The Salty Princess Told Me That I Was a ‘Convenient Keep’, so I Tested What Would Happen if I Introduced the Most Beautiful Girl at Another School as My Girlfriend
Hi, Saori. Can I talk to you for a minute now?”
“…… Is it you again?”
Saori lets out a small sigh when Kozaburo Miwa suddenly calls out to her, but Miwa laughs without paying attention.
“I saw you at PE earlier. You seemed to get along quite well, didn’t you? you didn’t look like ex-lovers who had just broken up.”
“That’s …….”
Saori awkwardly looks away. Miwa continues speaking in an artificially cheerful tone.
“Like me, some of the people who watched you guys from a distance said that you two looked good together. Saori would probably be bothered by people saying things like that, so I I personally corrected it. There seem to be some strange rumors going around right now.”
“Miwa-kun, you’re always like that….. talking about yourself.”
“That’s an offensive word. I always think of you first.”
Miwa smiles refreshingly, but Saori doesn’t laugh.
“…..As I said yesterday, it’s none of your business who I’m dating”
“He was a ‘convenient keep,’ wasn’t he? I don’t think you would call that being in a relationship, would you?”
“…. That, too, is none of your business.”
Saori lowers her gaze, trying to bear the pain. Miwa slowly approaches Saori without breaking into a smile.
“At lunchtime, when he told me that you guys had broken up, I was very surprised. …… Hey Saori. Why didn’t you tell me about it yesterday? If you broke up, why did you reject me ……? You’ve never done anything like that before.”
“I thought I would follow his example and think about what I should do with my own head.”
“Is that why you rejected me?”
“In the first place, you and I are just friends. I don’t know what you said to Sakashima-kun, but I don’t intend to do anything more than be friends with you.”
“Ha …… you like that guy that much? I thought he had a bit of a backbone when I talked to him the other day, but he was such a pussy earlier.
No matter how many times I said things that made fun of him, he would just mischaracterize them. To top it off, he said, “Do whatever you want”. He has not the slightest intention of protecting you.”
“…..”
Hearing Miwa’s words, the corner of Saori’s mouth dropped for a moment. …But she maintained her usual expressionless expression. As if that was at least a form of atonement.
“It’s just that he doesn’t treat me like that. You and I are just strangers to him.”
“…I don’t understand. Saori, why do you make that face? A guy like that should just be a convenient keep, right? It doesn’t matter whether he’s being dealt with or not. If you need a replacement for him, I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“I’m sorry, but my next class has already started, so I have to leave now. ……”
Saori interrupted Miwa’s words and tried to leave. Miwa opens his mouth as if to stop Saori from leaving. ……
“Don’t you want to know where his phone is?”
“…..How did you know about that?”
Saori stops. Miwa continues to speak, but without hesitation.
“As I said, rumors can spread from anywhere.If you interact with various people on a regular basis, you will hear more stories than other people. There are also stories that can’t be said.”
“…I missed your point. No matter how much you’ve changed, I thought you were someone who wouldn’t do something like that….That’s the worst.”
“Oops, I hope you don’t jump to conclusions. There’s no way I’d do something as vile as steal someone else’s smartphone, right?”
Miwa shrugged his shoulders deliberately, as if to say it was unexpected. …Even though Saori has known him for a long time, she doesn’t really know how serious he is.
Miwa’s voice bubbles with amusement as he continues to speak.
“He, the people who stole his phone, and you are all taking the situation too lightly. Stealing a phone for any reason is unacceptable. It is a crime. If he gets caught, he could be expelled from school, and if he makes a big deal out of it, it could be more than that. For his part, his phone is a mass of personal information. If he lost it, he should be a little more impatient, but he is somewhat of a stranger. ……Well, I doubt, most likely, that the people who stole it have the technology to do anything with the password.”
“…What do you want to do by telling me that? If you really know who stole his phone, you should either tell him quickly or report it to his teacher.”
“I told you I only heard rumors.
I can’t confuse everyone by telling them something so uncertain. …… though that may change depending on your attitude. ……”
Miwa puts her hand on Saori’s shoulder. Saori looks at Miwa with cold eyes.
There was only one thing Saori had to say to Miwa from the beginning. So Saori shakes off Miwa’s hand and tries to open her mouth, but the chime that signals the start of class interrupts her.
“I’m sorry ……, but I can’t keep up with you any longer.”
Saori lets out a sigh and turns her back on Miwa.
“Why don’t you skip class with me?”
“I won’t skip class with anyone. I’ll leave you to it”
Saori said and hurriedly walked to the classroom. The Miwa does not try to hold her back, but that does not mean that he is in the same hurry to get to class as she is.
“You’re like a different person when you’re talking to that …… guy. What’s so great about that guy? I’m definitely better than that guy,…….”
Dismissing that, Miwa clicked his tongue with a cold look in his eyes that he would never show to Saori.
“Well, that’s fine. If it’s true that they broke up, then time will take care of the rest. …Saori has always been a child who can’t make decisions on her own. He probably won’t force Saori to get back together now either. …Well, even so, I have to show him some pain, otherwise I won’t be satisfied.”
Miwa’s mouth twists into a grin.
The rumor seems to be spreading nicely, and it’s time to put the screws to those idiots.
With a taut smile on his face, Miwa started walking in the opposite direction from Saori.
“Ochiha, what’s going on with you for a minute?”
Classes are over and it’s after school. I had no plans for today, so I decided to go home early and play a game by myself for the first time in a while. As I was getting ready to go home, my classmate, Mori, was coming toward me and asking
“What’s wrong? I haven’t done anything wrong.”
I replied with my usual fake smile. But Mori grabbed my shoulder in dissatisfaction.
“Don’t be silly. I’m talking about you and Sakaki-san. I’m sure there’s something wrong with you lately. Something’s definitely wrong, right?”
“Oh, you mean that …….”
Even though Sakaki-san and I are dating, we haven’t been flirting in class. Or rather, in the first place, I was just talking to her one-sidedly, and there was hardly any real conversation.
So I didn’t think anyone would notice that we had broken up, but Mori seemed to have noticed something unusual about us.
“…….”
I glance at the seat next to me. Sakaki-san is no longer seen. There were few people in the classroom, and no one seemed to be looking at me. …In this situation, it wouldn’t be a problem to talk. Mori-kun has a hard time reading the atmosphere, but he’s not a bad guy.
I’ll be prepared.
“Actually, you know, me and Sakaki-san …… broke up.”
“Huh? Seriously? What is that? By any chance, are you having a fight?”
“No, we’re not fighting, we’ve already broken up.:
“In other words, you’re fighting, aren’t you?”
Mori-kun lets out a breath, as if he is shocked. …Does this guy really understand what I’m saying?
“You know, if you’ve had a fight, you should probably apologize to her as soon as possible. I’ve never had a girlfriend, so I don’t know, but I think it’s better for a guy to break the ice in a situation like that.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about. I can’t tell you the details because they are related to …… Sakaki san’s personal life, but we’ve already broken up. So, it’s not like it’s something that can be dealt with just because one of us apologized.”
“Eh, seriously, ……. You said you liked Sakaki san so much. So..is it okay?”
“It’s fine, this is it. I liked Sakaki-san, but Sakaki-san… didn’t like me.”
“Really? I didn’t see it that way,…….”
Mori-kun frowns, as if not convinced. But I don’t really understand what’s so appealing about it.
I don’t know how Mori saw us. I’ve been dating Sakaki for three months and I’ve never once felt her favor….I only had that one moment when we were about to break up.
No, I don’t know if I’d call that a favor in the first place,…….
I let out a big breath.
“Well, anyway, I don’t really know what …… Sakaki-san is thinking anymore. Sakaki-san doesn’t talk to me. Even if she told me that she loves me, I don’t know if I can believe her or not. It’s just too hard to be in a relationship under those circumstances, isn’t it?”
“……I guess that’s how it is. I’m still not sure about that. I think you two are perfect for each other. ……”
“I don’t think the majority of people think so, though.”
Well, that doesn’t matter anymore. I have no intention of getting back together with Sakaki-san now. Miwa-kun,……, to be honest, I’m not so sure about it, but it doesn’t matter to me anymore who Sakaki-san is with.
“Oh, yes, Mori. I don’t want you to tell anyone about this. There seem to be some strange rumors going around, and I’m going to wait and see how things go for a while.”
“Oh, well, I see. You and Sakaki san are both popular, and you might get into trouble again……. I understand.
I won’t tell anyone about this. I’ll risk my life.”
“I’m sorry, but please.”
When I said that and loosened my mouth, Mori smiled happily for some reason.
“At any rate, I’m glad to see that you seem to be getting better. You were looking so gloomy lately.”
“Oh, did you notice?”
“It’s so obvious. Actually, I have 2.0 vision in both eyes.”
“You’re lying. Your eyesight is so bad from playing video games that you can’t see the blackboard in the back seat.”
The two of us laughed at each other.
“Wait. I have club activities today. I’m sorry, but I have to go.”
“You’re in the basketball club, aren’t you, Mori?”
“Yes. I’m actually the ace of the team, so they expect a lot of me.”
Mori-kun stands up and finally raises his thumbs up.
“I hope you and Sakaki san can make up soon.”
“No, I’m not fighting”
“It’s okay! If there is anything I can do, please let me know! I’ll help you!”
With that said, Mori-kun leaves the classroom. …Mori-kun is a good guy after all. There are some things that I don’t quite understand, but if I lived my life as lightly as possible, I might be able to do things better.
“I’m going home too.”
I don’t have any plans with Koga-san today, so let’s just go home. I got up and walked out of the classroom, but as if they were waiting for me, a group of boys I didn’t know were coming toward me.
“Can I talk to you for a minute now?”
The guy who stood at the head of the group of boys asked so. he was in a bad mood.
I smiled my usual fake smile and said something in return.
“I’m sorry, but if you’re looking for a confession, you’ve already got it.
“No need for such shenanigans.”
The men surround me as if they won’t let me escape. …I thought it was sudden, but I guess so. Are these guys fans of Sakaki san? I feel like I’ve been involved in this a little bit before.
I just can’t help but …… laugh.
“That’s good. I was just thinking of going over here to talk.”
“What do you mean ……?”
“You came to return my phone, didn’t you?”
Some of the guys backed away as if they were upset. I’m glad they’re more straightforward than …… I thought they’d be.
“…. just follow me.”
The leader-like guy grabbed my arm and started walking. …It’s a pain, but there’s also the smartphone issue, so I can’t ignore it. I have no choice but to do as I’m told and start walking.
“….After all, it doesn’t look like I’ll be going home early again today.”
I muttered a small, as if I had given up.
-Maiban