The Issue With Her Arrow Pointing at Me Being Way Too Big
The term “childhood friend” doesn’t apply to me.
Why? Because I don’t have anyone that close, and honestly, worrying about childhood friends is something you only see in romance comedy anime or manga settings.
…Or so I thought.
“Hey, that person is your childhood friend, right?”
“Uh, yeah…”
That conversation was happening right in front of my desk.
“Otonashi’s super quiet, like, plain, right?”
“Plain… I dunno.”
“Her bangs are long, her voice’s quiet, she doesn’t stand out at all.”
“……………”
“But she’s got a pretty face, right? Plus big boobs and a great figure.”
“E-Enough already, okay?”
It was just like a typical romance comedy conversation.
The two boys’ gazes were fixed on a girl sitting quietly at her desk reading a book. As mentioned in the conversation, she really was a quiet presence, a girl who never stood out at all in class.
“You… you don’t like her, do you? Otonashi?”
“I-I don’t like her! She’s my childhood friend, okay? Not so much lately, but back in the day, we were close enough to take baths together…?”
“Hah, bragging? But that’s a waste… Doesn’t Otonashi get confessed to?”
“Probably not… I mean, she doesn’t act like she’s dating anyone.”
Well, that’s the kind of conversation they have, but I know about the whole childhood friend thing.
I don’t consider myself overly sensitive to people’s feelings, but it’s pretty obvious this guy has feelings for her… The other half of the conversation seems to get it too.
“Is that really okay? If you don’t do something, someone else will snatch her up!”
“W-well… Why do I have to hear that from you?!”
“I’m just looking out for you, okay? Come on, it’s like those cliché manga stories. The quiet childhood friend you’ve always liked suddenly hooks up with some popular delinquent and changes completely.”
“Like that would ever happen in real life, you idiot!”
“That’s pretty harsh, you idiot. Well, yeah, it probably doesn’t happen that often.”
Yeah… Not just rarely, it’d be better if it never happened.
I want to tell them not to talk about that stuff where I am, but I don’t like hearing about someone stealing the person you like either.
I’ve never had a girlfriend, but even so, I get that fuzzy feeling called loss from stories.
“…Fuwaa?”
I’m getting sleepy… Five minutes until the next class starts… I can catch some shut-eye.
The two who were talking up front are gone too. It’s only a short time, but I think I can sleep—just as I was about to lower my head, I felt a gaze.
“?”
That gaze came from the girl who’d been the topic of conversation just moments ago—Otonashi. She had turned her face toward me and was staring intently.
When our eyes met, she looked startled, but she gave a quick little bow before turning back to face forward.
“……………”
I didn’t bother pondering the meaning behind her gaze. Instead, I gave in to the overwhelming drowsiness and closed my eyes.
▼▽
I’m definitely not the type with a lot of friends.
It’s a pretty sad problem to have in my second year of high school, but I’m not exactly dwelling on it.
“……………”
I stopped walking and looked at my reflection in the window.
The hair I dyed when I entered high school, the piercings a friend gave me… Seeing it all together, I clearly looked like a delinquent. My body was also fairly large.
I’m a pretty simple person. Wanting to be a cool guy, I’d been going to the gym regularly since middle school and built muscle.
My parents… especially Mom… were happy to see me looking more impressive, but this appearance still made me look like a delinquent. No one except guys dressed similarly ever talked to me.
“…Well, there are exceptions, I guess.”
Suddenly, the face of one classmate… a girl… popped into my head.
“Huh, gotta hurry up and go.”
It was already after school, and normally I’d just go home.
But today, I had business at the library… or rather, I’d been summoned there.
Since I couldn’t run in the hallway, I walked briskly.
I soon reached the library and entered. As expected, there were few people inside.
The students using the library glanced at me when I entered, but quickly looked away, either scared or losing interest… also as usual.
“Guess I’m getting used to this too.”
Walking through the quiet library, my destination was a seat further back in the corner.
There, a girl had her textbook spread open on the desk, looking anxiously at her phone… but when she spotted me approaching, she lit up with a smile like a flower blooming.
“Hey, you’re late, Amato-kun!”
“Your voice is loud, you know… Sorry for keeping you waiting, Ayaka.”
The one waiting was Otonashi Ayaka.
Her jet-black, silky semi-long hair. Her eyes were partially hidden, but behind them lay gentle, warm-looking pupils. Her large chest pushed against her uniform… Sure, she might look plain to some, but to me, she was undeniably beautiful.
She was a classmate and the girl who had been the topic of conversation between the two boys sitting in front of my desk.
“Did you need something?”
“Nah, nothing. Just spaced out and got late.”
To be honest, Otonashi made a clearly displeased face.
(…Honestly, she’s cute, huh?)
In class, Otonashi was truly a quiet, unassuming girl.
That’s what I think too, and what her childhood friend said about her isn’t wrong at all… But seeing her up close like this, Otonashi has a cuter side than the girls who are popular in class.
“Well, forgive me. I came, didn’t I?”
“…Yeah. I’ll forgive you because you came.”
She puffed out her cheeks and turned away.
Even as she acted like that, she kept glancing at me out of the corner of her eye, probably curious about my reaction.
“So, sorry about that. Anyway, good morning, teacher. Let’s get to work today.”
“Ah… yeah! Let’s study hard!”
My purpose for coming here was to get Ayaka to tutor me… or rather, I was practically forcing her to teach me.
(…Seriously, how did things get like this?)
Originally, Ayaka and I were the kind of people who wouldn’t cross paths like this.
All my friends look pretty much the same, and even though I don’t, they approach me like we share some kind of tribal bond.
I don’t mind it as long as it doesn’t go too far, but at least among those guys, there’s no quiet girl like Ayaka.
(It really… was just a coincidence, right?)
The reason I started talking to Ayaka was because I helped her.
It happened on a certain holiday. There was a guy persistently hitting on her. Even if she looked plain, her figure was top-notch, and anyone who could see her hidden beauty would naturally want to talk to her.
So, I helped Ayaka, who was being hit on and looked completely lost.
At the time, she still seemed to think I was a delinquent, but it was precisely that preconception that made her curious about me after I helped her.
[Um… thanks, Kannagi-kun.]
[Huh? You know that manga, Kannagi-kun?]
[Kannagi-kun… you’re totally different from the rumors]
[Kannagi-kun… can I call you Amato-kun? You can call me by my name too.]
Personality-wise and lifestyle-wise, I’ve always been more like Ayaka’s type.
That’s exactly why we had things to talk about and shared interests. We became close without drawing much attention… And now, she’s so worried about my poor grades that she’s always trying to tutor me.
Honestly… Honestly, it’s super straightforward and a huge help.
“So this problem here is… Are you actually listening?”
“I’m listening. I’m really listening.”
“Are you sure? Well, if you are, that’s fine.”
Even now, I wonder why we became such good friends.
But I never find it bothersome, and it’s no lie that I secretly look forward to this time.
“……………”
And I know something.
[Huh? Makoto? We’re childhood friends and get along well… but we haven’t talked much lately. Why do you ask?]
That she absolutely no romantic feelings whatsoever for her childhood friend.
So in a way, when I see him having that kind of conversation right in front of me, it makes me feel… well, kind of sorry for him. And seeing that.. it just leaves me with this… indescribable feeling.
“Hey, you’re totally not paying attention.”
“……………”
“Something wrong? If you’re troubled, I’ll listen to anything. I want to help you, Amato-kun.”
…Maybe I’m just being overly self-conscious, but sometimes I wonder.
We became close after I helped her out originally… but I feel like there’s this pretty strong arrow pointing in her direction… or so it seems.
Maiasa