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!~
Even after lunch break ended and afternoon classes began, Hoshimiya still seemed somewhat restless.
Normally, she would sit upright and face the front during class. She took neat notes and answered perfectly whenever the teacher called on her. She probably didn’t want anyone to think she was neglecting her schoolwork just because she was involved in the entertainment industry.
But today was different.
Every now and then, a glance would dart over from the seat to my right.
The moment I noticed, Hoshimiya would immediately look back at the front of the classroom. But after a few minutes, her gaze would return. It was as if she couldn’t settle down unless she confirmed I was still there.
After school, she headed off to work.
She said it was an interview.
Time for Rino Hoshimiya to smile in front of others, answer questions, and show the persona people expected of her.
A world completely separate from me.
The moment I thought that, a slight flutter stirred deep within my chest.
It wasn’t jealousy.
Probably not.
It was just that imagining Hoshimiya in a place I didn’t know, wearing a face I didn’t know, made me feel strangely uneasy.
And what I hated most was admitting it.
As soon as school let out, Hoshimiya’s phone vibrated.
She looked at the screen and pursed her lips ever so slightly.
“Looks like my ride’s here.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah.”
Hoshimiya picked up her bag and stood up.
The students around her naturally turned to look at her. Hoshimiya Rino, on her way to work. It was the moment when she—who stood out even just sitting in the classroom—returned to her life as a celebrity.
Hara and Shinozaki waved lightly.
“Rino, good luck with work!”
“Tell us all about it later, okay?”
“Sure. I’ll be off then.”
Hoshimiya smiled.
It was a perfect smile.
But she looked at me with that same smile.
For just a moment, something flickered deep within her expression.
“Seita.”
“Yes.”
“I’ll call you.”
“……I know.”
“Make sure you reply.”
“I’ll reply when I notice.”
“I’ll keep sending messages until you notice.”
“Please, really, don’t do that.”
Hoshimiya gave a small laugh.
Even so, a trace of anxiety still lingered in the depths of her eyes.
I hesitated, wondering if I should say something. I could easily say something like “Good luck at work.” But I felt that wouldn’t be enough to ease her anxiety.
So I changed my words just a little.
“Let me know when you’re done.”
Hoshimiya’s eyes widened.
“…Okay.”
Her voice was much softer than before.
She walked out of the classroom.
Just before she disappeared into the hallway, she turned back one last time. After confirming that I was watching, she relaxed her lips just a tiny bit.
That expression wasn’t the Hoshimiya Rino I saw on TV.
It was a slightly uncertain smile, meant only for me.
The classroom felt as if it had suddenly lost its color once she was gone.
I remained seated at my desk, my hand frozen mid-grip on my bag.
“Hey, Takahara-kun—”
Hara’s voice rang out.
“You were really watching Rino leave, weren’t you?”
“I wasn’t watching her leave.”
“Yeah, you were. Shinozaki, did you see that?”
“I saw it. Takahara-kun, you totally had that ‘less than boyfriend’ look on your face.”
“What do you mean, ‘less than boyfriend’?”
Shinozaki rested her chin on her desk and laughed with a sleepy expression.
“You know, ‘more than friends, less than lovers’?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“You’re quick to deny it, aren’t you?”
Hara laughed cheerfully.
I tried to argue back, but swallowed my words.
No.
To say that with certainty, I’ve been thinking about Hoshimiya way too much lately.
But I’m still too scared to admit it.
What troubles me most right now is having a name put on that ambiguous distance between us.
“…I’m going home.”
“Yeah, yeah. Make sure to reply right away if Rino contacts you, okay?”
“Even Shinozaki?”
“Well, Rino will probably get depressed if she doesn’t get a reply.”
It was said in a joking tone.
But I couldn’t deny it.
I let out a small sigh and left the classroom.
On the way home, I kept checking my phone.
There was still no message.
Of course not. She’s probably just started work.
And yet, the phone in my pocket felt strangely heavy.
It was the same once I got home.
I tried to organize my cards, but my hands stopped moving. I played an anime, but I couldn’t focus on it. Before I knew it, I was checking my phone screen.
There was still no message from Hoshimiya.
What am I doing?
I’m just waiting for a simple message.
And yet, I feel so restless.
As night fell, my phone finally vibrated.
Rino Hoshimiya.
“I’m done.”
It was a short message.
I start to type a reply right away, but stop myself.
Is it weird to reply so soon?
No, she told me to wait. I promised I’d reply. Leaving it too long will just make things complicated.
“Good job.”
I send it.
It was marked as read immediately.
“You replied properly.”
The moment I saw those words, a weight lifted slightly from the pit of my stomach.
Next, a photo arrived.
A room that looked like a dressing room. A small vanity table. A plastic water bottle. A script. The Hoshimiya reflected in the mirror wasn’t wearing her school uniform—she was in her work outfit.
She looked demure, mature, and somehow distant.
Rino Hoshimiya.
The celebrity everyone knows.
I stared at the screen.
She was beautiful.
And I felt a little lonely.
“How’s it look?”
A message came in.
I hesitated.
I didn’t know what to say in reply.
Sending “You’re beautiful” would be too direct. “It suits you” might be safe. But what I was feeling right now couldn’t be summed up in such safe words.
“So, Hoshimiya san, you really are a celebrity, aren’t you?”
I regretted it the moment I sent it.
What kind of comment was that?
Couldn’t I have said something more sensible?
It showed as read.
There was a brief pause.
“Did I look distant?”
I stared at the screen.
Even though it was only five characters, I felt Hoshimiya’s anxiety seeping through.
She’s probably afraid I’ll think she’s distant.
The more she shines as Rino Hoshimiya, the more she feels like she’s drifting away from Seita Takahara’s side.
I thought for a moment, then replied.
“You looked far away. But I also thought you were the same person who gave me rolled omelet at lunchtime.”
Send.
This time, the ‘read’ notification appeared immediately.
No reply came for a while.
And then.
“Seita, it’s mean of you to say things like that.”
She continued.
“Now I want to see you right away.”
My heart skipped a beat.
Hoshimiya’s face appeared on the other side of the screen.
There she was, in the dressing room after work, still in her costume, clutching her phone. After taking off her celebrity persona, her expression wavered at my words.
Just imagining that makes my heart race.
“I can’t meet you today.”
As soon as I sent that, it showed as read.
A little while later, a reply.
“I know.”
“But we can meet tomorrow, right?”
I exhaled softly, staring at the screen.
It’s heavy.
It really is heavy.
But there’s a part of me that’s been waiting for that weight.
“At school, then.”
“Yeah. At school.”
“Lunchtime, at the vacation home.”
“It’s my home.”
“It’s my vacation home, too.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle a little at that exchange.
Rino Hoshimiya is a celebrity from a distant world.
But she’s also a troublesome girl who barges into my lunch break and insists that my home is her vacation home.
I’ve finally begun to realize, just a little, that those two sides belong to the same person.
And I found myself unable to look away from either version of Hoshimiya.
Maigetsu
I wonder how long before she quits her job?