Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818622176550308690/episodes/16818792437109734600
“But you know—I don’t just like Akito-kun, I really like Renka too, okay?”
Sena intertwined her fingers with mine.
…It felt warm, I thought. Sena’s body heat felt wonderful against my body, chilled stiff by the air conditioning.
“Hey, Renka. Remember the sports day in sixth grade?”
“Ah… uh, yeah…”
“I became the cheer squad captain, right? The only girl in the whole grade to be captain.”
I remember it clearly—Sena as cheer squad captain, wearing a headband longer than everyone else’s and a red sash draped across her back.
Back in sixth grade, the three of us—me, Akito, and Sena—were in the same class. Sena worked hard to lead our class, trying to rally everyone together.
“But—you know. I’m kind of… stubborn, right? So I ended up being really annoying to the boys in our class. I kept lecturing them, telling them to cheer with all their might.”
Sena hated losing. On top of that, I think she felt a sense of responsibility from volunteering to be leader.
For our last elementary school sports day, Sena wanted to win more than anyone.
Winning both the Red Team championship and the Cheering Award. Our class practiced almost every day, aiming for that goal.
But—the class was definitely not united.
“So, you see… halfway through, most of the boys started boycotting. No one came to cheer practice anymore, and during the relay and the long rope jump, everyone clearly started slacking off…”
…I remember. The cold stares from the boys in the class back then.
Sure, Sena had her faults too. She’d push the shy boys to shout louder. She’d insist the slow boys fix their form. Even as her friend, I could see Sena went too far sometimes.
But still—that treatment was too cruel.
Sena just wanted to win. She just wanted everyone to give it their all for the double victory. As the Red Team leader, he was just trying his absolute hardest.
But the boycott by some of the boys felt like a deliberate attempt to hurt Sena’s heart. During a long rope practice one day, when the boys started deliberately tripping over the rope one by one, Sena couldn’t hold back and started crying. I remember seeing Sena suffer like that, while the boys laughed out loud, guffawing.
“…It was really, really hard. I suffered terribly, wondering if I was the one who was wrong. I started thinking maybe being cheerleader captain was just too much for me…”
Hehe. Sena gave a weak smile.
I couldn’t bear to see her looking so miserable—I found myself tightening my grip on her hand. Sena’s expression softened just a little, looking a bit happier.
“But you know, Renka? Remember—that Monday morning practice after the weekend? All the boys who were supposed to be boycotting showed up, right?”
I remembered that too.
I genuinely wondered why. What had changed their minds over the weekend? Maybe the teacher scolded them… That’s what I was thinking.
“— that. Actually, it was thanks to Akito-kun.”
“…………Huh?”
His name.
Muttering the name of my beloved childhood friend, Sena smiled.
This time, it was a genuinely happy smile from the bottom of her heart.
“Akito-kun, you see. He used Friday after school and the weekend to meet with every single boy who had been boycotting. He went around asking everyone, like, ‘For the next two weeks until the main event, please cooperate with Sena for my sake.’ Something like that.”
I accepted Sena’s story without hesitation.
Because it felt so like Akito.
He was incredibly skilled at supporting others. It was the kind of thing only he could do, always giving his all for someone other than himself.
“When I came to school on Sunday for club activities, I happened to see Akito-kun in the classroom. He was kneeling in front of the boys who’d led the boycott, saying things like, ‘If it’s me, I’ll do anything. At least pretend to try hard in front of Sena, won’t you?’… I almost started crying.”
Sena’s grip on my hand tightened.
And then Sena—with a delicate, girlish smile she’d never once shown me before—
“Well, you know… Of course I’d fall for him, right?”
Ah… I realized this was the face of a girl in love.
Even I, a girl myself, felt my heart flutter. It was that kind of smile—utterly captivating.
“…I’m sorry, Sena.”
Suddenly, I realized.
Those words had slipped out of my mouth.
“Because of me… you’ve been holding back all this time, haven’t you…?”
“Hmm. I don’t think that’s quite right.”
“But… but… if it weren’t for me, right now Sena would be with Akito…!”
“Hey, Renka. That’s sad. Don’t say things like that.”
And then, Sena…
…squeezed me tightly in a powerful hug.
“Sure, I ended up liking Akito-kun, right? But, but—I also ended up loving you so much, Renka!”
“…Why… me…?”
“I won’t let you say you forgot, okay? Renka—back then, you did this, right? You hugged me and patted my head, saying ‘It’s okay, it’s okay’?”
As if recreating that moment.
Sena’s soft hands slowly began stroking my head.
“‘There, there. It’s okay, it’s okay, Sena. I’m here for you, Sena. I’ll always, always be on your side. No matter what happens, I’ll be the one supporting you. So, let’s try a little harder, okay?”—Hehe, amazing, right? I haven’t forgotten a single word of what Renka said to me back then.”
“…But, that’s…”
Even now, I remember it vividly.
The warmth of that embrace I shared with Sena back then. How Sena’s body, always so dependable and who had protected me countless times, felt incredibly frail.
“Because… Sena… looked… so miserable…”
“Yeah.”
“So… I… thought I had to… do something for you…!”
“Yeah. That’s right.”
“There, there,” she said.
Sena’s hand stroking my head felt incredibly warm, just like always.
“I love that about you, Renka. It’s precisely because of that Renka that I want to support your love with Akito-kun. Because, see—my beloved Akito-kun and my beloved Renka. The two of you becoming lovers and finding happiness? That’s the best thing ever, right?”
“…But then, Sena would…!”
“I’ve decided to stay single forever. But I’m not giving up my spot as Akito-kun and Renka’s best friend, okay? Being with you two forever, talking a lot like today, playing, laughing together—that’s the ultimate happiness I picture for myself.”
Her voice sounded—truly, utterly happy.
Sena, who was terrible at lying, immediately showed it in her face and voice whenever she tried to hide something.
So… I knew right away. The feelings Sena shared with me were undoubtedly genuine.
“That’s why, you see. Renka—here, hug!”
Sena’s embrace tightened even more.
It was a hug that hurt just a little. I couldn’t help but let out a weird sound.
“Mmm… S-Sena…!”
“Hehehe. Renka, you smell so good.”
Sniff, sniff, sniff. …Right at the nape of my neck, Sena deliberately made sniffing noises.
“…Mouu, Sena. You’re acting like some kind of pervert…”
“Ahaha. Getting to hug Renka like this… I’m such a lucky girl, huh?”
Sena chuckled, pretending it was a joke.
I… got caught up in her mood and ended up smiling a little too.
Then, as if finally satisfied, Sena slowly pulled away from me.
“Hey, Renka. —Tell me. What did Maeda-san say to you?”
“Huh…?”
I hadn’t mentioned Maeda-san’s name even once.
But… did Sena see right through me?
“I’m your best friend, right? Of course I’d know something like that!”
“Oh… right. …Yeah, I guess so.”
Best friend—those words from Sena seeped into the pit of my stomach.
The throbbing pain gradually began to ease.
“…Well. I—”
And so I decided to tell Sena what Maeda san had said to me.
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always gotta make a disgusting yuri trope gag. yuck