After I Picked up a Notebook Filled With Intense Emotions, the Girls Started Acting Strange - Chapter 25

“Thank you for today. I’m sorry if I made things awkward halfway through. Let’s go somewhere together again!”

After parting ways with Sena-san, I walked home while reading the message she’d sent right away.

Today’s rehearsal… honestly, I don’t even know what it was for anymore. But one thing became clear.

Sena-san doesn’t like Shindou.

And maybe… if I’m not just imagining it, her feelings are now directed toward me.

What happened?

It’s like her feelings, which had always been for Shindou, suddenly changed direction.

If she’d simply gotten tired of him, that would make sense.

Even her suddenly quitting the way she used to take care of him would fit.

But then that time…

─The person I like hasn’t changed… not now, not in the past.

What did she mean by that?

If the person she likes isn’t Shindou, then what have all her actions meant up until now?

So, does that mean the notebook really isn’t hers?

That notebook had words filled with such desperate love. The kind of love that said, if they can’t be together, she’d rather die with him.

A feeling that strong, could someone like that just give up so easily?

Sena-san suddenly said she didn’t lose it…

I don’t want to suspect her, but it feels like she’s hiding something.

If the notebook has nothing to do with her, then fine.

But still, something doesn’t sit right.

“Ugh… my head’s a mess.”

Holding my head, I walked along the dimming road.

My stretched-out shadow looked long, announcing the coming of night.

I’ll be home soon. I’m not really in the mood, but once I get there, I’ll read more of that notebook.

Otherwise, I’ll never make sense of any of this.

“…Huh?”

Just as I made up my mind, I noticed someone standing near a utility pole. These days, things can be dangerous. What if it’s some kind of stranger?

I couldn’t tell who it was because of the backlight.

I should just walk past quickly.

But when I glanced sideways, I realized I knew that face.

“…Yukina. What are you doing here?”

“…Waiting.”

“…For who?”

“Shiomin.”

She was actually waiting for me.

But how did she even know I’d come this way?

There’s no way Yukina knows where I live.

She looked different from usual, quiet, and her mood was low. It was rare to see her like that. Even someone as loud and cheerful as her can get down sometimes. But after what happened earlier, I could already guess why.

“Um, did something happen with Shindou after that?”

Honestly, after what Sena-san said, it wasn’t hard to imagine.

The guy she liked had been chasing after another girl. Even if that girl was his childhood friend and got rejected right in front of her. And it happened while they were out together.

That had to be awful. The atmosphere must’ve been hellish. I can only imagine Shindou was so shocked that their date ended right there.

“Yeah, kind of. I just wanted to talk about it a bit.”

I knew it. When I looked up, the sky that had been glowing red earlier was now covered in dull gray clouds.

It looked like rain was coming, and before I could even finish the thought, thunder rumbled and something cold touched my skin.

“Ah, rain…”

The moment I whispered that, it began pouring.

Right in front of me stood Yukina, who was drenched and looked like she might cry at any second.

I let out a long sigh.

“Alright. Do you want to come to my place and talk?”

“…”

She nodded quietly, and we headed to my apartment together.

◆

“Wow! So this is Shiomin’s house! Thank you for having me!”

“You were all depressed a minute ago, so why are you suddenly so excited?”

“Don’t you get all hyped up when you go to someone else’s house?”

“I kind of get it, but still.”

I used to hang out at friends’ houses a lot when I was younger, but not so much lately.

Yukina stepped inside and looked around curiously.

It was just a normal apartment; my parents bought it secondhand a few years ago.

The outside looked a bit old, but since it had been renovated, the inside was pretty clean.

After showing her in, I told her to wait in the living room while I went to grab a towel from the bathroom.

“Here, Yukina. Towel─!?”

“Ah, thank you.”

I tossed it to her as I stepped into the room and then froze, quickly turning my head away.

She was tugging at the damp neckline of her loose sweater. For a split second, I caught a glimpse of her pink underwear.

Seriously, give me a break…!

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing… Just when you’re done drying off, leave the towel on the table or something.”

“Got it.”

Judging by her calm reaction, she didn’t realize I’d seen anything. Barely escaping disaster, I turned to the window and started roughly drying my hair.

“How was it?”

“…What do you mean?”

“You totally saw my underwear, didn’t you?”

“I did not.”

“Pervert.”

In the window’s reflection, Yukina’s face was full of mischief.

By then, her toned stomach was hidden again. A shame, really.

“Hey, hey! Can I see your room!?”

“What are you even here for again?”

“Oh, come on! We can talk later!”

Maybe this was just how gals were a bit bold and not shy about things like this. I guess that’s part of their charm, or maybe just my bias talking.

Well, if I really said no, she’d probably back off.

“…Is it not okay?”

“Ugh…”

How am I supposed to say no when she looks at me like that!?

In the end, I gave in and decided to show Yukina my room.

“Just so you know, it’s not anything interesting.”

“That’s fine. Even if I find your naughty magazines, I won’t read them!”

“I don’t have any.”

I sighed. This was going to be nerve-wracking. Still, I turned the doorknob and let her in.

“So this is Shiomin’s room…! It’s kind of normal.”

“I told you.”

Yukina glanced around the room.

Like I said, there was nothing special, just a bed, a study desk, a low table, and a small bookshelf.

My bed was a mess, with a handheld console and a few manga scattered across it.

Seeing that, I instantly regretted not tidying up first.

“Hey, can I look at your bookshelf?”

“Go ahead.”

At least she had enough manners to ask before touching.

My collection was small anyway, just a few manga I’d bought with allowance money, the kind you’d find in any weekly shonen magazine. Nothing to be embarrassed about.

…Wait. Right now, I’m alone in my room with a girl.

That hasn’t happened since middle school.

Crap. My heart’s racing.

Yukina tucked her slightly damp hair behind her ear, and that simple motion looked way too pretty. My heartbeat jumped another notch.

No, calm down. Stop thinking weird stuff.

“Ah, you’ve got Colossus Skit. I’ve only read the beginning of this one.”

“You read manga, Yukina?”

“I used to a lot. But not so much lately, though. Ah, Love in Costume! I love this one!”

Love in Costume… short for The Mascot Suit Girl Falls in Love.

It’s a story about a girl who loves wearing mascot costumes and a boy who makes stuffed animals.

The series just recently ended, and both the story and the cute heroine became a big hit, even in the anime version.

“I actually became a gal because I admired her!”

“Huh… wait? Really?”

She said it so casually that it caught me off guard.

On the cover of the first volume Yukina was holding, the heroine did kind of look like her. The same flashy style and same vibe.

Well, except Yukina probably wouldn’t wear a mascot costume.

“Hey, can I read this a bit?”

“Yeah, but haven’t you read it before?”

“Yeah, I used to have it, but I don’t anymore. I just felt like rereading it.”

“Go ahead.”

“Thank you!”

She smiled brightly, sat down on my bed, and opened the book.

“…”

Um, is this normal?

Am I the only one feeling nervous right now?

But Yukina seemed completely lost in the story, not paying any attention to me at all.

Her face looked peaceful and even nostalgic.

“…Well, whatever. I’ll go make us something to drink. What do you want?”

“Thank you. Anything’s fine, I’ll leave it to you.”

“Coffee okay?”

“Yeah.”

She sounded distracted with her eyes still on the pages. Guess she really was focused.

I sighed softly and headed out of the room toward the kitchen.

◆

There was something nostalgic about the smell here.

Ever since I stepped into this house, this room has had a strange and warm feeling rising deep inside my chest.

I didn’t want to look around too much while Shiomi-kun was here, so I focused on the manga I had picked up instead.

On the cover was a cute girl with bright blonde hair, a flashy gal who looked a lot like how I am now.

“I wonder if I’ve really changed since back then.”

I wasn’t always like this. Back then, I was plain and awkward, the kind of girl people would tease for being out of style.

“This was what started it all.”

That day, the boy who helped me, “he” had bought this very book.

I remembered the cover peeking out from the edge of his shopping bag. I wanted to be closer to him, even just a little.

That’s why I decided to change.

“Haa… I really do love this story.”

Before Shiomi-kun came back, I had already finished reading. I stretched and sat up in his bed, ready to return the manga to its place.

But then, something on his desk caught my eye.

“Huh? This is…?”

Something that shouldn’t have been there. I froze while staring at it, completely speechless.

◇◇◇

Afterword

Thank you so much for reading up to this point!

I’m really grateful for all the support and kind reactions.

Shindou’s behavior is getting worse and worse, but I hope you’ll keep following along.

We’re getting close to the end of Chapter 2.

There might still be some parts you’re curious about, but those will be revealed little by little, so please be patient a bit longer.

To be honest, I haven’t been able to build up much of a writing buffer since I started posting this.

I’ll do my best to keep writing and updating!

I originally planned to keep the story within about 100,000 characters, but it looks like it’ll take a bit more than that.

If you haven’t yet, I’d really appreciate a follow, a star rating, or even a review!

And of course, comments are always welcome. Especially your passionate thoughts about Shindou.