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 - 32

Chapter 32: The Thoughts of the Two Heroines

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Mio Shinomiya’s POV

I got off the train at the station near my house, and as I walked down the night road, I let out a small sigh.

“…I never thought I’d end up seeing that from those two…”

Seriously, that was unexpected. I had only planned to pick up a few things on the way home and head straight back and yet there they were right in front of the ticket gate. Kaede-chan happily waving both hands, and Fujiwara-kun frozen stiff as he took the full brunt of that enthusiasm.

The sight burned itself into my eyes. Still vivid now. Their distance was way too close… There was no way they were “just friends.” Just remembering it made me laugh. Kaede-chan had the energy of “a girlfriend waving at her boyfriend,” and Fujiwara-kun looked exactly like “a high school boy whose brain froze from his first girlfriend’s sudden affection.”

And then, right. That thing Shouma-kun said about her being “taken advantage of”… Yeah no, that was absolutely just him being delusional. After thinking it aloud, laughter won out over exasperation. I mean, I’d known for a while, but Shouma… When it came to Kaede-chan, his IQ dropped straight to the floor.

Besides, after seeing them be that close… There was no way the line “he’s taking advantage of her” would hold up. Saying something like that after seeing that only proved his personal filter was fogged over.

As I walked, my mouth moved on its own.

“Shouma… He still has feelings for Kaede-chan, right…? Yeah. He definitely is.”

I was certain of that.  Every time he talked about Kaede-chan, his tone shifted just a bit. He probably didn’t notice it himself. No wonder Kaede-chan got fed up. Around eighty percent exasperation, twenty percent sarcasm. But honestly, Kaede-chan had already moved on. Seeing today’s scene only confirmed it. The way she looked at Fujiwara-kun was different. That was “trust” or “comfort”… Basically something like that.

“Really… What is Shouma even thinking?”

A light night breeze blew, and my hair swayed. I shrugged my shoulders.

“Well, as long as Kaede-chan is happy, that’s all that matters to me.”

But at this rate, Shouma-kun might be the one left behind the most.

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Kaede Hiiragi’s POV

“…U-uwahhhh!!”

As soon as I got home, I dove straight into my bed. The bouncing comforter flopped over my face, and I wasn’t even sure what I was screaming anymore. Not wearing underwear while I was with Yuuta-kun was embarrassing enough for today, but more than that…

“Why did I cling to Yuuta-kun like that!? Stupid lightning!!”

…Even I didn’t know what I was saying. Lightning?! Who even was “lightning”?

Flailing around as I clutched my pillow, I finally calmed down once I ran out of energy.

“…Wait, I… I’d only ever done something like that with Shouma until now…”

My face was hot. No—hot wasn’t enough. It felt like it was burning. Even burying my face in the pillow couldn’t stop the memories from replaying mercilessly in my head. I hit the pillow again.

Whap, whap.

“He definitely, definitely thought I was a weird girl…! No, he is thinking that… He’s probably thinking that…Uuugh, I hate this…”

But then I forced myself to breathe.

Calm down, Kaede. Okay okay, inhale, exhale.

It wasn’t just the whole “hugging him out of nowhere” incident today. Yeah. Today was… Honestly, today was a lot of fun. He tried so hard to win that stuffed animal I couldn’t get at the arcade, we talked about the movie afterward… And through all of that, Yuuta-kun was there.

“…Hehe.”

A smile just slipped out. Heat rose up from my face as it stayed buried in the pillow.

“…Today was really fun.”

I rummaged through the plastic arcade bag I had left beside my bed. From inside, I pulled out that bear plush. It was fluffier than I expected, and the moment our eyes met, a small heat bloomed in my chest.

“…It’s so cute. I mean, Yuuta was the one who won this for me…”

Before I knew it, I was hugging it tight.

“…I’ll absolutely treasure this forever…”

Saying it myself made me a little embarrassed. With the plush positioned close to my ear, even my ears felt hot. Holding the bear again, I gazed up at the ceiling.

“…But something feels weird about me.”

I muttered while brushing a finger over the bear’s ear.

“When I was with Shouma… I didn’t have this much fun. Not like today.”

Then, for a moment, it felt like the bear was talking to me, and I found myself starting a conversation.

“‘Oh? And what exactly do you mean by that?’—is that what you want to ask?”

The bear, of course, didn’t answer. But inside, I already had the answer.

“It’s not like I hate Shouma or anything… But when I’m with Yuuta-kun… I don’t know, it just feels like… The air is lighter? Or something?”

I kept talking to the bear.

“‘Oh? Lighter air? Sounds like love, doesn’t it?’ …Okay okay, you don’t have to say it. I’m not admitting anything, okay?”

Squeezing the bear’s face between my hands, I muttered to myself.

“Because I still don’t know yet… What this feeling is.”

But… The warm feeling deep in my chest couldn’t be denied. After a brief pause, I slowly looked back up at the ceiling.

…Seriously, what is going on with me?

It didn’t seem like I’d know the true nature of this feeling anytime soon.

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