My Childhood Friend Seems to be the Main Heroine. - Chapter 27

　Objectively, Machigane Riri is a beautiful girl.

 

　Her face is so neat and perfect that it could be mistaken for a doll.

　She has long, silky, flaxen hair that is unique for a Japanese person and beautiful eyes like lapis lazuli.

　At 170 centimetres, she is quite tall for a girl, and her legs and waist are slender and thin, giving her a model figure.

　In addition to this, her bre*sts and bottom are full and plump for her age. She is a perfect beauty, the embodiment of every man’s ideal.

 

　Such is Machigane Riri.

 

　She is so beautiful that everyone admires her, and of course, many men have confessed their love for her in her first life.

　In elementary school, junior high school, high school, college, and even adult society, there was no end to the number of men whispering their love to her.

 

　However, for some reason, she time leaps to her second life, and though elementary school and middle school remained the same, they surprisingly changed the moment she entered high school.

 

　The reason for this is probably due to that boy, who is now Riri’s childhood friend.

　She goes to and from school with him every day, and recently she has been making and giving him lunch boxes.

　Although they look like a couple to the outside world, they are, in fact, not in a relationship but just good friends from childhood.

 

　Many students think that they are dating.

　Riri, however, did not intend to actively clear up the misunderstanding.

　It would be more convenient for her to do so.

 

　But it seems that her time is running out.

 

“But, well, it’s impossible.”

 

　Riri muttered to herself as she opened the shoe box.

　On the top shelf of the shoe box was a white letter.

　Riri takes out her shoes and the letter at the same time.

 

“Oh, a love letter? “

 

　Then, Saito, the boy next to her, caught her eye.

　Target locked on.

 

　Saito’s eyes are completely focused on the letter.

　He seems to be very interested in the letter.

　It seems impossible to go to class without mentioning it.

 

“I haven’t seen the content, so I don’t know.”

“I see. Well, is there a chance that it could be an appreciation fan letter? “

“That would be interesting.”

 

　Riri put aside Saito’s foolish talk about the possibility that the letter might be an anachronism and opened the letter’s contents.

 

[Please come to the roof of the new school building after school today. I have something important to tell you.]

 

　The letter’s contents were typical call letters that she had seen many times in her previous life. No name is written.

 

　As expected, it is almost the same as what Riri expected.

　If she went there after school, she would most likely get a confession.

　Riri thought about the past, and now she felt heavy.

 

“How is it? “

“He asked me to come to the roof after school.”

“A duel?”

“I hope so.”

 

　Riri puts the letter in a sealed envelope and heads for the classroom, exchanging pleasantries with her childhood friend, distracting herself.

 

* * *

 

　Time passed uneventfully, and after school came.

　Riri gets ready to go to the rooftop in a dejected mood.

 

　To tell the truth, she does not want to go to the rooftop.

　It’s because the answer is fixed.

　Riri is unable to reciprocate the other’s feelings.

　The thought of going up there to tell him is too much for her.

 

　But he must have had the courage to send this letter.

　It would be reasonable for her to show her sincerity to him.

 

“Saito, you can go home first.”

“Oh, okay. See you later, Riri.”

“Bye, Saito.”

 

　She tells Saito, who she usually goes home with, to go home first today.

　The only one who knows what’s going on.

 

　She heads for the rooftop with steady steps.

　While everyone else is going down the stairs, they look at Riri, who is moving back up the stairs, but she ignores them and keeps going.

 

　She comes to the door of the rooftop.

　Although she is not the one that confesses, she gets nervous in this situation.

　Though she is not as nervous as the first time because she has done it many times in the past.

　She takes a deep breath once, and then she opens the door after she has made up her mind.

 

“Are you here…? Sigh〜, I’m so nervous.”

 

　No one is at the door, and Riri sighs that she has been unnecessarily nervous.

 

　The sender of the letter has not arrived yet.

　Riri sits on a bench and reads a book to pass the time until the sender arrives.

 

　Five minutes later, the door to the rooftop opened, and he saw a tall boy standing there.

　When he met her eyes, he looked surprised and rushed toward her.

 

　She has never seen this boy before.

　So he must be a boy from another class.

 

“I’m sorry. I called you and I was late.”

 

　He comes up to her and immediately bows his head and apologizes.

 

“I haven’t been waiting that long. It’s no problem. But please, at least start with the sender’s name. To be honest, I half suspected it was a prank.”

“I’m sorry. I’m nervous because this is my first time writing something like this. I’m Mitsuki Toda. It’s nice to meet you.”

 

　When she received his apology and told him that she did not mind, he was relieved, but when she told him about the missing name, he became flustered and panicked.

　He must be a timid and honest person, she thought.

 

　Riri thinks that Toda is probably not a bad person, but she can’t help but see someone’s shadows in his appearance, and it irritates her.

 

“I don’t care that much. Anyway, why did you call me to the rooftop? “

 

　He felt like he was going to get in trouble if he kept staring at her, so he quickly cut to the chase.

 

“Well, the reason is… umm〜〜! Machigane Riri-san! I fell in love with you the first time I saw you. I like you. Please go out with me. “

 

　Bowing his head and holding out his right hand, Toda tells her how much he loves her.

 

　But it’s not enough.

　It’s too flimsy.

　While this may be a reasonable motive, Riri is not kind enough to be won over by such things.

 

　──Don’t be silly.

　──Do you think I’m only that much?

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

　Riri replies in a straightforward manner, and a few moments of quiet, dry laughter follow.

 

“Aha…ha, I-I see. Well, I think we’re done here. Thank you very much for your time today.”

 

　With these words, Toda leaves the rooftop.

 

“Haa〜, I still don’t like it. This kind of thing. “

 

　Riri sat down again on the bench and complained.

　She feels guilty when someone looks like a victim like that, even though she did nothing wrong.

　That’s why she doesn’t like it.

 

　She doesn’t like it when a stranger confesses to her.

　If a stranger confesses with an insubstantial reason, there’s no way most people will accept it.

 

　──Why can’t they understand such a simple thing?

　──I wish they could put themselves in the person being confessed’s shoes.

 

　Riri hates herself the most for even thinking such a thing.

　This is when she feels the ugliest about herself.

 

　I can’t stay here like this.

 

　Intuitively feeling this way, Riri takes her luggage and leaves the school alone.

　She thinks walking will change things, but the sinking feeling does not recede.

　She trudges homeward with a weak gait.

 

(The other person is trying so hard, but I look down on him. I don’t like it────)

 

“Hyah! ? !”

 

　As she was feeling self-loathing, she suddenly felt a cold object on her neck, and she screamed.

　She turned around to see Saito, who was sucking on a white soda-flavored ice cream Papico.

 

“Why are you here? Maybe you were waiting for me?”

 

　With a faint hope that he was waiting for her out of concern for her, she asked Saito.

 

“Well. I was having a nonsense conversation with Akashi at a convenience store while eating ice cream, and I just happened to find a woman with a grim look on her face.”

 

　But contrary to Riri’s expectation, Saito’s reason for being here is quite normal. He was not waiting for Riri.

　Riri is deeply disappointed.

 

　She wanted him to say that he had been waiting for her, even if it was a lie.

　It’s a girl’s heart.

 

“Why are you looking at other people’s faces and getting depressed? I don’t know, but I’ll give you this anyway, so cheer up.”

 

　Saito, who, of course, had no way of knowing what was going on in his childhood friend’s heart, wondered about the girl who suddenly became dejected, but as he had planned, he offered her a bottle of Papico, the lid of which had not yet been opened.

 

“Thanks.”

“My treat. Eat it. And be sure to pay me back someday.”

“What, ah, that’s mine!”

“Hey, Akashi, don’t say unnecessary things. I’ll get you a new one later.”

 

　Saito immediately shut Akashi’s mouth as he hesitantly claimed it as his own and said, “Well, I’ll see you later, Riri. ” and returned to the convenience store.

 

　Riri laughed as she watched the two of them move away to the convenience store.

　Afterward, she ate the ice cream he gave her, and she felt a little better.