What's Wrong With Interfering With My Childhood Friend's Love? - Chapter 15 : Deja Vu?

Chapter 15 : Deja Vu?

The gathering… which I supposedly organized… was quickly scheduled, and just like that, it was decided to be held this weekend.

And today, the day of the event has arrived.

Amagishi kept secret who she was bringing along, but one thing was certain—Miumi was coming. 

How do I know that? Because she had asked me for permission to go out.

Of course, I hadn’t actually asked for such permission. I had just considered the possibility that Miumi might not be able to come, so I was relieved that I could go out without any worries.

Miumi, as diligent as ever, left home early. Thanks to that, I was able to arrive on time without being late.

“Riku, we’re running out of time.”

When I arrived, I was apparently the last one. If I had taken my time just a little longer, it would have been risky.

That said, I was still on time, so there was no reason for anyone to complain… or so I thought—

“The organizer barely made it in time — don’t you think that’s rude?”

“I don’t think so, though…”

“Akito-nii was the first to arrive. And Kokaze was second!”

“Huh? Wasn’t I a little earlier…? Or didn’t we arrive at the same time, Kokaze-chan?”

Suisei, who rarely talks back to Shino, surprisingly did so this time. The order of arrival didn’t seem that important to me, but Shino glared sharply at Suisei.

I glared back at her in Suisei’s place.

I glanced toward Chiya for help, but she was gazing off into the distance, seemingly uninterested.

Following her line of sight, I saw Amagishi and her group approaching.

It had been a while since I last saw Amagishi, but she looked exactly the same as she did in middle school. Even her height was still as short as Shino’s.

Well, despite their small stature, both of them had a strong presence.

Looking at Amagishi, I noticed she had brought along only two girls.

And among them, I spotted Miumi — her eyes wide in surprise as she looked at me.

“We’re all here now. It’s been a while, everyone. Especially Chiya — you’re still as adorable as ever. Truly a feast for the eyes.”

“Haha, yeah, it’s been a long time, Kaori.”

“And I see there’s also a cute girl I don’t know yet.”

“Fweh!?”

“I’m Kaori Amagishi. May I ask for your name?”

As expected, she immediately took an interest in Shino.

Shino, on the other hand, seemed flustered, as if she wasn’t used to this type of girl.

Her eyes darted toward Akito, silently pleading for help.

Normally, this would be when Akito steps in, but…

His eyes were glued to Miumi, making it clear that he was of no use at the moment.

“K-Kokaze… I’m Shino Kokaze. Nice to meet you.”

“Oh, no need to be so nervous. This is a social gathering, after all.”

“Uh, ah… yeah.”

“You can speak to me like a friend, you know?”

As she spoke, Amagishi casually placed her hands on Shino in a familiar manner.

She was meticulous in her approach… Knowing her true nature, I couldn’t help but feel a chill.

Up until that point, Amagishi had the upper hand.

However, everything changed when Akito spoke to Miumi.

“Hey, you… I think we met before, but… do you remember me?”

For Akito, his tone was unusually reserved.

And Miumi’s reaction gave me a strange sense of discomfort.

Her outfit and the small purse she carried were unmistakably the same as the Miumi I knew.

And yet—

“Sorry, I don’t remember. Maybe I forgot? I’m Aihara Miumi. Nice to meet you!”

…Who the hell is this!?

She introduced herself as if meeting everyone for the first time.

Shino, Chiya, and Suisei were probably stunned by her appearance.

For me, it was her speech and demeanor that left me unable to comprehend what was happening.

Her name was exactly the same, yet she felt like a completely different person from the Miumi I knew.

Even the way she addressed herself was completely different as well.

“Alright, stop right there! I’m in the middle of my introduction, you know?”

“Yeah, but—”

“Sigh Akito-kun, why have you always been so… so lacking in coordination?”

“No, no, Amagishi, I really have met this girl before. Of course, I’d like to talk to her.”

“But still—”

“This is a fated reunion, isn’t it, Riku? You think so too, right?”

“…Well, yeah. Even if Aihara-san doesn’t remember, if it’s true, that’s pretty amazing.”

Why are you dragging me into this?

Even so, I agreed with Akito as planned.

Having things get tense right from the start would be troublesome.

Surely, Amagishi felt the same way, given that we were all going to be spending time together today.

She shot me a brief, disdainful glance… Did I just get on her bad side?

“We can discuss this as much as we want later. Right now, it’s time for introductions.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Miumi-san has already introduced herself… Niko, you’re next.”

The girl whose name was called—Amagishi’s second companion—seemed startled.

As if not expecting to be addressed, she trembled slightly and clung to Amagishi’s back.

Naturally, since Amagishi had taken a liking to her, she was quite attractive.

She wore an almost gothic-lolita-inspired outfit with a heavy aesthetic.

Her fashion sense was unique enough to catch my attention.

“K-Kaori-san… You never told me there would be boys here… I-I-I…”

“Of course not. I never mentioned it.”

“Why… why not…?”

“Don’t worry. One of them is completely harmless. The other is dangerous, but he’s all talk and indecisive.”

“Kaori-san… but…”

“Niko-chan, it’s okay! I’m here too… okay? Don’t worry!”

“Y-Yeah. You’re right.”

The Miumi who wasn’t the Miumi I knew was trying to calm her down, gently patting her head.

What am I even witnessing here?

“She’s a bit shy, but isn’t she adorable? This is Kozuka Niko.”

Since she was still unsettled, Amagishi introduced her on her behalf.

But there was something that caught my attention.

For some reason, Niko felt strangely familiar to me.

I didn’t recognize her name, and I was sure we had never met before.

But why did I feel this way?

After the three girls from Nishikiba Academy finished introducing themselves,

Our group also took turns introducing ourselves one by one.

I honestly didn’t care if they remembered my name or not.

But two people reacted to my introduction.

Niko and Miumi.

Though in Niko’s case, it was probably just her fear of men making her overreact.

I figured it was best to avoid speaking to her too much.

What really concerned me was the latter.

Miumi’s eyes were shifting restlessly.

I turned to face her.

“Aihara-san, I am looking forward to today. You look a bit puzzled — are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine… I am looking forward to it too!”

I meant it as a way to ask if she had hit her head or something,

But she didn’t seem to pick up on that.

I had asked her to pretend we didn’t know each other,

But it was clear she was struggling to hide her nervousness.

At this point, she truly felt like a stranger to me.

The difference from the Miumi I had breakfast with this morning was so stark,

That I was starting to believe I should just treat her as a completely different person.

‘Nice to meet you.’

I’m sure she was thinking the same thing.

But even so, I needed an explanation.

‘What the hell is going on!?’

☆☆☆☆☆☆

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TL : zenon_xt