The Girl Everyone Admires Loves Me… and I Don’t Remember Why. - Chapter 17: Everyone Enjoying Themselves, and Me Feeling Restless.

Everyone Enjoying Themselves, and Me Feeling Restless.

“ “Yuki—Ichinose—happy birthday!” “

At that cue, everyone raised the drinks they were holding.

“Thank you all so much for coming today.”

Ichinose swept her gaze across everyone present, then expressed her gratitude with a radiant, wholehearted smile.

Including the host and birthday girl herself, Ichinose, there were four boys and four girls in total.

The boys were me, Chitose, and Chitose’s friends—Akabane Kouta and Sakurai Tatsuya.

Aside from Chitose, the two of them were practically strangers to me. Well, to be fair, I hadn’t really had a proper conversation with Chitose either.

Because of that, I’d honestly been a little anxious at first, but—

“Miyase, want one of these?”

“Thanks, Akabane. I’ll take it.”

Both Akabane and Sakurai were easygoing and friendly, which made it surprisingly easy to blend in.

I took one of the snacks laid out on the table from Akabane. Right now, the table was filled with snacks and drinks we’d all bought beforehand.

“Miyase, want another one?”

“No, I’m good. The food’s coming soon, so I want to save some room.”

“That’s true. Guess I’ll stop here too.”

After finishing the snack he was holding, Akabane suddenly looked like he’d remembered something.

“Oh, hey. Miyase, are you pretty confident in your athletic ability?”

“Huh? Why do you ask?”

“In that long-distance run during P.E., you finished pretty fast. And you didn’t even look that tired.”

“Well, I did still have some stamina left, but there’s no way I could’ve beaten you or Sakurai to the finish.”

Those two had outstanding athletic ability and were key players in their respective clubs, after all.

“……”

As we were talking, I felt—just for a moment—like Chitose was glaring at me.

…Now that I think about it, Chitose had been competing with those two to see who could finish first back then.

Maybe he’d remembered that.

After chatting for a bit longer—

“Huh? Was this all the cola we bought?”

“No, there’s still one left. Ichinose’s mom put it in the fridge to chill. Sakurai, I’ll go grab it.”

“Oh, thanks, Miyase.”

When I headed into the kitchen, Ichinose’s mother was in the middle of cooking.

“Oh? What’s wrong?”

She called out to me.

I’d thought it earlier when we exchanged greetings, but she really was beautiful.
As expected of Ichinose’s mother.

“Um, I came to get the cola.”

“The cola, right? Hold on a moment.”

She took it out of the fridge and handed it to me.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Dinner will be ready soon.”

“Got it.”

After handing the cola to Sakurai, I ended up returning to the kitchen again.

“Oh? Did you forget something else?”

“No, um… I was wondering if there’s anything I could help with.”

“Hehe, thank you. But it’s fine. The cooking’s almost done, and besides—you’re all guests here to celebrate Yuki’s birthday. Just relax.”

Ichinose’s mother looked genuinely happy.

It was clear how grateful she was that we’d all come to celebrate her daughter.

“Then at least let me help carry the dishes. There’s a lot of food, and it’d be tough for one person. More hands would help.”

After a brief pause, she spoke in a gentle tone.

“…Alright then. Could I ask you to help? You’re Miyase-kun, right?”

“Yes.”

“Hehe. Then I’ll be counting on you, Miyase-kun.”

While we were talking, Ichinose came into the kitchen.

“Mom, how much longer until the food’s ready?”

“It’s almost done.”

“Okay. Oh—Miyase-kun? What are you doing here?”

“I thought I’d help carry the dishes.”

“I see. Thank you for helping.”

After that, Ichinose stood next to me, waiting for the food to be finished.

“Hey, Miyase-kun. Are you having fun?”

“Of course I am.”

“That’s good. I hope everyone else is enjoying themselves too.”

“They are. You can hear how lively it is even from here.”

The cheerful laughter from the living room reached all the way into the kitchen.

Ichinose nodded happily.

“…I see. Yeah, you’re right. Thank you, Miyase-kun.”

“No—thank you for inviting me.”

Watching our exchange, Ichinose’s mother smiled, looking somewhat amused.

“…Miyase-kun. Yuki.”

At that moment, Takanashi appeared.

“Takanashi? What’s up?”

“You two weren’t coming back, so I thought something might’ve happened and came to check.”

“Well, actually…”

I briefly explained the situation to her.

“I see. Then I’ll help too.”

Right after that, the food was finished, and the three of us carried the dishes together to the table in the living room.

***

Chitose Yuuki’s POV.

While we were all waiting for the food—

“Huh? Where’s Miyase?”

Tatsuya suddenly asked.

“…Who knows. No idea.”

He probably just went to the bathroom or something. Don’t know, don’t care.

More importantly—

“Where did Mitsuki go?”

While everyone was getting excited, Mitsuki had disappeared without me noticing.

Ichinose too.

Just then, the three who’d been missing came out from the kitchen carrying dishes.

“Yuuki, Kouta. Let’s help them.”

“Yeah.”

Kouta nodded at Tatsuya’s words.

But I couldn’t respond at all.

Because I’d seen the way Mitsuki and Miyase were interacting.

“Miyase-kun, I think it’d be easier for everyone to reach that dish if you put it over here.”

“You’re right. Thanks, Takanashi.”

“Hehe, you’re welcome.”

“Oh—Takanashi, that looks heavy. I’ll carry it for you.”

“Yeah. Thank you, Miyase-kun.”

“No problem.”

Their exchange was casual, natural—like that of people who were already close.

And more than that… they were way too close.

The distance between Miyase and Mitsuki right now was so small their shoulders almost touched.

“……”

Even with all the delicious-looking food laid out in front of me—

Right now, my appetite was completely overshadowed by the unsettled, murky feeling twisting in my chest.