Chapter 26

The call was on LINE, and the name displayed was “Mickey,” which meant it’s Miki.

For a brief moment, I hesitated over whether to answer. Ignoring it would make me look like I was doing something shady —though I kind of was. I slid the button to answer the call and put the phone to my ear.

“…H-hello?”

“Oh, Hoshi-kun? Sorry to call all of a sudden.”

As soon as the call started, Yuki pressed her ear against the other side of the phone, her face drawing near. I panicked and pulled away, but she clung closer, making it even harder for me to focus.

“Is something wrong? Can you hear me?”

“No, it’s… nothing. Uh, what’s up?”

“Hey, are you with Yuki right now?”

I flinched.

How could she guess that so precisely? The thought briefly crossed my mind, but I tried not to let my nervousness show.

“W-why are you asking me?”

“There’s a rumor going around that someone saw you two together at McDonald’s.”

As expected from Miki—the princess had done her homework. Someone must have tipped her.

Yuki, still eavesdropping nearby, made an X with her fingers, clearly signaling me Don’t tell her.

“Yeah, we’re together.”

“Oh, you admitted it so easily all of a sudden. Weren’t you trying to lie about it at first?”

“Well, lying seems pointless now.”

“So, you were going to lie?”

A strained chuckle escaped me.
It wasn’t my fault that the accusatory tone instinctively drew out such a reaction.

Yuki nudged my shoulder in protest, muttering, “Why did you tell her?” but I ignored her.

“So, where are you now?”

“Uh… my place?”

“Oh?”

There was a brief silence.

Even over the phone, I could feel the sharp tension. It was clear Miki wasn’t pleased.

“And? Did you sleep together?”

“Well, people do have to sleep, you know. Humans need sleep to survive.”

“No, I mean sex. Did you have sex?”

Princess, you’re being way too straightforward. She wasn’t giving me any leeway.

“We didn’t.”

“Really? You’re not, like, doing it right now or something?”

“Maybe you’re reading too much erotica.”

“You’re not on the phone going, ‘Quiet, don’t make any noise,’ or something?”

“Definitely too much erotica.”

The princess’s imagination was surprisingly vivid. Was that kind of scenario her thing?

“So, are you and Yuki dating?”

“No, it’s not like that…”

“Not dating, but you’re doing it?”

“I told you, we’re not! And stop asking already. We’re not even dating.”

I wished she’d stop with the loaded questions. Did she think I’d slip up and incriminate myself?

“Okay, sorry for doubting you. But Yuki’s there, right? Can I talk to her?”

“Huh? Uh, well… that’s a bit…”

Handing the phone over felt like a disaster waiting to happen. There was already an air of danger brewing, and this would only make things worse.

I glanced at Yuki, who had clearly been listening the whole time. Without warning, she snatched my phone, pressed it to her ear, and began speaking rapid-fire.

“Does this have anything to do with Miki?”

“Did you get a proper OK from mom?”

“I’m saying it doesn’t matter.”

The argument started over the phone, just as I had feared. While I couldn’t hear exactly what Miki was saying, Yuki had no intention of backing down.

Eventually, Yuki declared, “Fine, whatever, I’m done!” She pulled the phone away from her ear and exhaled sharply.

“Is that it?”

“Yeah, it’s settled.”

It looked less like they reached a resolution and more like Yuki had unilaterally ended the call.

“Miki’s really angry, though. She said she’s telling mom that you’re not my boyfriend.”

“She’s probably just worried—if you think about it rationally.”

“No, it’s jealousy. That’s the rational explanation.”

Yuki nodded repeatedly, as if to affirm her own statement. I had no rebuttal.

“But she’s nice. She must’ve been worried and went looking for you since you didn’t come home.”

“I don’t think so. She knew I was staying over. By the way, why do you, of all people, have Miki’s LINE contact?”

“She asked me if we could exchange contacts…”

“Really? Would she do that on her own?”

Yuki shot me a skeptical look.

Miki did say she wasn’t one to casually share her contact info.

As Yuki fiddled with my phone, she asked, “Can I block her? Actually, can I just delete her contact?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Why not?”

“Why not? Why are you even asking me? And could you stop messing with my phone without permission?”

I grabbed the phone back from Yuki, who had somehow ended up holding it.

She slumped to the floor, looking defeated, her head drooping.

“Ugh, Miki completely killed the vibe.”

“What vibe?”

“I’m going home. If I stay, Miki’s just going to think we did something, and I don’t want that.”

“Not like we were going to do anything anyway.”

A wave of relief washed over me.

At least she decided to leave after all.

It was already pitch dark outside.

The streets, flanked by houses, were deserted, with the occasional car driving past. Until we got to the main road, we had only the scattered streetlights and the faint glow from windows to light the way. 

Unsure at first, I decided I could just run if necessary, and we started walking. Yuki stayed close as we walked through the quiet alleyways.

“Can we hold hands?”

“Eh?”

“It’s dark and scary.”

She grabbed my hand without waiting for an answer. Her fingers felt soft and a little chilly.

We continued walking in near silence. After all the talking earlier, it seemed Yuki had run out of topics.

Even when we reached a brightly lit main road, she didn’t let go of my hand. A group of young men loitering under an awning eyed us curiously, particularly focusing on Yuki in her school uniform.

If she’d been alone, they probably would’ve said something.

Though I’d already changed into casual clothes, walking around in a uniform at this hour certainly attracted attention.

When we reached the station, a few other students in uniform were scattered around, likely on their way home from nearby cram schools. Yuki, perhaps aware of the stares, let go of my hand at some point.

She stopped at the base of the long stairs leading to the ticket gates. Looking up at me, she said, “You don’t need to come any further.”

“…Alright then.”’

There was a vague sense that she had something to say—or perhaps nothing at all. Before I could think of anything, Yuki spoke first.

“Hey, um… Sorry. I was super selfish today, wasn’t I?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“Sorry…”

I had meant for my reply to sound playful, but Yuki hung her head, her silence heavy.

Her unexpectedly normal reaction left me feeling oddly grounded, as though reality had just reasserted itself.

“It’s fine,” I said. 

“No need to worry about it now—it’s just how you are.”

I wasn’t sure if that was comforting, but I meant it.

Yuki slowly raised her head.

“You know…”

“Yeah?”

“In the end, I got rejected, huh?”

Rejected? Was that what this was about?

Her comment caught me off guard, leaving me at a loss for words. As I mulled it over in silence, Yuki suddenly pointed at the ground with a raised voice.

“Oh, look, there’s a 10,000 yen bill!”

“Wheret?”

I looked down.

Nothing but the dull white tiles greeted me.

Before I could react further, something soft brushed my cheek.

“Bye-bye.”

When I looked up, Yuki was waving at me before turning away. The distant hum of the station announcement reached my ears as she briskly ascended the stairs, not looking back even once.