Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818622176550308690/episodes/16818792437171999958
Today I got to talk with Akito a whole lot again.
It took a bit of courage to barge into his house first thing in the morning… but I have to go this far if I want to beat Suzukita-san.
According to the “High School Romance Strategy Guide” I bought at the bookstore after parting ways with Suzukita-san yesterday, boys apparently like girls who devote themselves to them.
…At first, I wondered if that was really true. I even got scared that he might think I was a bother.
But. Today, Akito said “thank you” to me so many times. Each time, he gave me that smile. That smile I love so much.
――It made me happy. He even said the bento I got up early to make was delicious. And, even though I’d only planned to just hand him the bento, we ended up eating lunch together today. …I don’t know why Suzukita-san decided to eat with friends other than Akito.
(…Akito. If I do more for him, will he start liking me…?)
Just like the book said, if I keep doing so much for Akito like this, will he start noticing me?
But—regardless of that, today, I feel like I was really, really happy.
Akito has always had a lot of messy habits. I used to call him a “good-for-nothing.” …I really was a terrible childhood friend, wasn’t I?
But the truth is—I’ve always loved spending time taking care of Akito.
It made me happy when he relied on me. When he said “thank you,” my heart felt incredibly warm. …To hide those feelings, I kept acting like that all this time.
Lately, Akito’s been trying so hard to do things on his own, trying not to be a bother to me.
I thought he was amazing. My heart fluttered, thinking he was cool. But… at the same time, I felt just as lonely.
Well, basically.
I… love both sides of Akito.
I love both the hardworking Akito and the useless Akito.
“…Hey, Renka? Hello? Are you even alive?”
Hideki’s voice snapped me back.
At that moment, I jolted back to reality—I’d been so consumed by thoughts of Akito that I’d completely lost track of my surroundings.
It was nighttime. We were gathered at our usual family restaurant.
That said, Akito wasn’t here. Sena, Hideki, Yuri—I’d called everyone here via message.
“S-sorry, Hideki. I was just lost in thought…”
“Hehe, Renka. Your cheeks are all red! I wonder what you were thinking about?”
Sena chuckled happily.
I hurriedly covered my cheeks with both hands. …Yeah, they might be a little warm.
“Still, this is unusual, Renka. You calling us out?”
Yuri said this while spreading his study materials on the table, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. …That’s just Yuri, I thought.
“Um, well… I mean… I have something to tell you all today…”
Gulp. I swallowed hard.
…Yeah, when it actually comes down to it, I do get nervous.
But—this is also to beat Suzukita-san.
Suzukita-san said love is like war.
Then first, I have to secure reliable allies. So,
“Actually, I… I’ve… developed feelings for someone…!”
Summoning my courage, I blurted it out.
My already flushed face burned even hotter. …I couldn’t bear to look at everyone’s faces, I was so embarrassed.
“Huh—w-who!? Hey, Renka, who likes who!?”
“Whoa, calm down, Sena!! Ffff-first drink some water, water!”
Sena, sitting next to me, started shaking my shoulders violently.
Hideki, sitting across from me, was trying to bring his cup to his mouth, his hands shaking like crazy.
Yuri… flipped a page in his textbook with a rustle.
“Um… well? The person I fell for is…”
“W-wait, Renka! I need to get ready for this—”
“I… I actually… fell for Akito…”
In a voice that felt like it expelled every breath I had.
I—told everyone the name of the guy I loved.
Then everyone froze, staring blankly,
“…………Haa. That was a waste of time.”
“Wh-why!?”
Hideki shrugged, sighing. Sena, for her part, wore an indescribably awkward, wry smile.
Huh… Maybe that’s not quite the reaction I expected.
I thought they’d be more shocked, but all three of them seemed completely unfazed and calm.
“Moou, don’t scare us like that, Renka. We thought you’d fallen for someone else besides Akito-kun behind our backs!”
“Yeah, Renka. See, you guys were distant until just the other day, right? We thought maybe something unexpected happened in that gap, NTR…”
“Huh…NTR? What does that even mean…?”
“Ah. NTR means—”
“Yuri, zip it! And Hideki, stop teaching Renka weird words!”
Sena started pouting angrily.
Somehow… I felt like I was the only one left out.
“Um, everyone… I mean, I… I like Akito…”
“Oh. I figured.”
“Huh? So, I mean, I ended up liking Akito…”
“Yeah. So?”
“It’s not ‘so’… I mean, I… I fell for Akito…?”
“Ah. We’ve known that since second grade.”
Hideki, Sena, Yuri.
They all just nodded in unison.
“—Huh!? R-Really…!?”
I was the only one.
I was so shocked, I let out a gasp…
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