What If I Told Tomori-san, The Girl Who's Cold Only Towards Me, That I Knew Her Secret Account? - V2 Chapter 7.1

What Lies Beyond Connections 1

【Did you hear the rumor about C?】

【Did she recently have a fight with A-chan? They say she didn’t talk to each other at school either.】

【During this time right before the closing ceremony? What’s the reason?】

【They say C picked a fight with S-san.】

【Huh? What’s that about!? C is like A’s pet goldfish! How could she do something terrible to S-san!?】

【Well, it can’t be helped, C was being cocky, so…】

【K is annoying too, but C was acting all high and mighty was worse; she’s pretending to be A-chan’s best friend.】

【Isn’t C the one who plays the piano at the prom? I mean, even in the past, she wasn’t that great, but now that she’s like this… we can’t expect anything, huh?】

The time is 9:25 PM.

Without changing out of my uniform, I was looking at my smartphone in my room.

The bulletin board of the Aisu Academy secret site.

Overflowing, It was full of slander not only against Kagisaka-kun but also against Chifuyu.

“Why…!”

The rumor spreads too quickly.

It’s only been two days since then, and yet…!

“They even found Chifuyu’s actions toward Seira-san.”

No, calm down. Switch your thoughts.

I don’t know why the information spread so rapidly.

But the issue I should be focusing on right now isn’t there.

『Because you saw me as someone weaker than you and looked down on me.』

No matter how many times I try to forget, Chifuyu’s words from that day rise up like zombies and attack me.

Because of Chifuyu, I longed to be a defender of justice.

I was happy that I could help Chifuyu.

So, as Chifuyu said, maybe I unconsciously looked down on her? Because I gained a sense of self-approval by helping the weaker Chifuyu?

If that’s the case…

“… What’s the point of being a defender of justice?”

Maybe I’ve only been thinking about things that make me feel good.

Even my past actions seem like hypocrisy for the sake of gaining superiority.

(Should I just stop all the consultations, stop helping others altogether…?)

Such thoughts cross my mind.

“And if I stop helping people… if I reset my partnership with Kagisaka-kun…”

At the very least.

He might no longer face slander on the secret site.

“…But…”

No, I don’t want that.

I can’t bear the thought of resetting our relationship.

Almost on the verge of tears, I hug the large Golden Retriever plushie that was on my bedside.

Since parting ways with Chifuyu at Yomisaka Land, Kagisaka-kun got me this plushie from a claw machine at the amusement park arcade area.

Of course, I wasn’t in the mood to continue the date.

Even the modest wish to bring a beaming smile to Kagisaka-kun vanished like a bubble.

Still, in his own way, he must have tried to cheer me up.

He is kind, and I’m the only one that knows that.

He’s a rather unsociable troublemaker who hardly ever smiles, but deep down, he’s an incredibly kind person. That’s why I love him.

I love him from the bottom of my heart.

But…

“If, we weren’t partners anymore…”

We might not be able to spend time together like we do now.

Just thinking about that made me so scared that I felt like I might burst into tears.

I want to be friends with Kagisaka-kun.

I have been wishing for it one by one since I entered high school.

I wanted to get close to him.

I wanted to teach him the importance of forming connections, especially since he rejects them.

I thought that if we had the bond of friendship, a future full of happiness would be waiting. But…

“…I’m scared.”

What I remember is Kagisaka-kun when we played together at the pool.

His smile as he interacted with me like any regular friend.

(Back then, I was happy just to see Kagisaka-kun smile.)

Because we’ve formed a connection, now I’m terrified of losing that connection.

The same goes for Chifuyu.

We’ve been friends since we were children. If this incident causes our relationship to break…!

“Ugh!”

To drown out the growing anxiety in my heart, I hold the plushie tight.

Maybe I should just pour out these feelings on my secret account?

If I do that, maybe this unease will disappear a bit…

“Huh!?”

It was when I picked up my smartphone.

A LINE call came in from Kagisaka-kun.

“Hello? What’s wrong at this hour? “

“Nothing. It’s normal for friends to call each other.”

My partner said that against the backdrop of the city’s noise.

Could it be that he’s calling from outside? But why a call…?

(Is it possible he’s worried about me…?)

My heart, which was like a desert without any moisture, was filled with faint hope.

“Hey, Tomori. What are you planning to do about Kazami?”

“Well…”

I don’t know.

It’s the first time something like this has happened.

Come to think of it, I’ve never had a fight with Chifuyu before——

“Are you hesitating? Then the answer is simple.”

” …. “

‘What do you mean?’ When I ask back, Kagisaka-kun delivers his words with a cold voice.

“If you’re hesitating, cut ties with Kazami.”

“!?”

“Tomori has lots of friends. What does it matter if Kazami is no longer your friend? Besides, at the pool incident, Kazami was undoubtedly in the wrong. What she did was the worst.”

Stop it.

Why are you suddenly saying such harsh things?

“Kazami blamed Tomori at the pool, but I think that was because she was annoyed her plan went wrong. If you can make Tomori your ally, you won’t get bullied like before.”

No, that’s not it.

Certainly, I was hurt by those words at that time.

But Chifuyu…

“She just wanted to be by Tomori’s side for her own benefit. It gives her a sense of superiority as the best friend of ‘Everyone’s Friends.’ She must have had plenty of fun up until now. But for her to hurt you like that, she’s not worth being friends with… “

“Stop!”

More with anger than sadness, I was yelling.

“If you keep insulting Chi-chan, I won’t forgive you!”

I called Chifuyu by a nickname I had stopped calling her since we entered high school.

『Geez, Tomorin!』

Maybe because I called her by her nickname after a long time, memories of when I used to play at Chifuyu’s house in elementary school resurfaced.

『Don’t just play the piano however you want!』

『Haha, sorry, sorry. Inspiration struck me』

『What’s important in playing a duet is syncing with your partner. But if you play however you want, I can’t sync with you…』

『It’s okay! If it’s you, Chi-chan, you can do it!』

『Again with that! Do you think if you say that line, I’ll do anything for you?』

『Oh, did I get caught?』

『Of course! You said the same thing last time to get me to explore the city with you…』

『But it was so much fun, right?』

『Well…I guess…』

『Then it’s fine, isn’t it? It was great to be able to explore the city freely! So let me play the duet however I want too!』

『Geez, in this duet, I’m supposed to sync with you, Tomorin!』While complaining, the glasses-wearing, braided Chifuyu smiled happily.

(——That’s right.)

I was happy back then.

Happy that my shy childhood friend, who had difficulty opening up to others, was smiling.

Even though she wasn’t good at expressing her feelings outwardly, I knew she was a very nice girl.

(Chifuyu used to call herself a ‘unreliable person’…)

There’s no way that’s true!

Talking to Chifuyu and playing together… those things are important to me!

“If you’re getting that angry…”

Kagisaka-kun’s voice from the smartphone changes.

The coldness from before is nowhere to be found.

It sounds warm, like he’s trying to feed milk to a lost puppy.

“For Tomori, Kazami must be an important close friend, right?”

“!”

“The reason Tomori didn’t rely on Kazami is not because you looked down on her. Because you’re kind, you didn’t want her to get involved in unnecessary danger or trouble. Kazami is that important to you, right? In that case, shouldn’t you stop hesitating and reconcile with her properly?”

“K-Kagisaka-kun? Wait, you…”

“Well, it’s probably better if it’s not through the phone——”

Immediately after, the intercom buzzed.

I quickly left my room and raced down the hallway of the house, which was empty except for me.