Chapter 19 Kiriha Kirino is Troublesome Girl

Kiriha Kirino is Troublesome Girl

“…Phew.”

I let out a sigh.

Maybe it was because I had fully immersed myself in the role of the “madman, Kyogoku Arata” that those guys imagined—my body felt completely exhausted.

With this, the matter is settled.

Although things didn’t go exactly as planned, judging by their reactions, they’ll probably never approach Kiriha again.

“Kiriha. I think it’s fine now, but if by chance they try something…”

“…Pfft”

“Huh?”

Kiriha bursts out laughing, clutching her stomach.

“Ahahahaha! Haa—I’m dying! This is really killing me!”

“Was there something to laugh about!?”

“It was hilarious! I mean, Kyogoku playing the villain role… pfft!”

“Hey, stop laughing!”

Coming back to my senses, I realized it really was embarrassing.

No, it was incredibly embarrassing.

If anything, I actually got into it and ended up enjoying the role.

Ugh, how embarrassing. I-I want to forget…

“Kyogoku, I heard you beat up random people in the streets? Killed five people, bathed in their blood, and then ran around laughing hysterically…!”

“Aah—stop it already! Just forget everything!”

“Ahahahahaha!!!”

Kiriha keeps laughing.

Overcome by embarrassment, I cover my face with my hands.

…I want to scream. And I never want to remember this again.

In this bizarre scene of me covering my face and Kiriha laughing her head off—

“O—i! Kyogoku-kun——!”

Irara comes running over.

And upon seeing Kiriha laughing so hard—

“Why are you laughing so much!?”

“No, it’s just… the way Kyogoku got into character…”

“Please, just stop already!”

My face feels hot.

This is the worst…

“Kyogoku-kun!”

Irara stares at me intently.

Then, raising her thumb confidently, she says—

“I thought you were really cool! The madman, Kyogoku Arata!!!”

Are you teasing me?!

“Kyogoku-kun doesn’t really give off that ’hero of justice’ vibe. It’s more like… how should I put it… a villain who’s oddly relatable, someone you just can’t bring yourself to hate!”

“That’s not a compliment at all!”

“Pfft!”

“Kiriha, stop laughing too!”

Honestly, this was just pure embarrassment.

But well, I don’t regret it, of course.

“Still, Kyogoku-kun’s sharp delivery was so cool! I couldn’t take my eyes off you. I was mesmerized!”

“M-Mesmerized…! I-I see…”

“Facing down those delinquents all alone was seriously amazing! You’re incredible, Kyogoku-kun!!!”

“O-Oh. Thanks…”

Being praised by Irara like this doesn’t feel bad at all.

In fact, what felt like a loss earlier is starting to feel like a win.

“In that sense, maybe Kyogoku-kun really is a ‘madman’ after all!”

“…Irara. From now on, ‘madman’ is a banned word. If you say it, um… I’ll confiscate one of your sweets.”

“Ehh?! I-If you did that…!!! I wouldn’t know what to do!”

“That’s not going to happen!”

But it seems like sweets hold an incredibly important position in Irara’s life.

“By the way, why are you even here, Irara?”

Kiriha asks.

“We were following you from the start, but when we saw those delinquents, we realized we couldn’t win in numbers, so we improvised a plan.”

Irara pulls out her smartphone.

Tapping the screen, the sound of police sirens blares out.

“I figured playing this at the right moment would work as a deterrent. I had Irara stay back and play it on my signal… that was the plan.”

“But in the end, you managed to drive them away without it.”

“Yeah, that’s how it turned out.”

Honestly, it was quite a risky gamble.

If the timing was too early, it would’ve been suspicious. I had aimed for the perfect moment.

“Really, Kyogoku-kun, you’re so reckless. I was so worried! I was praying in the back that nothing would happen to you and Kiriha-san!”

“A-Ah, thanks, Irara.”

“Ehehe, you’re welcome!”

Irara flashes an innocent smile.

As my face softens, Kiriha murmurs—

“I think I understand a little why you and Irara get along so well, Kyogoku.”

Kiriha smiles gently.

“You’re not exactly a bad guy. I mean, the things you do are unbelievably stupid, but still, you’re someone who just can’t ignore others in need. That kind of meddlesome kindness… it’s very ‘you,’ Kyogoku.”

After a brief pause, Kiriha turns her face away with a pout.

“W-Well, anyway. Um… I’m grateful. …Thanks.”

Kiriha’s cheeks are slightly flushed.

She glances at me and says—

“That’s all! Don’t get carried away, Kyogoku!”

Then she sticks out her tongue with a playful “Blep” and quickly looks away again.

I see, she’s really not honest with herself.

She’s clumsy, awkward, and hopelessly bad at expressing herself

But I don’t dislike that about her.

Kiriha Kirino is just that kind of person.

On this day, yet another character joined my dull high school life.

A blunt, tsundere, beautiful—but extremely troublesome girl.

Not exactly a friend, but… well, someone I’d call an “acquaintance.”