I Knew That the Childhood Friend, Who Was Praised as a “Goddess” at School, Actually Had Another Side as a Arrogant “Demon God.” However, After a Girl, Who Was Praised as an “Angel,” Transferred Into Our Class and Started Getting Involved With Me, My Childhood Friend’s Behavior Became Strange

Chapter 5: In No Time, Angel-san Became Popular at School

A week had passed since Angel-san transferred.

Thanks to her appearance and personality—both worthy of her name “Angel”—she quickly became the most popular girl in class… or rather, so popular that she rivaled even Hina, our “Goddess.”

“Amatsuka-san is so cute… she’s really like an angel.”

“Even her personality is angelic. The other day, she smiled and picked up my eraser when I dropped it.”

“Wait, isn’t that just normal?”

“…No girl ever picked up my eraser before. Amatsuka-san is seriously an angel!”

“Oh, uh… that’s too bad for you.”

“No, no, our Goddess Unasu-san isn’t losing either.”

“Angel-san is cute, but I’m still team Goddess.”

Yeah, so every day, our classmates argue like this over whether they’re on “Team Goddess” or “Team Angel.”

These days, something called “oshi-katsu” (supporting your favorite person or character in different ways) is trendy, and I guess this is part of that. It’s like watching a popularity vote for an idol group.

Honestly, since I don’t really get this “oshi-katsu” thing, being constantly asked, “Which team are you on?” is just annoying.

It’s not like anything’s going to happen just because I choose a side.

Especially since I’ve heard that Hina already has someone she likes. That must be rough for her fans. I don’t know about Angel-san’s situation though.

Maybe because of the vibe from our classmates, the two “leaders” who got along well on the first day have been acting a little awkward around each other lately.

Angel-san often talks to me since we sit next to each other. And whenever we talk, Hina joins in too… but when I watch them, I can’t shake this weird feeling.

They seem to be getting along—at least on the surface.

But I’ve been Hina’s childhood friend for years, so I can tell. She sees Angel-san as a rival.

And while I’m not totally sure… it feels like Angel-san doesn’t fully trust Hina either.

One day, Angel-san and I were class reps.

In our class, the role of class rep changes daily, and you work with the person sitting next to you. The job includes erasing the board after class, writing the class journal, running errands for the teacher—stuff like that.

Naturally, the jealousy toward me, who spends time with Angel-san, was intense.

“I’ll erase the high parts of the board.”

“Thank you very much.”

“No problem. Ugh…”

While we were erasing the board together, I suddenly felt pressure on my back. As I thought, I turned to find the jealous stares of the guys in class—and Hina—boring into me.

…I’d wondered about this for a while, but while it makes sense that the guys are jealous, I still don’t get why Hina always looks so annoyed too.

There’ll be a seat change next month, so I just have to endure until then. Once I’m not sitting next to Angel-san anymore, school life will go back to normal.

After school, when we finished our final job—submitting the class journal to the teacher—we headed back to our classroom to get our bags and go home.

On the way down the hall, Angel-san spoke to me.

“By the way, I heard something… You’re Hina-chan’s childhood friend, right?”

“Hm? Yeah, that’s right.”

“Wow, I thought so. I really admire that. I’ve never had a childhood friend like that.”

“It’s not that great. She barges into my room and eats my snacks without asking…”

“Hehe, you two must be close… Since you’re her childhood friend, you must know a lot about Hina-chan, right? I want to get closer to her. Could you tell me about her?”

I didn’t show it on my face, but I was a little surprised.

Because of the “Team Angel” vs. “Team Goddess” thing, I thought their relationship was tense—or at least that Angel-san didn’t trust Hina much—but here she was, making an effort.

Maybe I was wrong, and Hina was the only one feeling competitive. Maybe Amatsuka-san really is like an angel.

“I don’t mind, but… if you want to know, wouldn’t it be easier to just ask her directly?”

“No, I think you, her childhood friend, know things others don’t. Oh, are you free after school today? If you are, would you like to have tea with me at a nearby café?”

“Today… not really.”

I lied. Honestly, I was free.

But I said that because if I was seen going somewhere with her, the guys would totally lose it.

If they found out I had tea with Angel-san after school, they’d absolutely corner me.

“Then how about tomorrow—ah!?”

“Watch out!”

We were just reaching the stairs when Angel-san slipped and stumbled. I quickly reached out to catch her.

Hmm!

“…!”

“Ah…”

My left hand grabbed her shoulder—that was fine.

But for some reason, my right hand had firmly grabbed her breasts.