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"Let's go home, Haru-kun." "Yeah, let's go home." My name is Haruto Saito. I am a second-year high school student. My hair is noticeably bedraggled and my bangs are so long that people around me cannot see my eyes. Perhaps because of my appearance, people around me treat me as a loner. The only classmate who is close to me is the girl who just spoke to me. Kaori Nishijo. Not only are we classmates, but we have been neighbors for more than 10 years since we were born, or rather childhood friends. Unlike me, who is a loner, Kaori is quite a beautiful girl. She is probably comparable to an idol. That's why this is what happens when she talks to me. "Nishijo-san, let's go home with me instead of being such a gloomy guy.” Shinya Machida, one of the most handsome men in the school, grinned at me as he spoke to her. Because of his excellence in both studies and athletics and his good looks, he has received confessions from students in all grades. Perhaps because of this, he is a pain in the ass who mistakenly believes that Kaori also likes him. "He and Nishijo-san are not compatible. He's too pitiful, you know? If you are too nice to him..." Kaori's eyebrows twitch at that comment, but she responds with a smile. "I don't think so. Saito-kun and I have known each other since we were childhood friends, and he is an attractive enough person. See you later." Machida, who had been lightly brushed off with a smile, was momentarily taken aback, but then he immediately glared at me. Hey, hey, I had nothing to do with this, did I? I'm the victim here, aren't I? I don't know why, but Kaori has never left my side. Because of this, I can't say that there is no one I can call a friend. Because of her presence, boys are often jealous of me and I have never talked to them. I have never talked to any of the girls because of my appearance. To begin with, it is because of Kaori that I have this appearance. She started following me around at all hours of the day when I was in elementary school, and she would not allow me to cut my hair short, saying that I looked cooler with it long hair. Could it be that my face was that bad? There was a time when I thought about that, but it shouldn't be that way. I looked in the mirror and I don't think it's that bad. Maybe I just have a high self-esteem. "Come on, Haru-kun, let's go." Saying that, Kaori pulls my hand and starts to walk away. There are still some who glare at me when they see this scene, but I guess they have all gotten used to seeing it, and not many of them poke at me anymore. “Hey, Kaori. I want to cut my bangs because they're in the way.” "Just 5 mm or so is fine.” “No, that doesn't count as a haircut.” "That's fine, leave it as it is, what's the inconvenience?" Inconvenient? If you ask me, not so much… “I can't see the blackboard.” “Even if you can't see the blackboard, you're still in first place, right, Haru-kun?” "At the time of club activities," Aren't you in the homecoming club?"" ・・・ I was desperately thinking of excuses, and Kaori spoke to me in a sullen tone. "I'm so pissed off at Machida! He made fun of my Haru-kun! Haru-kun is a million times better looking than him!" "No, that's not true." I thought it was a bit much, but Kaori didn't seem to be convinced. She was angry, puffing out her cheeks. "Everyone will fall in love with you once they see your face, Haru-kun." "What? What did you say?" I thought it was cute to see my childhood friend sulking with her cheeks reddening. I've thought about confessing my feelings many times, but I've never been able to go through with it because I think it's not balanced as people around me say. Today, again, I put the lid on these feelings and walked toward home. We live next door to each other and spend most of our time together. Let's enjoy this time now. “I'll see you tomorrow, Haru-kun." “Yes, see you tomorrow.” I went into my house after making sure Kaori entered the house. I have been doing this for some time now. ーーーーーーーーーー “Saito-kun, can you do me a favor?” "...Yeah, okay." I had just been summoned. This was the only time Kaori, who is usually with me, was not around. While I was in the bathroom, I got tangled up. The person who approached me was Ayano Otsuka, a female student in the next class. She is the central figure of the top caste group in this school. If Kaori is a neat and tidy type of girl, Otsuka-san is a gal-type girl, but she is a beautiful girl who is as popular as Kaori with seniors and juniors alike. Rumour has it that she is Machida's girlfriend? It seems. I wonder if it is through Machida this time? What a hassle. We walked for a while and arrived at the back of the school building. I expected to be talked out of it right away, but something is bothering me about my surroundings. After confirming that there was no one around, Otsuka-san approached me. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to call you out." "I don't mind, but what's wrong?" "Machida was saying bad things about you. So the people around me started talking about hurting you." Huh? I'm the victim! Then, Otsuka-san came to beat me up!? "So, I think they're coming over later, so why don't you pretend you've been hit?" "Pretend to be beaten?" "Yeah, I'll pretend I hurt you before they do, and we'll be done with it." What? Aren't you going to beat me up? Is Otsuka-san actually a very nice guy? "But that doesn't make your boyfriend Machida happy, though, does it?" "Oh, he's not my boyfriend! He's the worst kind of guy with ulterior motives. He's spreading rumors all on his own.” "I see. All right, then, I'll ask you to go light." I was not able to leave the troubled Otsuka-san alone and decided to take her up on her offer. The face of Otsuka's relief was honestly thought to be cute. No, no, I have Kaori. I shook my head and shook off my thoughts. At that moment, a strong wind blew through the back of the school building. It was only for a moment, but the look on Otsuka-san's face in front of me was one of astonishment. Her face turned bright red and she froze, saying, "Au au au," as she looked at me. “What's wrong, Otsuka-san?” "Kyoo, Kyoo, today..." “What?” It was too small to hear, so I listened back, but Otsuka-san took a big breath and said. “I'll give you a break for today!” After saying that, Otsuka-san ran off. What am I supposed to do now? Kaori appeared to me in such a troubled state. Kaori appeared in place of Otsuka-san and was smiling, but her eyes were not smiling. "I have to be careful not to let my eyes wander off for a moment and let others see Haru-kun's face." “What's wrong, Kaori?” "No, it's nothing. Let's go early, class is about to start." I nod and follow Kaori to the classroom. Somehow the silence continues. I felt awkward and broached the subject. “I was surprised to hear that Otsuka-san and Machida weren't dating. I didn't know that." "That's right, Machida's just telling her off. He wants to add her to your harem, don't he? No matter how much polygamy is allowed, if it's that blatant, he is going to pull it off." “Well.” Yes, I remember when I was in elementary school. The first thing that comes to mind is that polygamy is now allowed in Japan. I'm sure it was around that time that I started hanging out with Kaori. "Hey, Haru-kun, you have me, so please don't cheat on me." After saying that, Kaori ran into the class. I went blank for a moment, but quickly followed her. I'm going to tell her exactly how I feel. Even if I was mistaken, I couldn't help but tell her. I love you.
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