The Schoolโs Top Idol Is Acting Like Sheโs My Childhood Friend for Some Reason and Just Keeps Closing the Distance on Her Ownโฆ?! ~Stop Getting All Gloomy on Me Just Because I Turned You Down!~
The moment I walked through the school gates with Hoshimiya, the atmosphere around us shifted ever so slightly.
I should have been used to it by now.
Wherever Hoshimiya is, eyes turn toward her. Voices fall silent. Someone stops in their tracks; someone else starts to pull out their phone, then panics.
Thatโs because sheโs a celebrity.
Sheโs not just a pretty girl. Sheโs the kind of person who appears on TV, graces the pages of magazines, and smiles in advertisements. No matter how ordinary her school uniform looks, the name Rino Hoshimiya always precedes her wherever she goes.
Thatโs why I feel a strange tension every time I walk beside her.
A sense of wondering if someone like me even belongs by her side.
At the same time, thereโs a feeling I donโt want to admitโthat Iโm actually a little happy itโs me standing next to her.
Those two feelings were fighting inside my chest.
โSeita, you look tense.โ
โThe stares from everyone around us are killing me.โ
โItโs okay. Iโm used to it.โ
โEven if youโre used to it, Iโm not.โ
Hoshimiya smiled slightly.
But that smile was more faint than usual.
Just as we approached the entrance, her phone vibrated. Hoshimiya looked at the screen. I couldnโt see the name displayed, but her expression instantly switched to her professional mode.
A gentle yet distant face.
The face of Hoshimiya.
โSorry, itโs my manager.โ
โShouldnโt you take this?โ
โYeah. Just for a moment.โ
Hoshimiya took half a step away from me and moved to the edge of the hallway.
ใWatching her back, I realized something.
The Rino Hoshimiya I see isnโt the whole of her.
She has a job. She has a schedule.
She has a manager, an agency, fans, and a face she has to show the world.
The girl who eats lunch with me behind the warehouse, gets excited at the card shop, and waits for me in front of my house from early morningโthat isnโt the only Rino Hoshimiya.
โYes. After school? โฆThatโs fine. Itโs an interview, right? Yes, Iโll head over after school ends.โ
Her voice was different from the one she used with me.
Polite, composed, and flawless.
Hearing that, a slight unease stirred deep within my chest.
What had I been misunderstanding?
Hoshimiya is right beside me.
But she isnโt in a world that belongs only to me.
Hoshimiya returns after ending the call.
โIโve got a little work after school today.โ
โI see.โ
โYeah. So, letโs spend lunch break together.โ
Saying that, Hoshimiya tugged on my sleeve.
It was a tiny movement, barely noticeable to anyone around us.
But the strength in her fingertips was no joke.
โI have work, so I canโt after school. But I want to be with Seita during lunch break.โ
โโฆโฆWell, Iโm just going to My Home as usual at lunchtime.โ
โThe place thatโs also my vacation home, right?โ
โAre you still saying that?โ
Hoshimiya gave a small laugh.
But a hint of anxiety lingered around her eyes.
After school, sheโs going to a place I donโt know.
To work.
To be seen by someone as Hoshimiya Rino.
Maybe sheโs worried about how I feel about that.
No, thatโs not it.
Probably, Hoshimiya is afraid that Iโll drift away from her while sheโs gone.
Trust in my actions and anxiety about them coexist within her.
Itโs heavy.
But Iโm starting to understand.
As soon as I entered the classroom, Hara and Shinozaki noticed me right away.
โGood morning, Takahara-kun. Coming to school with Rino first thing in the morningโyouโre really going all out, arenโt you?โ
โShinozaki-san, cut that out first thing in the morning.โ
โNah, you guys already look like a married couple.โ
โWe donโt.โ
Shinozaki grins with sleepy eyes.
Hara, propping his chin on his desk, was watching us with a cheerful expression.
โRino, do you have work today?โ
โYeah. Just for a little while after school.โ
โThatโs tough. Just like a celebrity.โ
At Haraโs words, Hoshimiya laughed as she always did.
โItโs not like that. Iโm doing it because I love it.โ
It was the perfect answer.
But I saw it.
I saw Hoshimiyaโs fingertips search just slightly for my sleeve under the desk.
I pretended not to notice her hand.
If I acknowledged it, Iโd surely end up looking at her again.
And if I looked, Iโd probably start thinking about her again.
Lunchtime.
Hoshimiya and I headed to our usual spot behind the warehouse.
The air behind the school building was slightly humid, and voices from the field could be heard in the distance. Hoshimiya sat down next to me and opened her lunchbox.
But today, she was eating slowly.
โArenโt you going to eat?โ
โIโm eating.โ
โAre you worried about work?โ
Hoshimiyaโs chopsticks stopped.
She lowered her eyes slightly.
โSeitaโฆ you actually look at me sometimes, don’t you?โ
โSometimes?โ
โYeah. Sometimes. Thatโs why itโs a problem.โ
Hoshimiya smiled.
It was a faint smile.
โYou know, when Iโm at work, I can be Rino Hoshimiya. I can smile, respond, and be the person they expect me to be. But lately, Iโve been a little scared.โ
โScared?โ
โThat Seita will get used to the time Iโm not there.โ
Hoshimiya said this while looking down at her lunchbox.
โWhile Iโm working, Seita talks with Hara-san and Shinozaki-san, and gets used to being fine without me. Iโd hate it if, by the time I came back, the space I occupy in Seitaโs heart had gotten a little smaller.โ
Itโs heavy.
It really is heavy.
But that voice wasnโt just about possessiveness.
Even though sheโs a celebrity surrounded by people, sheโs afraid of fading from Seitaโs life.
There was that contradictory loneliness right there.
โIt wonโt get any smaller.โ
Before I knew it, I had said that.
Hoshimiya looked up.
โBecause youโre so loud, Hoshimiya-san, youโre already taking up quite a bit of space.โ
โโฆโฆIs that a good thing?โ
โProbably.โ
Hoshimiyaโs eyes wavered.
The next moment, she set down her lunchbox and grabbed my sleeve.
โSeita.โ
โYes.โ
โIโll call you after work today. You have to answer.โ
โYou canโt say โyou have toโโฆโ
โYou have to.โ
There was no light in Hoshimiyaโs eyes.
But her voice was trembling.
โMake sure you knowโeven while Iโm still Hoshimiya Rinoโthat Iโm still inside you.โ
I let out a sigh.
This is a hassle.
Itโs really a hassle.
And yet, I canโt just brush off that request.
โโฆIโll return it. When I realize it.โ
โIโll send you enough to make you realize it.โ
โThat scares me.โ
โItโs Seitaโs fault.โ
Hoshimiya said that and smiled slightly.
A faint warmth finally returned to that smile.
As I brought a piece of rolled omelet from my bento to my mouth, I thought to myself somewhere deep inside.
Rino Hoshimiya is being watched by so many people.
But the person she really wants to be seen by is, little by little, probably becoming me.
And I, too, every time she smiles as โRino Hoshimiyaโ in front of someone else, canโt help but be aware that I know what lies behind that smile.
More than friends.
Less than lovers.
That ambiguous distance held a little warmth again today.
Maigetsu