Pirorororo!!

The alarm on my phone ringing in my ear forced my consciousness to wake up.

I picked up my phone in slow motion, dismissed the alarm and checked the clock at the same time.

“4AM, huh?”

I needed to wake up early because I was going to ride my bike for three hours.

I took off the jersey I borrowed from Hoshimiya and changed into the uniform I wore last night.

I decided that it would be a bad idea to leave without telling her, so I approached Hoshimiya, who was sleeping peacefully in her bed.

It was not that I had an evil desire to see the sleeping face of a girl.

“…..mom……dad…..”

Surprisingly, Hoshimiya was saying her parents names in a small voice, tears spilling from the corners of her eyes.

You really love your parents, don’t you?

She even cried at the mere thought of them being gone.

“Hoshimiya.”

“….Hmm?”

I called out her name and gently shook her shoulders. She opened her eyelids and looked up at me with troubled eyes.

“Kuromine….kun? A dream?”

“It’s not a dream. You let me stay here last night, didn’t you?”

“Nn….That’s right. What time is it?”

“4AM. Sorry for waking you up so early. I wanted to call out to you before I left. You have to lock the door.”

“Fuwaaaa….Good morning~”

“You’re a little behind on the conversation, huh? But, good morning.”

Is this what Hoshimiya looks like when she wakes up from sleep?

I was impressed that she was cute.

◯

""

I waited for a while until Hoshimiya woke up, and then I asked her to walk me to the door.

I got on my bike and started my early morning cycling.

“I’ll die. Seriously!”

With the cool morning breeze blowing all over me, I was drenched in sweat and finally arrived at my house. It’s a similar building to the apartment where Hoshimiya lives.

I went home and took a quick shower. After that, I changed my clothes and got ready for school.

Then it was time to go to school.

“I don’t want to go to school.”

I’m in the same class as Hoshimiya.

I don’t mind this.

But I’m also in the same class as my childhood friend. This is awkward.

And then——

Ping-pong sounded in the room, the melody of hell.

…It’s a normal doorbell, though.

The question is, who is pressing it?

That’s——My childhood friend.

I can tell from a hunch.

I don’t want to answer it.

However, there is no way to avoid not answering it.

With my bag in my hand, I move my stupid feet which were trying to cling to the floor and headed for the entrance.

“……..”

I gulped and opened the door.

“Good morning Riku-chan! It’s another beautiful day!”

“…..”

She greeted me in a really cerebral and lively way.

[Haruka Haruno]

She is undoubtedly my childhood friend.

Her hair is a little longer than short hair, maybe?

Her cheerful smile, seemingly unaware of any malice, will make all who see her happy.

In fact, I was happy just to have Haruno by my side.

But now….It’s hard. It’s so hard.

“Hey, Riku-chan, where did you go yesterday? I couldn’t get in touch with you, and you weren’t home…”

“I was far away on an errand yesterday. I left my phone at home.”

“On an errand? What errand?”

“That’s a secret.”

I was dumped by Haruno, so I went to the mountains to kill myself!

I couldn’t say that.

Now that I think about it, I really was an idiot.

“It’s not good to keep secrets from your childhood friend!”

“Even if you say that. I mean, do you remember how I confessed my feelings….to you yesterday?”

“I remember. Ah, but, even though I rejected your confession, I still want to be friends with you in the future! Let’s get along, okay?”

…That’s too cruel, isn’t it?

If this was a web novel, it would definitely have “Cruel Depiction” and it would be blocked for an audience of only 18 or older.

Moreover, Haruno is not saying this with any ill intentions.

She wants to continue to have fun with me with pure feelings.

…It’s worse because she has no ill intentions.

“No?”

“Honestly, it’s pretty hard.”

“But, you know, if you want to go out with me, that means you want to be with me, right? Even if we don’t go out, Riku and I will always be together, right? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that…..”

Haruno tilted her head curiously, as if she really believed that.

I feel like I’m dealing with a kindergarten already.

Does she have no romantic feelings towards anyone?

I used to love Haruno’s innocent and naive behaviour, but now I see her as a bright psychopath.

But to my chagrin, my heart still races when I see Haruno in front of me.

“Hey, Haruno. From now on, we’re———”

“Come on! We need to go to school! We’re going to be late!”

It’s as if nothing had happened, as if our existing relationship was normal.

Haruno squeezes my hand and invites me to go to school.

If I could hate Haruno……I thought.

Even though I was rejected, I still like this childhood friend of mine.

◯

It was a noisy morning in the classroom. It’s the free time before homeroom starts.

I was sitting at the back of the window row, alone and in a daze.

Haruno’s seat is near the hallway. She’s currently having a pleasant conversation with the girl in front of her.

“Haa….”

I didn’t want to come because I had a feeling this would happen. The next thing I know, I’m looking at Haruno.

Then I realize that I have been rejected, and I feel sad.

….What’s this? Is this hell?

I’m about eight, but I’m getting angry at my classmates who are happily talking to each other in the classroom. I think I’ll slap them one by one in turn.

If I really did that, I’d probably get beaten up.

As I was casually looking around the classroom, I saw two flamboyant girls.

They were sitting in the middle of the classroom, slightly behind me.

They were really shining, giving off a “I’m cute, right? ☆” aura.

One of them was Ayana Hoshimiya.

Unlike the somber atmosphere of last night, she was already glowing from her outfit.

Her brown hair tied up in a ponytail with a ribbon was quite cute, and her school uniform, which she had worn down to the point of not being vulgar, looked kind of fashionable.

The light makeup that was applied to her well-toned face also suited her.

Above all, her aura was different.

You can tell at a glance that she is at the top of the caste.

In fact, some of the boys in the class glanced at Hoshimiya and were conscious of her.

“……”

I stayed at her house. It was just the two of us.

I’m sure I’m the only boy who’s ever seen Hoshimiya cry or sleep.

“Ah———”

Suddenly, my eyes met with Hoshimiya.

""

The unexpected event stops me from thinking.

But Hoshimiya smiled softly and winked at me. Stop it, you’re making me fall in love with you.

“What’s wrong Ayana?”

“No, it’s nothing. What were you talking about?”

She resumed her conversation with her friend and averted her gaze from me.

….This is bad. If I didn’t have someone I liked, I would have been completely taken aback.

I can see why Hoshimiya is so popular.

“Riku-chan, what are you doing?”

“Uwaa. Haruno”

Haruno, who was supposed to be talking to a friend, came right up to me.

“I saw what happened earlier. Were you close with Ayana?”

“No….Not really.”

I turned my head away from Haruno.

Seeing my childhood friend’s face makes me happy but it’s painful at the same time.

“I’m curious. Riku-chan, you don’t talk to any other girls but me. How did you become friends with Ayana?”

Haruno looked a little puffy.

Eh, huh? Are you perhaps….Jealous?

Did you think I’d think that you were jealous of———Me and Hoshimiya because we get along so well?

Unfortunately, it doesn’t get in the way.

I’ve already been dumped.

I’m not going to have such a happy fantasy.

“It’s none of Haruno’s business.”

“….Are you mad?”

“Not really.”

“You’re angry, right? Is it because I dumped Riku-chan?”

“…Sorry, can you not talk to me for a while?”

“D, don’t say that! We’ve known each other since childhood!”

It’s hard because we grew up together.

Oh no, if I put any more stress on my mind, I’m going to have a strange tension again.

Haruto opens her mouth to say something, but the chime rings and the homeroom teacher comes into the classroom.

“There you go, Haruno. The teacher is here.”

“Hey, Riku-chan. Let me tell you something. I didn’t mean to reject you, Riku-chan.”

“Okay.”

The difference between us is our ideal distance.

We have different perceptions of what we want to be.

Haruno as a close childhood friend.

""

While I want to be her lover.

The physical distance may be the same, but there’s a tremendous gap between our hearts.

◯

During breaks and lunch break, Haruno would talk to me, somewhat impatiently.

I guess that she was probably scared that there would be a crack in our relationship as childhood friends.

I tried my best to be nice to her and succeeded in making her feel at ease.

It was hard, but I was confident that I could act normally.

I still like Haruno.

That’s why, I didn’t want to see Haruno looking so anxious.

….I wonder if I’m an idiot after all.

“Riku-chan! Let’s go home together!”

After school, Haruno asks me out in a light tone.

""

As always.

If she does this, anyone would think, “Eh, she must definitely be interested in me”, right?

“Ah, I’m sorry. The teacher called me.”

“Then…I’ll wait!”

“I don’t know how long it’s going to take, so you can go ahead and leave without me.”

“….I understand. Then, see you tomorrow.”

Haruno walked out of the classroom, looking regretful.

…It’s cute.

Oops, that’s not good. I’ve been admiring her too much.

“Maa, it’s not like the teacher called me.”

I lied in order to avoid going home with Haruno.

It’s nice to be with someone you like, but it’s even harder to be happy when you’ve been rejected.

I sat quietly in my chair and waited for the time to pass.

“Kuromine-kun. How long are you going to stay?”

When the classroom was no longer crowded, the class leader in pigtails asked me.

“A little longer, I guess.”

“I see. I’m not sure, but can I ask you to lock the door?”

“Okay.”

She handed me the key to the classroom, grabbed her bag and walked out.

I continued to sit in my chair in a daze, listening to the voices of the baseball team coming from the field.

When the sky started to turn orange, I finally sat up.

“Let’s go home.”

After closing the classroom and returning the key to the staff room, I trudged to the shoe box.

“Mou, you came way too late, Kuromine-kun.”

""

“Eh?”

For some reason, Hoshimiya was near the shoe box.

She seemed to be upset about something.

“What were you doing until this time? I’ve been waiting for you all day.”

“I was in a daze.”

“Ehh, what’s that? Kuromine-kun is strange after all.”

“What are you doing, Hoshimiya?”

“I was waiting for you, Kuromine-kun.”

“Why?”

When I asked, Hoshimiya’s cheeks turned a light shade of red and she fidgeted with her fingers.

O, oi, oi, it can’t be….?

This pink, sweet and sour atmosphere, is it by any chance?

After last night’s incident, a new love——

“Well, you know. Would you…..Like to stay at my house from today?”

“———?”

Huh?

Isn’t this the kind of situation where things turn out to be disappointing and unexpected?