After school, I was about to head over to Mashiro.
She’d apparently been busy since morning, and we hadn’t even seen each other during lunch.
I wanted to show her that I’d recovered from my cold and was feeling better. Our class would soon begin preparing for the cultural festival, and once that started, we might not have much time to talk.
That’s why I wanted to see Mashiro today, and with my bag slung over my shoulder, I was just about to leave the classroom to head to Class 1 next door, where she was—but then—
“Hey, Shindo-kun. I need to talk to you.”
“Himeno Karen…”
Standing behind the classroom door, which had been left wide open, was Himeno Karen, arms crossed.
She usually went home after school with Fusegawa Raito, always looking cheerful. But for some reason, today she was waiting for me outside the classroom.
Caught off guard by Himeno Karen’s irritated glare, I froze. My classmates, watching the scene unfold, began whispering among themselves.
“Hey, looks like Shindo pissed off Himeno-san.”
“Himeno-san’s actually mad… Must’ve been Shindo Ryusuke who did something again, huh?”
“Well, he is a delinquent after all…”
Suppressing a sigh, I gave a strained smile. Himeno Karen, for some reason, turned her sharp gaze toward the whispering classmates.
“I’m not mad, okay? Can you guys stop making stuff up?”
Her intensity shut everyone up. With a huff through her nose, Himeno Karen turned back to me.
“Shindo-kun, do you have a moment? Can you come with me?”
“You’re asking if I have time… Is it okay for you to be talking to me?”
“It’s fine. Actually, I was wondering if you were heading to see that childhood friend you’re always with.”
“Well, yeah, that was the plan. But I’ve got time.”
Mashiro was staying late after school for the cultural festival prep, so I could see her anytime. We were both used to that little bit of loneliness.
Judging by Himeno Karen’s serious expression, she clearly had something important to say. It was probably something that would greatly affect the story of Fusekoi—a sign of an irregularity that never existed in the original.
If I ignored this, I’d definitely regret it later. That was the kind of gut feeling I had, so I decided to hear her out.
“So, what’s this about? Are we talking here?”
“Not here. Too many people around… I want to talk just the two of us.”
Himeno Karen glanced at the classmates inside the room, her expression clouding slightly. Seeing that, I stepped out of the classroom.
“There’s a quiet café near the school. Would that work?”
“Yes. I’d rather avoid being overheard by other students, so somewhere outside school would be best.”
“Got it. Let’s go then.”
As I started walking, Himeno Karen silently followed. We changed into our outdoor shoes at the entrance and left the school together.
The café I mentioned had a calm atmosphere, a wide food menu, and the master brewed excellent coffee—it was one of my favorites.
Sometimes I’d go there with Mashiro and spend a relaxing time. Since not many students from Kio Academy High School visited, it was like a hidden spot for us.
When we opened the door, the bell rang and the master noticed us. It was a weekday afternoon, so we were the only customers. He guided us to the quietest table in the back.
Himeno Karen and I sat across from each other, opened the menu, and got ready to talk.
If it were Mashiro and me, we’d enjoy the café’s ambiance while chatting. But Himeno Karen wore a troubled expression, as if something was weighing heavily on her mind, and I felt incredibly awkward.
After a long silence, Himeno Karen rested her elbows on the table, clasped her hands, and let out a deep breath. Then she raised her face and looked straight at me.
“Um… First, thanks for making time to talk with me.”
“It seemed like something important. I couldn’t just ignore it.”
“True. If you’d left me hanging back there, I think I’d have been pretty hurt.”
Himeno Karen’s stiff expression softened into a teasing smile. Seeing that, I felt a bit relieved too.
…Now then, what kind of conversation was about to unfold?
There wasn’t even a hint that she wanted to get closer to me. During the cultural festival planning, she’d been cooperative with me, but now her expression was tense.
She was one of the heroines who surrounded the protagonist.
Normally, someone like her wouldn’t have any reason to talk one-on-one with the villain—me. In the original story I knew, there was no such scene. She was always beside Fusegawa Raito, smiling brightly, supporting the protagonist as his devoted childhood friend.
And yet, here she was, wanting to talk to me alone. A bad feeling crept in, and my throat went dry from the tension.
“Shindo-kun. Mind if I ask you something first?”
“Sure, I don’t mind. What do you want to know?”
“…Why did you suddenly start coming to school? I heard that not long after enrolling at Kio Academy High School, you stopped showing up.”
“Yeah. I started skipping school after Golden Week.”
“But then, after a while, you started coming again. And it was like your infamous delinquent reputation from middle school had been a lie—you were acting like a model student.”
What Himeno Karen was talking about was the moment I reincarnated into the world of Fusekoi and resolved to start over.
The moment I decided to change from a hopeless villain and live seriously.
To make Mashiro smile, I’d fought against the fate of the story with everything I had.
That was something that never existed in the original, and to Himeno Karen, my sudden shift to being earnest must’ve looked bizarre. A guy who’d been steeped in darkness suddenly trying to be decent—it was no wonder she found it strange.
I could understand her curiosity, but I felt like there was another reason behind her question.
“I do think I’ve become way more serious about school life compared to before. But does Himeno-san really need to know why? I mean, we’re classmates, sure, but we’re not close. We’re just in the same class—there’s no need to know each other deeply.”
“Yeah, we’re not close. Honestly… I don’t like you. I never intended to get involved with you.”
“But now, Himeno-san is trying to learn about someone she dislikes. You waited outside the classroom just to talk to me alone—that’s not normal, is it?”
“…What are you trying to say?”
“The reason you decided to act. That’s what I want to know. If you’ll tell me that, I’ll answer your question too.”
“I see… So if I want to ask more, I have to answer first.”
Himeno Karen crossed her arms with a grim look, biting her lower lip as she stared at me in frustration.
Then, still wearing that troubled expression, she murmured softly.
“…Raito’s been acting strange. Ever since the day you started coming to school, it’s like he’s a different person.”