right now. Well, to me, she just looks cute, but…she’s probably really angry from the bottom of her heart.

“…A-Akito kun? What’s wrong, all of a sudden…”

It was probably because I said it in a serious tone, which is unlike me. Sena, Hideki, and the other classmates all fell silent in astonishment.

At the same time—the bell rang,the homeroom teacher came in and said, “Take your seats” in a lazy voice.  

Following that, I walked silently to the window seat and sat down quietly.  

Renka, sitting next to me….didn’t even bother to make eye contact with me.

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