Chapter 9: My Ex-Girlfriend’s Friend ③

Reading Settings

Translator: Soafp

---

Komori entered my room.

Come to think of it, this was the first time a girl other than Yuzuki had ever come into my room.

Well, it's not like I was going to do anything weird. There was no reason to be nervous.

“Want some tea?”

“N-no, I'm good!”

Komori sat down stiffly in seiza on the floor.

Only her eyes moved restlessly, darting around the room.

“Is this your first time in a guy's room?”

“O-of course it is!”

“You don't have a boyfriend?”

“I-I don't! I never have!”

“That's surprising.”

She frowned suspiciously.

“…Fukagawa, did you think I was some kind of s**t or something?”

“No, I wouldn't say that. But it's strange for someone at Komori's level not to have a boyfriend.”

“Huh? Why?”

For a moment I thought she was pretending not to know—but judging from her face, she genuinely didn't understand.

Despite her flashy appearance, she was surprisingly innocent in this kind of way.

“Because you're cute. You seem like you'd be popular.”

“Huh? R-really? I see… So I'm cute.”

Komori looked away while fiddling with the hair by her ear.

Her face had turned slightly red.

She must have heard compliments like that plenty of times before, so why was she reacting like this?

“We have to go to school soon, so let's get to the point.”

She nodded.

I took a brown envelope from the drawer and handed it to her.

“Read it.”

Komori opened the envelope and pulled out the stack of documents inside.

She tilted her head.

“Interim report?”

“It's from a private investigator I hired. Though I stopped the investigation halfway.”

I had thought about throwing it away, but since it cost me money, I kept it just in case it might be useful someday.

“Nagasawa Kotaro?”

“A third-year at our school. …And a member of the photography club.”

“What does this have to do with Yuzuki?”

“Read the whole thing.”

Komori was still tilting her head, but as she continued reading, her expression gradually stiffened.

“W-what the heck is wrong with this disgusting senior!? He deliberately targets girls who already have boyfriends? Now that I think about it, I've heard rumors about a senior like that recently…”

The rumors I spread further through Takagi must have reached her ears too.

But judging from her reaction, it didn't seem to have had much effect.

“W-wait a second. You said earlier that he's in the photography club.”

“Yeah.”

“That's Yuzuki's club…!? Someone like this!?”

Komori stared blankly, mouth open.

“Now you get why I broke up with her, right?”

“I-I see… It finally feels like I can see the outline of what's going on. If I were in your position, I'd be worried too. Did you tell Yuzuki about this?”

“Many times. But she refuses to listen.”

“Huh? Why?”

“She says she doesn't want to judge people based on rumors. That she trusts what she sees with her own eyes more than gossip.”

“…Ah.”

That attitude of Yuzuki's wasn't necessarily bad.

Normally, it would even be considered a good trait.

But unfortunately, Nagasawa-senpai was the exception.

“On top of that, the photography club president is that guy's girl. Not really a girlfriend—more like someone who just obeys whatever he says.”

“Huh? S-seriously?”

“Believe it or not, that's up to you. The president helps him too—she helps turn the girls in the photography club into his girls.”

“That's impossible… Then Yuzuki might also…”

Komori lowered her head.

She seemed deeply shocked.

For some reason, Yuzuki appeared to be a very special person to her.

“Anyway, now you understand why I said we should break up.”

“N-no! If things are like this, we need to help Yuzuki!! Why would you give up!?”

Her words made my blood suddenly boil.

“Do I look like I've done nothing? That report wasn't free. I hired the most famous detective in the industry.”

“Ugh…”

“I didn't even know the president and that senior were connected like that. I got on my knees and begged the president. I knelt down and apologized to Yuzuki too. I even gave her a stun gun for self-defense. What else am I supposed to do!? Tell me!”

At my shout, Komori flinched.

Damn… I got too emotional.

“S-sorry… You've definitely suffered way more than I have, Fukagawa…”

Just as I was about to apologize, she apologized first.

I knew she didn't mean anything bad by it.

She just cared about Yuzuki so much that the words slipped out.

“I-I'll try to properly convince Yuzuki!”

“How exactly?”

“I'll make her quit the photography club.”

“How?”

“She probably brushed off your words as just jealousy. But if another girl like me tells her, I'm sure she'll take it seriously.”

Would she really?

As long as Yuzuki wanted to become a photographer, she'd probably continue her club activities.

“So Fukagawa, if I convince Yuzuki and get her out of the photography club, you'll get back together with her, right?”

“Well… let's talk about that if you succeed.”

“Alright. Either way, even from my perspective it's obvious that leaving her in that club is dangerous.”

Honestly, I was a little surprised.

She was more reasonable than I expected.

I thought she'd refuse to listen just like Yuzuki did.

“For now… I'm counting on you.”

This might become an unexpected breakthrough.

…Though whether I'd actually get back together with Yuzuki was another matter.

My feelings had already cooled off quite a bit.

“Yeah, leave it to me.”

---

“I had a fight with Yuzuki…”

During lunch break, Komori suddenly called me to the emergency staircase.

Then she started venting.

“She said, ‘Why won't you and Ren believe what I'm saying!? Nagasawa-senpai isn't a bad person at all!' We couldn't communicate at all…”

“I told you already. I didn't break up with her for nothing.”

Still… Komori's first name was Nodoka, huh?

I didn't know that until now since we weren't that close.

“And she even told me to try meeting that senior myself. She said I'd understand if I met him…”

“Are you going to meet him?”

“No way! A guy who's basically the enemy of all women! Just making eye contact with him would probably get you pregnant!!”

That was oddly harsh.

Though after reading that report, it wasn't surprising.

Sniffling, Komori pulled out her lunch box.

Watching her, a question suddenly came to mind.

“But why are you eating lunch here with me of all places?”

“…Because today you were the only person I could eat with.”

“You must have friends besides Kitayama.”

“I don't.”

“Huh?”

“I said I don't! Yuzuki is my only friend!”

That unexpected revelation made my eyes widen.

Judging by her looks alone, she seemed like the type who'd easily have a hundred friends.

But maybe…

“Don't tell me… you reinvented yourself for high school?”

“Pff—!”

She spat out the rice she was eating.

Oops. That was pretty insensitive.

I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket.

“…You're surprisingly considerate. I guess guys who've had girlfriends are a little different?”

“It's just a handkerchief. More importantly, wipe the rice off your face already. Want me to get it for you?”

“I-it's fine! I'll do it myself!!”

Komori turned her face away with a huff.

Honestly, she was so much like a classic tsundere that I almost laughed.

“So was I right? A high school debut?”

“Y-yes! Got a problem with that!?”

“No, not really… It just means you weren't someone who had many friends before.”

If anything, I was also on the lower side of the school social hierarchy.

So I felt a bit of familiarity with Komori.

“…That's right. I've always been a loner anyway! And the one friend I finally managed to make in high school… now I might lose her because of a fight like this…!”

“Even close friends fight sometimes…”

“R-really? Do things go back to normal afterward?”

“Yeah. Kitayama probably already feels bad about what happened with you.”

“I-I see!”

Komori's face suddenly brightened.

…Wait, why did I end up being the one comforting her?

At the same time, I felt like I understood why she was so attached to Yuzuki.

(Because she was the first friend she ever made.)

Her slightly gyaru-like appearance now was probably the result of a lot of effort and practice.

Her real personality might actually be closer to how she was acting right now.

Her constant pestering about Yuzuki was a bit troublesome, but seeing this side of her was oddly endearing.

Just then—

Grrrr.

My stomach growled.

Komori heard it and looked over.

“Fukagawa, you should eat too.”

“I usually eat at the cafeteria, so I didn't bring a lunch.”

“Huh? Really? Because of me you came here even though you didn't have a lunch?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

With the way she looked like she might cry when she called me over, there was no way I could ignore her.

I figured I'd just go to the school shop later and buy whatever was left.

But then Komori suddenly pushed her lunch box toward me.

“Um… you can have half. Eat.”

“Really? Are you sure?”

“It'd sound bad if people thought you skipped lunch because of me!”

“Well, if you're offering, I'll gladly accept.”

I picked up a piece of tamagoyaki and ate it.

“Mmm. This is good.”

“R-really?”

It seemed Komori's mom was quite a good cook.

Compared to that, my mom's cooking honestly wasn't that great, so I felt a little jealous.

“I-I see… It's good… Hehe, that actually makes me kind of happy.”

“Huh? Why?”

“N-no reason!”

For some reason Komori turned red and quickly looked away.

I assumed she was proud of her mom's cooking.

---

For the next week, I didn't talk to Komori.

Of course, the same went for Yuzuki.

Fortunately—or perhaps I should say reassuringly—Komori and Yuzuki seemed to have made up, chatting happily again.

(The nail polish color hasn't changed either.)

Maybe the ‘nightmare' had already been avoided.

If things stayed calm like this, everything should be fine.

That's what I thought.

Then—

“Look, Yuzuki! I tried the one you gave me last night! How is it? Pretty, right?”

“Yeah! I knew it would look good on you, Nodoka!”

Their conversation reached my ears.

…Wait a second.

Could that be—

I suddenly kicked my chair back and stood up, rushing over to them.

Without hesitation, I grabbed Komori's hand and pulled it up in front of me.

“Fukagawa!?”

“R-Ren!?”

Their startled voices rang out.

—And in the next instant, a cold chill ran down my spine.

(The orange nail polish from my dream…!)