I Will Do Everything In My Power To Bring Happiness To The Enchanting Beauty Who Can No Longer Smile. - Chapter 41: Friends.

Friends.

“So, well! Through Shigure-kun, I got closer to Shirao-kun!”

“Oh, really? That’s the first time I’ve heard that.”

Although Se-chan almost went off on a tangent, Shirao managed to stop her—so here we are now, having lunch while reminiscing a bit.

The topic was how Se-chan and Shirao first got to know each other. I was involved in quite a few ways, too.

To put it simply, Shirao often faced misunderstandings because of his appearance… Once, he was even falsely accused of theft. At that time, Se-chan stood up for him.

However, we needed proof to clear his name, so Se-chan consulted me—who was kind of becoming a “fixer” for anything. Thanks to Se-chan’s efforts, not only was the false accusation disproven, but we also found the real culprit. Se-chan was incredibly skilled with a voice recorder, using it as part of his mental preparation when he was bullied.

After clearing his name, Shirao confessed that he had come to like Se-chan, and I helped bring the two of them together. Se-chan seemed interested in Shirao too, so I pushed a little for the two shy ones. The result is as you see now.

This was something I hadn’t really shared with Tsubame before.

Meanwhile, Shirao looked very restless.

“Th-the staring… it’s intense. You’ve been putting up with this all along?”

“Well, you get used to it eventually. Probably.”

Shirao is more sensitive than Se-chan, especially about girls’ stares. Se-chan, on the other hand, gets so absorbed that he stops noticing. Though, according to him, he remembers it later and freaks out.

“I want to hear about you and Shigure-kun too!”

“Us?”

“Yeah! You’re childhood friends, right?”

At Se-chan’s words, Tsubame nodded softly.

“When we were little… maybe two or three years old, we met at the park.”

“Th-that young? You must have been adorable even back then.”

Tsubame glanced at me. Though her expression didn’t change, her eyes held a warm light.

“I was shy, but Shigure-kun played with me a lot. I used to follow behind him wherever he went.”

“That’s true. I usually decided what to do… and everything was fun.”

“That’s so cute, I think I’m going to nosebleed. Give me more stories like that!”

“We played all sorts of games… like house play. The one we did most often was pretend weddings.”

“So cuuuuuuuute!”

“Se-chan, here’s some chocolate.”

“Thanks, got it.”

With perfect timing, Shirao handed over chocolate to calm Se-chan down. Impressive.

“…Yeah, those were the days.”

Feeling the mood getting a bit awkward, I said that, and Tsubame stared at me intently.

“If it were now, it wouldn’t just be ‘pretend’ anymore.”

“…”

My cheeks twitched. Se-chan’s eyes widened as if she might scream if she didn’t have chocolate in her mouth. Shirao smiled wryly and shoved more chocolate into Se-chan’s mouth.

By the time Se-chan finished chewing and swallowing, she had calmed down, which was strange but reassuring. Then Se-chan smiled happily with a little “ehehe.”

“I’m glad I got to be friends with Tsubame-hyan. I hope someday we can go on double dates.”

At those words, my face twitched and just stayed like that. I quickly looked away from them, barely keeping Shirao in the corner of my vision.

“Uh, did I say something weird?”

“D-date… do people say ‘date’ even if they’re not lovers?”

“Eh, probably? W-wait, aren’t you two already going out?”

I had a feeling there was some misunderstanding, but it was true. This kind of conversation isn’t typical joking between just friends.

Well, not exactly a joke… I’m a bit confused.

While I was wondering how to respond, a clear voice came from beside me.

“We’re not dating. Not yet, anyway.”

“R-really!? But I heard that at school you fed each other bites, someone saw you walking home together on certain days, and today you even went to school together. Someone asked if you might have stayed over! I was pretending to sleep so I wouldn’t be talked to in class!”

“S-Se-chan… you pretended to sleep the whole time? I thought when I checked on you, you were just pretending.”

“B-because… people scare me.”

Now that I think about it, there were times when Shirao checked on her and then left. He came back quickly, so that was why. Even if she was awake, she probably wouldn’t have talked.

So, how should I answer—

“What if I told you all of that was true?”

“!?”

Her voice brightened a little, sounding excited. I heard Se-chan gasp, and I couldn’t help but look back.

“Finally looking at me,” said Tsubame, and our eyes met. Her expression… well, her mouth relaxed just a little.

“Just kidding.”

“Y-you scared me!”

Then Tsubame said that deliberately. It was a first, and I felt like I might mess up if I spoke, so I said nothing.

“Except the last part, it’s all true.”

“Huh?”

“This morning, I forgot my smartphone at Shigure-kun’s place yesterday, and he brought it back for me. He was late coming home from work, but since replying to emails was important, I made him bring it anyway. Right, Shigure-kun?”

“Ah… yeah. It was okay to be a bit late to class.”

Suddenly put on the spot, I managed a reply. Yeah, that was better. It’s better to share a little than hide everything—it might reduce people prying.

“S-so, feeding each other bites at school is real? And, does that mean you’ve been visiting Shigure-kun’s house?”

“Yeah. We’re childhood friends.”

“Childhood friends are amazing… way ahead of us, Shirao-kun.”

“D-don’t throw that at me now.”

Se-chan shuddered at Tsubame’s words. Tsubame only smiled faintly, but I could tell by her voice that she was really enjoying this.

“So, what do you do at his house?”

“Childhood friend stuff.”

“Childhood friend stuff? Like what?”

“Like watching videos together, relaxing.”

“V-videos!?”

“We also watched movies. And played with the dog.”

“Movies!? And played with the dog!?”

“And he gave me a massage, too.”

“Massage!?”

“…Well, it was just a shoulder rub.”

“Shoulder rub!?”

“Shirao, what kind of girlfriend does he have…”

“I’ll handle it, so just forgive me.”

Shirao said that while shoving another piece of chocolate into Se-chan’s mouth. I wondered if she’d get tired of chocolate, but she seemed to enjoy it.

Meanwhile, Tsubame tilted her head, clearly puzzled about why she was so interested. I tried to clarify the massage bit to avoid misunderstandings, but I think Se-chan might be to blame here. Yeah.

“Mmm, you’re really close with Shigure-kun.”

“Yeah. He’s the one I can rely on most.”

“Ah… so cute, an angel… I was surprised you’re even close with a model, but with Shigure-kun, it makes sense, Shirao-kun.”

“Well, yeah. At first, I was really surprised.”

Shirao was caught off guard again but replied properly this time. It was a bit embarrassing.

“By the way, what kind of movie was it—”

Before Se-chan could ask, the school bell rang.

“—Lunch is already over. I wanted to ask so many things.”

Se-chan said with a surprised expression, pouting slightly. Shirao chuckled, and Tsubame looked a little surprised, her eyes holding a faint trace of sadness.

“…Are you two free after school?”

“Huh? Yeah, we’re free. Why?”

“Me too. I’m just going to the library.”

“Then, how about we go somewhere after school?”

At my suggestion, Tsubame’s eyes widened. When I asked her directly, she silently nodded.

“Though it’s after school, so we probably can’t stay out too long. What do you think?”

“I-I’m in! There’s a cafe I’ve been wanting to visit! They have huge, delicious parfaits!”

“Ah, I actually have something to do—”

“You’re not getting away, Shirao. So, after school, we’re going to that cafe.”

And so, our after-school plans were set. Since time was short, Se-chan waved goodbye with a smile, and Tsubame returned a small wave.

Then Shirao returned to his seat, and Tsubame stared at me from beside him.

“…Sorry if I was being nosy.”

“No, I was really happy. I couldn’t say these things myself.”

Tsubame reached out and gently pinched my finger.

“Thank you, Shigure-kun.”

“I’m glad. …Tsubame, did you have fun?”

“Yeah. She was pretty… quite unique, but a fun person. I haven’t talked much with Haiguchi-kun, but he didn’t give off any bad vibes. I could tell how much he likes Se-chan and you, Shigure-kun.”

“I won’t say anything to protect Shirao.”

In the distance, I could see Shirao’s ears turning red. Since Tsubame’s voice carried clearly, he must have heard everything.

And so, the meeting with my friends concluded—far more successfully than I had imagined.