CH 2

I arrived at the classroom late behind Shu and Ayana.

As I walked to my seat, I looked around and saw that they were already sitting in their seats. I don’t know if Shu was sleeping or awake, but he kept his face down and didn’t move.

If I think back on it, the main character of this world, Shu, …… well, how should I say it, I don’t really like to say it like this, but he belongs to the so-called ” negative ” side of the group.

Ayana, who is beautiful, cheerful, and gets along with everyone, is the opposite of Shu. Unlike Shu, who has few friends, Ayana has many friends, both male and female. She is also very good looking, so there is no reason for her not to be popular.

The sight of Ayana and Shu getting along with each other was not good for the others, and it was certain that Shu was being harassed, which was no small matter.

The harassment ended when Ayana confronted the harasser, but there are still many people who are jealous of Ayana’s lunchboxes for Shu, as if they don’t find it amusing.

(……No, it was also Towa who blamed Ayana.)

I remember that Towa was with him along with Ayana. I think that the two of them are very good friends.

He helped Shu, consulted with him, and even helped him and Ayana develop a relationship. This is a very reliable best friend, but Towa Yukishiro actually had a physical relationship with Ayana. …… I was really surprised at this fact at the time.

[I can only do it with Towa-kun ♡ I don’t need a pathetic childhood friend who’s always so indecisive ♡]

These were Ayana’s words, uttered at the moment Shu witnessed the event. Hearing this, Shu becomes even more despairing, and the ending ends with his back to the scene as he walks away in a daze. I don’t want to think too much about what happened to Shu, who was told he was no longer needed by the childhood friend he had trusted, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s probably not a good ending.

As Ayana said, Shu is really an indecisive and stubborn guy. I wonder how such a guy can be liked by so many girls, but I can’t help but think that it is a privilege of these games to be popular with girls for no particular reason.

As I was on my way to my seat, my eyes met with Ayana, who was chatting happily with her friends. After Ayana noticed me, the people around her also noticed me and waved their hands, so I waved back at them and went to my own seat. Ayana looked surprised as she saw me sitting in my chair, and then she whispered something to her friends before walking towards me.

I don’t recognize that I did anything strange, and I don’t have any idea why Ayana was surprised, but I was convinced of that reason because of what Ayana told me.

“Towa-kun, what’s going on ?　You haven’t been coming over here lately,…… and I thought that sometimes there are days like this, but I didn’t think it would go on like this forever.”

“….Ah~”

I see, Towa was always in that group.

I didn’t notice it because the game didn’t talk much about Towa’s friendships, and even when talking with Shu, there was no text about leaving the group.

I had never gone to that group on my own since I was in this body. I’m sure Ayana wouldn’t have minded if it was just for a few days, but I guess she thought it was strange that I hadn’t been involved in the group for so long.

It’s no wonder, since the contents are different, but it’s difficult for Ayana to know that.

“I just wanted to be a little calmer in the morning. Ayana doesn’t have to worry about me either, okay?”

Would this be a safe response? I don’t have any intentions of pursuing Ayana… Well, as a man, I do think about wanting to have a woman as stunning as her, but as someone who knows about that scenario, I don’t even feel inclined to do so.

So you should just get along with Shu without worrying about me, was the implication, but …… Ayana’s reaction was something I didn’t expect.

“…… eh?　You said I don’t have to worry about you. …… Why?!”

“Hey, wait, oi!”

Ayana suddenly grabbed my shoulder.

I was grabbed so tightly that I wondered where such power was coming from, and I couldn’t leave Ayana and faced her at close range. My classmates around me were also looking at me wondering what was going on.

“I hate it… I don’t want Towa-kun to say that… I hate it… I hate it, Master.”

“M-mast……?”

What master?

I was confused by Ayana’s sudden words, but I didn’t want her to look at me, so I stroked her head to calm her down.

“I am sorry. I just happened to be feeling a little under the weather. Ayana can come over here if you want. I’ll be happy to talk with you.”

Ayana nodded her head, though she had tears in her eyes, as if she was a little flustered. I was so relieved to see her smiling that I couldn’t help but freeze in admiration. She is, as one would expect from the heroine of a video game, a very destructive force.

“Mou, mast…..goho. Towa-kun is terrible. You pester me like that, but at the end you give me such happy words……aah.”

“……Ayana?”

……No, what’s really going on?

I still find Ayana’s reaction strange. It is true that Towa and Shu are also Ayana’s childhood friends, but since the scenario has not yet started, there should be nothing between Towa and Ayana. And yet, she is both distraught and delighted by my words, and the range of her reaction is clearly strange. On top of that, Ayana’s eyes right now as she stares at me are hot …… like the eyes of a game heroine in heat.

I’m fine with that. But since keeping up a relationship is important, please try to come here as much as you can, Towa-kun. And if you can’t hold back anymore… since it’s not ideal at school, would it be okay if I come over to your place?”

“O-ou…..”

“……~!!”

…Yes, it’s true that I feel something is off about this Ayana’s behavior. But it’s also true that my body is somehow getting aroused by seeing her. I don’t understand this strange feeling, but there’s no use worrying about it, so I shake my head and discard the thought.

As Ayana was about to return to her circle of friends after hearing my response, I heard a whisper that I thought belonged to Ayana.

“If Towa-kun isn’t here, there’s no reason to interact with them. Those guys are annoying and it’s a hassle to put on a good face.”

I caught the first half where my name was mentioned, but I couldn’t quite make out the second half, though it was clear that she seemed unhappy about something. Ayana left my side and turned around to wave goodbye to me before heading back to her friends.

Feeling a sense of relief as if a storm had passed, I let out a deep sigh. Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

“Yoo! It’s rare to see you alone.”

“…Aisaka huh”

The person who tapped me on the shoulder was Takashi Aisaka, a classmate and a friend I often talk to. He is a muscular man with a shaved head as his trademark, but he is an active member of the baseball team. This muscularity must be the result of his regular practice.

Aisaka looked at me and muttered, “Fumu,” before opening his mouth.

“…… you’ve changed a little something, ain’t you?　I don’t know what it is.”

He is a man who sometimes has something sharp to say.

I cowered my shoulders as if chuckling at his words, and then replied,

“Maybe I’m a completely different person on the inside?”

“Hahaha!　Even you say such manga-like things. Is there some kind of manga you’re into?”

He didn’t seem to believe me at all. I was convinced that was the case. This real world …… is a world of eroge, but of course magic does not exist. And yet, no one would believe or even think of believing that a person’s content has changed. Well, I myself am aware of the impossibility of such a thing.

As Aisaka and I were talking about nothing else, he suddenly took his eyes off me and looked elsewhere. I looked at Ayana, who was trying to talk to Shu, who was lying face down on the floor.

“Oh, she’s getting involved with Sasaki again, Otonashi-san.”

“It’s a common sight, isn’t it? It’s not a new thing.”

“I know, but still. Even if they are childhood friends, she shouldn’t cling on him like that,”

“I guess so”

Isn’t that because Ayana has a crush on Shu?

I couldn’t hear their conversation from here, but I could see Ayana looking annoyed and Shu listening with a smirk on his face. A nearby female student was commenting how creepy Shu was… Hang in there, Shu.

“There’s no need for outsiders to butt in.”

“Well, that’s true. But unlike Sasaki, no one says anything to you, so being good-looking has its benefits, right?”

“Good-looking?”

“… Are you serious?”

Oh, I see. Objectively speaking, I suppose Towa is good-looking. But since I don’t have a hobby of looking at myself in the mirror and thinking, “Damn, I look cool,” I’ve never really paid attention to it. Well, I should be happy to hear that I’m apparently good-looking.

I nodded to myself, and saw that Aisaka was looking at me suspiciously. He quickly shifted his gaze back to the other two. Since I had nothing better to do, I decided to watch them as well. But then, I noticed something strange.

“…Huh.”

Did Ayana have such lifeless eyes?

I had been tilting my head for a long time at those eyes, which were obviously different from when she was talking to me earlier.