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 - 47

Chapter 47: The Girls’ Secret Gathering

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Kaede’s POV

The chime of the café door rang, and when I looked up, the one standing there was Mio-chan. She was wearing a far more downcast expression than I had expected.

“…Sorry, I’m late.”

“No, thank you for coming. Sit here.”

I pointed to the seat inside the two-person table and gave her a soft smile. After we ordered and our drinks were brought to the table, Mio-chan let her shoulders drop and lowered her head as if all her energy had left her.

“Hey, Mio-chan. Did something… Did something happen with Shouma?”

The moment I asked, she trembled slightly. She tried to answer with something that wasn’t even a forced smile. It was just plain, stubborn bravado, but… After a long silence, she finally began to speak in small fragments.

“…Lately, Shouma-kun has been… I don’t know, weird. Even when he’s with me, every topic he is  talking about is always Kaede… ‘Kaede said this,’ ‘Kaede was saying,’ ‘Kaede—’… that kind of thing…”

Ugh, I knew it. Ever since I started interacting with Yuuta-kun, he had been talking about me nonstop. And doing that continuously? No matter how you think about it, that was the worst.

“And, you know? Yesterday…”

Mio-chan laced her fingers together tightly and took a small breath.

“He saw me talking to Fujiwara-kun… And he grabbed my shoulder and said, ‘I won’t let you go to him too’…”

The moment that word fell from her lips, my eyebrows rose sharply on their own.

“…He grabbed your shoulder?”

“Yeah… it hurt a little. It felt like he was threatening me… To be honest, I was scared.”

Under the table, her hands were trembling. It wasn’t anger I felt, but—

Ah… You really messed up, Shouma. He truly had done it. He had crossed the one line he absolutely should never cross.

“Mio-chan.”

“…What is it?”

“It must have been scary. You really did well getting through that.”

When I gently held her hand, Mio-chan finally relaxed the taut thread inside her, and her eyes filled with tears.

“…I don’t know what to do… It’s not like I’ve come to hate Shouma-kun, but…”

“Even if you don’t hate someone, there are times when everything still feels impossible to contain.”

I wrapped her hand lightly in mine and looked straight into her eyes.

“You won’t be happy staying beside a man who’s still dragging around leftover feelings.”

At that, Mio-chan’s shoulders twitched slightly.

“Shouma hasn’t sorted out his feelings, and he’s trying to keep you tied to him.”

“…Yeah.”

「しかも自分が不安な時ほど、相手に依存するタイプ。それってね、“相手のためじゃなく、自分の安心のため”なんだよ」

“And the more insecure he feels, the more he depends on the person he’s with. And he’s not doing that for your sake. He’s doing that merely to give himself reassurance.”

Mio-chan stayed silent as she listened. She didn’t deny it. Probably because it was so accurate she couldn’t deny it.

“I’ll be honest, okay?”

“…Okay.”

“Mio-chan, you should already be distancing yourself from Shouma. You’ll definitely feel lighter and be happier if you do.”

Mio-chan bit her lip, then lowered her gaze as if still unsure.

“…But Shouma… He used to be kind… And we’ve been together a long time…”

“That ‘rose-tinted memories’ thing is the most dangerous part.”

“R–rose-tinted memories…”

“The him who used to be kind and the him now are different. If you refuse to see that difference, you will break.”

I continued.

“What happened yesterday isn’t something you can fix with an apology or forgiveness.”

Mio-chan gripped her skirt tightly.

“…Yeah, you’re right…”

“Yeah. And, Mio-chan—”

I matched my gaze with hers.

“Your feeling of ‘I was scared’ doesn’t need justification or excuses. That alone is enough reason to walk away.”

With a slightly trembling voice, she said.

“…Maybe I should leave Shouma-kun.”

“Honestly, you’ll be able to breathe so much easier if you do.”

Mio-chan stayed frozen with her head lowered and then slowly, she gave a small nod.

“…Yeah. I really… I really can’t anymore…”

“Yeah. And realizing that makes you strong.”

No one would ever blame a girl who had endured that much while holding back tears. At least I never would, absolutely not. After finishing answering Mio-chan’s concerns, I let out a “phew…” and relaxed my shoulders, taking a sip of my iced tea.

“So, Kaede-chan. Can I ask you something?”

“Hm? What?”

“Do you like Fujiwara-kun?”

“Bfh—!?”

I choked violently on my iced tea. Enough that the café staff glanced at us.

“W–wait, Mio-chan!? Why so suddenly…!?”

“Well, I mean, the way you two act lately… You two totally acted like a couple. Anyone would think so.”

“No no no no no!”

I tried to deny it with everything I had, but… My face was hot. My cheeks were hot. My heart was loud. I had zero credibility.

“…That reaction of yours… You’re basically answering my question with that reaction, you know?”

“Ugh…”

Mio-chan put a hand under her chin and smirked like a detective.

“You like him, don’t you?”

“…………”

Say it. I had to say it. But if I said it, it felt like I lost somehow!! But Mio-chan’s eyes were not letting me escape. I surrendered and gave her a tiny nod.

“Wow… You really do like him…!”

Mio-chan smiled happily. Her being happy about it somehow annoyed me.

“B—but! It’s not like… I liked him from the beginning or anything…!”

“Then, since when?”

“T–that’s…”

I fiddled with the straw and looked away. My voice was much meeker than I expected.

“…Maybe while he was listening to my complaints… You know, talking to him calms me down… Like he actually sees me… And before I knew it… I just…I just ended up liking him…”

The moment I said it, embarrassment washed over me. But Mio-chan nodded with a strangely impressed expression.

“Heh… Fujiwara-kun is really kind, huh?”

“…Well, yeah, he is. Though he’s stupidly clueless in weird places.”

And the moment I said it, I realized…

The tone of voice really does change when I talk about Yuuta-kun.

My face grew hot again.

“Oh, Mio-chan.”

“What?”

“You were venting to Yuuta-kun during lunch break today, right?”

“…Ah, so you did see?”

“Nope, Yuuta-kun told me.”

I stuck my tongue out playfully and smiled.

“We-well, of course you’d know…But you know… It was more like he was listening to my monologue than actual venting…”

“Hm, is that so? But you know—”

I leaned in slightly and smiled mischievously.

“Mio-chan. Don’t steal my Yuuta-kun, okay?”

“I—I won’t steal him!!”

“Really?”

“Really, I swear!”

Her frantic arm-waving was funny, and we both laughed softly. We kept talking like that until the sun began to set, and then we decided to go home.

“Thank you, Kaede-chan, for listening.”

“You’re welcome. If you’re ever in trouble, tell me again. But, nothing involving Yuuta-kun, okay?”

“So that’s where you draw the line…”

“Of course!”

Mio-chan waved and left, and as I watched her back, I clasped my hands lightly over my chest. Still… Shouma, that was rough for you. Getting left not just by me but by Mio too.

Well, you reap what you sow. Serves you right. More importantly…

…I admitted I liked him, huh. But the moment I said it aloud, something warm flickered deep inside my heart.

…Well, whatever. I’m not trying to hide it anymore.

Thinking that, I headed home.

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