CH 20

If I had to describe Shirayuki at school in one word, “unattainable” would be the perfect term

Even now, in her second year of high school, there is no evidence that she has dated anyone, and it is only known that her childhood friend, Yosuke, is sometimes by her side.

That’s why she is often confessed to.

“… Eh?”

It was a conversation between three people that brought this to my attention.

I was about to return to my classroom after eating at the cafeteria during the lunch break when I heard them talking.

“Hey Yosuke, are you sure about what you just said?”

“Eh? What?”

“I mean, Hououin-san, of course.”

“… Ah~”

There they were, Yosuke and his friends… probably the same ones I had overheard in the restroom earlier.

I eavesdropped again, blending in among other students near them since they were talking by leaning against a pillar in the corridor.

“Didn’t you see her being taken by a senior just now? That was definitely a confession. It seems like she has been confessed to many times before, but don’t you think anything of it when you actually see it?”

As for today’s lunch break, I didn’t know what Shirayuki was up to, but it seems like she is being confessed to at this moment.

As expected of Shirayuki, she’s a completely different level of popular girl… but honestly, as far as I am concerned, I can’t help feeling a little uneasy.

(I’m not sure where I stand on this though.)

However, I still can’t help but be curious.

However, it’s natural to be curious nonetheless. I was wondering what Yosuke would say about Shirayuki being confessed to by someone he knows. But he responded without even a hint of thought.

“If it’s Shirayuki, it’s okay. She won’t date anyone anyway.”

“… And you okay with that? Shouldn’t you intervene or something?”

“I don’t have to. Because Shirayuki is…”

I left the scene after hearing that much.

I wonder what it is… I thought I knew Yosuke a lot as a player, but it seems like my perception is different from others’ perspectives.

(… Is it because he’s not that desperate since he’s not in a relationship with Shirayuki yet? Or is it because he has the conviction that Shirayuki won’t leave him?)

When I thought about it that much, I blurted it out.

“… What’s good about that guy, Shirayuki?”

Then I said the words that negated the protagonist’s way of being.

In the future, there may be some kind of change in Yosuke, and he may have to risk himself to protect Shirayuki… But right now, he isn’t doing anything.

“I’m not even being acknowledged by Shirayuki.”

I recalled what Yousuke had said before.

Shirayuki doesn’t pay attention to anyone and she doesn’t accept any confessions... These words probably came from Yosuke’s absolute trust in Shirayuki.

However, can we really call that trust?

“… Maybe I should go check on her.”

Instead of returning to the classroom, I headed to the rooftop, only to witness a moment where a senior was grabbing Shirayuki’s arm and shouting at her.

“Just shut up and nod will ya!!”

“Let go of me.”

Despite the senior’s anger, Shirayuki remained calm.

Her expression showed no signs of fear, but for me, it was a scene that made me reflexively want to take action.

“Shirayuki…!”

I jumped out to the rooftop, making a loud noise intentionally.

However, I tripped over my own feet and fell down, looking foolish in front of Shirayuki and the senior.

“Ouch…”

Because my body was heavy, the impact of my fall was quite strong, and I felt tremendous pain around my knee. But I got up without paying attention to it.

“Who the heck are you?”

“Arashi-kun…”

Nevertheless, my spectacular fall caused the senior to let go of Shirayuki’s arm.

Shirayuki rushed to my side, so I was relieved for the time being.

(Most likely, the situation is that Shirayuki rejected his confession, and he couldn’t tolerate it, so he forcibly approached her. Even though there won’t be any good feelings for doing that… I didn’t expect to witness this kind of situation in reality.)

I quickly stood up and stared back at the guy.

“I think confessing your feelings is fine, but it’s not right to grab a girl’s arm like that.”

“Huh? It’s not like a fatso like you would understand.”

“Admittedly, I have nothing to do with the confession. But as a friend of hers, I can’t turn a blind eye to a scene like that… I can’t just ignore it.”

When I said that, the senior came closer.

I shielded Shirayuki behind my back, and he clicked his tongue and punched me in the stomach… But while it did hurt, I pushed him back with my stomach.

“Senpai, as a third-year student, I think you should consider your actions more carefully. Violence can have a significant impact on your academic record, don’t you think?”

“Shut up, you fat*ss!”

I didn’t say anything wrong, but I felt irritated by his retort.

Perhaps it was because I, the original me, was older than him, but this time, I ended up talking back to him instead.

“Cut it out, you brat.”

“Uh…”

It seemed like I had spoken in a lower voice than I had thought, and the guy didn’t seem to expect me to talk back like this.

Well, I don’t have any credibility as a brat myself, but it seemed to have enough impact to weaken his momentum, and he clicked his tongue and left the rooftop.

“… phew.”

I sighed, realizing that I shouldn’t do things I’m not used to.

Since there was still plenty of time, I sat down where I was, and Shirayuki sat down next to me.

“I’m sorry, Arashi-kun. I didn’t mean to get you involved in all this.”

“It’s fine. In fact, I’m glad I came here like this.”

“How did you know?”

… Oh wait, if I keep quiet, it might sound like I was stalking her, right?

Thinking it was a bad idea, I explained how I ended up coming here.

“… Well, I overheard the three of them talking, including Koizumi.”

“… Then why did you?”

“Well, you know, Shirayuki, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing to respond to a call, but something like that might happen. How about refraining from doing it in the future?”

“Yes, I understand. I was confident I could handle anything, but there’s no point in worrying Arashi-kun unnecessarily. This incident was caused by my own carelessness. I’m truly sorry.”

She bowed deeply and I became flustered in response.

“You don’t have to go that far! Like I said earlier, I just worry about you as a friend! So please, if possible, refrain from responding to calls, okay?”

“I understand. Even if there’s no danger, I won’t respond to calls where I can handle it myself. I won’t worry you anymore.”

“…”

… Well, I don’t really have any intention of taking Yosuke’s side, but as Shirayuki just said, she’s someone who has the courage to handle anything on her own, so if she says she can handle it, she can actually do it.

So even if I didn’t help her, I can easily imagine that she would have repelled that senior with her usual stern demeanor… but still, when I saw that moment when he grabbed her arm, I couldn’t just stay silent.

“Does your stomach hurt?”

“Oh, the punch from earlier? I’m totally fine… well, it hurts a little bit, but just a little.”

To be honest, my knee hurts more though.

Shirayuki stared at my stomach and placed her hand on the area that got punched… then she gently stroked it, making me feel a little ticklish.

“Even if you think you can handle it on your own, it’s meaningless if it hurts others.”

“…I’m the one who interfered, so it’s my fault.”

“No, it’s my fault for not considering all the possible outcomes of this change.”

I was about to say something else, but it seemed like Shirayuki was about to continue, so I decided to leave it at that.

We spent some time together after that, and although we didn’t talk much, being in her company still made me feel excited and comfortable in our little bubble of just the two of us.

“Thank you, Arashi-kun.”

“No problem. Just be careful from now on, okay?”

“Understood… there won’t be anything like this happening again, I promise.”

I see, then I have nothing else to say.

“The futon blew up.”

“Huh?”

“Oranges on top of aluminum cans.”

“Um…?”

“…Sorry, that was sudden.”

“What’s wrong!?”

The atmosphere was heavy, so I tried to lighten the mood with a joke, but it fell flat. I’m really sorry about that.

[TLN- Don’t ask me. I don’t get it either.]

Shirayuki noticed my intention when she saw me blushing and let out a chuckle, then suddenly leaned into my stomach and rested her cheek on it. I wondered what she was thinking.

“Shirayuki-san!?”

“Can we stay like this for a little while longer? Hey, Arashi-kun, don’t you think it’s okay not to lose weight? It feels kind of nice like this.”

“Can you stop? And don’t negate my efforts.”

“I don’t intend to negate them, but it feels good like a cushion.”

What is this… Am I in a romance comedy by any chance?

While thinking that, somewhere in my heart, I started to feel this way:

“I absolutely don’t want to give Shirayuki to Yosuke… I want her no matter what.”