Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818622172789075625/episodes/16818622176814256824
There was something about a girl named Nanamura F. Reisa that had always puzzled me.
She had many friends, both male and female, and had a cheerful personality, but for some reason, I had never heard any rumors about her.
Unlike Nagisa, who had a narrow social circle, Reisa was friendly enough to talk to anyone in the class.
And then there was her beauty.
Many boys admire her, and in fact, the attention she’s currently receiving, and the fact that people were staring at us just for walking together today, prove it.
Reisa is undoubtedly one of the most popular beauties in the school.
She’s popular.
But still, I’ve never heard any rumors about her dating anyone.
…..No, that’s not right.
The only rumor circulating is that she’s dating “me.”
And it seems to be gaining some traction.
Simply because I’m the top student in my grade.
The situation is confusing, but the strangest one is probably Reisa herself.
In fact, her words and actions have often been ambiguous.
It’s not just the “Aahn” from earlier.
What stands out most in my memory is what happened at the after-party following the proficiency exam.
If these aren’t just friendly gestures,
if they’re a side of her that she only shows to me,
how should I interact with her?
“Pfft, haha ! What’s with this atmosphere? You’re blushing too much, Tsukushi.”
“No, no, come on…”
“This is normal, right?”
“Don’t ask me.”
I shook my head at Reisa, who was laughing.
No, no, I’m overthinking it.
There’s no way such a cute, considerate, and intelligent girl from a good family would have any strange feelings for me.
I felt relieved.
I knew from the beginning that our relationship was a bit off.
Phew…
“…You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“…Well, I’ve been serious from the beginning.”
Watching the two beautiful girls in front of me exchange meaningful glances, I slurped down the yakisoba from the food stall.
The rich sauce was delicious.
◇
After lunch, the three of us walked around the school grounds.
Since it was boring to look at the same floor, we went to the second-year students’ exhibits on the upper floor.
Then, a creepy sign caught my eye.
“Wow, it’s a haunted house !”
“It looks pretty intense.”
“There’s blood all over the entrance.”
“No way, it’s fake. Sniff, sniff…wait, I can really smell blood.”
Reisa brought her nose close to the bloodstains on the wall and grimaced.
Seeing this, Nagisa turned pale.
She shook her head vigorously and pulled Reisa’s arm.
“Let’s go somewhere else.”
“….Are you scared?”
“Not really.”
“Then let’s go.”
“I’m fine, but don’t blame me if you cry.”
I sniffed the wall too, and it smelled kind of like iron.
It smelled like blood.
But if it were real, it wouldn’t be this bright red.
It would be darker and emit a foul, putrid odor.
Besides, even if it’s a meticulously decorated senior classroom, they wouldn’t go so far as to smear real blood around.
Still, the smell and everything else are incredibly well done.
It’s more sophisticated than our first-year students’ performance.
I’m looking forward to seeing what’s inside.
Just then, a group of familiar girls approached.
“Hey, it’s Reisa. Hi.”
“Nozomi. Karen and Nina too.”
“We’re thinking of going into the haunted house, but the entrance is limited to two people at a time. There are three of us, so can we go in together?”
“Um…”
Reisa’s three friends had just arrived.
At the suggestion, Reisa glanced at us and frowned in confusion.
Perhaps she felt guilty about leaving us behind to play.
However, there was no need to blame her.
She had originally said she was going to go with her other friends, and I had no intention of restraining her.
So I smiled and said,
“Go ahead. It’s a good opportunity.”
“Oh, thank you, Edano kun. Then I’ll borrow Reisa.”
“Of course. Well, Nagisa, shall we go in too?””
“Yes, let’s.”
Since waiting was boring, I called out to Nagisa, and she nodded in agreement.
I immediately regretted inviting her, having forgotten that she had been scared just a moment ago, but it was okay.
Well, it’s an indoor attraction.
If we go in together, she won’t be alone, so it should be fine.
“Eh, wait…”
Reisa, who had suddenly opened her eyes wide in surprise, was pulled away by her friend.
“…Speaking of which, Tsukushi kun, you’ve started calling me by my first name without me noticing.”
“Oh, sorry. Did you mind?”
“Not at all. It felt natural, and I was actually happy that the wall between us had disappeared.”
Nagisa blushed, and I turned away, feeling a little flustered.
Then, scratching my cheek, I thought to myself.
To be honest, I had been keeping a bit of distance from Reisa and Nagisa.
They were cute and popular, and there were times when their self-esteem had plummeted due to their grades or issues with their childhood friends, so I tried not to be too familiar with them to avoid any misunderstandings.
But as we studied together every day, had sleepovers at Reisa’s house, and celebrated test results at my place,
spending time together gradually eroded that awareness within me.
If she felt my reserved attitude was a barrier, then Nagisa’s words now make sense.
I had started calling Reisa by her first name without thinking, and apparently I had also started calling Nagisa by her first name without realizing it.
The haunted house was full of various tricks and was interesting.
It was fully decorated, with almost no light coming in.
There were creepy props and surprises from senior cast members, and plenty of elements to scare people.
However, the downside was my detached sensibility.
Instead of being surprised on the spot, my mind was focused on the structure of the decorations and gimmicks.
“Kyaahhh !”
However, Nagisa couldn’t help but scream.
She was stuck in a dead end in the maze-like interior and was screaming.
“It’s okay. It’s just a mirror.”
“Huh…! …It was my own face.”
“…Hmph.”
The mirror was unexpectedly placed in the dark room.
The blood-stained mirror surface and the dim lighting from below made her face look unusually creepy, and Nagisa’s eyes filled with tears.
I saw that and tried not to laugh.
Nagisa suddenly calmed down, which was a little strange.
She seems to be afraid of scary things, and of course I’m genuinely worried about her, but it’s hard not to laugh at this reaction.
Then, I felt a cold sensation on my right hand.
“…Eh?”
“Do you mind?”
“No, not at all. …Are you okay?”
“…Yes.”
I was startled when she suddenly took my hand.
At the same time, I felt a little guilty for being so lighthearted.
As we walked slowly, I apologized.
“I’m sorry for bringing you in when you were scared.”
“Huh? It was fun, so it’s okay.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Even if Tsukushi kun hadn’t invited me, I would’ve invited you myself. So don’t worry about it.”
“Uh, okay.”
She might just be being considerate.
However, as she smiled while gripping my hand tightly, I couldn’t sense any forcedness in her demeanor.
Rather, the distance between us was too close.
A faint light was leaking in, and I realized we were almost at the exit.
Not knowing where or who might see us, I shook my right hand slightly.
“Um…how long are you going to hold my hand?”
“A little longer.”
“We’re at the exit.”
“Then let’s go out like this. I don’t want to let go yet.”
“…I see.”
Once she said that, I couldn’t let go.
Since I felt guilty for bringing him along in the first place, I obediently followed his lead.
We walked out together, still holding hands.
Along the way, we were startled by a senior waiting at the exit, but my face was so hot I couldn’t care less.
“Welcome back……what’s going on here?”
Of course, the same went for Reisa, who was waiting in the hallway.
◇
[Reisa’s perspective]
I called Nagisa out on the pretext of going to the bathroom, and we were alone.
After moving to the less crowded school office building, we stopped.
And then I asked.
“What are you thinking?”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s obvious, holding hands earlier !”
If my memory is correct, Nagisa is quite pure and innocent.
She does have some natural, protective behavior, but overall, she’s quite reserved.
I thought she would never hold hands with a guy unless they had a very deep relationship.
I thought she would only do that with her boyfriend.
In response to my question, Nagisa looked out the window with a cold expression.
The wind blew her hair.
“What’s wrong with that?”
“No…eh? Are you dating…?”
When I asked her timidly, she shook her head.
“No, that’s not it. It’s just that I’m not sure myself…”
“…I know what I’m about to say is selfish, and I know it’s really creepy. But I’m not trying to force anything on you, and this is just a question. With that in mind, can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“You know I like Tsukushi, right?”
“Of course.”
Nagisa said calmly, despite the cold sweat running down her face.
I like Nagisa just as much as I like Tsukushi.
As a friend, and as a study partner.
It’s only been about a month since we started hanging out, but honestly, I think we have a special relationship.
That’s why it’s so painful, and I don’t want to talk about it.
It’s so bad that I feel sick with self-loathing.
“Do you like Tsukushi?”
But I had no choice but to ask.
I clenched my fist and asked the question.
Nagisa’s face twisted for a moment, then she smiled.
“I don’t know.”
“Oh, I see.”
“But…I might not like it if Reisa san and Tsukushi kun start dating.”
“…I see.”
In an instant, I understood the situation.
This is definite now.
Until now, Nagisa had been nothing more than a hypothetical rival for me, but in this moment, that changed.
This girl is not an imaginary enemy.
As a matter of fact, she has become my rival in love at this very moment.
She’s the one trying to interfere with my feelings for Tsukushi.
Nagisa says to me.
“Besides, you’ve been making your feelings obvious all along. Just now, you even did that…”
“Well, I like him, so…”
“Then why don’t you just confess your feelings?”
“I can’t…and I definitely won’t.”
“Why?”
“You know why.”
I will never confess my feelings to Tsukushi.
That’s already decided.
There’s no need to explain the reason to the woman in front of me.
Nagisa smiled at my words and said sadly,
“You’re too kind, Reisa san.”
“Are you serious? What do you mean by that?”
“Haha, you do have a good personality, after all.”
“Hey.”
“But you’re great. You can make that difficult decision.”
“You’re saying things like you understand.”
Nagisa tilted her head and said,
“You don’t want to, do you? You don’t want to interfere with Tsukushi kun’s studies.”
“…It’s nothing.”
“I hope he doesn’t end up with someone else someday.”
Nagisa turned her back as if the conversation was over and started walking away.
I couldn’t move for a while.
I know.
While I was hesitating, there was a possibility that Tsukushi would be taken by another girl.
In fact, I had wanted to start dating him right away.
That’s why I asked Mika to stir things up and help me.
But after my recent exchange with Kako San, I became afraid when I thought about how much it would mean to him if his current life were to be shaken.
“So what should I do?”
What if Nagisa confesses before me?
Regardless of whether Tsukushi accepts or not, how would I feel?
They’re academically compatible and could build a good, mutually beneficial relationship.
They have good personalities, and their faces might appeal more to his tastes than mine, which are neither good nor bad but just average.
“I don’t want that.”
A simple thought slipped out of my mouth.
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