The Story of Making a Popular Girl Dependent on Me

I entered the classroom at the usual time as always, checking if Rokka was there.

She usually arrives earlier than me and greets me first. She’s so cute, and I always end up coming later than her.

However, today no matter how long I waited, Rokka didn’t show up. In fact, her figure was nowhere to be seen in the classroom.

When I received a message in the morning, she said it wasn’t because of illness or oversleeping.

Then, could something have happened on her way here? Thinking like that, a different anxiety from before started to overwhelm me.

Anyway, to calm my nervous feelings, I sat down at my own desk.

After a few tens of minutes, Rokka came into the classroom. Relieved that nothing seemed wrong, I watched her, and our eyes briefly met.

I thought she might come over to greet me as usual, but then she glanced away and headed to her own seat.

(Well, it is crowded right now. Maybe Rokka also thought about me.)

As I pondered that, my usual friends gathered around me and started talking.

Still, I couldn’t help but be bothered by Rokka’s change in attitude yesterday and today, so I kept glancing at her.

This never used to happen before; now my mind is filled with thoughts of Rokka.

When I glanced at her again for who knows how many times, she noticed my gaze, turned back, and waved her hand slightly.

I was happy about that, and I hurried to wave back, but before I could, Rokka returned her gaze and started talking with her friends.

Her actions made me feel a vague discomfort deep in my chest, but I didn’t understand what it was. Unable to ignore it, I remained with these inexplicable feelings and continued to look at her.

Rokka is now talking with Riho Katsushika-san, who attended the same middle school as both of us.

It seems like they’ve been good friends since middle school, and I often see them together even after entering high school.

Watching the two of them happily chatting, I think to myself,

(I wish I could be with Rokka more too.)

While feeling envious of Katsushika-san who is always with her, I decided it’s important not only to cherish my interactions with Rokka but also with my friends, for my own sake. I tucked away those feelings in my heart and closed the lid on them.

After a while, the bell for the start of lessons rang, and my friends returned to their seats. The homeroom teacher entered the classroom.

Then, the morning lessons proceeded as usual… no, they didn’t proceed as usual.

I couldn’t concentrate on the lessons at all because I couldn’t stop thinking about Rokka’s changes yesterday and today, and I kept glancing at her again and again.

Even though I tried to focus on the lesson, I found myself looking at Rokka again.

Unable to concentrate during the morning lessons like this, I realized I didn’t remember much of what we had learned today.

Fortunately, I had taken notes, so I knew I would need to review them when I got home.

(Sigh. This is no good. I can’t concentrate on lessons because I’m worried about Rokka.)

And then, it was lunch break, and my usual friends gathered again to eat lunch together.

I always bring my own bento and eat with my friends in the classroom.

While preparing my bento, I glanced over at Rokka, who was about to leave the classroom with Katsushika-san.

Rokka usually buys lunch with Katsushika-san from the school store and eats in the courtyard.

As I watched her today, suddenly Rokka linked her arm with Katsushika-san’s.

Seeing that, I was so shocked that I couldn’t move. My friends around me seemed puzzled by my sudden stillness, but I couldn’t worry about that now.

(Wh-what does this mean!? Rokka herself linked her arm with Katsushika-san’s! I’ve never seen her do something like that before, and she’s never done that to me!)

Rokka always keeps a certain distance from her friends. Therefore, I’ve never seen her engage in physical contact like holding hands or linking arms, and I never thought she would do such a thing herself.

(Maybe, she’s been distant with me yesterday and today because she started to dislike me? And after breaking up with me, did she start dating Katsushika-san and link arms with her?)

My head was filled with thoughts of Rokka breaking up with me and dating someone else, stirring up a confusing feeling in my chest.

Thinking it wouldn’t be good to leave it like this, I decided to take a deep breath.

“…… Inhale…… Exhale……”

My friends started to worry even more as I suddenly started deep breathing, but I just smiled and began to think again.

(Calm down and think, me. Rokka’s behavior changed since yesterday after school. But yesterday, from what I saw, there was nothing between Rokka and Katsushika-san; everything seemed normal.

So, Rokka didn’t change because she broke up with me and started dating Katsushika-san… I think.

And even though she didn’t greet me, she noticed my gaze and waved to me. Therefore, there must be another reason why Rokka changed.

Earlier, Rokka linking arms with Katsushika-san was probably just… a coincidence. Yes, she probably tripped or something, and it accidentally ended up like that. Anyway, I have to ask Rokka about it when we go home together after school today.)

I decided to ask Rokka the truth when we go home after school, and for now, I decided to have lunch with my friends.

After finishing lunch a bit earlier than usual, I took out my phone and sent a message.

“Can we go home together today?”

After sending the message, it took a while before I received a reply from Rokka.

“Sorry, Setsune. I promised to go home with Riho today, so I can’t go home with you today. Also, I have something to do for a while, so how about we go home together on Friday?”

Upon seeing that reply, I felt a sense of despair. Whenever I invited her before, Rokka had never turned me down. There were times when she contacted me to say she couldn’t make it today due to other reasons, but that was usually when she initiated the invitation or when something that had become a daily routine, like a phone call, became impossible.

Never had she rejected an invitation from me like this before. And…

(It’s Katsushika-san again… Could it be because there’s something between them that we can’t go home together until Friday?)

My emotions started to veer towards the negative again, but I couldn’t force her if she had plans until Friday and it suited Rokka.

“If you’ve made plans, then there’s nothing we can do. Okay, let’s definitely go home together on Friday.”

So, I sent a message with a firm determination to go home together on Friday.

Still, despite that, my anxiety and the inexplicable haze of confusion didn’t disappear, and I spent lunch break in an unsettled state of mind.