Episode 19: Handsome Guy Crushed
“What should I do… Ayano is seriously cute.”
Kamijou Yuuto, having finished his early lunch of ramen and takoyaki—a high-calorie carbohydrate tag team—at the food court, gazed at Ichinose Ayano as she tucked her hair behind her ear and slurped the last of her ramen, muttering deeply.
Ayano choked slightly with a small “Bfuuh,” to which he responded,
“You’ll choke if you don’t eat calmly, you know?”
She glared at her boyfriend, who spoke as if it were someone else’s problem.
“…Could you stop saying things like that with a straight face?”
“But you’ll choke if you don’t eat calmly.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Ayano wiped her mouth with the offered paper napkin, picked up a remaining takoyaki with her chopsticks, and brought it to Yuuto’s mouth.
Stuffing it in his mouth, he chewed while mumbling,
“No… I often see ‘so precious I could die’ on SNS, but I’ve learned that it can really be a cause of death.”
“Hey. In that case, would I be charged with murder?”
“Involuntary manslaughter.”
“It’s completely unreasonable that trying hard to match my boyfriend’s tastes would be considered negligence.”
“A tax for having a childhood friend who became my girlfriend and is too cute.”
“About the increasing number of tax types. Besides, wouldn’t that be a tax you pay?”
“…I’ll pay it properly…”
“The duty of a childhood friend who became my boyfriend…”
They both held back laughter.
It was a shallow conversation with no substance.
Yet, it made their hearts race uncontrollably.
“Here.”
Ayano’s leg squeezed Yuuto’s leg.
“What are you doing?”
“Hmm? I’ve always wanted to entwine our legs under the table.”
His heart pounded.
“Like in the movies~”
“That’s it~”
–It was fun.
“Wait, hold on. That’s strong. Squeezing hard, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts.”
“Should I just break it for you? Hyaaah!”
“Hey, wait, what kind of girlfriend breaks her boyfriend’s leg?”
“I’ll create a precedent… right now…”
“Hey, Ayano? It really hurts!?”
“Shall we go see the雑貨屋 after this~?”
“Are you planning to drag me around with a broken leg!?”
“Can we have ice cream before that?”
“Sure, but you’re really intent on breaking it!?”
–He felt happy.
He savored the time and happiness that should have been close but he couldn’t taste until now.
From now on, they would spend time together so much that they would never get tired of it.
“Ichinose-san?”
But a minor interruption occurred.
“Ah, it really is Ichinose-san. You look quite different from usual, so I couldn’t tell from a distance. So this is how you dress in private. –But it suits you very well.”
Mikado Kouki from First Year, Class A, approached Yuuto and Ayano’s table and greeted her with a refreshing smile.
He was a well-known figure in their grade, famous for his talent and looks. Everyone would agree if he was called an idol. In fact, there were rumors that he had been scouted before.
Girls would normally squeal and blush, but
“–Haaah?”
Ichinose Ayano, on a date with her boyfriend, let out a low voice.
But Yuuto nudged her with his foot, and she put on her angelic mask.
“Hello, Mikado-kun, are you also having a meal?”
“No, I just happened to be passing by. I saw you.”
–What’s with this guy, he’s creepy.
Receiving such an eye contact, Yuuto gave a wry smile, thinking, “Now, now.”
Without noticing the silent communication between the lovers, Mikado Kouki glanced at Yuuto and frowned.
“You’re the childhood friend of hers, Kamijou, was it?”
“Ah, this is the first time we’ve met face to face.”
Yuuto responded as if it were just a casual conversation with a classmate, but Kouki furrowed his brow.
“Are you two, by any chance…”
“Yes, we are in a serious relationship.”
It was Ayano who answered.
A shadow fell over Kouki’s handsome face.
“Then, at that time… the ‘person I like’ that you mentioned when I confessed was–“
Kouki clenched his fist as he glanced at Yuuto and Ayano.
“–Why?”
“What do you mean by ‘why’?”
While tapping Yuuto’s shoe with her foot, Ayano thought, “I wish he’d go away soon, I want to share ice cream,”
“You are an excellent person, a beautiful person. The person next to you should be someone worthy of you.”
The handsome classmate chirped.
“But Kamijou. You are not such a person. Your grades and appearance are average. Do you have anything outstanding that makes you worthy of her? You’re just a childhood friend, so you only became her boyfriend out of pity!”
He glared at Yuuto with undisguised disgust.
“Tch…!”
Yuuto gasped.
–Ayano, with an angelic smile, made a small cracking sound as she gripped the plastic cup she was about to drink from.
“…Is there a problem with him and me being lovers?”
“There’s a huge problem!”
With a peeling mask, she gave a troubled smile, and he pounced on her eagerly.
“When I heard there was another man you liked, I thought he was more excellent than me, so I was going to give up, but if it’s you, that’s a different story.”
Mikado Kouki knelt in front of Ayano, who was sitting in her chair.
Like “another man snatching the bride away at the altar just before the vows”
“You (….) are the one worthy of being my lover (….). You are the only one who can stand by my side.”
Like a knight swearing eternity to a princess.
“So please, go on a date with me tomorrow. I’ll make it a better day than today, and better than anyone else can! I’ll make you understand that I am more valuable (………..) to you!”
–Eh, go die.
Ayano herself was surprised that she thought so frankly and quite seriously.
However, perhaps because her frustration had passed its peak, she was conversely calm.
“I refuse. I have someone important I’m dating, so I can’t go on a date with anyone else, nor do I want to. So, I will continue my date with Kamijou-kun–no,”
Ayano stood up,
“I’ll continue my date with Yuto, so please excuse us. Also, please refrain from speaking to me unnecessarily at school from now on.”
She said with a smile, and beckoned Yuuto.
“Ah, please wait! My story is not yet–“
Yuuto brushed away Kouki’s hand, which was reaching out to Ayano.
“–It’s already over, isn’t it?”
“Do you have the right to do that?”
“…”
Yuuto received Mikado Kouki’s mocking gaze.
He was clearly looking down on him as a human being.
In fact, in terms of the school caste, Mikado Kouki and Ichinose Ayano were at the top, while Kamijou Yuuto was at the bottom.
–So, what of it?
“Of course, I have the right.”
He let out a sigh as if he were dumbfounded.
“I heard you were at the top of the entrance exam.”
“Ah, not to brag, but yes.”
Swallowing the urge to say, “You’re totally bragging,”
“But even if you get good grades on tests, it seems you can’t understand people’s hearts.”
“What did you say… what do you mean!”
–What is that heart? While feeling Ayano’s gaze,
“You’ve been saying ‘worthy’ and all that, but someone like you is the least worthy of being Ayano’s lover.”
“Are you saying that you are more excellent than me, more valuable? Are you saying that you are worthy of her value!?”
“That’s it, you idiot (honor student).”
Yuuto cut in to protect Ayano,
“You’re worthy because you’re excellent and valuable? Don’t be ridiculous, Ayano isn’t an ornament to make you stand out. If you want to stand out so much, wear a crown.”
He took her hand.
“I’ll say it clearly since you don’t seem to understand–don’t lay a hand on my girl.”
◇
Kamijou Yuuto took Ichinose Ayano and quickly left the food court.
He felt himself getting irritated, and as he pulled Ayano’s hand, avoiding the crowds in the mall without any particular destination, he realized it.
He wanted to get her away from that place as soon as possible.
Away from the man who said that being excellent was valuable.
Away from the man who whispered love but didn’t say “I love you” even once.
He wanted to take away the person he loved.
“–Yuto…”
Suddenly, he felt Ayano’s faint voice and the weight on the arm holding her hand.
“Ah… sorry, I pulled you too hard.”
Coming to his senses, he turned around to see her face flushed and her shoulders shaking as if she had a fever.
“–Sorry… wait…”
She pressed her chest, feeling breathless, and squatted down on the spot.
“Ayano?…Ayano!?”
Yuuto was stunned for a moment, and his blood ran cold.
He had been pulling her forcefully, but they hadn’t been running.
But she was clearly suffering.
Had her cold gotten worse?
She doesn’t have any chronic illnesses—or at least, she shouldn’t, but we haven’t really interacted for the past three years. Something might have happened without my knowing.
—The thought that I might be pushing her too hard made me dizzy.
“Are you okay?”
I sat her down on a nearby bench for a rest and tried to peek at her face, but she turned away.
“—A-An ambulance…”
She muttered the words, and Yuto took his smartphone out of his pocket and turned it on.
“Ugh—!”
Unlocking the password, which usually only takes a few seconds, felt incredibly bothersome.
Just as he was about to dial the number and press call, Ayano stopped him.
“Ah, sorry. Never mind. Not really—”
She took repeated deep breaths, trying to calm her breathing.
“Ayano…?”
Seeing Yuto’s worried expression, she realized she had chosen the wrong words, but also as a bit of payback from earlier,
“My boyfriend is so precious, I think I’m going to die from admiration…”
Ayano pressed her chest, her face flushed, and trembled.
“—Ayano?”
“Just wait. I’m really… feeling weird right now, so just wait—”
Yuto gave a wry smile as she glared at him with slightly bloodshot eyes.
“…Want some water?”
She nodded slightly, so he bought a small plastic bottle from the vending machine in front of them and returned to her side.
Ayano struggled to open the cap, but she chugged it down and took a breath.
“Ah—, I thought my heart was going to stop…”
“Am I guilty of manslaughter?”
“Guilty as charged. If you say something like that so brazenly in public, I’ll die of embarrassment.”
“Sorry.”
“No… you don’t have to apologize, but. I was happy… and it was cool, okay?”
“Oh really?”
“Stop with that teasing smile, okay? What are you planning to do?”
“I’m not going to do anything, don’t make it sound bad. I just—”
He approached Ayano, who warily took another sip of water, and whispered in her ear.
“I just wanted to say I love you.”
Ayano spat out her water and choked, and as he endured her pinching his side, Yuto rubbed her back.