Declaration of War

It is now recess time after first class.

We returned to the classroom at the right moment.

Sure enough, Hashimoto-san, who is a massive onlooker, was waiting for us.

Hashimoto-san was at the entrance of the classroom with a sparkle in her eyes.

"You skipped class after all, didn't you? What were you two doing together!"

Me and Mikoto-san looked at each other.

We need to do as we're supposed to do.

"Akihara-kun is mine now."

Mikoto-san said it casually, but the effect was enormous.

The people around her who had been listening to the conversation started to buzz, and Hashimoto-san said, "Oh." and her eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"Did that mean that the two of you really did something forbidden?"

Mikoto-san's face turned red and her eyes were downcast in embarrassment.

"I mean... that Akihara-kun has become my boyfriend."

“Did Mikoto-san really like Akihara after all?"

“Yeah, I did. So ... I confessed my feelings and Akihara-kun accepted me."

Mikoto-san nodded her head.　

This is all just an act.

The reason for this is to give the answer that Hashimoto-san and others wanted and to avoid any more questions from them.

Hashimoto-san now turned to me.

"You did it, Akihara! You got the best girlfriend!"

"I agree... I think Mikoto-san would be too good for me."

I mean it.

Mikoto-san is a beautiful girl with silver hair and blue eyes, and she stands out so much that people call her a goddess.

But what is more important is that Mikoto-san is a very kind girl.

A good portion of the class stood up all at once, all smiling.

Then they clapped together.

I don't know what it was, but they seemed to be celebrating a happy occasion.

Everyone is so busy, I thought to myself.

Well, some of my classmates were indifferent or gave us unfriendly looks.

One of them was Kaho.

She was staring at me with a face completely devoid of expression.

I felt a chill run down my spine.

Kaho always has a cheerful and charming expression on her face.

Of course there were times when she was angry, but even then she would stare at me with her cheeks puffed out with emotion, and that was cute in its own way.

But the Kaho I saw now was something I had never seen before.

Hashimoto-san must have noticed this, because she approached Kaho.

"Hey, Kaho? Is it okay for Kaho to have Akihara taken away from her?"

"No matter. It has nothing to do with me."

“But you were childhood friends for a long time, weren't you? You used to go home with Akihara often. If Mikoto-san became Akihara's girlfriend, those things wouldn't be possible, would they?"

Hashimoto-san smiled at me.

Hashimoto-san doesn't know that Kaho dumped me.

That is why she is going to tell Kaho something like this.

I don't know what Hashimoto-san wants to do in front of everyone.

"So what?"

Kaho glared at Hashimoto-san with cold eyes, but Hashimoto-san was completely unmoved.

"Because I thought Kaho liked Akihara too. Didn't you?　The way Kaho looks at Akihara..."

Hashimoto-san could not finish her sentence.

Kaho angrily slammed her desk, got up, and walked out of the classroom.

The stares from classmates were painful.

This makes it seem as if I dumped Kaho and went out with Mikoto-san, even though I like Kaho.

When in fact, it's not true at all.

Hashimoto-san came back and whispered in my ear.

"It's hard being a popular guy."

I don't think I've ever been popular.

Kaho dumped me and is not conscious of me as a member of the opposite gender.

Mikoto-san says she likes me, but that is just an act.

No matter how friendly she acts toward me, I don't think it means that she likes me as a member of the opposite gender.

Just like how Kaho was not conscious of me at all, no matter how well she got along with me.

Don't repeat the same mistake.

And although Yuki seems to like me, the way she directs her affection is twisted.

Mikoto-san looked at me and said quietly.

“Akihara-kun. I told you, didn't I? I said I wouldn't give Akihara-kun to Sasaki-san."

"I know, but?"

"Remember that one."

I nodded vaguely.

Hashimoto-san said in a pleasant, quiet voice.

"So you are saying that Kaho is Mikoto's rival, right?"

The actual situation is quite different from what Hashimoto-san thinks.

Mikoto-san looked at me and Hashimoto-san and smiled softly.

"Yes. I think this is probably a declaration of war."