Chapter 23: What If an Unexpected Reinforcement Dealt the Finishing Blow?

Displayed on my smartphone was a hidden camera image of Kiyama and Meari kissing. Still, Kiyama has some taste, taking a hidden photo like this. It's a joke that it ended up tightening the noose around his own neck, though.

「Eh? Why? Why is there a picture like this...?」

Judging by her face full of despair, Kiyama must have taken it without her consent. I'll sympathize with you, on that point alone.

「It's a lie, right...? Hey, why? Why do you have a picture like this? Why? Hey... answer me!!」

「Answer me, huh. Right, then maybe you'll understand if you see this too.」

What I showed her next was a picture of Kiyama and Meari, arms linked happily, entering the entrance of Kiyama's apartment building.

「What a careless guy, not even caring about who's watching. You should have waited until you were in your room to enter your own little world.」

「...You were watching? You were there, at that time. .........How cruel.」

「Huh?」

「How cruel! You deceived me too, Kou-kun! Why would you do something like this?! Why would you do this!? It was fun, wasn't it? Laughing at me when I wasn't around, weren't you?! Both you and Sou-kun!!」

「What kind of logic makes me an accomplice with that piece of shit? Rest assured, the only one who deceived you was Kiyama. If anything, I was the one being deceived. That's why you're tasting misery right now. Let me be the one to ask you──was it fun deceiving people?」

She's throwing a fit.

What is this? Seeing her bloodshot eyes makes the excitement I felt until just now start to cool down. Personally, I prefer a more tragic, weeping and wailing kind of reaction.

...Come to think of it, her friend has been awfully quiet for a while now?

The moment I thought that, I never would have expected that girl, the one who always clung to Meari and saw me as her enemy, to slap Meari across the cheek.

Bashih!

That was a pretty loud sound. Meari, who had been worked up until a moment ago, fell silent as if a bucket of water had been thrown on her.

「Meari... what is the meaning of this?」

「W-What? Why did you hit me...」

「I'm asking you what this means?! You came to me for advice recently, saying Tonoshima-kun was being cold and might be cheating, didn't you?! But then, what is this? Don't screw with me!」

「I-It's a misunderstanding! I was just lonely because Kou-kun wasn't paying attention to me, and that's why!」

「Haa?! That's not even an excuse! Besides, I don't care about that! The problem is that you betrayed Tonoshima-kun and spread your legs for another man! "Give him a piece of your mind", you said. You made me lecture an innocent guy?! You're seriously the worst! I can't believe it!」

「I'm sorry! But I...」

「You're apologizing to the wrong person!!!」

Isn't she getting a little too heated? The crowd of people around us has started to grow.

But this girl wasn't a collaborator for either of them. She was just inflexible and serious... I misunderstood. I think her name was──

I grabbed the arm of the person who was about to strike another blow and urged her to calm down.

「Well, leave it at that, Karasawa. She's finished either way, she's not worth hitting anymore. There's no need for you to dirty your hands.」

「But...! ...Okay, Tonoshima-kun. And also, I'm sorry for being so hard on you until now.」

「Yeah. Well, as long as you understand, it's fine. Don't worry about it, okay?」

I never thought there'd be someone angrier about this than me.

Because I saw someone more worked up than myself, I'm probably more confident than anyone else here that I'm calm.

「Because, I... I also... to Sou-kun...」

Glancing at Meari, who could only mutter deliriously, I told Karasawa to go back to the classroom, and while I was at it...

「I think you'll get a really good boyfriend someday.」

「What? What's with you all of a sudden?」

「...I wonder what?」

For some reason, I just thought that. What am I even saying?