Vol. 2 Chapter 2 – Barrage of Questions

“What did you want to ask about…?” (Reiya)
“About what happened the day before yesterday, of course! You got confessed to by Hikaru, didn’t ya?” (Akane)
“Eh? Ah, uh… well… maybe… I wonder…” (Reiya)

Her question was so direct, thrown right into the heart of the matter, that I became flustered.

“…Well, actually, I was there too, so I know even without askin’,” (Akane)

She said, laughing loudly.

This thick Kansai dialect, combined with a way of closing the distance that could be taken as lacking delicacy…

Honestly, my first impression was ‘She’s the type I’m not good at handling.’

“So, is that all you wanted to ask…?” (Reiya)
“No way, no way, how could that be all! The boy that the Asahi Hikaru finally set her sights on! I came here to conduct a surprise interview with the luckiest guy in Japan!” (Akane)
“An interview… you say, but I was about to eat lunch.” (Reiya)
“That’s fine. Me too.” (Akane)

She held up a simple, not very girly-looking wrapped bento box.

I wondered what exactly was fine about it, but being weak to pressure, there was no way I could refuse her.

And so, for some reason, I ended up heading to our usual classroom with this girl I’d just met.

“Heeh… So there was a classroom like this. You always eat here?” (Akane)

Ogata-san said, looking around the empty room.

Hayato and Yuuma must have been delayed by class running late; they weren’t here yet.

“Mm… well, mostly, yeah…” (Reiya)
“I see, I see… So Asahi Hikaru’s loved one likes unpopular places…” (Akane)

She sat down in a nearby seat, making a gesture like she was taking notes.

“So, let’s get right to it… How did ya get close with Hikaru? What’s the story of how ya got together!?” (Akane)

While opening her bento, she immediately cut to the chase about that topic.

“How we got together… It wasn’t really anything special… We just met normally, became friends normally…” (Reiya)
“No, no, no, it’s the Asahi Hikaru, y’know!? Not only is her own guard up, but she’s got Hino Ayaka beside her—a truly iron wall of a woman! She’s an impregnable, invincible fortress that countless fierce warriors have challenged and been crushed by! You can’t just make that fall normally! Not normally!” (Akane)

She rattled on at a speed that made me wonder if she even chewed properly.

“No, really… I just acted normally towards her…” (Reiya)

Even thinking back on it now, it was just a useless person acting like a useless person would.

We just had fun playing games together normally, went out a little bit.

After learning about her worries, I did some things that were a bit out of character for me, but nothing major.

It was already a miracle that my efforts bore fruit and she managed to recover, so I never dreamed she’d confess to me.

“So, ya mean ya just acted normal and Hikaru went all ‘like, like, like~’ on her own!?” (Akane)
“Well, from my perspective…” (Reiya)
“What’s with that~… Aw man, can’t compete…” (Akane)

Perhaps because she didn’t get the answer she wanted, she looked blatantly disappointed.

“But, I really can’t believe Hikaru would fall that hard just for that… Maybe there’s somethin’ ya just haven’t noticed yourself?” (Akane)
“Even if you say that…” (Reiya)
“Maybe ya can write passionate poems like Shakespeare or Cyrano…?” (Akane)
“No way. My Japanese grades are about average.” (Reiya)
“Then maybe your true form is a legendary King of the Night, and you’ve twisted countless beauties around your finger! Or maybe you’re a master hypnotist with full mastership!?” (Akane)
“No, no… I’m really just the way I look…” (Reiya)

‘What kind of manga setup is that?’ I thought, while still answering mildly.

“The way you look… huh…” (Akane)

She scooted her chair closer and stared intently at my face from up close.

“Um… Ogata-san, you’re a little close…” (Reiya)

Even with Asahi-san, we rarely got this close.

I experienced firsthand that the rumors about guys misunderstanding her closeness were apparently true.

“Looks-wise… if ya straightened up a bit, ya seem like ya could be pretty good-lookin’… but there’ve been plenty like that before, so that can’t be it…” (Akane)
“I said… y-you’re close… just back up a bit—” (Reiya)

As I tried to pull my chair back to create distance from the encroaching Ogata-san—

“Oi, Reiya. About that matter, tell us in deta…il…” (Hayato)
“Reiya-kun, you have the right to remain sile…nt…” (Yuuma)

The voices of the usual duo echoed from behind as they opened the entrance door.

However, their words trailed off as if they’d seen something they shouldn’t have.

Wondering why, I quickly arrived at the answer.

The distance between our faces, close enough that we might touch.

Seen from behind over my shoulder, it wouldn’t be strange if it looked like we were doing something else.

“Excuse us~…” (Hayato)
“Sorry to intrude~…” (Yuuma)
“Wait, wait, wait!! It’s a misunderstanding!! We weren’t doing anything!!” (Reiya)

I hurriedly stopped the two as they tried to leave the classroom.

With that rumor spreading, being seen getting involved with another girl already…

If such a groundless story spread, I’d be branded the biggest scumbag in school.

“I-It’s okay… We won’t tell anyone that you were already trying to make a move on a second S-Rank Girl…” (Hayato)
“Y-Yeah… But I never thought you were such a player, Reiya-kun…” (Yuuma)
“I told you, it’s a misunderstanding… Ogata-san, explain it to them—” (Reiya)
“You’re Kazama-kun and Kaneda-kun from Class C, right? Friends with Kageyama-kun?” (Akane)

When I turned back to ask her for backup, she was already right beside me.

She closes the distance like a user of Shukuchiho…

“Eh? Well… I guess… we’re friends… maybe…?” (Hayato)
“Might be more accurate to say we’re the same kind.” (Yuuma)
“Hmm… Well then, from a friend’s perspective, what kinda guy is Kageyama-kun?” (Akane)

At the sudden question, the two looked at each other.

“What kinda guy… A hardcore game otaku who’s always happily playing some obscure game I’ve never heard of on a ridiculously huge handheld console that looks like something a carpenter would use…?” (Hayato)
“So he’s weirdly knowledgeable only about game sale info… and also, he has a really beautiful, large-breasted older cousin, which is enviable…?” (Yuuma)

The fact that I could only nod at this less-than-complimentary, lukewarm assessment certainly described me well.

“I see… So maybe it means only Hikaru noticed Kageyama-kun’s charm that even his friends don’t get…” (Akane)

Ogata-san crossed her arms, tilted her head, and seemed deep in thought.

“Hmm… For now, I guess I’ll just have to ask Hikaru directly when she gets back…” (Akane)

It’s true she might be somewhat… no, quite lacking in delicacy.

But she was the only one who didn’t just dismiss my relationship with Asahi-san—something even I couldn’t fully believe—as ‘impossible’.

She might have other motives, but she was at least trying to find some reason behind it.

In that respect, I felt a slight sense of favor towards her.

“Well, guess I’ll leave it at that for today… Thanks for tellin’ me all sorts of stuff!” (Akane)
“Eh, ah… yeah…” (Reiya)
“Here’s my PINE, so let me know if anything else happens! See ya later then~!” (Akane)

Just as I thought we’d exchanged contact info with a speed too fast for the eye to follow, she quickly packed up her bento and swiftly exited the room.

‘She was like a storm…’ As I gazed at the door she’d left through, the smartphone in my hand vibrated.

Wondering if Ogata-san had sent something already, I checked it—

“Ah…” (Reiya)

Seeing the sender’s name, ‘Asahi Hikaru’, a sound escaped my lips involuntarily.

I won!

The message, short yet expressing the greatest joy, was accompanied by a photo of her holding a championship cup with a beaming smile.

The person I like might be a little… no, quite amazing.

As I fought back the foolish grin threatening to spread across my face, I sensed something like killing intent from my left and right.

“I see, so… that rumor was true after all…” (Hayato)
“Reiya-kun, we’re friends, right…?” (Yuuma)

Both my ears simultaneously caught their cold voices, filled with resentment.

“”Well then, let’s hear all the details…”” (Hayato, Yuuma)

Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

From these two, who usually hardly cared about each other, I faced what felt like a lifetime’s worth of questions that day.