CH 15

What should I do? How should I apologize to Ichikawa san?

If I apologize, I am likely to be told, [Oh, I wonder if you are aware that you have done something so bad that you need to apologize]

Before that, why was Ichikawa san there, she was supposed to go to school with Sakino san?

That, I will know once homeroom begins.

She is off today because of a cold.

Sakino san! Why! Why do you take a day off at this time!

Thanks to that, it turned into a shuraba!

Speaking of the atmosphere at that time, I don’t even want to recall it.

In the meantime, I would like to find the right time to talk to her.

“Gununu”

“H-Hey Komiya kun”

“Gunu? A, eh ?”

While I was racking my brains, I was approached by Tohno san next to me.

I was surprised

“W-What are you doing this Saturday?”

“Saturday?”

I don’t have anything special planned for this week. I have no plans with Ichikawa san or Naka, and if nothing else, I’ll just laze around at home.

“Nothing in particular, I guess.”

“R-Really?!?”

Tohno san asks with a greedy smile.

“I-It’s your birthday this week, right?”

“….You knew”

Unsurprisingly. The only people who would know my birthday would be Naka or Ichikawa san.

My cheeks relax at the fact that the person I loved remembers my birthday.

“A-Actually, I had asked Fujimoto kun about it before. When we talked about everyone’s birthdays, it just came out of the conversation!”

“O-ooo”

Apparently, Naka had told her. This was probably Naka’s idea, too.

I praised Naka in my mind.

“S-So if you like……..this Saturday. I know it’s after your birthday, but can we celebrate Komiya kun’s birthday?”

“……Heee?”

Tohno san celebrates my birthday?

I pinched my cheeks, which had been loosened by the unbelievable words.

Ouch. I-It’s not a dream.

“I-is that a no?”

“N-nonono, I haven’t done anything to be celebrated by Tohno san, and I’m sorry, it’s okay!”

“B-But Komiya kun has been a great help to me since last year…no?”

The cuteness of Tohno san’s puppy-dog eyes, looking up at you with a wistful smile, is destructive.

“N-no but suddenly….just the two of us…”

But, only the two of us are bad. If it had been me the other day, I would have happily jumped on it.

“…..a”

For a moment, Tohno san looks sad. But she quickly switches her expression.

“O-of course with everyone”

“Everyone?”

“Yes, Of course!!”

I-I know, right! It’s not like it’s just the two of us!

“Is that a no….?”

And don’t look at me like that! Who can refuse this?

Well, if you only want to celebrate ?

If we all do it together, Ichikawa san may forgive me.

“Well, it’s okay”

“Really ?! Thank god !? then, Keep it open!”

And so I was able to celebrate my birthday with Tohno san, whom I adored.

A birthday celebrated by someone other than Naka. That made me happy again.

besides, who else is everyone?

I don’t know anyone else who might want to celebrate besides Naka and Tohno san……

You don’t mean all my classmates ……?

◆

The tension was short-lived when Tohno san invited me to join her.

I have something I have to do.

It is to regain the good mood of her, Ichikawa san. It is to clear up misunderstandings.

During recess, I nervously get up to go to Ichikawa san.

Ichikawa san is surrounded by the usual rear group members, with the exception of Sakino san.

It’s pretty nerve-wracking to try to talk your way through all those people, but I can’t talk about that.

“Youta, where are you going?”

“N-No, I have to go to Ichikawa san for a minute. I have some business with her.”

“To Ichikawa san? That’s unusual. Oh, maybe you’re in love with her? That’s nice.”

Naka teases me happily.

The involvement is annoying.

“Leave it. then, I’m going out for a while.”

“Yes. Go shatter it!”

Why the assumption that it’s a ball-breaker?

“And then~”

“I-Ichikawa san”

“….how can I help you? Komiya kun”

Interrupting a flirtatious girl student named Nagano, I spoke to Ichikawa san. People around me were scowling, as if they didn’t expect someone like me to talk to her.

Ichikawa san, on the other hand, gives me a sharp look that makes me flinch for a moment.

…… I’m being looked at so much.

I summoned up the courage to second-guess myself, even though I was frightened by the stares of those around me.

“A-About what happened earlier.”

“Yes yes, Mob kun ! If you want to confess, do it some other time~”

“That’s right ! It’s not sensible to confess in such a short space of time.”

When I tried to talk to them, Nagano and Maesawa, the girl from earlier, stood in my way.

It’s not a confession !!

Ahh, Ugh ! They’ve made everyone around them see me that way!

“You two be quiet, please. He says he has a thing with me.”

“Ah okay, sorry”

“Sorry…”

Aaa, Ichikawa san….Thank you !!

I thank Ichikawa san in my heart for saving me from the two of them.

This way, we can clear up the misunderstanding right away and make up—

“Komiya kun, was it?”

“Y-Yes”

“I don’t know what you were talking about earlier. I’m sorry. I have to get ready for my next class.”

“Y-Yes…”

The next class is math. There was no need to move classrooms, so there was no preparation

So this was a clear rejection.

She wasn’t going to forgive me at all…..

“That’s Aoi ! It’s cool that you said it cleanly!”

“It’s true! Put him in his place”

“You guys…Don’t say things like that.”

“……”

After I leave, Nagano and Maezawa say things like making fun of me. And Jinguji warns me about it.

Ichikawa san was silent about what she was thinking.

I feel alienated. It’s a bit painful, even though I deserve it.

To the boys around me, it must have looked like another poor guy who got dumped.

You’re right though!

Uu….I don’t think she even wants to talk to me…..

“Okay, You’re back after getting dumped early.”

“Shut up. I wasn’t rejected.”

After that, lunchtime came and went without me getting a chance to talk to Ichikawa san.

At lunchtime, after buying bread at the canteen as usual, I headed for the stairs leading to the rooftop.

That was the only hope.

If she’s not there, I have to aim for the return from school time.

I run up the stairs, hoping that she is there.

I climbed as fast as I could, not caring that I was out of breath.

“Haaaah….I-Ichikawa san !”

I run up the stairs, reach my usual sitting spot and shout.

But there was no one there.

“I knew she wasn’t here. …… what should I do?”

“Ettoo”

Ichikawa san and one other. It’s a boy’s voice.

The voices come from an empty classroom down the stairs.

I slowly approach the classroom and peek inside, trying not to be noticed.

Inside were Ichikawa san and the male student who was the owner of the voice I just heard, and the male student was trying to tell Ichikawa san something.

I was overcome with a sense of relief that I had found Ichikawa san and a sense of excitement that I had seen something I should not have seen.

Is this …… that? Confession.

I knew Ichikawa san was popular.

Is the other party …… Takeda?

The other guy was a boy on the soccer team from another class.

Not good looking enough to be described as good looking, but a face that you would at least like. And he was a member of an athletic club, so he was clearly of a higher human status than I was.

“I-I’ve loved you since freshman year! Please go out with me!!!!”

…..tss

He confessed to my girlfriend. I saw such a scene seriously, and I felt sorry and frustrated.

When you confess to someone you like, you are definitely better than me. I couldn’t even do that.

……….

Furthermore, I had a bit of a complicated feeling, overlapping the confession scene with my own and Tohno san’s.

“I’m sorry. I can’t go out with you.”

Then, heartlessly, Ichikawa san snapped the other party’s confession in two.

I find myself feeling some relief at this.

“Could it be that you’re dating Jinguji after all!”

“Jinguji kun? I don’t know why you’re talking about that. He’s just a friend. If that’s all you want to say, then.”

“Wait! Well then, how about at least a friend? Wouldn’t that be nice!”

Still, Takeda was not discouraged

“I’m afraid I’m not going to be friends with you. If we become friends, will you be my friend forever? Doesn’t that give you hope that you can go out with me? I’m sorry, but I don’t intend to do that at all, so if that’s okay with you, I guess you can do whatever you want.”

“Not a millimeter of possibility?”

“No. I will never like you.”

The second time the ball was broken.

Ichikawa san, who beat him to death.

Even though she is usually cool, she responds reasonably well when she is spoken to, but she does not show any mercy to those who are persistent.

If she just takes it easy, as she said earlier, she may give hope to the wrong person.

I guess she knows that in a situation like this, it is effective to say it clearly.

“When people get under your skin, you get on top of them.”

But I’m glad she was with someone who was willing to back down on that.

This man got upset over it.

“Wait ! Let go of mee !”

“Shut up! You’re just a little too good looking to stay high and mighty!”

Takeda grabs Ichikawa san by the thin arm.

This is bad.

I have to save Ichikawa san somehow!

I found myself screaming.

“W-What are you doing? Sensei will come in a moment you know?”

“….tch!”

I think my voice was probably trembling. I think it was too small.

But Takeda, perhaps afraid of the word [sensei] clicked his tongue and left.

What can I say, I think to myself. It’s a pathetic way to help.

I wish I could have stood in front of her in style and saved her, but I didn’t have the guts or strength to do so.

As a boyfriend, this was beyond pathetic, but it was the best I could do for now.

“…….”

Ichikawa san was tight-lipped at my sudden appearance.

What shall I say to her after this?

[Hey, how have you been?] that’s wrong…

[Are you okay?] yes, this is it

….no, wait. She’s the one who’s going to say, [Do I look okay to you?] What a thing to say.

What should I do?….

It’s just so awkward.

I can’t get the first word out.

I was the smallest guy in the world.

“So, what can I do for you? Komiya kun.”

“Ah…”

In the end, Ichikawa san couldn’t bear to see me and called me over.