Dong Hazuki Pretends to Panic.

As long as a man and a woman come out from some hidden corner, they will definitely be mistaken by others as having a certain kind of relationship—

The person in front of me was the best example.

[Hazuki—]

Amayama Kaoru looked at us with some surprise.

Another unexpected situation.

But that was normal, since I was not the kind of person who could bring everything under control.

That did not mean I would like it.

Unexpected situations always cause unnecessary effects, influencing the direction of events.

[Kaoru, class is about to start.
Why are you here?]

I quickened my pace slightly, widening the distance between Ichijou Riku and myself, at least so that this action would prevent Amayama Kaoru from thinking in unnecessary directions, although sometimes such actions felt like overexplaining, and instead made people think even more in that direction.

But—

I understood Amayama Kaoru very well.

[It’s because class is about to start that I hurried over to find you, Hazuki.
You’re usually already sitting in the classroom early, aren’t you?
I was worried about your safety.
I heard from others that you came this way, so I rushed over.]

After saying that, Amayama Kaoru puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

[Why didn’t you eat lunch with me, Hazuki?
Eating alone is so lonely.
Aren’t we friends?
Friends should eat together.]

The reason I agreed to be friends with Amayama Kaoru was because she had a big heart—perhaps because she was used to being a shut-in and had not had many friends since childhood, she did not find things like not eating together strange, and even if I accidentally slipped up, she would not notice.

At the same time, just like what I saw earlier, because of my actions, she did not think in that direction at all.

Most importantly—

The lively and cheerful Dong Hazuki could not be without a close friend, otherwise it would not match the impression given by her appearance.

So compared to a friend, Amayama Kaoru was actually more like a tool who could talk and laugh.

Ah, is that a bit too much to say?

Then—

Let’s be even more excessive.

While thinking about these things, I could not help but smile, because this contrast between the inside and the outside always brought a rare kind of stimulation to my heart.

[I’m sorry, Kaoru.]

I clapped my hands together and made a pleading gesture.

[I’m not used to eating with other people.]

[Hmm, then why were you walking with someone else?]

I smelled that special sourness that only jealousy could produce.

So—she saw us walking together and thought I was deliberately avoiding her and choosing to eat with someone else.

It seemed that years of having no friends had made her overly sensitive to her surroundings.

Even if I did not need to care about her feelings at all, I still had to show some concern for the sake of a tool.

[Kaoru, have you decided which club you want to join?]

[Eh?
Why are you suddenly asking that?]

[I want to join the same club as you.
Is that okay?]

[Eh, eh, eh?
R-Really?
Is that really okay?]

[Yes.
I feel very sorry for not accompanying you, so take it as my apology.]

[T-That’s great!
Ah, right, class is about to start.
Let’s hurry back.]

Amayama Kaoru waved her hand and completely ignored a certain very awkward person.

[Um, my name is Ichijou Riku.]

[Amayama Kaoru.]

It was a completely cold response, but in reality she was simply not used to talking to boys at all, her body so tense that it was easy to tell.

[Haha, Amayama-san.
I’m glad to meet you.]

Ignoring the other party’s poor attitude and still greeting her warmly, he faithfully executed the skills he possessed as a galgame protagonist.

And the effect was outstanding.

Perhaps noticing how easygoing he was, and also that he had a neat and handsome face that could make many girls’ hearts flutter, an aura began to radiate from Amayama Kaoru.

It smelled nice.

It felt comfortable.

I could sense the fluctuations in her mood.

This was the sign of affection increasing.

As if deliberately telling me so, this explanation naturally surfaced in my mind.

It seemed—

That strange guy who inexplicably threw me into this place had given me a very useful skill.

If left alone, my “best friend” on the surface might, through repeated contact, develop inexplicable feelings for Ichijou.

I would even join the support team, offering her advice, helping them get together, and then smile in satisfaction.

That would also perfectly fit the image I wanted to create.

But unfortunately—

Among the five beautiful girls Ichijou was destined to meet, you were not included.

No matter how I looked at it, matchmaking you two would only be futile and a waste of time.

I’m sorry.

My only goal is to hurry back home, Kaoru.

I offered a completely insincere apology in my heart.

[If you want to get acquainted, we can talk about it later.]

I showed a gentle smile.

Then I turned to him and said.

[From now on, let’s meet there.]

This was not the time to show proper distance.

[Okay.
I’ll wait for you there at lunchtime.
Dong Hazuki, Amayama-san, goodbye.]

After saying that, he left straight away, his steps slightly hurried.

Well, when outsiders were present, he was not that flustered.

After all, he was the protagonist, so no matter what, he had to maintain some composure.

Besides, I was not that eager to see him blush.

Because only the first time was truly important, and everything after that was just repetition starting from the first time, with no value for appreciation.

What’s more, he would later steal the hearts of other girls, and if he stayed like that, I would really be disappointed.

Watching a tool grow was always somewhat gratifying.

Even though it was still very boring.

The afternoon campus was filled with a drowsy atmosphere, chalk tapping against the blackboard, producing crisp, rhythmic sounds, as if carrying a melody.

Letting body and mind melt into this gentle song carried by the spring breeze.

It was rare to feel alive.

[Dong Hazuki, recite this passage.]

[Yes, teacher—

I perhaps should not have existed in this world to begin with.

This thought emerged in my mind.

At that time, I was extremely lost, walking down the road, feeling that I had no direction.

The darkness of night brought me comfort, a color I could adapt to, as dull and lightless as my heart.

I was playing the role of “myself.”

The name An Shishan felt extremely unfamiliar to me.
It should have been the name that accompanied my growth, but I felt it was merely the surface I showed to others.

In truth, I was far more despicable than the version of me they saw.

But I would not stop acting.

That was the image everyone knew, and I could not bear to destroy it.

I decided to leave.

To leave right now.

The acting would end at the moment of departure—]

[Alright—students, what kind of emotions do you think the author expressed here, and how does it connect with the previous text—]

If you immersed yourself in class, you would find that time passed much faster than expected.

At least, in my perception.

[I was really scared just now.
I thought something might happen.]

She was talking about being called on earlier, but in reality I had been distracted by the comfortable spring breeze and caught by the teacher.

Amayama Kaoru had been watching me the whole time, as if afraid something might go wrong, and when class ended she finally let out a sigh of relief and spoke to me with an expression of surviving a disaster.

As a friend, she was really one of the good ones.

After all, she was one of my few friends.

Precisely because of that, an uncontrollable sense of pleasure arose.

As expected—

She was incredibly foolish.

Showing such enthusiasm toward someone like me, who did not care about her at all.

[Yeah, yeah.
Being called on suddenly really scared me too.]

[Hehe, I noticed you were spacing out, Hazuki.]

Amayama Kaoru became secretive, paying attention to the people around us and lowering her voice as if saying something that should not be overheard.

[You weren’t thinking about that boy from lunchtime, Ichijou, were you?]

The impact of appearing together with Ichijou Riku had not faded, or rather, she was exactly the type to think in that direction.

From our interactions over this period, it was easy to see that Amayama Kaoru’s otaku interests mainly involved magical girls and all kinds of romance manga, and just the manga I had seen her take out numbered in the dozens.

Truly boring things.

Only youths full of dreams for the future and radiating youthful energy would keep reading them.

Ah, so boring.

[Kaoru, I’ve only known him for a short time.
How could I possibly be thinking about him?]

Avoiding the topic while letting my gaze drift, looking completely guilty.

That was exactly what I was doing.

[Liar.
You won’t even look at me.
I noticed it long ago.
Whenever you lie, Hazuki, you always look somewhere else.]

So you finally noticed.

Noticing the act I deliberately put on.

With this, it would be even easier to guide her thoughts.

[Eh?
Do I?
Do I really?]

[See?
That’s exactly it.
You look really flustered.
But it’s fine.
That boy you met at lunch really does look handsome, so it’s normal to think about him.]

Amayama Kaoru wore an expression of understanding.

[But it still feels like you don’t quite match.
You’re the prettiest girl in Sakurano.
You should find someone even more handsome, like Senior Amano from the Kendo Club, or Taiga from the class next door.
They both admire you a lot.]

[Uh, Kaoru—actually, I—]

I looked out the window.

As petals danced through the air, the scene was dazzling, with an allure that made one want to sink into it.

[I feel like Ichijou has a kind of aura that really draws me in, so—]

[Hm hm.
So you finally admitted it, Hazuki.]

[Ah, right.
Let’s hurry and go choose a club.]

[Your topic-changing skills are really terrible, Hazuki.]

Amayama Kaoru complained, but did not continue pressing, and at the same time—

She seemed to have made some kind of decision.

Because she heard that her friend also had feelings for that man, she decided to give up on getting to know him further.

Kaoru, the fact that you could make this decision—

That’s really great.

I’m very happy.

Hehe, hehe hehe.