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 morning.
Rino was standing in front of our usual convenience store, just as she always did.
But today, even after she spotted me, she didn’t rush over right away. Holding her bag with both hands, she looked at me with a slightly nervous expression.
It was probably because of yesterday’s phone call.
It was the first time I’d spoken to her with almost no honorifics.
I’d lowered the wall I’d kept up—out of fear of approaching Rino—just a tiny bit. Rino seemed to view this as a much bigger deal than I did.
It’s not like I wasn’t aware of it myself.
If anything, I was so conscious of it that I’d practiced my greeting at least seven times in my head after leaving home.
Good morning, Rino.
No. I’m slipping back.
Good morning, Rino-san.
Calling her by her first name loses half its meaning.
Good morning, Rino.
That’s it.
But when I’m actually standing in front of her, the difficulty level skyrockets.
How on earth do the protagonists in romantic comedies manage to call her by her first name with such a cool, calm expression? Do they undergo some kind of special heart training or something?
“……Good morning, Rino.”
I managed to say it somehow.
Rino’s eyes widened, then her cheeks slowly turned red.
“Good morning, Seita.”
Even though it was just a simple greeting, a strangely sweet atmosphere filled the air.
I couldn’t stand it, so I started walking past Rino.
“Let’s go. We’ll be late.”
“Okay.”
Rino fell into step right beside me.
Her expression was so relaxed she couldn’t hide it, even first thing in the morning.
“Seita.”
“What?”
“Call me that one more time.”
“I just did.”
“The Seita from yesterday would’ve said, ‘I already did.’”
“Don’t keep track of every little detail.”
“I remember everything.”
It’s scary.
But even that fear feels closer to me than it used to.
After walking a short distance, Rino peered up at my face.
“Did you sleep well last night?”
“Pretty well. How about you, Rino?”
“I stayed up late watching Seita’s ‘I’m home’ over and over.”
“Go to sleep.”
“I like the way you just said that.”
“Aren’t we in that phase where you’re happy no matter what I say?”
“It’s because Seita’s close by.”
Rino said that and tugged on my sleeve.
Her usual gesture.
But after looking at her hand and hesitating for a moment, I reached out and touched her fingertips myself.
Not her sleeve—I took her hand.
Rino’s feet almost stopped.
“Seita?”
“…Just until we get to a quieter spot.”
“Okay.”
Rino squeezed my hand back.
Holding hands on our morning walk to school.
Calling each other by name, making plans to meet up, checking how much sleep we got last night.
When I think about it calmly, what on earth are we doing?
No, don’t think about it.
If my “teenage insecurities” start analyzing the situation, my mind will just shut down.
We walked hand-in-hand along the short path from the convenience store to school.
Rino kept glancing at my profile.
“Don’t stare so much.”
“I want to.”
“It’s hard to walk like this, isn’t it?”
“It’s fine because you’re holding my hand, Seita.”
“Don’t treat me like a guide dog.”
“If it’s Seita, I don’t mind where you take me.”
“You’re already being a drag this early in the morning.”
“Only with Seita.”
As we neared the school, we started seeing more students.
Normally, Rino would let go of my hand before we got there.
Considering she’s a celebrity, that was only natural.
But today, for some reason, Rino’s fingers wouldn’t let go.
If anything, her grip tightened just a little.
“Rino.”
“…Just a little longer.”
Her voice was soft.
“Yesterday, Seita went back to his friends, right? That made me happy. But when I realized there’s a part of Seita’s life I don’t know about, I felt a little lonely.”
“I was just hanging out with Kyosuke and the others.”
“I know. But I still feel lonely.”
This is a hassle.
It’s a burden.
But right now, I was actually a little glad she was telling me how she felt without hiding it.
The old me would have put up a wall the moment she said something like that. I’d be afraid of her expectations and try to keep my distance.
But now, I just want to put Rino’s mind at ease.
“We’ll be together at lunch today, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And after school, if I don’t have work, I’ll head home.”
“I don’t have any today.”
“Then let’s go home together.”
Rino stopped walking.
I stopped too, pulled by the hand she was holding.
“Seita asked me out.”
“Don’t turn that into a special occasion every time.”
“I will.”
“Then keep this afternoon free.”
After I said it, I was surprised myself.
I hadn’t used polite language.
In fact, the way I’d said it made it sound as if going home with Rino was a given.
Rino smiled, her eyes glistening.
“Okay. I’ll keep it open for Seita.”
“Stop saying ‘for me.’”
“Do you mind?”
“……I don’t mind.”
Rino wrapped both hands around mine.
“I’m already so happy this early in the morning.”
“We’re going to school, you know.”
“As long as I’m with Seita, anywhere is fine.”
“It doesn’t matter where we go when it comes to attendance.”
I managed to get Rino to walk, and let go of her hand just before we reached the school gate.
But the warmth from holding her hand didn’t fade even after we reached the classroom.
When we entered the classroom, Hara and Shinozaki looked over at us.
Hara looked at Rino’s face, then at me. Then, as if she’d figured something out, she narrowed her eyes.
“Rino, you’ve been all smiles since this morning.”
“I was holding hands with Seita.”
“You don’t have to report that!”
Hara slammed his fist on the desk.
“Since this morning!? On the way to school!?”
“Just part of the way.”
“Even part of the way is enough!”
Shinozaki looked at me while yawning sleepily.
“You look like Takahara-kun was holding your hand.”
“Can you really tell just by looking at my face?”
When I snapped back reflexively, the two of them froze at the same time.
Rino looked at me, too.
“Takahara-kun, just now…”
“You talked normally, didn’t you?”
Damn it.
I’d dropped the honorifics with everyone except Rino, too.
Was it because of my conversation with Kyosuke and the others yesterday? Or maybe, by lowering the wall between me and Rino, the mask I wear in public had loosened a little.
“It’s no big deal. That’s pretty normal, right?”
“Seita.”
Rino called out to me.
When I looked at her, she seemed slightly displeased for some reason.
“What?”
“You don’t just talk like that to me.”
“You’re jealous of that?”
“I thought I was the only one who got to be close to Seita.”
The sparkle faded from Rino’s eyes.
Hara took a half-step back.
Shinozaki watched with amusement.
I let out a sigh and gently pressed my fingertip against Rino’s forehead.
“You’re the one I talk to the closest, aren’t you, Rino?”
The classroom fell silent.
It took me a few seconds to realize what I’d just said.
Rino stood frozen, still holding her forehead.
Hara’s mouth hung open, and Shinozaki, unusually, had widened his sleepy eyes.
“…Seita.”
“That just came out naturally.”
“Closest?”
“I meant physical distance.”
“Emotional?”
“Physical.”
“We were holding hands this morning, after all.”
Hara perked up.
“You two disappear together at lunchtime, and you go home together after school, right?”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I just heard it!”
Rino grabbed my sleeve and snuggled up to me, looking happy.
“He said I’m the closest.”
“Don’t repeat that.”
“Seita said it.”
“I phrased it wrong.”
“I won’t accept any corrections.”
I put my head in my hands.
But I didn’t feel like pushing Rino away.
If anything, I even found myself thinking that as long as she felt reassured, that was fine.
My teenage insecurities were losing even the energy to protest.
Lunchtime.
When I spread out my lunch behind the warehouse as usual, Rino sat right next to me.
Our shoulders were touching.
“You’re too close.”
“Because I’m the closest.”
“Are you going to keep using that line?”
“For the rest of my life.”
“That’s a long time.”
Rino happily opened her lunchbox and held out a rolled omelet.
“Here you go, Seita.”
“I can feed myself.”
“It’s a reward for working hard yesterday.”
“Don’t treat me like a kid.”
“Well, then, it’s because I want to feed you.”
I had no way out.
I glanced around.
No one was there.
Reluctantly, I opened my mouth, and Rino fed me the rolled omelet.
“How’s it taste?”
“It’s delicious.”
Until now, I had always replied, “It’s delicious.”
Hearing those words slip out naturally, Rino froze again.
“Seita, say it again.”
“It’s delicious.”
“Is what I made delicious?”
“It’s delicious.”
Rino set down her chopsticks and covered her face with both hands.
“I can’t take this anymore.”
“I was just giving my honest opinion.”
“Seita ate my cooking and said ‘It’s delicious’ in a low voice.”
“Don’t explain it—it’ll just make me even more embarrassed.”
Rino squirmed in embarrassment for a while, but eventually peeked at me through the gaps between her fingers.
“Seita, will you let me try some too?”
“What?”
“Your lunch.”
“Sure.”
“Seita, feed me.”
“Why does it have to be like that?”
Rino opened her mouth slightly and waited.
She looked as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
After hesitating for a moment, I took a piece of fried chicken from my lunchbox.
When I brought it to Rino’s lips, she ate it with a happy expression.
“It’s delicious.”
“That’s frozen food, though.”
“It’s special because Seita fed it to me.”
“Don’t mix emotions with taste.”
“Seita’s mixed in there, too.”
I didn’t get it.
I didn’t get it, but since Rino looked so happy, I lost the will to press her further.
After finishing her lunch, Rino rubbed her eyes—she looked a little sleepy, maybe because she’d worked late last night.
“You’re sleep-deprived, aren’t you?”
“I was reading Seita’s messages.”
“Don’t blame it on me. Get some sleep.”
“But then I’ll have less lunch break time with Seita.”
“I’m right here.”
Rino looked at me.
“Will you stay until I wake up?”
“Sure.”
It just slipped out again.
Rino stared at my face for a moment, then slowly rested her head on my shoulder.
Her soft hair brushed against my cheek.
Her sweet scent was right there.
My heart started racing in an instant.
“Rino.”
“Just for a little while.”
“……Okay.”
I couldn’t refuse.
With her head still resting on my shoulder, Rino closed her eyes.
I couldn’t move.
If I moved, I’d wake her up.
So, even though my shoulder was getting a little numb, I stayed seated just like that.
After a while, Rino’s breathing settled into a quiet rhythm.
She must have fallen asleep.
I looked at her profile.
She wasn’t the perfect Rino Hoshimiya I saw at work.
Nor was she the popular girl surrounded by everyone at school.
She was just Rino, sleeping soundly and completely at ease on my shoulder.
Her bangs were hanging slightly over her eyes.
After hesitating for a moment, I gently brushed them aside with my finger.
“…You’re way too vulnerable.”
I muttered under my breath.
Then, the corners of Rino’s mouth—which I thought were closed in sleep—curved up just a little.
“You’re awake, aren’t you?”
“I just woke up.”
“Don’t lie.”
“Seita touched my hair.”
“It was getting in the way.”
“Do it some more.”
“Go back to sleep.”
“Okay.”
Rino closed her eyes again.
But this time, she wrapped her arm around mine.
“This way, I’ll know if Seita runs away.”
“I won’t run away.”
When I answered that, Rino pressed her cheek against my shoulder, looking satisfied.
I looked up at the sky.
Behind the warehouse during lunch break.
A girl sleeping on my shoulder.
Our arms intertwined.
The bento we fed each other.
We hold hands on the way to school in the morning, and we’ve even promised to walk home together after school.
Just what stage am I at, exactly?
If this were I Don’t Need Youth!!, it wouldn’t be unusual to have already had a couple of confession scenes by now.
But our relationship still doesn’t have a name.
Someone important.
The person closest to me.
The place I want to go home to.
That much, at least, is already decided.
“Seita.”
With her eyes still closed, Rino called out softly.
“What?”
“Let’s hold hands on the way home after school, okay?”
“As long as it’s somewhere with few people around.”
“Okay.”
“Also, if you’re sleepy, don’t force yourself to make a detour—let’s just go straight home.”
“To Seita’s house?”
“To Rino’s house, of course.”
“Seita, come too.”
“Why does it have to be like that?”
“We’re going home together, right?”
“Don’t read too much into it.”
Rino giggled and hugged my arm even tighter.
“But Seita, if I ask you to come, you’ll come, right?”
I couldn’t deny it right away.
We’d played cards at Rino’s house before.
We still had a promise to read I Don’t Need Youth!! together.
Above all, I found myself wanting to spend more time with her.
“…Just for a little while today.”
Rino opened her eyes.
“Really?”
“I’m worried about letting a tired Rino go home alone.”
“Seita.”
“What?”
“I like you.”
“Don’t say that out of the blue.”
“I said it because I like you.”
“I told you to go to sleep.”
“Do you like me too, Seita?”
My heart nearly stopped.
Rino was looking straight at me, her cheek resting on my shoulder.
We were at a distance that left me with no way out.
“…I did say you’re important to me, didn’t I?”
“Is that different from ‘I like you’?”
“Don’t ask me that right now.”
“Then I’ll ask you someday.”
“Do whatever you want.”
“Okay. I’ll wait right here by your side, Seita.”
Rino closed her eyes again.
I adjusted my position slightly so I could lean against her more comfortably, being careful not to touch her hair.
Her expression softened.
We stayed like that until the pre-class bell rang.
Still in a relationship without a name.
But sharing each other’s time, voices, and body heat as if it were the most natural thing in the world..
Maigetsu