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 9: Jealousy of the Goddess

Chapter 9: Jealousy of the Goddess

“Hey, you’ve been getting along really well with that Angel girl lately, haven’t you?”

In the morning, while we were on our way to school, Hina spoke to me in an irritated tone.

It’s true that I’ve been spending a lot of time with Angel lately. But it’s not really that we’re “getting along”… more like I’m being used as her servant. However, it seems that’s how it looks to Hina.

Since I’ve been ordered to keep the fact that I’m helping Angel gain popularity a secret, I had to give Hina a vague explanation.

“We sit next to each other. We end up talking a lot. She’s new here, so there are still a lot of things she doesn’t understand.”

“…That’s not all, though. You’ve been having lunch with her a lot recently.”

“…You really know everything, huh?”

Just as Hina said, I’ve been having lunch with Angel a lot lately, partly to hold strategy meetings.

But I didn’t think she’d notice. It feels like I’m being watched, and it gives me a bit of a chill down my back.

“If you have feelings for her, you should stop. That girl is definitely trouble. Don’t let her looks fool you.”

She’s right.

Angel might look cute like an angel on the outside, but inside, she’s as scary as a demon.

It seems Hina doesn’t like Angel either. Maybe it’s because they’re the same type of person—could she sense something I can’t?

“You deserve someone much better than her… someone beautiful and with a great figure, who has always been in love with you.”

“There’s no way someone like that exists…”

If someone like that really existed, I’d have had a girlfriend ages ago. But in reality, I’ve never had a girlfriend or even been popular.

People like that only exist in romance manga or light novels. They don’t exist in real life.

“There’s definitely someone like that! So… don’t let that girl fool you.”

Hina said that as if she was pleading with me.

Usually, she speaks confidently and bluntly, but it’s rare for her to sound so weak. It threw me off a bit, seeing her act so differently from usual.

“…Alright. I won’t be fooled.”

“Really? Promise me.”

Honestly, I already know what Angel is like on the inside, so if you asked me if I had romantic feelings for her, I’d have to say, “Not at all…”

I’m just helping her gain popularity to atone for seeing her half-naked.

“Then, eat lunch with me today! I… made lunch for you. For you too.”

“…Hina made lunch? For me?”

“What’s with that reaction? It’s no big deal to make lunch for my childhood friend.”

It was a total shock. Hina making lunch for me? What in the world?

But then, the reason she made lunch for me quickly popped into my mind, and I understood.

“Ah, I see. You’re practicing making lunch for the person you like.”

“…What?”

The reason Hina made lunch for me was that it was practice for making lunch for the person she really likes.

She’s had a crush on someone for a long time. She decided to make lunch for that person, but she was too nervous to give it to him directly.

So, I guess I’m the taste tester… the guinea pig.

When I gave my answer, Hina looked a bit flustered, but quickly returned to her usual expression.

“Y-yeah! I think it’s delicious since I made it, but just to be sure, I want you to taste it.”

“But couldn’t you just ask someone else who’s close to you to taste it?”

“I… I want to hear the opinion of a guy. You’re the only guy I’m close to…”

When she said that, I thought for a second. Hina is popular with both boys and girls and is well-known, but if I think about it, I’m the only guy she’s actually close to. Everyone else is just a classmate or acquaintance.

Well, if that’s the case, I guess I’ll help out for the sake of my childhood friend’s love life.

“Alright. You just want me to give my opinion, right?”

“Yeah. So, we’ll eat lunch together today!”

However… I didn’t expect Hina to notice the secret meetings with Angel. From now on, I’ll have to be more careful not to let her find out.

Another Side – Hina

“Hina-chan, why can’t you just say ‘I made it for you’?”

“Because if I say that, it’ll seem like I’m confessing to him!”

“Come on, stop being so stubborn. If you just act honestly, you two would have already gotten together by now.”

“I don’t want that! I’m definitely going to make him confess!”

After school, two female students were chatting at a nearby café.

One of them was Hina Unasu, the girl who was known as the “Goddess” at school.

The other girl was a larger, but kind-hearted and seemingly gentle girl named Yuu Mihotoke. She had been friends with Hina since middle school and was her closest friend.

While Hina usually put on a sweet act in front of other students, she only showed her true self to her childhood friend Takayasu and her best friend Yuu.

She had also told Yuu about her crush.

“Recently, Takayasu’s been eating lunch with the transfer student all the time!” Hina had been complaining out of jealousy, and Yuu suggested, “Why not make him lunch and invite him to eat with you?”

Now, Hina was venting about what had happened that morning while Yuu listened with a bit of exasperation.

“Ugh, he’s so dense! I’ve been dropping hints about liking him, but he doesn’t even notice!”

“That’s your fault, you know. You lied in front of Takayasu about having someone you liked. So, naturally, he thinks you made that lunch for someone else.”

Yuu wasn’t exactly experienced in love either, but even she could see how clumsy Hina was when it came to relationships.

Hina had this strange insistence on not confessing herself and making Takayasu confess instead. Since Takayasu was surprisingly dense, they still weren’t together.

“But, but… He ate the lunch I made and said it was delicious! I’ve basically captured his heart with his stomach!”

“…Well, that’s good, I guess.”

After complaining a moment ago, Hina suddenly started gushing about how he liked her lunch, with a big smile on her face. For some people, this could have been annoying enough to make them get up and leave, but Yuu, being the kind-hearted friend she was, just listened and sipped her drink.

For some reason, she glanced out the café window and spotted the transfer student, Akua, walking down the street. It seemed she was on her way home.

Hina’s expression immediately darkened when she saw Akua.

“That girl… she’s getting too familiar with Takayasu.”

“She’s not yours yet, though. But Takayasu and Akua seem kind of close, don’t they? Maybe Takayasu doesn’t mind her that much.”

Realizing this conversation wasn’t going anywhere, Yuu decided to provoke her friend a bit. If she didn’t feel the threat of someone else taking her crush, Hina wouldn’t change her mind.

“That’s fine! I made sure to remind him today! That girl is bad news, so stay away from her.”

“Really? I think Akua is actually a good girl, though. She’s really cute and has a great figure. Takayasu might fall for her without even realizing it…”

Hina’s confident expression quickly changed to one of uncertainty.

“…Now I’m starting to get worried.”

“That’s why you need to keep pursuing him. For example…”

The two girls continued their conversation over drinks, chatting away at the café.