The Beautiful Girl With a Kind Personality and Good Looks, Who Happens to Be My Childhood Friend, Seems to Have Eyes Only for Me
Side Ayase Mitsuri
Mitsuri and Chiya had been together since before they could remember.
Their houses faced each other.
They walked to and from school together.
Even when they were in different classes, they’d naturally sit next to each other during breaks.
People would say, โYou two are like twins,โ and Mitsuri felt a little proud of that.
Because I’m shy and always look anxious. Chiya said she couldn’t manage without me, so she always stayed close.
โOr so I thought.
It was shortly after the second semester of our second year of middle school began.
I heard there was a boy who often talked to Chiya in her class.
At first, I didn’t think much of it.
But during lunch break, on my way to the classroom to talk with Chiya about the latest anime as usual, I spotted her in the hallway.
By the window, Chiya was talking side-by-side with that boy.
Chiya was smiling.
A little shyly, but happily.
With an expression I didn’t know. An expression she never showed when she was with me. When the boy said something, Chiya laughed, her shoulders shaking. They were close. Her cheeks were red.
My feet stopped moving.
I don’t know that face. Was she bored with me?
Even after school that day, when we always went home togetherโฆ
โSorry, Mitsuri. ใใ-kun asked me to show him my notes today. You can go home first.โ
I couldn’t respond properly to Chiya, who said it without a hint of guilt.
I could have said โOh, okay,โ but my voice felt a little off.
After getting home, I opened my phone. I sent a message saying I wanted to talk about what we couldn’t during lunch break, but no reply came, no matter how long I waited.
The chat with Chiya was quiet today.
The reply came the next morning. It included a response to my message, but also a photo of her with the boy she must have been with after school yesterday.
A photo probably taken in the classroom.
Chiya and that boy were standing side by side.
Close.
Just that alone made my chest feel uneasy, my fingertips grow cold.
I zoomed in and looked at it over and over.
Chiya’s expression was soft. I hated that she looked a little happier than when she was with me.
โHey, today, ใใ-kunโฆโ
โCome with us, Mitsuri! It’ll be fun!โ
Messages like that keep coming,
โWhy is she talking to that boy like that?
โWasn’t I good enough?
Even after getting under the covers, my mind keeps spinning. Chiya isn’t the shy type, but she wouldn’t suddenly start hanging out with boys like this.
Some unknown side of her, someone else discovering it first. That scared me.
Gripping my phone, I opened the chat screen.
Who was it today?
Delete.
You’ve been hanging out with that guy a lot lately, huh?
Delete.
My throat felt tight.
It wasn’t that I wanted to blame her. I was just anxious.
But the nature of that unease is slowly taking shape. Chiya might become someone else’s โspecial.โ I thought that was unacceptable.
Because Chiya had always been right beside me. She only looked at me, only smiled for me. That was just how it was.
My fingers move slowly.
Want to walk home together tomorrow? I want to talk properly for the first time in a while.
Send.
The time until the โreadโ mark appeared felt like my chest was being squeezed tight.
All that time, I kept thinking.
How could I become the โclosest personโ to her again, better than that guy?
Thinking about it alone just made my head spin. In times like this, I’ve always asked my big sister. I opened the living room door just a crack. There she was, sprawled on the sofa, fiddling with her phone.
โโฆHey, Nee chan?โ
โWhat is it, Mitsuri? Rare to see you in clingy mode.โ
Sitting down beside her, words caught in my throat. But I had to ask. I wanted to be special.
โChiyaโฆ she’s been getting closer to someone else latelyโฆ and I feel kind of lonely about it.โ
My sister grinned.
โHuh? Is it a guy?โ
She hit the nail on the head, and my heart thumped.
โโฆYeah.โ
โThat’s youth for you. Hm? Worried he’ll steal her away?โ
The word โstealโ made my fingertips clench tight. I realized it only felt that way because it was put into words.
โI-I guess so. It’s justโฆ I want Chiya to stay by my side. She’s the only one for me. But I hate seeing her with other guys.โ
Talking to my sister made my true feelings slip out effortlessly. So this is what I’ve been thinking lately.
She stared at my face for a moment, then chuckled softly.
โHmmโฆ Still heavy-hearted as ever, huh?โ
โHuh?โ
โBut you know, doesn’t that mean you don’t like her anymore? Chiya, even if she’s the same gender?โ
I couldn’t say โNoโ right away. I’ve never been in love before, and it’s not like I dislike boys.
It’s a little different from โlikingโ her. But I hate the idea of her being next to someone else, I hate seeing her smile at someone I don’t know, and I hate even more the thought of not being her number one.
My sister set down her phone and tapped my head lightly.
โWell, but you know. If you don’t want her taken, you gotta defend your position, right?โ
โPosition?โ
โYeah. At this age, talking to the opposite sex is fun, and it’s the age when you want romance. It’s gonna be tough to win Chiya back while she’s hanging out with boys like this.โ
I panicked. Was it already too late? Was Chiya no longer with me?
โW-what would you do, Nee chan?โ
โHmm. Well, first, I’d get those boys to back off from Chiya. If I’m the only one around her, then I’d be number one.โ
Her tone was light, yet strangely specific, and it clicked perfectly in my chest.
โY-yeah, you’re right. That’s it. I should’ve done that.
Thanks, Nee chan!! I’ll think about it.โ
If I want to be the closest person to her, then if I’m the only one aroundโฆ naturally, I’d be the only oneโฆ
โYou really are my little sister. I kind of had a feeling you’d think that way.โ
I felt like big sis said something else, but nothing registered in my ears. Right now, I could only think about how to get those boys away from Chiya.
Possessiveness.
I traced that word softly in my mind. It sounded like a bad thing, yet somehow it felt a little reassuring.
As I climbed the stairs back to my room, the jumbled feelings from earlier began to take shape, just a little.
โโI want to be the one Chiya relies on before anyone else.
โโI have to be the one closest to Chiya.
All I need to do is start doing what I can for that, little by little, starting tomorrow.
I opened my phone and looked at the chat screen with Chiya.
The message from earlier still didn’t have a read receipt.
Staring at the screen, I thought quietly.
It’ll be okay. Chiya will come back to me.
Because I’ve known that girl much longer than anyone else.
Maiasa