What's Wrong With Interfering With My Childhood Friend's Love? - Chapter 24 : How Did She Know?

Chapter 24 : How Did She Know?

As her childhood friends, Akito and I knew about that story. 

At the same time, we also knew that Chiya didn’t like talking about such things. In this case, Amagishi stepped in to support Chiya in my place.

“Miumi-san, I’m aware of Chiya-san’s situation, but—”

“Kaori, it’s not like I’m trying to hide it.”

“…Just know that Chiya-san is not at fault, that’s all.”

“Thank you, Kaori… Aihara-san, it’s a bit of a long story, but if Suisei is okay with it, I don’t mind explaining.”

Contrary to my expectations, Chiya was calm. 

She got mad right away when I mentioned family matters earlier… I feel like I’m being singled out here. Suisei, whose approval was sought, quietly nodded.

“My family is what you’d call a distinguished household, but my mother used to bully Suisei, since she was from a branch family.”

“I see… that’s awful.”

“So, I reported it to my father… If I had been the one directly targeted, it would have become a serious issue.”

“…Wait, Chiya-san, you were bullied too?”

“Strictly speaking, Suisei and I looked nearly identical back then.”

Chiya pulled out an old photo from her phone—a two-shot picture—and showed it to Miumi. Comparing the current faces of Suisei and Chiya, Miumi nodded in understanding.

“Yeah, I can definitely see the resemblance.”

“So, I switched places with Suisei and pretended to be her. But when I got a little too cheeky, she hit me. In the end, I tricked my mother, but the one who resorts to violence is the real wrongdoer, don’t you think?”

Actually, my mother was involved in that incident as well. Ayako Kouda… Kouda was her maiden name, and behind the scenes, she was known as a cunning con artist. What made her infamous was her skill in swapping people’s identities.

She was adept at altering information and was also highly skilled in disguises. Using those abilities, my mother flawlessly swapped Chiya and Suisei, who were practically identical at the time.

“So, it was my father who ultimately banished my mother, not me.”

“I see…”

“It’s not something to be scared of, you know?”

“Huh? I’m not scared at all! If anything, I admire you!”

Miumi wasn’t just saying it—her eyes were full of genuine admiration for Chiya. Maybe she idolized that kind of heroic narrative… I really don’t get Miumi.

“Haha, admiration might be a bit much. But let’s keep this off the record, okay?”

“Of course!”

It seemed like Miumi’s curiosity was satisfied without any issues. Unfortunately, it seemed that Chiya only had a particularly harsh attitude toward me. Though she saved me earlier, so I won’t complain.

As I stood there, burdened by this long-standing, complicated relationship, I threw a bowling ball with my non-dominant hand—and unexpectedly scored a spare. After trying a few more times, I realized I had better control than I thought.

Maybe I had hidden talent in my other arm… That thought began to cross my mind.

◇◇◇◇◇◇

After that, we continued bowling without any incidents, and the gathering wrapped up smoothly. While Akito and Miumi’s interaction didn’t progress much as initially intended, it couldn’t be helped.

It was their first meeting today, and there would be another chance.

Unexpectedly, instead of Miumi, Kozuka-san ended up getting attached to Akito. That only meant more rivals for Suisei, which was fine, but Miumi holding back was a bit of a problem.

Well, even if she hesitated, if Akito made a move, their relationship would develop eventually.

There was no doubt that Akito was popular with girls.

“Originally, I intended for us to part ways after leaving here, but—”

“…But?”

“I have some business to take care of, and it might take some time during the payment process.”

“That’s unfortunate. What should we do?”

“Therefore, let’s just disband here. We had some ups and downs today, but I had fun.”

As we were preparing to leave the facility, Amagishi spoke apologetically.

Her ‘business’ was probably looking into the three men who appeared earlier.

Rather than having trouble and regrouping later, it made more sense to just disband now. No one objected.

I was about to head home when Amagishi suddenly stopped me, as if remembering something.

“Ah, Kaidou-kun, please stay behind.”

“Huh…?”

“I need to confirm if I have enough money left from the couple’s exclusive area this morning.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Of course, as the organizer, I wouldn’t mind if you helped out. Do you have any plans after this?”

“Uh, well… not really.”

I didn’t, but… wasn’t she just trying to use me as an errand boy?

Akito would have Chiya with him, so if anything happened, I could hear about it later. There didn’t seem to be any issues, but as I hesitated, Akito spoke up.

“You’re free, right, Riku? Just stay and help out.”

“Fine… I’ll stay. See you at school.”

I called out to Akito while watching Suisei, who was already heading home.

For some reason, Miumi, who was in my field of vision, looked uneasy.

Was it because she had to part ways with Amagishi? Or did she just want to play more?

I couldn’t tell what she was thinking, but when our eyes met, she quickly put on a bright smile and gave me a small wave before leaving.

“Kaidou-kun, you must be tired today as well. Now then…”

“Ah, um… Kaori-san… I—”

After confirming that everyone had left, Amagishi was about to say something when Kozuka-san returned, trying to speak up.

Maybe because I was nearby, she was having trouble expressing herself, but that wasn’t going to get her message across.

However, Amagishi seemed to understand.

“Niko-san, your parents asked me to accompany you, didn’t they?”

“Yes… That’s why…”

“I’m sorry, but Kaidou-kun and I will handle the payment, so please wait for a little while, okay?”

“…Okay. I’ll wait.”

Amagishi seated Kozuka-san on a chair near the reception area, then led me into a private room.

I wondered if it was really necessary to leave Kozuka-san alone, but before I could say anything, Amagishi locked the door.

“Wait, is it really necessary to lock the door? And why are we in a private room?”

“…Just sit down quietly, will you?”

Her voice carried a hint of exhaustion. Somehow, I felt compelled to obey and took a seat. Amagishi sat down across from me.

“What’s this about?”

“Kaidou-kun, you knew Miumi-san before today, didn’t you?”

“…Huh?”

I accidentally let out a dumbfounded noise at her unexpected question.

‘You’re kidding… How did she figure it out?’

More than Miumi’s inconsistencies in behavior, this was the biggest shock of the day.

☆☆☆☆☆☆

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TL : zenon_xt