Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/822139845923627658/episodes/822139846584267127
“Hey, have you heard the rumors about Kamikurokawa?”
“There’s no way she has a boyfriend, right? I mean, it’s Kamikurokawa we’re talking about. She’s always shot down anyone who’s confessed to her.”
“I heard she’s not even interested in guys to begin with.”
“But apparently she has a male childhood friend, and he’s in the same class as her!”
“Apparently, the other day, Kamikurokawa-san got all red-faced and shy around him.”
“Huh? That’s impossible.”
“Exactly. The childhood friend everyone’s talking about is him…”
“Wait, really? Isn’t that normal?”
“Him? No way.”
“But Kamikurokawa-san’s reaction seemed totally genuine…”
The hallway during lunch break.
Just walking down the hall draws attention, and I can hear people whispering.
“(I never thought this would turn into such a big deal…)”
Usually, rumors that Mashiro and I are dating are just speculation and die down quickly.
Mostly because Mashiro immediately cuts them off with a flat, “No way.”
But,
“…………N-no way, right…? K-Kensuke and I…? T-that’s impossible… really, impossible…”
Mashiro’s reaction in that classroom had turned the rumors into something concrete.
“(Honestly, getting this much attention is exhausting…)”
Just as I was spacing out like that, I nearly bumped into someone at the corner.
“Ah, s-sorry…”
“Ah, s-sorry…”
It felt like déjà vu—like it had happened just the other day.
“M-Mashiro …”
“K-Kensuke…”
An awkward silence hung between us.
“W-what? Do you want something?”
“No, not really… nothing in particular.”
“…Oh.”
Mashiro lowered her eyes and tried to walk past me.
“M-Mashiro!”
When I called out to her, Mashiro stopped and turned back, looking somewhat hesitant.
“So, what is it? If you need something, just say it.”
“It’s not that I need something… um…”
As I struggled to find the right words, I noticed the other students were staring at us, and Mashiro flinched.
“! I-I… I’m leaving now.”
“Ah…”
Mashiro’s footsteps echoed as she hurriedly walked away.
As I suspected, Mashiro’s been acting strange lately.
No, it’s only natural she’s acting strange. After all… Mashiro and I have done it twice.
“(…But I never thought Mashiro would change this much… not even a single curse word. Well, I guess that’s a good thing. I’ve successfully restored my status and honor. No, wait—it’s normal not to get cursed at by your childhood friend in the first place! But that’s not the point!)”
Besides, Mashiro acting so demure was… kind of cute.
Even that night, Mashiro…
“Aaargh! I don’t get it! What the hell is this romantic comedy labyrinth?! Wait, I’m the one who wandered into it! It’s totally my own damn fault!!”
…Oh, crap. I said it out loud.
The students around me gave me looks that said, “You’re the one who doesn’t get it…” and started backing away from me.
I clutched my head in frustration in more ways than one.
“…Sigh, what am I supposed to do…”
“—Well then, let’s go sunbathe.”
“…Huh?”
I turned around to find Hase standing there, smiling cheerfully.
“Let’s go get some Vitamin D.”
“Huh? What’s wrong with you?”
“D~”
Another thing I didn’t understand had just been added to the list.
The courtyard.
I sat on a bench next to Hase and soaked up the sun.
“You can feel the vitamin D building up in your body, right~?”
“Nope.”
“…Huh? You’re sick.”
“I mean, it’s probably being produced, but I can’t actually feel it.”
“Huh~”
“Don’t get bored halfway through.”
The conversation was terrible, but the peaceful atmosphere of the courtyard enveloped everything.
“Hey, Kita-chan.”
“What?”
“Are you dating Mashiro?”
“No, I’m not.”
“……That’s a lie~”
“It’s not a lie. We’re not dating.”
Well, we’ve ended up kissing in the morning twice after a stubborn standoff, though.
“Eh~ but seriously~, would Mashiron get that worked up if you weren’t dating? I mean, it’s Mashiron, right? That Mashiron?”
“…………”
Well, she did provoke me into making out with her twice in the morning.
“No matter what happens, Kamikurokawa Mashiro remains noble. That’s just the kind of person Mashiron is, right?”
“Well, I guess so.”
“For a girl like that to show her emotions so openly… you two are dating, aren’t you~?”
“We’re not dating.”
“…I knew it.”
“I said we’re not dating!”
Interrupting us, Hase leaned back in her seat with an interested “Hmm.”
Then, gazing blankly up at the sky, she muttered casually.
“Somehow… I’m jealous.”
“Huh?”
“I mean, the fact that you can mess with Mashiron’s head means you’ve gotten that close to her heart, right? Is it because you’re childhood friends? Well, whatever the reason, I’m jealous. Actually, that’s just unfair.”
“E-even if you call it unfair…”
I wasn’t sure how to respond; I was at a loss.
“Really? I’ve actually been thinking for a while now that I’m so jealous of you, Kita-cchi~”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you.”
“Don’t suddenly start calling me ‘you’—it’s scary.”
Stop with that sudden serious face too—it’s scary.
“Kita-cchi, you didn’t really seem like you were close with Mashiron, did you? It was more like siblings… or the closest stranger? Something like that.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about…”
“Anyway, I don’t really get it, but I’ve always felt like Masiron and Kit-chan are connected. I don’t know what color the thread is, though. …Is it red, after all?”
“I don’t know how to answer that.”
“Well, whatever.”
This one really loses interest halfway through, doesn’t she?
“Plus, lately, they’ve both been acting kinda suspicious, and one minute they’re close, the next they’re distant… It’s fun to watch, isn’t it? What kind of game are they playing?”
“We’re not playing a game.”
“I wish they’d let me join in, but watching from the sidelines is actually pretty fun, too, honestly.”
Hase chuckled softly and continued.
“Mashiron, at first glance, seems like the strongest, right? She looks super strong, doesn’t he?”
“That’s true. I think of her as the queen.”
“Haha, you hit the nail on the head.”
What is up with this one?
Just as I was thinking, “Hase is still Hase as always…” she began with a refreshing expression, “But you know…”
“It’s not that she’s strong; it’s that she’s trying to be strong—that’s what I find cute about Mashiron, and that’s why I like her.”
Hase’s words slipped right into my heart.
“Kita chi, who can bring out so many of those kinds of sides in her, is definitely someone I envy.”
Somehow, I understood what Hase was saying.
Because that’s exactly what I’ve been feeling lately, too.
“Well, of course I’d get a little turned on.”
“……Huh, turned on⁉”
“Her boobs are a nice shape, and her skin is so smooth. Plus, I bet she’s the type who puts up a feeble fight in bed… Ah, you’re getting turned on, aren’t you?”
“I’m n-not!”
…No, honestly, I was.
Or rather, I actually know everything Hase just said, and the way Mashiro puts on a brave front in bed is just too cute… No, that’s not it.
“Well~, take good care of Mashiro. That’s a friend’s advice~”
With that, Hase left me behind and strode off.
Hase really is, for better or worse, so laid-back and unpredictable.
…But.
I could tell she truly cherishes Mashiro as a friend.
“…She really is a good one.”
▽ ▽ ▽
――That said.
The rumors about Mashiro and me hadn’t died down at all; if anything, they were burning even more fiercely.
Lately, Mashiro had been losing her edge, and she hadn’t even thrown a single insult my way.
Or rather, to begin with, we were getting so much attention that we could barely talk, and the days flew by in the blink of an eye.
Then, one day…
“Um… w-what is this? You’re not confessing or anything, right? Sorry, I already knew.”
Cold sweat trickled down my face.
After school, behind the school building.
Standing right in front of me were—seven well-built, slightly flashy-looking third-years. Seven⁉
“You’re the childhood friend who’s rumored to be dating Kamikurokawa, right?”
So, it’s about that after all…
“No, we’re not dating…”
“Don’t lie. You are, aren’t you?”
“No, no, really…”
“I heard you two are living together.”
“I heard you’re engaged. And you’re planning to get married right after high school graduation…”
“So you’re his childhood friend and his future, right? You’ve got to be kidding me…”
“I heard they have a kid in kindergarten.”
“And you’re planning a second one, right? I can’t forgive this…”
The rumors have gotten way out of hand…
“Why would someone like you… You two just don’t seem to be a match at all.”
“You’ve got some kind of dirt on her, don’t you? That’s despicable.”
“Know your place. Seriously, read the room.”
“Can’t you just break up with her already?”
“You’re not good enough for Kamikurokawa.”
This wasn’t the first time men had said things like this to me.
Of course not. Even if we aren’t particularly close, people get jealous just because I’m Mashiro’s childhood friend.
“(…Sigh, this is such a hassle.)”
I naturally shut out the sounds and voices around me.
If I do this, they’ll get bored and eventually go home.
So…
“Hey! Are you even listening?!!”
One of them grabbed my shoulder, causing me to stagger.
—That was when it happened.
“That’s enough.”
A sharp voice, tinged with coldness, that cut through the air.
Standing there was Mashiro, radiating the aura of a queen as she glared down at the third-years.
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