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

Chapter 4

About one week has passed since then.

The next day, Maya Yuki went to school normally and chatted with the usual group… except for Shige.

Because of what happened, a subtle atmosphere lingered between Maya Yuki and Shige, and neither tried to approach the other. The people around them sensed this atmosphere and said nothing, so Shige remained isolated for now.

Recently, Shige often skipped school, and I secretly thought he might fade out eventually.

My relationship with Maya Yuki… didn’t change much. However, when we met in the morning, she used to stay silent no matter what I said, but now she returned my greetings.

Maybe Maya Yuki felt some gratitude in her own way… that itself made me happy, but if she did it reluctantly, I felt sorry. Should I stop greeting her from now on?

Well, nothing else changed much. I greeted Grandpa Mimura, chatted with Shige, comforted Kiyomi-san who lamented not having a boyfriend at the gym, and went for a slightly expensive meal with Dad who took a day off… just the usual, fun daily life.

Yes, nothing changed. It was the usual peaceful routine… except for one thing.

“…Someone’s watching me? Like a stalker?” I said.

“Probably…” Shige replied.

I nodded to Shige, who looked suspicious. Well, he’d make that face, wouldn’t he…

“It’s not just my imagination… is it? Every day, right?” Shige asked.

“Yeah… not constantly, but…” I answered.

Yes. I felt a gaze since the day after Shige’s incident. For this whole week, I felt it constantly.

At first, I thought it was my imagination, but the next day, the day after, and the day after that… after it continued this long, I couldn’t think it was just my imagination anymore.

During my morning run, on the way to school, at school, on the way home. Not always, but I felt watched at these times with high probability.

“Did you tell the police?” Shige asked.

“There’s no proof… it’s just me thinking I’m being watched, not like I saw a figure or anything,” I replied.

“Well, that makes sense,” Shige said.

It was just being watched. No weird letters in my mailbox or direct harm happened. So, for now, I could only let it be.

But being watched this much… it felt a bit tiring.

“…How about we go to and from school together for a while? Our houses aren’t that far,” Shige suggested.

“No way… you’ve got a tournament coming up, right? I can’t let you do that,” I replied.

I knew Shige worked hard for a long time. I couldn’t and didn’t want to get in his way.

“…Then, for now, just avoid places with few people,” Shige said.

“That’s about all I can do, right… but what’s fun about watching me?” I wondered.

I wasn’t particularly handsome, and my grades were just average. The only thing notable about me was boxing, but watching me wouldn’t bring anything good.

“No, you’re underestimating yourself too much,” Shige said.

“Am I?” I asked.

“Yeah. At the very least, to me, you’re my best friend. I’ve never seen a better guy than you,” Shige said.

“…Oh, uh,” I mumbled.

He suddenly said something embarrassing…

“Maybe someone’s drawn to that side of you? …Though, stalking’s a bit much,” Shige added.

“Hmm…” I murmured.

Shige’s words made me happy, but I still wasn’t convinced. Honestly, Shige was a much better guy than me.

He seemed lighthearted but noticed people well, was serious, and worked hard. In the baseball club, he started behind others but kept working without giving up and earned a regular spot.

He was a really amazing guy, and being friends with Shige was my pride. So, if someone had to stalk, Shige made more sense than me… not that I wanted Shige to be stalked. I’d rather be the one dealing with it.

“…Well, if anything happens, tell me right away, okay? I’ll do anything I can,” Shige said.

“If it comes to that, I’ll run to the police… but thanks,” I replied.

“Yeah!” Shige exclaimed.

Talking with Shige somehow lifted my mood a bit.

For now, there wasn’t much I could do, so I’d follow Shige’s advice and avoid lonely places. I’d think about the rest later.

That’s what I thought when I tried to change the topic.

“What’s up? You both look down~” someone said.

Someone suddenly spoke to us. We turned toward the voice and saw a girl with brown hair in a side ponytail looking at us with a curious face.

“Thought it was someone else, but it’s Amano-san. Something up?” I asked.

She was Amano Chie, Maya Yuki’s friend. She usually hung out with Maya Yuki’s group, but being cheerful and not shy, she sometimes talked to classmates like this. She was popular in a different way from Maya Yuki.

“Well, Matsuda-kun and Baba-kun always talk so cheerfully, but today you looked serious, so I wondered if something happened~” Amano-san said.

She always noticed people so well…

“Just talking about something,” I said.

“Yeah, so don’t worry about it,” Shige added.

“Really? I’m your classmate, so if you’re in trouble, you can talk to me anytime!” Amano-san said.

She said that and smiled brightly. Ah… it’s kind of soothing… I felt warmed, but then—a chill ran through me.

“—!?” I gasped.

What was that feeling… it really creeped me out.

I looked around quickly, but nothing seemed unusual… was it my imagination?

“…Yuu, something wrong?” Shige asked.

“Your face looks pale. Cold?” Amano-san asked.

“N-No… it’s nothing…” I replied.