Chapter 7: Heartbreak Warning

And so, my days of being entangled with the first-string girl Orimoto, who no one can see, began.

Somehow we became talking companions.

Our overall sense of distance is close too.

And she's broke to boot.

Since all her New Year's money and savings have completely disappeared, though it's not Orimoto's fault, I can see the shadow of poverty hovering over my wallet.

Of course, when this situation is resolved, I plan to have her pay me back with interest.

Orimoto Suzuka——former member of Sera's harem.

A beautiful girl among beautiful girls. For someone attending an ordinary school, she's a bit too brilliant. Her appearance is so remarkable that there was apparently even a fan club at school.

The club formed by Orimoto believers was membership-based and even had numbers assigned, though that's just rumor territory.

And currently——she's gritting her teeth beside me.

Her cheeks tremble slightly from tension, and her breathing is rough.

I'm impressed by how expressive she is.

「No way, no no no no! That's not happening! Eh, that's absolutely impossible, right Kasugai-kun!」

It's the rainy season. In the gymnasium.

The black of the overcast sky looks like it'll get even thicker, and the grounds have turned into a lake. The heavy rain pounding the earth is annoying, but Orimoto's voice is louder.

「——Damn, you've been loud this whole time?! What, can't you stay quiet?!」

「But look, look look!」

Where Orimoto pointed is a man and woman. One man and multiple women. They're surrounding him.

It's close to a kabaddi formation——no wait, you're not supposed to touch in that. More like rugby then. In any case, a cluster has formed.

Heat mixes with yellow cheers, and you can glimpse the evaluation of the person in the center. Orimoto taps my shoulder.

It hurts. Irritation. I take a breath and suppress it.

「Keiichi-kun! Show us something cool!」

「Well? I'll do what I can.」

「Keiichi-kuun! Look this way!」

Sera Keiichi is handsome today as always, and what's more, he's wearing gym clothes as a bonus.

The female students let out voices at even his casual gesture of wiping sweat from his forehead. That's already idol or model treatment.

It's really not much of an exaggeration, like insects gathering around a moth trap. I inevitably ended up dealing with Orimoto, who was openly showing her indignation.

「If you're annoyed, go over there.」

「No way. If I watched up close, I'd get even more annoyed.」

「...I see. I'd be happy if you'd worry about my eardrums getting hurt from you shouting in my ear.」

She hadn't been seen by anyone, wasn't acknowledged by anyone, wasn't called by name by anyone.

That heavenly Orimoto Suzuka, no less.

Saturday, I ended up in a situation where I had no choice but to help this girl——and inevitably ended up building a relationship. From any angle, I don't think it was my job.

Orimoto apparently slept in the hallway as she said.

Seasonally she'd probably be fine without a blanket, but on the hard floor, fatigue would only accumulate without being relieved.

「That Keiichi guy, he's being all lovey-dovey? Ahh, I see, I see! I guess I just don't matter to him at all! Haah?!」

「Sera's always been like that.」

「No way, that's wrong. I! This Orimoto Suzuka was a step ahead! I was in the lead.」

Orimoto crosses her arms and straightens her back proudly.

Her expression is full of confidence, but considering she was contemplating suicide until the day before, I can't help but suspect the underside of her bold statement.

「...Haah.」

I gave a perfunctory response just to maintain the atmosphere, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

「Since I'm here, Keiichi should be pushing away the other girls! But being kind is also like Keiichi.」

「Decide whether you're praising or criticizing him...」

PE class was unusually co-ed, so the girls were conscious of the boys, and the boys were definitely, extremely conscious of the girls.

As for me, I'm deflecting Orimoto in the corner.

This is why I didn't want this to happen.

However, this is reality.

No matter how many days pass, no human other than me appears who can perceive Orimoto. At this point, Orimoto seems more accustomed to it, so her adaptability is remarkable.

「——Hey, this is kind of late to ask.」

The overlapping voices of the men and women in the gym are noisy.

Even if I were muttering to myself, I probably wouldn't draw anyone's attention. I ask Orimoto, who's glaring at Sera with a frown.

「What?」

Orimoto looks at me while tilting her head.

「Don't you have any ideas? Even small things, any memories?」

「Mumu, ideas. Ideas, huh.」

Orimoto groans while putting her finger to her cheek.

For a few seconds, she furrowed her brow and let out a big sigh. She glances toward Sera.

「There is one, but it's absurd, and besides——haaah.」

I suddenly realize.

I don't know if it's the idea Orimoto is hesitating about——but this girl was rejected by Sera.

And she hasn't told me about it.

I'm an audience member who secretly witnessed the crash-and-burn scene. Should I pretend not to know for now? Silence. Sometimes that's the wisest choice.

「...You won't tell anyone? Also, you won't laugh? If you laugh, I'll hit you, punch you silly.」

「I have no one to tell. You've been clinging to me this whole time, have you seen me talk to anyone? That's how it is.」

「I suspected if you were an invisible existence like me, huh. ...So loners exist.」

Preferring straightforward speech seems to be Orimoto's nature. I won't be discouraged by a word like "loner".

「Being a loner is good. You don't have to worry about anyone, and you can be a conversation partner for someone like you.」

「That might be true. If Kasugai-kun were popular in class, every time I talked to you and you responded, you'd be treated as weird and your popularity would drop.」

That's not a follow-up.

She's cutting deep. After cutting deep, she's twisting that knife around, making it highly lethal.

「...Well, I believe you. Don't laugh, okay?」

「I'm not fallen enough to laugh at failures or misfortune.」

——If it could break through the current situation, I'll at least listen. I continued with that implication.

「Actually, I was rejected by Keiichi. ...I became invisible after that.」

Quietly, with a slight breath mixed in.

But those words definitely contained a weight I couldn't ignore. Even though I had expected it, the atmosphere became heavy.

Still, I shouldn't be swept away.

Since we don't have the kind of relationship where I should sympathize, I deliberately included exaggerated surprise in my words.

「...Wait a minute. Don't casually drop bombs like that. ——R-Rejected? Who was?」

「Me.」

「By who?」

「By Keiichi.」

「......Seriously?」

Orimoto nodded deeply.

I knew it, but hearing it from her directly still causes some shock to swirl. It's hard to even imagine that heroine being rejected.

If I hadn't coincidentally witnessed that scene, I never would have believed the words "Sera rejected Orimoto". Orimoto looked somewhat uncomfortable as she played with her hair tips with her fingertips,

「When you get all serious like that, it's troubling.」

「A-Ahh, sorry. ...I'm not used to this kind of talk. Well, what should I say.」

Orimoto shrugs.

Seeing that, I was slightly impressed in my heart. The relationship with her beloved childhood friend collapsed in one day, the fact that she can say such a serious topic so casually shows a mental strength that might be admirable.

「You say it surprisingly lightly.」

「Well, heavy moods don't really suit me. I'm not good at wallowing either. ...But I didn't expect to fail.」

——There was this officially recognized atmosphere.

Orimoto tapped the wooden gym floor with her toes. She's wearing loafers today too.

Her sneakers might have disappeared as well.

I don't know the conditions, but you can tell from just her clothing that she's quite restricted.

「...I won't deny it. I've heard rumors that you seemed to be leading among you all.」

「?!! Right! I knew it!」

Orimoto brightened her expression as if she'd struck gold. I'm definitely not telling a lie.

...It was just hearsay, though.

Among Sera's harem, there are several others besides Orimoto, and among them, her, the childhood friend, was in the main wife position.

「...But when I told him I liked him——ah, maybe he wasn't looking at me? That's what I thought.」

「What does "not looking at you" mean?」

Inadvertent parroting.

「What do you think I was told when I got rejected? Simply put, he likes someone else. And it's my friend, disappointing. Super disappointing.」

「——You confessed knowing that?」

「Nope, not one bit! If I'd noticed, I wouldn't have said anything. ...Maybe I rushed too much.」

That laughing voice sounded somehow dry.

I don't have many words I can offer her.

「And then you became invisible?」

「——Yeah. I became invisible to everyone. To Keiichi, to my friends, to the teachers. Abandoned by the world, like my entire existence just slipped right out.」

It felt like a cold wind blew through.

Currently, it was break time before I knew it.

In a few minutes, some kind of co-ed match is supposed to start. The court is truly empty.

「Kasugai-kun can see me. ...It's really strange. But you say you're not the culprit.」

「Yeah, a loner doesn't have that kind of power.」

「True! That makes sense!」

Orimoto laughs while holding her stomach.

That voice echoed in the somewhat quiet gymnasium, and after a faint reflection, it quietly disappeared into the air.

「I even did rehearsals?! Confession practice! Saying "I like you" in front of the mirror over and over!」

Orimoto's eyes were slightly moist.

I see, thinking back, the slightly theatrical quality of her line delivery was due to practice.

「I wonder if I'll just disappear like this. I'm scared of what will happen to me. Even I might be scared.」

She suddenly said something like that.

I was at a loss for how to respond to that question for a while. I tried to cover up by pretending to walk around casually, standing beside the tearful Orimoto——.

「——How should I know?」

「How cruel! Be gentle there?!」

「What I don't know, I don't know. What I don't understand, I don't understand. Giving false hope is wrong.」

I don't know what's what either.

Orimoto can't be seen by anyone?

In a situation where only I can see her?

There's no solution or anything??

If I speak carelessly, I'll just end up hurting Orimoto more. Well then... fumu.

「But I can see you, right? That's also a fact. ...Look for a solution somehow.」

「Eh, does that mean you'll help me?」

「Don't use grandiose expressions like "help". I'll report if anything comes up, that's about it.」

Orimoto crossed her arms in front of an exasperated me.

Then she looked up at the ceiling——.

「Ah.」

One character.

「Then, how about this? ——Kasugai-kun is my partner! Please cooperate with me!」

「.........Hah?」