Chapter 16: Like a Confession

—The following day.

I found myself at a park in the Seventh School District from early in the morning.

By the way, since I don’t like drawing attention, I was in my usual disguise: ponytail, T-shirt and jeans, and a pair of (now repaired) fake glasses.

Not that I had a particular goal in mind. I just figured that holing up in the dorm and overthinking things wasn’t going to lead to any useful answers.

Then again, it’s not like coming to the park would magically provide any either… Still, a change of pace is important.

Hmm… What should I do…? Judging from how things went the other day, just trying to strike up a casual conversation might make things worse. Even if I go with the approach of showing I’ve changed through my actions… Interacting with just Misaka isn’t going to be enough to prove anything.

…Maybe I should try talking to students outside the clique, the ones who might not hate me as much? …But given my current position, doing something like that carelessly might lead to serious misunderstandings. Specifically, something like "She's trying to create new pawns"—which would totally be the kind of thing the GMDW bunch would misinterpret.

But still, just talking to Misaka alone won't be enough to earn their trust...

...Ugh, I’m going in circles.

……Ugh, no good. I’m overthinking again. That defeats the whole purpose of coming here to clear my head. I need to let go of this for now. If I reset my thoughts and come back to it later, maybe a good idea will float up.

With that decision, I lifted my head.

“Ah.”

And right in front of the ice cream stand, I spotted two familiar figures.

But…

…Jeez. Same as always, huh? I mean, not that I expected them to change much or anything.

Sighing inwardly, I walked toward the two of them.

With a faint smile on my lips.

“…Kamijou-san. Index-san. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Given the way I was dressed, I spoke in normal polite language, not my usual ojou-sama tone.

Standing in front of me were Kamijou, looking on the verge of tears, and Index, puffing up in anger in front of the ice cream stand.

…Honestly, I can already guess what kind of misfortune is going on here…

“Umm… who are you?”

“Huh?”

So yeah. That’s how I approached them, but our long-awaited reunion kicked off with that completely unexpected line from Kamijou.

Chapter Two: Who Cares About Failure
Crazy_Princess.

Episode 13: Like a Confession
I’ll_Break_the_imagine.

“Uh, Kamijou-san?”

—Just as I was about to say that, I froze. Oh, right. Kamijou’s never seen me dressed like this before.

………………

So, I took off the fake glasses and revealed my face. Maybe now he’ll recognize me? Or maybe not—?

“Ah! Reicia!”

It was Index who reacted first.

As expected of someone with perfect memory. As she ran up to me, I gave her head a gentle pat. Ahh… she’s so cute. Feels like I’ve got a little sister now. I’ve been an only child through and through ever since my previous life, after all.

“Reicia, why are you dressed like that?”

“Oh, I never told you yet, did I, Index-san?”

Kamijou flinched hard at those words.

…Well, I guess it’s only natural since he doesn’t remember either. Rather than trying to get him to explain things, I’ll just go ahead and tell Index while subtly reminding Kamijou how we first met.

“…Speaking in ojou-sama language while dressed like this would just make me stand out too much, so please forgive the incongruity.”

With that disclaimer out of the way, I explained:

“It started as a way to save money.”

“Save money?”

“Yes. In the School Garden—where I live—everything’s ridiculously overpriced because it’s full of elite girls’ schools. So to avoid unnecessary spending, I do my shopping out here. But wearing my Tokiwadai uniform draws way too much attention… Actually, Kamijou-san, we first met while I was dressed like this. In the two weeks leading up to the Index incident, we ran into each other multiple times during sales events…”

Then, I gave Kamijou a pointed, narrow-eyed look. He looked like a deer caught in headlights. …Relax, I’m not going to say anything that’ll get you in trouble.

"Kamijou-san, was my impression on you really that strong?"

With a sigh tinged with exasperation, I subtly signaled ‘I’m not going to press you on it’. I could feel Kamijou’s tension easing up immediately. …It was a bit of a stretch, but if I gave the impression I was content with that explanation, he probably wouldn’t dig any deeper.

“Y-Yeah, haha. Now that you mention it, I do kind of remember you dressing like that. Feels kind of nostalgic, actually.”

“…Well, this outfit’s surprisingly comfortable. So whenever I go out, I tend to dress like this to avoid standing out.”

The Tokiwadai uniform draws a lot of attention, thanks to the school’s brand image.

It’s said that even in a crowded station, it stands out enough to spot instantly. If someone’s wearing that in a park, they’d stick out like a sore thumb.

“…So what brings you two here? A park in the morning…?”

“That’s a tale of tears if you hear it, tears if you tell it…”

“Touma totally brought this on himself!”

“…………I’m so unlucky.”

Ahh, yep. I figured it’d be something like that…

“So basically, you did something to upset Index-san, and now you’re buying her ice cream to calm her down.”

“Listen to this, Reicia! Touma was awful! He peeked while I was changing, and then—then he said, ‘As if a flat-chested, underdeveloped little girl like you would get any reaction out of Kamijou-san!’ Can you believe that!?”

“T-That’s not exactly how I put it—”

“That is what you said! I’ve got perfect memory, remember!!”

…Well, yeah.

I mean, even if Kamijou stumbled into a lucky perv situation, it could’ve still been forgiven… but calling her tsurupeta as a cover-up? No way, man. That’s crossing the line.

A true gentleman doesn’t judge a woman by her chest.

“…Kamijou-san. You shouldn’t insult someone’s body type. Besides, breast size really doesn’t matter tha—wait, what’s wrong with you two? …Why are you both staring at my chest?”

Gahhh—this is such a pain! Is it that hard to take me seriously because I’ve got big boobs now!?

Yeah, okay, I admit it. Big breasts are amazing! I get it! I used to be a guy too! Gravure idols with big boobs are more popular, and as male viewers, we love it! Big breasts are overwhelmingly glorious! I understand that very well!

…But that doesn’t mean flat-chested girls deserve to be looked down on, damn it!! (passionately stated)

…Not that I can rant like this out loud while I’m in Reicia-chan’s body, so I’ll keep that little outburst to myself.

“Anyway! That’s why Touma buying me ice cream to apologize is completely fair! There’s nothing selfish about it!!”

“…Does the biting punishment right after not count?”

“That was for peeking at me while I was changing!!”

“I keep telling you it wasn’t peeking! That was an accident!!”

“Kamijou-san, give it up. This one’s on you.”

Honestly, if tsurupeta teasing only cost you an ice cream, that’s a bargain.

If this were some other light novel world, that’d be a death combo without a comedy-genre safety net to save you.

“…Let’s drop that topic. So what brings you to the park, Reicia?”

“I guess you could say… I was just doing a little thinking. Needed a change of pace.”

“…That’s pretty vague.”

“Well, I’ve got my own stuff going on.”

I gave a vague smile, and Kamijou’s expression turned serious. …Ah, crap. Guess I didn’t brush it off well enough.

“It’s not that big a deal, just something with my friends—”

“Reicia, something happened, didn’t it?”

Index stared straight into my eyes as she said that.

…Ugh.

Yeah, no getting out of this.

“If you need to talk, I’m here.”

“I’ll help too!”

“…Thank you.”

…Guess I’ll take them up on their offer for now.

“…Actually, I’ve been having a bit of trouble with my friendships…”

Letting my shoulders slump, I confessed.

“I won’t go into the details, but… I had a falling-out with some friends. I want to apologize and, if possible, start over with them. But… I just can’t seem to get my feelings across. I don’t know how to convey what I mean in a way they’ll accept, or how to even begin making things right. That’s what I’ve been thinking about.”

With that, I looked down.

“Hmm…”

Kamijou scratched his head, clearly unsure how to respond—

“…Huh. That’s kind of surprising. I didn’t think someone like you would get that worked up about stuff, Reicia.”

He said it in a light, offhanded way.

“Someone like you”… Why does Kamijou sound like he knows me? …Ah, right. Back in the day, I was one of the few acquaintances shared between Index and the previous Kamijou. I must’ve come up in their everyday conversations. Probably.

“Kamijou-san, I’m trying to have a serious conversation here, you know…?”

“I know, I know. But still.”

Kamijou’s face turned serious, and then he spoke.

“Look, Reicia… You already know what you want to do, don’t you?”

“What I want… to do…?”

“You said it yourself earlier. You want to ‘start over.’ Then just do that. The apologies and whatever come after that.”

“Uh… um…”

I found myself at a loss for words.

That’s the downside of not explaining things properly… Saying I want to start over makes it sound like I’m just being selfish. I need to reflect first. I have to show that I’ve changed. That’s how it should go.

“Um… sorry. I didn’t explain very well, but I’ve done awful things to my friends. For an entire year. Actually… I don’t even know if what we had could be called friendship in the first place…”

“That doesn’t matter.”

Kamijou cut me off, flatly.

“…What?”

“Maybe you weren’t real friends back then. So what? What matters is you want to get close to them now. That’s what you should be thinking about first. Not what you did, or whether you were ever friends, or how terrible your actions were—friendship isn’t some complicated calculation you work out in your head.”

“…That’s…”

…He’s right.

“Then stop pretending! Forget all that duty and logic crap and just hit them with your feelings—100% real! You don’t have to hold back just because it feels selfish! Let me ask you something, Reicia. Those people you want to be friends with—are they the kind of boring jerks who’d turn you down cold if you showed them your honest feelings!?”

…………

“…No, they’re not.”

That’s the conclusion I came to.

Of course, I’ll have to be thoughtful in how I express myself. Just blurting out I want to be friends again probably won’t be enough. That alone wouldn’t be 100% genuine.

But if I put in the effort to express how I really feel—they’re not the kind of people who would ignore that. Of that, I’m certain.

I won’t try to fix the problem from the outside like some detached outsider.

If I can throw my 100% at them—if I can reach out in a way that draws out the feelings of the GMDW members…

“Do your best, Reicia.”

Index added those words gently, backing up Kamijou.

“…Touma’s totally tactless and says everything in the most over-the-top way possible… but I know you can do it, Reicia. After all, you were the one who helped patch things up between me, Kaori, and Stiyl. …You made me happy, so I know you can make those people happy too!”

“…Thank you, Index-san.”

Yeah. I’m glad I came to the park after all.

It wasn’t the mental reset I’d hoped for, but I realized something far more important.

“I’m going now.”

“Yeah.”

“Mm!”

I turned my back to the two of them and started walking.

…It was around eleven o’clock now, give or take.

Considering everything I need to do, I’m cutting it a bit close.

But there’s no more hesitation.

I’ll pierce through with my illusion—no matter what!