Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/822139845923627658/episodes/2912051596008995672
Mariko san’s words echo through the chaotic living room.
“You should’ve told me right away when you started dating~ I thought I was cheering you two on from the front lines, you know? Like, being a super fan or something? Hehe, though I guess that’s probably not quite right…”
“What are you talking about⁉”
Mashiro protests, her face bright red.
“W-Wait, me and Kensuke are dating? T-That’s impossible, right?”
“No, no, it’s totally possible, isn’t it? Right?”
“It’s not ‘right’!”
“I’m serious. Me and Kensuke…?”
Mashiro glances briefly at me.
But as soon as our eyes meet, she panics and looks away immediately.
“That’s impossible. It’s really impossible. Don’t say something so heartbreaking, even as a joke.”
“Those words of yours are actually chipping away at my heart…”
“Oh, so you still have a heart left to chip away at, Kensuke? I thought I’d already chipped it all away.”
“What do you mean, ‘chipped it all away’? And don’t even try to chip it away on purpose.”
As we were talking like that, the two of us suddenly snapped back to reality.
That’s because they noticed Mariko-san watching us with a smug, truly amused smile.
“Hehe. Words are so tacky, aren’t they? Just looking at the two of you right now, I realize that ‘since when’ is completely irrelevant.”
“Mom!!”
Mashiro raised her voice, which was rare for her.
Even someone like Mashiro is no match for Mariko san.
In other words, in terms of the power dynamic:
Mariko > Mashiro >>>>>>> Me
I see. I’m completely outmatched.
“You two can fight all you want, but you have to get along, okay? When you’re young, it’s easy to get caught up in the moment, but you two need to take a long-term view of your relationship…”
“Th-that’s why! I told you we’re not dating, didn’t I?! Who would do something like this…”
Mashiro pointed straight at me, and our eyes met again.
However, Mashiro didn’t let the rest of her words (the insults) come out. No, it would be more accurate to say they didn’t come out.
Given our current situation, being mistaken for a couple would be incredibly awkward.
Mashiro admitted that she’d kissed me of her own free will and even apologized.
But she absolutely refuses to admit that she kissed me because she has feelings for me.
On top of that, there’s the fact that we’ve done it twice already, so it’s a completely baffling, incredibly complicated situation.
“W-who would date a guy like this, huh?”
—In that situation, I made my move.
“Huh⁉ W-what’s with that provocative look…”
“…Don’t think I’m just going to keep bowing and scraping to you forever.”
“Y-you’re so cocky…”
“You’re the one who’s cocky. Not only are you cocky, but you’re stubborn too, and you’re making things unnecessarily complicated.”
“Huh?! Y-you…!!”
We lock eyes, sparks flying between us.
Amidst this tense, explosive atmosphere, there’s one person here with a completely different vibe,
“Hehe. Being young is so nice~”
Damn it, Mariko-san, you’re getting in the way!
“Hmph!”
Mashiro brushed the hair off her shoulder and stomped up the stairs.
This is bad… she’s getting away again…!
“M-Mashiro! Hey, wait up!”
I hurried after her, but Mashiro slammed her door shut, making it clear she didn’t want to see me.
“Mashiro ! We still haven’t finished what we were talking about the other day…”
I steeled myself and reached for the doorknob, but Masaki opened it for me.
Just as I thought that, she glared at me through the crack in the open door and said,
“If you come into my room, I’ll kill you. I’ll either burn you—or boil you.”
“…………Y-yes.”
And then, bang! The door slammed shut with a loud thud.
“What’s wrong with you, Kensuke…! You’re gross! Gross, gross, gross! You’re seriously the worst… delusional guy! Delusional pervert! Delusional total pervert!!”
Along with the sound of her punching her pillow, Mashiro’s curses came through the door.
She’s even gone so far as to list three levels of “delusional guy”… I really can’t go in there now.
“…………Haa.”
What should I do…? Somehow, I’m even more confused now.
▽ ▽ ▽
Lunchtime.
Sitting on a bench in the courtyard, I let out a deep sigh.
“…………Haa.”
I sigh again.
Just then, someone taps me on the shoulder from behind.
“They say sighing makes happiness run away~. And your wife, too.”
“Just happiness is fine. And that’s an old-fashioned way to address me.”
“Haha. You’re being a total grouch again today, Kita-chan.”
“Hase’s initial reaction is a mystery again today.”
Hase sat down next to me, looking all excited.
“So, why are you sighing?”
“None of your business, Hase.”
“Whoa, I don’t think it’s cool to push your friends away like that, you know?”
“Ugh… That’s actually a valid point for once.”
“You don’t usually have friends (cute girls) who’ll ask why you’re sighing, do you? Kita-chan is at the level where he should be praying toward my house five times a day.”
“Is your house Mecca? Wait, are you Muslim?”
I felt like sighing again. For a different reason.
“Well, just tell me. It’s probably about Mashiro anyway.”
“⁉”
“I’m actually paying more attention to you than you think, you know? Hehe.”
Seeing Hase’s smug expression, my heart skipped a beat without me meaning to.
That’s why Hase is…
“Actually…”
Then, I told him about the dilemma I was facing with Mashiro.
That said, out of consideration for Mashiro, I didn’t mention that we’d ended up doing it twice because of our stubborn pride, or that she’d kissed me.
That I have feelings for Mashiro.
And that I want to know how Mashiro feels about me.
After I told her those two things, Hase nodded with a vague “Hmm.”
“I see. From a third-party perspective, this is the most entertaining situation ever. Yum.”
“You really have no mercy, do you?”
I retorted in exasperation, and Hase stood up abruptly.
“Well, leave it to me. I’ve got a good plan.”
……I wonder why. I just can’t bring myself to have high hopes.
――Five minutes later.
“What? You went out of your way to call me out here?”
The one who arrived at the courtyard where Hase and I were waiting was a sullen-looking Mashiro.
The fact that she came right away when Hase called her means Mashiro really trusts her, doesn’t she?
“More importantly, why are you with Kensuke… It’s no fun being around someone like that. He keeps looking at you with those lecherous eyes.”
“Hey, I’m not looking.”
“It can’t be helped. Kita-cchi is just perverted.”
“Why are you agreeing with him?”
You don’t know how lecherous I am, do you? …Though Mashiro does. No, that’s not right.
“So, what? What do you want?”
Mashiro was rushing me.
Hase cleared he throat ostentatiously—then suddenly threw her arms around my neck.
“Huh⁉”
Her soft body pressed against mine.
A citrusy scent, different from Mashiro’s, brushed against my nose.
And her breasts—which felt heavier than Mashiro’s—pressed against me…
“Actually, I’m dating Kitacchi~. Yay!”
“…Huh?”
“…Huh?”
For a split second, my brain glitched and I couldn’t process the information.
“Wait, Hase? What are you talking about…”
“Actually, I ended up banging you right after we started dating~. That felt good, didn’t it, Kita-chan?”
“What the hell are you talking about⁉”
—Wait, if I say something like that, even as a joke, Mashiro will…
“Oh, really? So?”
A low voice that resonated deep in my gut.
She was looking at me as if I were some kind of filth.
“N-no, Mashiro, that’s not it. It’s just that Hase…”
“Oh~, I’m just so happy being with Kita-chan~. He’s got plenty of time to spare, no matter how much he sigh.”
“…So, what?”
“I just thought I’d better let Mashiron know properly. After all, Mashiron is my best friend and Kita-cchi’s childhood friend. —Well, but…”
Hase flashed a provocative smirk and said to Mashiro.
“For Mashiron, who’s just a childhood friend, it probably doesn’t matter at all that Kita-cchi and I are dating, right~?”
At Hase’s words, Mashiro looked down and fell silent.
I was alone, breaking out in a cold sweat as I desperately tried to forget the sensation of Hase’s chest.
Being confessed to by Awara had made Mashiro so furious she’d almost punched a hole through me.
And now, the fact that I’d gone out with Hase—her friend—made a wave of hatred surge through me, enough to blow the courtyard to smithereens…
“So, when is this charade going to end?”
““‘…Huh?’””
Mashiro continued with a stern expression.
“It’s obvious without even thinking that Yae and Kensuke would never date. Besides, this kind of lie is exactly the sort of thing Yae would come up with… Actually, just get away from him already.”
“Ugh…”
Mashiro pulls Hase away from me.
“Ehh~, Mashiro, this is no fun~”
“The one who’s boring is Kensuke. Kensuke and only Kensuke.”
“But I haven’t done anything…”
“Seriously… I’ve really been taken for a fool.”
Mashiro snorted in a huff, looking displeased.
I’m sure Hase was trying to gauge whether Mashiro had feelings for me based on her reaction.
But the plan failed. All it did was confirm the depth of Mashiro’s friendship with Hase—and how well she understands her. Oh, and I found out how big Hase’s chest is. Wait, no, that’s not it.
It was a farce for me too, and just as I was thinking it was time to call it a night…
“Well, but—”
Mashiro grabbed Hase’s arm and, as if trying to crush me with her presence, declared in a low, cold voice.
“If you were dating Yae, Kensuke, I can’t even begin to imagine what kind of pain you’d suffer or how you’d go about it.”
The lighthearted atmosphere vanished in an instant.
“That’s all I wanted to say. Got it?”
“……Y-yes.”
I didn’t really understand, but all I could do was nod.
Seriously, why am I getting scolded? She said she didn’t like me. But this is clearly…
“Come on, Yae, let’s go.”
“Ugh~”
she walked listlessly, her hand pulled by Mashiro.
Since we were in the same class, I followed a little behind them.
“Actually, stop this boring charade already. It’s terribly lacking in humor.”
“Next time I’ll focus on humor, okay~”
“Just stop it altogether.”
“Ooookay~”
The two of them walked along, getting along just fine.
Just as I was slumping my shoulders, thinking, “So, nothing to show for it again today…,” Mashiro cleared her throat loudly and said to Hase.
“Also, even if you’re Yae, you’re not allowed to date Kensuke. Whether it’s a lie or the truth, it’s a no-go… in either case.”
“! M-Mashiro. Does that mean…”
Catching Hase’s gaze, Mashiro cleared her throat again, this time more forcefully.
“Anyway! Got it? You understand, right?”
“…Hehe, okay~”
“Seriously…”
Mashiro muttered, looking exasperated yet somehow satisfied, and suddenly our eyes met—I was standing just a little behind her.
“Huh⁉ W-why are you following me…!”
“Huh? Well, I mean, we’re in the same class…”
“D-don’t you dare eavesdrop on girls’ conversations!!”
“Huh⁉”
Th-that’s a bit much.
…Or rather.
Doesn’t that just mean she totally likes me⁉
She avoids me and says she hates me… b-but she really does like me, doesn’t she?! It’s not just my pathetic delusion, is it?!
…No, but I’ve been berated endlessly for being a delusional guy, and she’s actually denied it… Still, Mashiro is a bit of a contrarian, so there’s a chance she’s just too shy to be honest… or rather, would Mashiro even fall for me? But she kissed me, didn’t she⁉ And what she said just now was clearly… b-but…!
Aaargh! Mashiro’s a pain in the ass, and I’m just as much of a pain myself! Everything, absolutely everything, is unbelievably annoying!!
“Ugh… This is exactly why Kensuke is…”
I stop in my tracks, staring at Mashiro’s back as she mutters in exasperation.
“W-which is it… What am I supposed to do…”
The situation is spiraling into an even bigger mess…
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