Hey, Best Friend. How About A Kiss Today Too? - Chapter 58: “Renji!”

“Renji!”

The chaos and confusion with Sagiri came to an end as the night passed.

In the morning, nothing particularly changed. After being teased by my mother, who had already heard about the incident through the mom network, I had breakfast and headed to school.

Sagiri wasn’t there when I left the house, and even as I approached the familiar intersection, there was no sign of the distinctive long-haired girl in the distance.

With conflicting feelings of relief that Sagiri seemed fine and a desire to see her cheerful face again,  I walked alone through the quiet residential streets in the morning.

Despite being childhood friends who lived close by, our daily routines were slightly out of sync, so they usually went to school separately. It felt strangely unsatisfying.

Thinking about this under the summer morning sun, I slowly woke up in a sleepy mind and made my way to school, passing through the familiar route, arriving at the classroom.

My desk was occupied.

“Oh, Akahori! You finally made it!”

“…It’s you.”

It was Hasegawa.

Not Sagiri, my childhood friend and best friend, but Hasegawa, a tall guy, my friend.

“Hey there, Renji! Good morning!”

“…Yuzuru, it’s you too.”

And in the seat next to me.

Yes, Yuzuru, a small girl student who was the complete opposite of Hasegawa, was sitting in Sagiri’s seat. Their seats had been taken over by the duo of the “Selfhood Research Club.”

“Hey, you! Ignoring Yuzuru-chan like that takes guts!”

“Yeah, yeah! The motto of Selfhood Research Club is to be true to yourself, but we don’t want any self-expression that inconveniences others!”

“And you guys are saying that…”

Sighs escaped me even before I could see Sagiri.

While pretending to agree with them, I pondered what to do about these idiots who occupied our seats. Then, timidly, Kusakabe raised her hand.

“Um, excuse me… Is Yakumo-san okay?”

“Hm? Oh, she was… fine. By the way, what’s with the raised hand?”

“S-Sorry, sorry!”

Kusakabe quickly withdrew her raised hand, seemingly without any particular reason.

“Is Sagirin really okay!?”

“Did you really tell her about us too!?”

“Don’t stand so close, sit down! …No, actually, just leave!!”

The dynamic duo approached me with such force that I had to make them sit, but that was Sagiri and my seat to begin with.

“…She just said it was because of lack of sleep. And she made sure to tell me that everyone was worried.”

“Oh, really! That’s a relief!”

“I’m glad, Yuzuru-chan!”

“T-that’s a relief…!”

I couldn’t help but recall yesterday’s events, but I pushed that thought aside and only conveyed the facts. Everyone seemed relieved and happy in their own way.

It made me really happy to know that Sagiri had friends who cared about her.

“So, so! Is Sagirin coming today?”

“Yeah, I think she’ll come.”

“You idiot! Don’t just think she’ll come, go pick her up!”

“…Well, not that far.”

“A-After all that worrying…?”

Suddenly, it felt like I was surrounded by enemies.

Even though I thought they were on my side, they suddenly turned against me.

Sure, what Hasegawa said made sense, and if it were yesterday morning, I might have done it.

But saying I’ll wait and then going to pick her up myself… that’s just too embarrassing for me to do. I couldn’t bring myself to tell them the truth that only I knew.

As more and more classmates started to arrive in the classroom, it felt like my position was getting worse and worse.

“Hey everyone, good morning!”

The classroom door swung open with a creak, and a dignified voice echoed through the room.

“Hey, Yakumo-san, are you okay now? Can you come to school again?”

“If you’re not feeling well, let us know anytime!”

“The teacher said summer colds are going around, right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine now, thanks!”

Yes, it was Sagiri.

The school’s most popular beauty, Sagiri, greeted the class with a smile. Her gratitude towards the girls who were concerned for her shone brightly, and surely, not just Renshi, but all the boys in the class were paying attention.

“…Ah.”

Finally, Sagiri noticed me.

This was perfect. I needed her support. First, we would cooperate to get rid of these two idiots from our seats.

That’s what I was thinking, but…

“Hey there!”

Sagiri came running over with a smile.

“Waah!?”

“Whoa!?”

“Eek!?”

In front of everyone, including their classmates…

“Renji!”

“S-Sagiri!?”

She hugged me.