“Kim-kun, your physique is incredible. What kind of exercise do you do? No matter how much I work out, I can’t seem to build muscle like that.”
Hattori, sitting next to , chattered away like a sparrow.
Despite her appearance and the fact that we had just been formally introduced, it wasn’t strange for her to be shy, but she seed not to mind at all.
“By the way, didn’t you say you’re from Osaka? You hardly use any dialect.”
In response to Karen’s question, who was eating udon across from us, Hattori waved her hand and replied,
“Ah~ Not all people from Osaka use dialect. It might just be an accent difference. Besides, with the internet these days…”
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
Karen nodded in agreent and picked up a piece of fish cake from her udon.
Then, Hattori asked in return,
“So, what’s the relationship between you four?”
“Huh?”
“Well, the gender ratio in the group seems off.”
Usually, it was either half and half, or girls hanging out with girls, and boys with boys, right?
Sasha, who had been silent, answered her question.
“It’s a competitive relationship.”
“Huh? Competitive relationship?”
“Everyone is vying for the position of Kim Yu-seong’s girlfriend.”
“Wh-what?!”
“Wait! Sasha-chan!”
The other two looked on in shock.
But Sasha, who had dropped the bombshell, asked nonchalantly, “Is there a problem?”
In reality, I was the one who found it most difficult to react to this situation.
Because no matter what choice I made, it didn’t seem like it would end well.
At the very least, it was certain that the relationships between the three would be strained.
So, as I sat there with a stiff expression, stopping my chopsticks, Hattori said with shining eyes,
“This is like a ssy love triangle in a drama! I love stuff like that!”
“……”
I was montarily at a loss for words.
What exactly did it an to be an insider?
At least, it was certain that it was not a term I could understand.
Lunchti ended in a sowhat awkward atmosphere.
After a al that left us wondering if we were eating through our mouths or noses, we returned to our class.
I knew well that this ambiguous relationship had to end at so point.
Dragging it out would inevitably lead to an unpleasant ending.
I used to criticize protagonists in love codies for not understanding the heroines’ feelings, but now, in their shoes, I couldn’t laugh.
Does a happy ending for everyone really not exist in reality?
“Alright, alright, I know you’re sleepy after lunch, but it’s the first day of the new sester, so let’s do our best! Everyone, give a shoulder rub to the person in front!”
“Yu-seong-ah, please be gentle.”
Once again, I was struggling to find a convincing way to answer the question posed to .
“Ouch! Ahh! Tap! Tap!”
“Ah, sorry.”
I quickly removed my hands from Satoru’s shoulders, apologizing as he seed to be in pain to the point of dying.
I unknowingly exerted too much strength while being lost in thought.
“I’m back.”
Saya, who had been absent for a while, returned to my side when school ended, and it was ti to go ho.
“You don’t look happy.”
“There was a reason for it.”
Saying that, Saya closed her mouth with an uncomfortable expression, skirting around the topic.
Since she seed deeply upset, I spoke to her in a gentle voice.
“Don’t be like that; just tell . I’ll listen.”
After so hesitation, Saya finally spoke.
“…Ryuji seems to be doing well.”
“Well, that’s expected.”
I didn’t know the details, but since I’ve been resolving so of the incidents he faced in the original story, he must be having relatively peaceful tis.
After all, Maiya ended up as the true heroine in the original story.
“I thought it would be okay if Ryuji didn’t rember . But it seems it wasn’t. Seeing Ryu-chan eating lunch happily with Maiya made suddenly angry. Originally, it should have been sitting next to him.”
“It’s natural to feel jealous when soone else is with the person you like. It’s being human.”
I haven’t had a romantic relationship, but I’ve experienced unrequited love.
Like when I saw a girl I had a crush on in my freshman year of college coming out of a motel with a guy I didn’t know. Honestly, it shattered .
“By the way, when did you first et Ryuji?”
“When I was young, we lived next door to each other.”
So she was also a childhood friend.
“Wait, then, did you know Maiya too?”
“At first, I didn’t. But we beca friends after Ryuji introduced us at the playground later.”
Ah… Oh no…
The situation naturally unfolded in my mind.
There were two childhood friends who liked the sa person. One of them moved away, leaving the other to naturally take her place beside him.
“So, what do you plan to do now?”
Saya shook her head with a gloomy expression.
“Honestly, I don’t know. At first, I thought just seeing his face would be enough, but now I want more.”
“More, you say?”
“If I had been alive, or at least hadn’t left this town, I could have made more mories with Ryuji.”
Her words were heavy with regret.
And as she spoke, dark energy began to swirl around her, growing stronger.
“Isn’t this a bit dangerous?”
I quickly changed the topic, sensing the increasingly dark aura emanating from Saya.
“Ah, how about doing this?”
“…How?”
“Either Sasha or I could lend you our bodies. Then, you could talk to Ryuji, even if just for a short while. Plus, you might regain your lost na.”
This way, even Ryuji, who couldn’t see ghosts, could converse with Saya.
Sensing that my suggestion was a clever move, Saya’s gloomy face brightened.
“That’s great! Let’s do it right away!”
“No, not right away. We need to get Sasha’s consent first. Be patient until tomorrow.”
“Why not just use your body?”
“Imagine a big guy like speaking in a girl’s tone.”
“Ew”
“See? Sasha would be better.”
“That’s a valid point.”
“Cut down on the internet at ho. What’s with that way of speaking?”
She wasn’t like this at first, but after spending ti on her phone due to boredom, her way of speaking changed a bit.
Anyway, relieved to see Saya’s dark mood lift, I decided to ask Sasha for help when I got ho.
The first ti I t him was through a window.
Before my father’s business flourished, I lived in a two-story house.
‘Hi. I’m Ryuji. What’s your na?’
‘I’m ■■■.’
‘Why are you always lying in bed? Are you sick?’
‘Yes. The doctor said it was an unknown illness. I was born with a cold body, so my heartbeat is much slower than others.’
‘What ga are you playing? I’m jealous. My mom doesn’t often buy new gas.’
‘Do you want to play together?’
He always talked to with a smile, as I couldn’t go outside due to my illness.
Protected by my mother, I always stayed ho, and he was the first friend I made.
The ti spent with him was enjoyable.
Although it wasn’t a long ti, the three years I spent in that house were probably the most intense of my life.
He left with many mories.
As my father’s business grew and my mother, tired of nursing , left my care to a caregiver and went out, he was the only one who stayed by my side.
‘Do you want to sneak out to the playground?’
The first ti I went to the playground with him.
If my mother had known, she would have been furious, but honestly, I didn’t care.
Because ti spent with Ryuji was that important to .
Ryuji actively stepped in to help , who had trouble fitting in with other kids.
Thanks to him, I made many friends besides Ryuji.
But Ryuji was the most special among them.
No, he was the most precious person to .
On the day I had to leave the village due to my parents’ circumstances, I made a promise to Ryuji.
“When we’re adults, will you take as your bride?”
It was a childish promise made in my youthful innocence.
Perhaps I hoped he would run away with .
I wanted to escape from my suffocating cage.
I wanted to be with him forever.
Ryuji first looked surprised at my request, but then nodded his head with a brave smile.
“Okay. When we grow up, I’ll make you my wife!”
It must have been the most empowering words for .
Abandoned by my parents, recuperating alone in a mansion deep in the mountains, and fighting endless illness, that single phrase lingered in my mind.
In the end, I died alone in that mansion, where no one visited, but it was okay.
Because at least I could take those good mories with .
It surely must have been that way.
“……”
Waking up at dawn with an uneasy feeling, I rubbed my eyes and got up.
“Was it her dream?”
I looked at Saya’s face, still lost in her dream world.
She usually acts tough, but was she actually harboring such thoughts?
Honestly, it was a sad story.
Promising to marry in childhood, only for one to die first.
Even I would have had lingering regrets, unable to move on.
Anyway, as a third party, all I could offer her was consolation.
After all, it was sothing the parties involved must resolve.
I checked the ssenger ssage I sent to Sasha last night.
Fortunately, there was a reply.
[Possible. When do you want to do it?]
At least, I succeeded in securing the most important person.
Next, I needed to arrange the place.
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