The Story of Waking up With My Beautiful Childhood Friend and Realizing We Had Spent the Night Together - Chapter 39.8

Side Story – Renji Miyama’s Diary ~My Best Friend Got a Girlfriend~

—My best friend got himself a girlfriend.

I know it probably sounds like I’m talking nonsense out of nowhere.
But honestly, even I don’t really get what’s going on.

Nah, it’s fine that he got a girlfriend.
The guy’s a total introvert, but he’s got the looks and the brains, so he does attract girls.
I know Kashiwagi and that underclassman Asahi, plus a few others who are kinda into him.

So that’s not the issue.
The problem is who it is.

“…Hey, Iori.”

“Hm?”

I turned to my friend who was lazily munching on a chocolate danish next to me.
I’ve known this guy—Amano Iori—since our first year.
Our lifestyles and personalities are complete opposites, like we shouldn’t match at all, but somehow our wavelengths click and we’ve stuck together this whole time.

And the girlfriend this friend of mine recently got is…

“You’re seriously dating her… that Yukimura girl, right?”

“What’s with the sudden question?”

—Yukimura Mizuki.

The top beauty in our school, the girl every guy in the whole place looks up to.
That unreachable flower that could make even a crying kid shut up—she’s the one this guy managed to snag, even if it was thanks to the miracle of being childhood friends.

I glanced over at a corner of the classroom.

“Y-Yukimura! If you’d like, maybe I could…!”

“Sorry, out! Yukimura’s busy right now, so please see yourself out~!”

A guy from another class called out to her with this desperate look, only for her personal guard squad of girls to shut him down instantly.
In the middle of her little group stood Yukimura Mizuki, wrapped in this otherworldly aura like she stepped out of a Disney movie or something.

Over 170 cm tall, small face, perfect features with nothing wasted.
Long, slender arms and legs, skin so pale it looked see-through.
She was just… on a completely different level. That’s all I could say.

“I don’t mind listening if you have something to say.”

“No no, don’t! You don’t need to waste your time on some third-string guy’s nonsense! It’d be a shame for Yukimura’s precious time!”

The girls in her guard squad made X signs with their arms to keep the boys away from their big sister Yukimura.
At the same time, another girl kicked the poor guy out of the classroom.

—But they had no idea.
They didn’t know that the guy sitting right next to me, watching the scene with this complicated expression, was actually the boyfriend of that admired big sister.

“Man… yeah. You’ve probably used up like five lifetimes’ worth of luck in this one life.”

“…Maybe.”

Iori crumpled up the wrapper from his finished danish and tossed it lazily toward the trash can behind us.
It went in with a clean swoosh. I watched it and let out a long, deep sigh.

“Honestly, I still can’t believe it. I know it’s weird even for me, but deep down I always figured a girl like her wouldn’t make a boyfriend.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Well, I kinda get it.”

Iori nodded with a little “yeah.”
Dude, you’re the one who shattered that illusion.

“Anyway, what’s it actually like? Yukimura at home, I mean.”

“…”

When I asked, Iori looked a little troubled and started to open his mouth… then quickly shut it.
He smoothly looked away, kinda unnatural.

(Ah, this guy’s thinking something dirty right now, isn’t he?)

I sensed it almost on instinct.
So yeah, they’re doing that stuff after all.
Well, obviously. Duh.
They’re basically living together half the time anyway. Yeah.

“Hey. Can I at least slap you once?”

“No.”

As a representative of all guys, I felt this righteous anger that I had to do it.
I reached out to grab him, but Iori shoved me away looking annoyed.

Damn. I know it’s true, but this guy’s way too enviable.

Explode already. Never thought I’d actually wish that on someone else.
This is the first time in my life I’ve ever felt real envy. Maybe the guy who made me feel that is actually pretty impressive.

—And then, after school that day.

“Hey hey, Miyama! Wanna go karaoke sometime?”

“Oh, I wanna come too! Miyama, you’re good at singing, right? I wanna hear!”

While I was spacing out at my desk, some girls from class came up to talk.
I switched gears right away and flashed them a smile.

“Yeah yeah, sure thing! Leave it to me! I’m free this weekend, how about then?”

“Yay! Can’t wait!”

“Some of the underclassmen said they wanna come too, so I’ll invite them!”

The girls bounced back to their seats with cute little giggles.
Once they were gone, I slowly dropped the fake smile.
Then I felt eyes on me from the side and glanced over.

“What’s up, Iorin?”

“Don’t call me Iorin. …And take it easy, okay? With all that.”

“Wow, having a girlfriend really changes how you talk, huh?”

“That has nothing to do with it.”

I laughed loudly at my best friend’s complaint.
He made this grumpy face, but stuff like this is just normal between us.

“If you ever get stabbed, I’m telling the interview ‘I always knew it’d happen someday.’”

“Don’t jinx me. And it’s fine, I’m not going that deep. We’re just hanging out normally.”

“…”

He gave me this totally unconvinced look.
But I didn’t care. This is just who I am.
I think he already knows that by now.

“More importantly, Iori. If you’re free today—”

I was about to suggest we hit the batting center for the first time in a while, when—

“—Miyama.”

A small but crystal-clear voice made my whole body freeze.
I turned around with this awkward, creaky robot-like motion.

Standing there was a single black rose.

“Y-Yukimura… san?”

My voice shook pathetically.
The school’s number one beauty. The girl every guy in school admires, the unreachable flower.

That’s what everyone thinks.
But to me… honestly, she feels way more dangerous than that.

Her beauty stands out even compared to models or celebrities.
And it’s not just pretty.
Just looking at her, just hearing her voice once, makes your chest flutter and pulls you in.

—Yeah, something’s off. She’s not normal.

Some instinct deep inside me keeps warning me to stay away from her.
That’s why I still can’t look her in the eye when we talk. Me, the guy everyone—including myself—calls a total player.

“This is from the teacher.”

“…O-Oh. Thanks.”

I took the handout with a trembling hand.
Yukimura turned around smoothly and walked away.
Watching her get surrounded by guys and girls alike, I thought…

(…Is this what they mean by a femme fatale?)

That description fit her way too perfectly.
And the fact that this insane beauty was dating the guy sitting right next to me.

“…Iori.”

“Hm?”

The first time I found out, it was definitely the biggest shock of my life.

I’m not saying anything about whether they match or not.
If we’re talking about that, there’s probably no guy in this whole school who could match her anyway.

It’s just… how do I put it.

“You fell for a scary girl, huh.”

“…Yeah, no kidding.”

Iori muttered it like he was exhausted. Somehow that one line felt like it carried years of feelings.

(But yeah, I get it.)

It hit me. This guy really fell hard for someone, got her to like him back, and they’re actually dating.
Not just playing around or on a whim—he’s seriously in love and seriously committed.

I think that’s pretty amazing.
It’s totally different from me, just drifting from girl to girl.

But still.

“Hey, Iori.”

“What? You’ve been weird all day.”

“You… aren’t you scared?”

“Huh?”

Iori tilted his head with a puzzled look at my mumble.

“Like, dating someone you really like… and then getting betrayed, or things not working out… that kind of stuff.”

“…”

It made me remember back in middle school. Back when I was still pure and serious.

After getting dumped hard by the first girl I ever liked, I stopped believing in girls completely.
Since then I’ve avoided getting attached to just one and just played around… and honestly, I haven’t had a real relationship since that first love.

So I ended up asking.
When you’re seriously dating someone you like, don’t you ever think about losing them?

When I asked, Iori’s eyes widened just a little. He thought for a moment, then said,

“Well yeah, it’s scary. Obviously.”

“Thought so.”

“But… I guess it’s too late now. She’s been my childhood friend, after all.”

“…Yeah.”

I nodded, finally getting it.

“So you’ve been prepared the whole time.”

“Yeah… I always figured someday she’d leave.”

When he said that, Iori stared out the window with this distant look.
…I could understand that feeling.
After all, the other person is who she is.
Always wondering if some other guy would steal her, or if she’d go somewhere out of reach.

Staying close while carrying that kind of resolve must feel like hell sometimes.

(…No way I could do that.)

I laughed a little inside.

If it were me, I’d give up quick and move on to another girl.
I’d tell myself it’s pointless to chase an unreachable flower.
I don’t think I could ever endure years of a love that might never pay off.

And yet this guy…

“You’re seriously something else.”

“What?”

“Nah, I really mean it.”

He never gave up.
He even turned down Kashiwagi, held onto his first love without letting go, and finally made it happen.

This is just…

“Hey, can I call you Master?”

“Absolutely not.”

Guess that’s my best friend for you.

I jokingly told him to just go ahead and get married already, and he shot back that he’d ask someone else for the speech. Screw that, I’m definitely doing it.

(…So yeah, just make it work, okay? From now on too.)

For once, I really meant it.