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 - 4

Chapter 4: A Boy and a Girl Together, but We Absolutely Didn’t Do Anything, Okay?

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Morning in the classroom. I was, as usual, sitting at my desk tapping on my phone, unnoticed by anyone. It was peaceful… Or so I thought.

“Hey, did you hear? Lately, Kaede-chan has been eating lunch with some boy on the emergency stairs.”

“For real? No way.”

“No, someone said they saw them. Isn’t Kaede-chan that childhood friend of Shouma?”

…You’ve gotta be kidding me.

Before I knew it, the fact that Kaede and I were eating together on the emergency stairs had apparently spread through the entire class. Whispers filled the room, and for some reason, the area around my desk felt oddly warm from people’s stares.

Please stop. For a mob character, being the center of attention is suffocating.…More importantly, is Kaede okay?

She said yesterday that “it was better than watching Shouma and Mio flirt,” but… If this was the result, that’d be as awkward. I sighed while staring at my phone screen. I should apologize properly today.

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Lunch break. The moment the chime rang, I grabbed my lunch and headed toward the emergency stairs.

“Hey, Yuuta-kun, listen to this!”

I heard the familiar voice, and when I looked up, Kaede was leaning over the railing, peeking down at me. And just like it was the most natural thing in the world, she sat down right beside me.

“Before the complaints today, there’s something we need to talk about first.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Did you know there’s a rumor about us going around?”

“A rumor?”

“That we were eating lunch together on the emergency stairs. The whole class is talking about it.”

“Ahh… Well, yeah, I figured it would turn into that.”

Kaede gave me a wry smile and shrugged. She really didn’t seem bothered… At all.

“Two boys and girls alone in a noticeable place? Yeah, that looks bad. I guess that was a little careless of us, huh?”

As she said that, she took out her phone from her bag and opened the screen. Then she held it out to me. It was the QR code for her messaging app.

“Let’s pick a different place next time. This way, we can choose our meeting place by contacting each other.”

“Wait, are you sure? About doing this?”

“You’re the only one I can vent to, Yuuta-kun.”

“…Got it. I’ll add you.”

I took out my phone and scanned the code. The soft ping that sounded somehow echoed strangely loud inside my chest.

“Okay, now I can complain through messages too.”

“Well, as long as I have time, I’ll listen to you.”

“Yay, I got your confirmation.”

She smiled—a little happy, a little playful. Her smile was warm, but inside my chest, something much more confusing stirred.

…I just became friends with Kaede. It was something so small and yet, it felt strangely special. The distance between us, now just one message away, felt both dangerous and comfortable.

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Shouma’s POV

It was afternoon on the rooftop. The wind was strong, and the girls’ skirts looked a little risky… No, that wasn’t the point.

“Hey Shouma, say ‘ahh’?”

“…Again?”

“Come on, feeding each other is a classic couple event!”

In front of me was Mio. Her hair swayed in the wind as she held out a piece of tamagoyaki with a bright smile. Honestly, this moment alone could be turned into a movie scene.

“Here, ahh.”

“…Fine. Sweet. Wait—did you put too much sugar in this?”

“Sweet things suit you~♡”

“You don’t feel embarrassed saying that?”

“I wanna see you embarrassed!”

Too cute.

Seeing her smile like this honestly made me think to myself…

I’m so glad I decided to date her.

I was really glad I had the courage to confess that day.

“But you know, we haven’t seen Kaede-chan much lately.”

“Hm? Ah… Now that you mention it.”

“You two used to walk to school together, but now you don’t at all.”

The moment her name came up, something pricked faintly in my chest. But I forced a small smile and answered nonchalantly.

“Kaede said it herself. ‘Shouma, you should focus only on Mio-chan.’”

“Really?”

“Yeah. She’s always been like that. She’s the type who holds back for others.”

As I said that, an old memory resurfaced. It was a rainy day. She gave me her umbrella without a word and the next day she caught a cold but laughed it off. She always had that stupidly kind side.

“Kaede-chan is really nice.”

“She’s just that kind of person. Since way back.”

“Shouma, you’re nice too.”

“Really? I’m not sure about that.”

Mio rested her head on my shoulder, closing her eyes peacefully. But the wind carried something else… A snippet of a rumor.

“Hey, did you hear? Kaede Hiiragi has been eating lunch with some boy.”

Voices from another class, totally casual. But the words hit me like a punch.

“…What?”

“Huh?”

Mio heard it too. She froze the same way I did.

“I wonder who that boy is.”

“…No idea. But seriously?”

Something unpleasant twisted in my chest. It wasn’t like I had any right to feel that way. I was dating Mio, and things with Kaede were already over. Even so…

What if… I turned her down, she was heartbroken, and some guy comforted her…? A pathetic thought crept in before I could stop it. No, no way Kaede would fall for someone that easily..

“Shouma, you’re bothered by that, right?”

“…Well, a little.”

“Then after school, let’s go ask Kaede-chan.”

“Ask what exactly?”

“Whether they’re actually dating.”

“Isn’t it weird if I ask that?”

“It’s fine. I’ll ask that question with you.”

Mio smiled sweetly.

No, wait. That will absolutely make things worse.

“Come on, seriously—”

“Girls’ intuition is usually right, you know?”

“Not when I need it to be wrong…”

I sighed and rubbed my head. Even so, deep down, I appreciated it a little, that Mio noticed I was shaken. But at the same time…Thinking about Kaede now, even a little, annoyed me.

…Why the hell am I bothered by this?

The wind blew again, lifting Mio’s hair. I held it down gently while forcing a smile.

“After school, huh… Fine, let’s just see what happens.”

“Mm-hm. I’ll go with you.”

“Please don’t start a fight, okay?”

“Who are you talking to?”

She laughed mischievously in the wind.

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