After Distancing Myself From the Childhood Friend Couple Who Looked Down on Me, I Started Interacting With a Small Animal-Like Beautiful Girl - Chapter 6

After the first period ended, that person came while I was preparing for the next class.

“Hey, Yukito.”

A light and cheerful voice that leaves a good impression on everyone.

I looked up with a sense of inner resignation, there was a face I knew all too well.

“Feels like it’s been a while. Talking like this.”

“…Yeah.”

“You suddenly left the LINE group. For some reason, you’ve even blocked me on private chat.”

Daiki raised his voice slightly. A classmate nearby turned to look at us.

…Even though I never paid any attention to it before, I ended up using it in situations like this.

Just to be safe, I sent a message in the group chat and to the two childhood friends saying, “I’m sorry, I’m leaving.” As expected, I was left out.

“Oh, I’m not blaming you or anything. It’s just… if I made you feel bad without realizing it, I feel sorry.”

Haha, Daiki laughs while scratching his cheek with his index finger and lowering his eyebrows.

A person who lowers his voice tone and makes a sad face, if he is the central figure in the class, will attract more attention.

There were also girls who started whispering while looking over there.

“But I think Yuki is also at fault for suddenly leaving and blocking~.”

A glamorous girl appears as if to lean on Daiki. It’s Serika.

The reason she went out of her way to join was to curry favor with Daiki. The other reason is probably because it’s interesting.

Serika has loved Daiki since long ago and always goes along with whatever he does. When he teases me, she’s more enthusiastic than anyone else.

Even though she always came to me for relationship advice, I don’t even feel like retorting.

“You just left without even asking your childhood friend. Don’t you think it’s unfair to the other members too?”

“Don’t say it like you’re blaming me, Serika.”

“Because, Yuki, it was normal until now. You turned it into something like that, and the other members were confused too.”

Huh?

When Serika looked back, the group members who were there nodded.

“Come on, Yoshizaki, that was just too much.”

“If you didn’t like it, you should have just said so.”

“How about apologizing to Ootomo and Serika at once~?”

The eyes of the members who were saying it in unison were smiling.

They are just like Serika, enjoying making a fool out of me.

If my childhood friends and the two popular kids in class look down on me, then it’s okay for them to treat me the same way.

Before I knew it, I was surrounded by such a twisted circle of connections.

Even now that we are apart, they still tighten around me like this.

–––Ding dong ding dong…

The bell rings, and the classmates take their seats.

Among the students returning from outside the classroom were Kubo and Saitou-san.

“I’m sorry about that, Yukito.”

Daiki leaves with an apologetic smile. Following behind him, Serika also walked away.

At that moment, her shoulders droop as if she were a marionette with its strings cut.

It seems she was unconsciously on edge.

…They didn’t say anything even when I left the group. As if to say, “It’s fine even without you,” and they acted just like usual.

What the heck is this?

I clasp my hands together tightly and just let out a small sigh.

The instructor for the second-period social studies class entered the classroom, and I switched my focus to the lesson.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

Since that break time, Daiki and the others haven’t talked to me.

However, an indescribable anxiety lingers in my mind, and I end up feeling exhausted even though there’s no gym class.

I have never been treated like such an obvious villain before.

The fear of something lurking in the shadows gradually eats away at me.

“…Cat…”

During lunch break, I muttered unconsciously after finishing my bento.

Today, Kubo has plans with another friend, so I’m alone for the first time in a few days.

I’m used to eating alone, so I don’t feel lonely.

I just really want to run away right now. And I want healing.

I took out my wireless earbuds, put them in my ears, and operated my smartphone. What opened was not Photos, but YouTube.

From the subscribed channels, I select the one with the black and white cat icon and tap on the video.

What flowed into my ears was not background music, but the mundane sounds of everyday life.

The cat, which is the channel icon, follows the video creator, whose legs and arms are the only parts visible, with its short legs trotting along.

After 15 seconds of playing the video, I felt like I was wrapped in a fluffy futon.

Ah… so soothing…

Among all the cat channels, the one I particularly recommend is “Buchio’s Life.”

Editing with fewer captions and no background music allows me to focus on Buchio-kun’s natural way of spending time without any extra information.

The body larger than my Maru gives off a dignified presence like a sumo wrestler, but the relaxed appearance and the way it wobbles it’s soft belly and buttocks as it walks are also charming.

It’s no surprise that the channel has reached 100,000 subscribers in just two years since its launch…

“Adorable…”

When Buchio-kun lay on its back, it just slipped out.

It should have been at a volume that wouldn’t be noticed by those around. So it’s fine, probably.

I wanted to overwrite this anxiety as soon as possible, to the point where I became more careless than usual.

“Oh, it’s cute!”

The voice from right next to me made my shoulders jump.

Since the video doesn’t have any background music, I can hear it fairly well even with the headphones on.

Gigi, the armor turned its head towards the voice’s owner.

Just like yesterday after school, Saitou-san’s face was right next to mine.

“Sa… itou, san?”

I took off my earphones while raising my voice.

Saitou-san said, “Hmm?” And looked this way.

No, no, no, “huh?” No.

“That’s unusual. You’re in the classroom during lunch break.”

“Really? …Well, I guess so. I’m always running away from all the noise.”

“So you were running away…”

It’s impressive how she can speak so clearly even in the presence of a noisy person.

“Why are you here today?”

“I had something to do.”

Saitou-san answered that way and stared at me intently.

In her languid, round eyes, my stern expression was reflected.

…Huh, what?

Also, I’m being totally pierced by the gazes of those around me.

“…So dull.”

Saitou-san had been muttering under her breath as she finally pulled away her face.

After being stared at in silence, how dull.

“Well, never mind. Come here for a second.”

“Eh.”

A small hand grabs my left arm and pulls me along forcefully.

Even after stepping outside the classroom, Saitou-san still doesn’t let go of my hand.

The face of my classmate who came out from the window on the hallway side is getting smaller and smaller.

I passed by Kubo as he had just come out of the neighboring class, and his mouth was wide open enough that I thought his jaw might dislocate.

No, um, really, what–––––?!