Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/2912051596567318343/episodes/2912051597513854122
“How do you know?”
“Did you ask him directly? Since it’s such a deep topic, could it be… that you’re dating Sawa…?”
“We are.”
“Eh…”
Chika was speechless, her face turning a shade of despair.
Seeing the spark fade from her rival’s eyes as she hung her head in gloom was incredibly satisfying.
Especially after all the frustration I’d built up from trying to comfort her.
“Sorryyyy, while you were ignoring Ibusuki-kun, I went ahead and snagged him! But it’s okay, right? You were the one who told me not to get involved with him. He was pretty hurt, and once I comforted him, he fell for me in a heartbeat~. Oh, and don’t you dare come near him ever again, okay? It hurts him, and that seat you were sitting in is mine now. Haa~, I’m so happy to have found the best boyfriend ever in Ibusuki-kun~. I won’t invite you to the wedding, but even if you’re on the other side of the world, I’ll at least send you a photo~”
Chika shivered as if she’d been thrown out naked in the dead of winter and wrapped her arms around herself.
“No, no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no…”
To Chika, who had turned pale and was shedding tears, she said, “Just kidding.”
“It’s a lie. We’re not dating at all.”
“…………Huh? What? Yuna, were you trying to kill me? That’s not funny at all.”
A fierce flame of hatred burned in her dark eyes. Contrary to that heat, a chill ran through my body.
I thought to myself, “Ibusuki-kun really is something to admire for putting up with this,” but at the same time, my irritation toward Chika, who kept staring at me, grew even more.
That said, since I was completely in the wrong, I apologized.
“But please forgive me for this much. We’re not dating, but I like him too, Ibusuki-kun.”
“Eh!?”
“Let’s get back to the topic. The reason I know about Chika is because I’m a viewer of his streams.”
“A viewer… Oh, that’s why. When I slipped out of the Ferris wheel line, what was on the phone was…”
While waiting for Ibusuki-kun, I’d been watching his videos, my heart racing. Since she came and I turned off my phone, it seems she saw the screen left open when I pretended to leave the Ferris wheel line.
I guess I wasn’t careful enough.
If she hadn’t seen it, Chika would still be under the wrong impression right now. I wouldn’t have become a love rival. Well, I guess it’s a good thing she found out, since it means she stopped treating Ibusuki-kun so badly.
“That’s right. I’ve been a viewer of Ibusuki-kun’s streams for a long time. I fell for him while watching, and once we started talking at school, my feelings for him grew exponentially.”
“But,” I continued.
“But because I treated him so badly, I don’t deserve to be his girlfriend. And when I saw Chika—who did something just as bad as I did—casually apologizing to him and trying to get back to where she was, or even further, I ended up being mean to her. I’m really sorry.”
Chika fell silent. After a long pause, her pretty nose flared slightly, and she let out a deep breath.
“…Yeah, you’re right. I’m the worst. I had no right to be mad at Yuna. If you like Sawa, I understand why you’d be frustrated.”
“Yeah. I’m truly sorry for taking it out on you.”
“It’s okay. If you like him, it’s only natural that you wouldn’t want a girl like me around him. Yuna is kind just for brushing it off as a joke. I haven’t been very level-headed lately—I’m the one who’s sorry.”
“You’re back to your usual self, Chika.”
Chika gave a wry smile.
“I’m ashamed of myself. But Yuna, you said ‘just as much as me’—what did you do to Sawa?”
What did I do? Just thinking about it made her feel bitter.
She hesitated to tell her, but it seemed unfair, so she opened her mouth.
“Ibusuki-kun saved my father’s life. If it weren’t for my father, who raised me on his own, I wouldn’t be living a comfortable life right now. Yet, without knowing he was my savior, I treated him terribly.”
“…Just like me. What terrible things did you do, Yuna?”
“When Ibusuki-kun saved my father after he fell into the rice paddy, he got covered in mud. He seemed to have washed up, but he went to the entrance ceremony with his uniform still wet.”
“Really? Back then, just seeing Sawa was painful enough, so I avoided him and didn’t know. But I see. Sawa’s so serious; he probably couldn’t skip school even though he wasn’t sick.”
“And then… Ibusuki-kun was shunned and spent his school life all alone. Even though his loneliness was because he saved my father, I…”
“But still?”
“I used to call him ‘the loner.’ That’s how I treated him…”
My own foolishness—every single word I’d thrown at Ibusuki-kun—stung my chest as if it were bouncing right back at me.
I couldn’t breathe. My stomach churned, and I felt like I was going to throw up.
Thinking Chika was looking at me with contempt, I lowered my eyes.
But when I looked up instead of running away, Chika’s eyes were wide with surprise.
“Um, Yuna…”
“What?”
“Huh? Is that… it?”
Just… that?
A black flame ignited in my chest.
“What did you just say?”
“No, you didn’t know, did you? And knowing you, you didn’t mean any harm, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then it’s fine. It’s on a completely different level from me, and I don’t think Sawa minds either…”
“So you’re saying it’s okay?”
A surprisingly cold voice came out of my throat.
“Of course it’s not okay! I called the man I adore, love, and who saved my life—I called him a derogatory name! And it’s not just that I called him that; I’ve been treating him that way all along! That’s absolutely despicable. The person I love was protecting me, yet I acted however I pleased without even considering the risk of hurting him! That’s obviously unacceptable! Just because I like him, just because I love him, doesn’t mean I can forgive for breaking that taboo! Hey, do you get it? The weight of the sin of betraying the one I love? I love him, love, love, love, I love him so much. I hate myself, hate, hate, hate, I hate myself for repaying someone like that with ingratitude! Hey, Chika, you get it now, right? Chika, now that you know the person I love is my savior, you understand how my feelings crossed the line, don’t you?”
Chika looked at me with eyes full of fear, as if I were a monster.
Why is she looking at me like that?
If she’s ever fallen for someone, she should feel sympathy for me once she knows my situation.
“! Yuna! I’ll never let you near Sawa!”
Chika looked at me like a beast baring its teeth and growling.
“Why?”
“It’s too heavy a burden. If he gets caught, Sawa would be too pitiful.”
“What’s so heavy about it? If we’re talking about that, Chika’s the same. Even the Red Oni mourns the Blue Oni, but Chika, like a human, threw a stone at him. I don’t want a girl like that anywhere near him.”
I let out a sigh.
We’re rivals in love. There are a million reasons why we don’t want him to get close, but there’s one big reason why he absolutely must not.
I set my phone on the table and opened Ibusuki-kun’s Twix.
“Fine, whatever. I think you found out today, but streaming is Ibusuki-kun’s only joy. But if he found out it was me and Chika… what do you think he’d think?”
Chika remained on guard, still bracing herself, and muttered quietly.
“It’d be a total turn-off. He’d assume I’m watching because we know each other and get sad. Plus, if he found out I—someone he doesn’t get along with—was watching, it’d be so awkward he might just quit.”
“Exactly. I wasn’t lying when I said ‘let’s do this later,’ but this is what I really feel. Don’t take that joy away from Ibusuki-kun. Find a way to avoid taking it away first, then apologize.”
“…I get it. I don’t want to make Sawa suffer any more than he already has.”
I got Chika’s approval.
It looks like the cable won’t be needed after all.
I let out a sigh of relief and reached for my phone, but my hand trembled.
A notification popped up, and it appeared at the top of the screen.
[Unbelievable! We’re collaborating with the popular beauty VTuber, Ichigo Daikyo-san!!]
Two teeth grinding together.
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