My Memories Came Back, But I'm Not Telling My Childhood Friends

Chapter 26

The first period was Art. That meant moving to a different classroom.

Usually, I’d walk with Ryosuke, but lately, I’ve been flying solo.

The gap between Ryosuke and me is widening slightly. Well, mostly I’m the one avoiding him. To be honest, I’ve even thought about just cutting ties with him for good…

Ryosuke has probably sensed the change in me. I don’t know if he’s realized my memories are back, but he’s definitely noticed me trying to keep my distance.

The fact that he hasn’t said anything about it is what’s creepy, so I haven’t been able to make any reckless moves yet.

If possible, I don’t want to make an enemy out of him. He looks quiet enough now, but back in middle school, Ryosuke was a legitimately dangerous guy. He’s the type of man who uses force to twist anything he doesn’t like. Once his switch is flipped, there’s no stopping him.

I hope I can just subtly drift away, but I wonder if it’ll really go that smoothly…

I was walking down the hallway toward the art room with those worries in the back of my mind when—

Suddenly, I spotted a figure peeking out from the shadows of the hallway, beckoning me over.

It was Maya.

Good grief… I thought I told her not to do stuff like this in public.

As usual, she’s completely failing to read the room. Ever since we made up, she’s been trying to make secret eye contact with me in the classroom and stuff like that, giving me a heart attack every single day. I want to tell her to stop, but she looks so happy doing it that I can’t bring myself to say it…

It’s fine as long as we don’t get caught, but I wish she had a bit more of a sense of danger. I’m finally starting to understand how Rin feels.

Anyway, I couldn’t just ignore her, so I checked to make sure no one was looking and hurried over to her.

“Do you need something?”

“Um, not really. I don’t have any specific business.”

“You called me over even though you don’t need anything…?”

In this situation where getting caught would lead to a total nightmare…

“I’m sorry… I just couldn’t help myself.”

“If we get caught, it’ll be even harder for us to see each other, you know.”

“I know that, but…”

“At least pick a place that’s a bit safer.”

“Okay, I get it.”

I wonder if she actually gets it…

“But doesn’t this make your heart race a little?”

“Hey, look…”

She didn’t get it at all…

Maybe I should be a bit more strict with her. But we did just make up… lately, I’ve really been struggling with how to handle my distance with Maya.

Well… I can’t say I don’t understand the thrill of it. Being alone with Maya just a short distance from where you can hear other students talking. It feels like we’re doing something we shouldn’t, and despite myself, my heart is racing a little too.

But that doesn’t mean I should keep taking risks. If we’re found out, it won’t be a laughing matter. It’s my job to handle this situation. I have to stay sharp so we don’t have a repeat of what happened back then.

“…Alright. Let’s do this.”

An idea popped into my head, and I pulled out my phone.

“Huh? What’s this?”

“We’re swapping contact info. If you want to talk, you can just message me.”

“Oh! Reita’s… contact info…!!”

Maya’s eyes sparkled as she looked at my phone screen, like she was staring at a precious jewel.

“Just so you know, I’m not a big fan of constant texting, so keep it within reason, okay?”

“Okay, I got it. I’ll keep it to a minimum of three hours a day.”

“Yeah, you definitely don’t get it…”

What are we even going to talk about for three hours every day…? My thumb’s gonna get tendonitis. The scary part is I can’t tell if she’s joking or serious.

“…By the way, Maya, changing the subject.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“About Shizuno acting weird lately—do you know anything else about that?”

Since I had the chance to talk to Maya, I figured I’d ask about what’s been bothering me before we parted ways.

“About Shizuno? Hmm, not really… oh, wait. There might be one thing that’s bothering me.”

“Something bothering you?”

“It might not be related, but Shizuno has been going to the Student Council room every day after school lately.”

“To the Student Council room every day…?”

“Yeah. I thought I heard her say before that student council work is usually only once a week…”

If it’s Shizuno, she might just be doing extra work, but every single day feels a bit off.

Is she really hooked up with that Student Council President—Daiki Yokomizo? Yamada and the guys were gossiping about it too, so the evidence is starting to pile up.

If that’s really the case, it means even Shizuno has drowned in love.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with being in love. Even if she wasn’t interested before, people’s mindsets change, and high school is the prime age for romance.

But Shizuno being so into a guy that she starts acting weird just feels… out of character. Even if she was in love, I didn’t think she was the type of person to get so distracted that she’d neglect her other responsibilities.

Well… it’s a common story that the serious types can’t pull themselves away once they get a taste of how much fun it is to mess around, so maybe it can’t be helped. Love is blind, as they say.

“Reita, did you figure something out?”

“Hmm…”

For now, I guess I’ll try talking to Shizuno and see what’s up. If it really is just a crush, it’s not our place to say anything.

“I don’t know what I should do, so is it okay if I leave it to you, Reita…?”

“Yeah. Leave it to me.”

I wasn’t exactly confident, but I nodded so Maya would feel better.

“Hehe. As expected of Reita. You’re so dependable.”

“Don’t get your hopes too high.”

Maya really has total faith in me now… technically I’m still playing the part of someone who hasn’t gotten his memories back. Then again, maybe she never doubted me for a single second from the very beginning.

“Anyway, let me know if you find out anything else.”

“Okay. I’ll send you lots of leans every day! ♡”

“No, like I said, that’s…”

I wanted to tell her to keep it in moderation, but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything when she looked that happy.