The case where I was gradually getting buried in the heavy love of my childhood friend who had miraculously recovered from their illness was perfect!

“Rion!”

“We’ve been waiting for you!”

As soon as I entered the classroom, Rion was surrounded by her friends. I stayed a bit away from her , but I kept my gaze on her just in case anything happened.

‘…Ah, I’m really glad I can see this scene.’

Rion, who was surrounded by her friends, responded with a smile. To be honest… If I’m being completely honest, there was a part of me that had given up on ever seeing this scene again.

…Yeah, I’m really… really glad.

“Hey, Nagisa.”

“Seeing the princess of the school in good spirits… Hmm, that’s nice.”

The two people who patted me on the shoulder as I watched over Rion were Akihiro Tojo and Takeshi Masuda. They had been friends with me in the same class since the first year and had also been looking out for Rion whenever in need. We were good friends, too, and they had occasionally spoken with Rion as well.

Akihiro Tojo and Takeshi Masuda, both influential in our class in a good way, were close to the girls who admired Rion, and they had been a great help in various ways.

“Good morning, both of you.”

“Oh, hey.”

“Oh, you’ve got tears in your eyes.”

…I’m really sorry. I didn’t even realize that I was crying… How embarrassing!

“Here, take my handkerchief.”

Takeshi handed me a handkerchief. Having a handkerchief was essential for personal grooming, but in this situation, I had no choice but to use it. I gratefully wiped my tears with Takeshi’s handkerchief, and at that moment, Rion’s eyes met mine.

“Oh…”

“Oh, you… You saw me crying?”

While it’s true that she saw me crying, Rion didn’t come over to me, perhaps because she was still surrounded by her friends and couldn’t move. Maybe she had judged that she didn’t need to worry about me based on my demeanor. She started smiling and joined the conversation again.

“Just because you were seen crying doesn’t mean anything.”

“…Well.”

“…Are you the only one who doesn’t know?”

“What’s the matter…”

I was really curious about what they meant by that.

“Have you finished wiping your tears?”

“Yeah… I’m done.”

“If it’s just that much, you can give it back to me.”

“Alright…”

I returned the handkerchief. It was only now that I felt relieved, seeing Rion’s condition, and I turned my gaze away. But with two friends nearby, some honest words slipped out.

“You know, I… I thought I’d never shed tears again.”

“…Is that so?”

“…..”

“On the day Rion was hospitalized… I heard a lot of things and felt desperate. I cried so much at that time that I thought I might die.”

I cried… Probably, counting my previous life, I cried worth two lifetimes. After that, my tears ran dry… I couldn’t even shed tears on the night when Rion was in danger. My head hurt a little as I thought about it. Even though I was thinking that, I was talking about something depressing to my friends in the morning.

“Sorry about that, both of you.”

“It’s okay.”

“Yeah, it’s fine. The princess is back safe and sound… that’s all that matters.”

Yeah… That’s right!

“Is that so… By the way, Takeshi.”

“Hmm?”

“I’ve been wondering for a while, why do you call Rion ‘The princess’?”

I had been curious about it for a while, but I hadn’t asked until now. Why was that?

As I asked, Akihiro suddenly chuckled. Takeshi, on the other hand, didn’t hesitate to answer.

“Because, doesn’t she look like a princess at first glance?”

“…A princess?”

“She’s incredibly beautiful and intelligent, and the fact that she has so many friends reflects her good personality. That’s enough, but, more than anything, it’s as if there’s always a knight like you by her side, right? So that’s why we call her ‘the princess.'”

“…What do you mean by ‘Knight’?”

“Heh~… ‘Knight’… Hahaha!”

Akihiro burst into laughter at the word ‘knight.’ I don’t know why… Even though I didn’t come up with it myself, I felt embarrassed being called that!

“If you’re so curious, you should have pointed it out earlier.”

“Yeah, yeah. Didn’t you secretly like it or something?”

As they grinned and stared at me, I replied in a straightforward manner.

“Because it’s you, Takeshi. You’ve always been a little crazy, so I thought it didn’t have any special meaning.”

When I said those words, the two of them who had been grinning suddenly turned serious, and Akihiro nodded in agreement.

“Isn’t it too much to say that I’m crazy?”

“No… it’s Takeshi.”

“Hey Akihiro, At least, I am not going to be any stupider than you.”

“I may be stupid but I am not crazy.”

“Isn’t that the same?”

Haha… The atmosphere became lively for some time.

When I looked at the two of them bickering with each other right in front of me, I felt like all my worries didn’t matter… Or rather, I wonder if I should have relied on them to make me feel a little more relaxed.

‘Though… the content is a little heavy, and I don’t feel comfortable discussing this with Middle-school students.’

Well, I’m a middle school student too.

During such moments, I felt a distant sense of relief while watching my friends have the same kind of enjoyable time, and Rion’s smile.

“Hey.”

The guy who I didn’t want to see at all… Ito had arrived at school.

Naturally, he directed his gaze towards Rion, but he couldn’t approach her due to the friends surrounding her, and it seemed like he was trying to call out to her but gave up midway.

‘What was he thinking… Why is he trying to talk to Rion?’

He had a past of being disliked by Rion, and he resented her because of that, and, above all, he didn’t like me because I was with her.

Previously, he had said that Rion won’t be cured, and that was the reason he’s like an extinct existence to me. Honestly, I don’t want to get involved with him.

“Ito, what’s he thinking trying to talk to Tohsaka?”

“…He’s shameless to the extreme degree.”

By the way, the two of them also genuinely dislike Ito.

In fact, I don’t know if there’s anyone in this class who thinks of Ito as a true friend… but even so, it makes me feel sorry for him that during these student years, he has no genuine friends, even if his actions were the cause.

‘Only delinquents like him gather around him… well, it’s not my concern.’

It’s too late if something happens, but before that, it’s my duty to protect Rion — just that is my purpose.

A little time passed, and the homeroom teacher came, and Rion’s return seemed to have moved even the teacher.

“Tohsaka-san… I’m so glad to see you fit and fine!!”

“I feel déjà vu… but I’ve caused you all a lot of worry.”

I can understand that déjà vu… After all, his actions resemble those of my father.

The homeroom teacher is the same age as our parents… It’s pretty weird, to be honest.

Anyway, the morning assembly ended, and classes began. Everyone… especially the girls, were even more restless than usual because Rion was there.

“Well, well. But today, let’s cut them some slack.”

The teacher who was in charge of the class said that as well… they were really on edge.

During the break, I had the chance to talk to Rion’s friend.

“It’s great to see Rion healthy again.”

“Isn’t it?”

“Yeah… I’m really glad.”

She is Mana Azumi, a girl who became friends with Rion when they were in the first year.

“When you entered the classroom, you were wearing a stylish hat, right? You took it off when you got to your seat… but that was like a present from you, right?”

“Yeah. I was worried about her taste, but I’m relieved she liked it.”

“If it’s Rion, I think she’d be happy with anything from you. But that hat suited her very well, didn’t it?”

“Oh, you think so as well?”

“Yeah… But the thing you were going to give her when she was in the hospital had zero taste.”

“Ughh…”

Well… there is nothing wrong with her choice of words

What’s this pain in my chest… It feels like I’m being pierced with a sharp blade, and I feel like crying.

Well, but it seems that the beret I gave to Rion had already earned a good reputation from her friends.

Our middle school probably wouldn’t pay much attention to things like that, and she took it off when she arrived in the classroom.

“If she is smiling in the end, that’s all that matters.”

“Azumi-san, you really think a lot about Rion.”

“Of course, because she’s like our queen, right?”