Chapter 72: A Shift in Heart

A Shift in Heart

Several days had passed since then.

The weather had warmed considerably, and I found myself spending most days in just a dress shirt.

Walking down the corridor, thick with trapped heat, I could feel the season shifting toward summer.

I just wanted to go home, sip a cold drink, and relax.

As I was thinking that, I spotted a familiar figure near the shoe lockers.

“Tch, Nakano…”

Nakano was walking alone, dragging his feet.

His usual energy was gone, and he looked completely dejected.

He didn’t even notice me as he opened his shoe locker and changed his shoes.

…Something was off.

The Nakano I knew always strutted around like he was always right—completely shameless. But that cocky attitude was nowhere to be seen now.

“…Haah.”

He let out a sigh and walked out of the school entrance.

“…What’s up with him?”

Puzzled, I grabbed my shoes from my locker.

Nakano Yuya’s Perspective

I had no motivation for anything.

It was hot, yet the air around me felt ice-cold.

“…Haah.”

I sighed—again. I’d lost count of how many times today.

Lately, Manami-chan had completely stopped seeing me.

I texted her today, asking if we could meet, but she shot me down, saying she had plans. I hadn’t seen her once all week.

That had never happened before.

We were always together. We loved each other. We understood each other. And yet…

“Ugh… Manami-chaan…”

It hurt. It hurt so much.

I wanted to see her. I wanted to talk to her.

I wanted to press my lips against hers, ravage her mouth with my tongue, and then…

“Gh…”

Honestly, I was pent-up.

I mean, come on, I’m a healthy high school guy. Of course I wanted to do it with my girlfriend.

That’s why, until now, we had always made sure to be together at least once a week.

We had s🬀x.

And now, she was leaving me hanging like this? Manami-chan had to be suffering too—so why? Why was she doing this to me?!

“This is so cruel, Manami-chan…”

Ignoring me like this—what kind of girlfriend does that?

Unforgivable.

Speaking of unforgivable—Akari was no better.

The more I thought about her, the angrier I got.

My childhood friend, the one who pushed me away with such heartless words—how could she be so cold?

Did she not even think about how much it hurt me?

“Damn it, this is pissing me off…”

My mind was a mess.

Manami-chan, who had suddenly started avoiding me. Akari, who had cut me off without hesitation. My frustration toward both of them burned inside me.

“Why is it always me who gets screwed over…?”

It felt like I was carrying the weight of the world’s misfortunes on my back.

Ah, how tragic. How pitiful I was.

“…Haah.”

With another deep sigh, I headed home alone.

Clutching the bitterness in my chest.

Ishizaki Satomi’s Perspective

After school.

For the first time in a while, I went to a family restaurant with two of my old middle school friends.

With three nostalgic faces gathered, naturally, the conversation turned to our middle school days.

“Oh my god, I ran into Ando the other day! He hasn’t changed at all. It was hilarious! LOL.”

“Of course he hasn’t changed! But Makishima-kun, on the other hand, got super hot! He’s way taller now, too!”

“Whaaat?! I wanna see him! Somebody set that up for me!”

“If I could, I totally would!”

Our conversation was just lighthearted gossip—nothing serious.

Then, all of a sudden, Kanako, sitting across from me, let out an “Ah!” as if she had just remembered something.

“Oh yeah, whatever happened to that guy—Kyogoku?”

“!!”

At the mention of that name, my body stiffened instinctively.

“Ugh, you mean that clueless, creepy guy?”

“Yeah, yeah! I wonder if he’s changed at all?”

“Doubt it! He’s probably still just as hated as ever! LOL.”

We had talked about Kyogoku like this countless times before.

But now, the words felt… heavy.

Because I knew better.

“Satomi, don’t you know anything? You hated that guy more than any of us! LOL.”

“Yeah, just seeing him pissed you off!”

“Ahaha… Y-yeah, I guess so…”

“So? Come on, your intel’s always top-notch—spill!”

“Uh…”

I hesitated.

But under their expectant gazes, dropping something heavy now felt… wrong. So instead, I forced a laugh and played along.

“Ahaha! Who knows? I don’t really keep up with him.”

“Figured~!”

“Yeah, who even cares? LOL”

They didn’t seem to care at all.

I could have let the conversation slide, just like always.

The old me would have.

But for some reason, I couldn’t.

Twirling my straw in my drink, I muttered, “Well… people change in high school. Maybe he’s not like we remember.”

My friends blinked at me in surprise, then burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! Yeah, I guess that’s possible!”

“True, true!”

“Ahaha…”

I took a sip of my drink, trying to drown out the unease.

And yet, somehow, my heart felt just a little bit lighter.

“Speaking of changes, I just heard the craziest thing!”

“Oh? What’s up?”

“You remember that chubby girl from elementary school? The one who got bullied and transferred out in middle school?”

“Oh yeah, her!”

“Apparently, she moved back—and she’s gorgeous now! I haven’t seen her myself, but that’s what I heard!”

“Whoa, like a total glow-up?”

“Yeah, I think so? Not sure how true it is, though!”

“What was her name again?”

I struggled to remember.

“Um… It was…”

And then, when I heard the name, it all came rushing back.

The chubby girl, always alone, always the target of cruel words.

“Oh, yeah! That girl!”

“Crazy, right? Apparently, she’s stunning now!”

“Wow, that’s wild.”

“Life is full of surprises, huh?”

“Ugh, that makes you sound like an old lady!”

“No way, I’m a fresh and youthful JK!”

“More like a flopping fish, LOL!”

“I am not a fish—!!”

Laughing, we continued reminiscing about middle school.