V4Ch21: Red Best Friend and Rainbow Friend

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Translator: Soafp

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Why is Nekoda the one apologizing?

I didn't understand what was going on, and a question mark floated in my mind.

“There's nothing you need to apologize for, though.”

“…”

“If anything, I'm grateful to you, Nekoda.”

“…Grateful?”

Nekoda timidly looked up at me.

“Remember back in middle school? You told me about that rumor. The one where people were saying I was stalking Yuuhi Akazawa. Thanks to you telling me, I was able to avoid trouble.”

At those words, Nekoda's face turned pale.

Her reaction was so unexpected that I began to wonder if I'd said something wrong.

“Uh… do you mind if I talk a little?”

“Y-yeah.”

Since Nekoda's reaction bothered me, I began to recount what had happened back then.

Back in middle school, I was living my life unaware of anything. I was feeling down because my first love, Akazawa, had been cold to me, but otherwise, I was spending my days peacefully.

Then things gradually started to change.

I began to feel like my classmates were avoiding me. It became more noticeable with each passing day.

Just when I was starting to feel something was off, Nekoda appeared and told me that there was a rumor going around that I was stalking Akazawa.

After hearing that, I hurriedly distanced myself from her.

But by then, the rumor had already spread, and my peaceful days were over. Still, since I quickly distanced myself, nothing really serious happened. If I hadn't known and just carried on as usual, I might've gotten attacked by some of Akazawa's fans.

That's why I felt indebted to Nekoda for giving me that information.

After I finished talking, I glanced over at Renji.

Renji looked confused and shook his head like he didn't get it. He did look a little guilty though, probably because of something careless he said earlier. I'll be addressing that later, so I hope he's mentally preparing himself.

“…It's not like that.”

“What's not?”

“I was the one who spread that rumor.”

“What!?”

Nekoda spread it?

“What do you mean?”

“This time, I want you to listen to my side.”

“O-okay.”

And so, Nekoda began to talk.

“Yuuhi and I met when we started middle school, and we hit it off right away.”

That I knew well. Akazawa and Nekoda were undeniably best friends.

“We got close really quickly and started calling each other best friends. I thought I knew everything about Yuuhi. But there was one thing I just couldn't understand.”

Nekoda looked at me. The usual cheerfulness in her eyes was gone.

“I couldn't figure out why you were walking to school with her. You two never talked at school, but I saw you together a few times in the morning. Even when I asked Yuuhi about it, she'd just smile and never explain. So I ended up thinking she was being followed…”

Ah, I see.

Nekoda didn't know we were childhood friends, so she mistook me for a stalker.

“Yuuhi's kind, so I thought she just didn't want to say anything.”

“…”

“So I felt like I had to protect my best friend.”

In order to protect her friend, Nekoda spread the rumor that I was a stalker. She thought that if she spread it, I would back off.

But since I didn't, she got impatient and told me directly. Her plan worked, and I backed away from Akazawa.

She chose the rumor-spreading route because she was afraid I'd lash out if confronted directly. Back then, Nekoda and I weren't exactly on good terms. She didn't know how I'd react if provoked, so she took the roundabout approach.

“…So that's how it was.”

It was a shocking truth.

“I was just wrong…”

“Wrong about what?”

“I thought Yuuhi hated you.”

“No, I don't think you were wrong. I thought that too. She really did make me suffer.”

There's no doubt that she hated me. I could tell from her attitude and the way she spoke.

“I thought the same. But… now I'm not so sure.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don't know for sure. Even after we made up, I was too scared to ask her about you directly. But Yuuhi called you a precious childhood friend.”

A precious childhood friend, huh.

It sure didn't feel that way.

“…She probably just said that out of guilt.”

“She was doing everything she could to clear up the rumor. She didn't look like she was just saying it to ease her conscience. I think she really wanted people to see you differently. She was furious at me too — that anger felt real.”

Hmm. Now that she mentions it, that might be true.

I'd misjudged the reason Akazawa and Nekoda were fighting — it wasn't because of Renji, but because of me.

Still, if I look back on how she was in middle school, it's hard to believe. She acted like she hated me with everything she had.

As I was lost in thought, Nekoda took a quiet breath.

“…Um, that's the end of my story.”

“…”

“All of that was just my misunderstanding—or jumping to conclusions. I spread bad rumors about you, and… I'm really sorry. I know it's too late for an apology, that it doesn't mean anything now, but… I'm sorry!”

After finishing her story, Nekoda bowed her head, trembling.

To be honest, after hearing everything, I didn't feel angry or betrayed.

To me, it was something that had already ended. Like Nekoda said, apologizing now probably doesn't mean much. Sure, I was shocked to learn that she was the one who started the rumors, but given the situation at the time, I could at least understand why she did it.

It was true that Akazawa and I didn't talk at school, and it was also true that we went to school together. In that context, it wasn't hard to see how someone could get the wrong idea.

My parents had told me to walk to school with her, but to someone who didn't know that, it must've looked like some guy trying to tag along with the school idol whenever she was alone. Of course people would think I was stalking her.

“Raise your head.”

“…”

“Let me say this first—I'm not angry. I don't intend to do anything to you, and I'm not going to spread this story around either.”

“Eh?”

“I mean, sure, I was surprised. But honestly, even if you hadn't said anything, I bet a similar rumor would've spread anyway.”

Akazawa had a lot of fans even back then.

I'm sure there were people who were jealous of me walking with her and wanted to spread nasty rumors. In fact, for the rumor to spread that fast, someone must've actively helped it along.

“I consider you a friend, Nekoda.”

“!”

“Ever since I transferred to this school, I've been sitting next to you, watching. I think I know you well enough to say—you're not a bad person.”

As a transfer student, Nekoda had been kind to me.

Maybe that's partly because she helped me make up with Akazawa, but still—her presence was a huge support. When I first arrived, the so-called “Four-Colored Goddesses” seemed like literal demons, and honestly, I was scared of most of the girls in our class.

But thanks to Nekoda, I was able to get off to a good start. She was a big reason why I was able to settle into this school life comfortably.

In that sense, she'd already atoned for her actions.

“B-But—”

“Besides, you've already been punished, haven't you?”

She fought with her best friend Akazawa because of me.

They had a falling out, and Nekoda ended up isolated in class. I'd say that's more than enough punishment. Anything more would just be cruel.

I glanced at Renji and saw he was making a “what can you do” kind of face.

“Well, if Shota's okay with it, I've got nothing more to say. Back then, I was too wrapped up in my own mess to do anything. I'm surprised Nekoda was the one who started the rumor, but considering how fast it spread, a lot of people must've felt the same way.”

Couldn't agree more.

The real culprit was that girl, the one who acted in a way that made people misunderstand in the first place. Honestly, someone with her brains should've been able to predict the gossip. If she really thought of me as a precious childhood friend, she should've just distanced herself from me on her own.

“To me, Nekoda is a classmate and a friend.”

“…”

“I hope we can keep getting along. And if you do feel guilty, it'd be great if you could support me from now on. My best friend's kind of useless, you see.”

I heard a sulky “shut up” from beside me, but I ignored it.

“…Yeah. Got it. Thanks, Nijitani.”

Nekoda bowed her head once again.

It was an unexpected development, but I was glad I found out the truth about that rumor before talking to Akazawa. After all, the source of that rumor had always been one of the things bothering me.

――
――――

And then, the next day, I finally came face-to-face with Yuuhi Akazawa.