After I Picked up a Notebook Filled With Intense Emotions, the Girls Started Acting Strange - Chapter 11

I open the door, and Shindou notices me. He raises one eyebrow.

“…Did you just hear that?”

He’s grinning like always. I ignore him and head to my seat.

“…You’re the worst.”

Before I realize it, the words slip out. My voice is low and calm. I don’t yell. I just say it plainly while glaring at him.

Even though he denies it, the way he talks makes it obvious how he treats her.

“Have you ever thought about how Sena-san feels?”

Shindou looks at me for a moment, then snorts.

“That’s none of your business.”

“Yeah, it’s not. But it still makes me feel sick hearing it.”

People might call him handsome and popular, but I still can’t stand him. Maybe he doesn’t realize it, but he always seems to think everything revolves around him.

“It’s not like I’m forcing her? She likes me on her own, and she’s doing this on her own. That’s it.”

Maybe he’s right. Sena-san is acting on her own. But knowing how she feels, knowing how one-sided love can hurt, it still makes me angry.

“It’s not just Mizuki. I get attention from lots of girls. If I tried to respond to all of them, it would never end. Some of them I’m not even interested in. They’re the ones giving me affection… so amn’t I the one being put through it? I try to be considerate, and if it makes them happy, taking it isn’t a bad thing. No one can blame me, right?”

He keeps talking, making excuses I didn’t even ask for.

“You’re just using her feelings, right? How is that a good thing?”

“I’m telling you, I can’t help it. Even if I said I didn’t want it, she’d still do it anyway. That’s just how it is.”

“…If you’re not interested in Sena-san, you should make it clear.”

“That would just hurt her. Maybe Shiomi doesn’t get it, but if she got angry or resentful, it’d be a disaster. If I handle it lightly like this, maybe there’s still a chance we could end up together. Having that hope is better for her anyway.”

Someone’s honest and devoted feelings.

It makes me so mad to see Shindou stepping all over them.

Just like my feelings weren’t returned back then…

Even if Sena-san’s feelings weren’t returned, that doesn’t mean anyone has the right to treat her like that.

“Hey, Shiomi, what’s it to you? Or are you still holding a grudge over what happened two years ago?”

“──!”

Two years ago.

Middle school memories.

The person I had a crush on ended up liking Shindou. That was all.

“You’re being so weak about it. Same thing back then. She liked me. That’s it. If you want to hold a grudge, do it somewhere else.”

“…”

“Wait, is this it? You like Mizuki?”

Shindou smirks and looks triumphant as he asks. I freeze and am unsure what to say.

“Did I hit the mark? Too bad… Mizuki likes me─”

“Wrong.”

Honestly, I don’t have any special feelings of “like” for her.

But still, if she were to like me, if she were devoted to me…

Then―.

“…I can make her happier than someone like you.”

“──!”

“If you ever hurt Sena-san’s feelings again, I won’t forgive you.”

I said that, grabbed my bag, and left the classroom.

“…………”

A girl had been listening to that exchange from the hallway.

She hid around the corner so they wouldn’t see her while holding her breath.

When he passed by, she let out a small sigh.

“Shiomi-kun…”

Her eyes were glistening. She kept watching his back as he walked away.

Then she put a hand to her chest, calmed her racing heart, and quietly left the hallway.

◆

“Tch.”

On the way home, Arata clicked his tongue.

He felt sick with anger.

It was frustrating to be criticized by someone he once felt inferior to.

Even though he denied it, that reaction… There was no doubt. That guy liked Mizuki. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have explained himself so desperately.

Arata was certain of it in his mind.

When they first started middle school, that guy had lots of friends, unlike miserable Arata.

Bright, good at studies, and good at sports. He had everything Arata envied and resented.

Before he had even hit his growth spurt, he was the kind of nice guy who would even talk to someone like Arata, who used to be made fun of.

It was annoying. He must have looked down on Arata inside.

Arata had always wanted to get back at him.

And that chance came in the third year of middle school as he grew stronger.

It happened, and by high school, they hardly had any contact.

To Arata, he was a person from the past and clearly below him now.

So being challenged by him made Arata’s frustration boil over.

“Imaoka refused too… I don’t feel like going alone.”

At times like this, the best thing was to eat something good and complain to a friend.

He thought of inviting his friend Imaoka Ryouji, but he refused easily. His reaction was underwhelming.

“Well, seeing that fight in front of him, I guess that makes sense.”

It wasn’t a full-blown fight, just a quarrel between classmates. Probably not something pleasant to watch.

“Maybe I should’ve just invited some random girl who was free.”

He pulled out his phone and opened his friends list.

But then he realized he was almost home and gave up.

“Whatever. I’ll make that guy regret it later. After losing to me.”

He clenched his frustration as he reached his house.

And then he saw a familiar girl standing by the gate.

She would usually be inside, waiting to use the spare key her mom gave her.

But for some reason, she was outside today, staring at Arata’s house like she was soaking in nostalgia.

…Just like before they moved.

Arata felt curious but called out to the girl—Mizuki.

“What are you doing, Mizuki?”

“Oh, Arata.”

“…”

Mizuki smiled gently and calmly at him.

Her smile, he couldn’t help but think it was cute, and his ears grew warm.

He tried to think about something else, to hide his feelings, but thinking about Mizuki reminded him of earlier, and it made him angry again.

…Right, that guy likes Mizuki.

He wondered what that guy’s face would look like if he said he had hung out with Mizuki.

The thought made him laugh.

She was extremely beautiful, but he’d been hesitant because she had felt too much for him before. Lately, he felt more at ease, though.

─It’s his fault.

A twisted feeling filled his heart.

Mizuki liked him.

So, it was his choice how he treated her.

“Don’t just stand there. Come inside.”

He passed by Mizuki, opened the gate, and guided her in. He thought he should be kind to her sometimes. She would probably be happy.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I have something to do.”

“…Huh?”

But Mizuki slipped past him and went to the house next door.

“…What the hell?”

Arata muttered to himself as he was stunned and left alone.

A bad feeling crept into his mind.

No, no, she just happened to have something to do today. Tomorrow, she’d probably come back like usual and start taking care of things on her own.

He told himself that, but Arata still entered the house carrying a feeling he couldn’t shake.