After I Picked up a Notebook Filled With Intense Emotions, the Girls Started Acting Strange - Chapter 17

I─Shindou Arata has been feeling troubled lately.

It felt like nothing was going right these days.

I’ve been late to school a lot.

Since I wasn’t eating breakfast, I couldn’t focus in class, and the teacher often got mad at me.

Even in club activities, where I used to play well and get praised, that had stopped completely.

All of this started after Mizuki stopped taking care of me.

Since that day, she hasn’t ignored me or anything. When we talk, she acts normal enough. But I can’t get what Imaoka said out of my head.

It feels like my childhood friend doesn’t really see me anymore.

She said she was doing this for my sake, but why is she always hanging around that guy instead?

Just thinking about it made my irritation boil over.

“Damn it…”

One afternoon after school.

In the health committee meeting room, I was flipping through some documents and sighing over and over.

Today’s meeting was about the upcoming field trip, which would take place after Golden Week and midterms.

April was almost over, and once the long break passed, the trip would come before we knew it.

As members of the health committee, we were supposed to share notes on how to handle injuries or sudden illness during the trip.

Even though we had an important practice match during Golden Week, I still had to waste club time for something this boring…

And on top of that, I was already annoyed because of Shiomi.

While I was sulking, the girl sitting next to me, Orihara Yukina, peeked at me from her desk.

She twirled her pen between her fingers, showing off her flashy nails, and gave me a teasing grin.

“Shindou-kun, you look kind of down. What’s wrong?”

“…Well, it’s nothing.”

She was the kind of girl who could get along with anyone in class.

A cheerful gal, loose uniform, stylish looks, and as honestly pretty as Mizuki.

At first, I wasn’t very good at dealing with girls like her.

But since we ended up in the same class this year, we’d started talking more for a certain reason.

“It’s about Mizuki-chan, right?”

“─!”

I quickly turned my face away.

And of course, she caught on right away.

“See~ I knew it. Shindou-kun always relies on Mizuki-chan, do you?”

Her tone was teasing, but behind the light voice, her eyes looked serious.

“I-It’s not like that─”

Before I could finish, she leaned across the desk toward me.

“Hey, don’t worry, okay? You’ve still got me, right? For real. No matter what anyone says, I’m totally on Team Shindou.”

“T-Team Shindou…?”

…I almost laughed but managed to hold it in.

She kept talking, her tone light but her words surprisingly firm.

“You know, because you’re my lifesaver. You can be kind of awkward and unreliable sometimes, but I still wanna repay you.”

She spoke fast, but her voice had a kind of seriousness that made it hard to take as just a joke.

It felt like she could see right through me, but her kind words softened that uneasy feeling.

Yeah. That’s what she meant by lifesaver.

Back in our second year, I’d heard she was looking for someone.

Apparently, she’d been searching for the person who helped her little sister once.

When I asked her about it, when it happened, and what kind of person they were, I realized they might’ve been me.

So I told her that, and from then on, we started talking a lot more.

That aside, I’d noticed lately that she’d been spending more and more time with me.

She was friendly with everyone, but she came to me a lot more often than she did to other guys.

Even after club practice, somehow she’d show up right when I finished, and we’d end up walking home together.

It happened even before Mizuki started acting strange, but after her training period announcement, it became even more frequent.

And that’s when I started thinking.

Yeah, no mistake about it. She’s totally into me.

To be honest, my type has always been calm and graceful girls.

Mizuki fits that, but if I had to name my ideal, it’d be Rei.

She has beautiful silver hair and her refined looks; she’s the kind of girl who really suits me.

Compared to that, gals were never really my thing.

Back in the day, girls who teased me a lot were always loud and flashy types like that.

But thinking about it now, it’s not such a bad feeling to have someone from that unreachable type showing interest in me.

And besides… She’s gorgeous. And sexy.

Her chest isn’t exactly modest; it’s kind of unfair. Neither Mizuki nor Rei could even compare in that department.

And the fact that she always leaves two buttons of her blouse undone… It’s honestly hard to know where to look. Pretending not to stare is its own kind of torture.

Her skirt’s short, too, and with her looks and her bright personality, there’s no doubt she’s one of the most popular girls in school.

She seems open-minded about that kind of stuff, too. The kind of girl who’d say yes if things went that way.

So, really, being on good terms with her isn’t bad for me either.

That’s what I told myself as I kept spending time with her.

“So, what happened with Mizuki-chan? You two don’t seem to hang out much lately.”

Right. We were talking about Mizuki.

“Yeah, she’s been kind of cold lately. She says she’s got stuff to talk about, and she’s been spending more time with another guy. I’ve known him since elementary school, but he is not a great person. I’m worried he might be tricking her or something. I mean, as her childhood friend, I can’t help but be concerned.”

Showing a bit of weakness here could work in my favor. Sometimes, I have to play the part to get someone’s attention.

I put on a slightly gloomy and troubled expression.

At the same time, I made sure to throw some shade at that guy’s reputation.

If Yukina really liked me, she’d probably spread that bad image of him around in no time.

Perfect. Things were starting to go my way.

“Eeh, really!? That’s so worrying.”

“Yeah. I’ve been trying to think of some way to get her away from him.”

“Hmm. Shindou-kun really is kind.”

“Well. It’s nothing big. She’s my childhood friend. Of course I’d care.”

Hehe. That should’ve earned me a few more points with Yukina.

“But I wouldn’t honestly mind if Mizuki-chan just stayed out of the picture.”

“…Huh?”

Her tone suddenly changed, and that caught me off guard.

“I’m just kidding! I mean, I can have you all to myself if she’s not around!”

“O-oh. That’s what you meant.”

Oh, I see how it is. Man, she really does like me. I’m such a dangerous guy.

Even her jealousy is kind of cute.

…Crap. Now that I’m thinking about it, she’s starting to look even cuter. Calm down, self!

Still, my real goal is Rei. I have to keep my distance for now.

Wait, if I’m aiming for a harem, does it even matter who I start with?

“But. I don’t really know how to help, but Shindou-kun is a great guy. I’m sure Mizuki-chan will come back to you soon.”

“Y-you think so?”

“Totally!”

There was no proof behind her words, but the bright way she said it almost made me believe it might come true.

Right. I’m popular. That’s just a plain fact.

What was I even worrying about? Mizuki’s just acting distant for now.

Sooner or later, she’ll come back to me.

First Mizuki, then Yukina.

If I can add Rei to that list too…

“Hehehe.”

I couldn’t help but grin.

“Thanks to you, Yukina, I feel better now.”

“Really? You’re welcome. Oh, but can you do something to thank me?”

Thank her? Did she just ask for a favor in return?

Crap. Don’t tell me it’s that kind of thing. Is she planning to ask for something expensive?

Guess I misjudged the whole gal type after all. They really are―.

“Let’s hang out during Golden Week!”

“Huh?”

I blinked. That’s it? Just hanging out?

Hehe, not bad. A date with a cute gal. Wait, hold on?

Wasn’t there supposed to be an important practice during Golden Week?

“Come on… can’t we?”

“…!”

Gulp.

Her cleavage… I can see it!

That’s cheating. That’s completely unfair!!

My so-called iron will melt away in an instant, and others… important parts of me reacted instead.

“W-well… if it’s Yukina asking…”

One day off won’t hurt. I’m the team’s ace anyway.

I’ve worked hard until now, so skipping once in a while won’t kill me. Even the gods would forgive that.

Besides, when a cute girl asks me like that, how could I possibly say no?

“Hehe. Hehehe.”

“Hey. Shindou-kun! What are you laughing at? Did you even read the papers?”

“I-I did!”

“Then explain the safety rules!”

“U-um…”

“Did you really read it?”

“I-I’m s-sorry…”

For some reason, I was the only one who got scolded by Fujimoto-sensei, the school nurse, and everyone around me started laughing.

Later, I realized something. I never actually said that the guy hanging around Mizuki was Shiomi.

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Afterword

Yesterday, I received a few comments about it, so I’ve added a short note here as well, just to be sure.

The harem tag had been removed partway through the series for certain reasons, but it’s now been restored.

Please don’t think too deeply about it, just enjoy the story as it is.

The series will continue for quite a while, so I hope you’ll keep reading!

Comments and reviews are always welcome!