The Gal Next to Me Is Trying Too Hard to Make Me Fall in Love With Her
“Everyone, look! I got it made for me again today!”
“Wow, that’s amazing!”
“The level is too high…”
“It’s like a restaurant!”
A few days have passed since then.
When I went to school, I took my lunch out of my bag and showed it off to everyone around me.
Wheat rice, tofu hamburger, boiled eggs, broccoli, and hijiki. A colorful lunch box made by Saburo.
The day after he saw my lunch of chicken breast and broccoli, he started making lunch for me too, saying it was just a side dish for his own lunch.
“He even thinks about nutrition. Saeki-kun is pretty thoughtful, isn’t he?”
“He was looking out for Arisa before too. He’s like an older brother.”
“I get it! I wish I had an older brother like that!”
An older brother… Ah, an older brother.
Hearing that, I nodded in agreement.
Tall stature. The feeling of watching over others from a slight distance. But the reassuring presence of someone who’s always on your side.
I’ve never heard about Saeki’s family, but I bet he has a younger sister or brother. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so caring.
“Hey! No way! That’s not happening! He’s mine!”
Just to be sure, I made it clear.
My friends all sighed and looked at me with a warm gaze, saying, “We’re not taking him.”
“…But honestly, it’s okay, right?”
“Yeah.”
“If Arisa gets rejected, should we give him a call?”
“No way!! No, I mean it!! Seriously!!”
The three of them laugh, saying it’s a joke.
…Really? No, honestly, you’re about 20% serious, right?
“Aren’t you going to Saeki’s place today?”
“Of course I am! See you later!”
As usual, Saeki had to go to work early in the morning.
He hung a paper bag with his lunch on the doorknob of my room and left for work. So, I still haven’t been able to thank him directly or tell him how I feel.
I walk down the hallway with light steps.
I always liked school, but I like it even more since I fell for Saeki. Because I can see the person I like at school.
“Saeki…”
I open the door to his classroom, start to speak, and then swallow the rest of my words.
“Mashiro. Give me a Pocky.”
“Sure, whatever.”
“Ahnnn!”
“…Don’t just stand there with your mouth open. Take it yourself.”
“Can’t you see?”
“What?”
“I’m busy playing with my phone right now.”
“So why do I have to feed you!?”
“We’re friends, aren’t we? Don’t be so heartless.”
“I’m heartless!? Just because I refused to be treated like a servant!?”
“I feel like crying because my best friend betrayed me.”
“I didn’t betray you! And stop saying that with a straight face while looking at your phone!”
“That’s why.”
“Huh?”
“Ahhnn…”
“…Well, I guess I have no choice…”
With a sigh, he offered her a Pocky.
The one who took it with her mouth was a female student.
Saeki, who looked genuinely annoyed, yet somehow warm, in a way he would never show me.
This time, the female student took the Pocky and forced it into Saeki’s mouth.
He didn’t seem to mind, and they exchanged words like, “It’s delicious.”
…Ha?
Eh… Um, what? Haa?~
Saeki, my Saeki, is being called by his first name! And he’s even doing that “ahh” thing!
No, wait, more importantly!
That Saeki isn’t using honorifics!?
Saeki, who always uses honorifics with me, with boys, with girls, with everyone!?
Haaaa~~~!!!
◆
My early morning part-time job ended, and today, as usual, I headed to school.
When I opened the classroom door, I saw that my seat, which had been empty since summer vacation ended, was now surrounded by a crowd of girls.
…Ah, they’re finally here.
Breathing a sigh of relief, I made my way through the crowd toward my seat.
“Sei-sama, Sei-sama!! Next, look this way!!”
“Hm? Well, I guess I have no choice.”
“”“Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!!”””
“Sei-sama! I beg you! Please blow me a kiss!”
“Sure, but isn’t it okay if I don’t do it directly?”
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!!”
The girls were enthusiastic, holding up signs that read “You are precious” and “I love you.”
Several girls fainted after hearing Sei-sama’s words.
“Please take these girls to the infirmary.”
““Yes!””
“Let’s chat again sometime. Bye-bye, kittens.”
“”“Yes!! Thank you very much!!”””
At Sei-sama’s words, the girls responded with military precision, standing at attention.
Then, with practiced ease, they carried the unconscious girls away.
The classroom suddenly fell silent.
Seii-sama, with a smile so handsome it made one sigh, saw the girls off, then glanced at me and smiled in a somewhat relaxed manner.
“Good morning, Mashiro.”
“Good morning, Subaru. It was even more intense than usual, maybe because it’s the start of summer vacation.”
Seii-sama is a nickname.
Hijiro Subaru—that is her real name.
She has short navy blue hair, slanted blue eyes, and a neutral-looking face.
She is over 170 cm tall, taller than most boys, and has long limbs, giving her an incredibly good figure.
“You took quite a long break. Were you busy with work?”
“Well, yes. It’s really troublesome. I’ve told them many times to arrange the schedule so that it doesn’t interfere with school life as much as possible.”
Subaru shrugged her shoulders.
She is a model who graces the covers of women’s magazines, an actress who appears in popular movies, and an influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
Her sweet and refreshing looks have earned her a lot of support from her peers, and in fact, she is marketed as a prince-like character. She has a considerable number of fans at school, and she is often surrounded by them, as she was earlier.
“More importantly, Mashiro, I’m disappointed. You didn’t even contact me once while I was on break. Do you have any idea how lonely I felt?”
“Well, I thought it might be bad if you were busy and I
don’t have anything to do”
“So you won’t contact me if you don’t have anything to do? We’re best friends, right?”
“Who ignores messages from their best friend?”
“Sometimes I just don’t feel like replying. It’s your fault for contacting me when I’m not in the mood.”
“It’s my fault!?”
“Should we ask the girls which one of us is at fault?”
“The followers of Subaru wouldn’t take my side…”
“Giving up before the fight even starts—you’ve become such a small man.”
“You’re the one who’s small for challenging a fight I can’t win!”
“I’m fine with it. I’m a brave, fragile, cute girl.”
Her handsome smile burst forth.
Her teeth shone so brightly they were almost suspicious, and there was not a trace of bravery or fragility in them, so I let out a big sigh.
I’m being toyed with…
Feeling a sense of security in the usual routine, I took out a Pocky stick from my bag to replace breakfast.
“Mashiro. Give me a Pocky.”
“Hmm, sure.”
“Ahhnn”
I held out the bag, but she didn’t even glance at me.
“Don’t just stand there with your mouth open. Take it yourself.”
“Can’t you see?”
“What?”
“I’m busy playing with my phone right now.”
“So why do I have to feed you!?”
“We’re friends, aren’t we? Don’t be so heartless.”
“I’m heartless!? Just because I refused to be treated like a servant!?”
“I feel like crying because my best friend betrayed me.”
“I didn’t betray you! And stop saying that with a straight face while looking at your phone!”
“That’s why.”
“Hm?”
She looked up from her phone and looked at me.
A smile that seemed to be lit up, with a strong presence. Her lips curved into a gentle smile, revealing her red tongue.
“Ahhnn…”
“…Well, I guess I have no choice…”
I sighed once and inserted a Pocky into her mouth.
Eating the same thing together and saying, “It’s delicious,” was somehow fun.
“S-Saeki…?”
I heard a familiar voice coming from the classroom door and turned my gaze toward it.
Amagi was standing there, looking at Subaru and me with an incredulous expression.
“What, what, what?! Wait a minute, Saeki! Saeki is talking to her informally… and with Seii-sama, no less! Wait, wait, wait! What’s going on? Are you two close friends!?”
“Well… um, Subaru and I have been together since elementary school…”
“Subaru!? You’re calling Sei-sama by her first name…!?”
“We’ve been through a lot together and play often. ..right, Subaru?”
“Huh? Who are you? I don’t know you. Don’t talk to me.”
“Stop making meaningless jokes! That hurts a little!”
“Hahaha. Sorry, sorry.”
As she said that, she stood up and stood in front of Amagi.
One was a cool prince, the other was an energetic gal.
Both had outstanding looks and outstanding styles, but the atmosphere they exuded was completely opposite.
Perhaps because of that, they had a strange power.
“I know who you are. You’re Amagi Arisa, right?”
“What?! How do you know me, Sei-sama…?”
“When someone from the same agency is at the same school, it’s impossible not to know them. Your manager praised you, saying you’re a very nice girl. I’m rooting for you too, so good luck!”
“Wow! Thank you so much! Um, um, um… I actually wanted to greet Sei-sama when I enrolled, but I thought it might be inappropriate for someone like me, a lowly newbie, to approach you! So, I wasn’t ignoring you!”
“Hahaha. You don’t have to be so formal. We’re seniors and juniors at the agency, but we’re also classmates at the same school. I’ll call you Arisa-chan, so you can call me Subaru-chan.”
“No, no, no!! That’s impossible!! It’s way too much for me to handle, I’d die of embarrassment!! It’s way too much!!”
Wow…
Amagi, who always bossed me around and was about to break me, is completely overwhelmed.
But that makes sense.
Subaru has been doing her current job since she was a child, so she has been in the entertainment industry for over ten years.
What’s more, she is one of the top earners at the agency.
It’s understandable that Amagi, who wants to make a living as a model, would take such a humble stance.
“Actually, Mashiro, you’re not someone to be underestimated either. Where did you pick up such a cute girl?”
“I didn’t pick her up.”
“I fell in love with Saeki! We became friends with the intention of becoming lovers!”
“What!? Spring has finally come to Mashiro…!? That’s great! I’ll tell your parents for you!”
“Wait, wait! We’re not dating yet! We really haven’t done anything yet!”
“That’s right♡ We haven’t done anything yet♡”
“Mashiro.. make sure you use contraception, okay?”
“Can you stop saying that in the classroom!?”
Subaru smiles smugly, fully engaged in my frivolous conversation.
She’s enjoying this, thinking it’s none of her business…
“Let’s exchange contact information, Arisa-chan. If you have any problems with Mashiro, tell me right away.”
“Really?! Thank you so much, Sei-sama!”
“I told you, you don’t have to use honorifics. And if you don’t call me Subaru-chan, I’ll kiss that cute face of yours.”
“Huh?! I, I’m a little interested in that, but… no, but, I’m devoted to Saeki…!! Uuuhhhhh!! S, Subaru-chan!!”
Amagi covers her cheeks with her hands and laughs loudly.
She seems to be having fun too…
“Then I’ll send you a embarrassing photo of Mashiro right away.”
“Wait!? What are you doing without my permission――”
“Wahhhhh♡ Saeki’s sleeping face is too cute♡”
Personal information was leaked so easily, and I was left holding my head in my hands.
Maiban