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 - 5

Chapter 5: You Know, You Could Worry About Me a Little More

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Kaede’s POV

After-school at the shoe lockers. I had just changed my shoes and was thinking, “I’ll go home quietly today,” when it happened.

“Kaede!”

Of all people, it was Shouma and his girlfriend standing beside him.Wow. The fact that they appeared together like a matching set was practically a work of art at this point.

“…Ah, Shouma. And Mio-chan too.”

I smiled as gently as I could. But internally, my “People I Really Didn’t Want to Run Into on the Way Home” list had just been updated with a brand-new #1.

“Hey, Kaede. I heard there’s this boy you’ve been eating lunch with lately on the emergency stairs?”

At Mio-chan’s words, Shouma’s eyes twitched. Ah, there it was. The classic behavior of a guy who was worried but wanted to act cool.

“…Ahh, that rumor.”

I let out a small sigh.

“He’s just a boy I got a little friendly with. A classmate. It’s nothing weird, really.”

Shouma let out a relieved breath. He looked exactly like someone who had just barely avoided failing a final exam.

“W-well, that’s good. You scared me for a second. I thought maybe someone… You know… Maybe someone was taking advantage of you or something.”

Taking advantage, huh. Oh, please. The person who created the chance for someone to take advantage of me had no right to say that.

“Sorry for making you worry, okay?”

When I bowed my head, Shouma gave a slightly embarrassed smile.

“Nah, it’s fine. More importantly… Do you want to walk home together? It’s been a while since we last walked home together.”

“Huh?”

I reflexively echoed back at him. But in that moment, something inside me snapped with a quiet pop.

“No, I’m good. I want to make a little stop on the way.”

“Oh? Well, don’t push yourself. Be careful on the way home, okay?”

Shouma said that as he wrapped his arm around Mio-chan’s shoulder. They naturally linked arms and walked away, radiating an overwhelming “happy couple aura.”

…He could have worried about me a little more… A tiny sting pierced my chest. The old “kind Kaede” would have just smiled without saying anything. But now, I was a little different. Once they had walked ahead a bit, I muttered under my breath.

“Maybe I should make him really worry for once.”

My whisper echoed quietly in the empty entrance hall.

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Yuuta’s POV

Lunch break. My phone vibrated on my desk. When I opened the screen, the messaging app showed only one short line.

『Meet me behind the gym.』

…Meet me behind the gym, huh? Seriously, what was with that tone? Girls calling boys behind the gym were usually one of three things: a manga scene, a confession, or a fight… For now, I just replied 『OK』 and headed there.

“…Ah, you’re already eating.”

Kaede was there. She was leaning against the gym wall, lunchbox on her knees, calmly munching on a hamburger steak.

“You’re late, Yuuta-kun.”

“Late? I came straight here when you messaged me… And why are we here?”

“Because it has the least foot traffic.”

“That’s exactly what makes it the worst choice! A boy and girl behind the gym looks exactly like a crime scene to anyone watching!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. No one’s looking.”

“No, the lack of guarantee that no one’s looking is the scary part!”

…Kaede ignored my entire rant and put her chopsticks down. The way she did it so naturally only made me more flustered. Seriously, this girl’s pace was unstoppable.

“Here, today’s a special one.”

She held out a food container. When I opened it, a warm savory smell drifted up.

“…Simmered hamburger steak?”

“Correct. It looks messy, but the taste is solid. I used red wine and a little honey as the secret ingredients.”

“Wow, that’s pretty high level…”

I took a bite with my spoon. Soft. The flavor was soaked all the way through. But then a memory surfaced. Simmered hamburger steak… Wasn’t that Shouma’s favorite? I clearly remembered that it was Kaede’s “specialty dish” she often made for him in the story.

“…How is it? Does it taste weird?”

“No, it’s good. I mean… Do you make this often?”

“Hmm… I used to. Not so much now.”

For a split second, Kaede’s voice dipped. But she quickly smiled like usual.

“But when I make it, I feel calm. My hands just remember what to do. …Almost like I used to make it for someone else.”

“…Someone?”

“Who knows, right?”

She laughed and looked away. That smile felt strangely painful. I couldn’t say anything, so I just quietly ate another bite.

“…Yuuta-kun, you always eat my cooking like it’s really delicious.”

Kaede suddenly whispered, sounding a little shy.

“Huh?”

“I mean, it feels rewarding? Like… It’s worth making.”

“Well, it’s honestly super good.”

“Hehe, no one’s praised me in years, so it makes me happy.”

Her smile was unexpectedly bright. Okay, no. Stop. That expression was cheating. She was stealing not only my stomach but also my heart. Before we knew it, the lunch bell rang. While putting her lunchbox away, Kaede spoke suddenly.

“Hey, Yuuta-kun. Next time, I’ll make something you like.”

“Huh?”

“I’m taking requests!”

“…Then, stuffed cabbage rolls.”

“Okay! Next episode will be stuffed cabbage rolls!”

She smiled as she walked away. And something about that gesture… Yeah, it was a little unfair. As I looked down at the now-empty lunchbox, I muttered in my heart.

Well… Kaede smiled again today, so I guess that’s okay.

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