Unusually, I had come to school alone and was walking quickly to my classroom.
This is because today I have to explain the current situation to Kanae and give her instructions for the future.
Huh, why would I have to do this?⊠Basically, I donât want any troubleâŠ
I couldnât help but sigh.
âThereâs too much lack of awareness in the first place, KanaeâŠâ
Kanae still doesnât understand her role as a childhood friend.
No, itâs true that it would be difficult for someone like her to understand the subtleties of the situation, unless I have experienced similar situations in novels on a daily basis and have constantly refined my problem-solving skills.
âBut if thatâs the case, then I guess Iâll just have to give the orders in the endâŠâ
If it were true, I would like to just fade out and move on to a peaceful life as a loner, but Chris, Rinka, and Azaka-senpai would never allow me to do that.
The three beautiful girls surrounding me wonât let me lead a solitary life no matter what.
And from today on, my childhood friend Kanae has joined them. Itâs a little hard for me, a mere dork.
So please allow me to at least shout my true feelings in my heart.
Everyone! Please let me have a peaceful life as a loner!
-But no matter how much I scream my soul out like this, the current situation will never change.
The fact is that without me, that miraculous relationship between us wouldnât be possible.
The reality is that without me, Kanae will have no one to guide her in the future.
âIâm not sure if this is the fate of childhood friends or not, butâŠâ
I guess it is the duty of a childhood friend to take care of a dumb childhood friend â so I decided to accept my fate.
However, despite my resignation, a smile naturally appeared on my face.
Not at all⊠I guess Iâm mostly a softie, too.
Then, as I slowly shook my head, shrugging my shoulders at my own sweetnessâŠ
âIâll take responsibilityâŠ!â
I heard a voice that didnât sound like it belonged in the hallway of a school building.
I looked over and saw my childhood friend Kanae, who had been occupying my thoughts until just now, pacing as she walked into the classroom.
On the other side of the room, in front of the washroom, I saw another childhood friend, Yukiya, standing there in a daze.
I called out to Yukiya.
âHey, whatâs with the dumb face in the morning?â
âOh, yeah, thatâs Souta. Good morningâŠâ
Yukiya is somewhat fluffy⊠It looks like he was with Kanae just now. What happened?
âHey, Yukiya, what did you do to Kanae?â
Even though I hadnât heard anything yet, I couldnât help but take an accusatory tone â after all, Kanae is an important childhood friend to me, too.
Then, perhaps intimidated by my intimidation, Yukiya replied sluggishly.
âNo, I was lent a towel. Thatâs allâŠâ
Yukiya looked slightly uncomfortable.
What is this guyâs reaction? Is it possible that he feels bad for me? Or is he simply embarrassed?
If itâs the former, I have to say that youâve got the wrong idea. It is possible to guess what Kanae thinks of me from her actions and moods, but I have no intention of understanding what she means, and I donât remember making Kanae my girlfriendâŠ
And even if Kanae were to be my girlfriend, Iâm not so narrow-minded that Iâd be offended if she lent someone a towel, and I have no intention of forcing Kanae to do anything.
If it was the latter, it was indeed too much of a first time experience. Well, that may be inevitable for Yukiya who, unlike me, is probably still a virgin. Everyone is not used to dealing with the opposite sex until they have no experience.
However, Iâm basically a shady guy, and I only had secret relationships with a few girls in junior high school after they asked me out. Iâm not going to mount my virginity, though, because after that, I never went out with or talked to any of them.
So, I added, looking sideways at Yukiya.
âWell, Kanae seems to have someone sheâs interested in, so itâs not like she has ulterior motives, is it?â
I didnât like the idea that I was restraining him, but Yukiya was a man, and I didnât know what he would do if he got the wrong idea, which was characteristic of a virgin. For Kanaeâs sake, I think she needs to be nailed down a little.
Furthermore, weâre in a difficult time, and Kanae has a role to play by getting even closer to me so that she can have more say in the matter and take charge of our relationship.
âYeah, rightâŠâ
In response to my words, Yukiya smiles weakly.
Maybe Yukiya had a crush on Kanae. However, there was nothing he could do about it. It was Kanaeâs feelings that should be respected.
It may be heartless, but I wonât follow up on it either. Yukiyaâs problems should be solved by him.
-While I was thinking about this, I arrived at the classroom.
I left Yukiya, who had come with me from the washroom, and went to my seat.
Kanae, the girl in question, was sitting diagonally behind me as usual, staring at something and not moving.
I wondered what she was looking at, but I shouldnât be the one to talk to her. I acted as if I were ignoring Kanae.
âHey, hey, Souta-kun. It looks like you just came with Yuki-kun. How was Yuki-kun?â
Then, as if she saw it coming, Kanae approached me.
In response, I gave Kanae a warning about how to treat Yukiya as a virgin, and also told her that I had given him a little warning.
Kanae made a hundred faces all by herself, as if she was surprised or impressed, and then turned her face in the same direction as before and stopped moving.
Oh dear, I guess Iâll have to explain the current situation and give instructions on what to do after the first period class is over.
I decided to go ahead and start preparing for class.
But this was a mistake. I had no idea that I would end up being the one to take the backseat.
âYuki-kun!â
As soon as the first period class ended, Kanae shouted in a voice that echoed throughout the classroom.
Then, as everyone in the class, including me, paid attention, Kanae ran up to Yukiya at a glance and dragged him out of the classroom.
The next moment, the rest of the classroom was in an uproar. The carefree people whisper, and the lesser ones make a misunderstanding.
As I listened to them, I thought. I have a duty to protect Kanae, and Kanae has an important role to play in our friend group.
I immediately followed the two of them.
Yukiya and Kanae walked out of the classroom, and I saw them a short distance away on the landing of a staircase that was less popular.
âWhatâŠ?â
In the face of the astonishing sight I saw there, I had a clear realization.
Oh, Yukiya⊠apparently you are nothing but an enemy to our friend group.
A small click of the shutter sounded.
I turned on my heel and rushed out, phone in hand.