48
“Hey Tsujimura-kun, Tsujimura-kun.”
As soon as I finished exchanging contact information with Akanishi-san, the sleeve of my uniform was tugged on.
I turned around, wondering what it was, and there was Mihara with her cheeks puffed out for some reason.
“What’s wrong?”
“No, don’t you think you treated me and her completely differently? I feel like there’s a huge difference in how you’re treating us.”
She even glared at me.
Combined with her hairstyle, her actions seemed somewhat childish.
I didn’t really think anything of it, but some people might find it surprising.
“Do you think so? I don’t think its like that at all, though.”
“No, no, no! You were totally hesitant when it was me! Your attitude is totally different!”
Mihara said, looking indignant. It’s true that Akanishi-san was my first choice, the one I wanted to exchange numbers with… but the fact that she immediately denied it means that my actions must have been quite obvious.
I suppose she does pay attention to the finer details, but it would be a bad move to try to cover it up now.
Before Mihara got any more upset, I decided to apologize.
From Noble mtl dot com
“Um, I really didn’t mean to do that. But if that’s how it came across, I’m sorry. I apologize.”
Interpersonal skills. To put it more lightly, my communication skills aren’t very good. No matter how much I try to cover it up, it’s like hitting a cracked glass with a hammer.
It will shatter right away and my flaws will show. Rather than letting that happen, it’s better to apologize early on, while there’s still a chance to fix it.
I don’t know how she took my apology, which was somewhat calculated, but Mihara eventually looked away from me.
It’s not the same hostile atmosphere as before, I think.
“……Haah, whatever. It’s fine. It’s not like I’m Tsujimura-kun’s type anyway.”
Correction. It seems like she’s a bit sulky now.
Why did the conversation suddenly shift to that?
“My type…”
“I mean, Tsujimura-kun likes quiet girls, right? And the ones that seem serious. That doesn’t describe me at all.”
Her words made my heart skip a beat.
I felt like she had suddenly exposed a part of me that I didn’t even understand myself.
“W-What are you talking about! My preferences aren’t relevant here!?”
“You’re acting suspicious by getting so worked up. Don’t tell me you’re going after Yuka-chan next after Miorin?”
Mihara’s teasing words made my head spin.
“That’s not true!”
“But Yuka-chan has a similar vibe to Miorin from before… wait, now that I think about it, I feel like I’ve seen Yuka-chan somewhere before…”
Mihara started muttering to herself, ignoring me as I desperately tried to deny it.
What the heck? Look at me! I can’t rest easy until you take that back!
“Miha…”
“Please calm down, Tsujimura-san.”
About to approach Mihara, who was still raging, I was stopped by a voice.
At the same time, someone put their hand on my shoulder, and the sensation forcefully held back my head that was boiling with anger, like a dam.
“But…”
“You can’t fight. It’s not a good thing to do.”
However, I was only stopped. The tip of my emotional spear was still pointed at him.
So I couldn’t accept it, and I turned to Akane-san, but she was completely calm.
“I understand that you wouldn’t feel good if you were told something like that. Besides, the other party was me…”
She quietly tried to persuade me.
I could sense self-deprecation mixed in her voice, and I almost wanted to deny it, but that would be like admitting what Mihara had said.
Unable to say anything, I could only bite my lip.
“Ah…”
Mihara, who seemed to have been watching our exchange, suddenly looked embarrassed.
I could sense a sense of guilt, as if he had said something he shouldn’t have.
I wanted to tell him that if he was going to make that face, he shouldn’t have said it in the first place, but before I could, Akane-san spoke up.
“Mihara-san, it’s difficult for me to be used as an example. We’ve just met, and I don’t know how to react…”
“…Yeah, sorry Yuka-chan.”
After being scolded by Akane-san, Mihara clearly looked downcast.
“I’m sorry too, Tsujimura-kun. I have a bad habit of speaking without thinking…”
“…No, it’s fine…”
I was apologized to as well, but I didn’t know what to do with it in this situation.
My anger had dissipated somewhere, and my emotions were hanging in the balance.
All that was left was awkwardness, and I didn’t know what to say.
Only a heavy atmosphere began to drift between us.
“…Let’s go home.”
So, it was obvious that this would happen.
Unable to bear the silence any longer, Mihara muttered and took a step forward.
As if drawn to it, Akane-san and I slowly started walking again.
Mihara, Akane-san, and then me, with space between us as if we were taking turns.
It wasn’t an atmosphere where we could walk side by side. Of course, there was no longer any option of hanging out.
The somewhat cheerful atmosphere from before had completely changed, and now it was just a group of people walking home together in the cold spring wind.
(…It’s always like this for me.)
Bad timing. Things don’t go well. The gears always get stuck somewhere.
The unfortunate thing is that I’m always the one who causes the problem, who triggers it.
If I had behaved myself, Mihara wouldn’t have snapped at me, and that cheerful atmosphere would still be here.
(…Shido would have handled it better.)
That perfect ikemen would have resolved the situation smoothly.
No, maybe he wouldn’t have made a mistake like me in the first place.
That’s why Mio trusted him enough to call him by his first name…
(Damn it…!)
It popped into my head again.
It won’t ever disappear. I’ve been dragging that girl around with me this whole time.
“Excuse me, Mihara-san? Can I talk to you for a moment?”
My mind was wandering, but when I heard a voice from in front, I looked up, and Mihara, who had reacted similarly, had just turned around.
“…What?”
“Well, I’ve been a little curious… who exactly is this ‘Miorin’ person?”
The moment I heard that name, I gasped.
***