What If I Told Tomori-san, The Girl Who's Cold Only Towards Me, That I Knew Her Secret Account? - V2 Chapter 3.2

I Want to Hold You 2

Though I never aimed to win the Aiyu Award, and I’m not good at the idea of competing with my academy friends.

“But…”

I remember Seira-san being awarded in the auditorium last year.

『Thank you. I’m really happy to have won Aiyu Award two years in a row, and I will work hard to achieve my goal of winning the Aiyu Award three years in a row.』

She looked so radiant on stage as if it was only natural for her to be called ‘Everyone’s admiration’.

 《S-san would never say mean things to hide her embarrassment, that’s for sure.》

 《Like S-san, if I work hard towards my goal, would K-kun start to like me?》

《But I don’t have any goals other than helping others…》

Even if I tweet about it on my secret account, my sadness won’t go away.

If he were asked which one he’d choose as his partner, I’m sure Kagisaka-kun would choose Seira-san.

If they became a couple, being at home together might not just be about studying. 

Maybe the things I bought today would be put to use.

” ….. “

I imagined them embracing each other on the bed in their natural state (naked), and my tears almost welled up.

“No, don’t get depressed!”

Without resorting to sarcasm, I should ask Kagisaka-kun properly. 

They might really just be childhood friends, after all!

“Huh?”

I noticed it right then.

A black smartphone is under the table.

It belongs to Kagisaka-kun.

“Did he forget it?”

I couldn’t help but pick it up and gaze at it.

(…I wonder what his lock screen is?)

He mentioned that he likes dogs, so maybe it’s a picture of his family’s Sakura-chan?

“Or… maybe it’s me?”

No, no.

I’m surely going overboard with my imagination.

Even I wouldn’t do something so embarrassing.

(Well… I almost did.)

The other day when we were studying at Hoshimiya Coffee, I secretly took a photo of Kagisaka-kun in his casual clothes. 

He was seriously solving the problem sets, and it was such a cute moment.

I repeatedly looked at the photo in my room, giggling. And before I knew it, I almost set it as my wallpaper.

“!?”

An incoming call.

On Kagisaka-kun’s smartphone screen, there was a notification from a chat app. 

Startled, my fingers accidentally touched the notification——

“Ah, Senpai!?”

I was even more surprised.

The voice coming from the speaker was undoubtedly that of a girl.

Wait, wait, wait.

Who is this person?

“Hehe, thanks for picking it up! Sorry? I really wanted to talk to you… so I called you on the spur of the moment!”

“Um, he’s not here right now…!”

It was just a reflex response barely two seconds later.

“——Wait. Who are you?”

The friendly tone from before was gone.

Instead, there was a freshly squeezed, 100% genuine hostility.

“Why do you have Senpai’s phone?”

“Well, I’m… I’m his friend.”

Maybe I’m being mistaken for a thief or something.

I wanted to explain and clear up the misunderstanding, but… I don’t know, this voice sounds something like I’ve heard it somewhere before.

“Oh, really? Even if you’re friends, isn’t it rude to answer someone’s call without permission?”

“Well, you see…”

“Wait, are you some kind of stalker following Senpai!?”

“What!? Why would you think that!?”

“Senpai is popular, you know. It wouldn’t be strange if there’s a weird girl peeking into his phone.”

“I really am his friend! As proof, we’re studying together at home right now——”

“——Home?”

Ah-no, I stepped on a landmine!

The moment I heard her voice trembling with anger, I realized my mistake.

“Did you just say ‘Home’?”

“Err…”

“You’re at Senpai’s house?”

“No, it’s not like that. This is… my house.”

“Huh, I see. So you forced him to come there.”

“Wait, why are you treating me like the bad guy——”

“Shut up, you naughty home-wrecking bitch!”

“Isn’t that nickname too harsh!? And what’s with this reaction…”

Wait, could it be? This girl… does she know Kagisaka-kun?

“…I let my guard down. I never thought Senpai would attract a bug…”

“B-bug!? I’m not….!”

“But too bad for you! I’m definitely closer to him! We were together all night yesterday!”

“What!? You mean…!”

“We were playing online games together until dawn!”

“…ah, I see, playing games.”

I’m relieved it wasn’t something strange.

However, my suspicions have turned into certainty.

(This girl is one of Kagisaka-kun’s online otaku friends.)

And undoubtedly!

This girl also likes Kagisaka-kun!

“——Just to let you know, it’s not just that!”

I’m sure she saw me as a love rival.

Like a territorial cat, she’s biting me over the phone.

“We also talked about this season’s anime and discussed our favorite characters!”

“Hmm.”

Alright, let’s stay composed.

Calling Kagisaka-kun ‘Senpai’ probably means she’s younger than me.

Even if she’s a love rival, I need to show the composure of someone older.

“And, it’s not like we always talk about otaku stuff! The other day, when we had a video call, Senpai complimented my casual outfit!”

“!?”

O-okay, let’s calm down.

Even if she’s a love rival, I must maintain my composure…!

“We talked about various things that night.”

“…!”

“We were on the call for a good three hours. But it wasn’t boring at all. The next day, Senpai sent me a DM saying he was happy to talk with me after a long time.”

I heard a snap in my mind.

Something like rationality, patience, or my pride as someone older broke.

“O-Oh, really〜? That’s interesting〜.”

Uh-oh, my hand holding the phone is trembling uncontrollably.

But, I can’t stop now, can I?

If it were about something else, I wouldn’t get so angry, but when she blatantly tries to assert her dominance over Kagisaka-kun, I can’t just stay silent, can I?

“You’re pretty close~.”

“Hmph. Isn’t that obvious?”

“But, I’m also pretty close to him, you know?”

“Ha?”

Alright, did I catch her off guard?

Without missing a beat, I start my counterattack.

“I gave him bento three times a week!”

“!? W-wait, that’s…”

“The other day, we even held hands like a lover!”

“…ah!”

“And, you know… he’s even seen my underwear before!”

“Whaaat!?”

A deafening scream comes through the speaker.