When I Was Rejected and Returned Home, My Childhood Friend, Who Should Have Been Distant, Was in My Room - Chapter 32: What Did Hoshino Ozasa Hear? (1)

Chapter 32: What Did Hoshino Ozasa Hear? (1)

“I feel sorry for making you come all the way here.”

“No, I was free anyway, so it’s totally fine…”

In a family restaurant near the school, we sat facing each other. Hoshino Ozasa could not read much emotion from Manaki Himuro, who kept her eyes downcast, and Ozasa hesitated about what words to say.

“For now, shall we order something? I feel bad just sticking to the drink bar.”

“Y-Yeah! Let’s eat something…”

Ozasa took the menu and spread it out so both could see. However, Himuro took out her smartphone and pushed the large menu toward Ozasa.

“Today, I will treat you, so Ozasa, you can order whatever you like.”

“Really!?”

“Sure, I invited you, after all. I get quite a bit of allowance, so I have plenty of money.”

“I-I see…!”

When Himuro said she would treat, Ozasa’s earlier confused emotions vanished, and her gaze fixed on the menu.

“Ozasa, you really don’t hold back, do you?”

“Well, my motto is to take what I can get!”

“I like that about you, Ozasa. I’m not against it.”

“Eh, really~?”

Seeing Himuro smile at her from the corner of her eye, Ozasa felt a bit of relief. Good, she didn’t seem upset, at least. Ozasa let out a sigh and turned her gaze to the menu. Once she looked at the array of items, her eyes got drawn in. Oh, this looks delicious. Oh, that one’s limited…!

Though tempted to waver, she knew not to overthink in times like this. In times like this, she relied on intuition…!

“Excuse me!”

＊＊＊＊＊＊

“Oh, here it comes~!”

A few minutes later, a huge parfait plopped down in front of Ozasa.

“I expected it, but it’s quite huge…”

“Hm? Isn’t this about normal?”

“It’s almost dinner time, though. Is it okay to eat that much?”

“No problem, no problem! This is a piece of cake, or rather, a piece of pre-dinner!”

“You don’t seem like a typical high schooler…”

Himuro sighed in exasperation. Though Himuro said this, she sipped her coffee with elegant movements, which didn’t seem very high-school-like either.

“Is it really okay for you to treat me to this?”

“You already ordered it, so what’s with that? Go ahead, eat.”

“Well then, I won’t hold back~”

Saying grace, Ozasa scooped a big chunk of the parfait with a long spoon and ate it in one bite. The cream’s sweetness, the slight tartness of the strawberry sauce, the fluffy sponge, and the cornflakes created a nice accent.

“Ah, happiness…”

Himuro, cutting a small piece of cheesecake in front of her and eating it, looked at Ozasa and happily narrowed her eyes.

“Ozasa, is it delicious?”

“Yeah, super delicious!”

“I see.”

Muttering a single word, Himuro narrowed her eyes further. Ah, Himuro really was kind. At first, Ozasa thought she was a bit scary, but what a terrible misunderstanding she had made…

“So, that seals the deal, right?”

“…Huh?”

Hearing this with the spoon still in her mouth, Ozasa let out a strange sound. Wait, what did she just say…? A deal?

“Um, what do you mean by a deal…?”

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? I treat Ozasa to a parfait, and in return, Ozasa helps with my plan. That’s the deal.”

“Wait, wait, I didn’t hear anything about this!”

“Well, it’s the first time I’ve mentioned it, right?”

Himuro acted as if it were obvious, and Ozasa realized she had been completely outmaneuvered. Pulling the spoon out, Ozasa gave Himuro a blank stare.

“Well, I would’ve listened to you even without the treat, you know.”

“I don’t want to hear that from someone already on their second bite.”

“Fair enough—”

As Ozasa enjoyed the parfait again, Himuro quietly raised the corners of her mouth with a soft chuckle. While being laughed at, Ozasa swallowed a bite of the parfait.

“Just to confirm, this plan is about Masaki-kun, right?”

“Wow, you’re sharp.”

“I’d be too dense if I didn’t get it by now.”

If Himuro brought up anything other than Masaki, that would be the real surprise. But Himuro, pausing her cake-eating, looked genuinely impressed. …Did she not realize it herself?

“Well, as you said, it’s about Masamune.”

“Yeah…”

After saying that, Ozasa hesitated for a moment about how to comment. Should she blame him, or follow up by assuming he had some intent…? Looking at Himuro’s face while gripping the spoon, Ozasa saw no tension or hesitation, just a natural expression.

So, Ozasa decided to speak her honest feelings.

“Even though he likes you, saying stuff like that makes no sense. He’s such a coward. If you both like each other, he should just confess and go out with you, right?”

“…Huh?”

Clang—the sound of something metallic falling rang out. In front of Ozasa was Himuro, her face bright red. The fork she had been holding now lay on the table. Trembling, her face still flushed, she stammered.

“M-Mutual…?”

…Uh-oh, was that too honest?

“I mean, saying it’s mutual might be a bit much, but honestly, it’s harsh, right?”

“Y-Yeah, too much, right…”

“Exactly, saying that to his childhood friend Himuro? Totally incomprehensible!”

“Exactly, like you said, Ozasa.”

Ozasa spoke while gauging Himuro’s reaction. Himuro nodded vigorously, agreeing with her. At that moment, a certain doubt crept into Ozasa’s mind, but Himuro’s words cut it off.

“But I know why Masamune said what he did.”

“R-Really…?”

“Well, I’m not certain.”

Himuro’s face wasn’t smug, like she was boasting about her childhood friend status. Instead, it held a nostalgic, slightly sad expression, exuding the aura of a delicate, tragic heroine. Ozasa found herself captivated for a while.

After a moment, Himuro turned to Ozasa as if she’d thought of something.

“Well, before we talk about the deal, would you listen to how we first met? You can keep eating.”

Oh, come on, how we met? That’s quite a way to put it. Ozasa thought so but didn’t want to disrupt Himuro’s world, so she nodded silently as her response. Seeing Ozasa’s reaction, Himuro smiled contentedly again. Really, every move she made was so refined.

Taking a sip of coffee without changing her expression, Himuro spoke.

“I used to be bullied.”

“…!”

“Well, my hair color’s different, and I was tall even as a kid, so I was an easy target.”

“I see…”

As Himuro let her beautiful silver hair flow and spoke calmly, Ozasa felt any reaction would seem pointless, so she just nodded in agreement.

“It was like that since kindergarten, but Masamune was the one who helped me. They called me a snow woman, but he grabbed my hand and shouted, ‘What’s so cold about this hand?!’ That’s how it started.”

“Ah, I can totally picture that.”

“Right? Probably just like you imagine.”

He had a bit of a playboy streak. Combined with his childhood innocence, that must’ve been quite a force.

“After that, we became childhood friends and always hung out. Well, Masamune was the only one I could really call a friend, so he probably just kept me company.”

“Who knows?”

Ozasa didn’t think a bond could last over a decade out of mere pity. They must’ve been truly compatible.

“But in elementary school, I wasn’t bullied much. The teachers looked out for me, and while my silver hair made me stand out, that was about it.”

“Huh, really?”

It was a bit surprising. But thinking about it, elementary school kids find everything interesting and probably get bored quickly. Ozasa felt bad for saying it, but that was likely the case.

“But things changed a bit in middle school.”

Himuro’s tone shifted slightly. Wanting to show she was listening seriously, Ozasa stopped nibbling at the parfait. Himuro placed a hand lightly on her chest and spoke as if stating an obvious fact.

“You know, I’m pretty, right?”

“What’s with the sudden declaration?”

“Am I not?”

“Well, yeah, you’re pretty…”

Unless someone was extremely confident or twisted, no one could say Himuro wasn’t beautiful. She was stunning, almost enviably so. When Ozasa agreed, albeit with a pout, Himuro nodded in satisfaction.

“So, the harassment started again.”

As expected, Himuro spoke nonchalantly. Ozasa had somewhat sensed it from the conversation’s flow. That kind of jealousy, her almost otherworldly beauty—some people might harbor unwarranted resentment. Though it felt cliché, Ozasa couldn’t help but let out sympathetic words.

“That’s, like, really unfortunate…”

“But it ended quickly.”

“Oh, really? That’s, like… good, right?”

Ozasa wasn’t sure if “good” was the right word, but Himuro’s words made her sigh in relief.

“No, that’s not it.”

Contrary to Ozasa’s expectations, Himuro’s expression was extremely stiff. She stared at Ozasa and slowly said,

“The fact that it ended was the problem.”