Chapter 5: One Problem After Another!
I stood facing her ex-boyfriend, with Aisaka behind me.
I felt like a knight protecting a princess, but unfortunately, I’m not handsome, and what I’ve done is far from heroic… Well, I’m nowhere near being a hero, really.
“Masaki-kun… What are you doing here?”
“…You!”
Aisaka was surprised to see me, and so was her ex-boyfriend… I think his name was Murakami.
Murakami glared at me as if I were his archenemy.
“I was just on my way home. I know I’m not reliable, but can you stay behind me?”
“…Yeah.”
But… Aisaka was giving off such a strong vibe that would intimidate any guy today, so I felt like I didn’t even need to intervene.
But still, I wanted to show off a bit, or rather, I was standing here with such an unmanageable feeling.
“Well, then.”
I looked back at Murakami, who was still glaring at me.
He’s as handsome as ever, but he should be utterly humiliated after running around naked in this neighborhood… Still, it takes some guts to come out in front of Aisaka like this.
“I’ve heard various rumors about you. Seems like you’ve done quite something impressive.”
Saying that to provoke him, Murakami’s eyes sharpened.
Recently, too many good things have been happening to me… Plus, getting the power of a partner has made me a bit arrogant, I can’t deny that.
Even my words and expressions seemed like a major provocation to Murakami, and he opened his mouth with spittle flying.
“You… Everything went wrong since I met you! Everything went wrong because of you, you bastard!”
Certainly, Murakami’s outburst was true; I was the cause of it all.
I don’t know what he’s been through, but it’s a hundred percent true that it’s my fault… But well, I don’t sympathize with him or feel sorry for him anymore.
“I don’t know. You just did it on your own, didn’t you? I don’t know how you could appear in front of Aisaka like this after such a humiliating experience.”
“…… Shut up. This has nothing to do with you. …… It’s my problem with Matsuri!”
Hmm… I’m starting to see.
I’d like to ask Aisaka later, but maybe he’s trying to get back with her?
Even though it’s my fault, he did something like that, and now, he probably has nothing left… Maybe he thought he could rely on Aisaka, who used to be his girlfriend,
“Anyway, why are you acting like you’re equal and standing between us? Know your place, you bastard… Trying to show off to Matsuri!?”
I think… There’s nothing more disgraceful than letting anger blind you like this.
His anger is undoubtedly directed at me, but I’m not afraid at all, in fact, I’m quite composed.
“Aisaka is my classmate—there’s plenty of reason to intervene.”
When I said something like that, Murakami stepped closer to us.
“Don’t act all high and mighty! I’ll punch you again like I did last time. Lie down pathetically on the ground again!”
I closed my eyes as his arm swung up.
It looks painful, but I’ll endure another hit… While thinking that, I surprised even myself with how calm I was, considering I’d just worry my sister and parents again…
However, Murakami’s fist never reached me… There was a sound like a slap.
“…Ah.”
“Wh-…”
Just as I thought Aisaka had stepped in front of me, she slapped Murakami hard across the cheek.
Both I and Murakami were stunned, and he covered his red cheek with his hand, looking at Aisaka in disbelief.
“Cut it out. It’s over between you and me… You’re no longer my childhood friend! And above all, if you do anything to Masaki-kun, I’ll never forgive you.”
“…Damn it.”
Seemingly unable to say anything to Aisaka, Murakami clicked his tongue at us and walked away, looking annoyed.
After staring at his back until he disappeared, I collapsed on the spot as if all the strength had left my body.
“…Haah…”
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I was prepared to be hit again, and I was getting carried away with my newfound confidence… But still, it’s not something you get used to, and my body was probably tense without realizing it.
“Masaki-kun!?”
“Sorry, Aisaka… I just felt a bit weak.”
Things you’re not used to aren’t easy… But well, I’m glad nothing happened to Aisaka… Thinking that, I wonder if it was a bad thing to be here in this situation.
“Are you okay?”
“Ah… hold on a sec.”
I put some effort into getting up and brushed the dirt off my pants.
It’s a relief that nothing happened to Aisaka, but when I tried to leave the scene, I couldn’t… because Aisaka was holding onto the sleeve of my uniform.
“Aisaka?”
“…Hey, Masaki-kun. About what just happened… I heard some things that I can’t just let go. Could we talk… just a little?”
“…Ah.”
Indeed, Murakami did say just that.
I hesitated for a moment about what to do, but with Aisaka looking at me with a determined expression, I couldn’t just evade and run away.
Led by Aisaka, we walked a little to a nearby park. I bought a cold drink from a vending machine and sat on a swing… it was then that I realized the gravity of the situation.
(…Wait a minute. Isn’t this situation really dangerous…? Because, in her normal state, Aisaka doesn’t know anything I did… which means? If she knows about my relationship with Murakami and the trouble we had, it’s because of Aisaka herself… how should I handle this?)
I think it was only about two seconds of thought during this time.
No, no, no, no! How do I explain this… Even though I’ve been talking to Aisaka more recently, it’s unnatural for me to know about her relationship with Murakami and that he’s her ex-boyfriend.
“Hey, Masaki-kun… how much do you know?”
“…………”
How much do I know… to that question, I decided it would be best to answer honestly rather than try to hide anything.
Of course, I would keep anything related to my partner secret, but I would say something that was technically a lie but not entirely untrue.
“…Well, it was really just a coincidence. I happened to see it when Aisaka rolled up her sleeves a little.”
“Ah… is that so?”
Apparently, Aisaka understood what I meant by that.
“At that time, I didn’t have much interaction with Aisaka, but if things went any worse and something happened to a classmate… I couldn’t just sit still.”
While it might be a simplistic justification, it’s not entirely untrue.
At the time, there wasn’t much interaction, and it’s true that I couldn’t just sit still… and besides! It’s not wrong to say that I saw the scars when Aisaka took off her clothes!
“However, there’s also the possibility that I made a mistake, and even if someone I’m not close to asks that, it would be troublesome for Aisaka, right? So I thought I couldn’t do anything anyway… but then, I heard that guy walking with a girl, talking about someone named Matsuri.”
In a way, this isn’t entirely wrong.
But, well, I didn’t want to raise suspicions, so I just kept talking to prevent Aisaka from intervening.
“The words I heard at that time… weren’t pleasant, of course. Not only did he say bad things about Aisaka, but he also said things like it wouldn’t matter if she disappeared…”
This shouldn’t be a pleasant topic for Aisaka either.
I thought it might not be a good idea to speak this directly, but Aisaka continued to stare at me without changing her expression.
“And then… before I knew it, I was standing in front of him. After we argued for a while, he punched me once… that is the explanation to what he said earlier.”
“…Ah, come to think of it, your cheek was swollen…”
That incident not only worried my sister and parents, but I also received some stares at school… although I didn’t talk to Aisaka about it, it seems like she noticed.
“…It must have hurt.”
“Just a little. But it’s like a badge of honor.”
I raised my thumb as if to say there was no need for Aisaka to worry.
“However… why did he make a fuss naked, and why did he go to explain to your house? I have no idea.”
I really can’t talk in detail about Murakami’s changes.
My partner… even though it might be a good idea to use the hypnosis app in front of her and make her believe, that would mean the end of my happy days and life.
“Sorry, Aisaka… I know it’s a lot, but—”
At that moment, something gently touched my cheek… it was Aisaka’s hand.
Although it startled me a little because it had cooled in the wind, it was a grateful coldness that relieved the heat gathering in my head.
“Your cheek isn’t swollen anymore… but I’m sorry, Masaki-kun. I never thought something like this would happen because of me.”
“No, no, you don’t need to apologize. Besides, I just stuck my nose in without telling you anything!”
Things seem to have gotten a little awkward… but I’m starting to panic a bit…!
Oh dear, it seems like I am being cast into a role like the protagonist in a manga, being caressed by a gal-style beauty. But why me of all people, you ask? Well, regardless, this isn’t bad at all. In fact, it’s rather amazing… Phew, let’s take a moment to calm down and catch our breath.
Inhale, exhale… but wait, am I just breathing in and out like this?!
After clearing my throat with a cough, I continued.
“Anyway! I don’t know why she did something crazy, but I sort of found out about it in this way… I’m sorry for not telling you, especially since I knew Aisaka’s secret.”
“Oh, don’t apologize! I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to inconvenience my friends, but it was my carelessness or just a coincidence, so I won’t complain!”
And then, we repeated apologies to each other several times… and then we laughed at how many times we repeated it.
“It’s unavoidable, but we keep apologizing.”
“Yeah, but you know… Masaki-kun helped me.”
“So it’s not about helping or anything…”
“I understand. But even if it was just a coincidence, you definitely moved for me, Masaki-kun… so thank you.”
With that, Aisaka gave me a beautiful smile.
Foul… that smile is foul play.
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