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 - 23

Chapter 23: Call History and the Roll Cake

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Kaede’s POV

The night wind had grown a little cold. But my mood felt strangely warm.

“…Today was fun.”

A quiet murmur slipped out. In the still residential street, only my own voice echoed, and it made me a little embarrassed. Because at first, it was supposed to be just about getting him to listen to my complaints. Before I knew it, we had watched a movie together, cooked dinner, and on top of that he even walked me home. That mob-like boy—Yuuta-kun—had been surprisingly put-together, which was kind of funny.

“Besides… I noticed, you know?”

A small laugh escaped. That room was obviously prepared for having someone over.The mountain of cardboard boxes, the forcibly crammed laundry, the unnaturally well-organized trash bags. Yeah, that was totally obvious.

“You cleaned because you thought I was coming, right?”

Just saying that made my lips loosen on their own.The moment I saw his panicked face, I immediately thought, I knew it. But the fridge I saw halfway through…Tea, energy drinks, and… More energy drinks.

“…That part was honestly a little gross.”

Just remembering it made me sigh. Living on convenience store food and cup noodles—student or not, there was a limit.

“If the person who listens to my complaints collapses, it’d be a problem…”

I said that naturally today, didn’t I? Saying it aloud now, it felt kind of strange. I looked down at my hands. The hands that had been cooking just moments ago. The hands that held a knife, shook a frying pan, and worked for Yuuta-kun’s sake.

“…What am I even doing?”

Before I knew it, I had acted on instinct. I even made extra dishes for later, thinking he should get healthier. Almost like… I stopped walking as that thought reached the edge of something. The streetlight overhead felt strangely bright.

“No way.”

The words slipped out in a whisper. But somewhere in my chest, a faint heat bloomed. To distract myself, I turned on my phone and the screen filled with dozens of missed call notifications.

“…Wow, what is this?”

A storm of missed calls and all from Shouma. The number of notifications was horror-movie-level.

“Is this a horror movie?”

It came out without thinking. The lingering feeling of that romance movie evaporated instantly.

“…Well, I did turn my phone off, so I guess it can’t be helped.”

I had turned it off to focus on the movie, but I didn’t expect it to end up like this. I took a deep breath. He was exactly the type of guy who would get even more annoying if ignored.

“Fine… I’ll call him back.”

When I pressed the call button, it connected before even a single ring.

『WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU!?』

First line out of his mouth. Yelling. For someone calling at night, he sure had energy.

“Where? A friend’s house.”

『…A friend? Whose?』

Here came the annoying question. If I honestly said “Yuuta-kun’s,” he would absolutely blow up. So, I went with something safe. 

“Uh… Yuka’s place.”

A classmate. Someone Shouma definitely didn’t know well enough to question.

『Huh…』

It sounded like he accepted it. Or maybe he didn’t. But at least he stopped digging.

“So? What did you want?” 

I cut in before he could keep going. I couldn’t even tell if I was annoyed or exhausted anymore.

『Well, I mean… that roll cake. We were supposed to eat it together.』

…Ah. So that was it. The reason there were two. One for me, one for him.

“I already ate it.”

『Huh?』

“Should I buy it for you another time?”

『…No. It’s fine. But… Next time sounds good.』

“Okay. I’ll buy it again next time.”

He was being surprisingly obedient. Which was… Scarier? Somehow?

“That’s all? Okay, bye.”

I ended the call before he could say anything else. Once I got home, I set my phone on the table. Silence. The ticking of the clock sounded unnaturally loud.

“…What a pain.”

It slipped out. Never thought a single roll cake would cause this much trouble. But ignoring him completely would definitely have made things worse. The “make-up event” was unavoidable.

“Ugh, seriously… What a pain.”

Still, letting it drag on would be even more trouble. Shouma was the type who held grudges in the weirdest ways. But somewhere inside me, there was a tiny bit of guilt. Because the cake I ate had been meant to be eaten together with Shouma. And I had eaten it with… Another guy.

“No, no, it’s not like it was anything shady!!”

No one was there to hear it, but I practically yelled it. Then I immediately scolded myself for doing that.

“It was just because the roll cake was delicious. Yeah. That’s all.”

But for some reason, The words “who I ate it with” kept circling in my mind.

“…Whatever.”

Tired of thinking, I dove onto my bed. Staring up at the ceiling, I set my phone beside me. On the screen, Shouma’s name lit up and faded with each new message. Each unread notification pricked faintly at my chest.

“…I guess I should make up with him. Even if it’s annoying.”

Mumbling that, I closed my eyes. Too many things had happened today. But…

What came to mind wasn’t Shouma’s face. It was the profile of that person, the way Yuuta-kun had smiled.

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