When I Was Rejected and Returned Home, My Childhood Friend, Who Should Have Been Distant, Was in My Room - Chapter 37: Epilogue - When I Returned Home, She Was There

Chapter 37: Epilogue – When I Returned Home, She Was There

“Stand up, attention!”

“Thank you very much!”

Following the class monitor’s voice, everyone bowed at their own angle. Immediately, the classroom during lunch break filled with noise. Some went to friends, some left the classroom, some headed to the school store, and so on… Everyone spent the usual lunch break.

But I was a little different. I suppressed my excited feelings and took out my lunch box from my bag.

“Masamune-kun?”

A shadow quietly approached me with a sweet voice.

“Shall we eat together?”

“That’s a voice that could give me heartburn in the middle of the day, Shogo.”

“Ugh, Masamune-kun, you’re so cold!”

While making exaggerated gestures, Shogo sat in front of me. Then, as if suddenly silent, he slammed the desk.

“Well then, shall we have you spill everything…?”

“Spill everything? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Hey, don’t play dumb, brother, the topic’s already out there!”

Suddenly, Shogo glared at me with a menacing voice, like an interrogation scene from a detective drama.

But I had no intention of talking easily.

“Shogo, don’t you need to go to the school store? It’ll sell out if you don’t hurry.”

“Thanks for the concern, but unfortunately, I already bought something at the convenience store today.”

Shogo placed a bread roll on the desk with force. His usual yakisoba bread looked slightly crushed.

“So, I’m all set here. How about you tell me quickly where you two sneaked off to yesterday?”

“Nothing special happened. Come on, let’s eat.”

“Tch, are you still playing innocent…?”

Shogo put his hand to his mouth and narrowed his eyes. Then, another shadow approached us.

“Hey, hey, hey, what’s that I hear, Masaki-kun?”

A small figure with a large lunch box, known as the “Lightning Cream Warrior Valkyrie,” Hoshino Ozasa.

“Stop calling me that! And it’s been a while since you used that!”

“Hoshino, this guy keeps playing dumb even when I question him! Say something to him, Hoshino!”

“Alright, you did well, Himuro-kun. Leave the rest to me.”

“Hoshino…!”

“Ha, no matter who comes, I’m not talking.”

Hoshino sat across from me, taking Shogo’s place. I leaned back in my chair, crossed my arms, and faced Hoshino. Her confident smile made me chuckle.

“Ha, you seem pretty confident. Got any proof something happened between me and Manaki?”

“Hmm, proof, huh…?”

Hoshino smirked nihilistically and pulled a smartphone from her pocket.

“Here, yesterday’s chat with Hime-chan. It’s got a lot written, wanna see?”

“…Show me.”

“Here you go.”

The smartphone, handed over by a beaming Hoshino, detailed Manaki vividly describing things about yesterday that nobody asked about.

As for what exactly was written… I’ll leave that to your imagination.

I silently handed it back, and Hoshino giggled, covering her mouth.

“Seems like you had quite a fun time yesterday…”

“Don’t say it, that’s indecent.”

“Hey, what was written there?”

“Huh, you wanna see, Himuro-kun?”

Shogo stared at the smartphone screen Hoshino showed him for a while. Then, with the same expression as Hoshino, he turned to me.

“Himuro-san, you’re bolder than you look.”

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it’s a misunderstanding.”

“Nah, this vibe doesn’t seem like a misunderstanding…”

Ignoring Shogo’s chatter, I opened my lunch box.

“Speaking of, where’s Hime-chan today?”

“She’s swamped with questions from everyone in class, so she can’t come right away.”

“Putting out fires, huh? Himuro’s got it tough.”

“No, no, in this case, we should thank Jingu-senpai.”

Jingu-senpai explained to everyone afterward that he invited Manaki and got rejected. He made sure no weird image stuck to her. The handsome guy stayed handsome until the end.

But Manaki added that she liked someone else. As a result, she’s now bombarded with questions from the girls in class for rejecting Jingu-senpai.

“So, the day people flock to see Masamune might be close.”

“Why? A guy like me isn’t interesting to look at.”

“Nah, someone who makes such a bold declaration in front of Jingu-senpai can’t be uninteresting, right?”

“You, how much did you hear…?”

“Even we didn’t expect you’d go that far, right?”

“Right,” Hoshino and Shogo exchanged glances and tilted their heads in unison.

“Come on, let’s eat our lunch.”

“Okay!”

As we leisurely ate lunch, my smartphone buzzed. I checked it, and it was from Manaki.

Just one word: “Sorry.”

The next moment, loud footsteps echoed from the hallway.

****

“Phew, I’m exhausted…”

After classes ended, I walked home alone slowly.

“Girls are intense…”

Manaki’s fire control went smoothly at first. But someone who saw my declaration fanned the flames again.

Unable to hold back, Manaki let my name slip, and girls who love gossip more than food flooded our class to see me… That was today’s flow.

Overwhelmed by girl power, I sought help, but Shogo and Hoshino fled immediately. Even after eating lunch, my energy barely recovered.

“I’m home!”

Opening the house door, Mom didn’t greet me. She must be out shopping. Stretching big, I climbed the stairs.

“Come to think of it, I didn’t talk to Manaki at all today…”

Now that I thought about it, she didn’t come to our class at lunch, and after school, when I thought we’d walk home together, she was gone.

“We’re supposed to be dating…”

I muttered, but no one answered. I often walked home alone, but today felt unusually lonely.

Feeling lonely despite starting to date, it seemed contradictory. Dating a beauty like Manaki would probably bring more of this.

Thinking about it, I reached my room. I touched the doorknob, let out a short breath, but felt no strength. I opened the door, looking down.

“Hey, welcome back!”

Raising my face at the unexpected reply, I saw Manaki in sweats lying on my bed.

“Hehe, everyone’s so noisy in the classroom, so I came here first.”

Manaki, who was reading a manga on her stomach, slid to sit on the bedside. Seeing her, my strength drained, and my bag dropped with a thud.

“What, so surprised you can’t speak?”

“No, that’s not it…”

I didn’t say I was relieved. This was normal for us; feeling relieved that Manaki was in my room seemed odd.

So, the right words for Manaki, my childhood friend for over ten years, distant for about two, and now my girlfriend forever, were these, looking straight into her eyes.

“Welcome back, Manaki.”

It was a strange greeting, but Manaki gave me a radiant smile.

“I’m home, Masamune.”