The Childhood Friend I Had Grown Distant From Started Acting a Little Strange

Chapter 3

Today, Yuma ran his daily routine again.

As usual, Yuma greeted Grandpa Mimura, jogged around the neighborhood, and returned home. It was the usual daily life… but something felt off.

Yuma instinctively turned around… Only a few people were around, and nothing seemed particularly unusual.

“…?”

Yuma felt something unsettling but entered the house.

…During the run, Yuma kept feeling a gaze, but it might have been his imagination.

Yuma prepared for the morning and headed to school. On the way, Maya was nowhere in sight. They didn’t meet every day, but… since it was right after yesterday, Yuma felt worried.

Yuma hoped Maya wasn’t traumatized… Huh?

Yuma looked back… but no one was there. Was it his imagination…? Yuma still felt a gaze…

“…Well, whatever.”

Yuma hadn’t fought in a while, so he might have been tired. Thinking that, Yuma didn’t dwell on it further.

—

Yuma entered the classroom, sat at his desk, and chatted idly with Shige.

The daily chit-chat with Shige had become routine, with no fixed topics. They talked about games, dramas, or whatever they felt like discussing.

Today, Shige talked about an idol he recently liked.

“…So, I think Sanae Kamiki is the cutest in ‘Twilight,'” Shige said.

“Sanae Kamiki… the girl with pigtails?” Yuma asked.

“Yeah, her. She’s usually kinda spacey, but at concerts, she suddenly seems mature… That gap is just irresistible,” Shige explained.

Shige passionately described Sanae Kamiki, a member of the popular idol group ‘Twilight.’

She had light brown hair tied in pigtails and was petite. Also… she had a good figure for her height.

…Come to think of it, Shige’s favorite anime characters followed a similar pattern. His fetish, maybe?

“Plus, her loli big-boob vibe is great,” Shige added.

“You’re saying that out loud?” Yuma asked.

“Don’t tell anyone, okay?” Shige said.

“Then maybe don’t say it in the classroom…?” Yuma suggested.

Yuma couldn’t tell if Shige had shame or not…

“So, Yuma, got any favorite members?” Shige asked.

“Hmm… Not sure. I don’t follow idols much, so nothing really clicks,” Yuma replied.

Yuma wasn’t that into idols… But, well…

“If I had to pick… maybe that tall girl with a ponytail, though I don’t know her name,” Yuma said.

“Oh… probably Rui Suzukaze. So, tall and slender is Yuma’s fetish?” Shige teased.

“No way! It’s not like that… She just seems mature and cool,” Yuma countered.

“Well, you’ve got a baby face, so it makes sense you’d admire someone opposite,” Shige said.

“Shut up, idiot,” Yuma retorted.

Yuma felt bad about his baby face… It was a slight complex.

As Yuma turned away annoyed, his eyes caught Maya’s seat.

Usually, Maya sat there by this time, surrounded by people, but today, her seat was empty. Well, after what happened, it made sense…

By the way, Mimura was there. Yuma thought Mimura had some guts… Their eyes met. Mimura glared hatefully, but after a brief stare, Mimura looked away first.

Mimura stayed quiet, not joining Maya’s group. The group didn’t seem to care, so maybe Mimura wasn’t well-liked. He did seem a bit delinquent-like, different from the rest.

“What’s up? …Oh, Yuki, huh. Come to think of it, she hasn’t shown up today,” Shige said.

“Yeah… So I’m wondering if she’s okay,” Yuma replied.

“It’s not something you need to worry about. I’m actually glad not to see her annoying face,” Shige said.

Shige spat the words out, and Yuma could only smile vaguely. Yuma thought it wasn’t right to mention Maya being forced into something without her permission, so he said nothing. But there wasn’t much else to say either.

So, Yuma just smiled and brushed it off.

“…Oh, yeah. Isn’t ‘Twilight’ appearing on a variety show soon?” Yuma asked.

“Whoa, you know about that? Yeah, it’s a daytime show…” Shige said.

Yuma saw Shige start talking excitedly and felt relieved for successfully changing the topic.

In the end, Yuma talked about idols with Shige until the homeroom teacher arrived.

…The teacher told Yuma that Maya was absent today.

—

After school, Yuma saw Shige off to baseball practice and headed home. Yuma had no gym plans today, so after cleaning and preparing dinner, he planned to relax at home.

If anything, Yuma might listen to a ‘Twilight’ playlist Shige curated. After Shige’s passionate talk, even Yuma, who wasn’t into idols, felt curious.

Yuma recalled Shige’s happy face while listing songs. Sharing feedback would probably make Shige happy… He said spreading his passion in the baseball club was tough.

Yuma remembered Shige’s face as he complained about the serious teammates and chuckled a bit.

As Yuma thought this, his house came into view. Yuma quickened his pace… and then noticed something.

“…Huh?”

Someone stood in front of Yuma’s house… Could it be Mimura’s revenge? No, Mimura shouldn’t know Yuma’s address, so probably not. Then who…? Grandpa Mimura?

As Yuma got closer, the figure became clearer. It was a woman. Yuma saw long black hair… Wait, that was…

“…Yuki?”

There stood Maya, who hadn’t come to school today.

Maya noticed Yuma too and approached… Wait, so fast? Was she speed-walking?

“…”

“Uh… H-Hello?” Yuma said.

“…Yeah,” Maya replied.

“You’re not feeling bad or anything, right? I mean, after what happened yesterday…” Yuma asked.

“I’m fine…” Maya said.

“O-Okay…” Yuma replied.

What was this atmosphere… A funeral? Maya came right up to Yuma and stayed silent… Too close. Less than 30 centimeters away.

Maya kept staring at Yuma’s face wordlessly. Her expression showed no emotion… and it felt a bit scary.