CH 11

11 - Changing daily life

"...Hoaa~m." (Kazuto)

Morning. I woke up in my bed at home.

I recognized the morning sun shining through the curtains and grabbed my phone, which I had left on my bedside table.

Two e-mails had come in.

The sender of both messages was Mizuki-san.

"This's unusual." (Kazuto)

This was the first time I've received an email in the morning.

Remembering what happened last night, I started to get a little nervous.

I tapped the screen to check the contents.

[Good morning, Kazuto-kun. It's another beautiful day. Don't be late, okay?] (Rinka)

......It was normal.

No, it wasn't normal to get a wake-up email from a popular idol.

The content was quite decent.

Then check the second one.

[I love you, Kazuto-kun] (Rinka)

"! W-wh-wh-...-wha...!" (Kazuto)

It's too straightforward!

My sleepiness was blown away at once.

I see, so this is the power of morning email......!

"She has never done anything like this before....... Is this because of what happened yesterday?" (Kazuto)

Maybe some kind of switch was turned on in Mizuki-san.

In any case, it was bad for my heart this morning.

"The reply... what should I do?" (Kazuto)

Do I have to reply "I love you" too?

"No, no, no, it's impossible! It's too embarrassing!" (Kazuto)

I didn't know whether I like Mizuki-san or not.

I just had feelings of admiration and respect for her.

Of course, as a high school boy of my age, I had delusions of becoming her lover and having a lovey-dovey relationship with her.

But if you ask me if that's a romantic feeling, I'd have to tilt my head again.....

"......For now, I'll just reply with, Good morning, it's indeed another beautiful day." (Kazuto)

From the day I learned of Rin's true identity, a series of unbelievable and ridiculous events hit me.

My mind and heart were not in order because of the fast-changing daily life.

"What's going to happen to me, from now on,......? How many times exactly have I said this line?" (Kazuto)

□

"Sup, Ayanokouji." (Tachibana)

"Good morning Ayanokouji-kun." (Saito)

As soon as I arrived at school and took my seat, the two of them immediately started talking to me.

Both of them had an expectant look on their faces, as if they wanted to ask me something.

"Good morning... and, what?" (Kazuto)

"Hey hey, isn't the tension is low..... What happened with Mizuki?" (Tachibana)

I knew it, after all, it was the main subject.

Saito was also looking at me with sparkles in his eyes behind his glasses.

"What happened, huh... I'm myself also wondering about it." (Kazuto)

I didn't know where to start.

So, I answered vaguely.

If I had to give them an explanation, it would be that Mizuki-san didn't just like me, she wanted to be my wife.

It was a very simple explanation.

However, I had to be mentally prepared to give such a simple explanation.

As I kept my mouth shut, Tachibana narrowed his eyes and made an assertion.

"Ayanokouji, you..... you've been rejected!?" (Tachibana)

"What?" (Kazuto)

"You failed the name-calling challenge, didn't you!?" (Tachibana)

"No, I haven't tried the name-calling challenge yet....." (Kazuto)

"Wait a minute, Ayanokouji-kun! Are you trying to say that you were rejected before you do the name-calling challenge!?" (Saito)

Saito said wildly as if to say, "That's ridiculous!"

...... And I also use it, but what is the name-calling challenge?

"Well, about it ... it was my bad, Ayanokouji. We really thought Mizuki really liked you ..." (Tachibana)

"He's right. I'm sorry about it too...... I'm really sorry." (Saito)

The two apologized to me, their earlier cheerful energy dissipating.

I was misunderstood in the opposite sense.

"Mizuki rejected you after giving you so much hope, that must have lowered your spirits." (Tachibana)

"No, that's not it. I'm not sure if you'll believe me even if I explain it to you....... I can't say it well either......." (Kazuto)

"You don't have to force yourself, Ayanokouji-kun. As an apology, I'll give you some of the light novels I've collected since I was in middle school." (Saito)

"Oh, in that case, I'll give you three bell peppers." (Tachibana)

"What!? Then I'll give you five eggplants!" (Saito)

"Then seven!" "Ten!" "Twelve!" "Twenty!" "Hundred!"

"Who are you guys, a greengrocer!? You're collecting too many vegetables, guys!" (Kazuto)

Really, these guys...!

As I stared at them with cold eyes, Tachibana and Saito, who had some kind of gentle expressions, put their hands on my shoulders.

"You're finally becoming the Ayanokouji you were meant to be." (Tachibana)

"What?" (Kazuto)

"According to my calculation, the probability that Ayanokouji-kun is getting better is 97%. That snappy comment you just made is the best proof of that." (Saito)

...... What's wrong with these two?

You're not going to tell me that you've made a bad joke like an elementary school student to cheer me up?

"If you think about it, there's no way a popular idol like Mizuki would fall in love with Ayanokoji, who is an online game nerd." (Tachibana)

"That's right. According to my calculations, there is a 79% chance that Mizuki-san saw Ayanokouji-kun as a rare animal. It was never about romantic feelings." (Saito)

"You guys are saying damn too much as you like....... Okay, I get it. I'll say, I'll say it." (Kazuto)

If I was made fun of this much, I had no choice but to tell the truth.

Since Tachibana and Saito were listening to me, I'll tell them the truth.

"Mizuki-san is... she was intending to be my wife even in real life." (Kazuto)

""What?"" (Tachibana; Saito)

This is exactly what it means when one's eyes turn into dots. (PTW/N: 目が点になる (megatenninaru).)

They let out a dumb voice and blinked at each other as they looked at each other.

And.......

"Hu-huahahaha! That's not it, Ayakoji! No matter how delusional you are, it is terribly too much! Huahahaha!"

"Pffft! A-Ayanokouji-kun! No matter how... Pfffft!" (Saito)

"..." (Kazuto)

The two were laughing with their stomachs.

I knew they wouldn't believe me, but I never expected them to laugh so hard.

Well, I guess it's normal.

It was really unbelievable that a popular idol, Mizuki Rinka, would not only take a liking to an online game nerd, but also consider herself to be his wife.......

"Phew~. I haven't laughed at that since Monday." (Tachibana)

"Yeah, I know it...... I laughed so hard I had to go to the bathroom." (Saito)

"M-me too. Do you want to go with us, Ayanokouji?" (Tachibana)

"No way I'm going." (Kazuto)

I wondered if I can go to the lavatory with them laughing at me like this.

As I sat in my chair, I watched the two giggling people leave the classroom.

"...Geez." (Kazuto)

I'm serious here.

I'm not going to consult with them about anything anymore.

"U-umm.... Ayanokouji-kun. Is this a good time?"

A small girl spoke to me as if she was asking me a question fearfully.

It was Himekawa-san from my class.

With her hairstyle tied in pigtails, her overall atmosphere was reminiscent of small animals.

She has a rather cute appearance, but she has a reserved personality and is not the type to stand out.

I had the strong impression that she was in the corner of the classroom, having a conversation with her quiet friends.

"It's okay now. What's wrong, Himekawa-san?" (Kazuto)

"Th-that is.... This is out of the blue, but can you pull my finger.....?" (Himekawa)

"finger?"

Himekawa-san lightly opened her small right hand into the par and held it out to me.

It's really out of the blue.

What is this?

"A-any one of these..." (Himekawa)

"For what it is?" (Kazuto)

"Um, that is..." (Himekawa)

Himekawa-san mumbled her mouth and stammered.

She was shyly shaking her petite body, unable to say anything.

In addition, her cheeks were slightly red.

As I watched her, I noticed something.

Behind Himekawa-san.

One of the girls sitting in the row by the hallway was watching us with a grin on her face.

I guessed that I was being played some kind of game or prank on.

When I thought about it, I felt a slightly competitive spirit.

......Anyway, I guess I should choose a finger.

So, I lightly pulled Himekawa-san's middle finger.

"Ah... the middle finger, huh..." (Himekawa)

"Eh? Did I do something wrong?" (Kazuto)

"No, Y-yeah. It's good..." (Himekawa)

Sorry? Sadness? I can't read it, but she went back to her friend, wearing some kind of negative emotion.

Occasionally, she skipped a glance at me and whispered to each other.

".....what is that?" (Kazuto)

I tilted my head, didn't understand the meaning of their actions.

―――― I learned this a few days later, but it seemed that I had been subjected to “finger fortune-telling”.

The idea was that you could tell what the other person thought of you by which finger they pulled.

The meaning changed depending on whether the other person was of the same sex or the opposite sex.

By the way, if you are pulled by the opposite sex, it means

・ Thumb: A trusted advisor.

・ Index finger: Business partner.

・ Middle finger: Normal friend.

・ Ring finger: Someone you would like to marry.

・ Pinky finger: Ideal lover.

I've heard that people think like that (It's just fortune-telling).

In this case, I pulled her middle finger, which means I think of Himekawa-san as a normal friend――――.

"... Maybe it's the first time I've ever held a girl's finger." (Kazuto)

An inexplicable sensation enveloped my whole body.

It was small and soft――――Wha!

I turned around as I felt killing intent.

It was from Mizuki-san's direction.

But she was touching her phone.

Was it my imagination?

Right after that, I heard a notification sound from my smartphone in my pants pocket.

I checked to see if it was.......

[It seems we do need to talk again tonight, yes?] (Rinka)

I wasn't sure, but I felt like I should apologize.

[I'm sorry.] (Kazuto)

[Today's lunch break. Please come to the back of the school so that no one can find. It’s okay if you come after you finished your lunch.] (Rinka)

[Umm, can I veto?] (Kazuto)

[What a terrible husband. Your wife wants to spend lunch with you, and you're going to turn her down?] (Rinka)

We had become a couple as a matter of course.

[......I'll go.] (Kazuto)

[Good. I've never looked forward to a lunch break so much.] (Rinka)

Is it pleasure, or is it a desire that comes from black emotions? I don't know either.

But, it is pure joy to be invited by Mizuki-san.

However, this time it is.......

"I'm a little scared." (Kazuto)