That didn’t sound nice at all. They weren’t real friends.
My face twisted in displeasure, but Shiranui shook her head lightly.
“Even so, I was happy. Even if I knew they were just using me, to me, they were still friends. …That’s the kind of story this is.”
“…………”
“There were kids like that at this school too. Probably not good people, but I didn’t care. Just having friends was enough for me.”
—I couldn’t claim to understand her feelings,
but I had memories of feeling something similar.
Even if I was being used, even if the other person didn’t really see me as a friend—back then, I still thought that was better than being treated as worthless.
“Kageyuki-kun is kind.”
If that was the benefit people saw in associating with me, then so be it.
“Then what?”
When I pressed for the rest, Shiranui nodded.
“Well, long story short, I ended up joining a group of troublemakers.”
“I see…”
“Not that I had the guts to do anything bad, so I wasn’t really one of them. Honestly, they mostly just called me when they ran out of money to hang out. I was basically a walking ATM. Looking back now, it’s kinda depressing.”
Shiranui let out a dry, hollow laugh.
It was a well-practiced kind of bitterness. This wasn’t an act.
Still, if she could joke about it now, there was hope left for her.
“Anyway, long story short, they caused enough trouble that they all got expelled… well, ‘transferred.’ That’s the end of it. It’s all in the past now.”
“………………”
“I didn’t do anything, so I wasn’t punished. But because of that, no one would talk to me anymore. All that was left was a girl who used to be part of a delinquent group, now alone at school… no chance of making new friends.”
“And the one who did that… was it Kimiya?”
Shiranui nodded in confirmation.
“Seems like it. I don’t know the details, though. It all happened without me involved. While I was unaware, Kimiya san raised the issue with the school, there were discussions, and in the end, they ‘transferred’ quietly. Practically the same as expulsion, though. The fact is, Kimiya san drove them all out. That was near the end of our third year.”
“…Got it.”
Things were starting to connect.
The truth behind Shiranui’s “I don’t have any friends at this school” and what Isago’s group had said—”Kimiya was the one who ruined things.” It felt like the puzzle pieces were falling into place.
“But if that’s the case, why’ve you been pushing people away from the start, Shiranui?”
“I didn’t mean to… but I guess it ended up that way.”
“—Why?”
“Because…”
Without hesitation,
Shiranui answered like it was obvious.
“Because—even if they’re gone, to me, they were still friends.”
“That’s—”
“I can’t just deny that and move on like, ‘Oh well, they’re gone, time to make new friends.’ I don’t want to think about friendships like that. I didn’t want to act like they never existed.”
“———————”
I was speechless.
It took me a second to recover before I managed to ask—
“Wait, so—that’s why you were putting on that awful attitude?!”
“Yeah. I wanted to prove I hadn’t forgotten. That even if I was the only one left, I’d remember they were here… That’s all.”
“Y-you’re way too clumsy, Shiranui… No, you’re just an idiot!”
“Shut up! I thought it made sense at the time!!”
Shiranui yelled, embarrassed.
I yelled back.
“Seriously?! You acted like some edgy loner for that?!”
“…I’m not satisfied with how it ended.”
“Satisfied?”
“I mean, sure, maybe they weren’t great people… But just erasing them like that, pretending it ‘fixed’ everything… I couldn’t accept that.”
“…………”
“So I thought, at the very least, I’d remember. That’s why I got the key to this place too…”
“That’s why you have the key?!”
“Huh? Well, I figured having a hideout like this would make me seem more like a delinquent…”
“That logic’s all over the—!”
“Ugh, shut up!!”
“Besides, no one else even uses this place! It’s just you!”
“I said shut up!! It’s fine, Kageyuki’s here now, isn’t he?!”
“I’m not a delinquent. …And neither are you, really.”
“Yeah, yeah, ‘No talent for delinquency here’—stupid Kageyuki… meanie.”
Glaring at me with narrowed eyes, Shiranui pouted.
But soon, she lowered her gaze and shook her head slightly.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
“…Honestly, I knew.”
“Shiranui?”
“That this was pointless. They… none of them ever really saw me as a friend. And it’s true they were doing bad things. If anything, Kimiya san went easy on me by not expelling me too. The one in the wrong… was me.”
“…………”
“But even so, I still felt saved by having people who’d talk to me—more than the classmates who ignored me or talked behind my back.”
“…I can’t say I get it, but…”
“Thanks. …But if this is how it’s going to be—if I’m just causing trouble for Oshimi-senpai—then there’s no point.”
“Yeah, there isn’t.”
No need to sugarcoat it.
What Shiranui was doing had no meaning—not even to herself.
She lifted her face, looked me in the eye, and spoke firmly.
“Yeah. …But it’s okay. I’ll figure something out.”
“Figure what out?”
“Since senpai invited me… I’ll ask the student council if there’s a way. I think it’ll work out. It’s just a play, after all—nothing bad.”
“…Right.”
“Yeah. So I’m gonna go ask the student council now!”
Her tone was resolute—
different from the tearful complaints earlier.
Somehow, she’d pulled herself together without my help. So I smiled too and said—
“You think anyone’s even in the student council room right now?”
“…Huh? I dunno… Maybe not?”
“You really just wing everything, huh…?”
“Guh—”
—First, I had to stop her from charging in blindly.
If things could be solved that easily, the world would be a simpler place. But if we were going to fight, we needed a plan.
After all, I’d just gotten a taste of how strong our opponent was.
I say.
“Don’t just rush in. Fighting’s something you do with a strategy.”
“…What else am I supposed to do, then?”
“Think everything through before you say that.”
“I did think! But this is something I have to—”
“That’s exactly what I mean by not thinking. —You have me, right?”
“—Huh?”
Shiranui blinked, staring at me in surprise.
Like the idea of me helping had never crossed her mind.
—As if I’d ever leave her to deal with this alone.
“Don’t worry. I’ll help. I am part of the group, after all. It’s only natural.”
“B-but… Kageyuki, you—”
“Don’t say it’s ‘not your problem.’ I’ve been starving for human connections longer than you have, in a way.”
Of course, that had nothing to do with Shiranui.
But it was too late to take it back.
“You want to do it, right? The play? You said you wanted a normal youth, didn’t you?”
“Y-yeah…”
“Then I’ll help. Whatever you want to do from now on—I’ll make it happen.”
“————………!”
Shiranui’s eyes widened in stunned amazement.
That’s fine. After all, this is purely a calculated move on my part.
For the sake of the student council’s request, I need Shiranui to succeed in her performance. To make that happen, it’s far more convenient if I step in to help directly. See? There’s nothing wrong with this.
“I’ll make sure you have a proper place to belong. That works for you, right, Shiranui?”
“……Uh……”
I saw her eyes tremble slightly, glistening as she stared straight at me.
But she never let a single tear fall—instead, she met my gaze head-on.
“You’re really going to help me?”
“You’re seriously asking for confirmation at this point? That’s the weird part.”
“…How would I know? I don’t have any friends.”
“I already told you—You have me. For now, let’s settle for that.”
“Settle for that…? Wow, you really just say the most embarrassing things, Kageyuki.”
“Nah, there’s nothing embarrassing about it. Helping a friend is just common sense—or at least, it should be.”
“A friend, huh… Yeah, I guess.”
Shiranui smiled faintly.
Then she added:
“Mhm… For now, that’s fine with me.”
“Well, thanks. I appreciate you acknowledging me as a friend, even if it’s just for now.”
“…That’s not really what I meant…”
“Huh?”
She shook her head quickly, then looked up again.
“Nah, never mind. …Thanks, Kageyuki.”
Like a flower blooming, like the sun rising—Shiranui’s smile was delicate and radiant.
For a moment, her face left me breathless. Now that I think about it, people on TV used to call it “an angel’s smile”… The thought crossed my mind for no particular reason.
Visit the request page If there’s a Japanese Light Novel (LN) or Web Novel (WN) you’d like me to translate
When the donation goal progress bar above hit 100% one novel will be chosen for translation
| Table of Contents | Next* |
Support the Author by Buying the Original Books!
