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 - 26

Chapter 26: Are We Good Now?

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Shouma’s POV

As soon as I got home, I unbuttoned my uniform and looked up at the ceiling. The tension with Kaede had been resolved. With this, we could talk normally again starting tomorrow.

“Man… I’m really glad.”

When I muttered that, the tension inside me loosened. To be honest, things with Kaede had been pretty rough. I knew I was partially at fault, too. For now, I would take a shower and play some games to reset my mood..

Just as I thought that and reached to change into my jersey, my phone vibrated. “Mio” appeared on the screen.

“What does she want?”

No escape. I gave in and pressed the call button.

『Shouma-kun. Did you do it properly?』

A sudden first strike. I straightened my posture and answered.

“Yeah.”

『Really?』

“Yeah, really…”

My voice felt like it cracked a little. Because Mio’s way of pressing people was straight out of a police interrogation drama.

『You didn’t stop anywhere, right?』

“Y-yeah…”

My voice practically faded at the end.If I were honest, not just a detour… I went to a bookstore… Checked the gacha corner… Looked at posters… But like hell I could actually say that…

『..Shouma-kun?』

I felt incredible pressure through the phone. If I didn’t answer honestly, she might actually kill me.

“S-sorry.”

I raised the white flag. Her voice, clearly aiming to corner me, was terrifying. I heard Mio sigh through the phone.

『Good grief… So? Did you properly apologize to Kaede-chan?』

“Yeah. I did that properly.”

『Then good. Seriously, stop doing weird reckless stuff.』

“…Yeah.”

Mio sounded exasperated, but also a little relieved.

『Okay then, don’t play games too long. Don’t oversleep.』

“You sound like my mom… Ah, she hung up.”

The call ended one-sidedly. As I set my phone down, a wave of exhaustion washed over me.

“…Man.”

Sighing, I picked up my controller.

“Well, still… I’m glad we were able to make up.”

The TV screen lit by the room’s light. The game’s title logo glowed. For now, that was one thing off my mind.

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Mio’s POV

The moment I hung up, I let out a huge sigh. Then I dove into my bed. The fluffy blankets embraced my whole body, but they didn’t catch my feelings.

“…No, come on. There’s no way they actually made up.”

Complaining up at the ceiling, I spun my phone above my chest. Even after all the advice I gave him, Shouma absolutely just pretended to understand and ignored half of it. Even if he said they made up, he probably didn’t even understand half of what he was being scolded for. Maybe none of it.

“I gave him proper advice… Was he really listening? Seriously?”

It was his business if he fought with Kaede-chan, but with childhood friends, if you leave even a small rift alone, it could become irreparable. I knew that well.

“Well… If they say they already made up, then whatever.”

Even as I said that, I unlocked my phone. There was no reason to check, yet my finger tapped the photo folder on its own. What appeared were pictures of me and Shouma—no, more accurately, the old me and Shouma. Yes. It was photos from right after we started dating.

“Ugh…Seriously, he used to cling to me so much back then.”

“Hey Mio, wanna stop somewhere on the way home today?”

“Mio, you like this, right?”

“Mio, you look cute even when you’re mad.”

Great, now I remembered. Each swipe of my finger made my chest tighten.

“These days it’s Kaede Kaede Kaede Kaede…Just how much Kaede-chan does he need…?”

With my face buried in the pillow, my voice slipped out.

Look at me more.

Somewhere inside, I almost admitted that I felt that way. I really didn’t want to admit it. After pressing my face into the pillow and taking a breath, I rolled onto my back. Staring absentmindedly at the ceiling pattern, a name surfaced in my mind.

Yes—Yuuta Fujiwara-kun. Why was Kaede-chan getting along so well with Fujiwara-kun? Because those two got close way too fast, didn’t they? They barely had any connection to us before. According to Shouma-kun, he was taking advantage of her weakness.

“No no no, he is not that type, not with that look.”

Playing with my phone, I gave my own rebuttal. He looked way more like the kind of guy who, if you showed a weakness, would get sad with you and go, “Sorry, I guess this is my fault after all…?” Thinking back, my image of Fujiwara-kun was “harmless,” “timid,” and “kind.” Now that I thought about it, I had barely spoken to him. Especially back when he wasn’t close to Kaede yet…. Or during the time she and Shouma were fighting. In fact, I had no idea how he had interacted with Kaede during either time.

“…I’m kinda curious now. Maybe next time I get the chance, I’ll ask him? Like, ‘How did you get close with Kaede?’ or something.”

Of course, I wouldn’t ask directly out of nowhere. I would do it smoothly and naturally.

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