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The following week, Shiori seemed a little different.
Whether on the way to school, during lunch break, or after school, she was right beside me as usual. She told me what would be on the quiz, and when I was hesitating at the school store, she calmly stopped me, saying, “You said that one was iffy last week, too.” So, to anyone else, I’m sure nothing seemed different.
But I could tell.
Shiori would occasionally glance at my phone.
She wasn’t staring at it. Every time a notification sound rang out, her gaze would shift for just a split second. Then she’d look away immediately. She’d put on a face that said, “I wasn’t looking,” or “I don’t care.” But I could tell she was concerned.
It happened during lunch break, while we were eating our boxed lunches on a bench in the courtyard.
My phone vibrated. The name that appeared on the screen was Rino Asakura. I only caught a glimpse of the short notification.
[Can we talk for a bit today?]
I didn’t open it right away. I thought Shiori would get worried if I did. But if I left it closed and turned it face down, it would look like I was hiding something. Just as I was wondering what to do, Shiori stopped eating.
“It’s okay if you look at it.”
“No, I’m good for now.”
“Really?”
Shiori’s voice was calm. But it was just a little stiffer than usual.
It was then that I finally realized I was about to go out of my way to be considerate again. I was hiding it because I didn’t want to make Shiori anxious. That line of thinking itself was already a source of anxiety.
“Sorry. I was trying to hide it for no good reason.”
I opened my phone and read the message from Rino. The content was exactly as the notification said. “I want to talk for a bit after school.” It didn’t say, “You don’t have to tell Shiori,” but I had a vague idea of what Rino was expecting.
I showed Shiori the screen.
“It’s from Rino. She’s asking if we can talk today.”
Shiori looked at the screen and immediately looked away.
“You didn’t have to show it to me.”
“But I couldn’t relax unless I showed it to you.”
When I said that, Shiori smiled, looking a little flustered. She smiled, but the sadness around her eyes didn’t fade.
I closed my lunchbox.
“Shiori, are you worried about something?”
Shiori didn’t answer right away. The leaves on the trees in the courtyard were rustling in the wind. The buzz of the lunch break seemed far away; it felt as if only the space around us was quiet.
“I am worried,”
She said it clearly.
“Rino, Shiraishi, Kuga ,enpai and Onodera—they’re all people who’ve spent time with you, Minato. I’m just someone who suddenly showed up by your side recently. I know you chose me. But every time those people call out to you, seeing the pained look on your face makes me a little scared.”
“That I might go back?”
“It’s not so much that he’ll come back, but I’m worried he might just get tired of it. I’m afraid he’ll think dating me has just caused him more trouble.”
At that, Shiori lowered her gaze just a little.
“I might look like the strong type of girlfriend, but I’m not that strong. I don’t like things I don’t like, and I’m not okay with Minato-kun being called over by other girls. But I felt like if I said all that, I’d just become a high-maintenance girlfriend.”
My heart ached.
Shiori had been waiting all along for me to make my own decisions. Whether it was turning down Rino, talking to Mikoto, or even in front of Senpai and Mei, she never ordered me around. That’s probably why I’d been under the illusion that Shiori wasn’t feeling anxious.
There’s no way that’s true.
I’d just been taking advantage of Shiori’s kindness.
“It’s not a hassle.”
I said.
Shiori looked up at me. I didn’t want to just blurt out, “Trust me,” right then. If trusting someone were enough, people wouldn’t feel this anxious.
“I don’t think dating you has made things more of a hassle. If anything, I think I’ve just started to see the hassles I used to turn a blind eye to. It’s tough when Rino and the others say things, but that doesn’t mean I want to stop being with you.”
Choosing my words carefully, I continued.
“Also, from now on, if Rino and the others contact me, I won’t hide it from you. If we need to meet up just the two of us, I’ll tell you first. If you don’t want me to, please just say so. I won’t think of that as a hassle either.”
Shiori furrowed her brow slightly.
“If I say I don’t want you to, will you turn them all down, Minato-kun?”
“Not everything. If it’s an important conversation, I’ll consider the time and place. But I won’t prioritize their convenience at the expense of making you feel anxious.”
Shiori fell silent.
That silence wasn’t a rejection. It was time for her to verify, in her own way, whether she could truly trust my words.
After a while, Shiori let out a small sigh.
“It’s not that I want to beat Rino and the others.”
“Yeah.”
“But I do want to have my own place as your girlfriend, Minato. If I have to hold back every time something comes up and you prioritize them over me, I’ll probably end up hating it.”
“That’s fine. It’s better if you tell me you don’t like it.”
When I said that, Shiori’s eyes widened just a little.
“Really?”
“I really mean it. If you don’t tell me, I’ll probably just go back to thinking it’s normal to put up with things. If I make Shiori put up with it too, I’ll just be doing the same thing I did before.”
Shiori’s expression softened just a little.
I picked up my phone and typed a reply to Rino.
‘I’m going home with Shiori today. If you want to talk, I’ll listen during lunch break tomorrow in the classroom.’
After sending it, I showed the screen to Shiori.
“Is this okay?”
“You don’t need to ask my permission.”
“It’s not permission—it’s sharing.”
When I said that, Shiori smiled ever so slightly.
“Well then, it’s been shared.”
Lunchtime was drawing to a close, and we put away our lunches. As I stood up, Shiori gently grabbed my sleeve. It wasn’t enough to hold hands, but it was a small gesture that made it clear she didn’t want to let go.
I took her hand again.
Shiori’s fingertips were a little cold. But she gripped my hand firmly in return. Feeling that strength, I walked back to the classroom with her.
Reassuring her isn’t about saying something beautiful just once. It’s about not hiding anything. It’s about making choices. It’s about coming back to the same place, time and time again.
That afternoon after school, I walked home with Shiori.
Rino’s message had been marked as read, but I hadn’t received a reply. Even after seeing that, Shiori didn’t say anything else. She just squeezed my hand a little tighter at the traffic light in front of the station. I squeezed back just as tightly, and we crossed the crosswalk as the light turned green.
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