As I Know Anything About You, I'll Be The One To Your Girlfriend, Aren't I? - Volume 1 Chapter 5.7

What Red Means to You 7

Kujo’s PoV

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Sitting next to me on the bench at the bus stop, Ado-san, while omitting some details, finally finished explaining his situation to me.

“There’s something I must say.”

She continued quietly.

Her voice was colder than one could imagine from the bright and cheerful demeanor she had shown at school. Her eyes looking at me were as dark as if they had been steeped in shadow.

“If something happens to Kuuya, and if it’s caused by you, I will eliminate you from his surroundings. By any means necessary.”

“…I don’t intend to trouble him either, but you’re saying there’s a possibility?”

“As I’ve explained, Kuuya feels pain when red—when love is directed at him from others. Your affection could potentially be causing him mental strain.”

“Wait, wait, I have a poker face, as you see. I can’t believe it’s noticeable…!”

“…Unfortunately, it’s quite obvious. Indeed, your expression may be neutral, but, senpai, you’re too easy to read in other aspects.”

“…Ah, no way.”

“It’s not a lie. In fact, you’re on the easier side to read.”

Regrettable as it is, the woman next to me is an expert on this. If she says so… then it must be true.

…Is it really?

…Ah!

I covered my face. It’s embarrassing, and… I feel sorry for Miyashiro-kun.

“To evade Kuuya’s gaze, you have to pass through numerous checkpoints.”

“…But you’ve been doing that for about four years already, right?”

“I’m good at controlling my body.”

But is that really possible? It’s not just about skill, but constant self-control is undoubtedly required.

I look at her face again.

Ado Suika. With her large, striking eyes, she has a doll-like adorable appearance.

But probably, this woman belongs to the category of monsters.

Despite entering that realm, she still wants to protect him.

…I often see Ado-san talking with Miyashiro-kun. Just yesterday, I saw them in the infirmary.

Honestly, I thought it was overprotective. Although I understand he’s not very physically strong, I wondered why she would go to such lengths for an older male and thought it was just Ado-san’s personality.

However, after hearing her story just now, I fully understand Ado-san’s feelings.

“That’s right. Certainly, you wouldn’t want to let anything harmful get close to him.”

“…Kuuya already doesn’t take very good care of himself.”

Ado-san’s words bring back the scene I saw in the art room that day. Miyashiro-kun was painting with a heavy body but with a determined back.

──In this world, …even if it’s not beautiful, it would be good if there was one more painting that could accompany someone’s pain, suffering, or loneliness. That’s what I think.

──That’s why I paint. That’s all there is to it.

…While saying such things.

“I want him to be happy.”

The woman sitting next to me, not looking at me but somewhere far away, muttered softly.

“He’s had enough hardship. And yet, he still tries to make others happy at his own expense. …That shouldn’t be.”

“…”

“I want him to be happy. I want him to be happy. I want him to be happy. …Even though I think that, I can’t suppress it.”

Her voice, sounding indifferent, therefore revealed her inner conflict.

“I can’t suppress the feeling of wanting him. Even though such feelings are terrifying for him. …Really, the one who should be furthest from him is me, more than anyone else.”

“…You’re in a complicated love, aren’t you?”

“…Could you please keep this between us?”

A bus arrived from down the road. It was fairly crowded but not too much to get on.

“Of course. …Let’s go.”

Standing up, I boarded the bus that had stopped in front of us. Ado-san followed immediately.

We didn’t speak a word inside the bus.

Upon reaching our destination, we got off. It was an ordinary place. A bus stop facing a major street, with narrow paths nearby.

“Now, the question is where Miyashiro-kun went from here. Any ideas?”

“…Around here, there’s nowhere in particular that Kuuya would likely go… If we’re going by process of elimination, he probably didn’t go that way. It’s not certain, though.”

Ado-san pointed towards the east side of the main street.

“Why?”

“If you go that way, you’ll reach a shopping district. If the people there saw Kuuya wandering alone, they would definitely contact me. Especially if something seemed off. Since I haven’t received any calls, I guess he didn’t go that way.”

“Hey, can I say what I’m thinking?”

“…Please do.”

“Your human surveillance system is honestly creepy…”

“…I, I don’t want to hear that from a stalker who illegally collects personal information!”

“Well, that’s true.”

Sadly, I couldn’t deny it.

“By the way, I consider myself a stalker, but what should we call someone like you? Hmm… Humanity hasn’t discovered enough of your kind to categorize you yet, so I can’t find the right word.”

“…Perhaps you’re right.”

“Let’s temporarily call you a biased, malicious yandere woman.”

Ado-san bit her lip and looked down in defeat.

“Using people around you to thoroughly monitor and manipulate Miyashiro-kun’s environment, you’re really a top-tier troublemaker.”

“…S, S, Shut up! I don’t want anything dangerous getting close to Kuuya! Like you!”

“Don’t treat me like a hazardous material. At least for now, I’m somewhat useful.”

“What use does a criminal have?”

“Quiet, you’re violating human rights. I don’t think Miyashiro-kun went in the direction you’re pointing, either.”

I said, pointing in the opposite direction to the west, which Ado-san had indicated.

“Why do you think that?”

“Miyashiro-kun’s smartwatch can connect to free Wi-Fi, a model without much discretion. And there’s a game center a little further from here, right?”

The building with a slightly stylish exterior was visible even from our current location.

“They spread strong free Wi-Fi that even reaches a bit away from the store. Miyashiro-kun has connected to it before with his smartwatch, and the settings should automatically connect him again if he gets close.”

I took out my smartphone and launched the Miyashiro-kun monitoring app. Checking the “current location” information, there were no updates.