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 - 46

Chapter 46: Kaede Takes Action

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Mio’s POV

I locked the front door, kicked off my shoes, and slid down to sit on the floor with my back against the door.

“…Haa… Haa…”

I had run too much and my lungs hurt. But more than that, my chest hurt the most.

“…I can’t believe Shouma-kun would do something like that…”

When I murmured weakly, my hand reached toward my shoulder. The spot where he had grabbed me tightly a little while ago throbbed with heat.

“…Ah…”

I didn’t mind that he saw me talking with Fujiwara-kun. It was just a conversation, and there hadn’t been even a single thing questionable about it. But—

“…Getting grabbed on the shoulder like he was trying to threaten me…”

Maybe part of it had been my fault too. But throwing that kind of anger at me was just plain cruel. I slowly stood up and headed to my room. When I collapsed onto my bed, the white of the ceiling blurred softly.

“…He crossed a line… Didn’t he…”

I had always known that Shouma couldn’t let go of Kaede no matter what. But he also wouldn’t let go of me. I had kept forgiving that “half-heartedness” all this time. And yet—like today, getting angry just because I talked to someone?

“…What is that supposed to be… So selfish…”

As I hugged my pillow, one tear rolled down. Then my phone vibrated. On the display was the name “Shouma.” The moment I saw it, rejection surged through me and I flipped the phone over. After a while, several notifications piled up. I didn’t feel like reading any of them. I didn’t reply. If I replied, I felt like today’s pain would be treated as if it “never happened.”

“…We can’t go back anymore… Not after that…”

Tears ran down my cheeks. I no longer felt like I could smile like before and face Shouma-kun again.

“I want to throw these feelings at someone…”

But there probably wasn’t anyone who would quietly listen to my feelings as they were now… Just as I thought that, one boy’s face surfaced. Fujiwara-kun. Maybe he would quietly listen? But Kaede-chan was always nearby, so it might be difficult…

“What should I do…”

I spent the whole night worrying about it.

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Yuuta’s POV

Lunch break. Kaede said, “I’m going to see the teacher for a bit,” and left the classroom. And then, immediately afterward in the classroom—

…These stares are brutal

The boys glared at me like they wanted to stab me, and the girls whispered like they were observing a zoo animal. It felt like a public execution arena for “Kaede’s boyfriend.”

“Okay, time to run.”

I grabbed my lunch and sprinted toward the emergency staircase.

…Ahh, this atmosphere…Home sweet home?

It was the same unchanging, inorganic concrete. The silence where no one came. The complete opposite of the noisy past few days.

“So this is what peace really means…”

Feeling almost moved, I opened my lunch. Then I heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

Who the hell…And today of all days…?

When I looked up—

“…Ah, Shinomiya-san?”

Why was she here? Mio made an “ah” face for just a moment when she saw me, but immediately acted like nothing happened and sat a little ways away. Then she quietly opened her lunch.

No… Seriously, why??

Her distance was that perfect “I’m not planning to talk, but I’m also not leaving” sort of space. And I felt like my rare peaceful refuge had been taken. In the awkward silence, I poked at my food. Then Mio quietly spoke.

“From here on… I’m going to talk to myself.”

“Eh—ah, okay?”

A “talking to myself” that was basically a declaration aimed at me, right? Before I could comment, she continued.

“…It’s about Shouma.”

The moment she said that, I stopped my chopsticks.

“Lately, Shouma has…Well, he’s been kind of scary. Even when he talks to me, it’s just Kaede Kaede, over and over… No matter what I say, he doesn’t listen, and I’m just exhausted about everything…”

Her words came out slowly, but they definitely overflowed from deep in her heart.

“Even yesterday… I was just talking a little with Fujiwara-kun, and he gave me this horrible look…”

Mio pressed her shoulder with a strained laugh. So she really was at her limit…

Just like Kaede. No. The shape was different, but they came from the same root. Nonetheless, it was the same “exhaustion.” Or rather, I couldn’t. If I threw in a clumsy attempt at comfort, she would probably break. That was how close to the edge her voice sounded.

Mio continued venting for a while, until her words eventually faded into weak little breaths. Then, she stood up softly.

“…Thank you… For listening.”

“No, I didn’t really—”

“It’s fine.”

She smiled as she said that, but her smile was completely a mask to hold herself together. Then she walked toward the door and looked back one more time.

“Fujiwara-kun… You’re the type who’s easy to talk to, aren’t you?”

“R-really…?”

“I think… I understand how Kaede-chan feels a little.”

“Huh?”

“…It’s nothing.”

She shook her head lightly and left. After Mio disappeared, the silence left on the stairs felt like it was asking me, “So? What are you going to do?”

“…Was it really okay for me to just listen…?”

I scratched my head awkwardly. To be fair, she hadn’t asked for advice. She just said, “I’m going to talk to myself.” But—

Is it actually enough? That I just listened…?

As I was thinking of what I should do next…

“Yuuta-kun?”

A sweet, overly familiar voice came from behind me.

“Uwah! K-Kaede!? Why are you here!?”

“Why? Obviously because I was looking for you, Yuuta-kun.”

Stop saying that like it’s the most normal thing to do in this world. Seriously. My heart can’t take it.

Kaede stood very close and leaned over to look down at me.

“…So? I just passed by Mio-chan. What were you doing?”

Geh-?! She passed her!? This is bad.

“Me?! I-I was just having lunch… um…”

Kaede’s eyes narrowed sharply.

“…Hmm. You’re hesitating a lot. Were you cheating?”

“No no no no no! Absolutely not!”

Why did eating lunch turn into a cheating accusation!? Kaede sat right beside me and stared into my face.

“Explain it to me. No lying, okay?”

That smile looked angelic, but her eyes weren’t smiling. I was done for. If I didn’t talk, I’d be dead.

“Okay! I’ll tell you everything! So—”

I explained Mio’s “talking to herself” exactly as it happened. When I finished, Kaede crossed her arms and nodded slightly.

“…I see. So Mio-chan wanted Yuuta-kun to hear her complaints.”

“Well…I guess something like that.”

“Okay, got it.”

Kaede stood up.

“…Hmm, I see, I see.”

She crossed her arms again, nodding like some detective piecing together the whole case.

“So Mio-chan was stressed because of Shouma.”

“Well… Yeah, that’s how it seemed.”

“And then she wanted Yuuta-kun to listen to her vent.”

“Well… She didn’t exactly ‘want’ me to listen. I mean, she said that ‘I’m going to talk to myself,’ but yeah.”

Kaede made a sound of clear understanding. Then, she suddenly gave me a thumbs-up.

“Leave the rest to me.”

“No no no—leave what!?”

“What do you mean what? Of course it’s about Mio-chan’s situation.”

“…What exactly are you planning to do?”

Ignoring my panic, Kaede continued smiling brightly. Ahh, when she got like this, there was nothing to do but accept the flow…

“It’s okay, Yuuta-kun. I’ll steer things in a good direction.”

“O-okay…”

My heart wasn’t going to survive this. But when Kaede spoke with that serious expression, I kind of wanted to believe her.

I guess… I really just have to trust her

My feelings were filled with half worry, half expectation.

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