NOVEL NEXT Chapter 43
“Uwaaaaah…! Uwaaaaahhh!!”
“I’ve never seen anyone wail in despair like that before.”
The words just slipped out as I watched Chiaki collapse in front of her phone. It felt like a rare and valuable glimpse into what happens to a person when their embarrassing moments get publicly shared.
Naturally, I took another picture. The scene—teary-eyed, collapsed in an “orz” pose, wearing just an apron and a bikini—looked a bit… well, questionable. It wasn’t exactly something you’d want to show just anyone. Not that I ever planned to show it to anyone outside our group, anyway.
“Did I just hear a shutter sound!? You took another one!? Even though I’m this devastated!?”
“Yeah, but it was hilarious.”
“Do you even have a heart…?”
Who are you calling heartless?
“So, Chiaki, how do you feel about having your embarrassing moments spread to your friends?”
“Didn’t you see what just happened!? I’m bawling here! I was seriously about to cry! Why would you do that to me!?”
“And why did you do *that*?”
“That’s my line!!”
Actually, it’s *my* line. If you ask why I did it, the answer is simple: when someone does something stupid, you call in their guardians to deal with it.
As for my side of things, there’s no way to rationalize what Chiaki did. Anyone with a basic sense of decency would question why someone would wear nothing but an apron and bikini to try and seduce someone.
“I didn’t think Haruto-kun would have such poor net literacy…”
“And I didn’t expect Chiaki to be this lacking in common sense… though I guess I always kind of knew.”
“Hey!!”
“Stalking and breaking into people’s homes.”
“Ugh…!”
Pitiful. She clearly doesn’t realize the difference in cards we’re holding. No matter how much you try to brush off the past, the dark moments of your life will always find a way to sneak up behind you.
“Well, I don’t want you thinking I’m some kind of tech-illiterate or anything, so let me explain. I only ever take photos of things that are funny or harmless. And I definitely don’t plan to spread them around indiscriminately.”
“I mean, I know that… but still.”
“And besides, I only sent the video to Harusaki and the others. They’re not the kind of people who would do anything weird with it, right?”
“That’s true! I trust you, and I know they wouldn’t do anything, but…! That doesn’t make it less frustrating! It feels like you’ve completely cut off my ability to vent at you!”
“Well, what do you want me to do?”
I’d only explained to reassure her, but apparently it had the opposite effect. Though, she did say she trusted me, so that’s something.
“And another thing that bugs me… is how much trust you place in our group! You even made a special group chat without me knowing! Not that I mind, but haven’t we only just started getting to know each other? Are you secretly hanging out with them behind my back or something!?”
“They didn’t abandon you when you were caught doing illegal stuff, and they even helped you apologize. That’s enough of a reason for me, don’t you think?”
“…I can’t argue with that, but my feelings are still complicated! You don’t understand the delicate heart of a maiden!”
“You’re so lost in your own maze of emotions.”
“Haruto-kun, can we please just let this go for now? I’m seriously about to cry for real.”
“Uh, okay.”
Her tone was flat, but I nodded anyway. That one seemed like she was serious.
“So, anyway. What did they say? My group’s reaction was pretty much just a bunch of ‘uhh…’ and apologies.”
“I’ll ask you about that group later, and I want in, by the way. You *will* let me join.”
“Inviting the subject of a gossip group into the chat? Bold move.”
“Did you just openly call it a gossip chat!?”
Well, that’s literally what it is… And honestly, it’s the one getting gossiped about who’s at fault for doing stuff worth gossiping over.
“So, what did they say?”
“Winter laughed her head off. The other two, on the other hand, were *not* amused. They gave me quite the scolding.”
“Sounds like best friends to me.”
“Are you seriously still going on about that!? It makes me feel weird, like I’m losing to Touka! I don’t like it!”
“Maybe it’s because you tried to force closeness while it just happened naturally with Nakata?”
“…Okay. Haruto-kun, you really want to make me cry, don’t you? Fine, I’ll give you what you want.”
“Sorry!”
That definitely wasn’t my intention. I was just saying what came to mind.
“So, they laughed, scolded you, and that was it? That’s kind of anticlimactic.”
“It was *not* anticlimactic! In fact, I’ve been told I’m going to get scolded again during our next practice! Another Edo-period torture awaits me!”
“I looked that up, by the way. It’s called ‘Ishidaki.’”
“You sound way too detached! Can’t you show a little sympathy!?”
“I mean, isn’t it kind of a regular thing for you? You seem to go through this pretty often.”
“As if I want that kind of painful regularity!”
Apparently, Chiaki’s encounters with Edo-period torture started after she met me. …Doesn’t that mean this is all her fault?
“Ugh, Haruto-kun is so cold. Even when I put my body on the line, you don’t react at all…”
“That’s because you’re putting it on the line for the wrong reasons.”
“Still! You could at least show some reaction!”
“Anyway.”
“ANYWAY!?”
Yeah, anyway. We’ve already been over this.
“Can I eat now? You went through all that trouble to cook, and I’d rather eat it while it’s still hot.”
“…Haruto-kun, you’re so unfair.”
What’s unfair? Food is best enjoyed hot, right? Please don’t call me a tsundere; it gives me chills.