I Will Do Everything In My Power To Bring Happiness To The Enchanting Beauty Who Can No Longer Smile. - Chapter 39: A Certain Female Student.  Sakakibara Tsubame’s POV

A Certain Female Student. 

Sakakibara Tsubame’s POV

“Hey, is that rumor true?”

“Who knows. Why don’t you go ask her yourself?”

“No way. I’m not doing that.”

The piercing stares that rained down on me had never ceased since the moment I stepped into school.

It felt as though I were surrounded by an army, every part of me riddled with arrows. Or, to put it in modern terms, like being gunned down by a squad of heavily armed soldiers.

This had been my reality for years now—I had grown used to it.

Or so I thought.

But today, the stares were especially unpleasant.

And that was precisely because I knew—they weren’t aimed at me alone. They were probably directed at him as well.

He had told me, countless times, that it was fine. That he was okay with it. But I’m not so dense as to be unaware that my presence is chaining him down.

I understand everything.
As long as I’m here, it’s not just that he can’t have a girlfriend—making new friends is nearly impossible for him too.
He’s always been socially adept, so maybe he’s managed to make a few friends out of my sight.

But I know. I know that even if he did, he would still prioritize me over spending time with them.

That makes me happy—
—and it hurts.

Because it means that my existence is narrowing the possibilities of his life.

…I wouldn’t just sit back and watch if he tried to get a girlfriend, but even so.

***

“…”

I fell silent, thinking. There was only one way to change this situation.

I had to make friends.

Yeah, no. Not happening.

The answer came to me in less than a second. It seems whatever is rooted in my heart runs deeper than I’d thought.

…Because I can’t. There are too many people who don’t even see me as the same kind of person.

Maybe somewhere, someone exists. A girl who would treat me like an equal, like a fellow human being.

But how rare would that person be?

One in ten?
One in a hundred?
One in a thousand?

How many times do I have to get hurt before I meet someone like that?

Will my body hold out? Will my heart?

——Maybe… maybe if Shigure-kun is by my side, I could do it.

Even if I get hurt, I know he’ll be there to hold me.
Maybe—just maybe—I could manage to make one friend in place of years of solitude.

…Yeah right.
It’s not going to happen.
Because if I get hurt, that means he gets hurt too.

Completely stuck.

That phrase popped into my mind.

…Frustrating. But there’s nothing I can do.

I thought maybe I should talk to Mom and Usui-san, but I didn’t want to make them worry more than they already do.

It was then—while I was climbing the stairs to return to class after PE.

***

“Heave… ho… one step at a time…!”

A girl was climbing the stairs, slowly, step by step, arms full of notebooks.
She had twin braids and wore red-rimmed glasses.

I thought her hands were full just because the notebooks were heavy… but that wasn’t quite it. She was pressing them against her chest to keep them from falling.

Her chest was probably about the same size as mine.
She couldn’t see the stairs past the pile of notebooks and her chest, which explained why she moved so cautiously.

The students around her only glanced in her direction, passing by without offering help or even a word.

It was a sadly normal scene—
—but if it were him, the boy I love, he would never just stand by and do nothing.
No. Never.

***

“Le—”

I mustered up the courage to speak—
—but my voice faltered. It trembled.

And I realized something in that moment.

…Wait. When was the last time I talked to someone like this?

My chest tightened painfully.

But if I let fear win here, he would never praise me.

***

“L-let me help.”

“Huh?”

I pushed through the fear and reached out, taking half of the notebooks from her arms.
She squeaked at the sudden gesture.

“Th-thank you so muc—KYAAAHHHHHH!!”

“!?”

Her unexpected, high-pitched shriek startled me. It sounded like a tiny bird being attacked by a predator.

She blinked rapidly and stumbled over her words.

“S-sa-sa-Sakakibaba-bara-Tsubame-san!?”

“Who?”

She must have been panicking—
I’m guessing she meant to say my name, but it came out sounding like some bizarre horror character.

“I-I-I’m so sorryyyy! I—I’m just a humble, nameless student! Feel free to call me S-Se-cchan!”

“…Se-chan?”

“Hauuuu! Se-chan’s melting!!”

Huh… maybe she’s really eccentric?

That thought crossed my mind, but I was already holding half the notebooks, so it was too late to back out.

Besides… something about her intrigued me.

“Earlier, you said my name…”

“Y-y-yes! S-sa-Sakakibara Tsubame-hyan!”

“…”

She still stumbled over it, but I was taken aback. Probably widened my eyes—at least, I think I did. I’m getting better at reading my own expressions.

More importantly—
When was the last time someone called me by name the moment we met?

I’m usually referred to as “the enchantress,” or some other nickname. Even when I’m in magazines, they use that instead of my real name.

Some people don’t even know my full name. Even fewer call me by it directly.

***

“…Yeah. I’m Sakakibara Tsubame. Just to be sure, what’s your name again?”

“A-ah! I—I am Kito Seri, though it’s an embarrassment to even say! Please feel free to call me Se-chan!”

“You really don’t have to be so self-deprecating about your name… Se-chan?”

“Hauuuu! Thank you so much!”

Yep. Definitely very eccentric.

I’ve met a lot of people through work, but even in this industry, she’s one of the more unique ones.

And yet… Even though her eyes kept darting away when they met mine, they always came back.
She didn’t give off that uncomfortable vibe at all.

“Let’s go.”

“E-eh? Where to?”

“…That’s what I want to ask. Where are we taking these notebooks?”

“O-oh, to the classroom.”

Her voice got noticeably quieter.

“Alright. I’ll carry them there with you.”

“Hyahhh—A-are you sure that’s okay!?”

“…If you don’t want the attention or it feels like a burden, I can stop.”

“Th-th-that would be indecent!”

“…You mean ‘indecent’?”

“A-ah, sorry! I-I do have morals! I’m Kito Seri, loyally devoted for nearly three years!”

For some reason, she introduced herself again. Then she stuck out her tongue and promptly turned bright red, smacking her face into the wall and mumbling “I wanna diiiie…”

She’s cute in her own way, but extremely quirky.

…Well, I guess I’m not one to talk. Still, she’s not the type of person I’ve ever dealt with before.

While I was thinking that, she suddenly turned to face me with intensity.

“Th-that aside! I-it would be an immense honor if Tsubame-hyan is willing to lend us her help! Truly a blessing—like giving a club to an ogre, or going with the crowd!”

“…I don’t think ‘going with the crowd’ is meant to be a compliment.”

“W-was it not…? A-anyway, um, yes!”

Kito Seri-san… or “Se-chan,” was it? Clutched the now halved stack of notebooks and made a sudden movement as if to bow deeply—but stopped just short, offering a quick, polite nod instead. Any further, and her forehead would’ve hit the desk.

“P-please! Thank you so much! S-Sakakibara Tsubame-hyan!”

A straightforward and earnest thank-you—followed by the overly familiar “hyan” suffix. I widened my eyes in surprise, though thankfully she didn’t notice.

“Sure, I don’t mind.”

Thinking to myself that she was an amusing girl, I helped her carry the notebooks.

All the while, Se-chan nervously chatted beside me… though, for some reason, most of it turned into her bragging about—was it her boyfriend?

***

Later, I shared all this with Shigure-kun. Of course, I left out any unnecessary details—like how I felt about him, or the fact that the other girl had a rather impressive chest.

The reason I brought it up wasn’t just because it followed naturally from our earlier conversation. I genuinely wanted to hear what he thought.

That girl—Kito Seri, or Se-chan—was… a curious one. At the very least, not the kind of person I’d ever encountered before.

And yet, I didn’t dislike being around her. Not at all.

After listening to my story, Shigure-kun made a face I’d never seen on him before. It was incredibly conflicted—like he’d just bitten into a piece of unripe fruit.

Then, when he looked toward the front of the classroom—there was a male student banging his head against the wall. If I remembered right, that was his friend, Haiguchi-san.

He was shouting, “Just kill meee! Somebody please bury meee!” for some reason.

Strangely, it felt familiar, like I’d seen this scene before.

Watching this, Shigure-kun’s cheek twitched… but then, he let out a quiet chuckle.

I didn’t really understand what was happening—but seeing him smile like that somehow made me smile, too.