Mob Character Reincarnation Loner: As a Result of Supporting the Heroine Who Had Been Rejected, I Ended up Being the Recipient of Her Heavy Emotions…
“…I see. So that’s what happened.”
“Yeah. That’s why I think we should explain the situation to Hiyori again, just to be safe.”
The next morning, I was walking to school and telling Misuzu about visiting Hiyori yesterday.
Well, obviously I left out the part about being pinned down and the kiss.
“…Hey, you’re not hiding anything from me, are you?”
Huh? How did she know?
“Ah, no, nothing like that…”
“Suspicious…”
Misuzu gave me a suspicious look.
This is bad. She’s totally suspicious of me.
As I tried to escape Misuzu’s gaze, a soft citrus scent tickled my nose.
“Bun-kun! Mi-chan! Good morning!”
Turning at the voice, I saw Hiyori waving energetically as usual. The moment she reached us with a little jog, her expression changed, like she’d suddenly realized something.
“S-sorry… I interrupted, didn’t I?”
“N-no. It’s fine. We’re just pretending to be lovers, so you don’t need to worry about it. Actually, it’d be easier if you just acted like you always do.”
Hiyori froze slightly at Misuzu’s nonchalant revelation.
“Um, so you two aren’t actually dating?”
“That’s right.”
“…I see. I get it now. So Mii-chan suddenly needed a boyfriend, so she asked Bun-kun to be her fake boyfriend, right?”
“You’re sharp, Hiyori. Your quick understanding is a big help.”
Huh? How did she figure out all those details from just that much info?
As I was confused by this exchange that brought back yesterday’s conversation, Hiyori turned her gaze toward me.
“Speaking of which, Bun-kun!! I have something I want to ask you.”
“Eh, y-yes…”
Hiyori stared at me with narrowed eyes, catching me off guard with the abrupt change of subject.
W-what…? What kind of interrogation is this?
“…While I was asleep, what did you and Mom talk about?”
“…Huh? Talk about what?”
My clueless parroting made Hiyori nod with a displeased expression.
“Eh? You talked with Hiyori’s mom? Just the two of you? I didn’t hear about that.”
M-Misuzu’s eyes sharpened.
“After Bun-kun left, Mom asked me about his favorite foods. She said she wants him to come again sometime. How did you two get so close in such a short time!?”
“Bu, Bungaku… That’s… Even getting involved with a married woman… Ugh…”
This was going too far.
As I covered Misuzu’s mouth with my right hand, someone hit me in the back with a bag from behind.
“Could you two stop flirting around since morning?”
Tsukimi-san, looking exhausted, gave me a stern look.
“We’re a close couple, you know.”
For some reason, Misuzu puffed out her chest with a smug look.
…Tsukimi-san. Why are you looking at me?
By the way, I already told Tsukimi-san about the visit. When I got home yesterday, she was waiting in my room and gave me a serious grilling.
“Hiyori, you’re feeling better. That’s great.”
“Yeah! Thanks to you! Sorry for worrying you?”
…Somehow, that’s reassuring.
While I was thinking about that and watching Hiyori and Hoshino’s girl talk, Misuzu gently poked me with her finger.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it? All four of us being together like this.”
“Yeah. I love spending time with Bungaku, but I love spending time with all four of us like this just as much.”
Misuzu smiled happily.
Seeing her like that, I decided to ask her something that had been on my mind.
“…Come to think of it, why didn’t you explain the situation to those two?”
“…I didn’t want to create more people who knew the secret. There’s a risk they’d figure out it was a lie.”
“…I get that. That’s exactly why I was surprised you told Hiyori so readily. I wondered if there was another reason.”
Misuzu flinched at that.
“You hit the nail on the head…”
When I said it teasingly, Misuzu glanced at me and blushed shyly.
“…You won’t laugh?”
“Of course not.”
She twirled a strand of hair, her voice soft and fragile.
“Because I thought I could… have Bungaku all to myself.”
“……………….Huh? What kind of adorable reason is that?”
“…Shut up.”
We arrived at school, me taking my pretend-girlfriend’s feeble punches along the way.