As he tried to force down the oversized bento he had prepared for the two of them, images kept flashing through his mind—moments that, no matter how much he wished, he could no longer experience.
"Shiki-chan~ Say ahhh~"
"Ahhh~"
Thinking of that, he picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. The taste was delicious, but the bitterness he felt inside completely overpowered it. As he ate, his face twisted into a pained smile.
"Huh? Kanzaki-kun?"
A girl's voice called out beside him. He quickly turned toward the sound and was caught off guard.
"Ehhhh?! Fujimoto-san?!"
Standing there was Fujimoto Aiko, a gyaru-style girl with light green ponytailed hair. She had been his classmate back in middle school. She leaned in close—so close that he could feel her breath on his face.
Looking a bit flustered, Shiki leaned away, trying to put some space between them.
"Hey! You're way too close, girl!"
"Hahaha, sorry, dumbass. You just looked so down."
"What does me being down have to do with you? Are you using that as an excuse to harass me?"
Already upset, Shiki responded in a bitter tone.
"Hehhh, what kind of girl do you think I am? As if I'd mess with Amami-chan's precious best friend."
Her tone was teasing and playful.
"Yeah, yeah… sure."
"Huh? What's wrong? Something happen?"
"Well…"
Shiki's voice turned low, his face clearly showing his pain as he explained the situation to Aiko.
"Ohhh, so your girl ditched you for another girl? Hahaha!"
He thought she'd sympathize—but instead, she made a joke out of it.
"Ugh, you think that's funny?!"
"Alright, alright, I was just kidding, hehe."
"Ugh… and she's not even my girlfriend! We were just… really close…"
"I know."
"Hmm…"
He hung his head, hands clutching his hair.
"What should I do…"
A sorrowful expression covered Shiki's face. Tears welled up in his eyes—the kind he hadn't felt in a long time.
"I think… you should give up."
"Huh?! Give up on her? No way."
Aiko had meant it seriously, but Shiki's emotions were in chaos.
"I… I can't let her go…"
"Then fight for her."
"Fight for her? How?"
"Do you think she'll come back if you just sit here sulking?"
"I-I know… but I feel like she really has feelings for that girl…"
"Maybe that's just what you think. Or maybe it's true, but…"
"But what?"
"But if you're willing to stand up and fight for her, maybe things could change."
Her words carried sincerity and passion, and Shiki could feel it.
"R-really? You think I can change this?"
"Yeah, you can… though no guarantees. Just give it a shot."
"Okay… I'll try to win her back."
Shiki stood up and raised his fist to the sky in a heroic pose—but then he froze, realizing something.
"Uh… but how exactly?"
He laughed awkwardly, clueless about what to do next.
"Ah right, I forgot you're a complete idiot."
"Yeah, yeah, very funny."
"Try to find a time when she's alone and then make your move."
"Make my move? Will that really bring things back to how they were?"
"I don't mean you should, like, jump her or something! Just… flirt with Amami-chan a little. Try being romantic, maybe even… a bit naughty."
"H-hey hey! That's harassment! I'll just make her avoid me even more!"
"Okay okay, maybe I went too far. I mean you should talk to her sweetly and drop a few hints now and then. It might actually work."
"O-ohh… got it."
Shiki felt enlightened. He had no experience in this kind of thing, but with Aiko's help, maybe it could work.
"But… what if I fail?"
"Then just message me. I've got a few backup plans... Don't worry."
"Alright…"
After a pause, Shiki asked:
"By the way, how are things with you and Kaito?"
"Huh?! What are you talking about?! Me and him… what?"
Shiki was surprised by her reaction—it wasn't what he expected.
"I mean… have things developed between you two?"
"Developed? What kind of nonsense are you thinking, Kanzaki-kun?"
She laughed, clearly not understanding what Shiki meant.
"Huh? You two aren't dating?"
"Nope. He already has a girlfriend."
"Huhh? That doesn't bother you?"
"Not really. I was the one who encouraged him."
"B-but you two seemed really close?"
"Yeah, we are. He's my best friend, so of course I support him."
"A-ah… I see. That's good, then."
"Why are you worrying about me? Worry about yourself, Mr. 'clingy with your childhood crush'."
She teased him again with a giggle.
"We're just childhood friends, okay?! Why are you always teasing me like this? You've been like that since middle school!"
Suddenly, Aiko looked a bit shy. Her ears turned slightly red—but Shiki didn't notice.
"A-ah ummm, I just like teasing you… that's all. We're friends, after all. Or… were you thinking something else?"
"Thinking something else? What are you on about? Of course, we're just friends."
"R-right… let's go with that. Looks like you're straying off-topic."
"Oh crap, I still need to do that step-one plan of yours."
"Yep, better hurry. Break's almost over."
"Hmm…"
Shiki hesitated, then finally said something sincere.
"Thanks, Fujimoto-san… You're really kind."
Suddenly, she covered her face with one hand and pushed him away with the other, trying to hide her now completely red cheeks.
"S-stop that… Y-you should go already!"
"Ah… yeah, I'll get going. See you later."
With that, Shiki quickly turned and walked out of sight.
"W-wait—"
She stood there alone, still blushing.
"I didn't even get to say goodbye…"
Aiko sat down in the same spot where Shiki had been sitting. Pressing her hands to her cheeks, she murmured bashfully:
"You really are an idiot… Shiki."
Suddenly, a memory came rushing back—little Aiko, with black hair and soaked from head to toe, sitting on the ground near the place where she'd been rescued. She looked up, dazed, at a boy who reached out a hand toward her. He, too, was soaked, but smiled gently and said:
"I saved you."
Back to the present, she tried to hide her blushing face—even though there was no one else around.
"You're so unfair, Shiki… I guess I'll have to try too… One day, for sure…"
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