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On Wednesday after school, once I’d finished my classroom cleaning duty, I stepped out into the hallway carrying a trash bag.
Shiori was wiping down the blackboard. She’d rolled up her sleeves a little to keep them clean and was moving her hands carefully as she checked for any remaining chalk marks. When I said, “I’ll go throw this away first,” Shiori turned around and nodded.
“Thanks. I’ll go after I finish writing the log.”
“I’ll wait for you by the entrance.”
“Okay.”
These kinds of ordinary exchanges had been happening more and more often lately. We’d decide where to meet before heading home. We’d discuss which shops to stop by. If someone called out to us, we’d say so without hiding it. We weren’t doing anything particularly “couple-like,” but to me, it felt new enough.
On my way back from taking out the trash, I heard a voice near the classroom.
“Miyahara-san is actually pretty amazing, isn’t she?”
It was Rino’s voice.
I stopped in my tracks. Looking from the corner of the hallway, I saw Rino standing near the classroom entrance. Shiori had just closed her journal and was holding her bag next to her desk. They weren’t alone. A few classmates were still nearby, but none of them were saying anything.
Rino was smiling. It was the same expression I’d known for years—the one she used to make things seem like a joke while actually putting the other person on the spot.
“Minato, you used to be more normal. You’d help out when asked, and you really looked out for your childhood friend. But lately, everything’s become all about her. Since Miyahara-san isn’t saying anything about it, I actually think it’s pretty impressive.”
Shiori’s expression didn’t change much. However, I could see her fingers tighten slightly around the handle of her bag.
“I’ve never told Minato-kun to treat anyone poorly.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s true. But the result is that Minato has changed, hasn’t he? From my perspective, ever since he started dating Miyahara-san, he’s suddenly become selective about who he associates with. It made me think, ‘Is she really that important?’”
A warmth spread deep within my chest.
Rino seemed to be speaking to me, but she was actually taking a jab at Shiori. She’s blaming Shiori for the fact that I walked away. Without reflecting on what she’s said herself, she’s trying to make it seem like Shiori stole me away.
Shiori could talk back.
She’s not the type to stay silent and take the hurt lying down. Even now, if necessary, she could probably respond in her own words. That’s why, for a split second, I hesitated—wondering if stepping forward would make me treat Shiori like she’s weak.
But before Rino could speak again, I stepped out from around the corner of the hallway.
“Don’t take this out on Shiori. Take it out on me.”
The air in the classroom froze.
Rino turned around. Her face shifted from surprise to an awkward look of anger. Shiori looked over at me, too. It wasn’t a look that said she wanted me to stop. She was just watching to see how I would stand my ground.
I walked right up in front of Rino.
“If you want to say I’ve changed, just tell me. Don’t act like Shiori is the one who changed me. It was my decision to stop carrying your stuff in the morning, and it was my decision to stop putting you first after school.”
Rino bit her lip.
“But you never said anything like that before you started dating Miyahara-san.”
“I just didn’t say it. It’s not like I didn’t mind.”
“Even so, you don’t have to make it seem like I’m the only one at fault. I’ve been your childhood friend all this time, Minato.”
“Just because we’re childhood friends doesn’t give you the right to make snide remarks to my girlfriend.”
After saying that, he realized his voice was trembling slightly. It still wasn’t easy for him to speak to Rino like this. There was a long-standing distance between them. They’d had their share of happy times. He knew Rino wasn’t entirely a bad person.
But that’s a different matter.
It’s not right for Shiori to be made out to be the bad guy.
Rino’s eyes turned red. It wasn’t just anger. Her expression seemed to say, “If this were the Minato I know, he’d be trying to please me here, not Shiori.”
“……Minato, you get so tough around Miyahara-san, don’t you?”
“No. It’s because I’m in front of Shiori that I want to do the right thing. I don’t want Shiori to get criticized because of my ambiguity.”
Rino couldn’t say a word in response.
One of the classmates standing nearby let out a small sigh. It wasn’t that anyone had laughed at Rino. It was just that I could feel an atmosphere slowly spreading—one that implied Rino was in the wrong based on the way she’d just spoken.
Rino readjusted her bag.
“…Never mind.”
Saying only that, she walked out into the hallway. As she passed me, she didn’t look my way. Her shoulders were trembling slightly, but I didn’t chase after her.
In the silence that remained in the classroom, Shiori came and stood next to me.
“Minato-kun.”
“I’m sorry. Shiori could have said it herself, but I cut in.”
“I did say it. But I was happy.”
After saying that, Shiori lowered her eyes as if in thought.
“I don’t want to be the kind of girlfriend who just needs to be protected. But if the reason those words were directed at me is because of my relationship with you, Minato-kun, then I’m happy that you’ll stand by my side.”
Hearing those words, the tension in my shoulders eased.
Maybe I’d misunderstood what it meant to protect Shiori a little. It doesn’t mean saying everything for her. It doesn’t mean hiding her behind me. It just means not letting Shiori bear the brunt of the words thrown at me all by herself.
If that’s the case, I can do that.
On the way to the entrance, Shiori lightly brushed my sleeve.
“I was a little surprised when my name was called just now.”
“In front of Rino?”
“Yes. I could really tell that you’re treating me like your girlfriend.”
I felt my face grow hot.
“Well, that’s because… you are my girlfriend.”
“Yes. I’m your girlfriend, Minato-kun.”
Shiori said it with complete sincerity.
Those words, which seemed so obvious, still felt dazzling to me. But I didn’t want to look away anymore.
By the time we walked out of the school gate, the evening breeze had turned a little chilly. As I walked beside Shiori, I decided that the next time someone tried to make her look like the bad guy, I wouldn’t stay silent. I’m done sacrificing the people I care about just to keep someone else happy.
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