When I Was Rejected and Returned Home, My Childhood Friend, Who Should Have Been Distant, Was in My Room

Chapter 25: The Girl Named Manaki Himuro

“Hey, isn’t that Himuro-san?”

While walking and thinking about Bakusas, someone suddenly called Manaki’s name, and I reflexively turned toward the voice.

Those girls standing by the window in the hallway, chatting, were definitely… one of them was my classmate. But I didn’t know the girl who noticed Manaki’s presence. The girl who was spoken to stretched her neck to peek into the classroom.

“It’s true, she’s sitting there. Whose seat is that?”

Probably my seat…

“I’ve never seen her in another classroom before. Does she have any close friends?”

“She’s talking with Hoshino-san, so maybe they’re close?”

“Huh, I hardly ever see her chatting with anyone in our class, so this feels kind of fresh~”

Hearing talk about Manaki from a third party, I didn’t enter the classroom. Instead, I leaned against the hallway wall, pretending to fiddle with my phone while eavesdropping.

“Oh, and I think there was a guy in our class she was close with.”

“!?”

Suddenly, an arrow pointed at me, and I looked toward them. But they didn’t seem to notice me at all. Relieved, I turned my back and put some distance between us.

“What, seriously? Himuro-san and a guy!? No way! I thought she was more, like, aloof…”

“Yeah, I heard they’re super close. Uh, who was it again…?”

I felt a mix of not wanting weird rumors to spread and secretly hoping they knew about me. While opening my phone, I focused my attention on their conversation.

“Uh, I think it was someone named Masamune or something?”

“What kind of vague way is that to say it?”

“No, I mean, I haven’t seen them talking directly myself, and I don’t quite remember~”

“But Masamune? Isn’t that, like, a warlord kind of name? We don’t have anyone like that in our grade, do we?”

Good, it didn’t seem like they’d figure out it was me. But wait, isn’t Munechika pretty warlord-like too…? I felt a bit disappointed by how little known I was in my own class. Well, I couldn’t even say her full name, so maybe we were even.

“Yeah, probably a misunderstanding. Maybe we should ask someone else.”

“Hmm, I’m not that curious, so whatever.”

And so, the topic of the guy looming around Manaki Himuro fizzled out. But their gazes were still fixed on her.

“Himuro-san is seriously pretty, right…? Like, she’s kind of like a model or maybe a doll?”

“I get that! She’s got both vibes at once!”

Listening to their excited girls’ talk, I nodded slightly in agreement. Her model-like figure and the finely crafted details of her hair and eyes did remind me of a doll. Yeah, you girls get it…

I wanted to join the conversation, but even as a classmate, doing that would instantly label me as a creep, so I stayed back, arms crossed, acting like a protective parent. Then, Manaki’s classmate made a thoughtful expression.

“But lately, Himuro-san doesn’t seem that doll-like anymore.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well… I was in the same class as her last year, and back then, she really was like a doll. She had this super grumpy face with a ‘don’t talk to me’ aura that was intense!”

That was the Manaki before we reconnected… I tried not to look at her back then, so I didn’t notice at all. She was always the type with few friends, but it was like that, huh…

“But this year, her vibe’s changed. She’s softened overall, and sometimes she’s smiling while looking at her phone or listening to earphones.”

Well, she still gives people that grumpy face when they try talking to her, Manaki’s classmate concluded.

Since our shocking reunion, the Manaki I saw was all I knew, but to others, she’d changed… I felt happy about her change and a bit proud that I had something to do with it.

“I see. She’s already super pretty, and if she’s become more approachable, that’s like a tiger with wings.”

My classmate sounded convinced. The Manaki in their talk felt like a different person from the one I knew, a bit distant. But wait, that meant I knew a side of Manaki no one else did, which felt kind of nice.

As I thought about that, the girl who called her a tiger with wings let out a sigh.

“If she’s that perfect, no wonder Jingu-senpai’s got his eye on her…”

Her casual remark snapped me out of my smugness, cooling me down instantly. I turned to look at them, but they just had normal expressions.

“Jingu-senpai’s got a thing for Himuro-san.”

“My brother’s in the same grade as Jingu-senpai, and he said Jingu thinks she’s cute.”

“No way, but it makes sense. Jingu-senpai and Himuro-san? That’s, like, a perfect hot couple!”

They got all excited, but their squeals slid past my ears. No, I heard them, but my brain refused to process it.

Jingu-senpai…? A good match…? What were they even talking about? They were supposed to be talking about Manaki, but the Himuro-san in their conversation didn’t match her at all.

Stunned, I kept listening to their chatter vaguely. But my mind kept circling the same words.

“Class is starting, get to your rooms!”

The teacher’s voice snapped me back, and I noticed the bell ringing.

“Oh, sorry…!”

I hurriedly opened the door in front of me and slipped into the classroom from the back. I sat down, dodging some classmates’ gazes.

Among those gazes was Hoshino’s, looking like she wanted to ask why I was so late.

The class went on as usual, uneventfully. Feeling restless and wanting to keep my hands busy, I frantically took notes. Then my phone buzzed. It was from Manaki.

<Nagisa-chan’s gonna be separated, and I got hurt for no reason expecting it.>

The two messages didn’t use ! or ?, but I could feel Manaki’s emotions. I tapped the message box, thinking about how to reply.

“Uh, <Responsibility, what’re you planning?>…”

I typed that much, but then the earlier words flashed in my mind.

<Jingu-senpai’s got a thing for Himuro-san, apparently.>

“…”

I deleted the message and just sent a single smiley sticker. It was read instantly. Feeling a bit panicked, I quickly closed the app.

*****

“Hey, there’s something I wanna ask.”

“What? You want my notes again? You were late, huh.”

“No, it’s not that…”

“By the way, my notes are a mess, so ask someone else.”