Chapter 7: My Ex-Girlfriend’s Friend ①

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Translator: Soafp

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Having someone die right in front of me in a “nightmare” had always been the most nauseating thing I could experience.

…At least, until I started dreaming about Yuzuki Yuzuki being stolen from me.

Anyway, the moment I woke up, I sat down at my desk.

I opened my notebook and began writing down the outline of the dream.

(I've seen that girl somewhere before…)

The uniform was from my school.

Judging from the color of the ribbon, she was in my grade.

Her skirt was quite short, and her nails were painted orange.

The most eye-catching thing was definitely the blonde bob haircut.

But someone like that… around me—

(Ah, right. Komori-san.)

She was one of my classmates.

And it wasn't like we had absolutely no connection.

Komori-san was the first friend Yuzuki made after entering high school.

Like Takagi, she was someone who knew well about the relationship between Yuzuki and me.

(…This is starting to look troublesome.)

Honestly, I didn't want to get dragged into any more problems related to Yuzuki.

But—

I had seen a future where Komori-san might die in a traffic accident.

Right in front of me.

(Just keeping quiet and letting it happen would leave a terrible feeling in my chest…)

…It couldn't be helped.

For the sake of my own peace of mind, I'd avoid the future where Komori-san got into a traffic accident.

From experience, if I could identify the timing, these kinds of prophetic dreams were actually pretty easy to overturn.

I thought back on the dream again.

(Both Komori-san and I were wearing winter uniforms. The people around us were wearing spring clothes.)

At the very least, that narrowed the timing down to this month.

April had already passed.

It was May now, nearing the end of the month.

(There's less time than I thought.)

It might even be the day after tomorrow.

I quickly picked up a pencil used for sketching and roughly drew the streetscape I had seen in the dream.

It was to identify the location.

Komori-san was Yuzuki's friend.

To me, that was the extent of our relationship.

So we wouldn't have gone far out of our way—somewhere nearby.

(A three-way intersection with azaleas in full bloom…)

I felt like I had seen it somewhere before.

I started up my laptop and checked Street View one after another.

I found it sooner than expected.

It was about fifteen minutes on foot from the school.

It hadn't come to mind immediately because it was in the opposite direction from my house.

(I don't know why I'd be there with Komori-san at that intersection, but…)

For now, I'd avoid going in that direction for a while.

The butterfly effect.

Just by not going there myself, the future might change surprisingly easily.

All I had to do after that was casually warn Komori-san.

With that decided, I finished getting ready for school and left the house.

“R-Ren!”

However, Yuzuki was waiting in front of the door.

Had she been standing there the whole time?

My mom had probably refused to let her inside like I asked.

I lifted the corners of my mouth into a perfect business smile.

“Good morning. What a coincidence, Kitayama-san.”

“Huh…?”

Just seeing Yuzuki's face made me feel sick.

After greeting her, I immediately started walking.

But—

“H-hey, wait!”

She grabbed my hand firmly.

“Let's talk. Please?”

“Talk about what?”

“I really don't understand. Why are you suddenly so cold? Did I do something that made you hate me? Please tell me the reason properly. Please, Ren…”

I heard her sniff.

Strangely, I didn't feel any sympathy.

It felt exactly like watching news footage of a suspect being led away in tears.

I grabbed Yuzuki's wrist tightly and forcibly shook her off.

“Kitayama-san. Even if I'm a guy, don't you think it's inappropriate to grab a stranger's hand like that?”

“A stranger!? I—I'm sorry… I know everything was my fault. Just tell me what I should do. I'll do anything.”

I couldn't help but laugh.

A magic phrase.

“Anything.”

“Really? Anything?”

“Y-yes! I'll do whatever you say, Ren!”

“Alright. Wait here a moment.”

I took out my phone and made a call.

After a long ringing tone, the call finally connected, and faint sounds of a woman's moaning could be heard from the other side.

“You're energetic this early in the morning.”

“…Who is this?”

“Fukagawa.”

“How the hell did you get my number?”

“That aside. Could you come to where I am right now?”

“Huh? Why would I?”

“It seems like you're not properly managing the present I gave you yesterday. I told you returns aren't allowed. I'll send the location through Line. Well then.”

“Hey—”

Yuzuki, who had been listening to my call, asked in a trembling voice.

“W-who did you just call…?”

“Nagasawa-senpai. Who did you think it was?”

“Why is that senpai coming up again here!?”

“The fact that you don't understand that is exactly why I can't date you anymore.”

“I don't understand what you're saying…”

I smiled at her.

“You said you'd do anything I asked, right? Then wait here for Nagasawa-senpai to come pick you up. Actually, why not just go to a love hotel with him? He'll probably make you feel a lot better than I ever did.”

“R-Ren!?”

“At school, let's just get along as classmates. Don't talk to me unless it's something important.”

“I'll go to a love hotel with you, Ren!! I won't go with Nagasawa-senpai!! Ren, are you even listening to me!? Ren, Ren!! Wait, don't abandon me like this!!”

I started walking toward school, but Yuzuki kept shouting and stubbornly chased after me.

Naturally, the people around us stared at us strangely.

At that moment, a taxi had just dropped off a passenger.

I ran over and got in before the door closed.

“Please go quickly.”

“Huh? Isn't that high school girl with you…?”

“No.”

As I pulled money from my wallet, I added,

“I don't know her at all.”

---

I arrived at a school within walking distance by taxi.

When I entered the classroom, the atmosphere among my classmates felt strange.

Only Takagi greeted me like usual.

“Yo.”

“I figured you might do something drastic, but I didn't expect you to settle it like that.”

“Do you think I'm crazy too?”

“No. I know how much effort you've put in, running around everywhere and suffering over this. I figured it wouldn't be strange if you eventually gave up.”

Maybe, like my parents, he had vaguely realized something about my precognitive ability and simply chose not to say it aloud.

“Well, they say there are as many women as stars in the sky.”

“Why are you acting like I got dumped?”

“Just going with the flow?”

“What kind of reason is that?”

Though honestly, in terms of the prophetic dream, it was closer to the truth.

Takagi's instincts were annoyingly sharp at times.

“Want me to introduce you to another girl?”

“You actually know any girls?”

“Hey, I've got girls in my Line contacts, you know.”

“It's not going to turn out to be your little sister, is it?”

“….”

“It is your sister!? And she's in fourth grade, right!? Are you trying to get me thrown in prison!?”

Besides, even if he really could introduce me to a normal girl, I had no intention of accepting.

Most likely I'd just end up constantly terrified that she'd be stolen from me too.

Still, thanks to Takagi's jokes, the events with Yuzuki earlier were gradually fading from my mind.

He was probably doing it on purpose.

Just as I felt grateful to him—

“Fukagawa.”

Someone suddenly called my name.

When I turned around, a girl was standing there.

Blonde bob hair, a few shirt buttons undone, a loosely tied ribbon, a very short skirt, and even nail polish.

She had a slightly gyaru-like vibe.

“Komori-san?”

The very person I had seen in the “nightmare”—the one who might soon be involved in a traffic accident.

Why had she come to see me?

Actually, I could guess.

While Takagi and I had been talking, Yuzuki had also entered the classroom.

Her eyes were red, probably from crying.

“Come with me for a second.”

“Why?”

“Just hurry up!”

Komori frowned and shouted.

Anyone could see she was angry.

Clearly she intended to lecture me about the Yuzuki situation.

It wasn't like Komori and I were particularly close.

I deliberately spoke loudly.

“Huh? Komori-san—are you confessing to me?”

“Who said anything like that!?”

Komori's face instantly turned bright red.

The people around us began whispering after hearing my words.

As if the moment I became single, Komori had started making a move on me.

“Y-you seriously…! Just come with me already!!”

In the end, she grabbed my wrist and dragged me toward the stair landing.

Bang!

Komori cornered me against the wall and slammed her left hand against the wall beside my face.

A classic kabedon.

“Fukagawa, why did you break up with Yuzuki? What exactly do you dislike about her?”

Just as I thought.

What a meddlesome person.

She should be worrying about her own safety instead.

“Komori-san.”

“What?”

“I can see your underwear.”

“Eh!?”

Komori quickly pulled her hand away from the wall and held down her skirt.

I tried to escape in that moment—but.

“Y-you… you tried to trick me with something like that!?”

She grabbed the back of my collar.

So close…