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 - 31

Chapter 31: An Unexpected Encounter

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After I finished washing the dishes and finally looked outside, the thunder that had been raging earlier had gone quiet like a lie. The rain had eased to a drizzle, and only the sound of the wind remained. Kaede had changed into the clothes she took out of the dryer.

“…Well, I should head home. Thanks for everything…”

She said it in a slightly embarrassed voice.

“Yeah. Ah, what about my jersey?”

“I put it in the washing machine.”

Maybe the memory of her clinging to me during the thunder was still lingering, because her voice was just a little softer than usual. With that same atmosphere, we headed toward the entrance… When Kaede suddenly turned back.

“…Um, hey. I’m fine now, but…”

“Hm?”

“If it starts thundering again on the way home… You know…”

“Alright.”

She said it quietly and looked away. This person acted so tough usually, but after showing a weak side, she became strangely honest. After we stepped outside and started walking side by side…

“…………”

“…………”

Yep. Perfect silence. Peak awkwardness. This must be because of the thunder incident. No doubt about it. Unable to stand it any longer, I cleared my throat and searched for a topic to talk about.

“…So uh, about today’s movie—”

“! Y-Yeah! That one!”

What a fast reaction. Kaede probably wanted to escape the silence too.

“That last scene was really emotional, right? Like how the protagonist hesitated for a second before saying that line.”

“I know! The way they paused before saying ‘Shall we go?’ was totally unfair! That line stole all my emotions!”

“And that side character’s older brother. They totally made it seem like he was gonna betray someone, but he just stayed a good guy the whole way. Weirdly refreshing.”

“Yes! The way they shut down the audience’s overthinking like that… The scriptwriter is seriously good. A ‘non-betraying betrayal character’ is a whole new genre.”

The conversation rolled smoothly. Our walking rhythm matched our talking rhythm, and the awkwardness from earlier disappeared like it never existed in the first place.

“But hey, something kinda bugged me.”

“Hm?”

“Why did the heroine run like that? That was a full-on competitive running form.”

“That! I thought the same thing! She’s totally a former track athlete or something!”

Kaede laughed brightly. It was such a natural laugh that I couldn’t believe this was the same person who had been hiding under a desk terrified of thunder. But… That gap stuck weirdly in my chest. Even though the awkwardness was gone, some unsettled feeling lingered inside me.

After we had our fill of movie talk, the conversation naturally quieted down. The residential street carried the faint smell of wet asphalt, and the water on the pavement reflected the streetlights in a hazy glow.

“…Hey.”

Kaede slowed her steps by half a pace. Her voice was slightly softer too.

“Earlier… I’m sorry. I probably freaked you out.”

“Nah, not really.”

“I’ve been bad with thunder since I was little. I seriously can’t do it. The sound, the light—everything. The whole existence itself is impossible for me to bear.”

“Calling the whole thing impossible for you to bear is a bit much, don’t you think?”

“Impossible things are impossible. Ah, but—”

Kaede glanced up at my face.

“If you’re with me like today… Next time it thunders, I might just cling to you again~”

“Huh!? D-Don’t say that!”

While I panicked, Kaede poked my arm lightly with her finger.

“So, does that mean that what I just said worked to make you flustered?”

“…It’d be a lie to say it didn’t…”

“Hehe, Yuuta, you’re really easy to read. How cute~”

“Don’t call me cute!”

While tossing lines back and forth, we walked toward the station. Each step on the rain-soaked ground sent little glimmers rippling through the puddles. There wasn’t even a trace of awkwardness anymore, just an inexplicably loud heartbeat in my chest. When we reached the station, Kaede turned around before passing through the ticket gate and waved.

“See you, Yuuta-kun. Thanks.”

“O-Oh. See you at school.”

Kaede skipped lightly into the gate area and disappeared.

…Seriously, she kept messing up my pace till the end. Once she was completely out of sight, I finally exhaled.

“…Alright, time to head home.”

Just as I turned on my heel—

“Fujiwara-kun?”

“!?!?”

My spine froze solid. That voice sounded exactly like someone pressing my execution switch… When I slowly turned around, Mio was standing there in casual clothes, illuminated by the streetlight.

No escape.

“Uh, um…”

My brain’s language system evaporated instantly.  All the blood drained from my body.

“N-No, this is, um, like, a misunderstanding—”

“Calm down. I understand.”

Mio raised her right hand gently to stop me.  Her expression wasn’t angry. If anything she was strangely calm, which only made my panicking feel even more pathetic. When I finally caught my breath, Mio took a step closer. Her eyes were softer than before, but still impossible to read.

“I knew it… I guess it wasn’t like what Shouma-kun said, right?”

“W-Well… Uuh…”

As I stumbled through an answer, Mio waved both hands lightly.

“You don’t have to be so nervous.”

“S-Sorry. You startled me…”

“I-I see…”

No, seriously, Mio showing up here was not part of any possible timeline I imagined… Well, at least Shouma wasn’t with her, that alone was a blessing. While I was thinking that, Mio stepped just a little closer.

“I won’t report you to Shouma-kun.”

“Ah—uh… Thanks.”

Hearing that made her expression soften a little. Knowing she wasn’t angry made the tightness in my chest ease instantly.

“Well, I’ll head home.”

“Ah, yeah.”

“And—”

Under the station lights, Mio turned around lightly and narrowed one eye playfully.

“You two looked great together.”

“Buh—!”

My heart stopped. No really. It stopped.

“See you at school.”

Waving gently, Mio walked into the station.I couldn’t move until her figure completely disappeared.

…Wait. The way she said that… “You looked great together”… The fact that she said that with confidence… She… She definitely saw us, right…?

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