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 - 50

Chapter 50: Mio’s Gratitude

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Lunch break. I was just about to open my bento when I noticed that the classroom was noisier than usual.

“Hey, did you hear!? Shouma got dumped by Mio this morning!”

“And he was so shocked he went home early!”

“So weak! His mental strength is tofu-level!”

“No, it’s more like fairy-level fragility!”

They were saying whatever they wanted, but honestly, even I thought, “Yeah, that sounds like Shouma.”

“…They’re being brutal about him.”

Next to me, Kaede shrugged while sucking on her straw.

“Well, he kind of brought it on himself.”

She showed no mercy to him.

“So, Hiiragi-san, did you do something yesterday?”

“Not really ‘did something’… I just listened to Mio-chan’s worries.”

“I-I see.”

Kaede smiled without a hint of guilt. And then—

“Kaede-chan, thank you for yesterday.”

Mio appeared with a smile that looked like a flower suddenly blooming around her.

“Oh, you’re here. It turned out just like I said, right?”

“…Yeah. I was surprised, but I feel a lot lighter now. And—”

“Eh, a roll cake!? Is this for me!?”

“Yeah. It’s a thank-you for listening to me.”

“Thanks.”

The two of them laughed together naturally. She looked like a completely different person from yesterday’s Mio.

Kaede really is ridiculously good at listening to people’s problems…

As I was thinking that, Mio suddenly turned toward me.

“Um… If you don’t mind, can I eat lunch with you?”

At that question, the air in the classroom froze for a split second. Immediately, whispers from the boys flew around.

“Huh? Now Mio’s going after Fujiwara too?”

“Seriously? This is beyond a mere ‘popular phase.’”

“Fujiwara… Just what did you save in your past life?”

The girls were even more blunt.

“Is Mio-chan into him too?”

“I heard she was talking with him on the emergency stairs yesterday…”

“Fujiwara-kun… Is he secretly a gentle ikemen?”

What was with this misunderstanding-factory kind of atmosphere? Kaede lightly tugged on my sleeve.

“Hey, it’s fine, right?”

If Kaede said it was fine, I had no reason to refuse.

“O-of course.”

“Thank you, Fujiwara-kun.”

Mio softly sat down. The moment the three of us lined up, the classroom buzz exploded.

“Hey, hey, hey! Fujiwara’s got a harem going on!”

“He was a background character until yesterday… Just how did this happen?”

“Shouma… Is he ever going to recover from this…?”

…Honestly, at this point, there was no denying how it looked. Then Mio murmured quietly.

“Eating like this together… It’s kind of calming, huh?”

That one line set off another wave of murmurs.

“‘Calming,’ she says! She’s totally into him!”

“Wahh… Fujiwara-kun is such a sinful man…!”

As I was watching the lunchtime chaos spiral out of control, Mio held out a container toward me.

“This is for you too, Fujiwara-kun… As thanks for yesterday.”

“Huh, for me?”

“Yeah. I’d be happy if you ate it.”

As I opened the lid—

“…O-oh…?”

The appearance was… Well…It was like a ‘home economics class midterm accident.’ Mio gave me a wry smile and shrugged.

“I tried my best, but it kind of turned into a mess. It looks pretty bad, right?”

“No, I don’t really care about how it looks.”

I said that and took a bite.

Wait, it’s actually good.

“…This is actually really tasty.”

“Really!?”

Mio’s face instantly brightened like the sun. And at that moment, I felt killing intent from the side. When I slowly turned around… Kaede had puffed out her cheeks.

“U-um… Kaede-chan? This is, uh—”

“Hmmm. Then let me try some too?”

Her voice was completely loaded with pressure. With impressive confiscation skills, Kaede took the container and ate a bite. She chewed expressionlessly for a few seconds and…

“…Yeah. It’s good.”

“Thank you, Kaede-chan. I’m really happy you said that.”

Kaede’s expression froze with a sharp snap. In that instant, I realized it.

Ah. She just realized the possibility that this could become a daily bento thing.

“E-eh, no, no! I won’t make it every day, okay!?”

Mio waved both hands frantically. But Kaede slowly crept closer.

“…Mio-chan. Can I just confirm one thing?”

“W-what…?”

“You’re absolutely not going to take Yuuta-kun, right?”

“I-I’m not! I won’t take him!”

“Really?”

“Really!”

After repeating that exchange about three times, Kaede finally let out a satisfied breath.

“…Then it’s fine. I’m glad…”

She said with a beaming smile. She looked like an angel, but what she was doing was a full-on territory check. Watching Kaede, Mio smiled softly at her.

“…You’ve kind of changed, Kaede-chan.”

“Huh? How so?”

Kaede tilted her head, exuding maximum slyness a girl could possibly do. Mio suddenly waved her hands, flustered.

“N-no! I don’t mean it in a bad way! In a good way! It’s just… You look way happier than when you were with Shouma-kun.”

“—!!”

Kaede’s ears turned bright red. She was blushing so obviously it was hard to believe she’d just been fighting over bento ownership. Mio smiled cheerfully and delivered the finishing blow.

“ I guess that’s how much you like Fujiwara-kun, huh?”

“~!!?? D-don’t tease meee!!”

Kaede, face beet-red, lightly pummeled Mio’s arm over and over.

“Ohh? So I hit the mark~?”

“N-no… You’re n-not wrong, but don’t make me say it!!”

While voices like “Yeah yeah, how precious” and “Is this a daytime drama?” flew around the classroom, Mio smiled as if she was tucking a memo into her chest pocket and stood up.

“…Well, I’ll get out of your way now.”

She lightly waved and left the classroom. Kaede and I naturally waved back with both hands. And the moment Mio was gone…

“…Yuuta-kun.”

“Eek.”

When I looked over, Kaede had completely switched from her angel face to puffed cheeks.

“You were way too soft on Mio-chan.”

“I-I wasn’t being soft, was I!?”

“You were. Totally. Absolutely.”

“S-sorry…”

“I don’t forgive you.”

Instant reply. I might be doomed.

“…I’ll overwrite it… With my side dishes…!”

“Huh?”

The moment Kaede opened her bento box, I understood.

Ah… Here we go again.

“Here, say ahh.”

“W-wait, Hiiragi-sa—”

“I can’t hear you. Come on, ahh♡”

“It- it’s delici—!?”

“Not yet. Next one. Ahh.”

The classroom buzzed.

“Fujiwara… This is definitely a ‘normie should blow up!’ moment…”

“Where does Kaede-san get this kind of aggression?”

“So this is… The main heroine’s pressure…!”

As for me, I was completely defenseless against Kaede’s nonstop “ahh” attacks.

“K-Kaede… Are you really mad…?”

“I am.”

Instant reply. But her eyes… She looked like she was having way too much fun. She offered another bite to my mouth.

“…Hey, Yuuta-kun. Make sure you remember that mine is the best, okay?”

“…Yes.”

“Good~♡”

Kaede smiled in satisfaction, and as for me… There was nowhere left for me to run.

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