Chapter 12 | Mistakes Made

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“The angel, huh…”

During lunch break, I spotted Kotomi choosing a book in the library.

Her demeanor was elegant, and she looked beautiful even from afar.

(Is he in love with that girl?… What am I even thinking?)

I saw Yuzu’s face in my head, but I quickly shook it off.

It wasn’t jealousy, just curiosity. I spoke to Kotomi.

“Do you like this series?”

“Eh? Oh, yes. Do you like it too, Nishimiya-san?”

Kotomi looked a little surprised, perhaps because I had suddenly talked to her.

However, Kotomi seemed to recognize my face and even remembered my name.

“You remembered my name. Yeah, I like it too. The way the emotions are depicted is so accurate…”

“I understand. And even the villains have their own pasts, so you can’t completely hate them.”

“I feel like I could get along with you, Amase-san. Would you like to chat over there?”

I pointed to the break area in the hallway.

It was a place often used when the cafeteria was crowded.

There were vending machines, and the temperature was adjusted, making it a perfect place to talk.

“Sure, I don’t mind.”

Kotomi smiled her angelic smile.

She was dazzling as always.

Normally, I wouldn’t talk to Kotomi.

The truth was that she was too dazzling and hard to approach.

The guys seemed to be hitting on her, but she rejected them all. Among the girls, many were jealous of and disliked Kotomi.

That was probably why Kotomi built a wall around herself, to protect herself.

I didn’t hate or like Kotomi in particular. I was just not interested in her at all.

However, since I was close to Yuzu, I had become a little curious and wanted to talk to her.

“That scene was particularly moving…”

“Yeah, I know what you mean.”

Before I knew it, I had forgotten my intention and was having a normal conversation with Kotomi.

When we talked, she was a good conversationalist, and I could tell from her words that she was a good person.

She also had a warm aura that almost wrapped me up.

After talking for a while, I remembered my intention and casually asked Kotomi about her relationship with Yuzu.

“By the way, changing the subject, Amase-san, you seem to be close with Yuzu-kun.”

When I said that, Kotomi smiled a different kind of smile.

It was a mixture of her angelic smile and her genuine smile.

“Yes, Hanazawa-san and I are friends.”

“Friends…”

I felt my chest tighten.

(It’s not jealousy… There’s no way, it can’t be that.)

However, my childhood friend was now losing to that “friend.”

I had invited him to have lunch with me before, but he had turned me down, saying he already had someone.

On the other hand, I had seen Kotomi and Yuzu eating together.

“Hanazawa-san and Nishimiya-san seem to be close, but what kind of relationship do you have? Nishimiya-san calls Hanazawa-san by his first name.”

“We’re childhood friends. Our parents were close, so we’ve been together since then.”

“I see, so you’re not dating?”

Kotomi asked that without changing her expression at all.

From the atmosphere, she probably knew that we weren’t dating, but I assumed she was just confirming.

However, that was enough to make my heart jump.

“N-No, we’re not dating, we’re not dating.”

(We’re not dating, and besides, that guy…)

I could say that I didn’t like him. However, I couldn’t say that I wasn’t aware of him.

Even if I denied it, my heart was pounding every time I thought about it.

Because of that pounding, I could no longer say that I didn’t like him.

However, something bothered me.

“Nishimiya-san, what’s wrong?”

I, who had been silent, lost in thought, returned to reality when Kotomi called out to her.

“Ah, sorry, it’s nothing. Anyway, I’m not dating Yuzu-kun, and I don’t think we’ll ever date in the future.”

That’s when I finally realized it. The mistake I had made.

(If Yuzu’s feelings were serious… then I…)

I was suddenly overcome with guilt.

If Yuzu’s feelings were serious, then I had greatly trampled on his feelings.

If he was angry not because he was tricked, but because his feelings were trampled on, then I had no right to have feelings for Yuzu.

Even if it was hypothetical, it was a possibility.

Besides, even if that was not the case, since Yuzu had accepted it, it was still a fact that I had trampled on his feelings.

What goes around comes around.

I thought that it was the perfect phrase for my current situation.

The person who was lied to would understandably lose feelings for the person who lied, and become disillusioned with them.

Even so, I finally understood that Yuzu was acknowledging me as a childhood friend because of his kindness.

Right now, I was taking advantage of that kindness.

“…Sorry, I’m not feeling well, so I’m going to go to the nurse’s office.”

“O-Okay… Are you alright? Shall I go with you?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Kotomi was looking at me with worried eyes.

I understood that I was far from being like that angel.

I started walking in the opposite direction of the nurse’s office.

To somewhere no one was, where I could be alone.

What I had to do now was to not get involved with Yuzu more than necessary.

Even if I did, I would only be taking advantage of his kindness, and I thought that I would only be a nuisance.

It was too late for me to realize it. I should have considered other people’s feelings more.

If I could go back to before I did that fake confession, I would want to.

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