I Was Reincarnated as a Mob, and After I Kept Listening to the Losing Childhood-Friend Heroine’s Complaints, I Somehow Maxed Out Her Affection Rating - 16

Chapter 16: Who Would’ve Thought We Were in the Same Class

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Yuuta’s POV

After school, in the classroom. The chime finished ringing, and while everyone was getting ready to go home, I was alone, sweeping the corner of the classroom with a broom.

“—Yo.”

A voice suddenly came from behind me, and I stopped without thinking. When I turned around, Shouma was standing there.

“Sorry about the other day. I got a little carried away…”

Got carried away…? What the hell does that even mean? No, don’t get angry. Calm down, Yuuta.

“O-Oh. It’s already over, so don’t worry about it.”

“Thanks. Didn’t expect us to be in the same class. The world’s pretty small, huh.”

“…Yeah, really.”

No, wait, why was he talking so casually with me? I thought he’d have more of that “hostile aura toward the guy hanging around his ex” kind of vibe.

“Well, we never actually introduced ourselves properly. I’m Shouma Urawa. Nice to meet you.”

“Yuuta Fujiwara. …Nice to meet you too.”

He offered a handshake. I hesitated, but I reached out. The moment our hands met, he squeezed with just a bit too much strength.

“Hey, Fujiwara. …You’re not, like, dating Kaede or anything, right?”

“Huh!? N-No! Totally not! We’re just friends, just friends!”

“…I see.”

Shouma let out an obvious sigh of relief and released my hand. What was with that pressure? That handshake was more nerve-wracking than a job interview.

“Well, good. She’s been kinda different lately. I thought maybe… You know.”

“Different?”

“Yeah. Like she got something off her chest? She’s weirdly cheerful, or like she’s pretending to be strong… Well, that’s just how she is.”

I couldn’t exactly tell him that I was the reason she “got something off her chest.” And especially not that it started because I happened to witness her getting rejected.

“So, uh… How’d you two get close anyway? I’m curious.”

“Uh, well… I was eating lunch on the emergency stairs, and Kaede-san just happened to be there… And we started talking… Or something like that.”

“Ahh, the emergency stairs. Kinda youthful.”

“No, not really. Our spots just overlapped. We just happened to be there”

“‘Just happened to be there,’ huh… That kind of thing is a pretty common start, you know? Me and Kaede, too—”

Shouma stopped mid-sentence. In that tiny pause, I felt a faint trace of lingering attachment.

“…Well, that’s all in the past.”

He forced a smile, just slightly. I couldn’t say anything. I just kept sweeping.

“—Take care of her, alright?”

“Huh?”

The broom stopped in my hands at his sudden words. Shouma smiled lightly, his eyes softer than before.

“I’m talking about Kaede. …She hasn’t looked too good lately.”

“Not… Good?”

“Well, a lot happened.”

He was smiling, yet something rough was hidden behind his voice. I didn’t know if it was “lingering feelings” or “regret,” but something in my chest twisted because of his answer.

“…Why hasn’t she been doing good?”

I asked, testing him a little without meaning to. Shouma narrowed his eyes for a moment, then looked away.

“Mm… A lot happened, like I said.”

He definitely dodged that. Not that he knew that I already knew everything.

“Take care of her, alright?”

“….”

“Okay, I’m heading out. Good luck with the cleaning.”

Shouma raised one hand lightly and turned his back. Bathed in the evening light from behind, his figure looked strangely distant as he left the classroom. Left behind, I watched his back for a while, then let out a sigh.

What was that? He was totally full of lingering feelings. I propped the broom up and leaned over a desk. Kaede’s face and Shouma’s strained smile kept alternating in my head.

Then why did you go to Mio? You make no damn sense…

Something like anger—no, more like frustration—smoldered in my throat. And it wasn’t just toward Shouma… It was also toward myself, for thinking about Kaede.

“…Ahh, seriously. This is such a pain.”

I muttered and slung my bag over my shoulder. I put away the broom and stepped out of the empty classroom. There wasn’t a single footstep left in the hallway. But inside my chest, everything was still loud and restless.

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Shouma’s POV

The moment I stepped into the hallway, I relaxed my shoulders. Man… That Fujiwara guy was actually a pretty decent dude. I thought he’d be more of the pretentious type, but he was surprisingly straightforward.

“But… Why, I wonder…”

I stopped walking without noticing. I found myself staring out at the schoolyard through the window. The noisy voices of students heading home from club activities….  The distant thump of a bouncing ball…. It was a totally ordinary after school, yet something in my heart felt strangely unsettled.

“I mean… I’m dating Mio.”

Yeah. I was already on that side. But the face that floated to the front of my mind was… Kaede, with that irritatingly straightforward expression of hers.

“…Huh? No no no, no way. That’s not it.”

I retorted at myself and ran a hand through my hair. It wasn’t lingering feelings. Of course not. It was just that I’d known her forever. I couldn’t just ignore her. Yeah, that was it. I was just “worried” about her …Probably.

“She’s my childhood friend. …Yeah. That’s all.”

I told myself that and started walking again. But my steps felt off. My hand in my pocket was getting unusually sweaty.

“…Whatever. Don’t think about it, Shouma. Thinking about it means you lose.”

I muttered and walked down the stairs. The sunset outside the window looked a little redder than usual.

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