Chapter 65 Former Classmate
#18ZenkouSeitoFormer Classmate
Ishizaki’s face twisted in displeasure as she looked at me.
That expression, those sharp eyes—nothing had changed since middle school.
“Why is Kyogoku here…? Wait, that girl—isn’t she Irara-san?”
Ishizaki shifted her gaze to Akari, who was sitting across from me.
“Huh? Have we met before?”
“No, it’s just that Irara-san is famous. My school is next door, and, well, everyone knows about Irara-san… or something like that.”
“Ehh!? R-Really…? Why am I famous, though?”
Because Akari is such a stunning beauty, obviously.
There was a clear gap between how she saw herself and how others saw her.
“Wait, so Kyogoku and Irara-san being together… what’s going on? Could it be… you two are dating?”
““!!””
Ishizaki’s words almost made me spit out my drink.
“N-No, we’re not! Not at all!”
“Y-Yeah! Arata-kun and I are just friends…! Ah! But if I deny it so forcefully, it sounds like I’m rejecting him outright…! W-What do I do, Arata-kun!? I can’t find an answer where no one gets hurt!!!”
“Calm down, Akari! Just telling the truth is the best answer here—you’re not wrong.”
“B-But if my words hurt Arata-kun…! This is hard! Japanese is so hard!!!”
“I think you’re overcomplicating things, Akari…”
I let out a small, wry smile as I watched her panic.
“So basically, you two aren’t dating, right?”
“Stating the truth makes it sound like that, yes!!”
“That phrasing makes you sound like a politician…”
I muttered, and Ishizaki let out a relieved laugh.
“Right? There’s no way a cute girl like Irara-san would date someone like Kyogoku.”
““!!””
A casual remark.
Both Kiriha and Akari flinched, turning their eyes toward Ishizaki.
“…Huh? Did I say something weird?”
Ishizaki blinked in confusion.
She had spoken with complete sincerity, genuinely believing there was no way Akari and I would be together.
From an outside perspective, it could easily be taken as an insult.
But back then, this was just normal.
Looking down on me wasn’t considered an insult at all.
…But now.
“…I don’t really get it, but…”
“Huh?”
This girl didn’t let it slide.
“Why would you say something that might hurt Arata-kun? I don’t understand why you’d act like he and I being together is impossible. I may not know much about myself, but I do know that Arata-kun is a wonderful person. There’s no reason to say we could never be together.”
Akari looked at Ishizaki, her expression sharp with anger.
Ishizaki faltered, suddenly at a loss for words.
“Uh…”
“I don’t care what you think of Arata-kun. But to me, he’s an amazing person! He’s so amazing that no one should ever say ‘someone like Kyogoku’ about him!”
““!!””
Ishizaki floundered.
Well, of course she did.
It wasn’t just the weight of her words—it was the fact that the ever-gentle Akari was now glaring at her, her demeanor cold.
“A-Ahaha… I-I should get back to the kitchen. Kiriha-chan, take care of the rest!”
“O-Okay.”
Ishizaki practically fled into the back room.
Akari let out a huff and then turned her gaze to the menu.
Kiriha and I exchanged surprised glances.
But Akari paid us no mind, soon lighting up with excitement as she exclaimed, “Ooh, cake!”
After that, Kiriha brought us the cake set we had ordered.
We enjoyed it, all sharing the unspoken sentiment of “we survived the test.”
However, my mind kept drifting back to what had just happened.
“Hey, Akari.”
“Hm? What’s up?”
Some things needed to be said out loud.
If I let this moment slip, I’d regret it when I went to sleep tonight.
Taking a deep breath, I averted my gaze as I spoke.
“T-Thanks for earlier… You really helped.”
“I-It’s fine, really! Don’t worry about it! I just said what I wanted to say, so it’s like… it was for me too!”
“O-Oh… I see.”
Trying to cover my embarrassment, I took a bite of cake.
Sweetness spread through my mouth.
Akari, her cheeks tinged red, also took a bite.
“…Are you okay, Arata-kun? You know, about earlier…”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve been hearing stuff like that forever. Ishizaki has always been like that. It’s not just her—anyone who knew me back in middle school is the same.”
“Oh… so you two went to the same middle school. Hmph…”
“What?”
“…Nothing.”
Akari puffed out her cheeks slightly, then started eating her cake more quickly.
Each bite made her face light up with delight, and I couldn’t look away.
Then, suddenly, she lowered her gaze to her fork and murmured.
“…But you know, just because you’re used to it doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.”
Her words struck deep in my chest.
It felt like they carried all of her emotions in them.
“…Thanks.”
“Fufu, you’re welcome.”
Akari flashed me a carefree smile, and I took a sip of coffee to hide my emotions.
This time, it tasted bitter—yet strangely sweet.
Kiriha Kirino’s Perspective
After finishing my shift.
As I left the store, my coworker Ishizaki-san ran after me.
“Let’s walk home together, Kiriha-chan!”
“O-Okay.”
She was a bit pushy, and I wasn’t great at handling that…
But of course, I didn’t let it show.
…Or at least, I tried not to.
Just as I was thinking about how bad I was at dealing with people, Ishizaki-san, seemingly prepared for this, looked straight at me and asked.
“Hey, I’ve been wondering… are you close with him?”