The Beautiful Girl With a Kind Personality and Good Looks, Who Happens to Be My Childhood Friend, Seems to Have Eyes Only for Me
I couldn’t get lunch break out of my head.
During lunch, Haru was her usual cheerful self, smiling often and drawing attention from everyone around.
She’d look at my lunchbox and say, “That looks delicious,” poking at it playfully. Or when I reached for a side dish with my chopsticks, she’d jokingly offer hers, saying, “Here, Aaahn.”
I wasn’t exactly oblivious to the stares, but when I said “It’s delicious,” Haru would smile genuinely happy.
…And somehow, I didn’t mind that at all.
“Yuma’s lunch is always so pretty. Who makes it?”
“My mom. She makes it happily every morning.”
“…I see.”
For just a moment, I didn’t miss Haru puffing out her cheeks.
“So, guess there’s no chance for me to make it?”
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
I started to say hurriedly, but Haru immediately laughed and said, “Just kidding.”
That smile felt unnaturally natural, which is precisely why that fleeting expression from earlier kept bothering me.
Besides, I thought, that kind of thing should be left to Yamato…
――And now, it was after school.
Usually, the three of us—Yamato, Haru, and I—would head home together.
But today, the moment the final assembly ended, Haru was called away by a friend and disappeared somewhere. Yamato, too, was taken away by Hayase-san for club activities and was nowhere to be seen.
As I packed my bag at the back of the classroom, I overheard some whispering.
“Lately, Yamato’s been getting a bit too cocky, don’t you think?”
“Yeah. Why’s he acting like he’s always hanging out with Hayase-san like that?”
“Exactly! He’s got Ayase-san too, his childhood friend. Greedy, isn’t he?”
“Honestly, I don’t like it.”
The voices belonged to the prominent boys in Haru’s group.
Good-looking guys, with high pride too. …Ah, so it’s the usual jealousy, huh.
For a split second, I hesitated about whether to leave them be.
But as I heard their words getting increasingly harsh, I slung my bag over my shoulder and walked over.
“…Calm down, guys.”
I placed a light hand on the shoulder of the boy closest to me.
“Whoever wants to be friends with whoever is their own business. It’s none of the bystanders’ business.”
“…Yuma?”
The boy tried to retort for a second, but swallowed his words immediately.
“Taking it out on Yamato won’t change anything. In fact, you know it’ll only make your own position worse, right?”
I continued, trying my best to keep my emotions out of it.
“You guys aren’t bad people either. You’re good-looking, you’re fun to be around. Don’t lower your own value over something like this.”
After a moment of silence, someone clicked their tongue softly and looked away.
“…I know, but…”
“But why does that guy get to…”
They didn’t seem fully convinced.
Just then, a quiet voice cut in from behind.
“…Saying bad things about someone won’t make anything better.”
I turned around. Standing there was—Ayase Haru.
She stood beside me, gave a slight bow, then looked straight at them.
“Yamato-kun might be different from you guys and not get along well. But…to me, he’s always been an important childhood friend.”
Her words were polite, her voice soft.
Yet, strangely, an atmosphere formed where no one could retort.
“Besides…you guys don’t want to do something you’ll regret later, right? You’re just classmates who’ve only just started being in the same class.”
Saying that, Haru gave a faint smile.
—Ah, that was unfair.
The boys in front of her all flushed, awkwardly lowering their eyes. Someone murmured, “…Sorry.”
“I’m happy that someone cares about Yamato-kun. It means there are people who truly see him, not just us.”
With those words, the tension in the air completely eased.
“…Impressive, Haru.”
“It’s nothing…”
Even as she said it, Haru looked somewhat satisfied.
Soon, the girls in Haru’s group exchanged glances, and one of them suddenly piped up.
“Hey, since we’re here, wanna go bowling?”
“Sure! The place by the station’s open today, right?”
“Let’s go! It’s boring just hanging around the classroom!”
With that one suggestion, the tense atmosphere that had hung heavy moments before dissolved as if it had never been there.
The boys nodded with laughs, saying things like, “That’s a good idea,” and “It’s been a while,” and the heavy mood vanished completely.
In the now sparsely populated classroom, I spoke to Haru.
“What do you say today? Want to walk home together?”
“Sure. …Ah, but—”
Lowering her gaze as if thinking for a moment, Haru gave a mischievous smile.
“This morning… I couldn’t do it, but how about holding hands?”
“…That’s a bit much.”
“Then, I’ll walk beside you.”
Saying that, she came to my side without hesitation.
After leaving the shoe lockers and passing through the school gate, we entered a quieter street. Suddenly, I reached out my free hand to Haru.
“…Here.”
“Huh?”
“You said you wanted to hold hands, right?”
Her eyes widened for just a moment before she gave a small smile.
“…Excuse me.”
“…Hehe. Yuma♪”
Without hesitation, she intertwined her fingers with mine.
Not only that, she leaned her whole body closer, bringing us infinitely close.
A soft touch and a faint, sweet scent.
Normally, my heart wouldn’t be able to handle this.
(…Yeah, the way she’s been closing the distance lately really is unusual.)
Feeling her gaze, I gently looked at Haru’s profile.
“…What’s wrong?”
“Nothing… nothing at all.”
Just as I started to say that, today’s scene suddenly flashed through my mind.
“…Ah, right. At the entrance ceremony today, I spotted Haru’s little sister, Mitsuri-chan.”
“Eh…?”
Haru’s eyes widened just a little.
“She seemed so different from when I last saw her. …It felt like, while we hadn’t seen each other in ages, she’d started to look more like you.”
After I finished speaking, Haru looked puzzled for a moment, then gave a small, quiet smile.
“…Is that so? Just yesterday, she mentioned how people often tell her lately that she’s starting to look like her big sister.”
“Really?”
As I answered, I looked at her profile once more.
She really did look like her.
Then Haru narrowed her eyes happily.
…Damn, she’s cute.
Her charm is seriously devastating.
For the rest of the walk, Haru thoughtfully kept a little distance whenever she spotted people. Once they were gone, she’d snuggle right up close again.
Through that repetition, I became certain.
—Haru is directing something only at me.
Whether it’s affection, dependence, or some other emotion entirely.
I still don’t know.
Only one thing is clear.
That gentle smile she shows in front of Yamato.
And the slightly different expression she shows beside me.
Ayase Haru is more complicated than I ever imagined.
Yeah. Like, every time we part ways lately, I swear I hear her muttering something under her breath… What could it be?
“Haa~ Yamato’s such a pain… My precious childhood friend? …Like that’s even possible. I’ve always hated that guy.”
Maiasa