Chapter 26 - An Unexpected Encounter
“We bought a lot, didn’t we, Ryusuke?”
“Yeah... I didn’t think I’d end up buying this much either.”
Here we are, in the food court of the shopping mall, taking a break at one of the tables, with bags filled with clothes we just bought resting at my feet.
After enjoying Mashiro’s fashion show, I let her pick out some clothes for me at another store.
It felt like I was a dress-up doll, just going along with whatever she picked out. I was genuinely impressed by her sense of style.
I had asked Mashiro to help me choose outfits that would give off a clean and fresh look, to distance myself from my bad-boy image. She gave me spot-on advice and put together outfits that even I couldn’t help but admire.
The designs she chose suited my tough-looking face, and my style instantly felt more refined. With the clothes Mashiro selected, I wouldn’t have to worry about what to wear when going out from now on.
Plus, today my mom surprised me by giving me a 30,000 yen allowance.
She must have noticed that I needed new clothes to start my new life. Thanks to her, I was able to buy plenty of clothes. I’ll definitely show her what I bought and thank her when I get home.
As I sipped my cola, feeling satisfied, Mashiro set down her orange juice on the table and smiled innocently.
“Isn’t it great that the shopping mall has a CU store? It’s cheap, and they have a great selection!”
“It’s perfect for high school students. I wanted to get a variety of clothes at a reasonable price rather than focus on brands.”
“Right, right! Now that you’ve stopped wearing those delinquent-like clothes, you must have been struggling with what else to wear. I’m in the same boat—if I’m aiming to be a proper, ladylike girl, I’ll need to do a lot more shopping too.”
“I’ll tag along again when that time comes. I had fun at your fashion show.”
“I had fun too! While I was in the fitting room, looking in the mirror, I couldn’t help but wonder how Ryusuke would react. And every time I opened the curtain, you’d have a different reaction! Sometimes your face would turn bright red, sometimes you’d try to suppress a grin, or you’d cover your mouth and look away. It was so funny!”
“Did I really react that differently each time?”
“Totally! But you kept saying the same thing every time: ‘Not bad.’ That was so funny I couldn’t stop laughing!”
“Ugh... so that’s why you banned me from saying ‘Not bad’...”
“Haha, exactly!”
Mashiro rested her chin on her hand, leaning on the table as she gazed at me with those blue eyes. Her delighted smile made my heart skip a beat, and I quickly looked away.
But I bet she knew exactly what I was thinking. She seemed to be enjoying teasing me, and I couldn’t help but feel happy too. I genuinely wanted to see her even happier.
Still, embarrassment is embarrassment. Trying to cool down my heated body, I took another sip of cola, letting the fizz help calm me down a bit, though my heart continued to race.
Just as our drinks were finished and I was thinking about starting our grocery shopping for dinner, someone suddenly called out to me, and I turned around reflexively.
“Hey, Ryusuke. What a coincidence running into you here.”
Approaching us with a friendly wave and a bright smile was the protagonist’s best friend, Kizaki Reo.
He must have come straight to the mall after club activities, as he was still in his school uniform with a sports bag slung over his shoulder.
Beside him stood another boy in the same uniform. Who could he be?
“Reo, just finished practice? Didn’t you tell Fusegawa you couldn’t hang out this weekend?”
“Practice ends in the morning on weekends. Raito invited me to go to the beach for the whole day, so I couldn’t make it, but I’m free in the afternoons. That’s why I came straight here in my uniform.”
“I see. Makes sense. Fusegawa’s plans didn’t sound like something you could join halfway through.”
“Exactly. So I decided to come hang out right after practice. Didn’t want to waste time going home to change.”
“Got it. By the way, who’s that with you?”
“Oh, let me introduce you. This is Nishikawa Kyoya, also a first-year in the basketball club. He’s in the same year as us.”
Reo gestured toward the boy with short chestnut hair spiked up with wax, and sharp, narrow eyes.
He had a sturdy build, probably over 180 cm tall, with a tough, imposing look that made him seem like a delinquent, similar to how I was perceived. He was clearly the rugged athlete type, unlike Reo’s clean-cut good looks, but his face was still handsome.
As Reo introduced him, Nishikawa gave a curt nod.
“...Hey.”
“Haha, Kyoya, no need to be so stiff. This is Ryusuke, a friend from my class. Remember, I told you about him? The guy who really stood out in gym class basketball.”
“Oh... so you’re that Shindo Ryusuke.”
I introduced myself in turn, taking a deep breath to calm my nerves before speaking.
“I’m Shindo Ryusuke from Class 2. Reo and I recently became friends, and he’s been a big help. Nice to meet you, Nishikawa.”
“...Yeah, I’ve heard plenty about you. The rumors never stopped. But I didn’t recognize you at first in those clothes.”
“Yeah, I guess you’ve heard.”
Shindo Ryusuke was notorious at our Kio Academy High School for all the wrong reasons.
Skipping school constantly, causing trouble day and night, and known as the biggest delinquent around. Every character in the original story knew my name for those reasons. So, of course, Nishikawa Kyoya would know about me.
And I knew about Nishikawa Kyoya from the original story too.
He’s always hanging out with Reo and sometimes meets Fusegawa Raito as well. Although he doesn’t have any standout scenes, his energetic personality left an impression. He likes basketball, but in the original story, it’s also revealed that he’s into anime and games, especially competitive FPS games.
Nishikawa kept glaring at me with those sharp eyes.
“There’s been a lot of talk lately about how you suddenly started coming to school and even taking your classes seriously. People are saying it’s a big deal. Then Reo told me he became friends with you, which was surprising... But seeing this, it seems real. You don’t look like a delinquent anymore.”
“Kyoya, I’ve told you several times. Ryusuke’s a good guy. Sure, you hear all sorts of rumors about him being a delinquent, but that’s not true at all. He’s serious, sincere, and a gentleman.”
“It’s rare to hear you praise someone so much. Still, I’m not convinced.”
Nishikawa crossed his arms and looked at me with suspicion. Considering my past actions, his reaction wasn’t surprising. And given that his friend from the same basketball club suddenly got close to someone with a bad reputation, it made sense for him to be cautious.
“...Listen, I’m not trying to cause trouble between you and Reo. I consider him an important friend, and I don’t plan to change that, no matter what happens. But, I am worried.”
“Worried? About what?”
“Reo is a nice guy. So, I’m concerned that someone might take advantage of that kindness—like you, Shindo Ryusuke.”
“Kyoya, that’s not something I can just ignore. Sure, Ryusuke and I haven’t known each other long, but I trust him. He’s not the kind of person everyone says he is.”
“That’s hard to believe. I still think you might be getting fooled. Didn’t Ryusuke have a run-in with Fusegawa recently? The whole school heard about how he suddenly started shouting and grabbed him by the collar.”
Nishikawa’s gaze held a clear “hostility” I had felt many times at school.
I see. Nishikawa Kyoya is one of the protagonist’s allies, after all.
Even though he didn’t play a major role, he was still a character who hung out with Reo and Fusegawa Raito in scenes like the karaoke outing. In other words, he was on the protagonist’s side, meaning he was opposed to me, the antagonist.
He was subconsciously acting according to the original story, trying to keep me in the role of the villain by breaking up my relationship with Reo.
So, what should I do?
Given the situation, trying to talk my way out of this wouldn’t work easily. The longer I took to convince him, the more likely Nishikawa would continue urging Reo to “cut ties with Shindo Ryusuke.” Since they’re in the same club and have been friends longer, it’s clear which side Reo would end up on.
I was racking my brain, desperately searching for the best way to navigate this situation when—
“Okay! Stop, stop! Don’t leave me out of the conversation!”
A bright voice rang out from the side.
Mashiro stood up from her chair and slipped in between me and Nishikawa.
“Geez! You guys were having a boys’ talk without me. I was getting a little lonely, so I’m joining in!”
Mashiro gave me a cute wink after speaking.
No way—Mashiro was going to help me out of this situation?
I wondered what she had in mind as she turned to face Nishikawa with a cheerful greeting.
“Hey there! Sorry to butt in, but it felt like things were getting tense, and I just couldn’t stay quiet.”
“W-Who are you...?”
“My name is Amanatsu Mashiro, from Class 1-1 at Kio Academy High School, just like you. I’m close friends with Ryusuke.”
“I-I see...”
Nishikawa seemed bewildered by this girl who had suddenly inserted herself into the conversation.
Despite the tense atmosphere, Mashiro was acting her usual bright and cheery self, trying to diffuse the situation. I was impressed by how she was handling it.
Then, Mashiro turned to Reo, bowing her head politely before smiling and greeting him.
“So, you’re Kizaki-kun? I’m Amanatsu Mashiro, Ryusuke’s friend. I’ve heard a lot about you. Thank you for being friends with Ryusuke!”
“Ah, so you’re the childhood friend I’ve heard about, Amanatsu-san. Nice to meet you, I’m Kizaki Reo. Ryusuke and I are in the same class, and we’ve been getting along well. Please, feel free to call me Reo.”
“Then please call me Mashiro too, Reo-kun!”
“Thank you, I’ll call you Mashiro-san then. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Yes, it’s nice to meet you too. Thank you for saying Ryusuke is a serious, sincere, and gentlemanly person. Hearing that made me really happy!”
“It’s the truth. I’ve been watching Ryusuke closely this past week, and he really is serious, sincere, and gentlemanly.”
“Right? Ryusuke is a great person. When I got hurt after bumping into someone at school, he was so worried that he took me to the nurse’s office.”
“Really? I wasn’t there to see it myself, but hearing it from you makes me believe it. Ryusuke must have been really concerned about you...”
“Hehe... It’s a bit embarrassing, but yes, Ryusuke got angry for my sake. Thanks to him, my leg healed quickly, and now I’m able to go out and have fun like this.”
Reo nodded at Mashiro’s words, then turned to the still-confused Nishikawa.
“That’s what happened, Kyoya. The incident between Ryusuke and Raito was because Ryusuke was worried about Mashiro-san. It wasn’t for the reasons you think. Ryusuke didn’t yell at Raito because he was angry or annoyed.”
“But... Reo, everyone else said...”
“Everyone else misunderstood. They’re judging Ryusuke through the lens of his delinquent reputation and jumping to conclusions. What Mashiro-san just told us is the truth, and everything else is nonsense. I’ll say it again: Ryusuke is serious, sincere, and a gentleman.”
Reo’s words echoed exactly what was in my heart. He understood me more than I realized.
“Reo, I... I just didn’t want you to become friends with someone shady...”
“It’s okay. Ryusuke isn’t the kind of person you think he is. Isn’t that right, Mashiro-san?”
“Yes! Ryusuke is kind, reliable, and always looks out for me. He’s a wonderful person!”
Mashiro smiled brightly and turned to face Nishikawa.
Her clear blue eyes showed that she was telling the truth.
Nishikawa, his face flushed, quickly looked away from Mashiro. His earlier hostility had vanished, and now he was scratching his head as if embarrassed.
“Oh, that’s right. Nishikawa-kun, why don’t you join us in exploring the mall? I’d like you to see for yourself that Ryusuke is a good person.”
“What...!?”
Nishikawa was startled by the unexpected invitation, while Reo chuckled and nodded.
“That sounds great. Can I join too? I’d like to get to know Mashiro-san better, and I want to learn more about Ryusuke as well.”
“Of course! I’d love to be friends with you too, Reo-kun!”
“Thanks, Mashiro-san. And Kyoya, why don’t you join us?”
Encouraged by Mashiro and Reo, Nishikawa hesitantly nodded.
“If Reo says so...”
“Great! Then let’s be friends, Nishikawa-kun. And if you change your mind after spending time with us, I hope you’ll also get along with Ryusuke!”
“S-Sure...”
Mashiro’s innocent smile made Nishikawa blush even more, and he couldn’t seem to look her in the eye.
Reo, watching them, laughed softly.
I hadn’t expected things to turn out this way, but thanks to Mashiro, not only did she smooth over the situation, but she also created an opportunity for Nishikawa to clear up his misunderstandings and potentially become friends with me.
As expected from the most beautiful girl.
Mashiro’s charm and cheerfulness can overcome even the force of the story.
“Alright, Ryusuke, let’s go have fun with everyone!”
“Yeah, thanks, Mashiro. Let’s all have fun together.”
As I said that, Mashiro gave me another cute wink and smiled.
Feeling grateful for her help, I left the food court with the three of them to enjoy the rest of our day.