Chapter 108: Commuting by Train

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Translator; Soafp

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Going to school with me?

…Why?

To be honest, I had absolutely no idea why Kokoa-san had suddenly suggested that.

If I remembered correctly, her middle school was several stations away by train.

We’d just end up getting off at different stations almost immediately anyway.

“Just to be sure, there’s no special reason for this, right?”

If she was being stalked, or if she thought she might run into Nagasawa-senpai, then I’d understand.

If it was something like that, I’d be the one going to help her.

Kokoa-san shook her head.

“It’s not anything that serious!”

“…Then why?”

“Ehh, you’re really going to make me say it? Do you absolutely have to hear it from Kokoa herself? Ren-sama, you’re so cruel~”

How did that make me the bad guy?

“Hehe.”

Airi let out a small laugh.

“Ren-kun likes making girls say things themselves, after all.”

“I-Is that so?”

“Kokoa-san, don’t worry about it. Airi’s talking about something completely different.”

If anything, Airi seemed far more enthusiastic about being the one taking orders than I ever was…

In any case, it wasn’t something Kokoa-san needed to hear.

Lowering her voice slightly, Kokoa-san spoke.

“The truth is… I’ve never really had any friends to go to school with before. So I thought maybe it would be nice with you guys…”

“Ah.”

Both Nodoka and I reacted at the same time.

That’s right.

Kokoa-san was basically a loner too.

And one every bit as lonely as Nodoka.

(Well, as long as we’re not alone together, it shouldn’t cause any scandals.)

At the summer festival the other day, people had secretly taken photos of Kokoa-san and uploaded them online.

But nobody had suspected anything about us.

Most people simply saw us as a group of friends around the same age.

After all, Airi and Nodoka had each claimed one of my arms, leaving no room for doubt.

“Got it. Then let’s go.”

“Yay! Ren-sama really is the best!”

“But Kokoa-san, you could’ve at least sent me a message last night.”

We had exchanged contact information yesterday, after all.

It wasn’t like she would have worried about messaging too late.

“Because I thought surprising you like this would be more fun!”

“…”

I knew it.

Kokoa-san really liked surprises.

And so, with Kokoa-san joining us, we headed toward the station.

As the crowd thickened closer to the station, Nodoka and Yui both swallowed nervously.

“S-So we’re really going to ride packed trains every day now?”

“What if there are gropers…? It’s kind of scary…”

Apparently neither of them had ever experienced rush-hour trains before.

Which made sense—they had always lived within walking distance of school.

To be fair, I didn’t have much experience with them either.

Airi took my hand and gently guided it toward her butt.

“I wouldn’t mind being groped if it were by Ren-kun.”

“…That would still be a nuisance.”

Not wanting to lose, Nodoka clung tightly to my arm.

“I-I’d be fine with it too, as long as it was Ren!”

“Were either of you listening to me?”

At this point, there was probably no avoiding the judgmental stares we’d get on the train.

---

As expected, the train was completely packed.

It was crowded enough to make me wonder whether we’d even be able to get off at our destination.

The train lurched violently.

Someone behind me lost their balance during a sharp curve, and I was shoved forward.

“Whoa. Kokoa-san, are you okay?”

“A-Ah, y-yes…!”

Nodoka was on one side of me, Airi on the other, Kokoa-san directly in front, and Yui beside her.

Pushed around by the crowd, Kokoa-san and Yui ended up pressed against the doors.

Before I realized it, I was practically bracing myself with both arms around Kokoa-san like something out of a manga.

…And for some reason, her cheeks had turned slightly red.

“S-Something about this is making my heart race…”

“It’s just because it’s still hot.”

“Ren-sama, do you have no sense of romance!?”

Even if she expected romance from me, I didn’t know what she wanted.

“But seeing you this close… how do I put it? You really do feel like a man.”

“Well, I am a man.”

“I know that! But you’re obviously taller than me, and your chest is completely different from a girl’s…”

“Because I’m a man.”

“Geez! I’m trying to say something romantic here!”

No, an active idol shouldn’t be saying romantic things to another guy.

Especially not in a crowded train.

“Besides, you’re just small, Kokoa-san.”

My build wasn’t particularly large for a guy.

“Ah, that’s a forbidden phrase around me!”

“That’s a bit cruel to Miyoko-san. All she can do is pray she’ll grow more in the future.”

“Secretary-san, we’re talking about height, not br**sts!”

“Oh, sorry. I misunderstood. Though Miyoko-san is small in every way.”

“You're not sorry at all!”

Drawn in by the topic of breasts, my eyes unintentionally drifted toward Kokoa-san’s chest.

It was only for a moment, but she noticed and quickly covered herself with both hands.

“M-Mou! Ren-sama, you’re such a pervert!”

“I didn’t do it on purpose… Sorry.”

“Well, it’s not like there’s much worth looking at anyway.”

“Secretary-san, why are you being so mean!?”

Seeking help, Kokoa-san spread her arms toward Yui.

But—

“Come to think of it, Yui-san is bigger than Secretary-san too! Ugh, why am I being tested like this!?”

“N-Now, now, calm down. My ch*st just stands out more. My height and proportions are kind of average… Honestly, Sugawara-senpai’s figure is the one I envy most. As far as overall balance goes, I think yours is better than mine, Kokoa-san.”

“R-Really?”

“Ara? Then Yui-san, if you could swap figures with Miyoko-san, would you?”

Airi’s mischievous question left Yui unable to answer immediately.

After a moment, she quietly looked away from Kokoa-san.

Kokoa-san’s shoulders slumped in defeat.

“I need fellow flat-ch*sted friends! Ah, Nodo-san?”

“W-Why are you suddenly dragging me into this!? I’m not flat-ch*sted either!”

“Ehh, but!”

“No ‘ehh, but’!”

Nodoka suddenly turned toward me.

“Hey, Ren, I’m not flat-chested, right!? Maybe not as much as Senpai or Yui, but still!”

“Why are you asking me?”

“Because you’ve had experience feeling the ch*sts of all three of us—”

I immediately covered Nodoka’s mouth with my hand.

What on earth was she about to say?

I needed to end this topic as quickly as possible.

“Anyway, Kokoa-san, you still have a chance. You’re still growing. Of course, I’m talking about height.”

“R-Right!? A-And in that case, Ren-sama…”

Suddenly, Kokoa-san stood on her tiptoes and whispered softly into my ear.

“Would you still like a girl who’s short and flat-chested…?”

Huh?

What kind of question was that?

I couldn’t think of an answer.

More than before, it felt like she had been steadily closing the distance between us…

“Ah, I have to get off here!”

Kokoa-san slipped past me and disappeared into the crowd.

I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye.

Just as I thought that, my smartphone vibrated in my pocket.

When I checked the screen, it was a LINE message from Kokoa-san.

[But you can’t fall for any other short, flat-chested girls besides me, okay!?]

It was the kind of message that could easily give someone the wrong idea.

---

Not long afterward, we arrived at our station and started walking toward school.

From here on, the scenery was familiar.

Just then, an ambulance blared its siren as it sped past us.

Nodoka spoke quietly.

“I wonder what happened.”

“Who knows… There’s a fire station nearby, so it’s pretty common around here.”

“Ah, right.”

Without giving it much thought, we continued walking.

“By the way, Ren-kun, earlier you seemed surprisingly firm with Miyoko-san. Your boundaries were much clearer than I expected. It kind of surprised me.”

“Really? I wasn’t consciously thinking about anything like that.”

Besides, the way she phrased it made it sound as though Kokoa-san had been trying to flirt with me…

No way.

She was probably just teasing me because we’d become a little closer.

There was no reason an active idol would fall for someone like me.

Yui lowered her gaze slightly and spoke in a quiet voice.

“Ren has always been good about things like that…”

There was a trace of loneliness in her profile.

But then she suddenly flinched and waved both hands frantically.

“Ah, s-sorry! I shouldn’t be talking about this, but it just slipped out…”

“No, it’s fine. You don’t need to apologize.”

“Anyway, Ren-kun…”

Airi tightened her grip around my arm and continued.

“So it’s about time we started thinking about the third harem heroine, don’t you think?”

“What do you mean, third? I’m not thinking about that.”

“Are you the type who just lets things happen naturally, Ren-kun?”

“What’s the opposite of that even supposed to be? Planning it out in advance? No, there isn’t going to be a third one.”

As far as I was concerned, two was already more than enough.

No, the fact that there were two at all was a miracle.

Airi and Nodoka were somehow getting along without constantly clashing.

“Aren’t you going to say something too, Nodoka-san?”

“Ehh!? W-Well… if Ren absolutely begged me, I guess I could overlook a third one!”

“I’m not going to ask for that…”

More importantly, why would she even allow it?

Surely Airi and Nodoka weren’t plotting something together again.

It was while I was thinking that.

“Doesn’t it seem kind of noisy around the school gate?”

“You’re right. I wonder what happened.”

The sound of the ambulance siren we’d heard earlier echoed in the back of my mind.

At the same time, so did a certain nightmare.

That’s right.

It was around this time of year.

The time I witnessed Airi jump.

(…No way.)

I swallowed hard.

Cautiously, I started walking toward the school gate.

Then a familiar voice called out.

“Yo, Fukagawa.”

It was Takagi.

“Man, I’m jealous, you b*****d. You’re totally in your popular phase now.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“You’re not even going to deny it!?”

Honestly, I thought so too.

The chances of three different girls confessing to me again in this lifetime were probably zero.

“Anyway, Takagi, what happened?”

“Ah, didn’t you see it earlier? The ambulance.”

“I only saw it pass by.”

“I don’t know all the details yet either, but apparently someone jumped from the rooftop.”

“…Do you know who it was?”

“I don’t know exactly who, but—”

It wasn’t Airi.

She was right beside me.

Even now, I could clearly feel her warmth.

And yet, the uneasiness wouldn’t go away.

I couldn’t stop thinking about that man—the one who died after being struck by a train in Kokoa-san’s place.

Takagi continued matter-of-factly.

“Sounds like it was a female senior from the third year.”