Is It Permissible To Abandon a Childhood Friend Who Has Become a School Idol and Be Happy

77

“Why…”

A hoarse voice escaped my lips.

I couldn’t tell whose voice it was at first, but it didn’t take long to realize that it was coming from my own throat.

Because there were only two of us here.

If it wasn’t Mio, who else could it be but me?

“Mio, is that… really you?”

As soon as I said it, I realized how stupid it sounded.

You just said it yourself, didn’t you?

You said there was only you and Mio here.

You should know that, and yet…

“Yes, it’s me.”

See, there it is.

It was a short but clear affirmation.

There was no room for doubt anymore. The girl in front of me was definitely Mio.

“U, uh…”

But still, why?

A wave of nausea washed over me.

It was as if I had heard something I didn’t want to hear, seen something I didn’t want to see.

“Are you okay, Beniy? You look pale.”

Ah, Mio seemed worried.

It was a voice I had known for a long time. Mio had always been a worrier.

She wasn’t very strong herself, but she always fussed over me.

It was pointless to remember that now. Why?

“I’m fine…”

What did I mean by fine?

My health? My sanity?

I swallowed hard, but my mouth was dry.

I had just had breakfast, but my mouth was already parched.

(Wait…? What did I have for breakfast this morning?)

It had only been a few minutes ago, but I couldn’t remember.

What could it be? Something’s wrong. My awakening wasn’t as bad as that, so why—?

“What’s wrong, Beniyasha-kun? You look awful.”

The girl in front of me giggled as she watched my head start to spin.

It was a mischievous, innocent smile, the opposite of concern, like a child who had pulled off a successful prank.

Mio. Was Mio—the kind of girl who would laugh with a face like that?

“Th-that’s not it…”

“What’s not it?”

Mio asked without missing a beat, despite my denial.

She knows, and yet she asks.

She’s waiting for my answer. No, that’s not right. I’ve been manipulated into having to answer.

She’s created a situation where I can’t ignore her.

I can’t help but chuckle to myself. Even after a personality change, my mind still works the same way.

This information is useless to me.

“Why did you dye your hair?”

It was a simple, obvious question.

I should have asked it first, but I had taken a long, unnecessary detour before finally getting to the point.

It’s just like me.

I can’t say what I need to say when I need to say it. I can’t hear what I need to hear.

I know it’s pointless to stall and waste time, but I still do it…

“A makeover, maybe? What do you think? Do I look different?”

She said, twirling around again.

She certainly looks different, but it’s so strange.

She’s always been a little odd, but now Mio is even more so.

It’s like I’m looking at a completely different person.

“You are a different person.”

I felt a chill run down my spine.

“Huh?”

“I’m Mio, but I’m not Mio. You don’t understand that, do you, Beniyasha-kun?”

Her voice was cold.

But at the same time, it seemed to be filled with passion.

“No, I understand, but I’m just trying to ignore it. Well, whatever. I thought this would be the quickest way to get you to look at me. Did you know that 80% of the information humans receive comes through their vision?”

It’s a contradiction. Cold but passionate. It doesn’t make sense.

But if it does make sense, then the person who feels that way must be crazy.

I’m sure that anyone who feels that way would feel the same.

“I’ve often heard that humans aren’t very visual, but in the end, that’s just a cop-out. Despite the clear data, there are still so many people in the world who believe emotional arguments. It’s ridiculous. We’ re supposed to be living in an advanced age, but there are still so many people who believe the outdated words of someone from the past. Maybe that just means that humans don’t evolve that much.”

“…What are you trying to say?”

It’s hard to make a judgment when all you’re doing is rambling on and on without getting to the point.

“I want you to believe what you see right now.”

“What I see…”

“What do you think of me now? Do I look like Mio? Or am I different?”

“Who are you?” she asks me, firing questions at me one after another.

Mio’s voice says that she’s different.

“Then, who the hell are you?”

“Because I’m Mio. I’m a different Mio, but I’m Mio.”

Then, she says something incomprehensible.

Mio, but not Mio. Not Mio, but Mio.

I don’t understand what she’s saying.

I’ve felt it all along, but there’s something off about this Mio.

There’s no doubt that it’s connected to this sense of discomfort.

“I don’t understand what you mean…”

“Kouya-kun, you just have to think of me as Mio. It’s simple, right?”

Like hell it’s simple.

All I know right now is that this Mio is hopelessly fixed on me.