The Story About How I Was Fired From My Company and Then Picked up by a Possessive Streamer With Over 5 Million Subscribers - Chapter 110-111

Chapter 110: Consultation

“Hmm?”

A few days passed, and finally, all the tests were over.
While that was a relief, Rinmei had a bit of a concern.

“…I feel like Haruka has been avoiding me lately.”

Ever since the day the flashy girl spoke to Haruka, she had been making excuses and avoiding Rinmei.

Whenever Rinmei tried to talk to her, Haruka would only say, “Sorry, Rinmei-chan…” and then walk away.

Although Rinmei didn’t think she had done anything wrong, she couldn’t be completely certain, and that uncertainty made her anxious.

“…So, Eiji, what should I do?”

“Well… it’s hard to say.”

I didn’t have a good answer for her. I wanted to help, but…

It was true that Haruka’s behavior was odd, but prying into her affairs wouldn’t be right either.

“Why don’t you just ask her directly?”

“…I figured you’d say that.”

Rinmei’s face clouded even more.

“…I can’t find the right timing… and honestly, I’m a little scared.”

Well, I couldn’t blame her for feeling that way.
Haruka was her first real friend, so it wasn’t easy for her to act impulsively.

“But if you do nothing and leave things as they are, nothing will get resolved.”

“…Ugh… I don’t want that either…”

Rinmei hesitated to take the first step.

…Well, I guess I could give her a little push.

“How about this—if you manage to talk to Haruka-chan and figure things out, I’ll make you one of my special bento boxes.”

“…What?”

Rinmei’s expression changed instantly, her eyes gleaming like a predator’s.

“…Your special bento?”

“That’s right. It’ll be ten times more delicious than usual. Don’t you want to try it?”

“…Drool…”

Ah, she’s hooked. Rinmei’s face now had that unmistakable look of determination.

“If you want me to make it, you’ll need to have a proper talk with Haruka-chan and make up with her.”

“…Alright. I’ll do my best. I feel fired up now.”

With that, all her earlier anxiety seemed to vanish, replaced by a fiery enthusiasm that burned brighter than ever.

Is this okay? Has her focus shifted from making up to getting the bento?

“…Eiji.”

“Yeah?”

“…Thank you. I feel a little braver now.”

“Well, that’s good to hear.”

It seemed I didn’t need to worry. Rinmei smiled at me as she expressed her gratitude.

“…It’s time for singing practice. Eiji, come with me.”

“Sure, that’s no problem.”

And so, Rinmei and I returned to our usual routine, practicing a new song together.

“Alright, Glasses, I’m counting on you again today~.”

The next day, after school.

As usual, the flashy girl threw her demands at Haruka like she was ordering around a lackey.

Haruka didn’t argue or resist, simply nodding and complying with her words.

If possible, she wanted to hang out with Rinmei, the first friend she’d made in high school. She wanted to stand up to the flashy girl and go straight to Rinmei… and… to that person… But—

(…I can’t fight back.)

She muttered to herself in resignation.
The flashy girl held a secret that was Haruka’s weakness, leaving her powerless to resist.

If that secret were to spread throughout the school… she’d end up alone again.
She wouldn’t even be able to come to school anymore.

“…It’s okay. A promise is a promise.”

Haruka whispered to herself as if to convince herself and prepared to spend her remaining allowance to run an errand for the flashy girl.

“…Haruka.”

Thump!
Her heart raced. She slowly turned around, trying not to show her nervousness.

“…Rinmei-chan.”

Standing there was the person she most wanted to see.

As usual, Rinmei’s expression was blank, but somehow, it gave Haruka a sense of relief.

“…S-Sorry. I’ve just been busy lately.”

Suppressing her true feelings, she tried to walk away.

“…Haruka.”

But she couldn’t leave the classroom. Rinmei had gently grabbed her arm—not forcefully, but firmly enough to make her pause.

“…I want to talk.”

Her eyes were steady and clear, shining so brightly that Haruka felt she couldn’t meet them directly.

—

Chapter 111: I Will Never Abandon You

At those words, Haruka’s body visibly flinched, showing her distress.

“…Lately, I feel like you’ve been avoiding me, Haruka. I’m not good at noticing these things, so I might not understand… If I’ve done something you didn’t like, I’m sorry. Really, I apologize.”

“No, no! That’s not it, Rinmei-chan!! You haven’t done anything wrong or anything like that…!”

“Then why have you been avoiding me lately?”

“T-That’s…”

When Rinmei asked, Haruka clammed up, refusing to speak. Observing her silence, Rinmei decided to voice her thoughts.

“I want to understand you, Haruka… But I know there are things people can’t talk about, so I won’t force you.”

“…”

“But… if you feel like you can share, even just a little, I’d like you to tell me. Maybe I can help.”

“I’m sorry, Rinmei-chan… This is something I need to handle on my own… Besides, even if I told you…”

Haruka’s trembling words carried fear, as if she was terrified of something. Sensing this, Rinmei gently let go of her arm.

“…I see. Got it… I won’t ask anymore.”

“Ah…”

“…I overstepped. I’m sorry for wasting your time.”

With a rare, sorrowful expression on her face, Rinmei turned toward the door to leave the classroom.

At that moment, countless memories of Rinmei flashed through Haruka’s mind—her happily eating Haruka’s homemade lunches, patiently teaching her to study, and most of all, calling her a friend.

“…W-Wait!”

Haruka’s voice echoed through the classroom. Even with the sound of the brass band practicing nearby, Rinmei seemed to hear only her voice and turned back.

“Hey, Rinmei-chan… if someone has a secret they can’t tell anyone… what should they do?”

Haruka’s words sounded like a cry from deep within her heart. Rinmei turned back to her, meeting her gaze as she answered.

“…I think you should tell someone you trust.”

“But… what if they find it gross? What if they end up hating me because of it? Don’t you ever think about that, Rinmei-chan?”

Haruka looked as if she was about to cry. It was clear these were her true feelings—the fear of being hated, of being left alone. Those simple, human feelings.

“This is just my opinion… but if you really trust each other, I think they’ll accept you no matter what you say.”

“T-That’s… impossible… That’s a lie…”

“Then… I’ll tell you one of my secrets, Haruka.”

“What?”

Out of the blue, Rinmei said this, leaving Haruka dumbfounded.

“I… have someone I like. That person makes me delicious lunches every day. They join me in my morning routine… and they tell me my singing is beautiful.”

“Eh, ehhh!? Y-You mean that person is…!”

“Yes. Eiji. I like him so much that I could devour him… But if I did that, Eiji would get mad at me. Sigh.”

“Wh-What…?”

Haruka was bewildered, both by the sudden revelation and the fact that Rinmei’s crush was Eiji himself.

“Haruka, what did you think when you heard that?”

“Huh? Um… I was really surprised… I mean, it was shocking.”

“Did you think it was gross? Or that you hated me for it?”

“N-No way I’d think that!! …Oh.”

“Exactly.”

Rinmei smiled gently and firmly took Haruka’s hands in hers.

“Haruka, no matter what secrets you have, I won’t hate you. I will never abandon you. Ever.”

“R-Rinmei-chan…”

“So, if you feel like it… I want to know what’s troubling you. I know I’m being selfish, but…”

…Ah, I can’t win against her.

Tears welled up in Haruka’s eyes at Rinmei’s heartfelt words. Just a few weeks ago, Rinmei had been a stranger, yet now she was going to such lengths for her. Rinmei’s kindness threatened to break through the walls Haruka had built around herself.

“R-Rinmei-chan, I…”

As Haruka began to speak, the classroom door suddenly swung open.

“Huh? Why is the quiet one here?”

“…Ugh, blonde party girl.”

Standing in the doorway was one of the people Rinmei disliked most—a stereotypical flashy party girl.