When I reunited with my arrogant childhood friend, she had become a talented and beautiful girl – Even though she has probably forgotten about me and I don’t want to be toyed with, for some reason she keeps getting involved with me!?

“…Haa.”

I sit on the bench where we once ate crepes and remove my tights.

…It’s cooled down quite a bit. Or so it feels. My breathing has settled down quite a bit. Now my throat is getting dry.

Ah, I really want to drink something cold…

“Hya!?”

Suddenly, a cold sensation hits my cheek.

“Oh, sorry.”

Sato, holding a can of cola, apologizes with a slightly surprised look.

Despite his words, he doesn’t look sorry at all, so I give him a light punch.

Hmm… cola, huh. I was in the mood to drink something carbonated after sweating, so it’s a nice choice.

I gratefully accept it.

“Thank yo-GYAA!?”

The moment I open it, the cola spurts out and attacks my face.

Gah! My eyes!! It stings!!

“Ah, sorry. I don’t remember shaking it— Gmph!?”

I was pissed off, so I threw the black tights I had just taken off at Sato’s face.

I closed my eyes and threw it randomly, but it seems to have hit him.

“Did something happen?”

Sato says as he sits down next to me. Then he looks at me.

And then he closes the distance between us, where I am silent.

Close enough for our shoulders to touch. And he looks at me again.

“Are you, by any chance, trying to keep a distance from me?”

“…If you’ve noticed that much, why do you still talk to me?”

I look up at the sky in despair.

“Huh? No, because I’m worried.”

I’m worried, he says. Normally, that’s when you’d back off…

But saying that probably doesn’t mean anything to him.

“…At lunchtime. Everyone in class was telling you it would be better not to get involved with someone like me.”

“Oh, you heard that, huh?”

“…Didn’t you ask what I had done in middle school?”

I quickly cover my eyes with one arm.

“Ah, something about bullying a girl in class until she stopped coming to school.”

My past, which will never disappear. A mistake that cannot be forgiven by anyone. As long as this exists, no one will see me.

“Why would you want to get involved with a bully like that?”

“Huh? Because Nakano isn’t the type to hurt others, right?”

Usually, people would condemn me, or question whether it’s true. But Sato does none of that.

He truly doesn’t believe that I bullied anyone.

That’s why I didn’t understand.

“Why can you say that without knowing anything about me?”

“…Because I know.”

“…Huh?”

“I know that Nakano… would try to protect someone important, even if it hurts herself. I know that for sure.”

His voice, a little different from usual, carries a sense of seriousness.

That voice gives a strange sense of excitement that’s different from usual. I’ve felt this before…

“What do you mean by—”

“GYAAA!?”

Huh!?

At the sudden scream, I look at Sato, and the cola that had spurted out was attacking him.

Well, I knew opening the cola would do that!! But why open it now!?

“My eyes, my eyes!!”

“Pu…hahaha.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at how uncool he was.

He was doing so well until then… he really can’t keep it together…

“Seriously, hehe… What was that… Did you do it on purpose?”

“Huh, y-yeah… O-of course. It was all calculated. Everything went according to plan.”

“You don’t seem very convincing with those teary eyes, you know?”

“…Guh.”

We share a light laugh at the corniness of it all.

I wonder what would happen if I were to deny Sato’s words here?

There’s a chance he might never interact with me again. He might start treating me like a delicate object, like everyone else in class.

I… I wouldn’t want that.

I found myself thinking that quite strongly.

I don’t want Sato, who chased after me without being swayed by the class or rumors, to misunderstand.

“I’m not… I didn’t bully anyone.”

The words spilled out before I realized it.

But I have no intention of talking about what happened next. This is something I haven’t even told Akane.

If I talk about it, everything I’ve done so far will be in vain.

But, maybe…

No, no, no… That’s impossible. Even this is too much of a fantasy.

“Well, I thought that might be the case.”

I look at Sato’s face when I hear those words.

His eyes were looking at me.

“…Why do you believe what I said, rather than what everyone in class is saying?”

“Huh? Ah, well… I guess I believe what I want to believe?”

“Eh, what’s that…”

Seeing his smile, my heart starts to race a little.

Is it because of the setting sun, or maybe just a little… just a tiny bit, Sato seems…

I shake my head in surprise.

No, no… That’s not it. That’s definitely not it.

“Nakano? What’s wrong?”

He looks at me with concern as he notices my strange behavior.

Really… He doesn’t care about my feelings at all.

Ah, I don’t know. I’m starting to feel stupid for worrying about it.

I pick up my bag and stand up.

Sato.”

“Hm?”

“…Let’s go home. We’re watching that drama together, right?”

If that’s the case, I won’t hold back anymore.

“…Yeah.”

Again, he looks so happy.

“…Alright, then let’s head straight to my place.”

“Wait, are you planning to go home in your indoor shoes?”

“It’s fine. If we go home together, I won’t mind it.”

“Is that how it works?”

“That’s how it works.”

Saying that, I extend my hand to Sato with a smile.

“Ah…”

Sato takes my hand with a smile and stands up from the bench.

We start walking side by side.

“Hold on. If we finish watching the drama at your place, won’t I have to go home alone in my indoor shoes?”

“Oh, you caught me.”

“That’s not something to be ‘caught’ about. Lend me your shoes when I go home.”

Our hands touch each other from time to time.

Surely, this is the distance between us now.