Mob High School Student becomes friends

“Okay, see you on Monday!”

“See you, Hiura-kun! Call me later okay, Reika!”

“Yeah! This was surprisingly fun!”

“Akira-chan, I will call you later!”

We parted ways in front of my apartment. Masato and Ichinose-san have to walk a good distance home but I only have to walk Eihashi-san home which is only right around the corner.

“Alright, I will walk you back, Eihashi-san.”

“Yes. it is only a short distance away but I will count on you.”

After walking for about 5 minutes, we reached the T-junction where I parted ways with Eihashi-san the day she got hit on by the playboys. It was really close huh……”

“Do you mind if we chat a little?”

“Nn? I don’t really mind.”

“Thank you very much. Then, can I tell you something first?”

“That’s alright but if it’s going to be long, why don’t we walk and talk.”

“No, I want you to listen to me here.”

Well, it’s true that this junction is moderately bright with the street lights, the path might get dark on our way to her place so talking here might be better.

She probably wants to talk in a bright place huh. Thinking so, we stopped our feet.

“For some time now, I felt like I have been treated like a special person. Even though I was only praised for diligently studying and good grades, there was always someone around me. I was rarely alone.”

……..what is she trying to tell me? Is she bragging? No, I feel that is not the case.

“That hasn’t changed even after I entered high school and although I didn’t place first I was treated as if I was the number one in the test. Before I knew it, people already started calling me the transcendental beauty. Even though I have never wished to be treated that way, that image was created for me and I ended up thinking that I have to live up to it.”

……No. she is not bragging. She is telling me about the reputation she received but never wished for it.

The story of a girl who was treated as the transcendental beauty before she knew it.

“Even after including the boys, the only one who I can call my true friend is Akira-chan. She was the only one who saw me as Eihashi Reika, not some transcendental beauty.”

“……certainly, I also thought of you that way until I got to talk to Eihashi-san. I don’t know since when I started thinking that way but it might be something subconscious.”

The first time I talked to her, I learned that Eihashi Reika was just an ordinary girl that I can find everywhere.

She laughs when she finds something funny, she gets depressed and disappointed…….a serious girl that takes studying seriously and an ordinary girl who plays pranks on others’ takoyaki.

“I think it was about three weeks ago? A group of men tried to persistently pick me up when I went to the mall. No matter how many times I turned them down, they wouldn’t give up and even when I looked to the people around me for help, they only pretended not to see me. Some of them had even confessed to me before.”

“…..that’s, terrible isn’t it……”

I can’t say that I already know about it. I can’t say that I saw her, that I am Kamishiro Kousei. After all, Hiura Seiya was not there.

“Then I finally realized. The people who approached me at school didn’t really see me. None of them have any interest in the person called Eihashi Reika. It was only my appearance and reputation that they were looking at.”

It would be irresponsible to say that is not the case. After all, until recently, I and Eihashi-san had little to do with each other.

That’s why I didn’t know what kind of people were around Eihashi-san, I wasn’t interested in it. There is no meaning for me to deny that.

Selfishly expecting something from her, imposing their ideals, even if she says that it is impossible or that she doesn’t want to do it, the only reply she will get is that they believe she can do it. However, those are only irresponsible words.

And when she fails, they will say that they are disappointed in her.

“Of course, I don’t think that everyone is that kind of person. I think of Akira-chan as a good friend and I do think that Hiura-san is different from the people around me you know.”

“……I don’t think that I am much different from them in the beginning though……”

“Right. I think that you were avoiding me at first.”

Let’s refrain from telling her that I am still trying to avoid her right now. Well, even if I tried to not get involved with her, whether I can do it or not is a different thing entirely though.

Still, even if I’ve tried not to get involved with her, I am not trying to avoid her.

“So you see, when those men were hitting on me, I started to feel that I don’t want to care anymore………but, when everyone was pretending not to see me, one person came up and helped me.”

“…..is, is that so?”

“Yes. he came up to me, acting as if I am his acquaintance, and helped me out by giving me something he was carrying.”

That’s me. It’s actually me but I will pretend like I don’t know anything about it. This is the thing that I will not compromise.

“That person treated me considerately and it was not because he knows who I am that he treated me that way. He was a person that made me think that he would have done the same even if it wasn’t me. It was the first time a man treated me like that.”

Yup, I certainly wasn’t thinking about treating her any specially because she is Eihashi-san. At that time, I thought that it will be the only time I get involved with her after all.

Rather, even though I was trying not to get involved with her, neither Kamishiro Kousei nor Hiura Seiya treated her like she was someone special.

“That person walked me home even though he was a famous model, Kamishiro Kousei-san…….the person himself said that I got the wrong person but that was certainly Kamishiro Kousei-san.”

She noticed after all. Well, I didn’t think that she wouldn’t realize it in the first place. Rather, she came up to talk to me the very next day.

“Hiura Seiya-san, are you Kamishiro Kousei-san, the person who helped me?”

Even if she is highly suspicious of me being the same person, I already have a mandatory answer to that question. I apologize to Eihashi-san in my mind and answer.

“No, you have the wrong person.”

“Fufu, I thought that you would answer like that. The bag, the voice, the bento. Do you know what I am talking about?”

“Nope, no idea at all.”

“Kamishiro Kousei-san and Hiura-san had a similar bag, his bag was hanging inside Hiura-san’s room. Your voice sounds exactly the same. The bento you had was the same Karaage bento that he used to help me on that day. Even right down to the discount sticker.”

Eh? She didn’t get suspicious because I was calling her name? It was these three reasons?……rather, isn’t there too much evidence here?

“The first time I started doubting was when Kamishiro Kousei-san called me by my full-name even though he wasn’t supposed to know it.”

RIGHT……! As I thought, that’s the main reason after all……

“…th, that was…….”

“To put it clearly, I believe that Hiura-san is Kamishiro Kousei-san. But I think that you keep denying it because you still don’t trust me.”

“…..No, I trust you, you know. I even let you into my place today after all right.”

“Then that must be because I lack something. Until I gain your trust, I will treat Hiura-san and Kamishiro Kousei-san as a different person……but, when I think about it, Hiura-san is the second person of the opposite sex that treat me like an ordinary girl. To me, I think that talking to someone without keeping up appearance is a lot of fun. It was very fun talking with you, Hiura-san………but I might have bothered you when I talk to you at school. I am sorry about that.”

I thought that things would get troublesome if she talked to me at school but in the end, nothing happened. So honestly, she didn’t bother me at all.

“I was certainly a little worried about the eyes around me but you did not bother me at all. It’s okay.”

“Is….that so. I’m glad……it’s the first time for me to talk comfortably and show my emotions like that…….so, uh, will you……be my friend!?”

“…..eh?”

Friend? F R I E N D? Friend is that thing, right? The guy that you casually chat with, going home together sometimes or having a study session together before the test……that right? Isn’t it the same as the relationship we have now?

“Is it….no good?”

“Eh?….ah? It’s all good! Friend right! Let’s be friends!”

“I’m glad…….”

Eihashi-san exhaled in relief. From her atmosphere, it was like she was just confessed. For Eihashi-san who says that her only true friend is Ichinose-san, it might be something that she has to muster up her courage to say huh.

“So, uh…..since we’ve become friends, why don’t we exchange our contacts…….?”

“Y, Yeah. let’s do it.”

“Fufu, this is the first time I exchange contacts with a boy of the same age. Please take care of me in the future as well.”

…..I didn’t hear it wrong right? She said that I am the first boy she exchanged contacts with right?

“Do you think Shiraki-san will become my friend too…..? If he becomes my friend he will be the second person of the opposite sex other than my family……..”

“Masato might already think of you of a friend though. Hahaha.”

I didn’t hear it wrong! What the heck! What about those that hang around you…..I can only laugh dryly at this alright…..

“That would be nice……umm, one more thing, do you remember that you promised to listen to one of my requests if I got first place in the test?”

“Eh?”

Taking a request? Eh, did I really accept such a dangerous thing? Let’s try to remember……

Ahh–, I did say that didn’t I. I really said it. I said it thinking that it is an impossible winning condition though.

Maybe I was subconsciously thinking about the possibility of me losing so I added the word reasonable in the end huh….

“…..do you remember….?”

“Eh? Ah, Ahhh! A reasonable request right! I remember.”

“I’m glad…..well, you see, Uhh, I have a request…..I am not hoping to be treated like Shiraki-san but could you please treat me as a friend at school?”

It is possible that if I follow through with this, I might not be able to be a mob anymore. But if I were to be asked whether this is an unreasonable request, I would have to answer that it is not. In other words…..

“Okay. I might not be able to get used to it at first but I will try to act as natural as possible.”

“Thank you very much!….then, let’s head back! Uh…..can I message you later….?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Thank you! Then, let’s talk later!”

“It is still some distance away from your place so be careful on your way back alright!”

“Yes!”

With this, the position of a mob that I have been so particular about might disappear. Still, somehow it didn’t feel so unpleasant at all.

A girl that is treated as the transcendental beauty who isn’t good at making friends. I think that it is not such a bad thing to live a little noisy life with such a person.