That night, we had a Japanese-style dinner: boiled hijiki with grilled fish, meat-and-potato stew, and miso soup.

Mana really would make a great wife, even if she doesn’t exactly look the part.

Mom was back from work, so the three of us had dinner together.

“…Mana, did you get a boyfriend?”

“Huhhh? No. Why?”

“Really? Then why did you buy…um…rubbers?”

“Whaaat?!” Mana froze up.

Rubber? Like a rubber band for her hair? She does tie it up quite often.

“D-did you see me…?”

“No, not me. Our neighbor Mrs. Tanoue saw you at the drugstore.”

“B-but I was so careful!”

“She said you shouldn’t be playing around with any man who’d ask you to get those.”

“Haaah?!”

Man, sure is a lot of shouting tonight.

At least the miso soup is good.

“Ugh, this is so humiliating… This is your fault for being a virgin.”

“What are you talking about?”

How do I have anything to do with any of this?

“I’m saying you should do your research!”

I had no idea what the fuss was about, so I could only take my little sister’s scolding in silence.

“So that happened last night,” I explained to Fushimi on our way to school the next morning.

“Oh… Poor little Mana…”

“Huh? Why?”

“Sometimes, I sometimes can’t tell whether you’re too sharp or too dense, Ryou.”

I’m the bad guy here? I can’t take much more of this. No one even tells me what the problem is.

We kept walking while I was still frustrated, and someone else greeted Fushimi, “Good morning!”

It was a girl in our grade, though I didn’t know her name. She had her hair up in a short ponytail and was carrying a sports bag, so I figured she was someone from one of the sports clubs.

“Good morning,” the princess replied with utmost elegance. Her smile was so royal I could imagine her giving a loftier greeting, like “How do you fare this fine morn?” or something.

“So you’re going clubless, Hina?”

“Yeah. I already decided I wouldn’t join any more for high school.”

The girl’s friendly smile instantly faded away, her eyes now cold.

“Oh. Okay. Sure, I guess playing around is more fun.”

“That’s not what I meant…” I could see the confusion in Fushimi’s smile.

“If you ever change your mind, you’ll be welcome in the track-and-field club. You get along with everyone already, so.”

“Yes. Thank you for inviting me.”

The girl shot me a quick glance before leaving to join a group of girls with similar bags.

Fushimi was good at sports; she was in the track-and-field club in middle school and did great at sprints and long jumps. From what I’d seen of her during PE, she was no slouch at ball sports, either. I’d seen a lot of people from small sports clubs asking her to join.

“They’re still asking you even in second year, huh?”

“Yeah…” She seemed tense.

“I think you should just tell them you don’t want to if that’s how you feel. That’d be best for everyone.”

“Girls also get offended by that sometimes, Ryou.”

…Girls sure are a lot of work.

But Fushimi was right. She’d already gotten a cynical remark so obvious even I noticed, just now after politely declining. That girl had basically said, “Wow, it’s so great you have no responsibilities, huh?”

“Who would ever want to join a club with someone who says those things?”

“I just annoyed her a bit.”

Fushimi’s really kind. There’s no need to cover for her, y’know?

“If I joined any club, all the others would be up in arms, asking why I didn’t join theirs after they tried to scout me.”

The more I heard her talk about it, the more disgusted I was by the community of our school.

Fushimi’s expression stayed grim, as if she was still worried about what the girl had told her. Anyone would be down after being mocked like that so early in the morning.

I rubbed her back a few times.

“I don’t think it’ll help to tell you to not worry, but… Well, let’s just focus on what we have to do right now.”

Not that that sounds very convincing from the delinquent who never listens to the classes he does attend.

“Thanks. Yeah, you’re right. I’ll do what I have to do.” Fushimi’s small hand formed a fist. Her expression brightened back up again.

I would’ve been too worried to do anything if those clouds had been gathering next to me all day. With some relief, I took my hand off her back and put it into my pocket.

“…Keep doing that.”

“Wha—?”

“The rub-rub…please.”

Rub-rub? Ah, you mean rubbing your back?

But why are you so red?

“It…calms me down. The touch.”

I was about to reply, “Sure, it’s no problem,” but then I noticed how many students were all around us. We were close to school already.

“No, we shouldn’t do this now…”

“Okay.”

Her cheeks were slightly puffed, and her voice sounded annoyed despite her understanding reply. You don’t seem okay with it.

“Back when we were little, I fell on my butt from the gymnastics bar and started crying, then you said, ‘C’mon, that’s no reason to cry.’ You were doing a back hip circle.”

I did?

“Then you did that little rub-rub on my butt. I think that’s when I started enjoying those little massages.”

“So you’re saying you want me to rub your ass?”

“N-nooo! Were you even listening?!”

“It was a joke! Don’t get so mad.”

“Geez!” she huffed. “Anyway, I don’t mind where—I just want you to do your rub-rub.”

You don’t mind where? So you’re saying you would let me rub your butt. Also, I refuse to ever say “rub-rub.” It sounds extra lewd.

Fushimi noticed the other students around were watching us, and her expression immediately changed.

I had thought Fushimi grew up and stopped being the kid I remembered back in middle school, but after all this time with her lately, so many of those expressions reminded me of when we were kids.

“She’s just…pretending at school.”

“Did you say something?”

Any other guy would’ve treasured the memory of the princessly smile she flashed at me, but since I knew it was all an act, it felt more like pressure.

“N-no, nothing.”

“I see. Good.”

If this were a manga, they would draw a huge SFX sign saying DANGER behind that smile.