Episode 7: It’s Not About Qualifications, But…
“Good morning, Ayano.”
“Good morning, Kamijou-kun.”
The next day. Kamijou Yuuto and Ichinose Ayano, who had met in front of his House, greeted each other with a hint of embarrassment.
Her expression and tone were demure.
Yuuto wryly smiled, feeling a sense of distance from her school persona.
Besides,
“Thinking about how I’ve piled it on again today, aren’t you?”
Ayano, pushing up her “perfectly Setting Up” chest with her arms, retorted with an angelic smile.
“I wasn’t thinking that at all!?”
“Thank you for playing along.”
After giggling, Ayano bowed apologetically.
“I’ll try to keep up “this” facade outside so I don’t slip up. It would be troublesome for you if I suddenly showed everyone my true self now… Sorry if it bothers you.”
“No, it’s not like that. “The current Ayano” is still Ayano, and I’m the one who caused it, so don’t worry about it.”
More importantly,
“Do you think I shouldn’t talk to you at school after all?”
“Then there’s no point in making a Bento Box for you. Besides, I told you yesterday, it’s not that I don’t want people to know about us. …I just don’t want it spread unnecessarily, but I’ll make sure my friends know.”
Ayano looked at Yuuto with a serious face.
“So please, let me be your girlfriend even outside.”
Yuuto caught his breath at her expression.
“A-ah… Of course. I should be the one saying, please treat me well.”
He cleared his throat conspicuously, trying to hide his flushed face.
“By the way, why would Ayano showing her true self be a problem for me? I don’t mind, though?”
She gave a wry smile, saying, “Well…”
“What would you think if the honor student in middle school suddenly became casual?”
“…I’d think, “She must have been forcing herself” –?”
“And that girl’s attitude changes as soon as she gets a boyfriend, right? My classmates would say things like –“
Looking into the distance,
“”Look, it’s that pathetic girl who was faking her personality to attract guys,”” “”And that guy who was easily fooled by such a girl — hilarious,”” “”You’re a perfect match (lol)”” — all sorts of things behind my back.”
“Is that how it is?”
“That’s how girls are. It’s a constant battle for dominance.”
“Girls are scary~”
“Ufufu~, that’s right. There’s a clear difference between the surface and the inside. But don’t you think this situation is a good deal? A girl who’s like a Split Personality, with different personalities at home and at school.”
“A good deal?”
Ayano teased Yuuto, who tilted his head,
“Yuto, do you like a girlfriend who’s two flavors in one?”
She whispered in his ear.
◇
As Kamijou Yuuto, with his strangely flushed cheeks, entered class 1-C, his and Ayano’s classroom, his friend Akimoto Fuyuki rushed over with a pale face.
“Y-Yuuto, Yuuto! W-were you, by any chance, on the rooftop after school yesterday…?”
“Huh? Ah, I was. So, you noticed after all.”
“…! So that means –!”
Fuyuki, who had moved to his seat with Yuuto, glanced at Ichinose Ayano, who was talking to a female classmate,
“That “thing” yesterday… it was “that kind of thing,” wasn’t it? Did I get in the way again…!?”
His face turned even paler.
— Akimoto Fuyuki felt responsible.
“That day,” a little before graduating from elementary school.
He was the last one to tease the young Kamijou Yuuto and Ichinose Ayano.
It wasn’t like he was bullying them.
The three of them had always been together, with Yuuto at the center.
Even as a child, Fuyuki knew that Yuuto and Ayano were different from “normal friends.”
Seeing them together made him feel strangely restless. Seeing the two of them getting along made him happy.
“You two are going to get married, aren’t you?”
There was no deep meaning in those words.
If they liked each other, that’s what would happen when they grew up… it was such a simple thought.
But that simple thought became the trigger for the two of them to drift apart.
“It’s not like that. I’ve always said it’s not your fault, right?”
That was Yuuto’s true feeling.
Certainly, it was a trigger, but it was he himself who pushed Ayano away and uttered hurtful words.
If anyone should be held responsible, it would be Kamijou Yuuto.
“–Besides, you don’t have to worry anymore. The important thing was already over.”
“What does that mean? Eh?”
As Fuyuki was dumbfounded,
“Huh? Ayano-n, you have two Bento Boxes today. Could it be, could it be~? You’re going at it right away after getting together! Your femininity is off the charts!”
Mizuhara Kaori, at Ayano’s seat, laughed teasingly.
And then,
“…Kamijou-kun.”
Ayano, looking somewhat nervous, approached Yuuto’s seat, where Fuyuki was clinging to him, and offered a Bento Box wrapped in a blue cloth.
“Here, this. It’s — it’s nothing much.”
“Thank you. I’m looking forward to lunchtime.”
When Yuuto accepted it honestly, his classmates, including Fuyuki, erupted in excitement.
Among them, Mizuhara Kaori, one of the few girls Ichinose Ayano could clearly call a friend, rushed over with a flustered expression.
“W-wait, wait, wait, Ayano-n!?”
She said in disbelief,
“Mikado from class A confessed to Ayano, right!? Why Kamijou!?”
“I turned him down when he called me out. Besides, is it that strange for me to make a Bento Box for Kamijou-kun…?”
Ayano asked calmly, yet with a hint of sharpness in her voice.
“No, but…! Mikado has a better reputation. He’s good at academics and sports, and above all, he’s handsome! You can’t just choose a boyfriend randomly!”
“That’s right.”
“It’s a waste.”
Such voices could be heard from around them.
— That’s right, Kamijou Yuuto thought.
Which one would you want as your boyfriend, the average Joe or the handsome one? Who would stand next to the talented and beautiful Ichinose Ayano without looking out of place?
It was obvious. He himself was aware of that.
— But, the current Kamijou Yuuto could also say that you don’t need qualifications to love someone and be by their side.
“Mizuhara-san, you’re my friend… right?”
“Yeah! I want Ayano-n to be happy –!”
“Then –!”
The original Ichinose Ayano showed her face for a moment.
The entire class held their breath at the clear rejection that came from her.
Putting on her facade again,
“Then… please don’t say such things about the person I chose, the person I love so much…!”
She declared quietly but firmly.
“Eh? A-ah… aeh?”
Mizuhara Kaori opened and closed her mouth at Ayano’s unexpected outburst.
The attention of the other classmates shifted from Ayano to Yuuto.
He stood up from his seat, took Ayano’s hand, and faced the dumbfounded Mizuhara Kaori.
“I’m not that good at academics or looks. You might think I’m not worthy of Ayano. But Ayano chose me.”
That’s why,
“It might be hard to get you to accept it, but I want Ayano’s friends to accept me as her boyfriend. So she can be proud.”
He gripped his girlfriend’s hand tightly.
“My — my feelings for Ayano are second to none.”
— Ooooh…! Voices leaked from his classmates.
Ichinose-san looks so happy. Cute! Even as a girl, I think Ichinose-san is cute!
Kamijou is surprisingly reliable? He’s kind of good…?
Damn it! I thought Kamijou was one of us, but he betrayed us!
I wish my childhood friend would confess to me too~.
As the people around them were saying whatever they wanted,
“Hey, you guys, how long are you going to keep chatting? Get to your seats, get to your seats! The bell rang a long time ago!”
The homeroom teacher entered the classroom and slammed the podium.
As the students scattered like spiders,
“K-Kami, Kamijou! U-um –“
Mizuhara Kaori said, flustered,
“Please take care of Ayano-n…!”