“You’re here, Akito!”
“...Yeah.”
As I climbed the stairs, there was Riran, standing with her arms folded and legs apart in a defiant pose.
Because her arms were folded, her chest was even more emphasized... no, her breasts were actually resting on her arms.
She was wearing a thin white shirt. Thanks to the summer uniform, its size was even more prominent. It’s dangerous. It’s erotic.
And then there were those long legs stretching out from her skirt.
Since Riran was at the top of the stairs and I was at the bottom, they were naturally at my eye level... and that was also dangerous.
Not too thick, not too thin. They were so beautiful that if someone said “Riran’s legs,” this could only be it.
Riran has had an outstanding physical beauty since middle school. So much so that she became famous both inside and outside of school.
But back then, we were truly like cats and dogs. Natural enemies. Arch-enemies among arch-enemies.
Whenever she passed by, I would look away almost every single time. I didn’t want to get involved, and if she caught me looking, it would definitely turn into a fight.
That’s why this is the first time I’ve looked at her like this from the front... as I thought, Riran is a beautiful girl with about ten “supers” attached to her name...
“? Where are you looking...!?”
Oh, crap. She caught me looking at her legs.
Riran held down her skirt and stepped back, her face turning bright red and the corners of her eyes sharpening.
She bared her teeth like a fuming beast, and it felt like smoke was coming out of the corners of her mouth.
Scary, scary. That’s not a face a heroine should make.
I was totally put off by Riran’s intensity.
However, as if thinking of something, she closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath.
“I-I mustn’t run away, I mustn’t run away, I mustn’t run away, I mustn’t run away, I mustn’t run away...!”
“Eh, what boy are you? Are you going to become a legend?”
“I’m not!”
Ah, good. It’s the usual Riran.
Riran took her hands off the skirt she was holding and placed them on her hips with movements like a rusty robot.
Her face was still red. Not just her face. Her ears, her neck, and probably even her collarbones were red.
“I-I’ve decided. I’m not going to run away from you anymore!”
“Um... I’m not quite following what you’re saying.”
“I am!”
“Then tell the person involved.”
“Anyway! That’s how it is!”
Ehh... I have no idea what’s going on.
Leaving me in my confusion, Riran placed her hand on her chest and closed her eyes.
“I’ve always thought... Why am I always like this? Everyone else is so straightforward, so why am I the only one who isn’t...?”
No, I think there are few people as straightforward and dutiful as Riran.
Hmm... I don’t really understand, but I guess she has something she wants to say.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have called me to such a deserted place.
In that case, is it a man’s job to wait until Riran can say it?
“D-d-d-d-d-d. D-d-d-d-d. That’s-that’s-that’s why, um...!”
“Hey, idiot, stop. You’re stuttering so much you’ve become a Terminator.”
“Who are you calling a cat-shaped blue raccoon?!”
“That’s the wrong future!”
Whoops, I ended up retorting out of habit. Bad, bad.
“Riran, calm down. I’m right here, and I’ll stay quiet until you tell me.”
“...Yeah, thanks.”
Riran closed her eyes and took a deep breath to steel herself.
Once, twice. And then.
“...You know, I thought about it through the thing with Hiyori and Anrakuji-san. Those two are very straightforward and honest with their feelings. No, not just those two. Kotono-chan, Neika, Kurashiki... everyone around you is honest.”
Honest... I wonder if they can be called honest.
I only feel like they’re wild kids who are simply faithful to their own desires. Especially Kotono.
As I imagined their eccentricities, Riran fidgeted with her thumb and index finger in front of her chest.
“And so, um... I-I also want to be honest... I thought...”
“Oh... I see?”
I don’t really know the reason, but I guess seeing them made her want to express her feelings honestly too.
I have my doubts about why she’s telling me this, but... ah.
“So that’s what the message you deleted earlier was about.”
“That was! ...No, that’s right. It’s just as you say, Akito.”
She walked down a few steps and gently grabbed my clothes.
It was a weak, feeble force that felt like it could be brushed off at any moment.
Even so, for some reason, I felt a power that kept me pinned to the spot.
“This is my selfishness. But it’s my true feelings.”
“...”
“You might think ‘what are you talking about’ if I say this, but... don’t let other girls do that kind of thing anymore.”
That’s right... we are connected by the ‘Red Thread of Fate,’ and a Dark Scarlet thread at that, which has only been confirmed in a few cases in the world.
Even I am bewildered by this change in feelings, and I only just realized these feelings recently.
Thinking about it that way, maybe Riran is the same and is bewildered by the change in her feelings.
In such an unstable situation, if she were shown me being close with another girl, she’d hate it.
If Riran had a close male junior and I saw them flirting in front of me... I probably wouldn’t be able to stand it.
“...I understand. I’m sorry.”
“A-ah, you don’t have to apologize. This is just my selfishness.”
“Even so, let me apologize. I’m sorry.”
“...Mm. Okay, I’ll forgive you.”
Riran slipped past me and ran down the stairs.
Then, she looked up at me from the landing.
“Right now I’m still too embarrassed to say more than this. But I still have a lot of things I want to say from my heart. I think it will take time for me to organize my feelings and steel my resolve... but please wait a little longer.”
“...Yeah. I get it.”
“...Well then, see you later.”
She gave a small wave and went down the stairs.
“Things she wants to say from her heart, huh...”
Riran is trying to change. She is facing herself, trying to honestly confess her feelings.
Then what about me?
My feelings have clearly changed.
I’ve fallen in love with the girl I thought was my natural enemy.
Have I tried to put that into words? Am I prepared to confess to Riran and throw my feelings at her?
............
No, let’s stop trying to act cool.
In the end, I’m just scared of telling Riran my feelings.
I am a cowardly hypocrite.