The School’s Top Idol Is Acting Like She’s My Childhood Friend for Some Reason and Just Keeps Closing the Distance on Her Own…?! ~Stop Getting All Gloomy on Me Just Because I Turned You Down!~
The next day.
I was supposed to spend a Sunday just like any other.
Wake up before noon, grab a quick breakfast-lunch combo, and catch up on the anime I’ve been recording. If I felt like it, I’d slip the cards I bought yesterday into sleeves and play a few rounds by myself while thinking about rearranging my deck. A quiet, undisturbed day off like that.
But today is different.
It was the day I was going to buy the latest volume of Youth Is Unnecessary in School Romantic Comedies!! with Hoshimiya Rino.
I’m currently standing near the atrium of the shopping mall.
This is where I first met Hoshimiya a few days ago.
To be precise, it’s also where I exchanged words with her without knowing she was Hoshimiya Rino, and where I helped her afterward. Even though only a few days have passed since that day, I felt like my life had already been drastically altered.
No, rather than saying it’s been altered, perhaps I should say it’s been forcibly diverted onto a different path.
I looked at the synopsis for the latest volume of Youth Is Unnecessary displayed on my smartphone screen.
The series had already reached double digits in volume. I hadn’t been following it since the beginning, but it still felt deeply meaningful.
I first came across this series around the time I started struggling to go to middle school.
At first, it was really just a way to kill time. I had no motivation to do anything, no reason to leave my room, and in those days where time just seemed to melt away, I randomly started watching a romantic comedy anime. That was I Don’t Need Youth.
At first, I thought the title was a bit quirky.
But once I started watching, I couldn’t stop.
The witty dialogue. The protagonist who didn’t try too hard to be cool. The complex dynamic between the heroines that wasn’t just all sweetness and light. The way there was genuine pain hidden behind seemingly casual lines. Even though it was a romantic comedy, it didn’t just focus on the dazzling aspects of youth—it also captured the loneliness of people who didn’t quite fit in.
Before I knew it, I was collecting the original manga.
That series helped ease the suffocating atmosphere of middle school, just a little bit.
Apart from my parents, no one ever asked me in depth why I stopped going to school. Maybe they were being considerate, or maybe they just didn’t care. Either way, I couldn’t find a way to let out what had built up inside me.
So I escaped into stories.
The romantic comedies I found in that escape were my salvation.
“Sorry I’m late. Did you wait?”
A familiar voice called out.
I looked up from my phone.
Standing there was Hoshimiya, wearing a pair of fashion glasses.
Just like that day, she was subtly concealing her celebrity image. Her outfit wasn’t too flashy either—a pale-colored cardigan and a knee-length skirt. It wasn’t flashy, but up close, every detail was elegant and genuinely cute.
She was trying to look understated, but her natural charm was too strong to be completely hidden.
That was Hoshimiya Rino.
“I just happened to be coming this way.”
“Oh, really?”
Hoshimiya smiled as if relieved.
Seeing that smile, I looked away for a moment.
I’m not used to this.
I’m completely unaccustomed to meeting up with a girl in casual clothes on a day off. What’s more, she’s a famous idol, and I’m just an ordinary guy who was a shut-in during middle school. If I looked up the definition of “compatibility” in the dictionary, I bet a red line would be drawn right through our pairing.
“Well then, shall we go?”
Hoshimiya naturally stepped up to stand beside me.
She’s close.
As close as always.
But maybe because she’s in casual clothes instead of her uniform today, that closeness feels more vivid than usual. Her slender wrist peeking out from the cuff of her cardigan. Her hair swaying with every step. The frames of her glasses resting on her profile.
I started walking forward, trying to shake off those distracting thoughts.
No one around us seemed to realize it was Rino Hoshimiya. The shopping mall is crowded on a holiday. Families, couples, groups of students. Lost in that crowd, she looked like just another ordinary girl.
“Hey, Seita.”
“What is it?”
“Did you have fun yesterday? I heard you went to a card shop.”
“Well, it was okay.”
“Show me the cards you bought later.”
“I don’t think you’d understand them even if you saw them.”
“I want to see them even if I don’t understand.”
Hoshimiya said that and looked at me with interest.
The words “card shop” and “Hoshimiya Rino” really don’t go together. But she had a look on her face that showed she genuinely wanted to know. She wasn’t just using my hobby as a conversation starter; she was trying to truly take it in.
I found that childlike curiosity a little cute.
Hoshimiya is cute.
I knew that from the start.
But it was slightly different from the perception of “Rino Hoshimiya is cute” that I saw on TV and in advertisements. Right now, walking beside me, she looked like just a girl who wanted to know what the person she liked enjoyed.
That’s exactly why I suddenly found myself wondering.
Is someone like me even worthy of being involved with her?
In that instant, a voice from the past echoed in my mind.
[Could you please stop coming near me?]
In the corner of the classroom.
The murmur of the crowd around me.
The cold gaze of the girl I had a crush on.
[Don’t come near my class either.]
It was a heartless, unforgiving statement.
In a romantic comedy, that would be a plotline headed straight for cancellation. No, in recent works, there might even be a way to turn things around from there. But in reality, there’s no such convenient salvation.
Real-life adolescence isn’t all sweetness and light.
There’s bitter adolescence, and painful adolescence, too.
In fact, for me, that felt much more realistic.
“Seita.”
Hoshimiya’s voice snapped me back to reality.
“Hm?”
“You were thinking about another girl just now, weren’t you?”
My feet almost stopped.
Hoshimiya was staring intently at my face.
The eyes behind her fashion glasses narrowed slightly. Her expression looked like she was jealous, or maybe sulking. It was kind of cute. But deep within those eyes, something much heavier lay hidden.
“Why would you think that?”
“Your expression was different.”
“My expression?”
“You were talking to me, but you were looking off into the distance. It was the face of someone thinking of someone else.”
She really does observe me closely.
No, she observes me too closely.
Hoshimiya took a step forward and stood in front of me. We were slightly off the main flow of people, in the shadow of a pillar. It wasn’t a spot that stood out much to those around us, but it was still close.
“Seita.”
“Yes.”
“Just think about me.”
Her voice was sweet.
But it wasn’t lighthearted.
“I’m your childhood friend, after all.”
“…Even if we were childhood friends, I don’t think you’d say something like that.”
“I would. I would say it.”
“That’s just your standard, isn’t it Hoshimiya san?”
“Rino.”
“…Hoshimiya-san.”
Her fingertips twitched ever so slightly.
She kept her smile. But the corners of her lips tightened slightly. Every time I didn’t call her by name, I could feel something inside her being chipped away little by little.
Hoshimiya moved closer to me.
“I’m Seita’s childhood friend, and I want to focus only on Seita.”
“So, that ‘childhood friend’ thing is—”
“It’s fine if it’s just a pretense.”
Her voice dropped a little.
“For now.”
There were those words again.
Hoshimiya’s hands gently touched my cheeks.
Caught off guard, I couldn’t move.
Her fingertips weren’t cold. If anything, they were a little warm. Her palms cupped my face. Even though we were in a crowd, it felt as if all sound had faded away in that single moment.
So close.
Her eyes, peering through her fashion glasses, were fixed directly on me.
Those eyes were gentle.
Gentle, yet they blocked my escape route.
“I want to know everything about Seita—the past you’re hiding, your relationships, and the reasons you were hurt.”
“…What would you do with that knowledge?”
“I’ll remember it.”
Her answer was immediate.
“I’ll remember the things Seita can’t forget, right alongside you. Let me hold onto just a little bit of what you’ve been carrying alone.”
Those words were unfair.
They were heavy.
But they were kind.
I couldn’t reply.
Hoshimiya took her hand away from my cheek.
As if reluctant to let go, her fingertips slid along the side of my cheek for just a moment. Even after that sensation faded, the spot she’d touched felt strangely hot.
“So, please tell me someday, Seita.”
Hoshimiya said that and smiled gently.
She’s cute.
I found myself thinking that.
At the same time, I felt scared.
She wants to know about my past. She’s trying to take on even the things I want to hide. Normally, that would be a burden I’d want to avoid, but her expression is so sincere that I can’t bring myself to refuse her completely.
It’s a hassle.
It’s really a hassle.
And, to make matters worse, I’m actually a little happy about it.
As we were having that conversation, we arrived in front of the bookstore.
As if to change the mood, Hoshimiya’s face suddenly lit up.
“Ah, there it is. The new releases section!”
She hurried toward the new manga releases section.
I followed right behind her.
A promotional display had been set up for the special “I Don’t Need Youth” section. It featured the visual for the second season of the anime and a sign announcing the latest volume was now on sale. As expected of a popular series, the pile of books stacked flat on the shelf had shrunk considerably. Only a few copies remained.
“That was close.”
“Yeah.”
Hoshimiya and I each picked up a copy.
The cover featured the heroine who would be the focus of this volume. She had a slightly wistful expression. In the background was the school building in spring. It overlapped with my current situation, making me feel a little uneasy.
Hoshimiya stared intently at the cover.
“Hey, Seita.”
“What is it?”
“On the way home, do you want to read it at a nearby café?”
“…Are you going to read it here?”
“I want to share my thoughts with you.”
“We’ll be silent until we finish reading, though.”
“That’s fine. As long as I can read the same book as you at the same time.”
She said something heavy again.
However, the joy in those words was genuine.
I hesitated for a moment.
Being with Hoshimiya in a public place was risky. But she was in disguise, and if we chose our seats carefully, we might not stand out. Besides, if I turned her down here, she’d probably give me that annoyed look again.
“…Well, I guess it’s fine.”
“Yay!”
Hoshimiya clenched her fist slightly.
That gesture was so typical of her age that I almost laughed.
We paid at the register and left the bookstore.
It happened right after that.
“Hey, isn’t that Seita?”
A familiar voice called out.
I reflexively looked over.
Standing there was one of the friends I’d hung out with the day before starting high school.
Kyosuke Suyama.
We’d known each other since kindergarten, and he’d tried to drag me out to hang out countless times back in middle school. He was cheerful, easygoing, and the kind of guy who, unlike me, could get by just fine no matter where he went.
That same Kyosuke was standing there with a few boys I didn’t recognize.
They were probably his new high school friends.
For a moment, I couldn’t speak.
The phrase “I’ve been left behind” floated up again from the back of my mind.
Kyosuke was smiling at me.
There was no malice in that smile.
There shouldn’t be.
But just seeing a stranger standing next to him made my heart flutter slightly.
“Kyosuke.”
I called out his name without thinking.
Kyosuke’s gaze shifted to my side.
Hoshimiya was there.
Even though she was wearing fashion glasses and dressed inconspicuously, when seen up close, she was an incredibly cute girl standing right next to me.
Kyosuke’s eyebrows rose slightly.
“Huh, Seita. Who’s that girl over there?”
At that moment, Hoshimiya stepped half a step in front of me.
Just a tiny bit.
It was completely natural.
But she had positioned herself between Kyosuke and me.
She smiled softly.
Her eyes, hidden behind her fashion glasses, were looking at Kyosuke.
No, that’s not right.
She was quietly taking in Kyosuke and the unfamiliar boys surrounding him.
“Hello.”
Hoshimiya bowed politely.
Then she gently tugged at my sleeve.
With a touch so light I could barely feel it.
But I knew.
She was on guard.
Against me running into an old acquaintance and being pulled back somewhere.
That I might look at someone other than her right now.
Kyosuke isn’t a bad guy.
In fact, he’s one of the few friends who really matter to me.
And yet, Hoshimiya’s fingertips didn’t let go of my sleeve.
“Seita’s…”
Hoshimiya paused for a moment.
During that pause, I had a bad feeling.
No way.
Don’t say that here.
Don’t say it, Hoshimiya.
She glanced up at me.
Her eyes were smiling, yet they weren’t smiling.
“We’re childhood friends.”
With those words, my day off took a sudden turn for the worse.
Maigetsu