Chapter 4: I saw it

When I opened my eyes, there was an angel.

Huh? Heaven? Did I die?

“What are you spacing out for? You have school today too.”

Huh? Oh. Right… Wait, what?

“Your dad already made breakfast and left for work. Go brush your teeth first. Or eat first if you’d rather.”

“Oh… uh, yeah.”

I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I went downstairs, brushed my teeth, and had breakfast.

After eating, I washed the dishes and headed back to my room—only to find Sumire, already in her uniform, packing a bag and a change of clothes.

“Done eating? Alright, let’s get you changed, okay~?”

…Is this elderly care? Wait—why is she even here?

“Why are you in my house?”

“Because we’re childhood friends.”

“That’s not an answer, Senpai!”

I don’t know why, but Sumire is acting strange today. Well… it’s just Sumire being Sumire. That’s normal. I gave up trying to figure out her behavior a long time ago.

Now that I think about it, this might be the first time she’s come over on a weekday morning. She usually goes to school with her other girl friends, so we never walk together. What changed?

“Wait, I’m gonna change, so get out.”

“Huh!?”

“Don’t ‘huh’ me!”

I shoved Sumire out of the room and started changing into my uniform. Seeing her first thing in the morning is unbearable—she’s just too good-looking. Seriously, her face is way too perfect.

That’s why I’ve been avoiding her at school as much as possible, especially in the mornings. Walking to school with her—someone who isn’t just the class idol but practically the school’s Madonna—would make me the target of every jealous guy on campus. But now that she’s come all this way, turning her down feels kind of cruel.

What do I do? This is a problem.

“Detoro! Open up! It’s the Ito City Police!”

“I never said you could come in.”

As I was buttoning my shirt and pulling on my pants, Sumire, apparently unable to wait any longer, barged back into the room. For some reason, she’s even more energetic than usual today.

I ignored her strange excitement and straightened my red tie. Our high school uniform is the blazer type.

Sumire, who had taken a seat on my bed without permission, stared at me for a moment before breaking into a laugh.

“Your tie is crooked hahahaha”

I ignored her.

"Are you done getting ready? It’s still early, but do you want to head out now?"

I usually like to take my time and catch the bus at the last minute. But since I’m already dressed, lying around in bed isn’t an option. What should I do?

For now, I replied, "Let’s wait a little longer before heading out," and went to the living room.

I casually turned on the TV and relaxed on the sofa, scrolling through my phone. Sumire, who had picked up this week’s issue of Jump, sat down nearby.

I resumed reading the web novel I had started last night, holding my phone at just the right angle so Sumire couldn’t see the screen. Not that I had anything to hide, but I didn’t exactly enjoy being watched.

While staring at the screen with a creepy, playful smile on my face, I suddenly felt someone’s gaze on me. 

I turned to the side and locked eyes with Sumire, who was smirking.

"What?"

"Nothing much. Just thought your laugh was kinda creepy."

"Stop with the stinging words."

What the hell is she saying? I don’t remember raising her to be like this…

Silently nursing my wounded pride, I continued wasting time until it finally felt right to leave. After locking up, we headed out together.

When I saw Sumire holding a parasol, I couldn’t help but think, Being a girl is tough.

I took the bus a few stops earlier than usual. At this time, it wasn’t too crowded, and there were still a few open seats. Normally, I have to squeeze into a packed bus, but riding at this hour might not be so bad.

I sat next to Sumire, zoning out. When I glanced to the side, I caught her smirking, looking like she was in an unusually good mood. She’s been like this all day—way more energetic than usual. Did something happen?

Normally, I’d spend this time reading web novels or listening to music, but since Sumire’s here, I find myself holding back for some reason.

"Hey, we’re getting off."

I jolted awake at the feeling of something poking my cheek. Apparently, I had dozed off while spacing out. Before I knew it, we’d arrived at our stop.

After stepping off the bus, regret hit me instantly—I had completely forgotten that this was peak time for students arriving at school.

"Hey, isn’t that Shimada walking next to Onodera-san?"
"Wait, is he sneaking ahead of us?"
"For the first time in a while, I feel like losing my temper..."

Ugh... This is bad. Seriously bad.

I could hear their whispers loud and clear. Guys, do you even realize Sumire can hear you too?

Flinching under the weight of everyone’s stares, I nervously made my way through the school gate. If I had known it would be like this, I would’ve just come earlier…

Since Sumire and I were in the same class, we walked to the classroom together. The moment we stepped into the hallway, I could feel the sharp stares from the boys—and even some of the girls. The hostility was real. This is terrifying.

When we entered the classroom, a crowd had gathered at the back.

"Good morning, Sumi-chan! You got first place again!"

A short-haired, energetic girl rushed over to Sumire, immediately dragging her into the usual circle of girls.

As expected, the rankings for the summer assignment test had been posted. That was fast—we only took the test four days ago.

Just to be sure, I checked the list. No surprise—Sumire was in first place again. At this point, it was expected. Scanning further down, I spotted my own name: twelfth place.

At our school, only the top thirty students made the ranking board, so just being listed was an achievement. If I hadn’t made the cut after all that tutoring from Sumire, she definitely would’ve had something to say about it… A small wave of relief washed over me.

But before I could savor the relief—

"Hey, Shimada. You were walking to school with Onodera-san, right? Come to the rooftop for a sec."

As I stood in front of the ranking board, a firm grip landed on my shoulder. Turning around, I found myself face-to-face with a friend whose bloodshot eyes were opened unnaturally wide. His entire aura screamed intimidation.

It was so intense—I accidentally laughed.

"Huh? Hey, hey, I can’t let this slide."

Before I could react, more of the boys surrounded me, each placing a heavy hand on my shoulders.

"Let’s have a little chat over there, okay~?"

"S-Stop! Let go! Ugh… Be a little gentler, will you…….? H-Help!"

I looked toward my other friends, silently pleading for rescue. They simply responded by flipping me off.

Betrayed.

The group dragged me out of the classroom, the door slamming shut behind us. Just before I disappeared, I locked eyes with Sumire—who was snickering.

Since the rooftop was off-limits, they took me to the boys’ locker room instead. There, I was thoroughly grilled.

---

With the new semester starting, I wanted a fresh start. That’s why I ended up hooked on a romantic comedy I’d stol—Ahem I mean borrowed from Ren.

When it comes to childhood-friend-style rom-coms, this one was the classic. A cute childhood friend coming to pick you up in the morning—that’s a top-tier scenario, right?

Feeling inspired, I woke up early, finished getting ready in record time, and headed straight to Ren’s house. Since I had informed my mother the night before, she had even prepared breakfast earlier for me.

But when I arrived, I realized something—I had definitely come too early.

Caught up in the excitement, I had miscalculated.

"Is he still asleep…?" I muttered to myself, pacing back and forth in front of the house, debating whether to ring the doorbell.

Just as I hesitated, the door swung open.

It wasn’t Ren.

His father, apparently on his way to work, glanced at me before offering a casual invitation.

"Ren’s still sleeping, but if you’d like, come on in."

I stepped inside as he left, realizing once again how much he trusted me. Since Ren and I had known each other since kindergarten, he probably saw me as family—maybe even like a daughter.

As always, I greeted his mother first before heading upstairs. At some point, without even thinking about it, I had started sneaking around.

"Excuse me..."

I slowly pushed the door open, careful not to make a sound. Inside, Ren was fast asleep on his bed.

"Hehehe, should I play a little prank?"

Grinning to myself, I glanced at his desk and spotted a marker. Just as I was debating what to write on his face, something else caught my attention—his phone, lying beside him.

The screen was still on, and the charger was plugged in. Did he fall asleep while using it?

I swallowed.

This is the worst thing to do as a friend... but I couldn’t look away.

Y-Yeah, I’m just making sure he didn’t open some weird site and get a virus… That’s all. It’s not like I’m doing anything bad. Just a little peek should be fine, right?

Careful not to make a sound, I picked up his phone and took a look.

Turns out, he had been reading a web novel.

I Was Reincarnated as the Heroine’s Childhood Friend (Mob) in a Galge World.

Ah... Hmm...

I-I see, huh.

For some reason, my heart was pounding as I suppressed my emotions and opened the tab list.

There were all kinds of novels saved—mostly isekai reincarnations and childhood-friend romantic comedies.

One title in particular made me freeze.

"My Best Friend Became Too Cute After TS."

Huh? Has he figured me out...?

No, no, that’s impossible... right?

Shaking off the thought, I moved on to his search history.

Hmm… Hehe, it’s all game walkthroughs. That’s so Ren.

Wait, what’s this Meskakithing? Does he have that kind of taste?

I kept scrolling, but it was just more silly stuff. Just as I thought, I should stop now, a certain search caught my eye.

[Childhood Friend Romance.]

Hmm...

………………….

Was he just looking for that kind of web novel? Yeah, that must be it...

After carefully erasing any trace of my snooping, I quietly placed the phone back where it was.

It didn’t mean anything. Really.

I stepped out of the room and sat down on the stairs, fanning my face with one hand.

Maybe I’ll wait just a little longer before waking Ren up.